She slumped into her usual seat in the Potions dungeon, dropped her schoolbag onto the floor, and rubbed her temples. She was overwhelmed, exhausted even. Opening her day planner to the current week, she scanned the appointments set to occur over the next few days: Head meeting, Charms Club meeting, meeting with her academic advisor. History of Magic essay due on Friday. Transfiguration project due next Tuesday.
Lily's stress level had never been so intense before.
"Alright, Lily?" James called over, settling into a seat two rows behind her.
Lily grumbled back a barely intelligible response, still consumed by her day planner.
As Lily continued obsessing over her weekly responsibilities, Professor Slughorn strolled into the room, a jolly bounce in his step.
"Good afternoon, students," he greeted the assembled group of Gryffindors and Slytherins attending the Double Potions class. "I've got a special project planned for today!"
"As you are all aware," he continued, "only one month remains until the end of the fall term. Classes end on Friday, December 16th. For our remaining class sessions, you each will work with a partner in order to brew Elixir of Euphoria. I urge you all not to rush this potion, as its end result will count as a large portion of your final grade. And don't think you can bribe your way into a higher final grade—although, I must admit, I would not say no to some candied pineapple for this holiday season!"
Emmeline raised her hand. "Please sir, will we be permitted to select our partners?"
Professor Slughorn shook his head. "Oh no, my dear, I am sorry. I went ahead and partnered you up already. I daresay I have created some highly interesting pairs! I look forward to seeing what you produce."
Emmeline frowned, looking over at a group of Slytherins who had segregated themselves from the Gryffindors. However, Professor Slughorn appeared oblivious to the expressions of dislike on the students' faces, and instead produced a list of names from his pocket.
"Dorcas Meadowes and Sirius Black," Professor Slughorn announced, "Remus Lupin and Amycus Carrow. Peter Pettigrew and Antonin Dolohov. James Potter and Emmeline Vance. Lily Evans and Severus Snape."
Upon hearing her name, Lily gathered her schoolbag and her cauldron and moved to the vacant seat next to Severus.
"Hullo, Severus," she said, as she sat down and began flipping through her copy of Advanced Potion-Making.
"Lily," Severus replied, "I've already reviewed the ingredients and steps that his potion will require. I doubt we are going to be able to brew this during class-time alone."
"Oh," Lily uttered, having located the pages dedicated to the potion in her textbook. "You're quite right. I suppose we should meet outside of class, also?"
Severus nodded.
Lily again studied her day planner, searching for free pockets of time.
"Busy, aren't you?" Severus commented, peering over her shoulder at the heavy writing inside her day planner.
"No, no, I'm sure we can find a time. I can always miss a Charms meeting or something of that sort," she assured Severus.
"Or a Head meeting?" he asked, pointing to Lily's scrawled entry for Thursday night.
Lily pursed her lips. "No, I'd rather not miss that. Professor McGonagall entrusted Potter and I to share the Head duties. It would not be fair to him if I did not attend."
"You're spending a lot of time with Potter, aren't you?" Severus accused her.
Lily's eyebrows furrowed. "We're the Head Boy and the Head Girl, Severus. Obviously we're going to have regular meetings."
"Meetings that I'm sure he contributes to greatly," Severus said scathingly.
"What do you mean by that?" Lily asked sternly.
"Oh, come on," Severus told her. "You cannot deny that he was an unlikely candidate for the Head Boy position. I'm sure you'll agree that he's inept, or at the very least unreliable and difficult to work with."
"Severus, what does this have to do with us scheduling times to work on our potion?" Lily stated, trying to redirect the conversation back to their class assignment.
"Listen, Lily—Potter puts his montly jaunts during the full moon before his responsibilities to the school. All I'm saying is that if the Head duties are not his priority, they needn't be your either," Severus advised.
"What are you talking about, Severus?" Lily asked, feeling slightly offended.
"You don't know yet? Oh, you'll know soon enough," Severus responded.
Lily racked her brain. Why was it that Severus' comment about the full moon seemed so familiar? He may be on to something; she vaguely remember James mentioning the full moon to her once before. If only she could remember that conversation more clearly...
Yet, she had no evidence that James was involved in any sort of improper behavior during the night of the full moon. In fact, all she could recall was evidence to counter Severus' claims.
"You know, Severus, I am actually enjoying working with James on Head duties," Lily claimed.
Sirius' head perked up at that announcement, and he quickly jabbed James in the back. Soon, the two Marauders were looking on with great interest as Lily delivered a passionate retort.
"James has not only made considerable efforts to assist me in overseeing student safety in the corridors, but was also fully responsible for the excellent Halloween Feast that we recently enjoyed. I don't think I could have asked for a more capable co-Head. It's in this Potions class, on the other hand, where I think I could have used a more congenial partner!"
Severus' face reddened at Lily's backhanded insult.
"Pay her no mind, Snape!" Alecto Carrow called across the room. "There's no weight to the opinions of a Mudblood!"
It was now Lily's turn to blush deeply, as the argument between Lily and Severus quickly escalated into a heated debate between the Gryffindors and Slytherins. Insults crossed the classroom, as Professor Slughorn endeavored to restore order.
James and Sirius took advantage of this momentary chaos to hold a private conversation in hushed tones.
"She called me by my first name, mate!" James prattled. "That's gotta count for something, right?"
"I think she outright complimented you, Prongs," Sirius said in a shocked tone. "That definitely counts for something."