Disclaimer: All belongs to JKR
Chapter One: New Starts
It's at 10.38am on September the 1st that Lily Evans steps through the barrier to Platform 9 and ¾ for the beginning of her seventh year at Hogwarts. She'd had to insist that her parents not bring her to the station this year. She'd used the argument that she could apparate, making it pointless for them to drive her all the way from Cokeworth. While this was true, the real reasoning was that it was becoming increasingly dangerous to draw attention to the fact she's muggle born. While Lily knew she was bound to be targeted once she started her Auror training, she figured she should give the Death Eaters as few reasons to target her or her family as possible before then and keeping her parents distant from the wizarding world should hopefully keep them safe.
As usual she doesn't see any of her friends in the crowds so she boards the train, deciding to change into her robes and head to the prefect meeting. She can find Alice and Marlene after she's met the new head boy and organised the prefects, after the last two years of having her post summer catch ups interrupted for start of term meetings she came to realise nothing is more infuriating than sitting through them having to guess the second half of either Marlene or Alice's usually very entertaining stories of summer antics! Being Head Girl this year, everything is bound to take twice as long, having to answer the new fifth year prefects questions and organise the first weeks patrol schedule with the Head Boy, whoever he was this year.
She's not given much thought as to who it's going to be this year, Remus Lupin (the one Marauder she can tolerate) had shocked Lily at the end of last year when he had told her he was going to ask Dumbledore not to consider him for the role, the rest of the school had been certain that the two would eventually make co heads since the prefect badges were sent out before their fifth year. So all summer she had avoided thinking about who could possibly receive the role in his place.
There were only three other potential candidates: The Hufflepuff prefect, Amos Diggory, a kind yet pompous boy from Hufflepuff who took a shine to Lily only once she made prefect. Although kind, he's a fickle friend, always making a special effort to sit next to her in Potions, mainly so he can tell Slughorn on many occasions how 'close' they are, just to go up in the equally fickle Professors estimations, essentially, he's a creep. The Ravenclaw prefect, Stephen Corner, a lovely boy who is ridiculously clever and nice to everyone, just far too quiet to pull off the role. Anyway, Lily suspects he may have also removed himself from the running after hearing Remus did, out of fear he might actually get the job! And of course, the Slytherin prefect and Lily's once best friend, Severus Snape. Realistically, she knows that Dumbledore would have to be off his rocker to make Severus her co head, even without the incident by the lake, all the rumours regarding him having joined the Death Eater's with Avery and Mulciber are bound to have reached the staff... But the thing is, Dumbledore is off his rocker, she can see him doing just that hoping she can rehabilitate him. Normally, this wouldn't bother her, as when it comes to her responsibilities she considers herself the height of professionalism- her main problem is the fact that the two heads have to share a private dormitory!
As Lily starts to panic she wonders why she didn't think this through when she first got the badge, of course she could have just returned it, she knew she couldn't work with Amos or Severus, but no, she was too proud and ambitious. So she sits in the carriage alone, knowing she awaits either a creep or her former best friend, as she considers hiding at the other end of the train and owling ahead to Dumbledore and asking if it's too late to resign, she hears footsteps-
"Shit!" she hisses, however before she can think through an escape route, the door slides open,
"Ah, Evans. Erm, yeah... Thought it'd be you." she sighs inwardly as the last person she wants to see in her current frame of mind stands in the doorway,
"Is there a problem Potter?" she snaps,
"Erm, no." He says, confusedly,
"Well Remus isn't here yet Potter, the rest of the prefects aren't needed for another 15 minutes at least, so you have plenty of time to get up to whatever you've got planned before I need him here." She was being cold but didn't have the energy to care; it was just like him to show up now when she's on the verge of a full blown panic!
"I know Evans, I just saw him."
"Then what can I help you with?"
The now familiar awkward silence returned, he ruffled his hair, an annoying habit he'd developed in third year after he'd been picked for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"Well it's more what can I help you with I guess" he tailed off looking nervous, he hated this as much as she did, he missed their arguments, the only times he knew her attention was only on him, but he knew it wasn't getting him anywhere, he didn't care so much about his NEWT's as long as he was friends with Lily Evans by the time he graduated, he could work on anything else after.
"Potter stop talking in Riddles!" she snapped, he's taken aback by her tone; he was only trying to be polite. Deciding nothing he says can help him, He points to his new badge, next to the Quidditch Captain one he attained last year, apparently this was also the wrong thing to do-
"Shit... Shit, shit, shit! You're Head Boy?"
"Well I'm not exactly thrilled either Evans." He lied, raising his voice at her for the first time in over a year.
"But you weren't even prefect!" she practically shrieks, her eyes brows are jumping off her head, he's shouting as well now,
"Well what did you expect Dumbledore to do? Once Remus said he didn't want it he was hardly left with a lot of choice!"
"Oh be realistic Potter! How is this going to work?" she spat the words at him, he pauses for a moment and fakes an air of nonchalance,
"What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean! We haven't even managed to fake a civil conversation, let alone actually mean it!" He scoffs, but he hates the fact that the way things are going right now, she's probably right, but he proceeds to look her in the eye properly.
She is reminded of the time he cornered her after her Charms practical OWL and begged her to give him a chance; she had lied and said she'd think about it, unable to put out the hope that had been in his eyes. Luckily for her conscience and his heart, the events at the lake had meant she'd never had to tell him that she'd reached a decision.
"I know..." he says and there's another awkward silence, she avoids his stare and once again considers owling Dumbledore and asking if it's too late to resign?
"Ugh! This is fucking ridiculous Evans! We're both adults, we're both of age, can't we just put this, whatever it is behind us and attempt to get on!" She finally looks him in the eye, he looks annoyed, but he also look sincere and she really doesn't want to have to give up the position. So she sighs resignedly,
"I guess we can do that."
"Good. I'll be back in 10 minutes for the meeting." He turns on his heel and heads for the door, unable to keep the smile off his face,
"Oi! Potter!" she snaps at him, inwardly cursing herself for falling at the first hurdle,
"You've never been a prefect, I need to show you the ropes so you actually be of some use in this meeting." she adds a smile at the end to be safe.
"If we're serious about this whole getting along thing, you should know that my friends call me James" he's jokes, not sure if he's irritating her already,
"Not Jay then? Or Jamie?" she says with a raised eyebrow and a sickly sweet smile, remembering his nicknames awarded to him by ex girlfriends.
Ok, clearly he had touched a nerve. He feels annoyed remembering how he'd regularly had to resist the urge to curse any of his exes whenever one of them had used the terms of endearment, before he realises that she too was joking, so he grins,
"Touché!" pleased with herself, she smirks back at him,
"I should fill you in on the basics before the prefects arrive then."
They make their way through the meeting ok, despite James somehow managing to unintentionally get on her nerves at least twice every minute! She considers that you'd be mistaken for thinking he was some sort of God the way girls go doe eyed every time they see him and lads all pander to him asking if he has any details on the traditional first week prank yet, he grins and looks at Lily before telling them egotistically that he has a few ideas in the pipeline, she supposes she should calm down though, she knows he wouldn't love himself so much if everyone else would stop acting like he's God's gift to mankind.
Once they assign everyone their days for the first week of patrols everyone gradually files out of the carriage and she hastily packs up the papers, eager to find her friends and tell them of Dumbledore's moment of madness,
"Erm Lily, do you think I could have a word?" he's stood behind her looking nervous, he wants to ask everything about her, he wants to apologise for being an arse for the past 6 years, he wants to tell her he loves her and he's more than aware she wants to go, but he wants to talk to her, he wants her. After what feels like a lifetime to him, she finally looks up only to catch Severus lingering in the doorway, his face impassive. As he see's she's clocked him he turns and strides away. James turns around in time to see his cloak whip out of sight and the compartment door slide shut behind him.
"Lil..." he says sympathetically,
"It's fine, honestly! Don't sound so worried!" she lies, she's honestly not sure how she feels about the Severus issue anymore, she's gone through all the anger and hurt and stopped pining for the friend she lost, it's left her not really sure how to think of him. She doesn't talk about it to anyone, despite her confusion, but in her mind Potter is hardly the person to discuss the matter with. Neither of them need reminding of the reason for their hostility when they've not even been attempting friendship for half an hour.
"So... that word?" he asks again, the edge of nerves returning to his voice,
"Actually, can it wait until later?" asking him more out of politeness as she's already started walking to the door,
"I've not seen Alice or Marlene yet." She's reached the door at this point, her hand poised to slide it open, she's eager to be out of his company and left to wonder why Severus was watching her,
"Yeah sure, it can wait until rounds." He nods
"Great, I'll come and find you before we arrive and have to herd the first years!" she laugh, he rolls his eyes, but smiles,
"Can't wait."
She slides the door closed behind her and walks out of sight before shutting her eyes, already exhausted and allows the false smile she's forced to stay on her face while talking to him drop; it was going to be a long year! Taking a deep breath she continues to drag her trunk along the train, looking for her best friends and their usual compartment.
He smiles, as he remembers he still has a year.
A/N: Reviews = Love :)
