End of sixth year:

"Listen, I know you will all think this is horribly unfair," Professor McGonagall said to her sixth-year students. They had finished their final exams and the year was almost over. They were leaving tomorrow but the sixth-year students had been called to one last meeting before the year ended. "I have a rather intense project for you to complete over the summer." Her students groaned in one harmonious complaint. "Now, I know you don't want to," she snapped as only McGonagall could, instantly silencing the room. "But your NEWTs are next year and you need all the chance to prepare that you can get. This assignment is designed to prepare you for your classes next year." At this point a hand shot into the air. "Yes, Miss Evans?"

"What is this project, exactly?" a sixteen-year-old Lily Evans asked.

"Yes, this assignment is to show you your strengths and weaknesses. We want you to choose a class that this school teaches; you are to write the professor over the summer to tell him or her that you are using the class. If you need any help you can get it from that professor. Once you have chosen your class you are to plan a detailed unit for the class as though you were teaching second years." There was another chorus of groans from the class. Again, she silenced them. Another hand shot into the air. "Mr. Black this had better be relevant."

"Yeah, Professor, we're supposed to do this thing with all our other homework? That hardly seems fair!"

"Black, you don't do your homework."

"Well, I'm concerned for those who do," he said, flashing her a bright grin and flipping his hair out of his face. Most of the girls in the class sighed or laughed as they watched him. Lily could have sworn McGonagall rolled her eyes at him.

"Alright, Mr. Black, if you'll allow me to continue." She turned back to face the class again. "The other part of this assignment is to present your lecture to a class of second years. Now, as Mr. Black pointed out, this is a lot of work so you will be working with one other student." At this everyone began looking around trying to catch their friend's eyes so they could partner up. Lily felt several eyes on her but she was, personally, trying to catch Remus Lupin's eye. If she had to do this assignment she wanted to do it with another responsible student. He, however, was looking at Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and, of course, she thought disgustedly, James Potter. "Before you all get carried away," McGonagall said bringing the attention back to herself, "I have a list here of the partners. This list was put together by Professor Dumbledore himself, so I advise you all treat the arrangements with respect." She pulled out a long sheet of parchment and began to read off names. Lily watched her friends' reactions as they got partnered with people. She rolled her eyes with them if it was someone unfortunate and she smiled with them if they got someone good. Peter was paired with Severus Snape, which was a very interesting pair, and Sirius and Remus were paired together. She sighed as she heard Remus's name but immediately focused as she heard her own. "Lily Evans and," McGonagall stopped and stared at the paper in disbelief.

"What, Professor?" she asked anxiously. McGonagall looked up at her in confusion.

"Lily Evans and James Potter," she said quietly. Lily stared at her in shock. James, however, jumped up and whooped as he threw his fist into the air. Everyone laughed. "Sit down, Potter!" McGonagall scolded seriously. He sank down into his chair and winked at Lily, who was still sitting in disbelief and shock. She could not believe this was happening. This was ridiculous. Dumbledore couldn't possibly have paired her with James Potter. She couldn't believe it.

McGonagall shook her head and continued reading names. Once she had finished and put the parchment away she said, "I suggest you all find time before the school year is out to meet with each other and construct a schedule of some sort for the summer." With that she dismissed them and everyone hurried to get out the door. Lily's friends rushed to her outside in the hallway.

"Good lord Lily, I can't believe your luck!" her friend Amanda exclaimed. Lily was still shocked beyond words; she was surrounded by several girls who were sympathetically trying to get her to respond to them. Oddly enough, it was her partner who got her to talk. James waltzed up to her and slung his arm over her shoulder.

"This summer will be so much fun! Don't you think, Lily? We can spend every day together! It will be like you and I are a couple!" She threw off his arm and whirled around to face him.

"James Potter! We are not, and never will be, a couple! Get that through your head right now! I'm not working with you out of choice, I'm doing it because Dumbledore thinks we need to be paired together!" she practically screamed at him. He threw his knee-weakening grin her way only to have her scowl back at him.

"Of course, Evans," he said theatrically. The crowd surrounding them was growing now, having been joined by Sirius, Peter, and Remus and several others. "I would never think anything different of a girl like you!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked hotly.

"It means I would never think you would want to go out with me," he finished. Then he smiled and added, "Unless of course you want to?"

"James!" she growled, "I'm not doing this with you here. I might just curse you if I stay here. That big head of yours is getting out of control. Find me later." She whirled around and left, pulling herself through the passage way behind the Fat Lady so she could finish packing her things. Her fellow sixth-year girls soon followed, joining her in the dorm room where she was throwing her things very violently into her trunk.

"Lily," Cara began calmly.

"Hold on girls, I need to work out some anger before I can talk," she said. She threw several books into the trunk but didn't really calm down until she threw a small lamp across the room, allowing it to shatter into millions of pieces. Then she sank down onto her bed and buried her head into her hands. Her friends were instantly there to comfort her. Amanda repaired the lamp with her wand and set it down before joining the others.

"Listen, we know how awful it must be to have to spend time with him," Laura began. "We're here for you. We'll help you get through the summer."

"God, girls, this is awful. I was really hoping to get to spend some quality time with my family this summer. How am I going to do that when James now has an all-access pass to find me anytime he wants to under the prospect of 'school work'. What was Dumbledore thinking?"

"They always say he has his reasons, but even McGonagall was having troubles seeing them with this decision. Did you see her face?" Ruth asked the others. They all nodded in agreement. Ruth, Amanda, Laura and Cara were the other sixth-year girls in Gryffindor with Lily. She had lived with them since year one and they were her closest friends. They understood why she was so angry about having to spend the summer with James. He spent the entire school year following Lily, talking to Lily, teasing Lily and, on rare occasions, hexing Lily because Sirius put him up to it. None of them understood how he could profess himself to like her so much since he didn't exactly starve himself for dates and girls. Why would Dumbledore have paired them together for a summer assignment? Didn't Lily deserve a break?"

"Maybe he'll be different when he's by himself," Laura suggested tentatively. She didn't want Lily to fly off the handle at her but she wanted Lily to look for a positive. Besides, most of them knew James more personally and they all knew he didn't act like that when one-on-one with someone. Of course, he only acted truly awful when around Lily, so maybe there wouldn't be a difference. Lily scoffed at the idea.

"I doubt that. He'll probably just take the opportunity to curse me when no one is around to reverse it."

"If he does that then curse him first! You're faster and better with a wand then he is and you both know it," Ruth said fiercely. "If he tries anything at all, show him the real Lily Evans, the one who won't keep her temper in check all the time."

"You're right, Ruth. He can't get away with anything," Lily agreed, the optimist in her finally shining through. "And who knows, maybe Laura is right. Maybe he'll be a little more civil, if not because we're alone then because we have to do some serious work." She smiled. "I'll make this work. I'll be the bigger person here and I'll try to act civil around him as well. Maybe things will be ok. I mean, I can at least get through the summer, right?" she looked around at her girls who all nodded in agreement. "So who are you partnered with?" she asked them, not quite remembering all the names.

"I'm with Ruth," Laura said and Ruth nodded.

"I'm with Luke Reynolds," Cara said, blushing fiercely. The girls all knew she had a large crush on him. "How am I going to survive? I can't usually say two words around him!" she said.

"Oh Cara, you'll be fine!" Lily said. "It's an opportunity for you to spend some time getting to know him better!" She knew Luke only a little. He was a member of the Ravenclaw house and a chaser on the Quidditch team there. He seemed like a nice guy and Cara really liked him.

"I hope you're right, Lily," Cara replied. "I'm just going to have to spend my time thinking he is you so I don't blush every time I see him."

"God, Cara, you are so bad around guys!" Ruth said.

"No, only this one!" They all laughed.

"I'm partnered with Grace Chatfield," Amanda said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Oh God, that slut? I'm sorry," Laura said.

"Laura! You shouldn't talk about her like that!" Lily said. "I hear she's a very good student."

"Yeah, that's great, too bad she's impossible to work with!" Ruth added. Lily sighed. It was true; Grace, a member of Hufflepuff, was not known for being nice. In fact, she'd gained quite the reputation for being a complete prat around a lot of people. But she did get around, that was for sure.

"Don't worry," Lily said to her friends. "We'll all get through this summer. I mean, come on, if I'm willing to try and get along with James Potter then you girls have it easy!" They couldn't help but agree as they finished packing their things before the feast that night.

Despite Lily's determination to make this summer work, she still spent the evening and the next day avoiding James Potter like the plague. He found her on the train in a compartment with Ruth and Laura. It seemed most of the sixth years were taking this last opportunity to meet with their partners and discuss the summer. At least, that was what Cara and Amanda were doing.

"Hey there, love!" James said obnoxiously. Lily rolled her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"How about we make plans for the summer holiday," he said, winking at her.

"We're not 'making plans' as you put it James. We're building a schedule so we can do this project together," Lily corrected him.

"Yes, whatever you say Lily, my dear."

"Stop using those stupid pet names as well. I'm not going to respond to them."

"As you wish," he replied cheekily.

"Hey," Ruth said, "if you two are going to bicker like this then go somewhere else. Laura and I are trying to work."

"Sorry girls," Lily said, turning to her friends. She picked herself up off the seat and walked into the corridor with James. Several students, on seeing them, quickly ducked into the nearest compartments in hopes of avoiding being caught in the crossfire of the fight they all saw coming. "James, I don't want to fight with you all summer. Can we make a deal?" she asked him as they walked towards an empty compartment.

"What?"

"Let's promise not to hex, tease, or trick each other this summer, and when I say 'we' I mean you," she said seriously. He grinned evilly. It was that stupid grin that he and Sirius shared when they were getting an idea that wouldn't end well for most people.

"You know, if I agree to this I'm giving up a lot of what makes me, me. I think it's only fair that you should have to give something as well."

"Do you now? And what would that be?"

"Go on a date with me."

"What?! No way! I'm not going on a date with you!" she said, immediately outraged.

"Then I can't promise not to pull pranks on you," he replied simply, twirling his wand in his hand. Lily sighed. Making this work was going to be a lot harder than she'd originally anticipated. Why had she thought this would work at all?

"Ok," she said slowly. James looked up at her in amazement and opened his mouth to say something. She held up her hand to stop him. "I'll go on a date with you at the end of the summer if you manage to behave yourself while we work together." He thought about that for a minute and then nodded.

"Ok, deal," he said sticking out his hand to shake hers. She grabbed his hand and shook it, sealing the deal.