A/N: This chapter's considerably longer than I intended it to be, and it's gone in a totally different direction than I intended too… hope it's still enjoyable though :)
Breakfast was most definitely James' favourite time of the day. This was for several reasons, firstly; it involved food, something that he was quite partial to. Secondly, it afforded him an opportunity to gaze over at Lily without too much notice being taken from anyone else, his three closest friends generally being far too tired to observe whatever James was doing. Thirdly, it was the only time of the day that he could speak to Lily and actually receive a response that didn't involve her wand being pointed at him. Lily, like James, enjoyed breakfast, and as such was always in the best mood she could possibly be as they sat down at the long tables in the great hall.
Today, James was sure, would be no exception, after six years of eating breakfast at the same table as Lily he had become accustomed to her cheerful manor in the mornings. And, as head boy, he was required to arrive early that morning. It was the first day of term and Professor McGonagall, James' transfiguration teacher, and head of Gryffindor house, would have the mammoth task of assigning timetables to all of the students and had requested the assistance of the head boy and girl. James had eagerly agreed and he assumed Lily had too.
He waited for her in the common room for a while after he had dressed, but assuming she'd gone ahead of him he pinned his head boy badge (which he'd bewitched to say 'Potter for President' and 'King James' alternately until Professor Flitwick had, rather nervously, asked him if he'd mind removing the charm) to his robes and raced down the corridors towards the great hall.
"No running in the corridors!" A rather pompous looking fifth year prefect from Ravenclaw held a hand out to stop James, who laughed and pointed to his own badge.
"I'm head boy, you pillock."
"That doesn't mean that you can run in the corridors, if Professor Dumbledore-"
"Not causing mischief already are you, Mr Potter?" A voice said from behind them. James turned to see the headmaster smiling at him, his blue eyes twinkling from behind half moon spectacles. "Not to worry Mr MacMillan, James is running rather late to join Professor McGonagall in the great hall, I think we can let it slide this time. Perhaps you should return to your dormitory and make sure the first years don't get lost on their way to breakfast, they do have a habit of doing so."
"Yes sir." MacMillan said, and nodded haughtily to James before retreating back down the corridor. Dumbledore turn his gaze back to the head boy.
"I better not detain you any longer Mr Potter, being late would not be a good start to your head student duties."
"I was waiting for Lily sir, but she must've gone ahead."
"No doubt she has, very keen that girl. And you're very keen also Mr Potter, but not quite on the headship, your interests lie with the head girl do they not?"
"Well, I-"
"I was young too once, believe it or not. And it would be very difficult not to notice, when your affections for Miss Evans are rather often the talk of the school. Now, run along, Minerva will not be pleased with me if I delay you further." James was sure he must've turned a delicate shade of pink, but he hurried along the corridor nonetheless, arriving in the great hall moments later, McGonagall looked up from the parchment she was studying with Lily.
"Just in time Mr Potter. I'd quite like a strong man to lift those boxes to the end of each house table, it will make it much easier to divide the timetables if it can be done from the end of each table in turn."
"Professor?" Lily asked, avoiding James' gaze. "Shouldn't that job be given to the head boy?"
"Potter is the head boy, Miss Evans."
"He's what?!" She stared at him in shock. "You? But how-" James just shrugged. "You weren't even a prefect!"
"I am Quidditch Captain though." He lifted the boxes in turn and placed them at the foot of the tables, wondering why McGonagall hadn't just moved them by magic. Lily watched him, shock still etched upon her face. She obviously hadn't noticed him wearing the badge, he hadn't expected that, although he knew it was likely she wouldn't be pleased about the appointment. Remus had been given the prefect's badge, everyone expected he'd become head boy, everyone except Remus himself. "They can't have a head boy who needs to leave the school once a month, they need them available all the time. I thought Jason Abbot would get it though. You know, the Hufflepuff prefect."
"I think, Mr Potter, if you take Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, Miss Evans can take Hufflepuff and Slytherin, you can hand out the timetables to second, fourth, fifth and seventh years. It's not usually something I ask the head students to do, but I will need to confirm choices with the third and sixth years and I think we'll have a fair few complications this year, Professor Manning set a rather difficult Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL last year, I expect I'll be quite a while with the sixth years. Could you open the main doors do you think?" James did as he was asked, and students soon started to arrive. Remus led the nervous Gryffindor first years to James, who quickly found each timetable in turn. He continued to give out the pieces of parchment to various students and when both of his boxes were empty he walked towards Lily, intent on offering to help her finish up, just as Severus Snape approached her for his timetable. Snape was a Slytherin in James' year whom he despised. He had once been friends with Lily but she had never quite forgiven him for calling her a mudblood in their fifth year, James had hated him tenfold from that point on. He stopped about three foot from where Lily stood, watching, his hand on his wand within his robes in case he dared upset Lily.
"Name." Lily said, wanting to keep a level of formality that allowed her avoid considering their abandoned friendship.
"You know what my name is Evans." James gripped his wand harder, preparing to turn it on Snape. Lily, however, just found his timetable and studied it briefly before handing him it. "Checking if you've got any lessons with me were you?"
"I know I don't, Gryffindor and Slytherin seventh years don't have any lessons together this year."
"Shame that… thought you might miss me." He was getting dangerously close to Lily and she was beginning to look uncomfortable. James was outraged.
"Sit down Snape, leave the head girl to finish what she's doing." With a sharp, piercing glare of contempt, Snape joined his friends at the Slytherin table. Lily, far from being grateful, was fuming.
"I am perfectly capable of looking after myself Potter and I do not need you to attempt to stick up for me!" A group of first years at the Hufflepuff table looked slightly frightened as Lily brandished her wand at James, pointing it square between his eyes. Professor Slughorn, head of Slytherin house, approached them, a smile on his face. Lily was one of his favourite students, he rarely reproached her for anything. Just before Christmas in their sixth year Lily had given James an extra pair of ears during a potions lesson, but despite the commotion it caused Slughorn insisted they continued with their work. Remus had had to remove the ears during their free period.
"Miss Evans, it's a little early in the year for you and Potter to be fighting, don't you think? And with double potions first thing? Come on now, wands away, breakfast time." He bustled off and Lily lowered her wand slowly. James offered her a smile, as it was breakfast and her mood was particularly upbeat she returned it.
"I'm sorry for trying to be Mr Noble…."
"You're not sorry Potter, you enjoy it."
"Well I do, but it's only because I-"
"Because it makes you feel high and mighty and massages your ego."
"No, it's not, Lily-"
"Evans."
"Lily. We've both got a free period this afternoon, would you like to go for a walk….?"
"How do you know what lessons I have?"
"I checked…" He said, a slight hint of guilt crossed his face as he withdrew Lily's timetable from his pocket and handed it to her. She studied it, ignoring his invitation. He spoke again after a few minutes. "Lily, that walk?"
"Potter, I can think of several hundred people I'd rather go for a walk with than you."
"Is the giant squid still included in that?"
"Yes Potter, yes it is. If you want to make yourself useful hand the rest of these out so I can get some breakfast." She waved a stack of Hufflepuff timetables at him and he nodded, anything to please dear Lily.