A/N: Even though I am starting this story, I am not giving up on Love Is Lily. It's just I started writing this one over a year ago, and have always wanted to post it. I finally got around to typing it up, and now I want people to see it. I WILL still be updating my other story.

Anywho, I know James should have left Hogwarts by now, but I really wanted him there. And this story has an ACTUAL plot, so I am quite proud!

Anyway....Enjoy!

Chapter One

Lily was standing on platform 9 ¾ watching the usual chaos that ensued before the departure for Hogwarts. Children were being hugged goodbye, others rushing onto the steaming train to get good seats, while forgotten items ere being passed through windows and animals screeched in their cages. Lily smiled. It felt good to be going back. She liked her home and missed her family when she was at school, but she felt so right there. It was her favourite place in the world- well it tied for 1st place with 'The Burrow'; her grandparents' house.

'Bye honey' her mother told her. 'Enjoy yourself- but don't get in too much trouble' she scolded, accompanied with a stern look that was slightly undermined by the smirk she was fighting to hide. 'How you managed to make Prefect I'll never know' her mum teased.

'Me either' Lily sighed. Her parents had been so proud of her, that she felt guilty for not actually wanting the role. It wasn't that she was 'bad'. She was just relaxed and didn't want all the extra responsibilities that came with the title. Especially since she had been planning on concentrating on quidditch this year; she'd made captain of Gryffindor. She wasn't sure how she possibly could now, what with studying for OWLs and now prefect duties.

Lily's face fell slightly and her Dad as always quickly came over to comfort her.

'Lilyflower, if you get to school and find that you aren't comfortable with being a prefect you can always drop it. No one will think any less of you.' He decided wisely to not even suggest dropping the captaincy; Lily would surely have bitten his head off. 'But I'm sure you will do absolutely perfectly' he told her, winking and tapping her lightly on the nose with his forefinger.

His confidence in her did little to comfort her somersaulting stomach. Even though the thought had been threatening to overcome her all summer, it wasn't until now, standing around her fellow students that the realisation of just how much responsibility she was taking on this year finally came crashing down on her.

Lily's face became overridden with complete panic as her stomach clenched and twirled in ways she was not accustomed to. She quickly realised that she was nervous, something she rarely felt. Whatever she tried, she was not only good at, but brilliant, so she rarely worried about much. Lily did not think of herself as bigheaded, just quietly confident.

Harry had never seen Lily look so terrified before in her life. Not when a masked Death Eater had broken into their home, or when Ginny had screamed at her for giving James irremovable spots in her first summer back from Hogwarts. They had taken three weeks to wear away from the blazing red infected looking white heads the size of puffapods, to faint red marks. James had refused to leave the house the entire time, and seemed more annoyed at the fact that his younger sister was only a first year, and had already mastered magic he was still having trouble with going into 5th year.

Harry took a deep breath. It hurt to think about them, but Lily's pain was worse than his right now. He knelt down so he could look into Lily's hazel eyes; his father's hazel eyes.

'Lily, you're going to do fine.' He promised her.

'How can you know that?' lily asked, unbelieving.

'Because what you're doing this year is part of who you are.'

'You and Mum weren't prefects' Lily accused, eyes narrowed.

'No' her father agreed, 'but both of your grandparent, my parents' he qualified 'were Head Boy and Girl. And your grandfather was the Quidditch captain, and a chaser- just like you.' Lily's eyes widened in shock. Her Dad rarely talked about is parents and Lily had learned not to ask questions about them; the pain it caused her father was obvious.

However when anybody talked about her grandparents, they did so with great respect and awe, and Lily felt herself swelling with pride at her Dad's comparison with her to James and Lily Potter.

Lily heard the whistle blow, and flung herself into her Dad's arms for one last hug. He held her tightly, and whispered 'Good luck' into her ear. Lily smiled and stepped back, before turning towards her Mother.

Her mum gave her a hug, and then stepped back, holding her at arms length, looking her up and down. 'You'll do fine', she said, stroking her hair. Lily heard the train chugging loudly behind her, and drew in a deep breath.

'Bye Mum, Dad' she said one last time.

'Have a good time honey' her Mum said.

'And don't let James annoy you so much' her Dad yelled over the train.

'I won't, Dad' she called back, before pushing herself into the massive crush of students rushing to get onto the train.

James grabbed Lily's trunk as she leaped from the platform onto the moving train. She turned around in time to see her parents waving, her red hair swept across her face, hindering her vision as the train hurtled forward.

'Come on' James called from behind her as he began dragging Lily's trunk down the carriage. She followed the path James left behind him as girls parted to let him through, ogling as he sauntered forward, and younger boys leapt aside to avoid getting hexed.

As she continued down the train, Lily could hear muggle music getting gradually louder. She had a good idea where it was coming from and cringed slightly.

James stopped outside the carriage where the music reached its peak, dropped my trunk, and threw open the compartment door with a flourish, his grin stretched right across his face.

The sound of 'If Today Was Your Last Day' by Nickelback, flooded her, as a number of bangs and explosions went off, smothering her in confetti, and a number of other objects she didn't want to think about.

Lily looked up into the laughing faces of a number of redheaded Weasley relatives, as a mini firework display went zooming around the compartment spelling out 'Congrats Lily The Prefect' in a number of different sparkling colours and flashes.

Lily could feel her face reddening as half the train spilled out into the carriage to find the source of all the commotion. On seeing the Weasley-Potter Clan they all returned to their compartments, having spent many years becoming immune to the craziness of the 'The Clan'.

Lily was unceremoniously dragged into the compartment, which looked far too big, and was made to dance with her cousin Rose, as Lady Gaga's 'Just Dance' burst from the stereo.

After a good half hour, Lily's face was finally beginning to return to its usual pale complexion, and had just managed to hide herself in a corner, when Scorpius Malfoy walked past the compartment.

Lily had never really talked to Scorpius Malfoy before, although she sometimes caught him looking at her from his place on the Slytherin table. She had no real feeling towards him, good or bad, but the majority of her family despised him for no other reason than his surname. It wasn't something Lily agreed with, but moaning about it didn't change anyone's mind.

As he walked past, pointedly looking forward, his chin set, Lily caught the glint of a prefects badge on his chest. Unfortunately James and Fred – Lily's Uncle George's son, and James' partner in crime- saw it too.

'Well, well, well. Likkle Malfoy made prefect.' James taunted. 'Standards really are slipping, aren't they?' Malfoy kept walking, something Lily admired.

'Attacked any muggle-borns lately?' Fred asked, joining in the cruel game. A crowd had now gathered as Malfoy whipped around and retorted, 'I don't duel people because of their blood status, Weasley. I do it because of their attitude.'

'Oooh, feisty, aren't we? "I don't duel people because of their blood status"' James mimicked, putting on a high singsong voice. 'It's strange how no one here believes you' he said, serious now, and whipped out his wand, bellowing 'Levicorpus!'

Malfoy was pulled into the air, so that he was hanging upside down by his ankle. Lily's whole compartment fell on the floor in fits of laughter as Fred began flicking his wand, changing Malfoy's blonde hair to a bubblegum pink colour, and giving him a snout instead of a nose.

Lily jumped up from her spot in the corner, disappointed with herself for letting this go on for so long. This was not just about her being a prefect; she just couldn't stand unprovoked bullying.

She clambered over the various shaking bodies scattered across the floor, before disarming Fred and her boyfriend, Matt, caught their wands and demanded James let Malfoy down.

'Aww, come on Lily. It's just a bit of fun' James moaned.

'Now, James. Or I'll take points'. She warned.

'Fine' James replied, an evil twinkle in his eye.

'Gently' Lily began to say, but too late. Malfoy landed with a heavy thud on his head, his body crumpling to the floor around him.

Lily shot a disgusted look at James as he laughed cruelly. The three boys slid back into the relative safety of the compartment, only too aware of the kind of scene that followed a look like that.

She ran over to help Malfoy up, but he pushed her back. 'Get off me Potter. I don't need your help.'

'Fine' she retorted; 'next time I won't' and she stalked off to the prefects meeting, blowing her fringe furiously out of her face. She was so annoyed and angry and just plain frustrated at her stupid family, that she had all but forgotten the nervousness she had felt about being a prefect only an hour earlier.

A/N: Hoped you liked. Review? Please? How about if I put a cherry on top?

Anna xx