Lily Evans father opened the trunk of the rusty gray Ford compact that was
their family car. As he pulled out her black trunk, Lily stroked her cat,
Amber, smiling. Her dad stood up straight and Lily looked into his gleaming
green eyes. She handed Amber to her brooding sister, Petunia, who was
leaning on a brick column dressed in a pink, frilly skirt and white t-
shirt. Lily, focusing back on her father, hugged him very tightly. She now
turned to her mother, who was standing next to Petunia with proud eyes, the
same gleaming green tint of her husband. Lily hugged her mom as well.
"Well, Lily, better get that badge ready!" Her father said, referring to the golden Head Girl badge she had safely stowed in her trunk.
"I will, Daddy." She turned to Petunia, and took Amber, then, feeling a bit awkward, she leaned forward and gave Petunia a very mutual hug. Petunia looked utterly disgusted, but Lily wasn't about to let sulky Petunia ruin her day. Today, of course, she was going back to Hogwarts, for her final year. This was the end of the beginning, as she saw it, and it was best that she ended it happily. Also, there was the thought that in just a few short hours, she would be wearing that golden badge, enjoying the new privileges of being Head Girl. She only hoped there was a good Head Boy this year, someone responsible, someone the exact opposite of James Potter. That would definitely be the standard she'd set for the Head Boy- as long as they were honest, caring, and had their priorities straight, unlike that irresponsible, troublemaking prat James Potter.
Finishing her good-byes to her family and promising to write, she stepped into Kings Cross Station, clutching Amber and dragging her cloak toward Platform 9 and ¾. Confidently and well poised (because that was exactly how the Head Girl was) she stepped through the barrier and entered the Hogwarts Express platform.
"Hurry, up!" called James Potter, pushing his cart with his trunk, broomstick, and owl cage furiously through the Kings Cross station, weaving in and out of busy muggles in their fancy suits. His best friend, Sirius Black, was somewhere behind him, and James did not want to miss his last train ride to Hogwarts, especially since this train ride he got his own compartment, reserved especially for the Head Boy and Girl. He was certain the Head Girl was Lily Evans, the girl he'd fancied for so long he couldn't even remember how old he was when he started.
Sirius was his best friend from his first ride to Hogwarts, when he was eleven and naïve. Sirius came into James's empty compartment, out of breath, and, without even asking for his name, he began spilling to James all about his family, the Blacks, a pronounced Wizarding family full of rich, pureblood wizards. Sirius's parents had kicked him out last year, and for the past two summers, Sirius had stayed at the Potters', who welcomed him as part of the family.
James arrived at the barrier first, he tumbled through, and stepped to the side, as he was certain Sirius was steps behind him. James was the athletic one out of his Hogwarts friends, in fact, he was most likely the most athletic of the year, being amazing at Quidditch. Still, Sirius had his share of popularity, too: James and Sirius were by far the most popular boy in the entirety of Hogwarts. Both boys were amazingly good looking, and girls flocked around them, giggling, whispering about James's body, Sirius's features, and James's smile... the boys practically worshipped them, too, as they were the troublemakers of the school, constantly running through the halls, wreaking havoc and pulling pranks. James could only think of a few people who didn't like him: Lily Evans, Severus Snape, and a group of jealous Slytherins.
After a moment, Sirius stumbled through the barrier and joined James on the platform. The pair looked around, looking for their other pal, Remus Lupin. They also kept their eyes out for Peter Pettigrew, their fourth best friend, but weren't as concerned. Peter was a loyal pal; he was a bit of a wimp and often aggravated James and Sirius, not to mention he was a bit dim, but James, Sirius, and Lupin had befriended him early on, and usually enjoyed his company, even if they did make fun of him when they had it.
Lily stepped onto the train and made her way as far down toward the driver as she could get, and arrived at the reserved compartments: Two were labeled "Prefects," cabins she sat in during her fifth and sixth year. The next compartment had a tiny gold sign on it embossed with the words, "Head Boy and Head Girl." She eagerly opened the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the new Head Boy...
The cabin was empty. However, any disappointment Lily had from still not knowing who her Head Boy was quickly drained as she stared in awe at the compartment. It could hardly be called a mere compartment. It looked the size of about four compartments, with long fluffy couches and a flickering fireplace. She left her trunk on one of the couches and went to go find her group of friends, which included Alice Martin, Isabelle Peters and her twin sister, Annabelle, Caroline Crawford, and Cindy McCormick. All were Gryffindors, however Cindy was a sixth year.
Lily focused so much on her studies that she didn't have very much time for friends. Still, they accepted her, and let Lily hang out with them. But Lily had never really had a "best friend." She wasn't good at making friends. She'd never had a boyfriend, and she thought it was partly because she was ugly. But she'd told her friends this time and they denied it, insisting she was beautiful, and she had to be since James Potter, the hottest boy any of the girls had ever laid eyes on, had had his eye on her for as long as anyone could remember. Annabelle also pointed out that if a boy ever asked her out, James would probably kill him.
Lily found her friends in one of the last compartments.
"Lily!" they all cried when they saw her. "How's your summer been?"
"Oh, wonderful," she said, grinning. "Listen, girls, the Head Girl compartment is really nice and it's so big... do you all want to come down there?"
They all nodded in agreement, and, somewhat excited, followed Lily down the corridor into the compartment.
"Wow!" squeaked Caroline. "This is the size of my parlor!" She and Annabelle took a seat on one of the couches. In awe, Cindy joined them, while Lily, Alice, and Isabelle sat down on the couch opposite them.
"So," Caroline said, looking anxiously at Alice. "Have you seen Frank at all this summer?" All the girls giggled. Lily, however, mentally rolled her eyes. It seemed this was all they ever talked about... boys. It made Lily sick, especially considering their favorite one to talk about was Potter. She wanted to talk about something like books, or Charms or something... she brought this up once with the girls and it was as if she was suggesting they sing a funeral march.
Alice turned a very vibrant red. "Well... yes... he came 'round to visit me..." She smiled embarrassedly but cheerfully all the same at the Ooohs of the girls. As she went on to tell her "passionate and romantic story" of how she and Frank spent their summer, Lily zoned off and found herself thinking about all the things she loved about Hogwarts, and how she'd miss it all... the teachers, the castle, Quidditch, the Library, James Potter- JAMES POTTER?
To her relief, Lily looked up to realize it wasn't her imagination- it was the girls going on about Potter again. Today it was all about how they dreamed to see Potter with his shirt off... Lily tried to keep herself from puking out of disgust, and wondered how long the conversation was going to last.
Not long, because moments later the door slid open to reveal who else but Potter standing behind it. Sirius stood to his right, Remus to his right. Lily noticed a shrimpy little Peter bringing up the rear. Oh god... thought Lily. Her friends however, looked as if they were about to burst with excitement, each one of them grinning (rather lamely, thought Lily) up at Sirius and Potter. Potter and Sirius grinned back, and as James's eyes settled on Lily he said, "Hey Evans," in a deep voice that sounded far to mature for Potter.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I suppose Remus is Head Boy then? Well done!" she added, relieved that somebody like Malfoy wasn't Head Boy.
Remus shook his head. "Nope. I'm still just a prefect...Prongs here is Head Boy."
Lily seemed to think she was in some kind of practical joke. "What? You're- you're kidding! HIM? Head Boy? How? How could somebody be so stupid as to- no, I don't believe you. Nice try." She even began to laugh a bit.
"Well, thanks, Evans," said Potter. "But no matter what your opinion is, I'm Head Boy, and that's that. We'll be roomies too!" The girls all giggled harder than ever and looked at Lily as if she was the luckiest girl in existence. Lily, however, felt she needed a bucket.
Potter? Head Boy? He was the biggest git Lily had ever met... sure, he was quite good looking... and smart...and he was so good at Quidditch... but that didn't change the fact that he was an immature prat. The girls had asked her what Potter would have to do to win her affections. She snorted and, only when they pressed her did she tell them that he would need to just be nicer and stop thinking so highly of himself. And really, that was the only thing he would have to do. And prove he'd never lay an eye on another girl again. She'd seen him... lurking around the corridors with different girls. Lily was sure it was to make her jealous, but it wasn't a very good tactic- Lily knew if, for some extremely strange reason, she did want Potter, she would simply say so and he would dump whatever girl he was seeing.
The boys stayed in the compartment the entire time (much to Lily's disappointment.) Sirius flirted with the girls, and they giggled uncontrollably. Peter looked at Sirius as if he were some kind of god, and this made Lily scoff. Remus tried to engage in conversation with James, but stopped when he realized all James was interested in was staring at Lily. Lily had decided to skip on the sickening conversations of the compartment and instead pulled out a book her mother had raved about, Pride and Prejudice. She did, however, notice Potter eyeing her from across the compartment, and, as most girls would, found it extremely hard to concentrate on her book while a devastatingly handsome boy was concentrating on her. She kept on reminding herself that he was a lousy git, but that still couldn't break the gaze he was giving her. Finally, she decided to just be a bitch.
"Could you please take your eyes, off me, Potter?" she spat loudly, giving the compartment an awkward silence as everyone stared at her. Potter had gone a deep scarlet. She tried to read, but it was even more impossible with everyone staring at her instead of just Potter. She finally shut her book and scoffed out of the compartment.
James sat there, somewhat bewildered. He hadn't said or done anything offensive since he stepped through the barrier to Platform 9 and ¾. Sure, maybe staring at her could be a bit annoying... but most girls would be flattered that he, James Potter, could not take his eyes off of them. Apparently not Lily Evans. She was different. But that was why he liked her. He figured he'd better find her, apologize, and try to make up for his impression.
He strolled the corridors, opening each one looking for Lily. Each one he opened was full of students, and every time he opened one the students all chirruped, "Hi James!" He'd mumble back, then move on looking for the object of his affections. Finally, he found Evans tucked away in the very last compartment. She was engrossed in her book, and didn't look up when he came in.
"What do you want?" she snapped, determinedly not looking at him.
"Well," said Potter, digging his toe into the floor. "I wanted to say I was sorry?" He looked hopefully at Lily, wishing she'd so some sign of forgiveness. But she simply became more hostile and her pale skin turned pink with anger as she stared at her book.
"Why do you hate me?" James said suddenly, and she turned even pinker. She sat there for a moment, bubbling with anger, then snapped her book shut and looked up at James with those startling green eyes.
"Why?" she whispered icily. She was whispering, but she said it with a tone that made it seem she was roaring. "Because, Potter," she spat. "You have the fattest head... walk around the halls, hexing people, hoping to impress me... snogging with random girls just to make me jealous... You seem to be under the impression that you are the best, and it's tactless. Sure, you're good looking, but your head is so big it covers all that up! You're an immature, cocky, irresponsible, ignorant prat!" She vented for a moment with deep breaths.
James was quite hurt by this, but he wouldn't let it show. He shrugged and sat down opposite her.
"What are you doing, Potter? I don't remember giving you permission to sit here..."
"Funny, Evans, I don't remember asking for it." Lily rolled her eyes and picked up her book.
"Whad'ya reading?"
"Pride and Prejudice."
"Is it good?"
"Yes."
"What's it about?"
"Are you leaving yet, Potter?"
"Nope. What's it about?"
"Romance in a social class."
"Would I like it?"
"Potter," she snapped, throwing down the book. "Why do you like me and not any of the girls who incomprehensibly worship you?"
"Because you're different," he said, reaching over and picking up the book and reading the back. Lily was somewhat flattered for a moment, and then she realized this was James Potter who'd never said anything sensitive in his life.
"Don't touch my stuff!" she snapped, grabbing the book.
"Sorry," said James, putting his hands up. "Look Lily, considering we'll be sharing a room together, as Head Boy and Head Girl, maybe it's best that we... you know, make peace." Lily snorted and kept on reading. "We don't have to be friends or anything," he added quickly. "Because I know you don't want to. But maybe, well, you know, we could... just promise to make peace and stop hating each other."
"Tell you what, Potter," Lily said, not looking up from her book. "I'll make peace if you deflate your head."
"How should I do that?" he said, relieved that she was considering making peace.
"I don't know, like stop hexing people every chance you get, and not thinking so highly of yourself. You do have weaknesses, you know."
"I know I have weaknesses. You're one of them."
Lily rolled her eyes and went back to reading her book. James shrugged and went back to his Head Boy compartment, only to find Sirius telling some wild tale of how he played hero to some burning building. The girls (and Peter) gasped with admiration, while Remus stuck his head in one of his textbooks and snorted at Sirius.
James was glad to pull into the Hogsmeade station and pile into a horseless carriage with Remus, Peter, and Sirius. The ride was quick, and in no time James found himself sitting in the Great Hall watching a group of petrified first years gather in. Each one sat on the tiny stool at the front, put the old Sorting Hat on, and sat at the table of the house the Hat belted out. James followed the cheers and claps of his house as a student was sorted into Gryffindor. Finally, it was time to eat.
James piled a tiny chicken wing, meager scoop of peas, and a tiny scoop of mashed potatoes onto his plate. He ate slowly, savoring every bite of his small dinner.
"Prongs," Sirius said as he scooped a particularly large portion of steak and kidney pie onto his plate. "Eat!"
James shook his head. "No, no. I'm Quidditch captain, I can't eat like you can and hope to maintain my body." It was partly true- he couldn't be a good seeker if he was fat, but he never ate anything so he could keep his muscled body. He was known for his well built six-pack and bulking biceps, and he enjoyed that reputation. It made him feel good. With this in thought, he finished only half of his already meager supper.
James finished his feast considerably earlier than the rest of the school; Sirius was still on his second of five rounds of food. James shook his head. Sirius liked to eat, and he had a hard time keeping it off, seeing as though he wasn't on the Quidditch team.
Finally the plates cleared and everyone turned to Dumbledore, who had a few start of term notices. It was the usual... no going into the Forbidden Forest, walking through the corridors past nine was forbidden... James was anxious to get to his Head Boy dorm, which was rumored to be spectacular. The Marauders exited the hall with the rest of the students. As they headed upstairs towards the Gryffindor common room, James said good-bye and hurried down the hall toward a large painting of a hippopotamus in a golden bathtub.
"Hello," James told the hippo.
"Hello," the hippo responded. "My name is Humphrey. May I see your badge?" James pointed to the Head Boy badge pinned to his robes. Humphrey nodded. "Very good then. The password is 'Grindylow.'" The portrait swung open to reveal a large doorway. As James stepped into the hallway, the portrait swung shut. The hallway was made entirely of stone, and small fire torches clung to the wall. In front of James was a large, wooden door with a brass handle. James pushed open the door, and it revealed a large common room filled with couches and chairs. The room was made of gold, and a high vaulted ceiling painted with cherubs and angels lied above James, and candles filled the entire room. To his right, James saw a doorway revealing a bedroom, and to his left he saw another. To his delight, Lily came out of the door to his right, holding a red cat.
"You're room is over there," was all she said before turning on her heel and disappearing into her room. James sighed and walked into the door to his left.
He was amazed. The wooden floor had a large, red rug on it, embroidered with real gold. The bed was made out of gold, with dark red bedding. Large candlesticks were scattered over the room, and a gold armoire sat in the corner. James found his things in his room and decided to get ready for bed.
Lily sat in her room, stroking Amber. She was dressed in a simple tank top with long, plaid sleep pants. Her hair was tied back into a low ponytail.
Reluctantly, she walked through the common room to James's closed door. She knocked twice and, after a moment, he opened the door. She felt as if she might faint.
Potter was standing there, only in a pair of red boxers. He was rather good-looking with his shirt off (he was rather good-looking with his shirt on as well, she reminded herself).
"Erm, we need to talk... like, lay out some rules and stuff..." she stammered. Why was she getting nervous? This was Potter, her sworn enemy. She planned to have this talk outside, but something that felt like rebellion made her step inside his room past him and sit cross-legged on his bed.
"Okay," said James, trying to conceal his excitement about Lily Evans sitting on his bed. He came and sat cross-legged opposite her.
"Um, well... there's only one bathroom, and er..." She was deeply distracted, mainly because Potter was sitting inches from her half-naked. "Do you always sleep in just your underwear?" she burst out, and felt her cheeks tinge pink from excitement.
James looked rather taken aback. "Er- yes," he replied. "Does that bother you?"
"No," she said quickly. "So, um, I guess I'll take a shower in the morning second, you can go first. And, er, well um I think it's best if we keep the dormitory to ourselves, no friends or anything... I like the privacy. And you can mess up your room as much as you want, but try to keep the common room tidy... oh and last but not least, no coming into my room without permission. Understood?"
Their gazes met for a moment. Lily longed to move closer...then she reminded herself that she was Head Girl and that this was James Potter. Her gaze dropped quickly, but James's lingered for a moment. Lily stood up, remembering her place and remembering his, and she quickly retorted out of the room.
Back in the safety of her own room, she buried herself in the red covers of her room.
A/N: It's slow, I know. But you know that they'll end up together, so sit tight. I've been writing a lot on my other story: It's a novel length fic on Harry's sixth year- It's a lot of HG/RW, and there's an on and off relationship between Harry and Cho... but nothing serious. Somebody dies, too, and Harry begins to learn Dark Arts so he can take on Voldemort. Read it while you're waiting for chapters.
I'm thinking of writing another fic, the diary of Luna Lovegood... it wouldn't have too much of a plot, just some background and the reason to the way she acts so weird...I'd also like to maybe do a Draco/Hermoine fic, if I can find the time- that's the thing, it takes me a while to write a chapter, and every bit of free time I get is dedicated to fan fiction.
PLEASE REVIEW! It only takes a minute, and it's really appreciated. Tell me you hate it, that it's crap, just something! If I'm not getting any feedback, I'll know no one's reading, and I'll stop writing. It just takes a minute to open the little pop-up, say "It's crap," and press send!
"Well, Lily, better get that badge ready!" Her father said, referring to the golden Head Girl badge she had safely stowed in her trunk.
"I will, Daddy." She turned to Petunia, and took Amber, then, feeling a bit awkward, she leaned forward and gave Petunia a very mutual hug. Petunia looked utterly disgusted, but Lily wasn't about to let sulky Petunia ruin her day. Today, of course, she was going back to Hogwarts, for her final year. This was the end of the beginning, as she saw it, and it was best that she ended it happily. Also, there was the thought that in just a few short hours, she would be wearing that golden badge, enjoying the new privileges of being Head Girl. She only hoped there was a good Head Boy this year, someone responsible, someone the exact opposite of James Potter. That would definitely be the standard she'd set for the Head Boy- as long as they were honest, caring, and had their priorities straight, unlike that irresponsible, troublemaking prat James Potter.
Finishing her good-byes to her family and promising to write, she stepped into Kings Cross Station, clutching Amber and dragging her cloak toward Platform 9 and ¾. Confidently and well poised (because that was exactly how the Head Girl was) she stepped through the barrier and entered the Hogwarts Express platform.
"Hurry, up!" called James Potter, pushing his cart with his trunk, broomstick, and owl cage furiously through the Kings Cross station, weaving in and out of busy muggles in their fancy suits. His best friend, Sirius Black, was somewhere behind him, and James did not want to miss his last train ride to Hogwarts, especially since this train ride he got his own compartment, reserved especially for the Head Boy and Girl. He was certain the Head Girl was Lily Evans, the girl he'd fancied for so long he couldn't even remember how old he was when he started.
Sirius was his best friend from his first ride to Hogwarts, when he was eleven and naïve. Sirius came into James's empty compartment, out of breath, and, without even asking for his name, he began spilling to James all about his family, the Blacks, a pronounced Wizarding family full of rich, pureblood wizards. Sirius's parents had kicked him out last year, and for the past two summers, Sirius had stayed at the Potters', who welcomed him as part of the family.
James arrived at the barrier first, he tumbled through, and stepped to the side, as he was certain Sirius was steps behind him. James was the athletic one out of his Hogwarts friends, in fact, he was most likely the most athletic of the year, being amazing at Quidditch. Still, Sirius had his share of popularity, too: James and Sirius were by far the most popular boy in the entirety of Hogwarts. Both boys were amazingly good looking, and girls flocked around them, giggling, whispering about James's body, Sirius's features, and James's smile... the boys practically worshipped them, too, as they were the troublemakers of the school, constantly running through the halls, wreaking havoc and pulling pranks. James could only think of a few people who didn't like him: Lily Evans, Severus Snape, and a group of jealous Slytherins.
After a moment, Sirius stumbled through the barrier and joined James on the platform. The pair looked around, looking for their other pal, Remus Lupin. They also kept their eyes out for Peter Pettigrew, their fourth best friend, but weren't as concerned. Peter was a loyal pal; he was a bit of a wimp and often aggravated James and Sirius, not to mention he was a bit dim, but James, Sirius, and Lupin had befriended him early on, and usually enjoyed his company, even if they did make fun of him when they had it.
Lily stepped onto the train and made her way as far down toward the driver as she could get, and arrived at the reserved compartments: Two were labeled "Prefects," cabins she sat in during her fifth and sixth year. The next compartment had a tiny gold sign on it embossed with the words, "Head Boy and Head Girl." She eagerly opened the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the new Head Boy...
The cabin was empty. However, any disappointment Lily had from still not knowing who her Head Boy was quickly drained as she stared in awe at the compartment. It could hardly be called a mere compartment. It looked the size of about four compartments, with long fluffy couches and a flickering fireplace. She left her trunk on one of the couches and went to go find her group of friends, which included Alice Martin, Isabelle Peters and her twin sister, Annabelle, Caroline Crawford, and Cindy McCormick. All were Gryffindors, however Cindy was a sixth year.
Lily focused so much on her studies that she didn't have very much time for friends. Still, they accepted her, and let Lily hang out with them. But Lily had never really had a "best friend." She wasn't good at making friends. She'd never had a boyfriend, and she thought it was partly because she was ugly. But she'd told her friends this time and they denied it, insisting she was beautiful, and she had to be since James Potter, the hottest boy any of the girls had ever laid eyes on, had had his eye on her for as long as anyone could remember. Annabelle also pointed out that if a boy ever asked her out, James would probably kill him.
Lily found her friends in one of the last compartments.
"Lily!" they all cried when they saw her. "How's your summer been?"
"Oh, wonderful," she said, grinning. "Listen, girls, the Head Girl compartment is really nice and it's so big... do you all want to come down there?"
They all nodded in agreement, and, somewhat excited, followed Lily down the corridor into the compartment.
"Wow!" squeaked Caroline. "This is the size of my parlor!" She and Annabelle took a seat on one of the couches. In awe, Cindy joined them, while Lily, Alice, and Isabelle sat down on the couch opposite them.
"So," Caroline said, looking anxiously at Alice. "Have you seen Frank at all this summer?" All the girls giggled. Lily, however, mentally rolled her eyes. It seemed this was all they ever talked about... boys. It made Lily sick, especially considering their favorite one to talk about was Potter. She wanted to talk about something like books, or Charms or something... she brought this up once with the girls and it was as if she was suggesting they sing a funeral march.
Alice turned a very vibrant red. "Well... yes... he came 'round to visit me..." She smiled embarrassedly but cheerfully all the same at the Ooohs of the girls. As she went on to tell her "passionate and romantic story" of how she and Frank spent their summer, Lily zoned off and found herself thinking about all the things she loved about Hogwarts, and how she'd miss it all... the teachers, the castle, Quidditch, the Library, James Potter- JAMES POTTER?
To her relief, Lily looked up to realize it wasn't her imagination- it was the girls going on about Potter again. Today it was all about how they dreamed to see Potter with his shirt off... Lily tried to keep herself from puking out of disgust, and wondered how long the conversation was going to last.
Not long, because moments later the door slid open to reveal who else but Potter standing behind it. Sirius stood to his right, Remus to his right. Lily noticed a shrimpy little Peter bringing up the rear. Oh god... thought Lily. Her friends however, looked as if they were about to burst with excitement, each one of them grinning (rather lamely, thought Lily) up at Sirius and Potter. Potter and Sirius grinned back, and as James's eyes settled on Lily he said, "Hey Evans," in a deep voice that sounded far to mature for Potter.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I suppose Remus is Head Boy then? Well done!" she added, relieved that somebody like Malfoy wasn't Head Boy.
Remus shook his head. "Nope. I'm still just a prefect...Prongs here is Head Boy."
Lily seemed to think she was in some kind of practical joke. "What? You're- you're kidding! HIM? Head Boy? How? How could somebody be so stupid as to- no, I don't believe you. Nice try." She even began to laugh a bit.
"Well, thanks, Evans," said Potter. "But no matter what your opinion is, I'm Head Boy, and that's that. We'll be roomies too!" The girls all giggled harder than ever and looked at Lily as if she was the luckiest girl in existence. Lily, however, felt she needed a bucket.
Potter? Head Boy? He was the biggest git Lily had ever met... sure, he was quite good looking... and smart...and he was so good at Quidditch... but that didn't change the fact that he was an immature prat. The girls had asked her what Potter would have to do to win her affections. She snorted and, only when they pressed her did she tell them that he would need to just be nicer and stop thinking so highly of himself. And really, that was the only thing he would have to do. And prove he'd never lay an eye on another girl again. She'd seen him... lurking around the corridors with different girls. Lily was sure it was to make her jealous, but it wasn't a very good tactic- Lily knew if, for some extremely strange reason, she did want Potter, she would simply say so and he would dump whatever girl he was seeing.
The boys stayed in the compartment the entire time (much to Lily's disappointment.) Sirius flirted with the girls, and they giggled uncontrollably. Peter looked at Sirius as if he were some kind of god, and this made Lily scoff. Remus tried to engage in conversation with James, but stopped when he realized all James was interested in was staring at Lily. Lily had decided to skip on the sickening conversations of the compartment and instead pulled out a book her mother had raved about, Pride and Prejudice. She did, however, notice Potter eyeing her from across the compartment, and, as most girls would, found it extremely hard to concentrate on her book while a devastatingly handsome boy was concentrating on her. She kept on reminding herself that he was a lousy git, but that still couldn't break the gaze he was giving her. Finally, she decided to just be a bitch.
"Could you please take your eyes, off me, Potter?" she spat loudly, giving the compartment an awkward silence as everyone stared at her. Potter had gone a deep scarlet. She tried to read, but it was even more impossible with everyone staring at her instead of just Potter. She finally shut her book and scoffed out of the compartment.
James sat there, somewhat bewildered. He hadn't said or done anything offensive since he stepped through the barrier to Platform 9 and ¾. Sure, maybe staring at her could be a bit annoying... but most girls would be flattered that he, James Potter, could not take his eyes off of them. Apparently not Lily Evans. She was different. But that was why he liked her. He figured he'd better find her, apologize, and try to make up for his impression.
He strolled the corridors, opening each one looking for Lily. Each one he opened was full of students, and every time he opened one the students all chirruped, "Hi James!" He'd mumble back, then move on looking for the object of his affections. Finally, he found Evans tucked away in the very last compartment. She was engrossed in her book, and didn't look up when he came in.
"What do you want?" she snapped, determinedly not looking at him.
"Well," said Potter, digging his toe into the floor. "I wanted to say I was sorry?" He looked hopefully at Lily, wishing she'd so some sign of forgiveness. But she simply became more hostile and her pale skin turned pink with anger as she stared at her book.
"Why do you hate me?" James said suddenly, and she turned even pinker. She sat there for a moment, bubbling with anger, then snapped her book shut and looked up at James with those startling green eyes.
"Why?" she whispered icily. She was whispering, but she said it with a tone that made it seem she was roaring. "Because, Potter," she spat. "You have the fattest head... walk around the halls, hexing people, hoping to impress me... snogging with random girls just to make me jealous... You seem to be under the impression that you are the best, and it's tactless. Sure, you're good looking, but your head is so big it covers all that up! You're an immature, cocky, irresponsible, ignorant prat!" She vented for a moment with deep breaths.
James was quite hurt by this, but he wouldn't let it show. He shrugged and sat down opposite her.
"What are you doing, Potter? I don't remember giving you permission to sit here..."
"Funny, Evans, I don't remember asking for it." Lily rolled her eyes and picked up her book.
"Whad'ya reading?"
"Pride and Prejudice."
"Is it good?"
"Yes."
"What's it about?"
"Are you leaving yet, Potter?"
"Nope. What's it about?"
"Romance in a social class."
"Would I like it?"
"Potter," she snapped, throwing down the book. "Why do you like me and not any of the girls who incomprehensibly worship you?"
"Because you're different," he said, reaching over and picking up the book and reading the back. Lily was somewhat flattered for a moment, and then she realized this was James Potter who'd never said anything sensitive in his life.
"Don't touch my stuff!" she snapped, grabbing the book.
"Sorry," said James, putting his hands up. "Look Lily, considering we'll be sharing a room together, as Head Boy and Head Girl, maybe it's best that we... you know, make peace." Lily snorted and kept on reading. "We don't have to be friends or anything," he added quickly. "Because I know you don't want to. But maybe, well, you know, we could... just promise to make peace and stop hating each other."
"Tell you what, Potter," Lily said, not looking up from her book. "I'll make peace if you deflate your head."
"How should I do that?" he said, relieved that she was considering making peace.
"I don't know, like stop hexing people every chance you get, and not thinking so highly of yourself. You do have weaknesses, you know."
"I know I have weaknesses. You're one of them."
Lily rolled her eyes and went back to reading her book. James shrugged and went back to his Head Boy compartment, only to find Sirius telling some wild tale of how he played hero to some burning building. The girls (and Peter) gasped with admiration, while Remus stuck his head in one of his textbooks and snorted at Sirius.
James was glad to pull into the Hogsmeade station and pile into a horseless carriage with Remus, Peter, and Sirius. The ride was quick, and in no time James found himself sitting in the Great Hall watching a group of petrified first years gather in. Each one sat on the tiny stool at the front, put the old Sorting Hat on, and sat at the table of the house the Hat belted out. James followed the cheers and claps of his house as a student was sorted into Gryffindor. Finally, it was time to eat.
James piled a tiny chicken wing, meager scoop of peas, and a tiny scoop of mashed potatoes onto his plate. He ate slowly, savoring every bite of his small dinner.
"Prongs," Sirius said as he scooped a particularly large portion of steak and kidney pie onto his plate. "Eat!"
James shook his head. "No, no. I'm Quidditch captain, I can't eat like you can and hope to maintain my body." It was partly true- he couldn't be a good seeker if he was fat, but he never ate anything so he could keep his muscled body. He was known for his well built six-pack and bulking biceps, and he enjoyed that reputation. It made him feel good. With this in thought, he finished only half of his already meager supper.
James finished his feast considerably earlier than the rest of the school; Sirius was still on his second of five rounds of food. James shook his head. Sirius liked to eat, and he had a hard time keeping it off, seeing as though he wasn't on the Quidditch team.
Finally the plates cleared and everyone turned to Dumbledore, who had a few start of term notices. It was the usual... no going into the Forbidden Forest, walking through the corridors past nine was forbidden... James was anxious to get to his Head Boy dorm, which was rumored to be spectacular. The Marauders exited the hall with the rest of the students. As they headed upstairs towards the Gryffindor common room, James said good-bye and hurried down the hall toward a large painting of a hippopotamus in a golden bathtub.
"Hello," James told the hippo.
"Hello," the hippo responded. "My name is Humphrey. May I see your badge?" James pointed to the Head Boy badge pinned to his robes. Humphrey nodded. "Very good then. The password is 'Grindylow.'" The portrait swung open to reveal a large doorway. As James stepped into the hallway, the portrait swung shut. The hallway was made entirely of stone, and small fire torches clung to the wall. In front of James was a large, wooden door with a brass handle. James pushed open the door, and it revealed a large common room filled with couches and chairs. The room was made of gold, and a high vaulted ceiling painted with cherubs and angels lied above James, and candles filled the entire room. To his right, James saw a doorway revealing a bedroom, and to his left he saw another. To his delight, Lily came out of the door to his right, holding a red cat.
"You're room is over there," was all she said before turning on her heel and disappearing into her room. James sighed and walked into the door to his left.
He was amazed. The wooden floor had a large, red rug on it, embroidered with real gold. The bed was made out of gold, with dark red bedding. Large candlesticks were scattered over the room, and a gold armoire sat in the corner. James found his things in his room and decided to get ready for bed.
Lily sat in her room, stroking Amber. She was dressed in a simple tank top with long, plaid sleep pants. Her hair was tied back into a low ponytail.
Reluctantly, she walked through the common room to James's closed door. She knocked twice and, after a moment, he opened the door. She felt as if she might faint.
Potter was standing there, only in a pair of red boxers. He was rather good-looking with his shirt off (he was rather good-looking with his shirt on as well, she reminded herself).
"Erm, we need to talk... like, lay out some rules and stuff..." she stammered. Why was she getting nervous? This was Potter, her sworn enemy. She planned to have this talk outside, but something that felt like rebellion made her step inside his room past him and sit cross-legged on his bed.
"Okay," said James, trying to conceal his excitement about Lily Evans sitting on his bed. He came and sat cross-legged opposite her.
"Um, well... there's only one bathroom, and er..." She was deeply distracted, mainly because Potter was sitting inches from her half-naked. "Do you always sleep in just your underwear?" she burst out, and felt her cheeks tinge pink from excitement.
James looked rather taken aback. "Er- yes," he replied. "Does that bother you?"
"No," she said quickly. "So, um, I guess I'll take a shower in the morning second, you can go first. And, er, well um I think it's best if we keep the dormitory to ourselves, no friends or anything... I like the privacy. And you can mess up your room as much as you want, but try to keep the common room tidy... oh and last but not least, no coming into my room without permission. Understood?"
Their gazes met for a moment. Lily longed to move closer...then she reminded herself that she was Head Girl and that this was James Potter. Her gaze dropped quickly, but James's lingered for a moment. Lily stood up, remembering her place and remembering his, and she quickly retorted out of the room.
Back in the safety of her own room, she buried herself in the red covers of her room.
A/N: It's slow, I know. But you know that they'll end up together, so sit tight. I've been writing a lot on my other story: It's a novel length fic on Harry's sixth year- It's a lot of HG/RW, and there's an on and off relationship between Harry and Cho... but nothing serious. Somebody dies, too, and Harry begins to learn Dark Arts so he can take on Voldemort. Read it while you're waiting for chapters.
I'm thinking of writing another fic, the diary of Luna Lovegood... it wouldn't have too much of a plot, just some background and the reason to the way she acts so weird...I'd also like to maybe do a Draco/Hermoine fic, if I can find the time- that's the thing, it takes me a while to write a chapter, and every bit of free time I get is dedicated to fan fiction.
PLEASE REVIEW! It only takes a minute, and it's really appreciated. Tell me you hate it, that it's crap, just something! If I'm not getting any feedback, I'll know no one's reading, and I'll stop writing. It just takes a minute to open the little pop-up, say "It's crap," and press send!