Seventh year. Here it was. I just can't believe it. I mean when I go back to fourth year, fourteen, carefree, and my life was damn near perfect. That was until she came. A transfer student from America some place in Colorado. Falcon was where the school was, where she lived, from every concept it was her home, life, love everything. You could tell by the look in her eyes. She would never tell me any of this; the woman despises me to this day. But the moment I saw her, I knew, I just knew that I was going to marry her. But she hates my guts and I don't really know why. Sure I can be a dick, I'm a guy for God's sake!! I got lucky, Dumbledore had me, well us Marauders, to show her around cuz we knew the school like, well I don't know really but we knew it better than him he told us with a wink. I tried to get her to like me as a friend but she just seemed to get a 'bad vibe' from me, or from one of us she just took it as me I guess. But from the first day we met, two things we both knew:

I was already in love with her (Corny I know the whole look across a room and fall in love at first sight)

She was gonna do her best to make sure that I would never be with her (which totally makes me depressed but I'll get over everything she does, eventually)

In fifth year I fell harder and she was more determined to keep away from me than ever. Every time I got slapped, or hexed whichever she felt was more 'appropriate' at the time, yeah whatever. In sixth year some guy, ok well some dumbass decided to ask her out, she declined politely and well lets just say that he didn't feel too well (or look for that matter) when I found out.

But this year, I wanted her to at least try to not kill me. I was HeadBoy so we shared a common room and a bathroom (Which I am extremely pleased with, though I doubt she is) and I will be better, I swore to myself when I first looked at her on the train this morning.

"Prongs?" I felt a slight slap to my head as someone woke me from my stupor.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you need to go to the meeting with Moony?"

"Shit yeah, what time is it?"

"Twelve"

"Okay, I'm gonna go so I'm early, see ya later." And with a departing wave to my friends I left the compartment, weaving my way through dozens of people, praying as I approached some that they would ignore me. For now they did, but I didn't think they would for very long. I slowed as I reached the right compartment, gulping slightly I entered even more slowly. The moment I opened the door I head laughing and talking.

"And then he said, 'But Ash, you have to!' God, was he whining so bad that I almost gave in!" I heard my twin sister's happy voice and as I stepped forward I asked "Who said that to you my dear sister?"

"James, well you're early! How are you?" well she wasn't really my sister but we were cousins and we had the exact same birthday, only I was about five minutes older. She jumped up and flung her arms around me.

"I'm good, but can you let me breathe please?" I choked out

"Oh sorry, but really how are you I haven't seen you in like weeks!" she said happily as she nearly sprung away from me.

"I said I'm good, and who were you talking about?"

"None of you're business, Potter," a voice hissed at me.

"Hey Evans, sorry but I was talking to my sis here, not you," I said anger entwining my words, that even I was surprised at but, unlike Ash, I kept it hidden. Lily however grinned slightly in a satisfied way.

"Brother dear, er, um, she's right, I can't tell you sorry. Hey I should go cuz um, yeah prefects are coming," she finished her thoughts as almost a question.

"See ya Ash," Lily and I said together. Normally I would have pointed this out but it was just a weird day with her and I decided to ignore it and sit down.

"Evans," I started almost as cold as she had been earlier.

"What Potter? I really don't care, but I am surprised that you showed up early," she said with a smirk on her face.

"Well, we need to talk; I think that getting along this year would be best for both of us. We're the Heads well it might be better for Ash if her best friend and her brother, the two people she cares most about in this world, got along."

"Well, I am inclined to agree with you, as long as you don't ask me out this year."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that," I hissed at her. God I was scaring myself, not knowing when this side of me decided to show up but I knew it was going to stick around and I didn't like it, not one bit. But what choice did I have, if my brain decided to be a dick to her, well… than I guess I had to. I sighed inside while I stuck my hand out to her, a scowl present on my face.

Tentatively she reached out her own hand, we didn't even shake: it was just a brief grasp before I dropped my hand and turned to gaze out the window as the prefects started showing up. Soon the room was filled and Evans and I stood up at the head of the well, room on the train.

Evans (when did I start calling her that in my mind? Huh) began the meeting and when she paused I took over before dismissing them with a wave of hand and their passwords. Evans stared at me, dumbfounded as the room cleared.

"Well you didn't expect me to not help at all did you?"

She slowly nodded before she darted out of the room; I guess she forgot that all her stuff was in here as was Ashley's. I shook my head as I walked out and returned to my compartment.

I walked into mine and Evans' common room after the feast. Sure it had been great but I really wasn't up to anything but sleep, so off to bed I went mulling my actions over. I had never been like that with Evans (DAMNIT why do I keep calling her that?) and I mean ever!

*

Sirius and I were passing notes in Muggle Studies right after breakfast that morning.

Dude you were way totally cold to Evans this morning, what's up

Dunno but who gives a crap, she and I decided to be friends for the sake of Ash and well, so the school doesn't blow up seeing as we're practically living together now =]

I added the smiley to make him think nothing was wrong, cuz really, nothing was. I always added a smiley when we were passing notes about her.

"We won't be staying at Hogwarts this year class." I heard the professor say and I was suddenly paying attention.

"Wh-what do you mean, Sir?" Ash asked hesitantly.

"Well, last year the staff decided that we were going to go to a Muggle private school, well set one up anyway. It will be far from Hogwarts, but do not fret, we will still be teaching you magic, only there will be no Quidditch, but a sport football, your classes will be called different names and also some classes will be added, which sadly will cause all classes to be shorter as everyone will have to take one extra class. So if you have unpacked, I am sorry. But please, I know that by dinner when Professor Dumbledore announces it, the school will have already heard. You are the first to know. All Heads and Prefects will continue their same duties, only a few more may be added to the Heads' I daresay. I can tell you only that, so seeing as I have nothing else to say today, you're dismissed, oh and by the way, your only homework for the month is something you should all do today, spread the word," and then the Professor disappeared into his office. Instantly whispers broke out and Sirius shouted to James way above all the whispers, "Dude! Football is going to be so much fun! We get to purposely harm the other teams, like tackle them and shit! This is totally awesome!!!!"

"And the only home work for the month, Padfoot is to tell anyone and everyone!" he and I high-fived each other before dashing out the door and magicing (is that even a word?) really big posters and hanging them for all the school to see. So that by the beginning of second hour, everyone in the school. But what we didn't know was that not only was our school doing this, but this weird school in America would be joining us. Well when dinner came around, the Great Hall chattering about the Big News, Dumbledore shared the er, useful information, my jaw dropped.

"As the only school in England to be participating, we will be joining the smallest school participating. This school is from Falcon Colorado and all of the school trying this will be putting their football teams against each other, we will be making the up the largest league I believe," he chuckled as many of us guys cheered.

"So, it will only be continuing for the first trimester, after which we will return to Hogwarts. And if all goes as planned, we may do this once every year or once every seven years. Now I wish you all to pack your things, we leave bright and early on the train, after which we will be taking a Muggle airplane to the new city and then we will take a train to the new school. I hope that you will take this opportunity to learn about those people who live just around the corner. Goodnight, sleep well." With a wave of his hand, we were dismissed among new chatter and I couldn't help but wonder how this was going to turn out. I mean really, we were going to America and joining another school, for only one trimester, for what? I couldn't figure it out, but I guess this was going to be interesting seeing as few of us actually know how to play football. I knew though, that either Sirius or I was going to be captain.

**

The next morning as we boarded the train I heard someone yell my name.

"Yeah?" I replied as I turned towards it.

"Come sit with us Twin!" I laughed as I went to her compartment with my friends following me.

"Who's 'us' exactly?" Sirius asked her.

"Me and Lily."

My eyes lit up and I walked inside. She was sleeping , mumbling. I laughed as I stored my trunk, as well as my friends above our heads. As I turned to sit down, I realized the only open seat was across from Lily. For some reason I scowled at that. This really was going to be an odd year.

"Something wrong?" I heard Ashley ask me.

"Nah just tired. I think I'm going to go back to sleep." I closed my eyes as I leaned against the window. I really didn't want to sleep, I just had to think in peace. I mean, what the hell was wrong with me, when I was around Lily I acted as though I hated her but was trying to be her friend for the sake of a friend, but when I was away from her, I still longed to be near her. I knew Remus was reading, Peter was sleeping, and I could hear Padfoot and Ash talking, and well flirting quietly so as not to wake their sleepy friends. I wanted to laugh as I heard one whisper in particular.

"What's wrong with James? I mean he so different around Lily now, know why?"

"Hmmm, well, um," I figured he would be scratching the back of his neck as he thought about it, "I really haven't got a clue. Maybe its new tactics cuz I know he still likes her, a lot. Or at least he's still obsessed with her."

Ashley giggled lightly. I felt the train slow and I wondered how I could have 'slept' for that long. But when I opened my eyes, we weren't at the regular station; we were near some big city with an airport I guessed. I stood and slowly shook Lily's arm to wake her. Padfoot was having fun waking up Wormtail.

"Lily, it's time to get up. We have to get on the plane." Slowly she opened her eyes. When she saw my face so close she nearly screamed. We all laughed.

"Come on, get up, we have a flight to catch." She seemed glued to her seat and the rest had already taken our trunks Moony with hers and Padfoot with mine. I sighed as I reached around her and picked her up. Her arms locked around my neck as she yelled, "What are you doing?"

"Well you were taking too long so well I made it go faster. We have to go and get our flight. We have a lay over in Atlanta Georgia before we get to Colorado. And as the Heads, and being that only us Seventh Years have the lay over, so our first plane leaves earlier, I figure we might want to hurry up." She was still in my arms as I walked to the front doors, following a small trickle of people seeing as the rest of the school had already gone in or was still on the train. I liked the way she felt in my arms, and I swore to myself that, no matter what happened, I would protect her to the best of my ability. I had told myself countless times that I would protect her, but here, as I held her slim body in my arms, I knew that I had to, there was no question about it. I loved her. So I wondered why I had been acting the way I had around her.

"Potter," her cold voice broke through my thoughts, "You do know that I can walk, right?" I quickly let her slide down my body so that she could stand and walk with me.

"Yeah, sorry."

She looked at me as though I was crazy. I shrugged as we approached the check in counter.

"What took you guys so long?" Padfoot asked us.

"Um, Evans, I mean Lily," I corrected myself as I took in Ashley's stern look, "Was practically glued to her seat so I had to pick her up and start walking before she would even talk, let alone walk." We all laughed as Lily blushed.

By the time we arrived at the new school, it had been nearly twenty four hours since we left the school. Cars were waiting at the airport to take us to the station where we got on the train, the first to arrive.

The school was huge but the first thing I wanted to do was find my room. I followed her to our room; she was looking at what seemed to be a map of the school. When we stopped at a portrait, we both heard someone call her name, and we turned to see….