A.N. – I'm out of school for Christmas, and have been for two days now, so hopefully I'll be able to get more chapters out sooner. Anyway, I figured I would put this chapter up because I won't be putting one up tomorrow – CHRISTMAS! Yeah, I'm excited about it, if you haven't noticed yet. Yeah. Hope you all get tons of excellent presents!

Chapter Seven

Lily glanced at the gargoyles and back down at the note in her hand. Someone with extremely loopy handwriting had written, I request your presence in my office as quickly as possible so we may discuss your responsibilities as head girl in more detail. I really do love candy canes, Albus Dumbledore. Lily shook her head at the random comment at the end, not realizing its significance.

She stepped closer to the gargoyle and knocked on it, feeling extremely foolish. The statues remained as stony and inanimate as ever. If he was expecting me, thought Lily with a stir of annoyance, why didn't he leave his door open or something?

The more logical part of her brain answered sarcastically, You can't really expect the headmaster of the school to leave the door to his office wide open because he was expecting company, do you?

"Well he has to have some kind of password or some way to get in, then," Lily mused out loud, stealing another glance at enigmatic missive. "Um, let's try —" she cleared her throat and shot her eyes down the deserted corridor with a growing feeling of paranoia, "'I request your presence at my office as quickly as possible'" – she glanced up at the gargoyles with raised eyebrows; they hadn't moved – "'so that we may discuss your responsibilities as head girl in more detail.'" Still, the statues had not moved. Lily was beginning to feel really asinine. "'I really love candy canes' – whoa!"

As soon as the words "candy cane" had left her lips, the sculptures jumped to life and moved out of her way to reveal a dark, narrow staircase they had been guarding. She leapt backwards in surprise and shrunk, terrified, against the wall.

James Potter stepped out of the shadows, chortling. "That was bloody hilarious," he managed to tell her through his laughter. Lily assumed he had just been out on his broomstick, as his hair (if it were possible) looked even more windswept than ever. She rolled her eyes.

"Like you could've done better," she retorted.

"Actually, I could have," he said, sidestepping her and onto the first stair. She followed him. The gargoyles shut behind her, dousing the winding stairway in darkness. She squashed her nervousness. Lily hated the dark, ever since that stupid muggle moving . . . She shuddered.

"You alright, Evans?"

"I'm fine," Lily snapped. He was so annoying, acting like he was even the least bit concerned when all he ever did was make her so angry and frustrated that she had to fight the instinctual reaction of ripping him limb from arrogant limb. And then he pretended to care? UGH!

Lily traversed the dark stairs silently, arranging her features into an unreadable mask that properly concealed her resentment and fear. She could hear James behind her, and once again puzzled over Professor Dumbledore's decision to appoint James head boy. Even as she mulled it over in her mind, it sounded absurd. James and his friends, excluding Remus Lupin for the most part, had made themselves known for wreaking havoc on the school, causing extra work for the prefects and professors whose jobs it was to keep order. So why was it, then, that James Potter had been made one of those authority figures that he and his gang constantly tried to pester?

Lily came to a halt before a door at the landing.

"Would you like to do the honors?" she asked James, the edge in her voice one of cold courtesy.

He moved forward, and instead of gripping the big brass knocker he rapped his knuckles smartly on the wood in a little melody.

Knock-knock-kknnnoooocccckkkk-knock, knock-knock-knock-knock-knock,knock, knock

"Potter!" Lily hissed, grabbing his arm and wrenching it away from the door. "What do you think you're doing? This is the HEADMASTER OF THE SCHOOL we're talking about now! You can't go around doing this to the headmaster! I realize you're used to having your own way and being completely irresponsible and disrespectful, but this is an all-time low —"

"Come in," said Dumbledore's voice from within the office, cutting off Lily's tirade. When Lily made no move to comply other than to glare angrily, James pushed the door open.

"Ah, I'm delighted you responded to my messages as quickly as you did," said Dumbledore congenially. "I was a bit worried that my messengers might have dawdled a bit, but I see my concerns were groundless. I expect you are both wondering why I have asked you here?"

"Didn't we come up here to go further into detail about all this head boy, head girl stuff?"

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "But I also have a bit of news that I have been thus far reluctant to disclose to you two, after viewing your relationship from a distant standpoint, but I believe you will be able to handle it."

Oh no, Lily thought miserably. What's he going to make me do now?

"Actually, I am under the impression that this will do you both a bit of good."

Please, just tell me before I go insane!

Dumbledore sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Would you like a lemon drop?" he asked, holding a bowl of sweets out for Lily and James to take.

"What are they?" James inquired, gazing curiously at the candy in the dish.

"Oh, they're a type of muggle sweet that I've grown rather fond of," explained Dumbledore. "My cousin introduced me to them a few days ago, and I haven't been able to resist them since."

James shrugged and took one, popping it in his mouth. Lily tentatively reached her hand into the bowl, half expecting it to come alive. He's stalling. I only wonder why? She began sucking on the sweet, sighing as it melted in her mouth. I love candy.

After a silent moment, Dumbledore spoke again.

"I am sure that you are both aware of the fact that you will now have to leave your old dormitories behind for newer ones?"

Lily stared at him. Was that his bad news?

"Yes," said Lily and James, exchanging puzzled glances.

"And are you both aware that you will also switch common rooms? That you will now share a separate tower, common room, and dormitories?"

Hold up! Alright, rewind. Keep going, wait for it . . .There! Stop! WHAT? SHARE A COMMON ROOM AND A SEPARATE TOWER WITH POTTER? I DON'T THINK SO!

Dumbledore was watching their reactions with an expression of mingled sadness and regret, though his eyes were twinkling as though he knew a secret and wanted them to guess it.

It was James who regained the use of his voice first. "S-share a room, with E-Evans?" he stuttered, looking pleadingly at Dumbledore. "Y-you have to be kidding, professor!"

"The only room you and Miss Evans will have to share will be the common room of the heads' tower," said Dumbledore with a small, knowing smile. "You will have separate dormitories."

"That's a relief," Lily mumbled under her breath. She was fairly sure she would die of a heart attack, or any other stress-related injury, if she had to share a bedroom with James.

"If you two would be kind enough to follow me," said Dumbledore as he rose from his seat, "I will show you your new living area."

Lily said nothing as she descended the stairs, following Dumbledore's lead. They traveled down the corridor and made a left turn, arriving at a set of stairs that Lily did not remember ever having seen before.

"Professor, where —"

Dumbledore began to explain even before she had finished her sentence.

"This staircase," he said, "is bewitched to ensure that it can only be found by those who need to find it. Also, it has come to the attention of the staff that the head students are constantly forced to undergo a barrage of pranks that, though harmless, can become quite annoying. By making the entrance to your tower generally invisible to the regular pupil, we eliminate the risk of pranks – at least those that occur during time spent in your tower."

"What do you mean by 'those who need to find it'?" asked James.

Dumbledore smiled, as though pleased Lily and James were so inquisitive. "It can be found by anyone that you trust enough to reveal its location to. If your trust in that person ever fades, even slightly, their memory of its whereabouts is erased. They won't be able to find it."

Lily spoke up, "So if we show someone where it is, they'll be able to find it until we would rather they don't?"

"Precisely," said Dumbledore. "In addition, the professors of this school – including myself – will forever know where to find you in case of emergency. Now that we have gotten that all settled, I have a growing suspicion that you are eager to see your new living areas."

He began to climb the stairs, his lively, energetic step belying his old age. Lily, sighing, fell into step behind him. At the top the trio reached a small, enclosed area. It reminded Lily faintly of a closet, except that there was a door branching off to her left and the walls, wallpapered with a shimmering gold paper, were covered with hung portraits in gaudy frames of golden plaster.

They were standing before the portrait of a medieval wizard in a flowing blue cloak imprinted with moons and stars, his greasy gray hair in disarray as he fruther buried it in his arms. He was asleep.

"Chauncey," Dumbledore addressed the painting. "Chauncey, we have visitors that need access to this apartment."

"'E ain't asleep," said a disapproving witch from neighboring portrait. "Lazy, that's all 'e is."

"I ain't lazy!" Chauncey shouted, still pretending to sleep.

Lily made an offended noise in the back of her throat; if there was anything she hated more than Potter, it was direct disobedience of the authorities in charge.

James grunted and took a step toward the man in the painting, wand drawn.

"If you don't let us in the by the count of three," warned James in a threatening tone, "you're going to find yourself on the wrong end of this wand. Got it?"

Chauncey peeked one cautious eye open, probably to prove that James actually did have a wand. When he received his confirmation, he lifted his head and waved them through with a highly disgruntled flourish, all the while gazing apprehensively at the potentially dangerous object in James's grip.

Lily stepped through the portrait hole, acutely aware that James's eyes were roaming some places that they shouldn't have been as he stepped through after her. She had half a mind to turn around and remind him that certain areas were off-limits – especially to him – but all thoughts of berating James disappeared as she took in her magnificent surroundings.

A strangely detached part of Lily heard Dumbledore tell her this was the common room she would be sharing with James, and her heart leapt. It was a beautiful room and had a cozy, homey feel. An ornately carved fireplace was settled into the wall and the friendly flickering flame doused the room in a golden glow. Two squashy armchairs had been set at fireside, and in between them was a table where Lily assumed she would be doing some of her work during the year.

"I suppose I should take your silence as a positive answer," said Dumbledore, "but I have to ask. Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Lily burst out, smiling. "It's gorgeous!"

James appeared to be contemplating his answer, but Lily knew from the way his eyes were twinkling with mischief and excitement that he loved it too. "I agree with Evans," he said finally. Wow, thought Lily dryly, that's a first.

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm sure you will find that to be the case, yes," he said. "I'll leave you two alone to explore." And he left.

--

Lily glanced uneasily at James, not entirely sure what to do or what he expected her to do. She was not keen to stay within a five-mile radius of him any longer than necessary, and usually managed to avoid situations where the two of them were in the same room alone. Unfortunately, fate seemed to be working against her. She had to live with him now.

"I suppose we should go look at the dormitories," said James at last, gesturing at the two doors leading off from the common room. Lily nodded in agreement and bolted up the stairs, eager to leave behind the growing tension.

Her dormitory looked a lot like the common room with its golden and red wallpaper, except that in this room a huge canopied mattress had replaced the armchairs and table. It even had a hearth of its own, only slightly smaller than the one in the main room.

Another door branched off of Lily's room, and she wondered for a panicky moment whether it led to the head boy's room. She doubted she had ever been more relieved than when she opened it to reveal a bathroom.

Excluding the fact that she was sharing an entire tower with James and James alone, Lily felt that this had been a moderately good start to the rest of what already promised to be an overwhelming year.

A.N. – Well, did you like it? Please review!

AzNpRinCeSsWaRrioR –I made Slughorn a professor because in the sixth book he mentions having taught Lily and James, and Snape. Yeah, you're right that he taught Riddle too – I guess he was just either really young when he started teaching or was REALLY old by the time he got to Harry. Hmmm, perhaps there's an anti-aging potion involved? Lol. Thanks for reviewing!