Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except for Aryan Boggs and the plot. The characters all belong to J.K. Rowling. Hail her!

"Lils over here!" Someone was yelling loudly over the crowd. Lily looked up from her luggage to see the familiar face of Aryan coming up to her and embracing her in a quick hug.

It had been about a week since Lily and Aryan had gone to Diagon Alley, now they stood on Platform 9 ¾ looking up at the Hogwarts Express. To Lily nothing looked more inviting than another year at Hogwarts.

"Good to see you, Aryan." Lily replied smiling, "We have to hurry if we want to find an empty compartment, the train looks almost full, you know."

Aryan and Lily walked over to a less preoccupied door to the Hogwarts Express. Around them they could here many parents bidding their good-byes or giving their children strict warnings to behave or else. Aryan picked up her truck and placed it on the train effortlessly, next she stepped up onto the train cursing the steps for being so high.

Lily could not move, she tried to lift her heavy trunk off the cart but was failing miserably. Aryan looked at her pitifully, got down and tried to help her but no use.

"Sorry, Lils, no can do, I guess."

"Well, how did you get your baggage up there?" Lily asked pointing to the trunk on the train near the doors.

"Oh that! Magical bags, make the content inside as light as a feather. Mum bought them for me last year." Aryan smiled guiltily at Lily. All this time Aryan had given Lily the impression that she was very strong and 'independent' as she had said countless times before. Lily looked around hoping to ask an adult or a parent to lift the luggage at least up on the train, but before she could ask, someone was already heaving her trunk up onto the train. Lily spun around surprised and shocked to see James Potter lifting her trunk with ease and placing it on the train.

"Thank you," she stated dazed. Lily had not seen James since their meeting in Diagon Alley. Lily blushed remembering the look in his eyes when he first saw her, the amazed, stunned look.

"No problem," James started, he looked simple in a muggle sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. Behind him Sirius, Remus and Peter had stopped in the middle of their conversation when James left to help someone, a girl? The others looked at their friend in absolute dismay. Was James was being nice to Lily Evans?

"Hey guys? What's up? What's with all the staring?" Aryan asked looking at the three boys in the back. If she was shocked or stunned by what happened she surely did not show it.

Sirius eyed her with a look that read 'did you see what James just did?' and Aryan eyed him ordering him to 'shut up and not react'. The others seemed to have gotten the message as their faces changed into more normal expressions.

"Hey guys... I didn't even see you back there." Lily smiled at the boys who were in the back now looking normal.

They all exchanged formal hellos quickly and left to get on their own compartments. Aryan and Lily found a compartment near the end of the train, which to their surprise was a lot cleaner than they had always imagined.

Just as the girls settled, the door to the compartment opened and a very glum looking Sirius Black came inside.

"Man!" he exclaimed, "Even the back compartment! Do you guys mind? Sorry, but every where else is full."

Lily opened her mouth but before words formed in her mouth, the boys sat down pushing their bags underneath the seats.

"Of course not, Sirius, we don't mind at all," Lily said sarcastically patting Sirius's knee. Sirius ended up next to Aryan and James across from him next to Lily.

The train started to move slowly gaining speed and then they were away. Lily could see the city of London slip from her sight getting smaller and smaller as they moved faster and faster away. In another ten minutes the train was crossing countryside farms, and small houses.

The boys, who could never really sit still, started playing exploding snap while discussing new pranks to pull on the Slytherins. Aryan sat still seeming to be absorbed in her thoughts and her own world while staring out the window. Lily seemed to get the message that Aryan did not want to talk and kept to herself.

As time passed, Lily felt sleep wash over her, and she was asleep dreaming happily.

Look at her, she is so gorgeous James thought to himself, as he leaned in to take a closer look at Lily. Sirius, Peter, Remus, and Aryan all went to look for other fellow Gryffindors and left Lily and James. Lily was sleeping and James protested that he was too tired.

James leaned in closer daring to see her beauty up close. Her lose bun in a mess, her soft curls framing her face perfectly; her skin in perfection; all in all, James had to admit that he had never seen a more beautiful girl.

Lily suddenly opened her eyes, finding James almost too close to her. "James!" she yelled pulling back and pushing away from his face.

James snapped back into reality and strained up blushing. "What? I just wanted a better look."

"Well,"

"Well, what?"

"Aren't you going to apologize?"

"James Potter? Apologize? For what?"

"For invading my space, for coming too close to me without my permission. Usually one would apologize by now for doing something like that."

James Potter looked at Lily in confusion and Lily looked back not failing to stand up to his gaze. Lily raised an eyebrow as if she was still waiting for his apology.

"I don't apologize, Evans, I never have, never will." James stated arrogantly, "I wanted to get a better look at you to find the truth."

"The what?" Lily asked with a mixed up expression on her face, "The truth about what?"

"Your beauty," James said turning around to see her blush, "no need to get all excited about it, I thought he looked good from far away, just wanted to see if you looked the same close up. Found the truth that you were just like any other girl."

Lily could not help herself, James was being so mean, she found her feelings of hate for him stronger than ever at the moment.

"What was the truth you discovered?" Lily stated looking straight at James, her voice dangerously low.

James smirked, amusing himself from the look on Lily's face and the glare in her eyes, "Easy now, Evans, I just discovered that you look nothing special up close; that you are just the same 'want-to-be-beautiful-but-can't' girl that you were ever since I met you." Lily found her feet and stood up glaring at James.

"I never claimed I was beautiful." Her voice was a lot more calm than usual and James had reached the conclusion that he had hit something other than her nerves.

James stood up towering Lily's small figure, "I didn't mean it, Lily." He stated with true sorry in his eyes. "I think you are very good-looking. I was just teasing is all?" James leaned in closer to her attempting to hold her, but when he tried she pushed his arms away.

Lily took a step back and started laughing in hysterics. Her eyes filled with merriment at the confused look on James's face. "Honestly, Potter, since when did you start thinking I care about what you think?"

"Evans!" James yelled as he realized that she had been acting the entire time. He fell back into his seat watching Lily who was now kneeling on the floor holding her stomach from laughing too much. He couldn't help but smile at her; she was just so beautiful.

Lily's laughter suddenly stopped when she saw how dark it was outside and the rain that was pelting down the windows. "What time is it?" she asked James horror in her eyes. "We are about to reach Hogsmeade." James stated.

"Oh shoot. Why didn't anyone wake me up earlier?" Lily quickly got up from the floor; she pulled out her trunk and got her robes and her prefect badge out. Lily beamed down at her prefect badge. She never actually assumed that she would have gotten it.

Lily turned around to face James, who staring at Lily, "Do you mind?"

"Oh, no not at all. You are welcome to change." James grinned at Lily as Lily frowned.

"James!" She protested. James was stilling sitting there grinning amusedly at Lily's expression.

"Ok! Fine, be a spoil sport." James slowly got up and slouched out of the compartment while Lily shut the door, pulled the curtains and changed.

James leaning outside the door didn't know what he was doing. He was actually being civil towards Lily, and she civil towards him. Had there enmity towards each other ended? But before James could figure the answer to the question, Lily opened the door, making him stumble towards her.

Lily squeaked in pain as a huge figure fell on top of the floor with her on the bottom. Lily had closed her eyes frightened, but when she hit the ground she blushed as she opened her eyes to see James on top of her smirking. He leaned in close almost to the point of kissing her when suddenly someone at the door interrupted—

"Hey Prongsie!" It was the Sirius at the entrance to the compartment staring at the two on the floor, a teasing grin on his face. "Thought you were tired, buddy?" He asked grinning madly. The others joined in the humor as Lily and James themselves up off the floor faces flushed.

"Lily, we have to go, prefects are meeting in another..." Remus had now come into view; he looked at his watch and urgently stated the rest of his sentence, "like right now. We should get going."

Remus looked up and caught the grin on Sirius. "What?"

"Nothing!" Both Lily and James yelled at the same time.

Aryan started laughing in hysterics when she saw James's and Lily's face turn red from embarrassment. Sirius and Aryan dropped to the floor howling with laughter at their two friends.

Remus still not understanding what was going on looked at Lily and James, trying to figure the puzzle out.

But before he could he was being dragged away by Lily saying, "Come on, Remus we are going to be late."

When Lily and Remus were out of sight Peter came in, "What are you laughing about?" he asked pointing to Aryan and Sirius on the floor.

"Shut up!" James yelled, storming off in an angry way, although he was not angry. James was so happy as he went to find other Gryffindors all he could think about was the look in Lily's eyes. She has the most incredible eyes he thought smiling to himself.

R/r THANKS to all those who review! I am posting this chapter also as a sorry from my lateness. I hope this chapter is good. I really did try my hardest. I know I said that they would be seeing new characters and teachers and such and such in the previous chapter but that is going to be in the next chapter. Sorry about that!!!

Lily and James seem to be soft towards each other now, but that will change as the story progresses.

Dinis