Prompt: James and Lily as childhood best friends into seventh year.


It's like clockwork.

She used to have to look at her watch, or wait by the window, or send an owl over to be certain that he would come, but by now, her entire being can sense when he is coming. Lily doesn't need to hear the window being pushed further open, or the groan that escapes his mouth as he knocks a pointed elbow into the frame, because some sense that she has developed tells her when James Potter is nearby. Which is why she is prepared to march over and yank him in by his skinny arms in barely a moment.

"You'd think," he says, falling into her arms, "that I'd get better at that after seven years. But I always end up with a bruise on my arse or the wind knocked out of me."

Lily smiles, because she knows how frustrated he gets when he can't get the hang of something. It is a rare occasion when he does not excel at the things he does. "You are a wizard, mate. You could just use a broom or a charm to help you through," she reminds him.

James straightens himself before plopping down on her bed. "Can't change now, Evans. S'tradition."

Lily rolls her eyes, and sits down cross-legged across from him. "Did you bring it?" she asks.

He nods, pulling out the envelope from his jeans pocket. Like hers, it seems as though quite a lot has been stuffed inside the lumpy rectangle. "Bit heavier this year," James comments, flipping it over in his hands. "Mum tried to get me to open it, but I told her I was waiting for you to get yours. We probably just need more books this year, with NEWTs and all that."

"Probably," she agrees, pulling out her own letter. "Shall we?"

James makes a noise of assent and the two tear into their Hogwarts letters, turning them over so the contents spill onto the bed. Among Lily's pile of letters, there is a badge. Among James's, there are two. Neither fails to notice this, and James picks one up in each hand.

He looks at the first and grins, and Lily figures this must be his Quidditch Captain badge. He made Captain of Gryffindor's team last year, and while they did not win the cup, he led the team very well. He turns to the second badge, and then drops it as if he has just realized he was holding a dangerous poison.

Curiously, she leans over and picks it up. Her mouth forms a small 'O' shape when she reads the letters HB decorating the front. "Congratulations," she murmurs, trying not to laugh.

"Congratulations?" James squeaks, his voice cracking. "I was just made a Prefect. Head Prefect. Quit laughing, Evans, this isn't funny."

"Oh, stop being dramatic, Potter. A lot of blokes were probably vying for Head Boy, and you got it without even being Prefect first. Bleeding lucky, is what you are," Lily says, laying back on her bed.

He lays next to her, pulling the badge out of her hands. The papers from inside the letters are squished between them, along with Lily's own badge. "Then one of the other blokes can have it," he grumbles, frowning at the object in his hands. "I can't be a Prefect. I'm a troublemaker. I purvey and aid mischief."

Lily grins, turning her head toward him. "You're a leader, James. You know how to keep people's attention. Embrace it. In fact, you're going to be in a higher Prefect position than I am, so enjoy it, wanker."

James reaches between them, his fingers clasping around Lily's badge. He brings it into his line of vision and then raises his eyebrows. "At least we'll have one Head Prefect who knows what they're doing," he says, pressing it into her hand.

She narrows her eyes, squinting at the badge which does indeed declare HG on the front. She makes a noise between a chuckle and a sigh. "'Course Dumbledore would choose me to work with you," Lily mutters with a smirk. "He wants us to get together, you know. I reckon he's got a soft spot for the whole, childhood-friends-turn-lovers bit."

James pauses before breaking out into guffaws. "You're mad," he tells her, "Absolutely bonkers, d'you know that?"

"I'm serious!" she says, whacking him with one of the letters lying about. "He's always pairing us up for things. Asking me to supervise your detentions when teachers can't, having you help me clear up when Peeves makes a mess, and I swear he winked at me when we were caught under the mistletoe last Christmas."

James props himself up on his elbow. "And you think he'd put us in charge of the school together because he thinks we'd make a good couple, Evans?" he asks in amusement. He pauses again before another fit of laughter hits him. "Shit, that sounds exactly like something Dumbledore would do, doesn't it?" He falls forward onto Lily's shoulder, his laughter vibrating against her skin.

"James?" asks Lily, once her friend has calmed down.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad you're Head Boy," she admits, leaning her chin on his head.

She can feel his lips turn up at the corners, pressed against her. "Thanks," he says gruffly, and she's almost certain if she looked down at him, he'd be blushing. "Lily?"

Lily makes a noise of recognition, and he lifts his head just enough so that he can look down at her. "D'you reckon I'd make a good lover?"

She grabs a pillow from behind her and hits him with it, but this only serves to amuse him more as he pulls her into his arms, making kissing noises. Eventually, she stops battering him and just tucks up against his chest, placing the two prefect badges on her night stand, side by side.