A/N: So, here is the lengthy first chapter, much more interesting
than the prologue, i promise you. WARNING! CONTAINS COLOUR OF LILY'S
PANTIES! SIRIUS IS A PSYCIC! hahaha...right, at any rate... oh and the
sunburn thing actually happened to me on my first day of highschool.
Resulting in people calling me rudolph and the like for the rest of the
year. Fifteen year old boys can be so clever. Please review!
P.S. see general disclaimer at the beggining of the prologue. If perchance you're concerned about that sort of thing.
She thought later that perhaps another reason that she remembered her last day of summer so clearly was because of the sharp contrast it made with the following day. She awoke the next morning not to the gentle play of sunlight across her face, but to her sister's shrill voice screaming at her to get up – her family had arrived to see her off on the school train – and a sore and itchy nose. Puzzling over this as she rolled groggily out of bed and stumbled into the adjoining bathroom, she rubbed the offending bit of her anatomy thoughtfully, then remembered that she had spent the entirety of the previous day lying out in the blazing sun. Sure enough, peering nervously into the mirror, she discovered that her nose and cheeks were burnt a brighter red that her hair.
Lily let out a moan of disgust and splashed her face with cold water, scrubbing at her sore nose to no avail. If anything it looked worse than before. Swearing mildly under her breath, she stripped off the t-shirt she had worn to bed and climbed into the shower stall, thinking vaguely that she ought to be able to hide it with makeup. She was not going to start her seventh year at Hogwarts looking like a tomato gone wrong.
An hour and a half, two moisturising face treatments and a stick of concealer later, Lily was ready to scream with frustration. No matter what she tried her nose still looked as florescent as ever. Washing her face for the umpteenth time, she glared at her dripping reflection. I'll just have to bring out my eyes or something instead, she thought desperately, half remembering something she had once read in a magazine – and promptly jabbed herself in the eye with the mascara brush.
By the time she arrived downstairs to greet her family, she was late, grumpy and had acquired the beginnings of a headache. It was no help when Petunia, upon spotting her new, rosy complexion, snorted into her bowl of cereal (weatabix, naturally, Lily thought in disgust). Looking up from his eggs to wish her good morning, her father winced, and even her mother looked pained at the sight of her younger daughter's face. She kissed Lily's cheek very gingerly, muttering, "you might try some aloe lotion on that." All in all, it wasn't a very positive start to her last year of school.
The drive to King's Cross Station was almost unbearable, with her headache growing steadily worse as Petunia prattled on about the wedding; where was the best place to register for you china patterns and what colour the groomsmen's' ties ought to be. Lily pressed her burning cheek against the sticky glass of the car window and thought longingly of the cool, quiet compartments on the Hogwart's Express, before remembering that before she could enjoy a nice nap she was required to instruct the prefects in their duties – as well as certain other things which had been outlined in the letter telling her she had been made Head Girl.
She turned her attention to the badge sitting in her lap, picking it up and playing idly with it. If truth were told, that letter had not come as any great surprise to her. While she was not necessarily at the top of the class in every subject, she was aware that her exam results were some of the very best in her year. Morever, she knew that Dumbledore wasn't necessarily looking for the person with the fewest detentions to her name (because if he were, she thought with mild amusement, I certainly wouldn't have gotten the badge), but someone with strong leadership qualities, who wouldn't abuse the position, who was easily approachable by any students requiring help. Without any conceit she knew that this description fitted her perfectly, and was pleased that the Headmaster recognised it too.
Yes, she would have been surprised and a little offended if Dumbledore had not chosen her, and yet... Now that she was here, and everything was suddenly coming to a head, she felt slightly uneasy about the amount of responsibility that was being thrust upon her. I'm not ready for this, a part of her exclaimed, I'm only seventeen! Which means you're about to start your seventh year, the more rational part of her brain retorted, just like every other Head Girl for who knows how many years. Calm down, take a deep breath, don't have a hernia. This, however, brought to mind the other thing that had been worrying her, and that was that at the end of the year she would be leaving Hogwarts forever.
I'm not ready for any of this! I'm only seventeen!
You can cross that bridge when you come to it. Breath, Lily, breath.
There seemed to be two completely different people clashing inside her head. One moment she felt confident and in control, the next... the next she was just a silly girl who had burnt her face to the colour of a strawberry right before the first day of school.
"Lily – we're here."
Mrs Evan's voice shook her out of her reverie, and she looked up to find herself sitting in the parking lot at King's Cross Station.
Partings with her family were brief – she had always been terrible at goodbyes. She quickly hugged and kissed her mother and sister, ("Just a peck on the cheek will do fine, Lily," sniffed Petunia, "you're going to muss my hair...") then embraced her father last.
Mr Evans held his daughter's tiny frame close to him for a moment before releasing her and bending to kiss her forehead. "You'll be fine, darling," he said softly, correctly interpreting the expression on her face. "That Headmaster of yours is no fool – he wouldn't have chosen you if he didn't think you were the best for the job." Lily nodded, acknowledging the truth in his words, but still unsure. Smiling slightly, her father took the silver badge from her hands and pinned it carefully to her t-shirt.
She took a step back, staring at her family for a minute, unsure of what to say, until her mother laughed and pushed her towards the barrier. "Go quick, then, dear, before we all start bawling our eyes out. We'll see you at Christmas for the wedding... be good, now... write..."
Lily turned away towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Blowing Petunia a last kiss (her sister half-smiled and shook her head in reluctant amusement), she glanced around, then took the barrier at a run.
She emerged blinking in the bright sunlight onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters, which was as usual bustling with young witches and wizards and their families. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she straightened her hair and pulled herself up to her full height, such as it was. Everything is going to be just fine, she told herself silently. She began to push her trolley in the direction of the enormous scarlet steam engine that was the Hogwarts Express, peering into the crowd, looking for her friends, or possibly the new Head Boy. Or someone who knew who he was, for that matter. Perhaps one of the Prefects –
Lily was very nearly bowled over by someone smashing into her form behind and immediately seizing her in a very enthusiastic hug with a cry of "Lily!" She knew without turning who it was and said, laughingly, "Get off Marlene, I can't breathe." Marlene McKinnon released her and she turned to face her fellow Gryffindor seventh year and friend, only to be smothered in another hug, this time from Tara MacMillan.
"Yes...yes, I missed you too," she said, patting the blond girl carefully on the back, "but I really can't breath like this..."
Tara relinquished her hold on Lily. "Lily!" she cried melodramatically. "We haven't heard from you in ages! We thought you'd been eaten by something!"
"And really," added Marlene, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes suspiciously, "what sort of person doesn't write to her best mates in the world for over three weeks if she hasn't been eaten by something?"
"Oh, well..."
"Honestly, Lily!" Tara said in a mock-angry tone of voice. "I had to brave the Muggle phone lines to make sure you were still alive. Good thing I got your father – you sister would have probably hung up on me – and what do I find, but that you've been made Head Girl and disappeared off to some reclusive hippie retreat and won't be back until school starts!"
Lily laughed and continued pushing her trolley towards the train. Marlene and Tara followed.
"It wasn't a hippie retreat," she said, "I was just at my aunt's, by the beach -"
"The beach?" interjected Marlene. "Meet any lads there?"
"Who met some lads where?"
This last came from directly above Lily's head, causing her to jump, startled. She turned quickly to see the remaining occupants of her dorm room in Gryffindor Tower; the twins, Rosemary and Jasmine Brown, and Danielle Meadowes.
"Lily met some lads at the beach," Marlene said in reply to Jas' query.
"Lily's here?" said Rosie, in tones of great surprise.
"Lily, darling, we thought you'd gotten some sort of really dreadful disfiguring disease!" cried Jas. (The twins refused to answer to their full names because, as Rosie had once said, "It's not our fault our mother named us after the herbs on her windowsill.")
Lily threw up her hands in exasperation. "Oh, honestly, what are you lot like? I was only gone two
weeks -"
"Meeting lads without us," said Jas, attempting to look pouty.
"I didn't meet anyone, it was a private beach! Besides, it was raining most of the time."
"Hmmm," said Rosie, eyeing Lily's complexion. "Looks like you got enough sun, all the same."
Lily glared at her friend and clapped a hand to her nose.
Tara giggled. "Merlin, Lily, what did you do? It's brighter than your bloody hair!"
"I just stayed out a bit long yesterday, all right?"
The girls proceeded over to the train, still giggling, where Jas and Marlene immediately set about charming a couple of burly Hufflepuffs into hauling their trunks into the compartment.
"So, Lily, if it rained the whole time and you weren't off snogging someone, why on earth didn't you write?" said Danielle. "And after you'd just been made Head Girl, no less."
Lily rolled her eyes good-humoredly. "Oh, are we back to this? It seems you all found out the news just fine without me."
"That's because Tara isn't opposed to communication," said Rosie, "and she sent us all owls as soon as she found out, like a good mate."
"Yes, because I'm a good mate," parroted Tara.
Lily smiled. "All right, all right, I'm sorry I didn't write, but I thought Marlene and Danielle were still abroad, and Tara was off shagging Jack twenty-four seven - "
Tara looked affronted. "I was not shagging - "
"Right, save it for the jury," grinned Rosie. Tara's boyfriend Jack had left Hogwarts two years ago and they were always inseparable during the summer.
Lily continued, "- and I didn't even know where Rosie and Jas had gotten to – "
"Amsterdam!" said Jas, flinging out an arm theatrically and nearly catching a frightened-looking first-year in the eye. "Learning to speaken ze Doitch viz ze Doitchlandish!"
Tara coughed. "Well then you must have learned that Doitchland actually means Germany and not Holland..."
Jas frowned. "Does it really? Bit confusing, that. But I had to learn some, in order to talk to all the dishy Dutch blokes. Oh – there was this one in the restaurant - "
"Jas, dear," Rosie cut in, "we've been over this, he was only goggling at you because he was trying to take your order, that's what the waiter's supposed to do - "
"Oh, you're just jealous because he wasn't looking at you..."
Both twins simultaneously flipped their matching golden hair in annoyance with the other. Born within ten minutes of each other, their every moved seemed to be synchronised, and it was often impossible to tell them apart.
Their trunks loaded, the girls climbed into the train themselves and moved along the corridor, looking for an empty compartment. They found one towards the back and all piled inside; Lily sank into the window seat and leaned back against the headrest, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her headache seemed to have returned, worse than ever. Her friends appeared not to notice.
"So, Tara," Marlene began, fixing the girl with an inquisitive look, one eyebrow raised, "if you weren't shagging Jack all summer, what were you doing with him?"
At this, all attention was immediately focused on Tara, who had just fished a copy of Witch Weekly out of her bag. She peered at Marlene over the top of her magazine and attempted a commiserating look. "I'll have you know, Miss McKinnon, that there are plenty of worthwhile things to one's boyfriend that do not involve sex in any way."
"Ha!" snorted Jas. "Such as?"
"W-well...the other day, for example, Jack and I had a...a very enlightening philosophical discussion -"
"Oh, is that what we're calling it now? 'Philosophical discussion'?"
"Come off it, Tara," said Rosie, grinning. "You've never been opposed to kiss and tell before, why're you holding out on us now? Usually we can't get you to shut up about Jack..."
"Oh, let's not go there," muttered Danielle darkly. "I know much more about Jack Davies by now than anyone in their right mind would care too..."
"Come on, Tara, spill," said Jas eagerly, not to be deterred. "When did you start having 'philosophical discussions'?"
Tara's round, pretty face had darkened to a shade that matched Lily's hair, and she seemed on the point of answering when the compartment door slid noisily open and a tall, dark-haired boy darted inside, slamming the door behind him. He peered cautiously down the hall through the glass, swore, and spun to face the girls, whose presence had apparently escaped him.
An expression of very slight surprise crossed his handsome face, but it was replace almost immediately with a charming, easy smile; Lily knew after seven years that very little ruffled the cool composure of Sirius Black. Dark grey eyes dancing, he bowed deeply. "Ladies," he said, pushing longish black hair away from his face.
They all returned the greeting, and Jas flipped her cornsilk hair over her shoulder, an alluring smile in place on her perfect lips. Despite the headache, Lily shook her head in amusement. The girl was terrible; put her in the same room with any male under the age of fifty and there was no stopping her.
"Hiding from someone, Sirius?" she practically purred.
Sirius' grin widened. "It's... possible. Though this particular compartment has more to recommend itself than just a good hiding place."
"Oh, really?" Jas began, but Marlene interrupted her.
"I would hazard a guess that the person he's hiding from is female," the other girl remarked absently, not looking up from the article she was reading over Tara's shoulder.
Sirius looked slightly sheepish. Seeing this, Tara exclaimed, "Oh, you haven't gone and broken it off with Connie, have you? She's such a nice girl - "
"Not to mention one of the best duellers in the school," added Marlene dryly. She looked up at Sirius, her eyes lingering on a burn in the left sleeve of his shirt. "I'd also venture to say that Mr Black wasn't particularly tactful in his handling of the situation."
"Ah... well, if you put it that way..." Sirius looked marginally awkward for about a millisecond before pulling himself together. "She did seem a bit put out about something, but nothing to fret over, I'm sure..." His dazzling smile was back in place. His gaze swept over the compartment and came to rest on Lily.
His grin, if possible, widened even further, and he came over to sit between her and Danielle, leaving Jas looking slightly put out. Lily sighed tiredly. Sirius was all right, as boys went, but she wasn't in the mood for him just now. She blamed the headache for the harshness in her voice. "What do you want, Sirius?"
"Anything of a personal nature that you're willing to tell me," he said promptly, "that I might aid a certain esteemed friend of mine in relentlessly stalking you. A play by play account of your summer would be a good start."
Lily's friends all giggled. Sirius Black's best friend, James Potter, had been infatuated with Lily since fourth year. She had long ago lost count of the number of times he had asked her out and she had turned him down (in an increasingly derogatory manner). Whatever else might be said of the boy, he certainly didn't give up easily. (Though what some might call persistence, Lily was more likely to refer to as pig-headedness and conceit.)
She faced Sirius with another sigh. "Really?" she said sarcastically. "Knowing your esteemed friend, I would have thought it would be more along the lines of the colour of my underwear."
Sirius continued to grin maddeningly. "Oh, rest assured he already knows. You see," he added, dropping his voice conspirationaly, "James and I both share the unique ability to divine the colour of girls' kinckers, an ancient and much maligned form of divination. It's true!" he insisted, as Marlene snorted. "Go on, try me! Jas - "
Lily closed her eyes and flopped backward in her seat again with a moan, wondering for the billionth time what was wrong with most males under the age of twenty five. And why most females seemed to find this brand of idiocy so attractive. As Jas, Rosie and Danielle all leaned in towards Sirius, Marlene snorted again and Tara giggled, Lily came to the conclusion that they wouldn't miss her overmuch if she left now for the prefect's compartment. The train was about to leave anyway, and she still hadn't found out who the new Head Boy was.
She was bending down to gather up her bag as Sirius turned back to her.
"Your turn, Lily!" he said gleefully as she looked up. He grabbed her chin and pulled her up until her face was more or less level with his, then looked deep into her large, green eyes, narrowing his own comically. Faking a look of great concentration, he touched two fingers to each of her temples, then brought them back to his.
"Hmmhmm, hmmhmm...aha! Black bikini...rather..lacy!"
Lily considered this for a moment. He was actually mostly right. In spite of herself, she could feel her cheeks growing warm.
"Oooo," giggled Jas. "Lily's blushing!"
"No, that's just the sunburn," said Marlene helpfully.
Sirius peered more closely at her face and winced. "That's a sunburn? Wow, Lil', I mean – not that the, er, rasberry look can't be attractive, but - "
Lily sighed, grabbed her bag, and got to her feet.
"I'm off to the prefect's compartment for a bit, all right girls?" she said, pointedly ignoring Sirius, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Ah, yes, forgot you were Head Girl now, Evans..." (Lily wondered for a moment how he had found out in the first place, then remembered who his best friend was) "...well, you're certainly frightening enough when you're angry - " - Lily stalked out of the compartment – "– but you might want to invest in a pair of stilts, it's easier to look authorative when people don't have to bend down to see you - " he called after her.
Once outside, she mentally shook herself. Normally she was very easy going – Sirius usually made her laugh. The growing ache in her skull was putting her in a bad mood. She took another calming breath, then wandered slowly towards the front of the train. Students of all ages and houses were rushing up and down the length of the corridor, searching for an empty compartment, saying last minute goodbyes, stowing their luggage, greeting their friends, hexing the kid who had sent them a curse by owl over the summer...
After handing out the first detention of the year to a Ravenclaw fourth-year and providing the unfortunate Slytherin third-year with a pail to vomit the slugs into, she proceeded directly to the prefect's compartment, hoping to have a chance for a quick nap before everyone else arrived. She spotted Connie Edgecomb (a pretty, rather foolish girl), Sirius's latest ex, lurking just outside it, and considered briefly telling her where she might find him. After a moment's hesitation, she merely smiled cheerfully as she slipped past the girl.
The prefect compartment was completely empty. She sank into a seat with a sigh, pressing her cheek against the cool glass of the window. Her head was pounding and her bunt face was itchy. What a wonderful way to start off the year, she thought bleakly. Serves me right for not wearing a hat, I suppose. I'd best go and see Madam Pomfrey straight away when the train arrives... She'll have something for the headache...I can't spend the whole first day of classes vomiting from heat stroke...
It was lovely and quiet in this compartment. She had closed her eyes and was just beginning to drift off when the door slid noisily open. She didn't open her eyes. Maybe if they thought she was asleep they would just leave her alone...
Or not. She heard slow footsteps approaching, and then silence. Maybe if she just stayed still they'd go away and let her sleep... the glass felt wonderful beneath her burning cheek and the silence was soothing... she opened her eyes a crack to see if whomever had just entered the compartment was worth her attention –
- and found herself staring into a pair of hazel eyes just inches from her face. She jumped backwards as best she could while remaining in her seat and swore, loudly and colourfully.
James Potter stepped back, grinning widely at her creative use of four letter words.
"Language, Evans. As Head Girl you've got to set an example for the rest of us..." He raised a hand and ran it casually through his dark hair, just as he always did. He had grown taller and more broad-shouldered over the summer, making the difference in their heights even more significant, but his jet black hair remained as wildly untidy as ever.
"What the bloody hell d'you think you're doing, Potter?" she demanded angrily, her heart still racing from the fright he had given her. Before he could get out one of his trademark glib remarks she added, "You shouldn't even be in here! This compartment is reserved for the prefects and the Head Boy and Girl."
He nodded, looking quite pleased with himself.
"I said, you're not supposed to be in here."
He continued to smile aggravatingly, as though he had just thought of something highly amusing and was dying to tell her, but was waiting for the opportune moment.
"So leave."
He tilted his head to one side, considering. "You said it's reserved for prefects and Heads."
"Yes."
"Yes." He looked more infuriatingly pleased than ever. An idea occurred to her.
She stared up at him in horror. No – it couldn't be. Of course, everyone knew Dumbledore was a little mad, but even he couldn't possibly have...
"You – you don't mean – you can't be saying – he wouldn't - " she stuttered hopelessly, already guessing the truth
He raised an eyebrow at her ironically. "You know, that's exactly what my mother said," he said brightly, "but look, I have proof - "
And he produced a small silver badge from his shirt pocket. It was nearly identical to hers, and on it were unmistakably the graven words 'Head Boy'.
She leaned back against the seat again, fighting the sudden urge to bang her head repeatedly against the window; it already felt like somone was trying to crack her skull open with a pickaxe.
"Oh, no..." she moaned.
"Oh, yes," he said happily, flinging himself into the seat across from her, completely unperturbed by her dismay.
"No," she repeated, pinching the bridge of her nose against the pain behind her eyes. "No, I don't need this, not now... What was Dumbledore thinking?"
He was still grinning, blast him. She expected some sort of remark on how it was obviously due to his incredible brilliance, good looks and all around charm, but instead James merely spread his hands in of bewilderment and shrugged his shoulders.
"Search me, the man's a loony," he replied. Apparently he couldn't quite restrain himself though, as he added, "Although, he is very highly respected throughout the wizarding community, so that must count for something. Perhaps he believes I have hidden depths?'
Lily snorted. "Of course you have hidden depths. And there's nothing in them that I should like to see brought to the surface."
He clapped a hand to his chest theatrically. "Ouch, Evans, you wound me deeply." But he continued as though she hadn't. "So... had a good summer then? Haven't found your mates yet? Is that why you're in here so early?"
James' questions were innocent enough, the sensible part of Lily's mind noted, but her usual reflex of snapping at anything he said, combined with headache drumming in her ears caused her to respond tersely.
"My summer was passable, and I'm early because your best mate is chatting with all of mine," she said, "and when I say chatting, I mean flirting shamelessly and guessing the colour of their knickers."
James winced. "Ah...yes...the, er, ancient and much maligned branch of Divination," he said, almost apologetically. "Er, sorry about that, we were both quite drunk when we came up with it..." He considered this for a moment. "Although come to think of it, Sirius's actually quite good at it..."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes," she said dryly, "I got to witness his prowess first hand. It's a talent we may all aspire too. However, I left that compartment for a reason, so if you'd be so kind as to shut up now..."
Even to her the words sounded harsh, and she saw his face harden for a moment before he shrugged and fell silent. She pretended not to notice and turned to stare determinedly out of the window even thought there was nothing to see yet.
This lasted for approximately thirty seconds before James opened his mouth again; it seemed to Lily that the boy was entirely too fond of the sound of his own voice.
"Lily, could – "
"No."
"You don't even know what I - "
"No," she said again. "Whatever it is, Potter, the answer is no."
James sighed and got to his feet as though to leave the compartment, but she waived him impatiently back into his seat.
"The prefects will be here any minute, and we're supposed to tell them a bunch of things," she informed him. "You can leave when we've finished that."
"Aw, Evans, I'd only be gone for a minute - "
"No."
He shrugged again and sat back down, twiddling his thumbs idly. Lily turned back to the window, wondering what the Headmaster had been on when he had sent a badge to James Potter, and if it came to that, where she could get some of it. At this rate she'd need a strong sedative, at the very least, to stop her going stark raving mad. The boy was clearly unfit for the position... hexing innocent people in the tormenting the younger students just because he could... he would obviously abuse the position... and completely thoughtless... it was a wonder he hadn't burnt the school down yet... or if not him, then Sirius...
She glanced up again after a minute or so and saw that he was staring at her with apparent fascination. She looked away, then back again surreptitiously, several times. When he continued to stare, she said in exasperation, "I've never been sure which planet you came from, Potter, but in our terran culture it's considered rude to stare."
He blinked, then beamed at her. "I was just admiring your new sunny complexion," he said brightly and, as she shot him a death glare, added, "No really, the whole 'poster child for skin cancer' look is quite popular this fall..."
"Shut up, Potter!"
James began humming under his breath. Deeming this better than the actual sound of his voice, Lily closed her eyes again. She vaguely recognised the tune, and after a minute she recalled the words.
You are my sunshineMy only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are grey
You'll never know, dear
How much I love you –
Her eyes jerked open. "James, do you mind?" she snapped. "I have a headache!"
She was spared any retort he might have made by the sound of a whistle blowing and the compartment door sliding open; the prefects had arrived and the train was leaving.
Lily got quickly to her feet, trying to ignore the intensified pounding in her temples as she stood, and a sudden light-headedness. Shaking her head as though to clear it, she smiled around at her fellow Hogwarts students as they filed in. Most nodded their greetings to her in return, but she noted that a couple of the Slytherins and even a Ravenclaw she knew to be a pureblood watching her in a decidedly resentful way. She continued to smile determinedly and pretended not to see. James seemed to have noticed the same thing, because he stood up too and looked at the offending prefects in a way that could be interpreted as menacing. Lily chose to ignore this as well; there was a time and a place for fighting with the new Head Boy, and this was not it.
James' expression softened a moment later when Remus Lupin, another of his close friends entered. The tall boy smiled in greeting at the prefect, who returned the gesture, laughter in his amber eyes as he looked from James to the small redhead beside him.
Lily cleared her throat and glanced down at the papers she had quickly pulled out of her bag. Right... so she had to explain their duties and give them passwords... There was an odd, sick feeling in the pit of her stomach and she felt decidedly unsteady on her feet. She shut her eyes briefly, willing the world to stop spinning.
"Right," she said, looking around. "Right, um... yes, welcome back for another year and – and congratulations to the new prefects. I – I - " Her hand went to her forehead, trying to push away the burning, beating feeling in her skull. She tried to focus on the papers in front of her, but it was all slightly blurry. "Um... I - " Snap out of it, Lily! She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and someone snickered softly.
"Are you all right?" James's voice said in her ear. She tried to nod, but it made the pounding worse. There was another snicker.
James looked up and glared aggressively at the offending prefect. "Here, let me do it," he muttered to Lily, taking the papers from her hands.
"Uh- I believe what our Head Girl is trying to say is that we're all dead chuffed you lot are back and weren't attacked by Chimeras over the summers hols – yeah, even you Parkinson – and everyone's real proud, etc. etc. It's a big responsibility and if you abuse it, I'll hex you. Now - "
"James!" Lily hissed.
"– sorry, Lily will hex you - "
"Potter!"
" – right, right, no threatening allowed – er, there will be severe repercussions and McGonagall'll do her nut – and no one wants that. Now, there's a couple of things we're supposed to make you do. Firstly - "
But this time, Remus Lupin's voice cut in. "Oi! Prongs!"
James glanced over at Lily. She was swaying unsteadily beside him and her face was suddenly very pale in contrast with her sunburn.
"Lily? Are you - ?"
But there was a rushing in her ears and she felt her knees give way beneath her, felt herself falling, saw James reaching out to grab her. Oh no, she thought vaguely, as though in slow motion, he'll never let me live it down if I faint right into his arms. In her last moments of consciousness, she hit his arms aside. Then the world grew suddenly dark and she was out cold even before her head hit the ground with a resounding thud.
Hurrah! Please review and then I'll update! Next chapter will likely be more from James' POV.