When the Hogwarts Express steamed into the station, James was unaccountably nervous. Which was utterly ridiculous because this was his seventh year and he really had nothing to worry about. He had had a pretty fantastic summer, over all. Once they got past the Snape debacle, the Marauders had been inseparable. Padfoot had moved in with him over the summer – Moony and Wormtail might as well have, too – and they were all even closer than before. Partly because they were real friends now: they lived in the real world instead of a made-up fantasy where their pranks were Robin Hood-esk victories. They understood each other's struggles better. From Sirius' twisted family life and Remus' dread of trying to find employment as a werewolf to James' concern over his aging parents and Peter's battle with depression, they were there for each other. They had all infinitely matured since that night, and even Sirius had begun to think about others a little more before acting.
Somehow, the whole thing had also ended his historically long crush on Lily Evans. Well, ended might be too strong a word. James was still painfully aware of how beautiful, kind, and brilliant she was. But since she had stood up to Snape after his excruciatingly obvious hints about Remus' condition, telling him off in the corridor outside of potions and proceeding to plant herself beside Remus for the rest of fifth year, James began to see her as more of an ally instead of a potential date. And after he began to see Evans as she really was, his crush morphed into an affectionate sort of friendship. Then at Hallow'een sixth year she had finally convinced James and Remus to make up with Sirius and Peter, and it was then he realized just how much she had become vital part of their friend group.
So all in all, he was looking at a pretty good year. Not only did James have his friends back, he was also going to get to hang out with Evans – without getting hexed. So really, there was nothing to be nervous about…except, that this was the last year.
He turned and kissed his mother goodbye.
"Have you got everything?" she asked. "Enough clean clothes and all your books and –"
"Yes, mom," James grinned. "I'm sure I have everything." He shook hands with his dad.
"I know you're all grown up, but it's my job to worry about you," his mother muttered.
"I know, and you're the best at it. But don't worry too much." He kissed her other cheek as his father put his hand on his mother's shoulder.
"He'll be fine, Euphemia. I'm sure he'll be very responsible – after all, James is Head Boy this year," his dad grinned.
"Yes, he is. And we're both very proud of you." He mother patted his jaw.
"Thanks." James tried to smile, but he still felt guilty about that. Evans was a shoe in for Head Girl, and he imagined that she would rather work with literally anyone else than an arrogant toe-rag who hadn't really earned his position, so he hadn't been able to bring himself to tell her. For all they might be friends now, James got the feeling it was mostly because of Remus.
He climbed aboard the train, and waited for her in the Head compartment, determined to promise that he'd relinquish his badge if she wanted. He was hunched over, staring at his clasped hands and mentally rehearsing his speech when he heard Evans snap, "I am well aware of who the head boy is, thank you."
James winced. He hadn't exactly wanted to catch her by surprise, but if she had had time to get worked up about it, well…maybe he should have sat with Sirius until this got sorted out.
"Then you are also aware of how unsuited for the position he is. It's obvious Dumbledore is beyond senile, Lily." Snape's sneering voice followed her silhouette down the aisle to the heads' compartment. "You've got to put a stop to this. If Potter's head boy, Hogwarts itself will become a joke."
The door to the compartment had opened a crack, enough to show Evans whipping around so fast James felt dizzy on her behalf. "Listen here, Severus. In the past two years, Potter has done loads more to help and protect other students than I've seen you do your entire time at Hogwarts. I daresay he spent the majority of last term protecting first years from those nasty, cowardly gits you call friends. I'm proud to work with him. I think we'll make a great team and do a lot of wonderful things for Hogwarts, and if you ever say anything disrespectful about the man who saved your life or Dumbledore again, I'll make sure you regret it!"
Evans flung the door open just far enough to step through before immediately slamming it closed in Snape's face. James stared at her, unable to so much as breathe. He never expected – He'd thought she'd hate the idea. That she would yell at him about getting something else handed to him that he didn't deserve. But instead she was proud to work with him? Saw him as her equal?
She jumped when she saw him, and her cheeks turned that horrid shade of pink that clashed with her hair. James had never seen her look so beautiful, even as she opened and closed her mouth like she'd been hexed silent.
"Hallo, Evans," James smiled ruefully and unclasped his hands. He discretely wiped his palms on the knees of his trousers as he stood. "Thank you, for defending me." His right hand had somehow managed to find its way into his hair and he yanked it down, remembering that she didn't like it when he ruffled his hair. "It means a lot, and for the record I'm proud to be working with you too." He held out his hand for her to shake.
Evans stared at it like he'd offered her a green Berty Bott's bean. But then she flipped her hair and squared her shoulders. "Of course, Potter." She took his hand. "I'm glad. I have a lot of ideas. Is it okay if we just jump in and discuss things? I want to be semi-organized when we arrive."
"Sure," he nodded. Now that he thought about it, getting everyone – especially the second years – off the train and into the carriages would be a chore. Evans, of course, had come prepared with a basic system for making sure everyone got where they were supposed to go, and James was grateful she had. Organization wasn't his thing.
After they got that sorted, they talked about other things too: ways to decrease discrimination against muggleborns, how to minimize Death Eater recruitment in Slytherin, and ways to bolster morale in light of the various tensions in and outside of Hogwarts. When the trolley witch stopped by, James bought a stack of chocolate frogs and wordlessly handed one to Evans. She was passionately talking about her hopes for the first-years and ate it almost without thinking. He smiled and bit into his own.
"Prongs, mate, I hate to interrupt all your important decision-making," Padfoot said as he stuck his head into the compartment, "but your presence is required as we're currently plotting mischief and mayhem."
Evans raised an eyebrow at him. "Living a double life, I see."
James stood. "Don't worry. We'll keep it tame," he winked.
And if he brushed her knee on the way out or watched for her face to light up as the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling exploded with fireworks after the feast started…well, he was just having a bit of fun. After all, it was the start of their last year.