Hi all, so I am back to this wonderful fandom with a new story! I am taking a delve into a fandom, an era and a couple that has always fascinated me and it's the James/Lily era.

This is my version of the 7th Year. I do have a second story planned and this one will cover the events of the first wizarding war. This is my interpretation on what happens. It might not be as strictly cannon as It should be but this is my interpretation nonetheless.

I have made some changes to this canon already making it so that James's Dad dies before James's mother.

This story will be twenty chapters long and some events/events that do take place might be missed.

Also spelling/grammar...not my best thing. Again keep that in mind when you read...please.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine.

Please Read and Review.

And on a side note, I like so many other Fanfiction Authors no longer receive notifications via email about reviews/PMs etc. So if you do send any it might be a while, if ever before I get back to you. Please keep that in mind for it is not intentional-If anyone has a fix please let me know.


The Beginning Of The End.

There is a boy and a girl and a well known story that is still being told. James and Lily, the moments in 7th year that changed in it all, for them and for Hogwarts—the calm before the storm.


Chapter 1-I Know What You Did Last Summer

In which the beginning of this story starts on a train, a vow to be civil and temptation that comes in the form of three Gryffindor girls, a Slytherin boy and a slowly darkening world.


"Was it just me, or did your mother kiss us all a bit more than usual?" Sirius Black said to his best friend (and kind of brother) James Potter as they climbed onto the train that would take them to Hogwarts on the cold September morning that this story starts.

"And you would know this how?" James Potter said dryly as he moved aside with a smile to let three terrified looking first years go into the carriage ahead of him.

"Tell me Padfoot are you making notes on how much my mother kisses you?"

"In certain lights you know your mother is still a good looking woman—"

"Wormtail I have cursed people for less than that"

"A lot less" Remus Lupin muttered under his breath. "This one is free. Come on before they all get full"

Together the four of them managed to get into the small compartment with four trunks, two owls and one broomstick which James put in pride of place and made sure was secure for about six seconds before he moved on.

"We are not even at school" Sirius said looking across at Remus who had pulled out his copy of the Standard Book of Spells Grade 7 and was reading the third chapter with a sort of intensity that was almost unnerving.

"Must you read textbooks before we get to school?"

This was a well worn argument that didn't work with Remus. James signed. You'd have thought that Sirius would have learnt by now and especially after the debacle that was last year (that they did not talk about under any circumstances) that trying to stop Moony from reading was like trying to stop the sun from shining, the Slytherins from being evil and Lily Evans from being…well…

That was another thing they didn't talk about.

Carefully he let the three of his friends bicker. Apparently Sirius had forgotten that last year all the free periods had been consumed by revision and they'd been close to killing each other by the end of it. Carefully he didn't think on that, instead he thought about what he had promised himself. He thought about the fact that he had told himself that he was not going to spend the last year, this last golden final year of school going after a woman who had made it clear that she didn't want him. Especially because she had wrote to him and told him that she had been given the Head Girl's badge and she wanted to have a productive relationship with him.

James had gone to bed that night thinking just what the hell she had meant by a productive relationship and none of his friends would be able to help. Peter didn't know the first thing about woman and Sirius knew even less, Remus would give him the definition of the words but would then roll his eyes and turn back to his books and all three of them would tease him senseless.

And James had, had enough teasing about Lily Evens to last a lifetime.

And if he kept the letter in his History of Magic book…well…that was between him and his History of Magic book wasn't it?

"Prongs what on earth are you thinking about?"

"Nothing" he said and Sirius being the good friend that he was in this instance decided to let go the obvious answer that he was thinking of Lily Evens.

"So why was your mother all over us this morning?" Sirius asked by way of distraction.

James shrugged. He had a feeling. The deaths had increased over the summer, people disappearing and a nasty incident where a junior reporter for the Prophet had come in to work clearly under the influence of the Imperious curse and had killed himself before screaming that the Dark Lord could get to anyone anytime anyplace.

It had been such a public display of the gathering strength of this thing that was brewing behind the scenes that even the Prophet had, had to admit that there was a problem. The Ministry was in complete disarray and it had been two years since his father had died and James knew his mother was feeling the loss. The Dragon Pox that had taken out Fleament Potter was not yet dormant and there was always a flare up once every few years. James had watched over that summer with Sirius helpless as both of his parents had come down with it. His mother had woken up much the same if not frailer almost and his Dad…well…his Dad had never woken up again.

"You know" he said again for good measure. Sirius patted him on the arm but said nothing and James was grateful beyond measure.

"It's not good" Peter said coming back from the cart with liquorice wands, cauldron cakes, pumpkin pasties and some kind of chocolate thing that James had never seen before but wanted to try simply because it was chocolate and he felt like shit. Granted he would have to get past Remus who inhaled anything chocolate like it was his last meal but he was willing to try.

"What's not good?"

"The news Padfoot. None of it's good. He's going to take over every—ow!"

Remus had just smacked his book over Peter's head. James winced. Considering the strength in Remus's hit and the average textbook…well…that had to hurt.

But it was a good distraction nonetheless. Not that it did anything to deter from the fact that James remembered only too well the intensity of which his mother had clutched at him and then his friends…he made a mental note to write to her tonight and let her know that he had gotten to Hogwarts safely.

The door to the carriage slid open.

James looked up and immediately felt his mouth go dry.

There she was.

Lily Evans.

Her hair was tied up in a neat little bun at the nape of her neck and there were tendrils coming down over her face in that way that looked effortless but James had heard (from his father's more vocal female customers) that it was anything but. She was dressed in her Hogwarts robes and her badge was pinned neatly to it. Everything about her, from her lipstick to the smell of her perfume was perfect and James had to resist the urge to reach for his hair to make sure the hair potion he had used this morning was keeping his hair as effortlessly styled as he wanted it.

"James" she said politely. James acknowledged the first time that she had used his first name in a polite tone and he stored it away for some future time where he was alone and uninterrupted and could analyse just what exactly that meant.

Because he was not obsessive. No Sirius not at all.

"Ev—Lily" he said swallowing. She had in her letter over the summer told him to call her by her first name if they were going to be Head Boy and Head Girl together—he had been obsessive over the word together thinking upon it in the bath (the one place Sirius couldn't tease him for thinking about her—though he had no room to talk personally) and so he was going to do just that.

"It's good to see you, even if you don't have the badge on"

"I still think it was a typo" came another voice and this time it was Sirius's turn to sit up and make a move on his hair. Marlene McKinnon had come into the room her blonde hair curling over her shoulder. She had pinned some of it back over her face and her blue eyes were made even bluer James thought by the eyeliner that was outlining them. Next to her Mary MacDonald had slid in next to Remus who had shifted slightly to allow her. Her dark brown hair was curled and coming to the top of her shoulders and she too was clutching her book of the Standard Book of Spells Grade 7.

"Hello" she said brightly—it would be a cruel man who would not like Mary MacDonald.

"Remus did you see the conjuring spell in Chapter 6. It looks very nasty and I fear McGonagall is going to have us learn it"

"No I didn't—oh—yes I do see it Mary. That does look nasty. You know I reckon the theory might be easier but in practice—"

And the two of them were off, James caught Lily's eye. She rolled hers heavenward and he had to catch himself from doing something very stupid—like proposing marriage.

Instead he flashed her a small smile and was rewarded with a cautious but small one of her own.

Perhaps this whole not asking her out at every turn idea that he had implemented had it's merits. Clearly she wasn't looking at him like he was frogspawn and that had to mean something.

Didn't it?

Merlin they should teach them how girls minds worked. Be more fucking useful than potions any day of the week.

"Look" Lily said and James forced his eyes back to hers without a heartbeat. "I was…I was just wondering if perhaps you'd to conduct this year with some civility. We have a lot of first years here that will be under our care and the world is a scary place especially now. I would like us to be…civil in the Head Boy and Head Girl office."

It sounded a little bit to James as if it was a speech she had written off and practiced by heart and the sad thing was, was that he could see Lily Evans doing that as well.

Which meant that his reply had to be one hundred percent accurate. Otherwise he was just going to come across as…how did she put it that time she had cut him to the quick?

Ah yes, an arrogant, self centred pig who made her sick.

Merlin it was funny how memory worked.

"I think that would be a very good idea" he said just as formal as she was. He was achingly aware that Sirius and Marlene were both watching him and neither one of them were looking very impressed by this civil exchange. But just as James opened his mouth to ask her what she thought her timetable was going to look like this year so that they could meet up and discuss how to be civil (and nothing else his head reminded his heart sternly) Sirius shifted so that Marlene who was sat near him nearly fell of the edge of her seat.

"Well look who it is" he said softly. "Snivellus"

They all turned and James felt a sinking feeling settle in the pit of his stomach. Granted he might have made a vow that he was going to behave and Remus and Peter were mostly impervious to the actions of Snape unless it directly impacted them, Sirius however, had made no such promises and Sirius didn't help matters. He had never forgiven Snape for what he had seen as the goading of him which had led to Remus nearly…well…nearly killing him the previous year. Snape on the other hand had been just as unpleasant as ever but despite what Dumbledore said for the Marauders it was always within Snape's power now to blow apart Remus's life.

For a second Snape's eyes slid past his and rested on Lily. James watched them for a second have that unspoken conversation that the two of them had, had for years and then Lily in a wonderful display of haughtiness turned around her neck strained and her face doing it's best to show how utterly unaffected she was. James thought oddly that she was beautiful. Then again. There was never a moment where he didn't think that Lily Evans was not beautiful.

That was part of the problem.

Snape watched her for another second and then he went and James thought even if it was to himself that he had juts witnessed the passing of something significant. Even if he didn't know what it was.

"So" Marlene said her eyes on her friend. "Anyone got exploding snap or do we have to relay on Remus and Mary to keep us entertained by reciting the entire syllabus for the final year?"

It broke the tension wonderfully and the seven of them played exploding snap and did quizzes out of the Quibbler (which was a horrendous rag but Sirius seemed to get a kick out of it) and for a time it was normal. It was not until James saw the outline of the castle in the distance and saw the dark clouds that threatened the storm to come that he realised with a swoop in his stomach that he was going back to school, back to Hogwarts and that as random a thought as it was, there was a storm coming and he couldn't stop it.

And it had nothing to do with the weather.


And there you go. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I will try and post the next one as soon as possible.

Next Chapter-James and Lily begin their Head Boy and Head Girl duties with the new first years. Sirius and Marlene banter back and forth and Dumbledore has a warning for his students.