Overreacting

Seventh year

Lily and James stared at each other, her face contracted in shock, his bearing a grin of elation.

"No," she declared. "I'm so sorry to be rude, Professor, but… are you certain you haven't made a mistake?"

Professor Dumbledore chuckled to himself. "I assure you, no mistake has been made."

James thrust out his hand and Lily, glancing at Professor Dumbledore, shook it reluctantly. A jolt of something shot down Lily's arm, and she shot him an accusatory glare, thinking that he had shocked her with some sort of joke item. But there was nothing between them, just his hand, warm and surprisingly big, touching hers.

"But isn't it a tradition for prefects to be made Head Boy and Girl?" asked Lily, withdrawing her hand.

"Tradition, perhaps," said Dumbledore lightly, "but not a rule. Mr. Potter here, I am certain, will make an excellent Head Boy."

"Professor," attempted Lily once more. "It is common knowledge that Pot- James and I don't get along very well, and I think that it might hinder us in–"

"Well," said Dumbledore, "perhaps that will change."

"I very much doubt it," shot back Lily.

Her cheeks burned as she realised she had spoken out of line, and to Dumbledore! "I'm sorry, Professor, I didn't mean to…"

"No, no," said Dumbledore, beaming. "I would not have appointed the two of you if I had thought you would be a bad match. And, although you have had differences in the past, I believe the two of you simply do not know each other as well as you think."

"But why him?" she asked desperately.

"He is, I believe, an excellent Quidditch player," said Dumbledore.

"And that's taken into account?" demanded Lily. "What about personality? Responsibility? He's awful, Professor!"

"That's a bit harsh," grumbled James. "I'm not that bad."

"If you would not like to be Head Girl, Lily, I could appoint someone else," said Dumbledore. "I am quite happy to do so. However, in my opinion, you are the best candidate for the job, and you shall be the first student to have turned down the post."

"No," said Lily. "I want to be Head Girl. I just…"

"Well then," said Dumbledore. "The matter is resolved."

Smiling, and beginning to hum a tune to himself, he left their compartment. James turned to Lily.

"Fresh start?" he offered.

"I don't know why he appointed you, Potter, but it wasn't a good idea," snapped Lily. "All this has done is swell up your already gargantuan head, and make you feel so superior to everyone and I–"

"You're overreacting," interrupted James. "I swear, I'm honestly not that bad once you get to know me."

"I don't care to get to know you," said Lily.

"We're going to have to, you know," pointed out James. "We're Head Boy and Girl."

"But you're the worst person for the job!" exclaimed Lily.

"You don't know that," said James defensively. "I might make a great Head Boy."

"I sincerely doubt it!" fired Lily.

"I really thought that you of all people would be willing to give someone a second chance," said James bitterly. "And all you do is judge me."

"I've given you thousands of chances," said Lily, "yet every time you prove me wrong."

"No you haven't!" burst out James. "From the very moment I insulted Snape, you've hated me!"

This was, strictly speaking, very true, yet Lily refused to accept it.

"You've been insulting him for years, Potter," said Lily. "You've done terrible things, cruel things."

"I regret everything," he said. "I'm sorry I was such an awful, arrogant – toerag, I think, is how you once put it."

"Don't mock me," she growled.

"I'm not," said James sincerely.

There was a beat of tense silence. Lily was suspicious of this new, apologising James. The old James she could deal with. He was that idiot Potter, someone she had hated for six long years, the target of every ounce of her anger and frustration. He was the boy who ran riot around the school, doing silly little pranks with his silly little friends, tossing around crude remarks and humiliating anyone that wasn't perfect in his eyes. Of course she wasn't overreacting. James Potter was never and would never be Head Boy material. Some things - and some people - would just never change.