Lily groaned and threw up her hands. Her luggage was heavy - really heavy, and she just couldn't get it onto the train. Frustrated, she kicked the trunk.

"Need help?"

"Oh yes, Remus, thank you," She stepped aside as he put her trunk on the train, watching James and Sirius continue their nonsense behind them.

"No problem, Head Lily," Remus bowed with an exaggerated flourish, making Lily giggle. "Hopefully you'll be able to control James and Sirius this year." Lily only sighed in response.

"Hey, Evans! Fall in love with me yet?" James called out. Lily shook her head. She'd hoped he would mature over the summer, if only a little, but his arrogance remained, blatant as ever. James Potter was still an annoying, bullying toerag. She thanked Remus with a smile and climbed on the train.

James watched as Lily boarded the train, the light filtering through the windows, and beautifully framing her delicate features. He wondered what he'd have to do to show her he'd changed, that he had matured - a little. He wanted to let her know he really loved her - and that it wasn't a joke this time.

"It takes time, Prongs," Remus reassured, the three of them watching Lily. "I know you can do it."

Lily leaned her head back and close her eyes. All her thoughts went back to James: the annoying, arrogant, but also sweet, charming, and handsome boy she'd met the summer before her first year:

The memory was clear as day in her mind. She could feel the warmth of the summer day, the light reflecting off the shop windows in Diagon Alley. She remembered skipping along the cobblestone streets, holding her books in one hand and a cauldron in the other. She wasn't watching where she was going, though, and skipped right into another person.

"I'm sorry!" she cried as she bent down to gather her belongings. However, the grinning, curly haired boy she'd collided with had them neatly stacked in his hands.

"I'm very sorry," Lily repeated, taking her books back from him. "I mustn't frolic around like that - oh, how stupid I must be."

"Don't be sorry," he said gently. "I do it lots of times myself." The boy smiled, and Lily thought he was the most beautiful thing to ever have graced the earth. "I'm James, by the way. James Potter." He held out his hand.

"Lily Evans." She shook his hand, and he flashed another smile her way. "I like your hair," James said offhandedly. "You look very pretty."

"Um. Thanks." Lily blushed slightly, but allowed James to lead her around the rest of her way through the shops, amusing her constantly.

"So I assume I'll be seeing you on the train next week?" James asked, almost hopeful.

"Yes," Lily said brightly. "It's my first year."

"Me too."

"Lily! We were looking for you!" Lily's parents waved her over, and she went running. James could not help but notice the beauty of her smiling face, red hair flying in the wind.

"And who is this young gentleman?" Mr. Evans asked.

"This is James, Dad. James Potter. James, this is my dad." The two shook hands. "Nice to meet you, James." He gave him a stern look. "I suppose you'll be looking after my daughter, then? Keep her away from blokes who don't know what they're doing?"

"Dad!" Lily exclaimed, while James just turned a slight shade of pink.

"I promise, sir," he said, which surprised Lily. She barely knew him!

"We've got to go, Lily," her mother said, then turned to James and smiled kindly.

"Bye, then. See you on the train!" The three of them walked off, Lily turning back to wave to James.

But when they'd met in school during first year, he acted like he never remembered. The first four years, he acted like he hated her. Through fifth and sixth year, James had been like a friend to Lily. Now he was back to hating her - at least, she was pretty sure he did.

Why, Potter, why?

Oh, how she hated him. She didn't even know what to think of him. He'd asked her out many times, and no matter how often she said no, he had never relented.

"Evans," James's tentative voice shook her from her thoughts. "Evans, do you mind if we sit here?"

What? James? Tentative? When?

"Sure." Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter filed in and sat with Lily. Soon, Marlene accompanied them.

"What were you thinking about?" Sirius sounded curious.

"Oh, nothing," Lily said. "I was remembering, the summer before my first year, I met a really sweet, charming boy in Diagon Alley. I was wondering where he is now, and if James here couldn't be more like him." James froze, a frightened expression on his face. Lily chose not to question it.

"Didn't he give you his name?" Remus piped up.

"He did, but I'm not sure I remember. It started with a J..."

"James, then?" Peter asked.

"Oh, no, our James could never be so polite. Especially not to me." Lily said. It looked as if that was James's breaking point. Exasperatedly running his hands through his hair, he stood.

"I'm going to use the bathroom." James said stiffly, before exiting the room, his chocolate colored eyes a dangerous shade of brown.

"I wonder what's got him so frustrated?" Marlene asked. Lily shrugged.

"I'll go see," Sirius rose. "Never seen James like that before."

Sirius made his way to the bathrooms, but James wasn't there. He searched through the train, asked in every compartment, until he found him in the last one. James was the only one there, head leaned against the window, eyes closed, his face twisted into a pained expression. Wordlessly Sirius sat down next to him and sighed.

"Lily Evans is hard to get to, Prongs," he said softly. "You've just got to change. And show her that."

"What if - what if she doesn't love me?" James's voice was hoarse.

"I think she does," Sirius said. "We all think she does, James, Evans is quite an open book. Now come on before Evans and McKinnon come looking for you themselves."

"I'd like that," James grinned. "If Evans came looking for me I don't know how I'd react."

"Potter!" Lily's sweet voice rang out as she pushed into the compartment, face worried, Marlene right behind her. "Where were you? Sirius told us you weren't in the bathroom, and then you weren't anywhere we could find you - what were you doing?"

"Chill, Evans, I'm all in one piece, aren't I?" Lily crossed her arms, spun on her heel, and walked away. James stood.

"This time I'm actually going to use the bathroom," he said, and left the compartment. Sirius and Marlene sighed.

"You know, the way Lily acts around James, she's going to really get to him and he'll be heartbroken." Sirius crossed his arms.

"I just - James never loved anyone the way he loves Lily. He's just scared to tell her because he doesn't know how she's going to react."

"I don't mean to make you lose hope or anything, but Lily talks about James a lot. And not in the way most girls do." Sirius frowned.

"He's going to have a hard time, then."