Author's Note: I've written a few Fan Fiction stories before, but they are left unfinished MAINLY because life intervened (as it will) and I totally 110% forgot what I was writing. But I wanted to finish the story about Lily and James, but re-write it and change a billion things that I didn't like about my original story. My writing has changed (dare I say improved?) over the years, and I want to utilize that. So, this story will almost be like A Love So Strong only…not?
Please read and review! Thank you!
Anything
Chapter One: The Return
Lily Evans pushed the trolley purposely through the crowd, making her way to platforms 9 ¾. Out of habit, she thoroughly checked the area to make sure no one was paying attention to her. As always, the muggles were so engrossed in their daily commutes that nobody spared her a second glance.
The little concealment charm helps, Lily thought thankfully. She braced herself and made a run directly into the pillar that separated platforms 9 and 10.
Lily was greeted to the wondrous sight of the Hogwarts Express and a hundred thousand voices buzzing amongst the crowd. Parents biding their children goodbye, friends greeting each other after a long summer away. The steam engine expelling steam from the chimney. Lily closed her eyes for half a second, savouring the smells and sounds and anticipating her return to home. She put the back of her hand to her eyes, making sure that the freshening up spell she had used in the bathroom before heading to the platform had at least gotten rid of those pesky tears.
"Lily!" a familiar voice shouted, and suddenly Lily was engulfed in a furry of soft brown hair, arms, and the familiar scent of lavender. She relaxed into one of her oldest friends' embraces.
"Alice! I've missed you! How was your summer?" Lily demanded, pulling back from her best friend to expect her. Alice had her regular rosy tint to her plump cheeks.
"It was brilliant," she exclaimed, her hands still on Lily's arms. "Frank and I spent the entire summer travelling."
"That sounds lovely," Lily said genuinely, despite the small twang of jealousy she felt. Not because she envied Alice's happiness with her boyfriend of three years, but because her summer had been quite horrible. She'd spent it at home with her wonderful parents and her estranged sister.
"Yes, and Lily…" Alice smiled, biting her lip and shyly lifting up her left hand. A modest yet gorgeous diamond ring caught the sun light and glittered brightly.
"Oh my Godric!" Lily squealed, grasping Alice's hand in her own to inspect the ring. "It's simply stunning Alice! He purposed?!"
"He sure did, on top of the Eiffel tower no less!" Alice giggled.
"Isn't Frank terrified of heights?" Lily laughed. Alice nodded. "You have to tell me how he pulled that one off!"
"Oh I will!" Alice promised, nodding. "But I want to find Margo, since I'll have to repeat it anyway." Their conversation was interrupted by the shrill whistle of the train, alerting the students to start boarding.
"Well, let's go get a compartment," Lily said. She pushed her trolley to the baggage cart and boarded the train, Alice's arm slung comfortably in hers.
"I'm sure if Margo's here, she's in our regular compartment," Alice mused as they battled their way through the clusters of students clogging the hallways.
"Please pick a compartment and get settled," Lily found herself repeating multiple times in her most stern tone, the shiny H badge on her chest proclaiming her status. The older students knew to listen to the Head Girl, but a few pesky first year boys tried to argue with her.
"And why should we listen to you? You don't own the train," one shaggy looking boy scoffed, ignoring her request and rolling his eyes. His friends chuckled along with him.
"She's the Head Girl, and you'd do well to listen to her," a voice scolded from behind them. "You've only been here for five minutes, you're new to Hogwarts so your daftness will be forgiven. Now get in a bloody compartment and find a seat before you're offered up to the Giant Squid!"
The voice sounded frighteningly familiar, and Lily turned around to see James Potter standing a few paces behind her. On either side of him was his friends Remus Lupin and Petter Pettigrew. Remus was looking exhausted as always, his longish soft brown hair almost obscuring his eyes completely. Peter was short and round, and his eyes were always a little to glassy to Lily. Almost…rodent like. Then there was James. Lily could already feel her blood boiling, a knee jerk reaction that James Potter caused her.
"That wasn't necessary," Lily frowned, resenting the fact that he'd come to her rescue. Again.
Do I look like a damsel in distress? She asked herself.
"But effective," James pointed out, rolling his hazel eyes. "Don't be such a prune, Evans. I merely want to get to an empty compartment before the train leaves."
Lily couldn't help but check him out, which only made her more angry. To say that James Potter was one of the most attractive guys at Hogwarts was an underestimation. This summer had only been good to James, his shoulders appeared broader and his muscles more defined. He'd always been in shape but somehow, he'd grown up.
Lily didn't like that at all.
"Next time, don't threaten students with the Giant Squid," Lily said, gently tugging Alice's arm further. It angered her that James and his friends were close behind her, but there wasn't much she could do about it.
Finally, Lily and Alice came to the compartment they usually rode in. They were unsurprised to see their other best friend, the third member of their little Gryffindor trio, Margo Chastings, already seated in the compartment. They were also barely surprised to see her tangled up in the limbs of a boy (although Lily had to laugh inwardly, usually Margo waited until the first day of classes to find a new boyfriend).
No, what surprised Lily was the guy that Margo was kissing.
"Sirius Black?!" Lily's jaw fell. Sirius Black was James Potter's best friend. He was tied with James for the hottest guy at Hogwarts title, and they could almost be brothers. Sirius had black hair that hung just above his shoulders, and startling grey eyes. He was in fairly decent shape too, although James had him beat for muscle mass.
"There ya are mate!" James said, gently easing past Lily and into the compartment.
"Oh bloody hell Margo!" Lily grumbled, shooting her friend a dirty look. Margo stared back at her with innocent chocolate brown eyes.
"What?" she questioned, batting her lashes.
Good thing I'm required to meet with the new Prefects, Lily thought, appeasing herself slightly. She sighed dramatically and sat down in the window seat across from Margo and gave Sirius a steady look.
"Just how long has this been going on for?" Lily asked, gesturing to the two of them. Sirius still had one arm flung around Margo's petite shoulders, and Margo was actually resting her head on Sirius. It was disconcerting.
"Since this summer," Margo shrugged as Alice sat down beside her, across from Lily. "Ran into Sirius and James at the World Quidditch Tournament."
"How'd you get tickets for that?!" Lily asked, feeling a little envious of Margo's summer as well.
"A present from my dad," Margo rolled her eyes. Margo's father worked at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and he was forever trying to buy her affections with expensive gifts, since he had pretty much skipped out on her mother and her when she was a baby. Lily supposed it wasn't an utter shock that her friend landed tickets to go.
"Lucky," Lily said wistfully, ignoring James' gaze. Margo had already filled her in about her new "step sister", and Lily couldn't help but wonder if James had pursed her. It wouldn't surprise her in the least.
Why do I care? Lily wondered, catching herself. Remus was carefully loading his carry on above the overhead compartments and Peter had already snagged a seat beside Sirius. Come on Remus, sit beside me, Lily silently implored while keeping a smile fixed on her face as she chatted with her friend.
"Ya, I guess," Margo made a slight scowl. "I'm still livid at him for not letting me ask you guys. Instead he made me go with his new wife and her daughter. Bloody horrible, until I ran into these blokes."
"How was your summer, Evans?" James inquired, plunking down beside her.
"Fine," Lily said, rolling her eyes and reminding herself to give Margo and Alice hell later for allowing him to sit beside her.
Her summer hadn't been fine, not even close, but Lily wasn't about to share that information with James Potter. Her summer had been tense and unpleasant. Lily's older sister, Petunia, was still livid about the whole witch thing. Ever since Lily received her letter of acceptance to Hogwarts, Petunia had changed towards her. She mostly gave Lily the silent treatment, believing her cruel words weren't even worth wasting on her freak of a sister. Lily's parents, on the other hand, were forever proud of all of Lily's accomplishments and clapped with glee every time Lily showed them her magic, which fuelled Petunia's hatred even more so. Still, Lily had foolishly believed her sister - who she was once so close to - would eventually pull her head out of her arse and come around. This summer proved that that wasn't ever going to happen.
In the spring, Petunia had gotten engaged to a miserable bloke named Vernon Dursley. All summer long, Lily tried her hardest to be there for her sister and help through wedding functions like the bridal shower and in wedding plans, but every time Petunia ignored her or refused to let her participate. It cut Lily deep, she always envisioned her being Petunia's Maid of Honour at her wedding. As it stood, one of Petunia's best friends (another uptight nimrod) was the Maid of Honour. Lily was forced out of the wedding party with Petunia's weak excuse that "Vernon was an only child and it wouldn't be fair to have her sibling in the wedding party when he couldn't have one of his own." It was a bogus excuse that had wounded Lily deeply, but her parents bought it well enough. Or at least, they knew better than argue with the bride.
That morning, Lily awoke to an odd sight; Petunia had offered to drive her to the station. After spending all summer acting as if Lily was the scum of on her shoe, there she was waiting in the kitchen for Lily to finish eating breakfast. Their parents were ecstatic, and so was Lily.
Lily couldn't help but relax her guard, believing that Petunia was regretting how she acted for the past six years.
Petunia silently pulled up to Kings-Cross station. For the past hour she had silently listened to Lily's constant babble about the upcoming (in November) wedding. She barely uttered a word, and by the time Petunia parked the car in the drop off section, Lily was beginning to feel uneasy.
"Well, alright then. Thanks for the ride Tuney," Lily had said, opening the car door.
"Lily," Petunia called, hesitating momentarily. Lily had fallen silent at the sound of her sister's voice. "Do not return for my wedding. Vernon and I do not want you there. Tell Mum and Dad you're sick, or are too busy turning bloody teacups into bats or whatever it is you do at that sodding school. I do not want you there, do you understand me?" She said this with such conviction and anger, 110% serious.
Lily had just nodded, stunned and hurt beyond belief, but too stubborn to admit it. She just managed to get her truck out of the car before Petunia sped off. That's when the tears came.
None of that matters, Lily thought fiercely, biting back tears. But it did.
The Hogwarts Express let out a loud whistle, and suddenly lurched forward. James' arm instinctively rose to protect Lily from going forward, and she grouchily batted it away.
"I don't need your protection, James," she muttered. "I'm a big girl, I've been on the train before."
"Sorry Evans," James grinned, not sounding sorry at all, probably because his arm had brushed across Lily's ample chest. Lily rolled her eyes and looked out the window, watching the crowd on the platforms disappearing slowly from sight. Parents waving goodbye to their children and younger siblings trying to chase the train. It was a mere seconds before they faded into tiny ants in the distance.
"OH MERLIN! Alice! You didn't tell me Frank proposed!" Margo screeched, grabbing Alice's hand with excitement.
"Congrats Alice, Frank's a stand up guy," Sirius said, glancing at the ring briefly before looking back to Margo. "But don't you get any ideas," he whispered, a joking grin on his face. Margo batted his arm away from her and glared.
"As if," Margo scoffed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius asked, sounding a little offended.
"No offence Sirius, but you're just not the marrying type," Margo joked, kissing him playfully on the lips. Sirius grinned.
"I suppose not," he agreed.
"Aren't you a little young to be getting engaged?" Peter asked sceptically, peering from around Sirius and Margo's exchange to give Alice an critical stare.
"Aren't you a little daft to be questioning matters of the heart, Pettigrew?" James scolded. Alice smiled gratefully at James, until he continued talking. "You aren't pregnant are you?" he asked Alice, lowering his voice and leaning forward a little. Lily whacked him on the shoulder, scowling. James looked as if he barely felt it.
"Of course not!" Alice said, taken aback. "It's just…with you know who on the rise, it's never too soon…" Alice trailed off.
The compartment grew heavy with silence as they all thought about the trouble arising in the wizarding world. A mad wizard who went by the name of Voldemort was on a crazed rampage to become the most powerful wizard in the world and wipe out all of the Muggle born witches and wizards, who he believed were beneath him. He was recruiting followers and killing anyone who stood in his way. The death toll was already in the hundreds. A war was coming, Lily could feel it. As it was, Hogwarts was the safest place in the world. The Head Master of Hogwarts, Dumbledore, was the only wizard that Voldemort feared.
It was definitely a dangerous time, and it unfortunately reminded Lily of the Muggle World War 2, wherein a man decided to exterminate a group of people based on their religion and appearance.
Thinking about it made goosebumps arise on Lily's arms. She was a Muggle born, her parents (and sister) were all Muggles. She was exactly what Voldemort was hell bent on exterminating. She was a Mudblood.
James noticed the goosebumps on Lily's porcelain skin, he immediately tried to provide reassurance by reaching out to gently put a hand on her leg. Lily moved out of his reach and avoided his gaze.
"It makes perfect sense Alice," Lily said. The rest of the group sombrely nodded in agreement.
For twenty minutes, Lily chatted easily with Margo and Alice about Alice's wedding plans while the rest of the compartment broke out into separate conversations. James and Sirius were talking about Quidditch while Remus and Peter were ideally trying to follow along.
She stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm off to meet with the Prefects," she told Alice and Margo.
"Any idea who Head Boy is?" Sirius asked, a particular expression on his handsome features. His grey eyes smiling with mischief.
"No," Lily said curiously. "It could be anyone really. I just hope it isn't anybody from Slytherin." By anyone, she really meant Severus Snape. The thought of him still overwhelmed her with sadness. Before, well, the incident by the lake, he had been one of her closest friends. They had spent hours together in their first year, reading quietly on the grounds or in the library.
On the afternoon of the incident, a certain group of unruly boys (lead by James Potter and Sirius Black) happened to come across them peacefully reading by the lake. James and Sirius instantly started taunting Severus, hexing him so he was held upside down. When Lily had tried to help her friend, Severus had yelled at her to not touch him and called her a filthy Mudblood.
It was part of the reason Lily still couldn't stand James. Well, that and the fact that he was an arrogant, self conceded womanizer didn't help. His cruel prankster ways had cost her a friendship that she had once held dear to her heart. Severus had understood Lily, and listened to her while she rattled on for hours about her sister's cruelty. Now Severus wouldn't even look at her, and when he did happen to talk to her, it was to hurl more insults at her.
"Let's hope not," Margo said, screwing her delicate features into a grimace of disgust. Every last one of them despised Severus Snape for their own reasons. Lily had a reason to dislike him, but she just pitied him.
"Oh, I'm sure it won't be Snape. Don't you have to like other people to be a Head? Or at least not be loathed by the entire student population?" Sirius scoffed, exchanging a secretive smile with his mates.
Lily didn't have time to dwell on it. "I'll catch you guys later," she told them, making her way up to the Prefect compartment.
It didn't take her long, despite nearly losing her balance a few times when the train lurched around a sharp corner. She slide open the compartment door, finding eight students already patiently waiting.
There were two new Prefects from each house; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. One boy and one girl. All were in their fifth year and would be joining the 18 older Prefects that Lily didn't have to brief, as they were already familiar with their extra responsibilities.
All eight students turned to stare at her when she stepped inside. There was no sign of the Head Boy yet.
"Hello, my name is Lily Evans. Some of you may know me, others may not. We're meeting right now to discuss what you can all expect from your duties as Prefects this year. But before we get started, we'll have to wait for the Head Boy. He seems to be running a little late," Lily said, smiling.
"Sorry about that," a familiar voice said easily. Lily whipped around and came face to face with James Potter.
XXXX
James couldn't bring his eyes away from Lily's mouth. Her lips formed the perfect 'O' as she wordlessly absorbed the shock of seeing James in the doorway to the Prefect compartment, the shiny H badge hanging crookedly on his broad chest. To her credit, Lily recovered quickly, the only signs of her shock and anger was the pink tinge on her cheeks.
"Right, well, let's get started shall we?" Lily cleared her throat and took a pause before launching into her speech about the important duties of the Prefects.
"There are 26 of you in total, 6 of you in each house. But you are the newest to the ranks which is why you've been called here. James and I will draw up a schedule for your nightly paroles. It is your job as Prefects to ensure that the members of your Houses are behaving appropriately, and to ensure that your First Years are settling in comfortably enough. You will supervise students when we go on our Hogsmeade trips."
James couldn't focus on her words. He was too busy appreciating the curves of her body. Not even the Hogwarts robes could hide her perfection.
Absently, James flexed his biceps, wondering if Lily had noticed just how much he'd changed over the summer. Working out every day had given him muscles where he hadn't known it was possible to even have muscles. It was all for her, of course. James had been vying for her attention since the first year.
"James?" Lily was asking. Her one eyebrow raised expectantly as she glared at James from over her shoulder.
"Er, yes Evans?" James asked, distracted by Lily's emerald green eyes and the fire that burned behind them. He wasn't delusional, he knew that the fire was her temper, not her attraction. Not yet, anyway, he thought.
"I said, do you have anything to add?" Lily replied slowly.
"Nope, you've pretty much covered it all," James answered.
Lily tried not to show her obvious distaste.
"Well, that's a wrap! Remember your rounds start now, all students need to be seated in a compartment by the time we come to Hogsmeade," Lily instructed as the Prefects started filing out one by one, leaving her and James very much alone. Suddenly, the compartment felt even smaller than it had with eight Prefects in it.
James took a step toward Lily, and opened his mouth to speak.
"How did you manage this?" Lily hissed angrily. James raised his hands defensively.
"Easy now Evans, I got the same bloody letter you did. I didn't ask Dumbledore for this! I've got my plate full this year as it is with Quidditch," James answered, referring to the fact that he was also Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was confused by Lily's anger. Did she really think he'd somehow weaseled his way into the Head badge just to mess with her?
"Great, just great!" Lily grumbled, brushing past James and storming out of the compartment. She tried to ignore the tingling sensation the brief touch of his strong arm against her caused. It only made her even more livid.
What kind of sick joke is this? Lily wondered angrily as she stormed down the train. Remus Lupin had been a Prefect along with her, so if anyone was going to be Head Boy from Gryffindor, it should have been him. She actually enjoyed Remus' company. He didn't make her seethe with anger the way James Potter did. Worst of all, James being Head Boy meant that they'd need to share a dormitory.
Distracted as she was with all her internal anger, Lily didn't see Severus Snape until she had already collided with him. She fell back, grabbing the wall of the train to steady herself.
"Watch where you're going Mudblood," Severus snapped, glaring at her through his greasy black fringe with hatred. Lily shivered against his glare, wondering how someone could go from being her friend to hating her so much.
"Don't you dare call her that," James boomed, having been just steps behind Lily. His wand was drawn, pointed right at Severus Snape's greasy face. "I will hex that smug look of your disgusting face," he promised, seething with anger. Seeing the pain Lily's eyes had flared his temper and he was dangerously close to snapping. Severus' own wand was drawn, fixed on James' chest.
"I'd like to see you try," he muttered darkly, sneering.
"Stop it! The BOTH of you!" Lily demanding, putting her hand on James' chest to prevent him from charging Severus. She rose her other hand towards Severus, but he shrunk away from it as if she had some kind of contagious disease.
"Just because you're Head Girl doesn't mean the likes of you can boss me around," Severus said maliciously, glaring daggers at both James and Lily.
"Evans, are you -" James began.
"Don't," Lily warned him, glaring at him. "You do nothing to help the situation, with your threats and your insults."
James clenched his jaw in restrained anger and stepped closer to Lily. Her hand was still on his chest. James' intense gaze rendered her immobile. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she fought to find her voice.
"Nobody has the right to call you that," James told her intensely, his hazel eyes drinking in the started expression. Lily let her hand drop and took a cautious step back.
"Maybe if you hadn't bullied him so much during the first two years, he wouldn't be so horrible now," Lily said after a moments pause, her voice soft yet sad. She didn't want for him to respond. She turned around and continued down the length of the train to their compartment.
James watched her go, full of regret for the way he had behaved those early years. Will she ever forgive me? he wondered.
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It was dusk by the time the train pulled into the Hogsmeade station. Lily and James set to work organizing the students into groups to take the carriages pulled by thestrals, magical creatures that couldn't been seen unless you witnessed someone die. Not many students had, in fact most of the student body thought the carriages pulled themselves. Lily only knew of the thestrals from a report she did on them in her Magical Creatures class in second year. She couldn't see them.
The Prefects were split into groups to help, a portion of them were leading the First Years over the lake to the castle. They would enter the Great Hall after all the other students were settled, so the sorting into houses could begin.
"Alright, this is the last carriage," James told her. He opened the door and looked expectantly at her.
"I'd rather walk," Lily muttered, but got in anyway. James chuckled and slide in after her.
"You know, you don't hate me as much as you think you do," he told her, self assured. He sat down across from her and gazed at her intently with a crooked grin on his handsome face.
Lily pursed her lips, biting back a smile. "You over estimate yourself James, you always have."
James looked hurt for a moment, then he smiled. "Or perhaps you underestimate me."
"Perhaps, but I doubt it," Lily mumbled, looking out the window. The carriage ride to the castle would take about half an hour. Another half hour stuck with James. Better get used to it, she warned herself, thinking about the dormitory they would soon share.
"Evans, I've changed since the first two years," James said, leaning forward intently. Lily glanced at him, his eyes were serious and full of longing.
"Have you? I still catch you taunting Severus and hexing him every chance you get," Lily retorted, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.
"That's different, and you know it. Snape doesn't hesitate to hex me either," James' jaw was clenched. "It's self defence."
"Maybe now, but perhaps if you weren't such a colossal arsehole the first two years to him, he wouldn't feel the need to -"
"I regret that Evans, I do," James interrupted, serious.
"Why do you feel the need to tell me all this?" Lily demanded. Her resolve was waning. She knew it wasn't fair to hold a grudge, especially if that person had changed. She wouldn't want someone forever judging her based on a few mistakes. But it's not just a few, Lily thought. It's a lot of them, and he's so arrogant!
"I'm telling you this because I need you to know, I need you to understand. I'm not…I'm not that guy I was back then. I never was, honest," James tried to explain. He hesitated. How was he supposed to tell Lily that the only reason he taunted Severus Snape so relentlessly those first few years was because he was jealous of him? Jealous of the easy friendship he had with Lily? Jealous that Lily would rather spend her time hanging out with him than James?
Lily sighed, exasperated. "I don't want to spend this entire year fighting with you, James." she gently massaged her temple, feeling a headache coming on.
"Nor do I, that's the last thing I want," James told her, deadly serious. His eyes were full of heat, so much heat that it started to burn a tingling sensation in Lily's stomach, just below her belly button. Lily looked away and bit her lip. "Just…let me start over," James begged.
"Start over?" Lily questioned, looking at him curiously. He looked serious, deadly. The heat that was in his eyes a moment before was replaced with vulnerability. It was…disconcerting. Lily had never seen James Potter look vulnerable before. She felt the resentment she felt towards him melt a little.
"Let me prove to you that I'm not that guy, let me…" James trailed off, searching for the right words. "Let me be your friend."
"I'll think about it," Lily managed cautiously after a moment, looking back out the window. The castle loomed ahead in the distance, and she wished more than anything they were already at the castle and out of this cramped carriage, where his closeness was too much.
James seemed satisfied with that answer, and leaned back in his seat. He watched her while she stared out the window, a sense of hope settling upon his shoulders.
They were silent for the rest of the ride, but the moment the carriage stopped they were out and running, instructing the students to hurry up and sit at their tables.
In no time at all, the House tables were brimming with students. Conversation filled the hall as students discussed their summers away. Lily slid beside Alice on the bench, nodding hello to her fellow house mates.
Suddenly, a silence fell upon the hall as Professor Dumbledore wordlessly stood up.
"If I could have your attention please," his voice said, penetrating the silence. Every eye was already upon him, so he smiled. "We will begin the sorting."
At his words, a parade of young students filed into the Great Hall and came to a stop near the staff table. The First Years all looked nervous, a few more than others. There must have been nearly two hundred new students.
Dumbledore explained how the sorting hat worked, and the ceremony began. It carried on for over an hour and a half, and by the time the final student was sorted into Hufflepuff, Lily's stomach was grumbling with hunger.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry," Dumbledore started his speech, his eyes magically glinting as he surveyed the students in the Great Hall.
Lily listened intently to Dumbledore's speech, allowing the frustrations of the day (and discovering the James was Head Boy) melt away. Before long the Great Hall was alive with the sound of forks and knives scrapping against the golden plates. Roast Beef, gravy, golden potatoes, veggies, the whole nine yards.
It didn't take long for the buzzing of conversation in the Great Hall to dull down as the students grew wary with sleep.
Again, Dumbledore stood up to dismiss the students to their dormitories for the night. Lily stood up, stretching her wary limbs. She went to follow her Gryffindor housemates to the Gryffindor dormitory.
"Where are you going, Evans?" James asked curiously. "You realize we no longer sleep in the Gryffindor tower, right?"
"Of course I realize that," Lily snapped, her patience thin. "I'm making sure the First Years get there."
James cocked his eyebrow, gesturing to the Gryffindor Prefects that had already set to collecting the First Years.
"I think they can handle it," he commented.
Lily glanced at her friends. It was going to be the first time that they didn't room at Hogwarts. Alice and Margo looked as if they were thinking the same thing as she was.
"Well, we'll catch you tomorrow in lessons," Alice said, smiling her reassurance.
"Yeah, try not to kill each other, alright?" Sirius joked, patting James on the back but directing his comment mainly to Lily.