A/N: From now on, I'll be updating every week.

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HEAD BOY, HEAD GIRL, AND WHAT ELSE IS NEW?

Lily Evans walked purposefully towards the four boys under the tree. James had put his book away and they were all lying on their sides sipping butterbeers that Sirius had conjured. Lily decided not to ask how on earth they were able to do it when they were only supposed to be learning it this year.

James took a deep breath as she approached. Don't say anything wrong, don't do anything wrong, and DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GETTING ANGRY, he coached himself.

"Potter."

He grinned up at her. "Evans."

"Professor McGonagall wants us in her office at seven tonight."

"Us? What d'you mean, us?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean. You and me, obviously."

"What did I do wrong?" James looked so alarmed that Lily, to her surprise, started laughing and hastily covered her mouth with her hand. She got herself to keep a straight face before she replied,

"Nothing, for heaven's sake. Forgot that you're Head Boy?"

She winked and spun around, heading for the castle. James looked after her, stunned.

"Did she just wink at me or am I imagining things?"

"She just winked at you, Prongs. You still haven't gotten over her, have you?" Sirius said with a long-suffering sigh.

"I guess not," James muttered. "I guess we won't be able to meet right after dinner."

"Wonder what McGonagall wants with you," Remus said.

James shrugged. "Dunno."

"I am aware that you two have not – er – gotten along very well lately."

Lily suppressed a snort. Lately, indeed!

"But, for the good of this school, I beg you two to lay aside your differences and cooperate."

"Yes, Professor," James and Lily mumbled.

"Now, I want you to shake hands and then we will discuss the – topic of discussion."

Faces burning, the two shook each other's hands and then turned to face McGonagall. Very quickly.

"I was thinking that we ought to have something to lighten the school's spirits, in view of the recent – events."

James looked up swiftly.

"Are you talking about Voldemort?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter. Very bright of you to figure that out. Seeing as the Predfasts were killed-" there was a suspicious brightness in the professor's eyes "- this past summer, and many in this school were friendly with them, I think that it is time the school was cheered up."

"What kind of event are you speaking about, Professor?" Lily asked.

"That is what I want you to decide. Get together sometime this week and come to a decision. I expect you here at seven this next Sunday."

They nodded obediently.

"You may go."

They left and began walking to Gryffindor Tower. After a minute, Lily spoke.

"Look, this is going to be awkward."

James nodded and mercifully refrained from saying that she made it so by hating him so much.

"But McGonagall's right, we need to lay aside our differences and get along."

"Do you think you could kindly abstain from putting down me and my friends whenever we have to work together?" he asked in a small voice.

"Yes, I think I can," Lily said seriously, "And do you think you could kindly abstain from asking me out whenever we have to work together?"

James went bright red. "Yes, I think I can."

"Good then." Lily smiled and held out her hand. He shook it hesitantly and looked at her for the first time that evening.

"Er, when do you want to discuss it?"

"Tomorrow, I think. I don't know about you but I still have to recover from – er – this – " she gestured helplessly.

He understood and shrugged. "Fine. In the library, then. We can't do it in the common room – the gossip would go on forever."

"Alright, then. See you."

"See you."

They met in the library the next day. James had actually managed to behave himself for yet another day. Lily had decided that she may as well make the best of the post and just try to treat him civilly.

They sat down in a corner of the library and looked at each other.

"Any ideas?" he asked her helplessly, taking a scrap of parchment and a quill out of his bag. He started doodling, but the quill didn't write.

"Bloody sugar quill…" He stuck it in his mouth, pulled another quill from his bag and a regular one out of his pocket, and handed Lily the second sugar quill.

"You don't need to-" she started to protest, but James cut her off.

"I know I don't need to, but I'm in the mood for one and my mum always told me it's impolite to eat in front of someone who's not eating. Besides, they're good." As if that settled the matter, he pulled a small jar of ink out of his pocket and started doodling a Snitch.

She sighed. "Fine." She sucked it thoughtfully. "I gather that you didn't have any ideas."

"No," he sighed too, "I thought of a ball, but I think that's too old."

"Me too," she said, "besides for the fact that I noticed only the girls know how to dance in this school."

"Excuse me, we know how to dance!" he said indignantly.

"We?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

James concentrated on not thinking how pretty she was when she did that. "I mean, me and Remus and Sirius."

"Oh?"

"Yeah-" he cringed in embarrassment "-my mum taught us."

"Your mum?" She burst out laughing.

He flushed bright red. "Yeah, in the summer before fourth year when she saw that we needed dress robes, Sirius and Remus were visiting, and she decided that we weren't going to disgrace our family names by stepping all over everyone's feet. Sirius said that he didn't care if he disgraced his family's name, but Mum just said that he'd disgrace her, and that shut him up. So we know how to dance."

"Sounds like an interesting lady. You and how many other boys in this school know how to dance?"

He was quiet.

"Qui tacet consentire."

"Huh?"

"Silence gives consent."

He turned redder.

"And stop blushing. I don't know why you'd be ashamed for the rest of the male population at Hogwarts."

James blushed even more. "Will you cut it out? You always do that to me!" he mumbled through his sticky quill.

"I won't ask what I do, as I'm entirely sure that I don't want to know the answer." She thought a moment, sucking absentmindedly. Then she looked up, an interesting light in her eyes. "Do you know when Dumbledore's birthday is?"

James gave her a puzzled look and took the quill out of his mouth. "Yeah, it's November first. I remember because he commented that day when he was giving me and Sirius a lecture about some prank we did that it was not exactly a pastime he would have chosen for his birthday." He put the quill back into his mouth.

"Perfect," she breathed.

"Whtru thkng bout?" he said stickily. He swallowed and took the quill out of his mouth again. "Sorry. What are you thinking about? What's perfect?"

"We can throw a dance for Dumbledore's birthday. And," there was a gleam in her very green eyes, "not only can we make it a surprise, but it can be a masquerade."

"A what?"

"Masquerade. People dress up, you know, and wear masks. Perfect for Halloween. I mean, it is the day before."

His eyes widened. "You know, I think you're onto something!"

"So what d'you think? Should we tell Professor McGonagall?"

"Yeah," he breathed, not taking his eyes off her, "You're brilliant, Evans, you know that?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Please, Potter, no flattery. I can't stand it."

"It's not flattery!"

She made a small noise of dissent, then stood up, pushing her long hair behind her ear.

"Bloody hair…let's go to McGonagall."

LILY

September 7

Dear Diary,

Well, it's settled. We're doing a masquerade for Dumbledore's birthday. It was my idea, and according to "Perfect" Potter, I'm brilliant.

Actually, Potter wasn't so bad lately. Well for the past few days. He's essentially keeping out of trouble, and he hasn't asked me out once. I hope he'll be like this for the rest of the year. Then he'll actually be bearable.

Classes are okay. They're pretty easy, but boy, are the teachers coming down hard with the homework. The entire seventh year class actually had to congregate one night and just do all our homework, because half the class didn't know what to do. It was really fun. Katie insists that we have to do it more often. I told her that if it meant I'd have to spend extra time with Black and Potter, then no thanks. She told me that she didn't think that I had such a grudge against Potter anymore. I told her that that shows what she knew, but it doesn't mean it's true, and that she's just using the study session to spend more time with Remus. Like they don't spend all their spare time together! She just turned red when I said that and backed down.

How interesting to see Katie with nothing to say.

From a conversation I overheard between the Feared Four (no, I was not eavesdropping; they just happened to be seated near me in the library), Remus really, really wants to marry Katie, but I heard him say that he wouldn't be able to marry anyone, with his condition. Black said that if someone really loved him, than his condition wouldn't stop her from marrying him. Then Potter told Black to stop heckling him, for Merlin's sake, and Remus said something about endangering his kids. Wonder what his "condition" is. Anyway, Pettigrew piped up with the comment, "Don't worry, Remus, you're only seventeen, so if you proposed to Katie now, she'd never speak to you again." I almost burst out laughing. The boys actually did. Black said, "Moony, Katie's not that mean. She'd probably give you a good hexing and then you'd kiss and make up." Potter said, "Make out, you mean," and Remus said, "Shut up!"

Ha. That is priceless.

Love,

Lily

September 9

Dear Diary,

Anyway, I've been busy. Did I mention that McGonagall loved the idea? Well, she did. Dumbledore doesn't know a thing about it. And I've made sure that no one will tell him unless they want to get a really, really good hexing by yours truly.

Potter has actually been working hard for once on something besides a prank. I personally think it's good for him.

I hate to say this, but I think that I'm losing my hatred for Potter. He used to be an asinine jerk (fine, not so asinine when it comes to Quidditch or school), but I think he's growing up. He's actually acting anxious about (isn't that astonishing, astounding, amazing alliteration?) the party, and not acting like he couldn't care what would happen one way or the other. (Well, everyone can change, right?)

Very interesting. I never thought that I'd be actually complimenting Potter.

Love,

Lily

JAMES

September 7

Dear Diary,

Well, it's all settled. Evans is brilliant. She came up with this idea to do a masquerade dance for Dumbledore's November first birthday on Halloween. I really had no clue what a masquerade was until she explained it to me. Probably some Muggle idea. But McGonagall loved it, and I have to admit, I do too.

It's getting harder and harder not to ask Evans out. Especially as she's acting civil to me. It's just not fair, she's so pretty and clever and all that, and I as good as promised her that I wouldn't ask her out! Life is complicated.

I've changed my ambition this year. I am going to get Lily Evans to go out with me.

James

September 10

Dear Diary,

I'm in the library now.

That absolutely does it. She knows she kills me with that smile. She knows that I'm having a hard time trying not to ask her out. She knows that every time she acts the least bit polite, I go mad. She knows that I'm mad about her.

FINE! I HAVE A CRUSH ON HER! I'M IN LOVE WITH HER! I ADMIT IT! IS ONE LITTLE DATE TOO MUCH TO ASK? JUST ONE? CAN'T SHE BE gracious AND COURTEOUS AND RESPECTFUL? CAN'T SH