Lily closed her book, and looked out the window at the cool mist floating eerily around the station. She sighed, and checked her watch. She couldn't believe she was Head Girl, but at the same time, she was proud and felt she deserved it, and finally, it was something her parents could be proud of too. "Head Girl" was something they understood, unlike "Head of the Charms Club" or any of her other accomplishments.

She felt a tingle of excitement. The Head Boy would be here soon, and she couldn't wait. Finally someone, a guy, who would be on her level, of her intelligence, someone who she could spend time with and not want to throw up, someone who-

'Lily!' someone interrupted her thoughts, and she looked towards the door. James Potter was standing there, a look of pleasant surprise upon his face.

'What are you doing here, Potter?' asked Lily, neither as cooly nor with as much venom as she would have normally said it with. She had heard a few whispers about James in the last few weeks of school and over the holidays, and in case even a grain of some of the statements was true, she was going to tread lightly.

'You're Head Girl?' he asked, ignoring her question.

'Yes, I am, no need to be so surprised.' she said.

'I'm not. Well done.' he said, smiling pleasantly. Lily eyed him suspiciously, suspecting a prank.

'Why are you here?' she asked. James opened his mouth to speak, but Sirius Black jumped out from behind him, puffed out his chest and cleared his throat loudly.

'I have come to introduce to you the young man who will be accompanying you in leading the school, your Head Boy.' said Sirius.

'Remus?' she said, without thinking, her face clearly giving away her eagerness. Sirius clicked his tongue, dramatically impatient.

'No,' he said, 'But he is the likely candidate, aye? I mean, nice, good looking, great arse-'

Lily looked shocked. 'What?'

'Just kidding.' said Sirius with a smile. 'It's James.'

'You...you think James has a nice arse?'

'God, you're slow! Honestly...James is Head Boy.'

Lily blinked.

'What?' she asked. 'You've got to be kidding.'

'Nah. Not kidding. Check out the badge! Jamsie! Where'd he go?' Sirius looked around the compartment.

'He left.' said Lily.

'When?'

'Around about the "nice arse", I think.'

'What? Why? JAMES! COME BACK!' hollered Sirius.

James re-appeared, his badge clearly visible on his chest.

'Who'd you steal that from?' asked Lily. James sighed.

'I didn't steal it from anyone.' he said.

'Yeah, he didn't steal it, it's his, honestly! Look, if I try and touch it...' Sirius reached over and tried to pry James badge off his chest, and was promptly hurled across the room.

'You all right?' asked Lily.

'Fine.' said Sirius, scrambling up. 'Cool, though, huh?'

'Amazing.' said Lily, though Sirius missed the sarcasm.

'I know, aye. Well, I best leave you two "dominatrixes" together.' he said, winking at the two of them, and he strode off. Lily watched him walk out, his long black hair swaying behind him, disappearing behind the compartment door before it promptly slammed behind him.

Lily couldn't suppress a small laugh, and she turned to face him.

Her breath caught in her throat as she soaked in the young man sitting in front of her. He had certainly changed a lot over the break. Whereas he had been long and lanky, he had now grown into his height, his shapely muscles and good figure faintly visible under his robes. His enormous, infuriating grin was replaced with a small smile, an adorable dimple faintly visible in the corner of his cheek. Someone had obviously gone to a lot of trouble with his hair, which was no longer unruly and wild. And those eyes...

'I don't think "dominatrixes" was the word he was looking for.' said James quietly. Lily laughed, and James looked up into her eyes. It was such a piercing gaze, full of clarity, and Lily felt a little uncomfortable, as though he were staring into her soul. Those eyes that she had looked into with so much hatred were now making her shift uncomfortably in her seat. She noticed a certain softness about them, but also a sadness about them too, which she had never seen before.

James looked away, and stared out the window; a vain attempt, as it was already misted up from the thick fog surrounding the train.

'What is it we're supposed to do again?' he asked, leaning back in his seat.

'Spend half the train ride in each other's company, and only each other's, to be come properly aquainted with one another.' said Lily. James stared.

'Whad'ya'do, memorize it?' Lily nodded sheepishly. James laughed, a much softer and quieter laugh than she was used to hearing emitting from him.

'How very like yourself you are.' he said. Lily studied him, trying to figure out the meaning of his statement.

'What's that supposed to mean?' she asked.

'Merely...that you are very true to your character.'

'And?' Lily inquired.

'And nothing.'

'Is that a bad thing?'

'Depends what you're like.'

'What am I like?'

'Do I have permission to speak freely?' Lily pursed her lips, and gave him a cold stare.

'Sorry.' said James, looking down at his feet.

'Sorry?' asked Lily, bemused.

'Bugging you. Being an immature idiot. Being...very true to my character, in this case a bad thing.'

'Oh. Well, apology accepted.' said Lily, not used to accepting apologies from James.

'Great.' said James, but Lily detected a hint of sarcasm.

'You seem kinda down. Are you ok, James?'

'Having a strong sense of dejavu here.'

'When......oh, right. Then. Yeah.' James nodded, but said nothing. 'Well?'

'Well what?'

'Are you ok?'

'Fine.'

'You sure?'

'How could I not be? Against all odds, ALL odds, me, James Potter, got made Head Boy.'

'Yeah.' Lily agreed. James looked at her.

'And...and you...Head Girl! Well done. Your parents must be pleased?' he said, turning the last statement into a question.

'Yeah! Yeah, they're thrilled.'

'Good for you.' he said, a touch of bitterness in his voice, looking back out the window.

'Have a good summer?' asked Lily. James snapped his head back round and surveyed Lily for some time. 'What?' asked Lily. James shook his head.

'Nothing. It was fine.' he said.

'What did you do?' she asked. James stared at her again.

'Nothing much.' he said finally.

'No? The famous four not get up to much?'

'Not really.'

'I find that hard to believe.' said Lily, a teasing tinge to her voice she had never heard before. James looked down at his hands.

'Yeah, well,' he said slowly, 'I wasn't out and about much these holidays.'

'Oh? How come?'

'Bit...sick. Caught something at the end of last term.' he said slowly, clearly contemplating his answer.

'Oh, poor you.' asked Lily, her suspicion about the truthfulness of the statement disappearing as her mind reeled. Was she being sympathetic to James Potter?

'Yeah.' said James shortly. 'So, how were your holidays?'

'Oh, they were pretty good. Did a bit of celebrating, you know, caught up with a few of my other friends, my muggle friends.' she added, for the benefit of a pure blood like him. James nodded his head slowly.

'Sound nice.' he said.

'It was.' There was an awkward silence. It didn't seem like James was going to introduce a new topic.

'What kind of illness did you have?' she inquired. 'Because you know, there are simple spells to clear up common bugs like a cold or the flu.' James snorted.

'Gee, I never knew.' he said sarcastically.

'Well, you might not have!' Lily protested.

'Just because I don't study, doesn't mean I don't know.'

'Ha ha.' she said, and he fell silent again.

'What was it then?' she persisted.

'You don't want to know.'

Lily screwed up her face. 'Was it something disgusting?'

'Um, yeah.'

'Liar. I can always tell when you lie, James.'

'Go you.'

'Was it something...infectious?'

'If it was, I wouldn't be sitting here risking the health of a beautiful woman.' Lily blushed, checked herself, and shook her head.

'You're not going to put me off. What was it?'

'Why do you want to know so much?'

'Because you're being mysterious, and I'm interested to know why!' she said.

'Leave it, ok?' said James, with a sigh, but he didn't sound that annoyed.

'Come on. Please? We're going to be working in very close proximity this year, even living in very close proximity, we have to learn to trust each other!'

'You want to know?' he asked, in a slightly bitter voice.

'Yes.' she said quietly.

'You really want to know?'

'I really do.' she said. He looked straight into her eyes, his pools of hazel drowning her in a sea of love that was bittersweet.

'You don't. You don't, and you never will. You and your...your...' but his voice was interrupted by a loud sob, and his shaking fist was occupied with hastily wiping the tears that came streaming down his cheeks.

Lily came and sat next to him, and brought his head to her shoulder, and wrapped her arms around his back, making quiet, sympathetic noises. His sobs racked through his body and she felt him shaking, and she stroked the back of his head. She watched the lightening crashing through the sky outside, and she thought about James Potter, that complete idiot who was so arrogant he acted like no one could touch him, who was now sobbing in her arms, sinking beneath the lowest low. James Potter, who she had once hated so much, who she was now holding in her arms. James Potter, who had been made Head Boy.

But mostly she thought about the Head Boy, who was nothing, nothing like James Potter.