Disclaimer:I don't own anything. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 1-
Lily gazed at the wall in front of her. She had first walked through this wall six years back and was going to walk through it one last time. Taking a deep breath she pushed her trolley into the barrier, the entry to Platform nine and three quarters, and vanished.
Moments later she appeared on the other side and breathed a sigh. Seventh year, last year. How had the past students done it?
The Hogwarts Express stood on the platform, steam billowing from its top, scarlet as ever. The platform was bustling with students in black school robes. The weather was fine, in face great for the first day of the term. Just the air was a bit unrelaxed, or so she felt. She pushed past groups of students. Tearful goodbyes were being exchanged around her, parents pulling their kids into tight embraces. She tightly looked away.
The train gave a whistle. All the students rushed to quickly board the train and she moved forward too. She hurried forward and levitated her luggage onto the train. The train was gathering speed now. She again pushed past students, looking for an empty compartment. When she finally found one she got in quickly, hoisting her trunk into the luggage rack and gratefully taking a seat.
Out in the corridors some students were still settling in. It was best to look for the others later. She put on her school robes, pinned the badge on her chest and smiled. It was the first genuine smile she had given in days. She sat back down and rested her head against the window for a while.
There was a disturbance outside her compartment door. She stuck her head out to check. It was Marlene and Alice. "Hey," she began.
They turned their heads and jumped as soon as they saw her. Marlene rushed into the compartment to give her a light hug. "Lily! Where were you? We waited for you on the platform but you were nowhere in sight so we thought you must have boarded the train," asked Marlene.
"I'm sorry to have worried you. I reached a little late," Lily replied. "But Lily you're never late. In fact you're always the first one on the platform." said Alice. Lily shrugged and said, "I think I overslept this time". "Let's sit down," Marlene offered, Lily was by the window again.
"So where have you been?" asked Lily. "We were just in the Marauders compartment and," answered Marlene, "Frank was there too," she added with a smirk directed at Alice. Alice tried to glare at her but failed, color rising in her cheeks. Marlene looked at Lily and smiled knowingly.
They sat in silence for a few minutes and then Lily got up. Alice and Marlene already knew that Lily was Head Girl. Lily had owled them during the summer and they had sent their congratulations. "I have to discuss some things with the Head Boy and then we have to instruct the prefects. It won't take that long," and she was out of the compartment. Marlene and Alice looked at each other and in unison they said,"We forgot to tell her".
Lily was proceeding towards the Heads' compartment. She was supposed to work with the Head Boy all year. She increased her pace and finally stood in front of the compartment door. A boy was already sitting in the compartment staring out the window but she couldn't make out who he was.
She slid the compartment door open and her eyes landed on none other than James Potter. He looked up at the sound and gave her a genuine smile. Lily was quick to hide her surprise at that. Potter always had a smirk on his face whenever he talked to her and this was different.
She looked at his robes. Yes there it was, the Head Boy badge. She bit her lip. It was going to be a long year. "Hello, Evans. Congratulations!" exclaimed James.
"Are you really Head Boy, Potter?" asked Lily hoping against hope that it was just a joke. James just smiled and pointed at his badge. "Congratulations to you too then," said Lily. She sat opposite to him and leaned her head back.
She took a deep breath, but before she could begin, James leaned forward and started, "I know you're very surprised that I'm Head Boy and we have been…well I don't want to say enemies. We haven't been friends. But I got this responsibility and I'll try my best to live up to it. I wasn't a Prefect so I'm new to this. Do you think you can help me? And since we will have to work together for the rest of seventh year, do you think we could at least try to be friends?" and looked hopefully towards Lily.
Lily shook her head, smiled and said, "Okay, Potter. Stop worrying so much. I think we can try and be friends. I'm sure Dumbledore chose you for a reason." She then slowly explained the Prefect system to James and he listened with rapt attention.
"Now it's time for the Prefect's meeting," Lily said finally. They moved out and headed towards the Prefect's carriage. When they reached there, Lily glanced at James. He nodded and slid the door open.
All the House Prefects were already there. Unlike Lily, not all the Prefects were shocked to see their Head Boy. Many students thought James was a leader and he was one of the best student's at Hogwarts, academically and socially. Lily took a seat and James sat just beside her to which she internally flinched but said nothing.
"Congratulations everyone! Shall we first introduce ourselves?" James looked inquiringly towards Lily to which she nodded. The seventh year Gryffindor Prefects were: Remus Lupin and Sally Johnson. Hufflepuff Prefects:Amos Diggory and Hannah Mathews. The Ravenclaw Prefects: Benjy Fenwick and Emmeline Vance. The Slytherin Prefects: Olivia Parkinson and Sullivan Bulstrode. These names Lily already knew from last two years. She wasn't paying attention to the names of the new fifth year prefects. The train was swiftly going past a meadow.
Lily and James assigned them the common room passwords and informed them of their duties. They also asked them to meet them in the Prefect's room for patrol scheduling. "Any questions?" Lily said at last. No one had any questions so Lily ended the meeting and the Prefects filed out of the compartment. The compartment was now empty except for Remus, James, and Lily.
"Hello, Lily. How are you?" asked Remus. "I'm okay, Remus," replied Lily politely. She glanced once at James and then she moved out of the compartment saying," I'll go back to my friends then".
She walked back to her compartment, but it was empty and even her trunk was gone. Her confusion dissolved once she saw a note lying on one of the seats : We're in Compartment 21-C. We were just bored and all the Gryffindors are there. We took your trunk for you.
She turned and set out for 21-C. She passed a few compartments before she reached there. She was exhausted by now. She opened the door and all the Gryffindor seventh years were sitting in the compartment. "Hey Lily!" greeted Mary McDonald. "Hello Mary. Hey Dorcas." said Lily.
Marlene glanced at Alice. So what James had told them was true. Lily hadn't been angry at James' appointment.
"Hi Lily" chanted Dorcas and then went back to the conversation she was having with Remus. "Hello, Frank. How have you been?" Lily asked trying to sound normal. "I'm good, Lily. How are you?" replied Frank. "I'm doing good too," she stated.
There was just one seat left for her by the window next to James. She knew they had set her up to sit with him. She looked around but everyone just gave her innocent smiles, the fakest one belonged to Sirius.
She just moved and dropped herself on the seat. "Hello Lily! How was your summer?" inquired Sirius blithely. "It was okay Sirius," lied Lily. Sirius started a game of Exploding Snap with Peter in the corner. Frank and Alice were quietly staring at the floor and at one another and at the floor again. Marlene had joined the game and Mary was reading a magazine.
The train rattled onward, speeding them out into open country. The weather had turned uncertain now; one moment's sunlight and then clouds again. Lily gave a feeble yawn and stared out the window. She was feeling very tired and they were still far from reaching Hogwarts.
She felt her eyelids drooping. Cards blasted in Peter's hands and there was a "Ha!" from Sirius. "Hey looks like the trolley lady has arrived," someone said. Her head fell on James' shoulder and without meaning to, soon she was fast asleep.
"You should wake her. We'll soon be there," came Remus's voice. "Lily," James whispered. "Lily wake up," he said again. Lily opened her eyes. Everyone was gathering their things. Lamps were lit in the carriage and the train had begun to slow down.
Her head was still on James' shoulder where she'd fallen asleep. She quickly lifted it and looked at James, "I'm sorry. Did you just sit like that all the time?" she asked. "Oh don't be sorry Lily. I think he rather enjoyed the journey," answered Sirius in place of James and everyone else chuckled. "Very funny, Sirius," retorted Lily.
James glared at Sirius hoping he would shut up. Sirius shrugged and raised his hands as if to say,"I didn't say anything much!".They all shuffled out of the compartment. Lily stepped onto the platform and looked around.
A familiar voice called out,"First years! First years!" It was pitch dark at the Hogsmeade station but she could see Hagrid since he was carrying a huge lantern. "Hello Lily," he called out, "All right?" he bellowed back. "Yes, I'm okay Hagrid," she said. Hagrid waved and smiled. "You know Hagrid?," asked James coming beside her slinging a bag over his shoulder. "A little," she replied.
First years reached Hogwarts castle by sailing through the lake with Hagrid. A hundred horseless carriages stood waiting for them outside the station. She climbed into one of them everyone else following behind time it was Alice who sat beside her. The doors shut with a snap and all the carriages lurched their way up the track toward Hogwarts castle.
A/N- Hey wait! Review first pleaseeeeeeeeeeee! Then go ahead and read the second chapter. I know you will take the time and drop a comment because you're a sweet person aren't you?