A/N: This was written for TFIOS Quotes Challenge/Competition in the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges Forum. Quote: "I'm on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friend.", altered slightly.
It was a beautiful December morning when the realization came to James Potter.
He had woken up before any of his dorm mates and friends, even Remus, and was sitting on the window ledge, cheek against the cold glass, looking out at the expanse of crystal snow that covered the grounds. He watched a clump of feather light snow being pushed and pulled by the wind, swirling it's way in and out of the Whomping Willow's branches before it landed upon it's trunk. The cold seemed to anger the Willow and it became animated, thrashing it's branches to and fro until the tiny clump of crystal snow was crushed into powder.
That's when he realized that his life was like that delicate, crystalline snow. Pushed this way and that by the winds of life, just waiting to land on the Willow so that what? He could be crushed? No he wanted to be the snow that lay undisturbed upon the grass and glistened in the sun.
So he dressed, his shirt buttoned up and his tie straight, and made his way down to the Great Hall. It was a Saturday, and not many students were awake yet. However he did see one familiar red head, her nose in a book and her plate forgotten. He took a seat across from her, mumbling a 'good morning' that she either didn't hear, or more likely ignored.
He was halfway through his plate full, and Evans hadn't touched her's once since he arrived, when Remus entered.
"Moony," he greeted him.
"Prongs, Lily," Remus replied.
Evans looked up then, and smiled when Remus sat down next to James. She put away her book and focused back on her food, talking with Remus about a class they shared.
A lull in the conversation allowed James just the opening he needed.
"Remus,"
"Mm Hmm?" was his friends reply.
"Are you busy after breakfast?"
Remus looked up at him warily. "I was planning on finishing my Transfiguration essay."
"Perfect! Can I join you? I need some help with it."
He saw Evans' head snap up and Remus narrowed his eyes. "I'm not going to let you copy."
"Of course not, I just need help with finding the right sources."
"Okay," Remus agreed, still eyeing his friend warily.
Then James turned to Lily, "Would you like to join us?" he asked.
Lily narrowed her eyes at him, "No, I'm finished my essay." she said waspishly.
"Very well, I'll meet you in the library." he said to Remus, then he got up and left the hall without a backward glance.
Lily glared after him, then with an indignant sniff and her nose held high she also left.
James was sitting in the library with Remus when Sirius came looking for him. It was half past noon, and Sirius had stopped by the kitchen after waking up late to grab some food.
When he plopped down in the chair beside James he immediately began a very animated, yet one sided conversation.
"I can't believe you go up before... Whenever you got up. When did you get up?" James ignored him, continuing to scribble his essay down on the parchment. "And you came to the library, of all places, with Moony." Sirius waved his biscuit in Remus' direction. "And you're working on homework," he leaned over, dropping crumbs on James' parchment, "Transfiguration? Blah!" When James still didn't respond Sirius narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What's gotten into you Prongs?"
James finally huffed in exasperation and dropped his quill. "I've decided it's time I became responsible."
Sirius looked horrified at the prospect and choked on his mouthful of pilfered food, "Why'd you want to go and do a thing like that?" Sirius wheezed, as Remus pounded him on the back.
James rubbed the back of his neck and leaned back, "I've decided that I'm tired of life deciding where I'll go. It's time I took matters into my own hands."
"What's so bad about your life that you'd become responsible to change it?" Sirius asked.
"Well for one, there's Lily-"
Sirius threw his hands up in the air, "I should have know this was going to be about Lily. Is this another one of your plans to try and get her to date you?"
James glared at him, "No it is not. As I was saying, I've always assumed that Lily would come around. But now I'm looking at the big picture and it doesn't look like it'll happen too soon-"
"I've been telling you that from the beginning." Sirius interrupted. James glared at him but continued.
"So I've decided to move on."
"You've tried that already, remember how well it worked?"
James glared at him again. "I'm not going to run around dating other girls this time. I'm going to stop asking her out."
"Okay," Sirius said, disbelief evident in his voice. "I still don't see how that's being responsible."
"That's not all. I'm also going to start paying attention in class and doing my homework."
Sirius snorted, "You'll get bored. Plus you won't have enough time to do homework."
"And that brings me to my third point. No more pranks."
"WHAT!?" Sirius screeched. Remus shushed him, looking warily over his shoulder for Madame Pince.
"I'm looking at my future, and if I continue like I have been I'll never get a job."
"Life's a roller coaster, Prongs, just sit back and enjoy the ride."
"What's a roller coaster?"
"We learned about them in Muggle Studies. It's a big machine that they use for fun. You sit in this little car thing and it moves along a track. It's also sometimes used as a metaphor for life, because just like life it has it's ups and downs."
By this point Remus and James were staring at him in shock. "What? I go detention and had to write out the segment on roller coasters a hundred times."
Recovered, Remus returned to his book.
"Well then, my friend, I'm on a roller coaster that only goings up."
A/N: Hope you liked it! It's not my best but please review and tell me what you thought!
P.S. I am considering a second part and if I get enough reviews I'll write and post it!
P.P.S. Thanks Soccerisawesome19 for the grammar corrections, fixed them!