Chapter Three: The New Heads

On one lazy summer morning found James, Sirius, and Remus sitting at the table for breakfast.

Or rather- sleeping seemed much more appropriate a word. Sirius's head was face down on his plate of eggs and bacon, and James was leaning back on his chair, his mouth slightly open. Only Remus appeared to be slightly awake; his eyes kept opening and closing every few moments. They were all thoroughly exhausted, having spent most of last night playing three-way Quidditch.

James's parents, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, suddenly entered the room, where they found 3 boys all sleeping at the table. Fleamont and Euphemia glanced at each other, and with a nod, they took out their wands and shot jets of water at each of the boys' faces.

James, Sirius, and Remus woke up with startled shouts.

"What was that for?" muttered James irritably, as he wiped his glasses with his shirt.

"You were sleeping," said Euphemia lightly, "we've just received news that your Hogwarts letters are coming today."

"Hogwarts letters?" mumbled Remus, who was still having trouble keeping his eyes open. Euphemia smiled at him.

"Yes, dear, so will you all wake up? We're going to Diagon Alley after."

Fleamont suddenly glanced up at the large, stained-glass window. "Speaking of letters..." he said softly and trailed off. He gave his wand a wave and the window swung open, allowing the owls to enter.

Three tawny owls bore letters addressed to each of the boys. James realized with a slight frown that his letter had a slight bulge to it. The owls hooted, and all three took off collectively, each taking a piece of Sirius's bacon with them.

James ripped open his envelope and out fell a shiny, shield-shaped crest that landed on his lap. James was confused; why had Dumbledore given him a new Quidditch Captain badge? If he remembered correctly, it was still on top of his drawer. He took it and flipped it over. He instantly made a loud, retching noise that made his parents and friends look at him concernedly.

"Something wrong, James?" said Sirius. James tried to shake his head, but then changed his mind and nodded. Remus looked at the badge in his hands and laughed.

"Ickle James has been made Head Boy," teased Remus. James's parents looked at him in surprise.

"Head Boy?" said Sirius incredulously, and then he laughed as well. "Another disciplinarian, then! Oh, Peter and I will have so much fun corrupting you, Prongs!"

James looked at him scathingly and pulled out his letters from the envelope. There were three this time- one welcoming him back to Hogwarts, complete with a list of schoolbooks, the second one from McGonagall, outlining his upcoming meeting on the train ride with the other prefects, and the last from Dumbledore, who had written to him personally. He read Dumbledore's letter first.

Dear James Potter,

I'm sure by now that you have found the badge enclosed in the envelope. I am also sure that you must be surprised and in a bit of shock. The position of Head Boy is a prestigious one, so let me be the first to congratulate you on receiving it. I'll admit I was surprised when Professor McGonagall handed me your name when I inquired to the teachers to give me suggestions for the Head students- but I am confident that I have chosen well, given that you have shown great leadership skills and the drive to do what's right; I am, of course, talking about the incident with Mr. Snape and the Whomping Willow.

Once again, I congratulate you on your receiving of the Head Boy position. I am sure that you and the Head Girl, Lily Evans, will work wonderfully together.

Yours,

Professor A. P. B. W. Dumbledore

"Lily?" said Remus as he read the letter from over James's shoulder. He glanced at Sirius and stifled a laugh. "That should be... interesting."

James gave a snort, and, not asking anyone in particular said, "But why on earth would Dumbledore choose me?"

"Don't be stupid James, I probably would have chosen you too," answered Remus, an impatient note in his voice.

James stared at him.

"What?" said Remus, and stared back to humor him, "it's true! You're a natural leader, James. You're cool under pressure, not to mention you already have experience as Quidditch Captain. It's not so different from that," he added as an afterthought, "just think of the whole school as a team now. Just... you know, without the matches and parties. And a whole lot more responsibility."

James pondered over Remus's words. On the one hand, he was utterly perplexed at why Dumbledore had chosen him, him, probably one of the biggest troublemakers in Hogwarts history, over Remus. On the other, he was grateful that the position had not gone to someone like Snape. At least now he could keep an eye on anyone that abused their powers.

Like you won't, said a nasty little voice from inside his head.

I won't, cried a different, stronger voice defiantly, I'm done taking everything for granted!

James shook his head, and without another word, left the table, leaving his friends and parents chortling.

James raced up the stairs to his room and summoned a blank piece of paper and a quill. He sat down on his chair and straightened the paper before writing, Dear Lily, and then his mind blanked. What on earth was he going to write? He'd never written to Lily before.

He decided that he was going to keep it short and simple.

Dear Lily,

Knowing that you're the Head Girl, I'm writing to you to ask for advice. Dumbledore probably mentioned that I was Head Boy in your letter. And, to be perfectly honest with you, Lily, I'm nervous. I'm a troublemaker, no one's going to take me seriously! I just want to make sure that you're okay with all this. I'm easy to replace, but you're the only option for Head Girl.

Now, just what exactly does a Head Boy do? I'm not really familiar with prefect duties, I only know that you go on rounds every few days. I've accompanied Remus on some before.

Your friend,

James Potter

He rolled the paper into a tight scroll and handed it to Morgoth, his hawk owl. He nipped at his fingers affectionately before taking off to Lily's. James wondered whether he would find it.

Going down the stairs, he braced himself from the taunts he knew would surely come. Sirius and Remus grinned evilly at him from the breakfast table.

"Hello there, Head Boy, sir," said Sirius, "I think we're going to have a lot of fun this year."

"Ohh, yes," said Remus, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "this is payback for all you did to me when I became prefect, Prongs..."

James gulped and smiled nervously.

Lily Evans raced up her room to tell her friends Marlene and Alice the good news: she had become Head Girl! After a half-hour of her parents questioning her about her position, Lily had finally escaped their clutches, and just in time too: Petunia had arrived from Vernon Dursleys' place.

Lily was just about to retrieve a pen and paper from her drawer when suddenly she heard a tap-tap-tap coming from outside the window. Whirling around, she was surprised to be greeted by a handsome owl she had never seen before. She flicked her wand and the window opened, allowing the bird to hop into her room.

"Now just who are you from?" wondered Lily aloud, and she saw that it had a scroll gripped tightly around one of its talons. She took it from the owl, who hooted importantly.

Lily quickly unfurled the scroll to reveal that it was from one James Potter, whom she'd known had become Head Boy after Dumbledore told her in his letter. Fighting down the nervous tingles in her stomach, she read the letter over twice before a small smile set on her face.

Deciding that Marlene and Alice's letters could wait, she responded back to James.

Dear James,

Congrats on becoming Head Boy! To answer your question, the Head students basically control the prefects, as in telling them when to go on rounds, holding meetings, not so different from Quidditch Captain stuff. As for your thoughts on whether or not I'd be happy with you as my coworker, I wouldn't have wanted to work with anyone else. You've changed over the past year, and you're actually a decent human being. (Lily smiled at that part).

The students will take you seriously- if anything, more seriously than they will me. You're a natural leader, not to mention that you're popular with the student body.

Your friend,

Lily Evans

She read it over a couple of times, looking for mistakes. When she was finally satisfied she looked 'round for James's owl, who was near the window. Lily sealed the letter in a tight envelope and gave it to him.

The owl hooted once more, and then took off.

Over the next few weeks, Lily would receive numerous letters from James, all asking questions about his Head Boy duties. One memorable letter stuck in Lily's mind, something about how he was worried that the first-years would be scared of him. Unbeknownst to James, his words had slightly melted Lily's heart.

On the morning of September the 1st, Lily took off for King's Cross and boarded the Hogwarts Express, feeling nervous yet excited at the same time.