AN: I own nothing. Read, review :)

Preface

Lily tiptoed down the granite stairs of the girls dormitory, bouncing lightly from foot to foot whilst constantly glancing behind her to make sure none of the other girls had noticed her leaving. She pushed open the door to the common room as the red and gold candles lit up, illuminating the room and throwing every surface into relief. Quickly, she closed the door to the staircase and made it to the portrait of the fat lady within a matter of moments. Pushing her open, Lily heard a shrill comment of annoyance.

"Where do you think you're going, at this hour?" her voice called as the young girl ignored her, her fiery red hair dancing behind her as she left. "Miss Evans!" the fat lady shrieked, but again, she simply pretended not to hear her.

The entrance to Dumbledore's office was on the sixth floor, down a corridor and behind a large gargoyle that often chatted to Lily. Tonight, though, he simply waited for the password (lemon pop) and let me in – Dumbledore wanted me there right away. His owl had seemed urgent and rushed, but when she entered his office, he was not only cool, calm and collected – he was also not alone.

"Welcome, Miss Evans," the white bearded man nodded at her, smiling discreetly as if he knew a secret which she didn't.

Lily smiled back, and recognised the back of the head of the other boy in the office – who else had hair that unruly and spiky? But she still wished, with all her heart, that it wasn't him, that James Potter was in his dormitory, sound asleep, and that in front of her was a Hufflepuff boy she had never met, or a Ravenclaw ex student. Heck, she'd even take greasy haired Severus Snape over James Potter, but that was wishful thinking on her part. As soon as Dumbledore had uttered her name, his head had snapped back, and of course, Lily found herself face to face with the leader of the marauders, the notorious Prongs.

"You are probably wondering why I sent you the owl so late, Miss Evans. I am sorry to have done so, and I hope that you did not think I mistrust you, but no one outside of Gryffindor must know about this meeting."

Lily nodded and took the seat next to James. "I understand, sir. But, sorry sir, why are we out so late? I almost got caught by Filch on my way down."

"Filch could not have tarnished your record anyway, Miss Evans. As of tonight, you will not need to worry about being out after curfew. Yourself, and Mr. Potter, have been appointed as Head Girl and Boy. As you know, the Ballard twins have returned home already, and I needed to appoint next years heads immediately."

Lily gasped, half in joy, half in shock. She'd known she would get head girl – it wasn't that she was conceited, but just that not a single other 6th year wanted or qualified for the position. On the other hand, James Potter was head boy – something he didn't want, nor did he qualify for. Lily couldn't say anything in front of Dumbledore, though. She had too much respect for him to let out the fact that she thought he was a complete and utter psychopath based on that one decision alone, but the smirk on his face made her wonder if he already knew how she felt about the situation. She also hadn't expected to get the position so soon, but the two twins who had held the positions all year had recently lost their parents to dark wizards, and had left Hogwarts early.

"So thats why you called us here, Professor?" James wondered out loud, a slightly quizzical look on his face; masked by confusion, relief and the look he always got when he was plotting something.

"Partially, yes," Dumbledore replied quietly. "Feel free to refuse me, either of you, but as you know, Lord Voldemort is on the rise."

Both students nodded, and James glanced at Lily nervously. The red-head's stomach flipped in worry – she was a muggle born, and Voldemort was looking to become the most powerful dark wizard in history thus far.

"Last week, Voldemort's followers murdered an entire bus full of muggle students in the south of France. It is a tragedy," Dumbledore acknowledged. "We have connections with the muggle government here in Wales, as well as in England and Europe. However, the United States, possibly the largest superpower on an international scale, is not safe from his wrath. However, their government is...uncertain. We do not know who we can trust, who we can believe and who we can rely on to feed us information."

Lily nodded, unsure where the conversation was going.

"Tonight, if you agree, you are to return to your dormitories and inform the other Gryffindors of the proposition I am about to make to you. I want six of you to travel to New York City, and to attend one of the most elite private colleges in the world for the next three months, and then spending the summer there also. There, you will befriend the sons and daughters of senators, of businessmen, and most importantly, you will be in the same form as the daughter of the US President. I need you to find out who we can trust, and who we cannot. If we have any chance of saving the muggle population, we need eyes and ears on the inside. Will you do this for me?" Dumbledore asked.

James nodded instantly, and Lily paused for a few moments, catching her breath before agreeing. "Of course sir," she shrugged, smiling. "It'll be great. But, and pardon my rudeness sir, why can only six of us go? I don't want to leave one of the girls out," she added.

"Curiosity is not a sin, Lily, however unfortunately as Peter, Mary, Alice and Frank are all underage, they will have to remain behind."

James groaned. "Sir, you cant split up the marauders! Peter-"

"-Will be just fine without you," Lily hissed. "This is for the greater good, Potter," she added, noticing through the corner of her eye that Dumbledore winced as she spoke.

"So!" Dumbledore exclaimed, regaining his composure after a moment. "We are in agreement, yes?"

"Yes," James and Lily replied in unison – possibly the only time they had agreed on something together.

"Good," Dumbledore smiled at them both. "You leave tonight. The portkey will be departing from the boys dormitory in an hour. Collect your friends, collect your trunks, and I will see you soon." And with that, together they rose, leaving Dumbledore's office. Lily was slightly ahead of James, as he watched her red hair dance behind her. Six months with Lily Evans. Oh boy.

REVIEW IF YOU WANT MORE! x