The glass display case contained rows of fluffy Danish pastries, arranged in neat rows on the basis of their fillings. Blueberry. Cherry. Almond. Cinnamon Apple. Cheesecake.
The pastry stand, located underneath a large blue umbrella on a busy corner in London, caught the attention of seventeen-year-old Lily Evans. Lily, who had been towing her luggage across the road toward King's Cross Railway Station, stopped to peruse the freshly baked desserts. She considered the options, her tongue jutting out from between her rosy lips. Her eyes shifted from the almond pastry to the cinnamon apple pastry, and then back.
The sidewalk vendor at the pastry stand, who had been leaning against the display case in the shade of the umbrella, straightened up. Grabbing a sheet of parchment paper and a brown paper bag, he slid open the door of the case.
"What'll it be?" he prompted Lily.
"Um... could I have one almond pastry and one cinnamon apple pastry, please?" she requested.
The vendor scooped up her selections, dropped them into the bag, and passed it across the case to her. Lily dug through her wallet, pulled out a note, and handed it to the pastry seller. As he prepared her change, she studied the contents of her wallet. While she had a few notes, Lily possessed a great number of oversized coins. Some of these coins—Galleons, as they were called by wizards—were the size of automobile hubcaps! When preparing for her return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lily had not only needed to exchange many of her British notes for wizarding currency, but had also needed to bewitch her wallet so it would accommodate the size of her wizarding gold!
"I don't expect to be paying with 'Muggle' money for a while," she thought inwardly, as she accepted her change from the merchant.
"Safe travels!" he called as Lily departed the stand. Lily maneuvered her luggage—as well as her newly purchased pastries—to King's Cross Railway Station.
Inside the station, Lily located a small café table and sat down, depositing her belongings around her. In addition to her bag of pastries, she also possessed a large trunk of clothing and textbooks, a small satchel, and a blanket-linked basket in which a small tawny cat currently napped.
"Oh, what a relief to put that all down," she thought to herself.
Lily glanced at her watch: 10:15 AM. The Hogwarts Express was not due to leave for another forty-five minutes. Lily took a generous bite out of the almond pastry, and then began digging around in her satchel. After a moment, she produced a shining scarlet badge emblazoned with the words "Head Girl." Lily turned the badge over in her hands a few times, admiring it from all angles. She loved the way the scarlet background caught the light, as if it were glowing. She loved the silver lettering of the words. But most of all, she loved the title. Lily could not wait to pin the badge onto her school robes later today, to fully enjoy the position she had worked so diligently to acquire.
The badge had arrived three weeks ago in an envelope from Hogwarts, enclosed with her list of course books. Lily happily recalled that day:
Lily sat at her kitchen table with her father, both of them perusing morning newspapers and buttering toast. Lily flipped through the sections of The Daily Prophet, while her father browsed the headlines of The Times. Both of them discovered articles of interest and began reading avidly, so that they did not notice the large brown owl flying outside their kitchen window.
This large brown owl swooped across the lane, heading directly for the Evans' house. It landed in the flowerbox outside of the window, and lightly pecked on the window screen. This sound was enough to interrupt Lily from her newspaper.
"Oooh! The Hogwarts Owl! The owl is here, Dad!" Lily yelped, rushing over to open the window screen and usher the owl inside the kitchen.
Lily's father put down his newspaper, turning his attention to his daughter as she detached the letter from the owl's leg. He watched as she carefully broke the seal on the envelope, her breath catching as she did so.
"It looks like this envelope may be thicker than those I received in past years, don't you think, Dad?" Lily questioned.
"Come, honey, read the letter!" her father pressed, shifting around in his seat in anticipation.
Lily screwed up her eyes and yanked the letter out of the envelope. As she did so, something small and silver fell to the floor, colliding with the kitchen tile with a high-pitched "clink!"
Lily looked down at her feet. The small, silver object was... the Head Girl badge!
She picked it up, squealing.
"Dad! Dad! I'm Head Girl! I'm Head Girl!" she twittered, rushing over to give him a hug.
"Of course, my Lily. I would not expect anything less from you! You are a born leader." he replied, wrapping her in a tight hug.
"Oh, oh, I need to go tell Mum!" Lily exclaimed.
Lily's father leaned back in his chair and smiled. "That's my girl," he said softly, ruffling her hair before releasing her.
She rushed out of the room to find her mother, ecstatic to share the news of her accomplishment.
Lily certainly was excited about her new rank, but she also felt a sense of unease. The Head Girl is expected to work in close partnership with the Head Boy. Lily had reread her letter time and time again, but had been forced to accept that her letter did not inform her of her colleague's name.
Looking at the badge now, the thought of her unknown partner reentered her mind.
"I do wonder who Professor Dumbledore selected as Head Boy..." she mused to herself, while sampling another mouthful of the almond Danish pastry.
Lily fished around in her satchel again, this time extracting a pad of paper and a quill. She raised the quill to her lips, thought deeply for a few moments, and then began to jot names onto the pad:
Remus Lupin
Caradoc Dearborn
Gideon Prewett
"Hey, Head Girl!" A voice called from across the station. Lily looked up from her pad. Her roommate and friend, Dorcas Meadowes, was strolling toward her, lugging along her trunk, her broomstick, and her caged owl.
Dorcas pushed her long dark hair out of her face, and then dropped down in a chair opposite Lily's. She snuck a glance at Lily's pad, quickly skimming the short list of names.
"Starting your Christmas list rather early this year, aren't you?" she quipped, gesturing at the list.
Lily blushed. "No, that's not it," she said quietly. "I have been trying to figure out who the Head Boy might be."
Dorcas studied the names more closely, propping her chin in her hand. "I bet it's Gideon Prewett," she predicted. "Dumbledore has always nursed a soft spot for those Prewett boys!"
Lily's eyebrows shot up. "Favoritism does not play a role in Dumbledore's selection of Head Boys and Head Girls!" she insisted sternly. "In fact, I am sure Dumbledore does not even play favorites... in any situation!"
"No worries, Lily, no worries," said Emmeline Vance as she approached the table. Emmeline, another friend and roommate of Lily's, joined the other two girls at the table.
"We are all aware that you are a model student, and that you have earned your position as Head Girl," Emmeline added as she lowered herself into a chair.
"No, no, Emmeline," Dorcas clarified. "We are trying to guess who Dumbledore appointed Head Boy."
"Oh, I would put my money on Remus Lupin," Emmeline exclaimed. "You'd love to work with him Lily; he's smart, he's polite, and he's another Gryffindor!"
"You're right, Emmeline," Dorcas agreed. "He and Lily would get on alright."
"I might get along with him," Lily consented, "but I do not know about the company he keeps," she said, referring to James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew.
Dorcas snorted. "Come on, Lily. You know Sirius and James may be rule breakers, but I still think Remus is the best option you've got."
Lily shrugged, pulling the list toward her again as Emmeline began to suggest other possible candidates for Head Boy.
Twenty minutes later, the three girls crossed through the magical barrier onto Platform 9 ¾. The Hogwarts Express appeared before them, shining brightly and emitting a great deal of silvery steam. All around them, students greeted friends and exchanged good-byes with their families. Usually the scene on Platform 9 ¾ excited Lily, but she found herself preoccupied.
"Who am I going to be working with all year?" she thought out loud.
"Eeee!" squealed Emmeline. "I'm just as anxious as you are, Lily! You must tell us who the Head Boy is when we catch up with you at the feast!"
Dorcas nodded. "Go on over to the prefect carriage," she suggested. "I bet he's in there already."
Lily nodded curtly. She pulled her robes over her head, attaching her Head Girl badge with great care. She stowed her luggage, offered her friends a parting wave, and headed over to the prefect car.
"Oh, I hope he's not a Slytherin..." she muttered to herself.
Lily swung open the door of the prefect compartment. The train car, with its row of maroon seats, appeared deserted, as most of the students were still milling around on the platform. Lily scanned the seats, trying to decide on the best place for the Head Girl to sit.
"I guess I should station myself right at the front of the car," she thought to herself as she walked up the aisle.
Upon nearing the front of the train compartment, Lily pitched her satchel over the back of the first seat.
"Blimey!" a voice shouted from that seat, causing Lily to jump back in surprise.
"Might want to check that a seat's not occupied before you just go chucking things onto it!" the voice cried.
The owner of the voice straightened, turning his face towards Lily. Lily's mouth dropped as she recognized the short, mussed, black hair; the slender face; and the hazel eyes. James Potter.
"Potter!" Lily cried. "What are you doing in this compartment? You know full well this car is only for prefects!"
"Oh, it's quite alright, Evans! Thank you for your apology!" James wisecracked, offering her a smirk.
"Oh, Potter, it's a purse, not a ton of bricks," Lily replied. "Plus, I am being serious. The Head Boy and the prefects will be entering any moment, and we need this compartment in order to hold our first meeting. I need you out!"
"Actually, Evans, I think you'll need me in this train car," James informed her, waving toward the Head Boy badge pinned onto his robes.
"Er—what?" Lily asked, momentarily taken back.
How could James have the Head Boy badge? He had not even been a prefect last year!
Then, Lily's thoughts drifted back to her conversation with Dorcas and Emmeline in the railway station.
"Did you take that badge from Remus?" Lily asked suspiciously, thinking about James' close friendship with Remus.
"Evans, Evans," James said laughingly. "Do you really think I have lowered myself to that standard—stealing a Head Boy badge? You may have little respect for me, but I can assure you I am no thief! On the contrary, I consider myself a very munificent gentleman! I daresay, if you were to go on a date with me, you would find my generosity to be one of my best qualities!"
James sent Lily a coy smile, while Lily's mouth hardened into a thin line.
"James Potter, I will not go on a date with you," Lily said stonily.
"Fine, Evans. Spend another Friday night in the library! I was just trying to add some excitement to your seventh year." James responded.
Lily turned away from James to face the back of the train car. She felt her face redden and took two deep breaths, trying to steady herself.
"Is that what he thinks—that I spend all of my weekends in the library because I cannot get a date?" she seethed internally. "Potter doesn't have the slightest idea about hard work and dedication!"
"Come on, Evans," James goaded. "Don't say my little joke upset you. We've got a meeting to lead in a mo'. Pull yourself together!"
Lily stiffened, but could not deny that James had a point. Lily could begin to hear voices nearby; other students had boarded the Hogwarts Express. She would not let a tiff with James Potter ruin her first moment as Head Girl. With yet another deep breath, Lily turned around.
"Oh, I'm ready, Potter," she stated calmly. "I am ready to take my job very seriously." She stressed the word, as though daring him to say otherwise.
James simply nodded, a smile still on his face.
"Good morning, my name is Lily Evans, and I am pleased to introduce myself to you as this term's Head Girl," Lily said strongly, speaking to the group of prefects who had gathered in the train car.
"And I am—" James began.
"James Potter!" a Ravenclaw prefect interrupted, giggling. "No need to introduce yourself!" She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder, sending James a winning smile.
A number of male prefects sniggered, while a few other female prefects smiled similarly.
"Well, yes, I am James Potter." James continued, grinning indulgently at the attention he was receiving.
Lily rolled her eyes. "We have asked you to gather here to explain your first duties as prefects. For the remainder of the train ride, we ask that you will patrol the train cars and vestibules in order to ensure that all students behave accordingly. Additionally, we ask that you lead your House's first-year students to their dormitories at the conclusion of the Welcome Feast. We will meet again in two week's time to discuss additional duties."
"However, do not misinterpret Miss Evans," James interjected. "You are not free from duties for the next two weeks. I expect that you will monitor your dormitories and the corridors at all times. After all, who would pass up a chance to deduct points from other Houses? I fully intend to use that privilege to the advantage of the Gryffindor Quidditch team!"
James' comment received a couple of hearty laughs, but Lily shot James a stern look.
"James is correct that you should monitor student behavior continually," Lily amended. "But I wholeheartedly believe that no prefect would misuse his power to manipulate the outcome of the House Cup."
"I do believe that is all worth discussing today, though," James concluded. "You're free to go!"
The prefects filed out of the compartment, with James close behind them.
"Catch up with you later, Evans!" he called over his shoulder as he exited the compartment.
Lily blew a few loose strands of her out of her eyes and sighed. Was this really going to be how she spent her seventh year? She was much less thrilled about her Head Girl position than she had been three weeks ago...
An hour after the prefect meeting on board the Hogwarts Express, Lily was sitting comfortably within the Great Hall at the Welcome Feast. Famished from the long train ride to Hogwarts, she spooned sizable helpings of roast lamb, sliced carrots, and potatoes onto her plate.
"So sorry I did not get a chance to come by your compartment," Lily said to Dorcas and Emmeline.
"Oh, no worries," Emmeline waved away her friend's apology with her thin, well-manicured hand.
"Yes, you did not miss much. We wound up sitting near Alice, and had to listen to her describe her summer evenings with Frank for close to an hour," Dorcas commented, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, Alice is so sweet, though," Lily responded, thinking of her friend and study partner.
"Nevermind, though," Emmeline interrupted. "Who is the Head Boy?"
"Oh..." Lily started, her face falling slightly.
"That bad?" Dorcas asked, reading her friend's expression.
"It's James Potter." Lily answered dully.
Emmeline frowned. "Aw, I'm so sorry, Lil. I thought it would have been Remus for sure! I cannot imagine why Dumbledore would give the badge to James.."
"Mmm, especially because that means he has two badges to wear this year," Dorcas added.
"Two badges?" Lily inquired.
Dorcas nodded. "He is also captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team... and decided to begin practices this week!"
Dorcas played Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and, while she cared about her team's standing in the House Cup, clearly believed that Quidditch practices should not begin during the first week of the term.
"Two badges!" Lily repeated, this time with more feeling, her face contorted into a rather nasty expression.
"So, it's her then, isn't it?" Sirius Black asked as soon as James sat down for the Welcome Feast.
James nodded eagerly. "Of course, who else could it be? She was a sure pick."
"And how did she react to finding you as Head Boy?" Peter Pettigrew queried, leaning over Sirius.
"Err... doubtful?" James offered. "She actually suggested that I nicked the badge from you, mate," he told Remus.
Remus laughed. "Did she?"
"You really did seem to be the obvious choice," Sirius said to Remus.
Remus shrugged. "Better James than me, especially if Lily is the Head Girl."
"Quite right," Sirius assented. "James, my boy, you're running out of time. You have ten months left to win that girl over... you better consider this Head Boy job a blessing."
As the four Gryffindors laughed at Sirius' comment, Professor McGonagall approached their section of the long House table.
"Welcome back, you four," she greeted them before turning her attention to James.
"Potter, I would like to meet with you and Miss Evans to discuss Head duties after the feast. Can you meet me in the Entrance Hall after Professor Dumbledore dismisses the students?"
"Yes, Professor," James responded.
"Excellent. Tell Miss Evans, as well, would you, please?" she said, before returning to the staff table.
"Mister Potter would be more than pleased to speak with Miss Evans, Professor McGonagall," Sirius said, chortling.
"Evans! Oi, Evans!" James called, hurrying to reach Lily as she exited the Great Hall with Dorcas and Emmeline.
"Potter?" Lily said, turning around.
"McGonagall wants us. She wants to talk about Head duties," James informed her.
"Oh, alright," Lily said, separating herself from her two friends.
"I'll see you both upstairs later, then," she told Dorcas and Emmeline.
"Right you will," James said. "And Meadowes, see you Thursday at practice?"
Dorcas nodded. "Bit of an early start, wouldn't you agree?"
James winked. "It's the recipe for success!"
Lily rolled her eyes, falling into step alongside James. The two of them walked silently into the Entrance Hall, where Professor McGonagall was waiting for them.
"Oh good, Potter and Evans. Come right this way, we'll just be a few moments." Professor McGonagall said, ushering them toward the same classroom where the first years had been briefed for the sorting ceremony.
"I wanted to start by congratulating you both on your new titles—Head Boy and Head Girls. These titles are truly an honor, and I am sure you would not have earned them if Dumbledore did not view you as responsible role models for your fellow students," Professor McGonagall began.
Lily gave a small snort, which, despite her attempts to disguise as a cough, still attracted the suspicions of Professor McGonagall. Professor McGonagall stared at Lily for a couple long seconds before continuing.
"The purpose of our meeting today is for me to provide you with an overview of your duties in the coming weeks. In addition to supervising the prefects and overseeing student safety, the Head Boy and Head Girl must also account for extracurricular activities. For example, you two will plan the holiday balls, coordinate the Hogsmeade trips for the older students, and distribute funding to student organizations. I trust that you two will meet twice a month in order to discuss such matters."
Lily and James nodded.
"Additionally, I have some information that may assist you two in planning your bi-monthly meetings. The Head Boy and Head Girl have access to a Head Meeting Room. The Head Meeting Room is located on the fourth floor, near the tapestry of the Goblet of Gubraithian Fire. The door is directly across from the tapestry, and the password to enter is 'durante munere.' You are welcome to use this meeting room as frequently as needed, both separately and together."
"Thank you, Professor!" Lily enthused.
"Yes, thank you," James echoed.
"Alright, then," Professor McGonagall said. "I trust you will begin planning your first meeting promptly. That is all the information I have for you at this time. I will check in with both of you in a few weeks. James, you are free to go. Lily, may I have a word privately?"
James eyebrows shot up, and he twisted around to give Lily a questioning look. Lily blushed and looked down, unsure of what Professor McGonagall might have to say to her. Would she be scolded for the disrespectful snort that she let slip minutes earlier? Her stomach heaved slightly; it was only her first day as Head Girl. She did not want to lose her professor's trust already!
James exited the room with another backwards glance. Once Professor McGonagall was certain James was out of earshot, she turned her eyes to Lily. Lily was relieved to see that, while Professor McGonagall's eyes were never soft, they were not narrowed in extreme displeasure.
"Lily, I understand that you may be surprised to find James as Head Boy. You two have very different personalities, and I can see why you might consider yourself a more dedicated and mature candidate for the position."
Lily nodded, pleased to hear that Professor McGonagall recognized her perspective.
"However, please know that Dumbledore is most confident in his selection of both the Head Girl and the Head Boy. In fact, James Potter has knowledge that you may find quite valuable."
Lily's ears perked up. James Potter might have knowledge valuable to Lily? What could James possibly have learned that she did not know? She earned comparable grades in their courses, and—plus—she had already served as a prefect. She was much more familiar with leadership positions at Hogwarts than he is!
"You are to treat him as your equal. Remember that you are a role model. As an exemplary student, you should not pass judgment on your colleagues. I look forward to hearing that you are setting a standard for student cooperation at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall instructed.
Lily's face reddened as she recalled her Head Girl duties.
"Yes, professor," she promised. "I assure you that you will receive only positive feedback about my completion of my Head Girl responsibilities."
Professor McGonagall nodded sternly. "Very well, then. Off to bed for both of us. I shall see you in the morning for Transfiguration."
Professor McGonagall and Lily departed the classroom, and headed their separate ways. As Lily walked up to the Portrait of the Fat Lady, the entryway into the Gryffindor dormitories, she quickly found herself lost in her thoughts.
James Potter has valuable information? What could it be, and would she really consider it all that valuable?