"Leave me alone!"
The shrill shriek stopped James and Sirius dead in their tracks. The shriek was punctuated by a thud, and another high-pitched cry, coming from a compartment they were just about to pass.
"I'm warning you!"
A grin quickly swept over Sirius' face. "Sounds like a fight."
James gave an equally excited grin. "Sounds like someone needs our assistance."
"A female someone." Sirius added, eyes glittering.
"Shall we?" James asked gallantly.
"Lead the way!" Sirius responded, gesturing for him to go ahead.
James was shocked at the scene which met him upon entry into the compartment. There was the strikingly pretty red-haired girl, wand at the ready, crouched down into a fighter's stance. Her expression was clearly one of anger and indignation, green eyes flashing, her mouth set in a determined line, her chin raised in defiance. Three boys about James and Sirius' own age, were advancing on her, wands also raised,
"Don't be idiotic, you filthy little mudblood!" A boy with dark, close-cropped hair barked at her.
The girl looked slightly puzzled. "Was that supposed to be an insult or something?"
"Don't call her that!" James roared, immediately taking offense in her behalf.
The boy whirled around to face James and Sirius, ice blue eyes cold. "This is not any of your business."
Sirius recgonized him as once. "You're a Lestrange, aren't you? Rabastan?" He snarled, taking out his own wand.
The boy glanced over him, lip curled in distace. "Sirius Black. A sorry excuse for a Pureblood."
"Yeah, really cut me deep, that accusation." Sirius said sarcastically. "Now, why don't you run along and leave this girl alone before I step in and make you."
"Shove off!" The girl snapped. "I don't need your aid or your condescenion!"
Sirius and James gaped at her, startled at being told off for trying to help this girl.
"There's no way you can fight all three of us at once." Rabastan remarked, with a harsh laugh.
"Oh yeah?" The girl challenged. "Watch me!"
With that, she shouted out several rapid-fire charms and incantations, whipping her wand around so quickly that Sirius and James thought they must have imagined the whole situation. The room was filled with a bright red light and for a moment James and Sirius believed they had gone blind. As suddenly as the light had appeared, it was gone, leaving in its place the girl standing haughtily across the room, while all three of her attackers lie unconscious on the floor.
"Lily Evans." The girl announced, stepping over the prone form of Rabastan and sticking out her hand to James and Sirius.
James shook it wordlessly, still gaping at her in shock.
Sirius gazed at her as if he had never seen anyone quite like her before. "You took all three of them on!" He exclaimed excitedly. "All by yourself! That was…amazing."
"Well, I try." She drawled, eyes sparkling.
"How did you do that?" James finally managed.
A grin spread across Lily's face. "Actually, I did not think it would happen like that—my first magical workings you know—but I was pleasantly surprised!" She replied, chattering enthusiastically. "I just concentrated and ta da! It was like…well it was like magic, I suppose!" She finished with a laugh.
James laughed along with her, something about this girl captivated him. "Yeah…magic." He ecohed, before mentally kicking himself for such a stupid response; he needed to step up his game.
"So, lemme guess…first year student, muggle born?" Sirius remarked, with a grin.
"Yes, actually, and I suppose it would be too much to ask your names?" Lily prompted, archly.
"Oh! No, of course not!" James responded, a little too forcefully. "I'm James Potter!" James gave her what he hoped was his most dazzling smile.
She smiled back, though it was much more restrained; she appeared a bit concerned at his overzealoustone. "And you are?"
"Sirius Black." Sirius responded casually, and James envied him his ease with the strikingly pretty girl. "And I must say that I must be very lucky."
"Lucky? Why's that?" Lily questioned eagerly.
"Because I was able to meet the prettiest girl on the train."
Lily blushed slightly, and averted her eyes for an instant, a smile playing on her lips. "A charmer, huh?"
"Well I try."
She laughed at that. "A real charmer would come up with his own comebacks."
"Not if yours were so brilliant and ready for the taking."
"Oh, watch yourself!" She chided with a laugh, turning abruptly towards James. "James, is it? You don't happen to have tissue, do you?"
"Yeah, it's James." James responded, happy she had committed his name to memory, and hoping to please her. "Erm…maybe…" James responded, desperately searching his pockets. "I must…why?"
"Because your friend Sirius here just dripped charm all over me." She said sweetly, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Oh, er, he did?" James replied, feeling foolish, but Sirius and Lily did not seem to have heard him.
"That was a quick comeback. I am impressed."
"Really now? So what does that mean exactly? Do I get a medal? Perhaps a big banner emblazoned with the words 'I Had the Fortune to Impress Sirius', and a nice party to boot?"
"Of course! Whatever the prettiest girl on the train wants, she gets. I'll even pitch in for a nice cake, because you can't have a party without cake. That would be a sacrilege!"
Lily laughed outright. "Still trying to butter me up with talk of how pretty I am?"
"If it works, why change the approach?"
"I'm sure you haven't even seen all the girls on the train."
"Point being?"
"You can't know for sure that I'm the prettiest one here. I might only be a 3 in comparison with the others. You're selling yourself short."
"Perish the thought! There could never be a girl prettier than you!"
James scowled at his laid-back friend, crossing his arms and wishing he could attract Lily as effortlessly as Sirius could.
Lily leaned forward, closer to him. "Should I let you in on a little secret, Sirius?"
"Go right ahead, Darling Lily." Sirius replied nonchalantly.
She snorted at the address. "Well, Alluring Sirius, there is a little rule of thumb regarding people which I go by."
"Yes?" Sirius prompted. "What is it?"
"That if a person seems too charming, they probably are not to be trusted." Lily finished flatly, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smirk.
Sirius could only gape at her, too stunned and taken aback at the put-down that he didn't know what to say. James, however, laughed at the retort, glad to see that Lily had not fallen for Sirius as James thought she had. He realized with a jolt that this was his turn to try and win her over.
"Glad to see you have good taste." James remarked, attempting to make his voice as even and casual as possible.
Lily arched an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"
"You didn't fall all over him like most girls would. You must have good taste."
"Well I'm not most girls."
"I don't doubt that."
"Good." Lily gave him a genuniely warm smile.
James beamed back at her in return, a sensation as if he had just drank a rather large cup of Butterbeer sweeping over him, and suddendly getting an odd feeling in his stomach. He decided to press his advantage, however. "Hey, why don't you come stay in our compartment?" He burst out.
Lily surveyed the compartment where they all stood, taking in the three unconscious students, her lips persued and her eyebrows knit, deep in thought. Finally she spoke. "OK, sure…I suppose it would be best to get out of here before they all wake up, hmm?"
James and Sirius laughed. "Yeah, probably." James responded.
"But if they wake up and come after you, we'll take care of them." Sirius declared.
Lily glanced at him askance, an amsued expression on her face. "I'm sure I would be able to handle the situation myself, don't you think?" She asked sweetly.
For one of the few times in his life, Sirius seemed flustered, and James was secretly glad. "Er, yeah, of course you could, but we, erm, could help."
"Ah, like a comrade-in-arms type of thing?"
"Er, yes. Definitely yes."
"Well then that it heartening. So, what way is it?" Lily queried.
"We're all the way in the back of the train." James reported.
"Yeah, I could take your trunk if you w—" Sirius began.
Lily smiled at him. "That's a very nice offer, but no need." She turned back towards her trunk and owlcage stuffed into the overhead rack, raised her wand, and gave a command neither James nor Sirius recognized. Instantly, the trunk and cage lifted up and came towards them, hovering just behind her.
Sirius whistled. "Wow."
"Thanks!" She responded, gazing at her hovering belongings in astonishment. "I can't believe that worked! This whole magic thing is so cool!"
"How did you know how to do that?"
"I read it inThe Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1." She replied, matter-of-factly.
Sirius curled his lip in distaste and stared at her as if she had suddenly sprouted an extra head.
"What?" She demanded.
"You read our schoolbook?"
"Yes, and…?"
"James, you handle this!" Sirius exclaimed, throwing up his hands and giving James his most weary, put-upon expression. "I—it's just—out of her—horrible—before school!" He mumbled distressedly.
"Look, Lily it's just surprising—to say the least—that you've read our Charms book before classes started."
"Why?"
"Because it's unnatural!" Sirius cried out.
"Yes, it is." James agreed.
"Well, I aspire to do well at Hogwarts." Lily snapped, her tone curt.
"We all want to do well at school, but it's, well, unusual to see a kid who actually reads the textbooks before they're assigned."
Lily crossed her arms over her chest, adjusted her stance, and merely stared at him, her posture faintly imposing.
"You're taking this the wrong way." James protested. "Out of curiosity, may I just ask you something?"
Lily waved an impatienthand at him, which James interpreted as a sign for him to continue.
"Are you always an overachiever or is this just a Hogwarts thing?"
Lily waited a moment before responding. "I suppose I always am an 'overachiever' as your put it. May I just ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Did you always not brush your hair or is it just this morning?" Lily sneered.
James' mouth dropped open in surprise, taken off guard.
With a smirk, Lily turned and walked out of the compartment, her belongings flying behind her.
Sirius howled with laughter, and slapped James hard on the back. "She's got'cha there, James. Like I said before, she's got fire in her."
James didn't know how right he was.