I don't own this.
Chapter 25
Back to Hogwarts
James was sitting in his brand new robes, wearing two badges, in a stuffy, underlit carriage that he had never been into, staring out a window trying not to fall asleep. He was trying, he really was, head boy he might be, but cut out for meetings this dull he was not.
"How is it that the one student that has broken the most rules gets to be head boy?" he heard one of the prefects ask.
He glanced up to see who had spoken, Lily and Remus were both staring at the 6th year Slytherin in anger, James just looked at him, he had been expecting this response.
"I dunno, perhaps you should ask Dumbledore. I believe it is he who makes the decision, if you have an argument take it up with him, otherwise stuff it and let Evans finish the meeting. Ok, thanks." He said sharply before turning to look back out of the window.
He listened as she talked about schedules for patrols and how they would have them posted tomorrow. Who was to be leading the first years to the dorms and who would be monitoring the common rooms as students settled in.
"And as per usual, the Head boy and I have a meeting with Dumbledore after the feast and then we will patrol tonight since there is no set schedule yet. So just follow this preliminary one for today on the train and we are set to go." And with that she dismissed them and all of the prefects except Remus went rushing out.
"You look lost." He said to James with a grin.
"That was almost as dull as Binns." James replied pushing his hand through his tousled hair and standing to stretch.
"You could have chimed in, made it not so boring." Lily said, her tone a bit smug.
James grinned hugely and laughed.
"Until Remmy has more time to train me I don't think you want my help at all. Actually that's what we have to talk to you about." He said, leaning against the doorframe.
"Well now's the best time. We are supposed to be having a head's meeting so we have time. Shoot."
Remus nodded and started.
"Right, well Jamie here doesn't think that he is going to be very good at this whole head boy thing. So in effort to keep him from going straight to Dumbledore and resigning after the feast, I am going to help." He said with a grin.
Lily smiled and nodded her head.
"I told him I would come to the first few head's meetings and help him figure out all the prefects rules and things like that, but if he resigns I will refuse to take his place and you lot will be left with a head boy from a different house. He agreed."
"But I only agreed on one circumstance." James added standing up straighter. He looked at her with such intensity it made her knees week. "Lily, this is our very last year. This is it, I can't leave Hogwarts and not make my last year worth it."
Her mouth was dry as she tried to respond.
"I don't understand how being head boy is going to ruin your final year. You get to stay out after curfew, professors will think you are going to behave, there is no out of bounds for you, and you get your own room."
"What? I get my own room?" he said to Remus distracted. "Anyways, Evans I have plans for this year, I already bought supplies."
Then what he was saying dawned on her, she started to laugh.
"Oh, you want to be allowed to prank."
He nodded profusely.
"James, as much as I would love to see a prank free exam time, I never expected you not to prank during your 7th year. Head boy or not." She said with a smile.
"You won't yell?" he said skeptically.
She looked serious.
"I will make you a deal, I won't say one word. As long as no one gets hurt from them."
"Alright, no one gets hurt. And if I promise not to cause any mayhem during NEWTS, Sirius and I can have a prank war in October." He said with a twinkle in his eye.
"You will stop all pranking for NEWTS for a prank war?" Lily said, while Remus beamed.
"Look at you being responsible and diplomatic, I knew you could do this head boy business." He said with a smile.
James nodded and grinned mischievously.
"Alright, I can deal with that." She said with a slow smile.
James punched the air in celebration and ran out of the compartment barreling off towards Sirius.
"James! Oi Head boy! Meeting!" Remus yelled out of the door.
James' face fell and he shuffled back into the heads compartment.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
James had never felt nervous in Dumbledore's office before, but he certainly did right now.
"Why are you fidgeting, it isn't like you are in trouble." Lily hissed under her breath while they waited for their headmaster.
James shrugged his shoulders.
"I think I would rather be in trouble, I know what to expect from Dumbledore when I am in trouble, I don't know how he is outside of those situations."
Lily giggled and rolled her eyes. James didn't fail to notice though that her giggling cut off as soon as they heard Dumbledore's steps into the circular room.
"Ah if it isn't two of my favorite students. And how has your first forays into being head's been?" he said with a smile as he walked around the desk and sat down.
"It has been good, sir." Lily said politely.
"And how about you Mr Potter. You seem oddly quiet, I have never known you to not be explaining yourself" he said, his eyes twinkling.
"Oh, ah, well it is alright. I am not sure what I am doing here honestly but I am going to try." James replied not looking directly at the old professor.
"Aye and try you shall. You hold yourself in very low regard James. I think, as do many of your teachers, that you possess qualities that make you an extraordinary leader."
James looked at his incredulously.
"I see you don't believe me. Well I guess before we get down to the business of the meeting I may need to explain why you of all the boys of your year were chosen. First, you have better marks than any student in your year Mr. Potter. And seeing as I rarely see you study or even try hard at your classes it seems to me that you are a lot more powerful a wizard than you let on, or that anyone knows.
You are compassionate, you truly care about others more than yourself, I need a head boy who has a kind heart, you have and amazing disregard for the rules. I know I know you would think this a downfall but when paired with Miss. Evans here it is extraordinary. You will not fail to see the humor or the simple fun in anything, therefore when she gets shall we say overwhelmed with the rambunctiousness of our students you are the perfect one to show her the fun side of the goings on.
The two of you as a pair will be an unstoppable force, I have no questions putting my faith in you two. As this war progresses I will be gone from this school at times. I have complete trust that you two will act in accordance with the staff and with my wishes. You will be a remarkable pair. Where you are weak she is strong beyond what you could ever imagine, and where she is lacking you excel beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Besides Miss. Evans keeps you and Sirius in line much better than anyone I have ever seen." Dumbledore finished staring off into space with a smirk.
Lily and James both looked dumbstruck. The white bearded wizard clapped his hands together and smiled brightly.
"Now to business. As you both know, you have a head's office, one of you must keep office hours there from 3:30-5:00 Monday and Wedsday, may I suggest splitting it up. You both must keep hours on Friday nights from 4:00-6:00 and then from noon until 3:00PM on the weekends.
Of course you know each of you is given a private room, it is located off of the Gryffindor common room, it is also accessible from the Head's office in the Head's hall. You do not have to stay in your private dorms except for Friday, Saturday and Sundays. As the weekends we tend to have more need for extra help. We also ask that you stay in them for the first two weeks back to school, other than that it is up to you. Though, of course you are welcome to stay in them all the time if you wish.
Your patrol schedules are due monthly on the 1st, each week we ask that you each patrol at least once with a prefect of a different house. And we ask that at least one of you patrol on each weekend night and on the full moon each month. Well that is it. I am sure you want to explore your new rooms. SO pip pip off with you two." He said practically shooing them from his office.
James' head was spinning as they made their way quietly to the Head's Hallway which was where the head's office was accessible from. They arrived in front of a beautiful stained glass window. The staining portrayed a picture of a glimmering blue lake, surrounded by swaying trees, under a starlit sky.
"Er…I don't know the password." Lily said nervously.
James grinned hugely, he obviously knew something she didn't.
"There is no password to the head's office, When a head isn't in there it seals itself, when one of us are in there it will be open to anyone who needs us, they just walk through the glass. If I am not mistaken you have to be with a faculty member or prefect after curfew though unless there is an emergency." He said as he looked down on her.
"Oh, how do you know this?" she asked.
He laughed and held out his hand as if in greeting.
"Hi, James Potter, troublemaker, prat, toerag and marauder. I have been in the Head's office more times than I can count. Though this is the first time I have come willingly."
She laughed.
"Well if it is an emergency overnight. How would the entry know to let them in?" she questioned as she touched the blue glass and her fingers slipped right through.
"Magic." He said before taking her arm and pulling her through the glass, it felt like a warm waterfall trickling over their skin.
They walked through into a regally appointed room. The floors were a dark deep cherry wood and the walls were an ancient stone mosaic. To the right stood a gleaming glass top table and around it stood 30 or so chairs. James could only assume for prefect meetings as behind the table on the wall hung the four house banners and the rug under the table was the school crest. Immediately in front of them sat two cherry wood desks both facing them, behind them each stood two tall bookcases, each appearing to hold different books. As James walked over to the desk that read his name and thumbed over the books that ranged from Defensive tactics, Transfiguration, and Charms all the way to quidditch, Lily examined the sitting area infront of the fireplace. There stood two arm chairs side by side, a long couch and a chaise lounge. All in a deep rich purple, sitting atop a lush rug.
"I take it these are the doors to our rooms?" she said pointing to the small open spiral stairs that each led to a small landing with a door. One stair well stood several feet away on either side of the fireplace.
"I would assume so, and that would be the bath." He said gesturing to the door standing behind a plush purple curtain that had been pulled to the side to reveal its existence.
"Lets check that out first!" Lily said in a decidedly excited tone. James couldn't stop the grin that formed on his face after hearing her glee.
The sealed door opened at his touch and they stopped, staring in awe at the bath in front of them. Here the room was blatantly for a Gryffindor. The walls were hung with a gold fabric and the floors continued the dark red cherry wood into here. In a gilded basket sat rolled deeply crimson towels. The bath was sunk into the floor and it put the prefects bath to shame, it boasted ledges to sit upon against jets and at least 50 jewel encrusted taps. Along the wall were two marble sinks each with their own mirror and counter space. James smiled as he saw Lily's delight as she took the smaller of the two bathrobes from a hook beside what was apparently her sink. She hugged it to herself reveling in the feel of it.
She rehung her robe before they left to explore their rooms. Above the mantle between their two doors hung an enormous painting. It depicted a beautiful waterfall cascading over rocks. Standing at the base of the waterfall was a young couple with outstretched hands. As Lily walked up one staircase, James directly behind her the couple turned and walked to the forefront of the tapestry.
"Good evening head boy and girl. We are your password keepers. The only rooms that require a password in your personal bedroom, however the doors will open to your specific touch, just as all of the other doors in this room do. There are also entrances into your house common rooms from your personal room. These doors are only accessible by your specific touch unless you take it upon yourself to teach the knob someone else's touch. However you are also given a password so you can allow others into your room through this entrance as well. We suggest only sharing it with those you trust, and with one another, in case you are needed as these rooms are soundproof." The maze headed man said with an easy grace.
Both James and Lily nodded before going into thinking mode.
"Honnêteté" James said firmly.
"The head Boy's password is approved and set." The lady in the frame said softly
Lily looked at him in surprise. He shrugged his shoulders.
"It means honesty in French. It is my favorite French word." He replied to her silent question. "I want you to know it in case you need me. The only others that will have it are the other marauders."
"You know French?" she said in shock.
He laughed and nodded.
"Some, Remus is was born and raised in France, I know my fair share." He said with a grin.
She smiled slightly and turned to look at the painting.
"Giant Squid" she said with a giggle before turning to smile at James.
He rolled his eyes and laughed before letting her reach out to open the door to the room in front of them.
"Ouch!" she shouted as she pulled her hand back instantly. "It burnt me! I would venture to guess that this is your room." She said eyeing the door darkly.
He chuckled and reached his hand out and turned the knob. This room was 100% James. Along the walls hung various Gryffindor banners and pictures of he and his select group of friends were hung in a collage above a small desk at the wall to her right. Beside the desk was a door that she assumed went into the common room. His bed was on the opposite wall, it was huge, king sized at least. Lily laughed as he flung himself onto it sinking into the plush down comforter and mattress.
"If I don't come to classes or Head duties you will find me in this bed." He said, his voice muffled from the pillows.
She skirted the foot of the bed and walked to the wall sized window along the back wall of the room. There was a window seat that was topped with golden pillows. James walked over and pulled the handle on the window, it vanished leaving an open wall before them. Lily gasped and James let out a whoop. She looked at him and saw him running his fingers over the broom that was placed on a broom holder beside the window bench.
"Whose is the second one?" she asked.
"Sirius', we fly a lot on the weekends and in the evening, apparently the room or house elves or whoever knew that." He said leaning out of the huge drop off.
"James, stop, you are going to kill yourself."
He raised his eyebrows and smiled at her.
"You wanna come fly with me?" he said in a playful tone.
"No, No I don't. Besides we have rounds once we go see my room." She replied before turning and walking out of his door.
Her room was similar, but decidedly more feminine. Her bed was smaller, only a double or a queen. She had innumerable pillows on her bed and we walls were adorned with one Gryffindor flag and then several pictures of her and her mum, three of her and her father, several of her, Alice and a few of the other Gryffindor girls, and to James' surprise one that had been taken last year of the two of them. He walked over to study it closer, he was sitting on the steps in the great hall and she was sitting beside him her head thrown back laughing. James frowned slightly when he watched his picture-self smile brilliantly and push a stray piece of hair off of her face.
"I don't remember this being taken." He said hoarsely.
"Hmmm. Oh, uhm Alice took that,that was on your birthday, remember her running around with that camera?" she said looking over his shoulder.
"Oh, right. I had forgotten about that." He replied quietly. "So rounds shall we go?" he said with false excitement.
She nodded and gave a small smile.
oOoOoOoOoO
It was chilly in the dungeons at night. They had been fairly silent through the rounds, Lily finally caught James' eye and smiled.
"Knut for your thoughts?" she said softly
He looked at her before speaking in a hitched voice.
"I don't know." And he stopped.
"You don't know what?" she pushed.
"I don't know if we are alright. I mean. Are we alright. Or are we...aren't alright?" he said lamely.
"I want to be alright. But that is really up to you." She said softly.
He nodded his head and pushed his hands into his pockets, returning to their silent walk to the head's office.
Lily said nothing as she walked up to her new room.
"Lily." James said.
She looked down to see him standing at the bottom of her staircase.
"Yeah?"
"Friends?" he asked.
"Always James. Always." She said with a smile.