Some things I'd change but it's too late
I'd take the past and make it straight
Even though it's complicated
We've got time to start again
I don't know if you can hear me

I'm sorry for the things I've said
But some thoughts just won't leave my head
Even though it's complicated
We've got time to start again
I don't know if you can hear me

"Start Again" by Teenage Fanclub

Chapter Two: The Proposal

Lily Evans entered the Gryffindor common room with her group of friends, laughing and carrying around in a way that isn't atypical for teenage girls. They were excitedly talking about the new year ahead of them, as they had just come from the Welcoming Feast. Lily's friendly chatter immediately ceased when she caught James Potter just staring at her.

Why did he have to do that? Just having his eyes pore into her made her irritable. Mostly because she didn't know what he was thinking, or imagining. Without much warning, he came walking towards her, stopping his conversation with Remus short.

"Er, Lily, are you ready to go meet Professor Dumbledore? He said he wanted to meet with us after the Feast." he started, putting his hands through his hair, whether it was from being nervous or smooth, Lily couldn't tell. She decided it annoyed her either way.

"Yes, you didn't have to wait for me Potter, I can get to Dumbledore's office just fine." she snapped.

James's eyes had that peculiar flash she recognized from the train.

"So I take it you've been to it before?" he replied, calmly.

Lily glared at him. "No, I have never had a reason to be sent there. Unlike some people I could mention."

James sighed. "I hadn't thought you'd ever been…I was just going to make sure you knew how to get there." And with his words, he put a hand in his pocket, waved good bye to the Marauders, and went through the portrait hole.

"Lily, why on earth did you do that?" Allison practically shrieked.

A sigh escaped her. "I don't know."

"Well you don't know where Professor Dumbledore's office is, do you?" she asked, a questioning look in her eyes, as far as she knew Lily had never been sent there.

Lily shook her head. "No, but I'll manage."

"Lily are you mad? You can't be late for your first meeting! What if you get lost?" asked Ellie, wondering how Lily could ever be so careless.

Lily glared; she knew she was being immature for turning down Potter's help, especially when she needed it. "It was either that or walk with Potter the entire time!"

The girls looked at Lily with exasperation.

"Fine, I'm going!" she replied.

Lily stormed through the portrait hole. She turned her head to look for any sign of Potter. No sign. She was screwed.

She decided to take a left. After a few minutes of walking aimlessly down the corridors, Lily checked her watch. It was almost seven, the time that Dumbledore wanted to meet them.

"Shit!" swore Lily in frustration. This was impossible. Why did she have to be so stubborn?

"Excuse me, Miss?" came a male voice from her side. Lily jumped back from fright and looked around. No one was there.

"Miss? Up here!" came the voice again.

Lily looked up the wall and spotted an old warlock dressed in gaudy, bright robes.

Stupid magical paintings and their constant gibberish.

"Yes?" inquired Lily.

"Are you lost?" he asked, with a friendly tone.

It clicked. This old warlock probably knew the entire way around the Hogwarts school.

"Yes, yes, actually. I need to get to the Headmaster's Office." asked Lily quickly as the minutes clicked closer to seven.

"Oh! Well, I believe I can remember that. Go down the next flight of stairs you come across, make a left, go straight, make a right the first time you come to a turn, and another right just after that. The password is 'Chocolate Frog' tell it to the gargoyle.' he replied, kindly.

Lily beamed at him. "Oh thank you so much!"

She rushed down the first staircase she came across.

"You're wel—" The aged warlock sighed. "Youth these days, always in a rush, always busy. Never have time for a chat…"

Lily gave the password to the gargoyle and rushed up the spiral stairs to reach Professor Dumbledore's office. She knocked.

"Come in Miss Evans." came the voice of Professor Dumbledore.

Lily opened the door to see James sitting comfortably in a purple squishy chair, Professor Dumbledore pointed her to the wooden one beside him.

"James took the liberty to change his to something a bit more comfortable, feel free if you'd like to do the same."

Lily smiled at the Headmaster. "Thanks" Lily realized that she was out of breath from the sprinting she had done and took a second to catch it.

"Would you like me to do it for you, Lily?" asked James.

"No Potter." she snapped. She realized Professor Dumbledore was watching them and forced herself to smile at him. "No thank-you, James, I think I can manage on my own."

"You're welcome, Lily." replied James in a sickly sweet voice.

She gave a nervous smile to the Headmaster and flicked her wand and a lime green lawn chair emerged. She had never been that good at Transfiguration.

Dumbledore and James both gave her a questioning look, but she just smiled and sat down.

"Reminds me of the beach." she laughed nervously.

"Ah, one does enjoy the beach." smiled Dumbledore as he folded his hands together. "Now let's get down to business."

James and Lily watched intently.

"The Deputy Headmistress and I have chosen you as the Heads for this year. We both believe you will be able to collaborate and work nicely together."

Lily tried to hold in a laugh of disbelief, it didn't go unnoticed by the Headmaster.

"This year, Miss Evans, Mr. Potter, it is important to set aside differences and do what it is best for the school. Cooperation is important in the real world, and it is vital to learn to get along with people you tend to disagree with."

Lily and James nodded.

"Now, as Heads, you have some new responsibilities, and privileges. I trust that you won't abuse them." With this, Dumbledore gave the smallest of looks to James. James blushed slightly and continued to listen.

"You can take points, give points, and give detentions. You are to monitor the prefects and to lead the prefect meetings, you must also set up patrol schedules. As Heads, you are expected to patrol together."

Lily tried her best to suppress the groan that was threatening to escape. Things just kept getting worse.

"You are also to organize some Hogsmeade events and school events, in order to keep the school together and in good spirits. These are trying times we are facing, with Voldemort on the rampage and his support gaining. It is important to have the school work together. It is expected that you are to organize a few school functions; the holidays or events are up to you to decided and organize. The prefects are at your disposal."

James and Lily grew solemn at the word of Voldemort, but neither shuddered.

"Yes Professor, we'll be happy too." replied James in an eager tone.

Dumbledore smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Yes, well that's the basics that I have for you to follow and organize as of now." Dumbledore smiled as he handed them each a folder containing stacks of papers.

"These are all the school rules and regulations, I'm giving them to you for reference."

Lily and James robotically nodded again.

"Now, there are a few privileges granted to the Heads. You will have extended curfews, access to the restricted section in the library, and the most prized, Heads Quarters complete with a bath, and a Heads common room, where you can organize your activities and find a place for solace if need be." Professor Dumbledore smiled.

"Oh thank you so much, Professor." grinned Lily, so there was some good things coming out of this, even if she did have to share it with Potter.

"Yes, thank you, Professor Dumbledore. I'm sure Lily and I will find them all handy. NEWTs classes are sure to be a handful." thanked James conversationally.

"Ah, they are a bit tough, but you two are bright, you'll be able to manage. I have faith in you.," responded Professor Dumbledore.

"Thanks." replied James almost sheepishly.

"You are welcome, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, now I believe that's all. Professor McGonagall will meet with you once a month, you will meet with me whenever I feel it necessary, and the prefects meet once a month, you set the date." Professor Dumbledore shifted his half moon sunglasses up as they slid down his nose. "Oh and Mr. Potter, will you show Miss Evans the Heads Quarters? If I remember correctly I believe you stumbled on them one night. I usually would, but there is some business I must attend to. The password is "hippogriff". Lily felt an inward groan rumble through out her body as James grinned at her.

"I'd be glad to, Headmaster."

With that, the Headmaster dismissed them and she found herself outside his office with James Potter at her side.

"So I see you made it to the meeting. I'm glad you knew the way. No trouble at all?" inquired James, who had the sneaking suspicion that she had.

"No I didn't!" retorted Lily, her cheeks blazing red.

"Really? I was hoping the whole out of breath, disheveled-looking state you arrived in was from running." he grinned at her.

"What? James Potter! How dare you imply such…such behavior that I would never be caught dead doing!" she scowled.

James nudged her, and he laughed. He was actually laughing at her. Lily felt her rage spread through out her body.

"Oh, lighten up Lily, I was only kidding. Come on, I know you don't do things like that." he smiled gently. Lily didn't know whether to reply with some prudish comment or to thank him. She just started to walk more briskly and to try and leave him behind her.

She'd have no such luck as loosing James Potter.

"Look Lily, I know I haven't exactly been the nicest guy in our time at Hogwarts." started James, as he began to steer them to the Heads Quarters.

Lily stopped dead in her tracks. Was James Potter, the king of arrogance, humbling himself in front of her? She had to hear this.

James stopped with her, taking it as a sign to continue.

"And let's admit it Lily, you haven't been exactly the nicest person when it comes to me."

So much for being humble, thought Lily as her rage flickered.

"Only because you are a complete arse when it comes to me, Potter!" retorted Lily.

James grinned. "Oh I know, but you could be a little more patient." James saw that he was only angering her and decided to stop his teasing. "It's just, this year were going to have to work a lot together, and I just wanted to know if we could maybe, be friends?"

Lily felt her rage come to a boiling point.

"NO." she replied, like it was the most ridiculous thing in the entire world to suggest.

James tried to hide the look of surprise from his face. He thought Lily would have at least tried to make things work.

"Why not?" he asked, his own temper growing.

"Because, Potter. You can't just get up and be friends one day! After six years of hatred, you can't just drop everything and decide to be friends! You have to know people that you're friends with, and even people that don't hate each other have to know each other before they become friends! You don't know me! You can't even comprehend knowing me!"

James couldn't take Lily's infuriating antics any longer.

"Look, EVANS!" The sound of her last name again, something he had stopped doing seriously at the end of last year, turned her around. "You always have to pretend to be so high and mighty and above everyone else! Well you have to know your friends, but you have to know your enemies too, and Lily, you don't even know me! Yet you hate me. Oh it's alright for you to go around, judging people without knowing them, but when other people do it, it's suddenly all wrong! You say I don't know you? Well do you know anything about me?"

Lily's hair flared around her red face, giving her the frightening appearance of being on fire.

"Know you Potter? What more is there to know? You are a rich, egotistical spoiled brat that never has to work for anything! Good grades, talents, and girls just come flocking to your feet like you're some sort of god! The only reason you're even interested in me is because I won't flock to you! I can't stand how you make me feel, and I can't stand that you're Head Boy. I can't stand that you will go through out life with everything handed to you! You make me sick!" she ranted.

James's face was white with anger. "Well obviously, Evans, you don't know me very well!"

Lily let out a cry of rage. "And you don't know me!"

As they stood in the corridor, they heard the approaching feet behind them and a swish of a cloak.

"Potter." came a cold, sniveling voice behind the two very heated teenagers.

James knew exactly who that voice belonged to, and he was no mood to deal with him. He turned around briskly.

"Snape." greeted James, his eyes narrowed. Lily found herself turning around as well.

"Oh, Mudblood, couldn't see you there behind Potter."

Lily, a good couple of meters away from James could feel his heart beat pick up and his anger surge higher, if Lily hadn't been used to the fact that Snape and others had been calling her such things for years, she might have been enraged as well.

"I wasn't aware your vision was impaired." retorted Lily, surprised at her own sarcasm.

Snape sneered. "Well all of can't wear those adorable glasses Potter does."

Lily might have laughed, if that comment had come from anyone else at any other time. However, she was furious and talking to Severus Snape, and didn't find it very funny at all.

"What are you doing down here, Snivellus? Don't you have some sort of Death Eater party to go to?" intervened James.

A glare crossed Snape's greasy face, but an ugly smile took its place. "The Headmaster wanted to see me. Now if you don't mind, I'm running late." Snape pushed through the two of them with some air of importance and it took all of James's self-control to stop himself for tripping him. If James had bothered to compare notes with Lily just then, he would have realized she was feeling the same way, although her composure gave off nothing.

"Come on, I'll show you the Heads Quarters." was all James said as he began to lead the way again.

Lily would have liked to comment that what headmaster would give the head boy position to a boy that already knew of the secret heads quarters, but given their encounter with Snape, decided against it.

James led her down paths she hadn't been before, and after a few minutes of fast paced, silent walking, they reached an elaborate painting of beautiful nymphs.

James yawned. "Hippogriff."

They walked in together, and James gave Lily time to absorb the common room's rich colors.

The common room was about the size of the Gryffindor common room, with the same gold and burgundy coloring and mahogany tables. There were two writing desks with squashy chairs, a elaborate fire place, and a few decorative paintings all along the walls.

"This is beautiful." gasped Lily. "And just for two people!"

James grinned at Lily the way he always did, her astonishment took away the little anger he had held towards her from their previous argument. When Lily spoke, he found he didn't really care that she didn't know him, as long as she was saying nice things.

"I'll show you your room." offered James, who led Lily to a broad oak door with "Head Girl, Lily Evans" scrawled in gold letters.

James smiled as she opened up the door to her room, and decided to go find his.

Lily gasped as she saw her room. It had many of the same features as her room in Surrey, with frilly lace curtains lining the windows, a white feather bed spread and lavender sheets. A few dolls stowed away in the corner. Stuffed animals lay astray on her bed, and she could not help but feel the warm fuzzy feeling that stuffed animals bring to a girl. There were also the affects of her teenage side that lingered in her room, a record player and an assortment of records in the corner, books she enjoyed rereading over the summer but could never manage to bring to Hogwarts, even her pine dresser was there, with pictures of her family and friends, Muggle and magical, and a picture of her cat, Walter.

She wondered briefly what James's room looked like.

James, stood in his room looking around it. He wasn't as surprised as Lily had been to see the relics of his bedroom from his house in the English countryside, he knew the house elves were clever.

But he was stunned by the overall personal effect that seemed to linger in the room…almost like he had arranged everything himself. His comforter was a rich red, and his sheets were cream colored. He had a lone, beat up teddy bear with eyes and an ear missing lying on his bed. James smiled as he saw the old bear, one he had received at birth and had always wanted to bring to Hogwarts, but he had valued his pride more than his comfort, and had never had the great Gryffindor courage to bring it. He glanced around and saw his dresser, which was lined with an array of pictures of family and the Marauders, he had one of Lily in the drawer of his nightstand. A toy chest stood at the foot of his bed, and without looking in it, he knew it contained an array of old prank tools he and Sirius had found particularly amusing over the long holidays at his place. Various posters of the English Quidditch team lined his walls as well. He took a deep breath, and wondered what Lily Evans's room looked like and although he knew it was ludicrous, if she had a picture of him tucked away somewhere.