People flooded the platform as Lily hugged her parents goodbye. She turned to her older sister, hoping she would relent, but Petunia turned away, arms folded and nose in the air. "Come one, Petunia, don't be like that," Lily said softly.

"Goobye," Petunia said stiffly. Lily sighed and boarded the train. She waved once more to her parents then watched as they crossed the barrier back into the muggle station, led by Petunia.

"She still jealous?" sneered a voice behind her.

"Hey, Sev," Lily answered, looking away from the spot her family had disappeared.

"Forget her," He said, taking the seat across from Lily, "You won't have to deal with her for the rest of the year."

Lily nodded and blinked a few tears from her eyes. Severus leaned forward as if to say something, then jerked back.

"I've got to go;" Lily said, "there's a prefects' meeting, but it shouldn't take long,"

Severus nodded. His eyes lingered on the door long after she had left.

Towards the end of the train, four boys gathered outside a compartment, where two first-year students were gathering up their belongings. Sirius leaned against the compartment door, legs and arms loosely crossed.

"It's alright," James reassured them, pushing his spectacles more firmly onto his nose, "You couldn't have known this was our compartment. But, as Sirius said," he gestured to the other boy, "you do have to clear out."

The two children scurried out, and the four boys filed in.

"How long will Remus' prefect meeting take?" Sirius asked, placing his feet on the seat across from him.

"Dunno"

They made sure to get plenty of chocolate for Remus when the trolley witch came by. When Remus returned, he wasted no time opening a chocolate frog.

"Who else?" James asked.

"Evans is the other Gryffindor prefect," Remus began. James sat up a little straighter at the mention of Lily's name. "Jeremiah Bates and Evelyn Moon for Slytherin, Jennifer McKinnon and Nathaniel Jones from Ravenclaw, and Alan Brown from Hufflepuff. Oh, and Jane Elliot's the other Hufflepuff; she came in late." He glanced at Peter as he said this, who blushed slightly at the mention of the Hufflepuff girl.

James, caught up in a fantasy about Lily, didn't notice, but Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "Peter's gone as red as a quaffle!" he laughed. "What's up, Pete?"

"Nothing-I just-nothing," Peter stammered, shrinking slightly under the scrutiny of his three friends.

"We've already guessed," Remus said cheerfully. "So you might as well just confess,"

Peter sighed. "I fancy Elliot." His blush deepened.

Sirius sat back, a satisfied smirk on his face. James, coming out of his reverie, leaned forward and said, "Really, Peter, I don't know why you didn't just tell us." A grin spread across his face, "But now that it's out, we can help you!"

"Haven't had much luck with Evans, though, mate," Sirius teased.

James ran an unconcerned hand through his hair. "She'll go out with me this year; she can't resist my charm,"

Lily was relieved that Lupin was the other prefect, and not one of his idiot friends. Lupin was very nice; why he was friends with Black and Potter was beyond her. She walked with Severus into the great hall. He seemed very relieved when they separated to go to their house tables. They had been fine on the train, but he had grown agitated as they and the other students crowded onto hogsmeade station. Although she guessed the cause of his stiffness, she put it aside. After all, they were best friends.

She sat impatiently through the sorting ceremony. Looking around at the other fifth year girls, she noticed one was missing.

"Where's Claire?" she asked, finally piling food onto her plate.

Mary MacDonald, a short girl with black hair and eyes answered, "Her parents won't let her come back to school. They think it's safer to be all together."

"My dad left the country altogether," Alexandra said. "Pass the potatoes, please. I mean, he moved for work, but he really pushed for Nick and I to go with him. I didn't realize how scared he was until he tried to convince my mom and her husband to leave, too."

Mary nodded. "Caradoc Dearborn's parents also didn't want him to come back, but he insisted. He told them that he would be safer if he knew magic better."

Lily looked over to the Ravenclaw table at the head boy. She agreed with Dearborn. The more accomplished witch she was, the safer she was.

"Are you going to be on the team again this year?" Mary changed the subject. "Oh, sorry." She had put her question just as Alexandra took a large bite of potatoes.

"She better be," James leaned around two second years to chime in the girls' conversation. "I have enough positions to fill."

Alexandra swallowed. "Oh, are you captain?"

Lily and Mary turned to each other as Alexandra got into quidditch with James. Lily pretended not to notice James' eyes flickering toward her every so often. Mary noticed as well.

"You know the fourth years have a betting pool of how long it'll take Potter to ask you out this year," she teased.

"Oh my god."

"Apparently they've got good odds on this Wednesday at 2:35,"

"That's very specific."

Everyone who bet on Wednesday lost. Lily was rounding up the first years when James leaned across the table.

"Go out with me, Evans."

"No," she said, quickly herding the first years away.