The Beginning of the End II
James Potter didn't love Lily Evans. No, love was too strong a word to be used by a 17-year-old boy. He liked her, yes. He found her dark red hair and her piercing emerald eyes beautiful and entrancing. And he liked that she was so responsible and nice. So unlike him. But he didn't love her. He liked to tell her he did though, just to bug her. 'Oh Evans, go out with me, will you? You know I love you'. But that was it.
She caught his attention from the first time he saw her. With her chin high in the air, she had seemed so set to being strong. So set to proving herself. And that had caught his attention. He wasn't used to seeing people like that. His friends were all magical, all had lived surrounded by magic since they had been born, so they didn't really need to prove that they could handle it. But Lily Evans was different, she was muggle born, and she had just known that she was a witch after receiving her Hogwarts letter.
He suspected that, even though they had only been at school for a few days, she had already heard the word mudblood from some stupid Slytherin trying to be funny. That would probably explain it all. He didn't really care though, that she was so set to being that way. He had found it interesting, so he had smiled to her and waved. She had responded. But that was their last friendly exchange for six years. He had laughed at her. And after that everything went downhill.
The first three years at school had had barely any impact in their relationship. He had been worried about his friend Remus Lupin and his furry little problem. He, along with his best mate Sirius Black and the other marauder, Peter Pettigrew, had been trying to become animagi. Lily, on the other hand, had been set to accomplishing one of her many school goals: becoming a prefect. Thing that she had successfully achieved at the beginning of fifth year. Besides, to be perfectly honest, he wasn't into girls all that much, girls were obnoxious.
But after the summer between third and fourth year, something had changed. He had gotten taller, builder and more handsome. Fact that many of the Hogwarts girls had noticed. Many except Lily. And Lily had grown to be not only a girl, but a beautiful young woman. He had also noticed that he liked girls and among all of them, he liked Lily the most.
But things hadn't gone his way. He wasn't the only one who noticed just how beautiful Lily Evans had grown to be. And while he tried to catch her attention by messing his hair –a thing he knew girls liked- and showing his Quidditch skills, she seemed immune to all his attempts. Sirius Black loved to tease him about it. 'Mate, she just isn't into you. She thinks you are a bit conceited', he would say. Remus Lupin, ever the pacifier, usually told him that she wasn't 'that kind of girl'. And he should know. Remus and Lily were friends. Well, as friends as Lily would ever be with a marauder. They were both prefects and that gave Remus some credit to Lily's eyes.
That's how things had been until now. James's luck in the Evans affair wasn't good at all. He suspected she hated him, she had told him so many times. And he didn't really know what to do about it. He knew she didn't like the fact that he hexed Slytherins every chance he got, specially Snivelius and Sirius's younger brother. But they deserved it, calling her mudblood behind her back wasn't something James took lightly. And he also knew that she didn't really believe him to be trustworthy, though his three best friends could prove her wrong any day.
But he couldn't really change just for her. He had a reputation to uphold. He was James Potter, heir to one of the most respected and richest magical families in London. He was son of Samuel Potter, prankster extraordinaire during his time at Hogwarts. He was also son of Madeline Potter, the most gifted witch of her generation. He couldn't just be perfect prefect Potter so she would notice him and forget that she had both his father and mother's reputation to outlive. He just loved to be able to sit through an entire class without paying attention, planning his next prank, and still get straight O's.
Besides, he and Sirius Black were trouble and he liked it that way. He had worked hard to be what he was. Popular, respected and loathed by the Slytherins, who he considered awful human beings for the most part. He liked Lily Evans, but he liked being James Potter just as much. Should he change just for her? And not really change at that- because he already was all the things he knew she looked in a guy: funny, considerate, smart, caring and trustworthy- but just start being less spotlight Potter and more grown up Potter.
He would have to think about that because for some unknown reason to him -and to everybody else- he had been made Head Boy. He still couldn't believe it. Everyone knew about his tendency of getting in trouble. Everyone knew he had one of the longest detention records in Hogwarts. And everyone knew he was not likely to change his ways. What had possessed Dumbledore to make him Head Boy? Wasn't it a requirement to be prefect first? Why didn't Remus got the job? He was much more suited for it. Hell… almost everyone was more suited than him. James Potter as the new Head Boy… blimey! Things were sure changing in Hogwarts.
Yes, he would really need to think about it. After all in just a few minutes the Hogwarts Express would be arriving at the Hogsmade Station and he would see Lily again. She would probably be standing near her two best friends, Kali Wood and Adelaide Vance, waiting for the first years to get off the train, fulfilling her Head Girl's duties to perfection, as always. Ready to start their last year at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Boy, he could just see her face when hearing about his new position.