-1Platform Nine and Three Quarters was crowded with students and parents saying their goodbyes. But Lily Evans, having said her goodbyes in the car, was already firmly planted in her seat in the Prefects' Compartment, once again going over her letter which outlined all she had to get through before term started; prefect rotas, delegation of work, making sure everyone knew what to do and how to give detentions, and of course reinforcing the fact that prefects could not take House points. She was so absorbed in the rereading of her letter that she failed to notice that James Potter had been standing in the doorway for a few minutes now, staring at the girl sitting beside the window, with a look of I-can't-believe-my-luck across his face.
Someone passing by giggled loudly causing Lily to look up and jump, and James to blush knowing he'd been caught staring.
"For crying out loud, you gave me a heart attack!" exclaimed Lily, holding a hand to her chest. "What're you doing just standing there?!"
"I wasn't just standing, I was about to come in," said James defensively, shoving a hand in his pocket as he moved inside, pulling his trunk behind him, and took a seat across from Lily. She gave him an irritated look before shuffling in her seat so she could cross her legs without kicking him, though she mused that didn't seem like the worst thing in the world.
"Why?" she asked, still glaring at him.
"Why what?" he asked distractedly as bent over and began rummaging through his trunk.
"Why are you in here? You're not a prefect."
"Right you are," he said, still not looking up from his trunk.
"Then why are you in here?"
"Uh, that would be…" he said as he rummaged even further, "because," he drew out the word as he finally seemed to find what he was looking for, pulling out the crumpled piece of paper with a flourish, "I'm Head Boy." Lily just rolled her eyes.
"You are not."
"Yes I am," he answered grinning, "I've even got the letter to prove it," he said, waving it in front of her face. She snatched the paper out of his hand and sat up straight, giving him a disbelieving look.
"I know. Weird, eh?" he asked as her eyes scanned the page.
"But…I thought you had to be a prefect to become a Head…isn't it in the rules?"
"Well, as we both know, I never stored much by the rules and apparently neither does Dumbledore."
"Is this some kind of joke, Potter?" she asked, eyes narrowing, "Because I really don't have time for this."
"I know you don't," he said as a couple of sixth year prefects entered the compartment, "I know exactly what you've got time to do and not to do because, surprisingly enough, I've got to do it too." He snatched his letter back and stood up, smiling at the two, now giggling, Ravenclaws.
"Unbelievable," muttered Lily.
…
Once the meeting had finished, Lily sank back into her seat, exhausted. Prefects were a lot more hassle than they were worth. People couldn't do certain patrols due to certain clubs, or certain teams or certain other reasons and she had had just about enough of people moaning at her. All she wanted to do now was get to the castle, have some dinner then sleep. Throwing her arm over her face to block out the light, she sank back even further and considered sleeping there and then. Unfortunately James seemed to have other plans. Clearing his throat loudly, he once again took the seat opposite her. She lifted her arm slowly before groaning.
"What?" she asked lifting her arm off her face.
"Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot-"
"Well, I think we did too," she agreed, sitting up straighter and smoothing out her skirt, "And I appreciate your apology."
"Apology? Who said anything about an apology? I'm not apologising. I don't have anything to apologise for. I was just-"
"You think so?"
"Oh, come on, you're not still angry that I asked you out that one time, are you?"
"No I'm not. That's hardly the only thing you've got to apologise for, but you humiliated me!"
"I think you'll find it was you who humiliated me."
"How do you figure that?"
"You turned me down! And in the nicest possible manner too," he said sarcastically.
"I was angry!" She leaned forward in her seat, pointing her finger at him. "You happened to be assaulting one of my best friends at the time!"
"You know, it wasn't my fault. I mean, it's obvious that you blame me for it but it wasn't actually my fault."
"Are you saying that it wasn't your fault that you attacked Severus?"
"No, I'm saying that it wasn't my fault he called you a -," he coughed uncomfortably before continuing, "It's not my fault you two aren't friends anymore."
"I never said it was your fault," she said quietly, turning to look out the window.
"You've never said it but it's obvious that's what you think."
"Obvious, is it?" she muttered.
"Well yeah, you think that if I hadn't provoked him he wouldn't've lashed out at you." Lily ignored him. "But if you think about it-"
"Listen Potter, I don't want to think about it alright? I just want to forget the whole thing."
"If you wanted to forget the whole thing you would've stopped giving Snape those regretful, longing looks you're always giving him."
"I do no such thing-" she began angrily leaning forward in her seat. James ignored her outburst.
"And you would have forgiven me ages ago for this thing that isn't my fault."
"I never said it was your fault."
"I'm pretty sure we've already been over this…"
"Can you just drop it."
"No, not until you realise it's not my fault." Lily sat in silence for a moment, just glaring at him.
"But if you hadn't attacked him-" she burst.
"You wouldn't have come over, tried to help him, only for him to turn around and stab you in the back? He had no right to call you anything, you were only trying to help him," James said fiercely.
"He was embarrassed! The fact that I had to help him because you-" she replied with as much ferocity.
"And why should he be embarrassed that a friend wanted to help him?"
"Well I suppose it's because I'm a girl-"
"Then why didn't he call you a 'girl' rather than a - a -" Lily stared at him hard for a moment before her eyes began to fill with tears.
"Why are you doing this Potter? I already know what he thinks of me. I know where his alliances lie and I don't need you on you're high horse to tell me that I made a bad choice of friends!" She turned in her seat so that she was facing her window.
"That's not what I'm trying to do," he said desperately, running a hand through his hair, "I just don't want you to hate me for something that wasn't my fault!"
"Fine, I'll hate you for this instead shall I?"
"Lily-"
"Please can you not talk anymore?" she asked abruptly, leaning back in her seat again. "I'm trying to get some sleep and anything you say is just going to upset me," she said angrily.
"Fine," he said, mimicking her actions and leaning back in his seat. "I'll be quiet if you will." He put his feet up on the seat across from him.
"Alright, I'll be quiet."
"Fine."
"Fine."
There was an awkward silence as both stared stonily out of the window.
"Do you think you'll miss it?" James asked quietly.
"What? Your talking? No, I think I'll manage just fine, thanks."
"No," he answered as if talking to a child, "Hogwarts. I mean, this is our last year. Surely you'll miss it when we leave." She just shrugged her shoulders.
"There are some things I'll miss sure…but then again, there are some things, some people, who I'm rather looking forward to leaving behind."
"If you're talking about me-"
"No I'm not talking about you! Does everything have to be about you?"
"No! I just figured-"
"Look Potter, you're right; we have got off to a bad start. This year we're going to have to work together quite a lot and how about we just…I don't know…try to act civil?"
"Civil?" he asked sceptically.
"Yes, civil. You know, polite…but in a way that means we don't have to be nice or friendly or overly familiar in any way. Less public arguing and less public insult throwing? What do you think?"
"Well, in all fairness I think the public insults were fairly one sided as I don't ever recall insulting you." Lily just rolled her eyes. " And as for the public arguing…alright, alright, I'll try my very hardest, unless you're being difficult." he smiled cheekily. "How about instead of polite in a non-friendly way we could possibly try it in a non-non-friendly way."
"Potter," she groaned.
"Listen, I'm not the same guy you hated a year ago and I honestly I think that we could be friends," he said, hands raised.
"Friends?" she asked eyebrow raised.
"Yup, honestly. No funny business. We can be civil friends who stand as upstanding role models for the younger years. We are the Heads after all."
"Hmm…"
"Oh, come on. If I do anything, anything, wrong then you have my explicit permission to go back to hating me. What do you say?"
"I must be mad," she groaned, holding out a hand to him. His face broke out into one of the biggest grins she had ever seen and he seized her hand and shook vigorously.
"Right, I'm going to go find Mary and people…Don't make me regret giving you a chance Potter."
"I won't. I promise."