Lily stood in the entrance hall holding a parchment with a list of students that she had to take into Hogsmeade. Every one of the prefects had a list and they were all complaining about the new measures that they had to carry out.

"This is stupid. I was supposed to spend the day with Georgina." Complained a Hufflepuff Prefect to a Ravenclaw girl. The girl patted his back and turned to Lily.

"Do we have to do this?" She asked.

"I'm afraid we do. Dumbledore's orders." Lily said. "I don't want to do this, I'd much rather go to Hogsmeade with April and Jenny."

"Oh, April is going to Hogsmeade with Sirius." James said joining the Prefects in the entrance hall. "How are you doing?" He asked Lily. He put a hand on her back and gave her a smile.

"I'm doing fine, thank you." Lily said politely. She moved away, feeling slightly uncomfortable with James touching her. A few girls eyed her suspiciously and a few guys gave James an awed look.

"Good." James said smiling. "Oh look the first batch of cattle" He said turning to where groups of students were coming from their dorms. Lily and James had decided that to avoid conflicts Prefects would go with students from their own houses. A few third and fourth year Gyrffindors came down from the dorm and found Lily with the other Gryffindor Prefects. Everyone knew their orders and the pupils knew which prefect they had to be with.

"Ok, is everyone here?" Lily asked her group

"Joni Simmons isn't coming because she's ill" said a brown haired fourth year.

"Ok, but other then her is everyone here?" Lily asked. Everyone nodded.

"Can we go with James Potter's group?" asked a girl. Lily shifted uncomfortably.

"We'll meet up with them at the Three Broomsticks." Lily said. "Come on then." Lily's group followed her chatting noisily. They all seemed excited that they were in Lily's group and the fact they had to go into Hogsmeade with a prefect added an extra sense of excitement. They went to all the various shops and ended up in the Three Broomsticks at the end of their two hours in Hogsmeade.

After her current group Lily went back to the castle to see the next group waiting for her and again she went around the same shops again. Lily did the round three times before she found James and Remus sitting in the Three Broomsticks having a few mugs of Butterbeer.

"My Lily flower." James said dramatically and holding his arms out. Lily gave him an annoyed look and took the seat next to Remus just to annoy James. She was all too aware of James' feelings for her.

"Lily!" Lily said. Remus laughed slightly and turned to Lily

"How you coping?" He asked.

"If I go into Zonkos one more time I swear I'm going to scream." Lily said. Remus and James both started laughing.

"Well, this is that last group before it's just our year." James said comfortingly.

"Oh, thank god. I haven't been able to get more supplies for school, and I need to get Jenny a birthday present." Lily complained.

"We'll go and get Jenny something after this if you want." James said. "Just tell us what you want to get her."

"I couldn't do that." Lily said. "I'll just get April to distract her."

"She's going with Sirius." James reminded Lily.

"Oh, crap." Lily muttered. "So how are your groups?"

"Oh, you know, the girls are just falling head over heels in love for me and the boys are standing there admiring me." James said pretending to be high and mighty.

"If you're not careful I might withdraw my invitation to be friends" Lily warned him. James shut up and looked at Remus.

"Well my groups haven't been that bad." He said. "I've got to go though. They want to visit Zonkos again." Remus got up and left James and Lily on their own.

"Do you think April and Sirius will make it work out?" Lily asked James.

"I don't know. Hopefully," James said like he didn't really care. "It'll be cool if it did work out. Turn Sirius into a one woman man."

"None of you are men yet" Lily told him with a smile. James looked at her like that wasn't amusing.

"Have you told April and Jenny about that night when you know-" James didn't finished. Lily knew what he was talking about.

"Yeah, I had to. I can't keep anything from them, why?"

"They've been treating me differently." James said simply. "It was kinda weird." A silence fell over James and Lily. James couldn't take his eyes off Lily. She wasn't looking at him but out of the steamed windows. Her face was just so angelic and her eyes were so bright, fiery and intense. James watched her as Lily studied the rain falling. She looked as though she wanted to think of anyone but the person sitting in front of her.

"Lily" came the voice of a sixth year girl. Lily looked at her and looked interested.

"Yeah?"

"Can we go now?" she asked. "We want to go to Honeydukes before we go to the castle" the girl said.

"Ok." Lily picked up her cloak and stood up. "See ya James." She said.

"Bye." James said, he was still staring at her and it was making her feel uncomfortable. She gave him a smile and left with the sixth years. Why did she feel so awkward around him? Lily felt slightly annoyed at her self for feeling awkward and weird near James. Before they could be around each other and not feel awkward, only hatred but now it was different. He was suddenly taking on all the responsibility of head students, against Lily's protests, he didn't play any pranks on her any more and he just seemed to have grown up. She had also noticed that his boasting had seemed to had decreased.

*    *    *    *

It had started to rain when it was time for the Seventh years to wander around Hogsmeade. They had been given permission to visit unsupervised. Jenny linked arms with Lily and they huddled together as they ran to the Three Broomsticks with their purchases. Lily had bumped into James, Remus and Peter and asked them to get something for Jenny for her. They ran into the Three Broomsticks and sat down at a table near the windows.

"God, I hate rain" Jenny said.

"I know." Lily said. Jenny looked at Lily and leaned on her elbows.

"So." She said. Lily looked at Jenny confused.

"So what?" Lily asked.

"You and James, what's the low down? Are you a couple or 'just friends'?" Jenny asked,

"We're just friends." Lily said. "What about you and that guy, um.what's his name?" Jenny looked at Lily slightly annoyed.

"Henry and I dumped him." Jenny said.

"What? Why?" Lily asked.

"He got a bit boring." Jenny said. Madame Rosmerta came over with their butterbeers.

"Not here with that fine Potter boy?" She asked Lily. Lily blushed.

"No." Lily said. Madame Rosmerta nodded and walked off. Lily looked at Jenny, who looked like she was going to ask something. "Remus left us here earlier. We just talked a little" Jenny nodded but she didn't believe her. Just then the doors opened and five figures walked in. James, Remus, Peter and April laughing in Sirius' arms. April spotted Jenny and Lily.

"Hey, you guys" April said loudly. The group walked over to Jenny and Lily's table.

"Hi." Lily said.

"You guys having fun?" Jenny asked April.

"Define fun?" April said. Sirius pulled April onto him when he sat in a chair and whispered something to her that made April slap his arm. They both started laughing and then April turned to Lily.

"So, what did you do?" She asked.

"Oh, we just went around the usual shops." Lily said.

"Oh, fun" April said. She didn't sound totally interested like her mind wasn't on the conversation. Lily could guess where April's mind was though. Everyone started talking about their various purchases and what they were planning to do the next day.

"Evans, I got this for Jenny for you. I couldn't find the thing you asked for." James whispered handing Lily a small parcel. Lily took it and unwrapped it. It was a small box of essential Broom equipment.

"That's perfect." Lily said. "Thanks." Lily quickly tucked the parcel into one of her bags and leant back in her chair.

"It's a bit wet outside isn't it?" James said.

"Wow, your powers of observation gets better every year" Lily said sarcastically. James smirked and shrugged.

"I love wet weather, thinking of having a late Quidditch practice" James said. Jenny and Sirius both looked at him.

"No!" they said together. James looked at them innocently.

"It's just an idea." James said.

"If April wasn't sitting on me I'd beat the crap out of you" Sirius said. James pretended to look scared and inched towards Lily.

"Help me Lily, he's going to kill me." James said. Everyone started laughing as James tried to hide behind Lily. They joked around for a bit longer before they decided that they should head back.

"Do you really want to walk back to the castle?" James asked.

"No not really but it's the only way back" Lily said.

"We could make a portkey." James said.

"Prongs!" Remus warned. "You know we're not supposed to."

"Ok, fine." James said. They pulled their hoods over and stepped out into the pouring rain.

"Oh, I hate the rain." Jenny said. Lily laughed and pulled the cloak around herself and her bags. Sirius had draped his cloak around him and April and somehow they were walking and hugging at the same time.

"You fancy a lift?" James asked Lily. Lily looked at James confused.

"What?" Lily asked slightly confused. James quickly picked Lily up in his arms and carried her a little way. "Hey." Lily protested.

"Come on, just a little way." James said.

"No." Lily tried to get out of his arms but James was stronger then she was and somehow managed to keep her in his arms.

"Come on Lily, don't be a spoilsport" April shouted over the rain.

"Yeah. Go Lily!" Sirius shouted. Lily laughed slightly and put her arm around James' neck.

"Ok, a little while." She said. Lily had to admit she liked being in James' strong arms. James on the other hand couldn't believe his luck. He was just trying to figure out how he could maybe ask Lily out again with making her angry when he tripped over something.

"Shit!" he muttered as he and Lily both fell into the mud.

"James!" Lily said slightly annoyed.

"You guys ok?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, just a bit muddy" James said. He turned to see what he had tripped over when Lily let out a scream as she saw what it was.