Last day of summer:

31st of August, 1977.

You know the absolute number one thing I hate about myself? How completely and utterly unorganised I am. Especially when something important comes along.

Starting my 7th year at Hogwarts, for example.

Because let's be honest, dashing around and double-checking every crevice of your room to make sure you've left nothing behind at last minute is no fun at all. But nonetheless, that is what I end up doing each and every year without fail.

Remind me why I've been appointed as Head Girl again?

Yes, you heard correctly. Little unorganised, slacking Lily Evans has been given the immensely important role of Head Girl this year.

I honestly don't know what was going through Dumbledore's head as he made this decision. Was there something in the Pumpkin juice? Was he drinking Fire whiskey by the boatload? But alas, these are the questions I wouldn't find the answers to.

So, it looks like I'm going to have to just suck it up and carry on with my life, because there's really nothing to do about it.

So here I am, doing one final scan of my room, which was practically bare of all my belongings, aside from the pyjamas and set of clothes I had laid out for tomorrow, when I would be making the short journey to Kings Cross station. And then, I would be heading back home. To Hogwarts.

So far this summer, I have spent near enough the entire time cooped up inside my home. You see, there wasn't exactly much to do. My younger self would've probably tried to make amends with Petunia - my older sister, who was less than pleased at the discovery of my being a Witch - or go outside with Sev, but that wasn't exactly going to happen.

You could say I'm turning a new leaf, I suppose. And you'd be right. Because I am completely done with being the only person to remain holding on. Petunia can hate me all she wants, she can make her snide remarks from across the dinner table all she likes, but she can watch me not care. I won't say anything back. I'll simply ignore her.

Just like Sev. You see, Severus used to be my best friend.

Key words: used to.

We got on like a house on fire when we met the summer before my first year at Hogwarts. He introduced me to the magical world, and filled me in on everything I'd missed out on with being brought up by Muggles and all. I knew enough to get myself through those first few days at Hogwarts. But that's when it started to go down-hill.

I was placed in Gryffindor; house for the brave and the chivalrous (Pretty surprising, right? To this day I still wonder what made the Sorting Hat place me in a house of which I didn't mach any of the characteristics) whilst Severus was placed in Slytherin; home of the cunning. And how perfectly fitting that turned out to be.

As the years went on, Severus gained himself some other friends from his house, as did I, but we remained best friends. But things started going a bit dodgy. I didn't like his friends, not one bit. I hate Lucius Malfoy with ever-present smirk and was always quick to insult someone who got in his way. I hate Bellatrix Black who was always looking for someone to duel (or, in other words, someone to blow to smithereens with a small blast from her wand. She would do it if she could get away with it, mark my words). I hated the lot of them. I still do. There's something sinister about them that I can't stand. And I guess they started rubbing off on gold ole Severus in the end.

He started sneaking around the castle with them late at night whilst me and fellow Gryffindor Prefect, Remus Lupin done our rounds of the castle. And more often than not, they were caught by either Remus or myself.

It was our fifth year, so I just figured the stress of studying for our up-coming exams, also known as O. (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) were keeping them from sleep, and that it was nothing to worry about. I actually think I was trying more to convince myself than to look for the logical solution to why my best friend was sneaking around the castle with the most horrifically pathetic and sinister group of people Hogwarts had to offer.

But, as usual, I realized what was happening far too late to save myself from the pain that was reality, which came crashing down on me at once.

I remember it very clearly. The Marauders (James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin) were picking on Severus, and of course I went to help him out, he was my best friend after all.

The one thing I wasn't expecting was for Severus to turn around and insult me.

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

It was shocking, to say the least. To have your so-called best friend say something so horrible to your face, with so much venom in their voice, it was enough to break a person.

And it did, quite frankly. But I didn't let anyone see, I put on a brave face, but inside I was mourning over the loss of my 'best friend'.

Mudblood is a particularly horrible phrase that is used to describe someone with no trace of magical heritage. Someone with non-magical parents. Someone like me.

But this year I wasn't going to let anything bother me. I was the new and improved Lily Evans. I wouldn't devote the entire year to studying. Because it's my last year, and it's about time a little change took place.