Author's note: I know that a separate Heads' dorm is never specified in the books, but it seems plausible enough, given the Prefects' bathroom—if Prefects get a special bathroom, I figure the Heads deserve their own dorm. The story might seem a bit slow moving at present; I'm a bit frustrated myself at how long it's taking to the parts I really want to write too. Hopefully I'll wangle in a bit more LJ action soon. Also, thank you Lovepadfoot, for your kind words. More reviews would be nice too, though the subscriptions are definitely heartening. *hint hint* Thanks for reading, first fanfic here.
As James watched Lily roll her eyes at his dramatics, he tried to comprehend what she had just said to him. Lily Evans? Jealous? Of him? He felt lighter than he had felt in a long time—perhaps she wasn't as immune to his charms as she pretended to be. Or maybe she was just being nice because she felt guilty and it definitely wasn't anything near a proclamation of undying love, another thought voiced itself, sounding suspiciously like Remus.
"Jelly Beans," Lily said to the stern looking gargoyles guarding what she presumed was the entrance to Dumbledore's office. To her great surprise, a spiral staircase of an escalator presented itself behind the gargoyles, and as she and Potter stepped onto it, it led them up to a door with a griffin shaped knocker. Lily suddenly felt slightly apprehensive. The Headmaster's twinkling blue eyes might be very kind and genial from a distance, but she had never really had a private talk with him.
However, all apprehension flew out the window once the two stepped into the office, wonder taking its place instead, at least in Lily's case. James had been there far too often, and usually for unsavory reasons, to feel any sense of awe for the quarters, though he privately enjoyed watching the sleep-feigning antics of the portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses while avoiding the current headmaster's piercing gaze. Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix familiar looked rather bedraggled at the moment, probably nearing its burning day.
Dumbledore was seated at his desk, hands joined at the fingertips in his characteristic way, surveying the new Heads before asking them to sit down. As he began to speak, James noticed uncomfortably that the usually energetic Headmaster looked older and wearier.
"Welcome, Ms. Evans, Mr. Potter. Congratulations on your appointment as head students! I assure you that your appointment was fully deserved and based on your highly commendable merits, if complementary in nature at first glance. Ms. Evans, your kindness and sense of justice will be more and more needed as our times grow more violent, while your valiance and loyalty, Mr. Potter, has always made you a natural leader," Dumbledore began.
"I'm afraid that the rumors concerning a certain Lord Voldemort are indeed true," Dumbledore continued, gravely, though his eyes had twinkled as he caught the pair sitting in front of him blushing slightly at his praise, "and it is more important than ever that we stand united in the threat of such darkness. Hogwarts has unfortunately been the breeding grounds of much discrimination and prejudice, but it has at times also succeeded in providing a place where students can truly belong, thereby setting them on the right path." Here Dumbledore looked at James, who understood him to be referring to Sirius. "I am fully aware, I assure you, of the false perceptions of the lines of battle being firmly in place between those of a certain house and those of the remaining houses. However, the both of you would do well to remember that nothing in this world is so cleanly split into black and white. In fact, times of conflict have always decidedly been shaded in greyscale…" Dumbledore trailed off, heaving a great sigh.
"I have great faith in the pair of you, and I trust that you shall find it in you to work together despite any previous…disagreements," Dumbledore said, apparently coming back to earth, and then, looking slightly more cheerful, "Well, that's enough solemnity for one night, it's certainly no way to start your last year at Hogwarts! If you'll follow me, I shall lead you to the Heads' rooms, where, if everything is to your satisfaction, I shall bid you goodnight." With that Dumbledore stood up gracefully and ushered them out of his office.
Lily's insides were slowly congealing into lead again, and it wasn't just because of the excellent pot roast at the feast that night. How could she have forgotten about the Heads living together? How could she ever manage to make it through an entire year without dismembering and then killing Potter each time she caught him stealing her underwear? Well, alright, she was just being dramatic again, that was only once, and back in fourth year, too, on a dare from Black, but still! Poisonous toadstools never change their spots, newfound maturity or not!
Caught up as she was in her inner musings, Lily didn't notice that they had arrived and nearly ran into the Headmaster. Catching Potter's smirk, she scowled at him, and looked up just to see Dumbledore twinkling his eyes at them again. Lily decided she didn't really like that particular expression of Dumbledore's anymore.
"The password for the first two weeks of term will be Patronus, after which you may select your own, notifying Professor McGonagall of the change without fail each time," Dumbledore said. The portrait of Merlin swung open and Dumbledore gestured for them to step in.
The common room was smaller than that of Gryffindor, as it was meant just for the Head students, and had a glorious view of the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest and Hagrid's hut near the Forest's edge. The ledge underneath the large vaulted windows seemed like an ideal reading place, Lily noted happily, and there were a pair of squashy armchairs and plenty of cushions around the fireplace, a large sofa, a couple of writing desks, a coffee table, and best of all, a hammock right under a skylight glinting moonlight into the cozy room.
It was certainly everything James could have asked for, but he found himself half-wishing he was still with the rest of the Marauders, plotting hell for the first day of classes after hexing anyone who had dared to sit in the Marauders' chair near the fireplace. As Dumbledore bid them goodnight, he also felt slightly discomfited alone in Lily's presence, however much he had dreamed of an opportunity to spend some alone time together with her in the past.
A glance in Lily's direction showed her to be feeling at least as awkward as James felt, and she chewed her lip before muttering a hasty goodnight in his direction and disappearing behind a door with Lily Evans engraved on it in neat cursive, reminiscent of the girl's own handwriting. He headed off to the door with his own name scrawled in large unruly letters on it, barely taking in the room before he collapsed on the bed, not bothering to change into his bedclothes, and fell asleep.