A/N: Well I'm just on a roll. You can thank my new beta for that, hcgolfinfool. This chapter, according to her, and me, is dedicated to all the assholes that don't like skim milk. It's refreshing and less fattening, fools! But if you do happen to like milk with a percentage…I'll respect that. At least you're getting your calcium! Soo…read and review, please. Thank you.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: New Lessons and More Tasks

"Good morning, Ms. Evans." greeted Professor McGonagall as Lily walked in to her empty classroom. It was time for her first lesson in ocular transfiguration.

"Good morning, Professor." Lily replied, taking a seat and pulling out a quill and some ink. If she knew Professor McGonagall like she though she did, she knew there would be some sort of exam before hand.

"Today I would like to go over the basics of Transfiguration. I feel that this will be easier if we remember where to begin, and then add on."

Lily nodded and inwardly jumped with joy. Yes, she was Head Girl, and yes, she studied constantly and got outstanding marks, but she absolutely hated tests.

Professor McGonagall handed Lily a pack of notes.

"I know how you like to have a descript explanation on how to do things, Ms. Evans, so I have prepared this for your reference. It should make this a lot less painless."

She gave Lily a very rare smile, and Lily grinned and took the packet. "Thank you."

After an hour of "reviewing" as Professor McGonagall called it, although Lily suspected the Professor really might have thought Lily had forgotten some of the information, the lesson came to a close.

"I'll send you an owl for our next meeting we'll begin doing some Transfiguration of simple objects."

"Alright." Lily replied. "Thank you for your time."

The Professor smiled as Lily packed upher things.

"Oh, and Professor, here's Sirius's and James's applications. The letters from Professor Latham are in there as well." Lily stated, thanking God she hadn't forgotten to give them to Professor McGonagall, James would have been crestfallen, Sirius would have killed her.

Professor McGonagall beamed as the applications reached her hand. "Thank you, Ms. Evans."

"You're welcome."

Lily nodded as she gathered her belongings and left, but she couldn't help but feel like the Transfiguration professor was thanking her for more than just handing the applications in.

XX

"Mr. Potter, welcome." greeted Professor Latham in his even tempered tone.

"Good morning, Professor." James replied, taking his seat.

A few moments passed where nothing was said as Professor Latham shuffled parchment on his desk and let out a long sigh.

"I'm thinking that you could probably start up on a little higher level than Professor Dumbledore requested." He finally said.

"We will start with hinkypunks and all ofthat small stuff. You have to be concentrated and devoted to these lessons, but I'm sure McGonagall has already chewed you out about that." he continued with a small smile.

He uncovered a few cages and smiled at James. "So, show me what you can do."

Without any further instruction, Professor Latham sat back and waited for James to act.

It didn't take long for James to control the variety of pixies, hinkypunks, and horklumps.

Professor Latham looked impressed and gave James an encouraging remark every so often, by the time an hour was up, James had bored himself with all the magical creatures they had seen up until their fourth year.

"You may go now, Mr. Potter. I'll owl you with our next meeting." Professor Latham stated as he cleared off his desk and closed the cages of the sedated creatures.

James nodded and walked out of the room, somewhat disappointed with what he had gotten to do that day Sure it was more than Professor McGonagall would have let him do, but at the same time, hinkypunks? That was a little juvenile.

XX

The owl post seemed to have come rather early that last day of March. James was tiredly talking to Remus about what he missed while he was "visiting his mother". But then again, the owl post always seems like it comes early when you get mail.

"My mum has written me back." Lily stated as she tore open the envelope containing her letter.

She scanned the letter and James could tell from the excitement in her eyes that it was good news.

"She says I can stay with you the from that Saturday till Wednesday, and that you can come home with me and go to my sister's wedding…but they want to meet you first." she finished, happily.

James nodded. "Alright, so after we get off the train?"

Lily smiled. "I think that'll be enough. My dad probably wants to make sure you aren't a shady character."

"Like Sirius." Remus commented, smiling.

The group laughed, but Sirius just grinned mischievously.

"I can't help it if parents feel threatened when I'm around." Sirius stated. "It has to be my dazzling good looks and witty charm."

"Yeah, that's it." James replied, laughing.

Sirius grinned again and took a sip from his goblet. "Sod off, Potter."

XX

"Do you have the monthly report?" James asked as he and Lily walked the corridors to Professor McGonagall's office for a Head's meeting.

"Yes, James." replied Lily in a tired voice. "And the patrol schedules and the Hogsmeade dates as well."

James nodded as he looked at adesperately-tired lookingLily. He supposed it had been a long day, waking up early to go to lessons and all. Lily had even more Transfiguration than normal that day, as she had McGonagall for her extra lessons now, and that was sure to make her testy. "Just checking." James remarked as he put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "Long day?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, and I still have the Potions essay to write."

"I do too we'll work on it together." James stated he knocked and waited for Professor McGonagall to let them in.

"Come in." greeted the professor behind the oak door.

James opened the door and held it open for Lily before they took their seats.

Lily handed the professor their report and their schedules.

"Anything unusual this month?" she asked, as it was her normal routine. Lily and James would come in, take a seat, she would ask if anything out of the ordinary happened, go over the report, check over the schedules, and then she would tell them of anything they needed to prepare or go over with the prefects.

This month, she actually had something to say about giving them more tasks.

"As April is just around the corner, we need you to start planning the graduation ball."

Lily grinned excitedly; the Graduation Ball was something she had looked forward to for years, dressing up in elegant robes, having a charming date, dancing…

"The Ball will be held the evening following the graduation commencement ceremony. It will be fore seventh years only; prefects will be there to monitor the event. It is your job to create the theme, make the arrangements and design the duties of the prefects." the Professor continued, smiling. "With you two in charge, it should be a magical event."

James nodded and Lily grinned. This was sure to be an exciting occasion.

"If that's all you have for me, you may leave. Meet with the prefects on Wednesday night." she finished.

"That's all." Lily concluded. "Thank you for your time, Professor."

"Yes, thank you." James added, feeling like he hadn't said much the entire evening, but not really caring.

"Good night, and, Mr. Potter, make sure you're practicing hard, Professor Jareb is hinting that he has a perfect place picked out for the Cup." Professor McGonagall smiled at James.

James grinned back at her. "Yeah, the Gryffindor shelf. Good night, Professor."

Professor McGonagall nodded and watched the two Head students leave.

XX

"Why do we have to go dress robe shopping so early?" James asked as Lily dragged him into the most popular dress robe shop in Hogsmeade, Madam Vey's.

"I'm not going to buy…I just want to look around…see how much I need to ask my parents for." she grinned as she and James walked over to the women's section.

James looked around uncomfortably. "Just don't get anything lacey."

Lily laughed as she remembered there venture on Valentine's day. "Don't worry, I'll keep lace at a minimum, plus, I think it's you we need to worry about."

James pouted as he began to finger the various robes.

"What color are you looking for?" he asked. Lily however didn't appear to have heard him, as she seemed to be in some sort of trance that he had seen only when shopping with his mother and Charlotte. It was the crazed feeling a woman got when searching for the perfect outfit.

"What did you say?" Lily asked minutes later as she pulled out a royal blue robe.

James smiled. "What color are you looking for?"

Lily sighed. "Definitely not red, orange, or pink. I don't think I want any shade of green, either. I just wear it too much."

"But you look beautiful in it." James replied, earnestly. Lily smiled as she felt James creep up behind her and put his arms around her waist.

He only had hold of her for a few seconds before she jumped away and grabbed a piece of cloth that had caught her eye.

She pulled it out and took a look before frowning. Sometimes dress robes could be so misleading.

"Don't you want to get your choice approved by Ellie and Allison?" James asked. "I thought that's what girls did?"

Lily laughed. "I told you I wasn't deciding today; of course I'm going to get it approved by Elle and Allison first. And I want it to be a surprise for you."

James smiled. "As much as I like the thought of you surprising me, I'm going to need to know what color you decide on because I'm going to need to match my cumber button."

"Or vest." Lily replied mindlessly. "Do you want a cumber button or a vest?"

James rubbed his chin as he thought, he really hadn't given it any thought. "I suppose a vest if I get a tie and a cumber button if I get a bow tie…which do you like better, a bow tie or a regular tie?"

Lily thought for a moment. "I really like bow ties. They're so adorable."

James nodded. "Then I guess I'll get a cumber button ad a bow tie."

"That sounds sexy." Lily replied, batting her eyelashes playfully at James, who walked back over to her and gave her a kiss.

When they broke away a color caught James's eye. It was an off-white, cream-colored tone.

"I like this." he said pulling it out. It turned out to be a hoop dress, a lacey gown with huge, ruffled sleeves.

Lily scrunched her nose and James made a face.

"That could rival Petunia's bridesmaid dresses for ugliness." Lily laughed.

James put the dress robe back and grinned. "Well I like the color; it would look very pretty on you."

Lily grinned, she loved it when James showered her with compliments, it was the old Potter charm, after all.

"I'll try to find something in that shade, then."

James nodded. "Good, I'll know what to look for in my dress robes."

"Don't you already have a set?" Lily asked. "You wore them on New Years."

James chuckled. "Well, they're a bit torn up from tree-climbing."

Lily's mouth dropped. "No, really? I can try to mend them if you like."

James shook his head. "You don't need to do that, one of the house elves is managing."

Lily nodded. "Alright then, I still feel terrible."

"Don't" James insisted, kissing her lightly on her forehead. "New Years was the best night of my entire life."

Much thanks to Miss Mrprk, jillybean90, hpgirl7777, -Lily Evans 4 life-, and chikichiki for being absolutely incredible and reviewing. To all else who didn't have a chance to review this chapter before the next chapter came up, I apologize, but I'm a girl with a deadline!

Anyone notice the great grammar in this chapter? It had a little something to do with my new beta. So a round of applause is necessary, if I do say so myself.

I see all of you, clapping by your computers.