James Potter stood in the doorway, his arms crossed and head cocked to the side. Same cocky grin, same mischievous hazel eyes. This was the very same expression he wore on two occasions: winning a Quidditch match, and catching Lily off-guard. He hadn't changed much, though he may have grown over the summer. Or maybe that was just his swelling head filling up the hallway. "Have a good summer? Hi Alice. Ah Snivellus I missed you."

"Please just go back to wherever your compartment is…preferably on another train to Durmstrang."

James dropped his arms and let out a small laugh. "No problem. I can take a hint." He began to back up with his hands up in surrender. "I know when my presence is too overwhelming for such a small space." His back pressed up on the adjacent compartment's doors. "I'm leaving."

Lily glanced at Alice. Both were surprised he gave up so easily. It certainly wasn't like him. Was that a record? If so, Lily was not about to push her luck and prolong this departure. "Thank you."

James took a rather dramatic bow. "Mi'ladies, Mi'Snivellus." And instead of exiting either direction down the hall, he turned around to open the neighboring compartments door and shouted in. "Hey gents! Look who our stunning neighbors are!"

All the good feelings left inside of Lily disappeared. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"Stunning neighbors?" a familiar voice sounded. "Please tell me you are talking about a group of girls, Jamsie, because we all know I am the only stunning male on this train."

This time Severus reacted. "I smell something pompous."

Alice felt awful. "I'm sorry Lily. I didn't realize we were right next to the Marauders."

Lily assured her all was well. "It's completely fine. There is a good hallway and some glass between us." She had to quickly swallow her words as the head of Sirius Black popped in.

"Just saying hello. Jamsie told me how you need your privacy."

James interjected across the hall "Sirius, come on…"

"I'm coming! I just wanted to see my neighbors for myself." He caught sight of Severus. "Although I must say two very beautiful women and one very greasy git does not a harmonious train ride make. So do come and visit if the smell becomes too much for you." His head popped out and quickly popped back in. "Oh! Do let us know when you will be changing into your robes." And with that, he drifted back to his seat.

Severus looked at Lily who was staring straight ahead and undeniably turning as red as her hair. Uh oh...

James moved in between the two rooms. Looking embarrassed he pushed his hair back, "Sorry about that. I told him you said you wanted to be left…"

"UGH! JUST GET OUT!" Lily screamed and slammed the doors shut. "That horrible Potter. He just thinks he can usurp our space and sit eight feet away from us for the entire ride? OH! He is so frustrating. Why does he have to push his hair back? What IS that? Who does he think he's impressing? And don't even get me started on Sirius Black…"

Alice knew that nobody pushed Lily's buttons like James Potter. "Well, that didn't take long." She looked up at Severus. "How long were you guessing it would take before she had a meltdown over James?"

"I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner." Severus was still trying to calm himself down. How dare Potter flirt at Lily the way he does? She didn't deserve that kind of flagrant smothering from someone she could never give two licks about.

Lily tried to get a hold of herself. "The day started off so perfectly. Why must I be reminded of his presence?"

Alice chuckled. Her best friend whom she admired most for her calm nature and clear head was clearly frazzled. "Come on, Lily. The day is still perfect."

Lily took a deep breath. "You're right. I won't worry about him right now." James Potter was not going to upset her any longer. She would simply have to ignore the fact that he was probably staring at her from behind the glass windows right now. After another deep breath she forced herself to turn her mind to something much more pleasant. She began rummaging in one of her bags. "Actually, there was something I wanted to show you both."

Pleased to see her change in mood, Severus perked up with interest. "What is it, Lily?"

Alice chimed in. "Something from Italy?"

Lily loved her friends. "No, it's not from Italy. It is actually from school. From Dumbledore, in fact. I was surprised at how shiny it is…"

Alice gasped. "No! Lily! Are you…did they make you…are you a prefect?"

Lily couldn't hold it in any longer and she held up her badge. "Yes!"

The reactions were quite different but just right all the same. Severus beamed and said without doubt, "Lily I knew you could do it." Alice just screamed.

Lily felt like her carefree self again. "I received the owl at the beginning of my trip in Italy. I wanted to wait to surprise you both."

Severus was not surprised. Lily was easily the brightest girl in their year who always gave 110% to her schoolwork. Of course, she was a favorite of Professor Slughorn, which meant Dumbledore was probably inundated over the summer with friendly suggestions for her as a selection. He is a good person to have on your side. Severus had a thought. "Wait, doesn't that mean you should be getting ready for the prefects meeting at the head of the train?"

There was that corner smile again. Lily wore it so well, Severus mused. "That's right!" She pinned the badge onto her blouse on top of her heart. "Wish me luck! It should only take twenty minutes or so."

Alice never looked so proud. "Have fun Lils!"

Lily shared one more smile with Severus and then opened the doors. She felt empowered as she caught James' eye from behind the glass. Keeping eye contact, she adjusted her badge, raised her chin and strolled down the hall.

A moment later the sandy-haired Remus Lupin followed after her, pinning his own badge on.

*************************************************Break******************************************************

Severus was actually proud of himself for keeping up such a long conversation with Alice without Lily. They both probably realized when Lily left that this was not a usual occurrence. It was usually just Lily paired with one of them or all three together. Severus did slightly panic at first, but he quickly realized there was of course nothing to worry about. Alice just has that infectious personality that is impossible not to like so his mind was put at ease. She did most of the talking about her summer, but that was fine with Severus.

Lily returned about twenty-five minutes later, beaming with new responsibility. "I can't wait for my first patrol!" She turned to Alice with a sneaky expression. "And guess who I saw in the prefects meeting?" Alice just smiled shyly.

Severus was about to ask who exactly she saw when there was a knock on the door.

Sixth year prefect, Frank Longbottom slid the doors apart and stood in the doorway. He was an impressive-looking student with light brown hair and a tall stance. He was handsome and could be perceived upon first glance as standoffish. But anyone who really knew Frank could vouch for his gentle heart and friendliness. He also had a bit of a problem with words. He cleared his throat. "I just wanted to say hello. Lily told me you were in here. Hello Severus. Hello Alice." Alice shot up out of her seat like a cannon and just stared at him in pleasant shock, her face a pale pink with excitement. Frank was not prepared for this.

"Alice! You look…um. Wow. Your freckles… they're all over your face now!"

Lily and Severus cringed inside as Alice turned an ever deeper shade of pink. Her freckles were a touchy subject. Not sure how to respond Alice quietly giggled it off, "Oh! The sun always does that to them. They will start to disappear once it gets cold again." Alice quietly tucked a curl behind her ear. Lily did not miss this gesture. An Alice behind-the-ear tuck meant she was retreating slowly back into her shell. At least she wasn't curling it around her finger.

Realizing that may not have been the smoothest line Frank blushed further as well. "Oh, well, that's great! Really interesting. I always look forward to seeing how it changes….The seasons, I mean! Not your face!"

…Alice's finger slowly started to curl…

Feeling it was time to end this, Lily popped in. "Alice, we should probably see to finding that trolley lady before all of the chocolate frogs are gone!"

Alice looked at her with relief, "Oh, yes." She sheepishly looked back at Frank. "They are my favorite. It is a dire emergency, you see."

Frank stepped aside as they took off down the hall. "I understand completely." He shouldn't have added it but he did. "Long live the frogs!" he shouted, causing many heads to turn.

Frank looked back at Severus. "Well. That was um. Well." Frank looked back down the hall, feeling less than a foot tall. "See you around, Severus."

"Poor Frank." Severus thought. "I know exactly how you feel."

***Author's Note*** thank you so much for reading! You're reviews are much appreciated!