A/N: And we're back to 7th year! What did you guys think about the whole Lily/James bit last chapter? I've decided to keep up with the alternating chapters, so it will continuously flip between 5th and 7th years. That way you'll get to see their relationship develop, and the prologue will make so much more sense!

Now, I'll stop rambling and let you get to reading. Enjoy! xo

Chapter 3

"I cannot believe this is happening! How could Dumbledore do this?" Lily growled through gritted teeth. She really wanted to scream, but she didn't want the other students to hear the Head Girl losing her head. She was supposed to set an example, after all. "Merlin! Why would he appoint the most irresponsible, bloody idiot in the entire school as Head Boy?"

Marlene and Alice exchanged a look, but Lily was too busy with her rant to notice them.

"Um, Lily? What are you talking about? Who's Head Boy?" Marlene asked when Lily paused to breathe.

"James stupid bloody Potter! That's who!" Lily said, her voice growing louder with each word.

"Oh Lils," Alice said sympathetically.

Lily threw herself onto the bench seat and put her head in her hands. Alice and Marlene flanked her, wrapping their arms around her back and leaning their heads on her shoulder. She had never told them—or anybody else, for that matter—what had transpired between her and James over the summer between fifth and sixth year. She had simply told them that her relationship with James Potter was over, never to be mentioned again, and that she really couldn't stand having anything to do with him.

Lily let out a shaky breath, trying not to cry. It was just so damn hard, seeing him again. It killed her, it really did. They worst part was that she had no one to talk to about it. After a year of claiming to despise James, of calling him ridiculous names and being intentionally cruel, she couldn't just change her mind and ask Marlene and Alice to help her nurse her heartbreak. Plus, she needed everyone to believe that she hated James. That was the whole point of everything. It was what she needed to do.

"I don't know if I'm going to be able to do this. I don't think I can be around that much idiocy for more than an hour at a time. There's no way I can manage sharing a dormitory with him." Lily mumbled.

"Share a dormitory?" Marlene questioned, lifting her head off of Lily's shoulder to look down at Lily's face.

"Didn't you know? There is a special dormitory for Heads. It has its own entrance, Common Room, everything." Lily replied glumly. She had been rather looking forward to having an entire living area that she only had to share with one other person. She had imagined having Marlene and Alice over to get away from all the younger students and the annoying antics of the Marauders—James, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Their little group had grown especially apt at pulling pranks over the years, and it was rare for them to get caught.

But now she was faced with having to share a dorm with James. Could she handle that? Sharing a private dorm with him meant that they would probably be there—just the two of them, alone—quite often. They would live, sleep, and shower in a dangerously close proximity to each other. Lily wasn't sure if her heart could handle that. It was still hard for her to look at him without feeling a deep, aching pressure in her chest.

"Lily," Alice said quietly, "are you sure you aren't upset for another reason? Is it really about James being Head Boy?"

Lily's eyes narrowed as she looked at Alice. "What else would it be about?"

Alice sighed. "Lily, c'mon. We're your best friends. Like it or not, we actually do know you."

"What are you saying, Alice?"

"Well, you never did tell us what happened between you and James. I mean, you were both so happy when you left for summer hols. You were even going to stay with him for a couple weeks! And then you come back to school, talking about how much you hate him, and he's miserable but trying to cover it up with pranking and slacking off…" she trailed off and shook her head. "But you being this upset over something like James being appointed Head Boy doesn't make much sense."

"You want to know what happened between Potter and I? Fine. We didn't work out. We didn't want the same things. I woke up and I realized that I didn't want to be involved with somebody who didn't take anything seriously. We're in the middle of a war, for Merlin's sake. I want the people I care about to take that seriously. And James didn't agree with my point of view. We had a messy break up and I realized what a prick he actually is. That is what happened between James and me. Happy now?"

Alice and Marlene stared at Lily with wide eyes. Lily dropped her head back into her hands, biting her lip to keep the tears from coming. Everything that had come out of her mouth had been a lie. But she couldn't tell them the truth. She couldn't tell anyone the truth about what had happened between her and James. Hell, James didn't even know what had happened between them. All he knew was that she had been with him one day, loving him and enjoying the beginning of summer at his house, and the next morning when he had woken up she had been gone.

"Sorry," Lily whispered, afraid that the quiver in her voice was noticeable. "I'm sorry."

At this point, she didn't even know who she was apologizing to.

"I need to go make rounds."

Marlene nodded. Alice squeezed her hand. Lily stood and opened the compartment door, only to find James standing there, hand raised as if he was about to knock.

Lily's face flushed and she looked down, letting her hair fall in front of her face. How long had he been standing there? If he had heard her, he would know that she lied.

James cleared his throat. "I was just coming to tell you that we should probably make rounds now. We only have about twenty minutes before we arrive at the castle."

"I know, Potter. You don't have to tell me how to do my job."

Lily pushed past him, once again ignoring the sharp electric jolt she felt when they touched. As she moved down the aisle towards the other compartments, she paused.

"Like I said before, stay out of my way Potter." With that, she continued on her way, a sharp pain in her chest with each step she took away from him.

A/N: Ouch. Harsh much, eh? Alas, that's the way it has to be... for now...

Let me know what you think you lovelies! xo

Reviews are what get me through the stress of college and life in New York City.