James had completely forgotten that there was a separate dormitory for the Head Girl and Boy until he was standing at the portrait with Lily Evans. He barely noticed the password she spoke. She had to pull on the front of his robes to drag him out of the way of the opening portrait. She pulled him inside too, his long legs nearly tripping over themselves.

There was a common area reminiscent of Gryfindor Tower's, circular and lined with bookshelves. A roaring fireplace was already lit opposite the door. Two stone staircases rose from the floor to another level, where three polished doors gleamed. James gaped at it all, including the twin small desks facing one another near the fire. There were plenty of couches and arm chairs.

"I don't want to see Sirius in this room unless I'm given the full details on what you'll be doing or planning," Lily said. "And close your mouth."

James complied briefly, turning to take in the room better. There weren't many portraits inside. It was the perfect place for a snog. His eyes drifted to Lily, the gentle peaceful expression on her face as she took in the room too. "I won't bring anyone here if you don't want me to."

"Not even girls?" She raised an eyebrow. He wondered how she knew exactly what he hadn't said. Sirius would've loved it. This was probably exactly what he had in mind when they'd reveled in all the shit they could get away with, now that he was Head Boy.

"I only have eyes for one woman," James said honestly, watching her perfect face. Her eyes narrowed, which was standard, but a faint blush crept into her cheeks, which was new and exhilarating. He'd noticed her glancing at him sidelong several times now. He was well aware of the muscle he had added over the summer. James was starting to suspect that Lily was too.

"I have ground rules," Lily blurted, tearing her gaze away from him and digging into her school bag. James smiled and wandered around the room as she did, trailing his hands over the books in the walls. They wouldn't even need to go to the library to study.

James flopped down onto one of the couches, letting his head fall back and his eyes close. Something tapped the bridge of his glasses and he opened one eye. Lily was holding out a thick roll of parchment to him. He took it and gestured to the cushion next to him, "Have a seat, Evans. I have a feeling I'm not going to blindly agree to all of this."

.o0O0o.

"How was the row?" Marlene asked, buttering the pancake on her plate. Lily groaned dramatically and pushed at her temples with her fingers.

"He thinks he should be allowed to leave the room and come back at any point in time that he wants."

"Why can't he?"

"Because there's a curfew! Unless he's on official duty, he shouldn't leave the room at night," Lily said. They had argued for a good hour about her perfectly reasonable ground rules. Every rule followed school rules and the rules of basic human decency. She didn't understand why he was being so stubborn.

"Girl, I looked at your rules," Marlene patted her arm gently, "And it's like you want to put a tracker spell on that boy. He's not yours. And if he was, you should trust him."

"What- Marlene, no, that's not- I just want to know where he is in case there's an emergency and I need him for something, I wrote those before I knew he was the Head Boy," Lily rushed. Marlene laughed and took a sip of her pumpkin juice. She cast a glance down the table before hissing, "I do not like Potter. Not in any fashion."

"We're all well aware," Marlene patted her arm again and returned her attention to her food. "How did the schedule swap go?"

Lily gritted her teeth, "We have all the same classes."

Marlene gaped at her, "No."

"I dropped Ancient Runes and he dropped Muggle Studies this year-"

"Lily," Marlene scowled, "Please, do not tell me that you're going to waste sharing every damn class with a perfectly beautiful-"

"Morning, Lena," Sirius dropped onto the bench in front of her, Remus sitting across from Lily. She cast a glance toward the doors, looking for the other half of their little group. She didn't see James or Peter. "Lily, you've gotta back off my mate."

"I don't have to do anything," Lily said, meeting his dark gaze coolly.

"What he meant," Remus elbowed Sirius in the side, "Was that you can't expect James to completely change his lifestyle overnight."

"Maybe if his lifestyle wasn't completely based in breaking the rules-"

"Oh, come on Lily, we all know you aren't that much of a goody-two-shoes," Marlene smirked at her. Lily scowled back, feeling herself go red to her ears.

"Actually, Lena, we don't all know," Sirius grinned fiendishly. Lily motioned for Marlene to shut up, and luckily, her friend acquiesced.

"Inside joke," Marlene winked at the scoundrel, and Lily noted Remus's hand shake as he poured himself some orange juice. She sighed. Sirius's gaze quickly followed hers.

They still refused to tell her what ailed Remus. She had her suspicions regardless. It was some sort of recurring condition, coupled with depression. There was only one thing she could think of that fit. She could try to help, as much as any friend could, regardless of knowing the full truth. As much as she hated it, if Remus didn't think it was her business, she wouldn't push.

It didn't hurt that since that summer, she had been able to comprehend more than ever what Remus might've been feeling in regards to the latter symptom.

"Evans?" Sirius waved his hand in front of her face. Lily glanced at him, the worry now facing her from the other side of the table.

She had forty-five minutes before her first class, and she didn't want to spend it with anyone but herself. "I'll see you guys later."

"Lily," Remus frowned as she stood up.

"I'm fine," she lied easily. She knew enough of the secret passageways to be able to completely disappear for a good half hour. She slumped against the wall in the middle of one of them and stared at the stone opposite.

She wasn't fine. She didn't know that she ever would be. It had been over a month since her father had suffered an unexpected heart attack, and hadn't recovered. Her mother was taking it harder than she was. She had to be. After all, she'd known her father better and longer. But her mother had started laughing again, every day and brightly. Lily just felt tired all the time, even as she bent over backward to make sure everyone else was happy. She could slip into nothing, where thoughts didn't come and tears didn't come and her eyes didn't move to do more than blink. She didn't want to talk to anyone, not about It or anything else, didn't want the touches or the hugs. She'd break down. And Lily Evans did not break.

She wondered how long he had been sitting across from her, jolting, her hand immediately drifting toward her wand. Then she recognized him. The thought of talking to him, arguing, was exhausting.

"We have ten minutes until Herbology," James Potter stood and offered her a hand. A wad of blank parchment stuck out of his front pocket. Lily slowly tore her gaze to his hand. She took it and he easily pulled her to her feet. She swayed slightly, and in that moment of dizziness, James grabbed her school bag, lifting it like it was nothing, and slung it over his shoulder. Lily crossed her arms over her chest and didn't argue. She didn't care enough to.

James didn't either. They walked in silence down to the greenhouses. Despite Remus and Marlene and a few of James's devoted fangirls all sharing the class with them, James stood silently and resolutely by Lily's side when they were asked to pair up. She found herself staring to the point of being caught more than once. He didn't wink, just offered a slightly pained smile and a nod.

"I wouldn't've made it to class on my own," Lily murmured quietly, burying a pod oozing something sickly sweet onto her hand. She pushed around the dirt with her already dirty hand idly as James buried a sour smelling pod beside the first. She would've been late, to the first class on the first day back. McGonagall would've had her head.

"Remus gets like this sometimes," James answered. Lily clenched her jaw and didn't comment. His glasses slid down the bridge of his nose. She pushed them back up with her clean hand. James smiled at her, genuine and dorky. She never thought he'd let himself look so . . . Lily couldn't help but stare. "Try not to let the bad days overshadow the rest."

"What does a good day feel like?" Lily muttered darkly under her breath. James pulled his hands out of the soil. She ignored his frown and very clearly cast the incantation they'd been told to. The soil froze through, a layer of frost gleaming on top.

"Having enough energy to argue with me about something completely pointless," James elbowed her gently. She didn't have it in her to fully scowl. He was baiting her and she knew it, but she still couldn't help herself.

"I'm not going to let you ignore the rules. If you get caught it sets a bad example for the entire school," Lily said flatly. James eyes flickered with something she didn't care to name. He leaned closer to her.

"Then I won't get caught," he smirked. Lily opened her mouth to counter, but he said, "After all, who's going to rat me out?"

Lily's mouth shut fast enough she heard her teeth clack. He knew exactly what he was doing. He would easily be able to lie to any prefect or teacher, saying that he was on rounds. She was the only other one who knew the schedule. And if she told on him, it would make her look like an idiot who had it out for her partner and his authority would be diminished, right alongside hers.

"You complete and total asshole," she seethed. "You're abusing your power."

"Listen, Evans, it's not like I'm going to have much free time between studying and managing you-"

"Managing me?!" Lily repeated shrilly, jabbing a finger into his broad chest. His face was set in a challenge and she wanted to smack him so damn much. "I'm the one stuck trying to keep you out of detention-"

"And I appreciate that from the bottom of my heart," James grabbed her wrist gently and pushed her hand away from him. He was warm, and his hand had callouses from Quidditch. Lily wrenched her hand out of his before he could distract her any more. His eyes were positively sparkling now, behind his glasses. She wanted to- to- she wasn't sure what, but it made her hands tremble.

Professor Sprout started calling out instructions again. Lily hastily looked away from James, shaking her dirty hand at him, flicking dirt and ooze onto him. He gaped at her and dragged a filthy finger down the side of her face. Lily gasped and smacked his hand away.

"Evans, Potter, enough flirting! Pay attention!"

Lily did not look to him other than to glare the rest of the class.