2 - A surprise along the way.

Lily spent four days packing and reading intermittently before returning to school. She could barely wait, but unfortunately she had to. As well as the required books for the syllabus, her parents had bought a huge book on fun things to do with advanced magic. Her owl, peanuts, was in his cage. (A/N The owl has a silly name, or else she has a fluffy cat, but generally an owl with an odd name. I do rather like it when the owl is named James. That's pretty cool, but it confuses the heck out of me. How do you know which James is being referred to? )

All that remained was for Lily to lock her trunk and relax thoroughly, which she was failing miserably at. Not the locking trunk part- she had done that with her wand, being of the legal age, but she was currently pacing around her room in a frenzied panic.

"Lily, stop it! You're making the ceiling lights shake!" Petunia shouted up the stairs. Lily sat down on her bed, and then stood up again as her mother appeared in the doorway.

"Time to go." she informed Lily.

"Oh mother! What if I'm a rubbish head girl? What if the students hate me? What if I end up marrying the head boy who I previously despised, and have his child, about whom a prophecy will be made?!"

"Stop worrying. You're going to have a fantastic year. All you need to worry about is working hard for those NEWTS and then you can enjoy what you have. (A/N The parents never worry about Lily's school grades. So unlike real parents. Just thought I would add that.) Help me get that trunk in the car boot."

When the car was packed, Lily stood for a brief while, contemplating the pleasure of being entrusted as head girl, the dramatic war-torn magical world around, and the white picket fence in front of her. Why did she have such a fence? It was so American - slightly out of place in their rural setting of Spinner's End. A nice hedge may have been charming, perhaps privet, but no. Lily Evan's was a picket fence.

The ride to King's Cross was uneventful. Petunia scowled in the back of the car, irate that she had been forced to come, and Lily stroked her head girl badge repeatedly. They arrived at just the right time for Lily to be on the station mere seconds before her best friends, thus ensuring Lily was staring thoughtfully at the crimson train, realising it would be her last year, as friend number one leapt on her from behind, shrieking. Naturally, they hugged each other excitedly, squeaking and laughing excessively, before boarding the train together, rapidly exchanging talk of their respective holidays.

Lily's friend in question was the tall and vivacious Marlene Mckinnon. She was a brunette with richly coloured hair to her waist. Her eyes were a chocolate brown, and she was generally stunning and sought after. She was also incredibly tanned, having just come back from Egypt. They sat in their compartment, gossiping about all the fit Egyptian boys Marlene had snogged with. Suddenly the door slid open with a bang, revealing their two other friends, Alice Prewett and Dorcas Meadows. The effect was instantaneous squealing, and they continued until they had all calmed down, fifteen minutes later. Alice was a pretty girl with a round face, who had been dating Frank Longbottom for two years now, and it didn't look like that would end any time soon. Dorcas was an attractive girl, but of course she was not quite as beautiful as Lily. She was as good looking as Marlene, but less sought after, due to her shy bookish nature. Her hair was dark black and her eyes dark blue. She had a long-term crush on Remus Lupin, because he was sexy but sensible, and utterly her male counter-part, which is what we look for in a fictional match, don't we? The girls chattered at length about their holidays, despite their being in constant contact by owl post, which I'm sure you couldn't have guessed on your own, until Marlene suddenly looked at Lily.

"Lily? Shouldn't you go to the head's carriage? The train will leave soon."

"Oh! Yes! I'll be back later - this shouldn't take too long." And Lily dashed out of the compartment, down the train corridor as though a were-wolf were on her tail. She reached the head's carriage perfectly on time, skidding to a halt and causing an odd grinding-creak from the floorboards. Standing before the door, she shook her hair (in its bun), smoothed her robes and cleared her throat with a little 'hrmm' before pushing the door open neatly.

"Hey Evans." Came the debonair, sexy, ultra-suave and yet highly irritating voice of none other than James Potter.In an instant, Lily's composure went down the metaphorical toilet.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" She said (nearly screaming). James did not answer, but instead puffed out his chest and tapped the glossy badge the resided neatly on his left breast pocket. There was a rather awkward moment of silence.

"Er, I'm the new head boy. Aren't you pleased?" He asked. She rolled her eyes.

"No, I am not pleased, you puerile, asinine fool. Give the badge back to Remus, the rightful head boy. Dumbledore would have to be out of his mind to pick you as a representative of all things well behaved and mature. Leave now."

"But I really am head boy!" He said earnestly. "Look." He reached into the shirt pocket below his head badge, and withdrew a letter. Lily snatched it from his grasp, and perused it urgently. It was identical to her own letter, other than it was addressed to the new head boy, James Potter. James took the letter carefully from her shaking hand. "Lily? What's the matter? Are you okay?" Lily did not answer. The world rippled dimly around her, tilting beneath her legs, and she passed out.

Lily woke hazily, her first thought being 'I fainted.' and the second being 'My word... that's so embarrassing.' It took her a little longer to realise why she had fainted, spring to her feet energetically, as though she had never fainted, and turn to face James Potter accusingly.

"You can't be head boy!"

"Well I am." He responded in a defeated tone. "Let's get on with it, shall we?"

"Get on with what?" Lily was puzzled.

"We need to talk to the prefects, don't we? Are you feeling okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be feeling fine, Potter?"

"Well, you did sort of faint."

"I was dozing." She snapped at him. He shrugged, and left for the prefect compartment. She stood for a second looking bemused before haring after him.

The meeting with the prefects came somewhat as a surprise. This was due to the fact that Potter drilled the prefects with an organised list of duties and general information, and did not crack a smile or a joke once. When he had finally given out the last of the passwords, and told the prefects to patrol the train a bit, he turned to Lily, asked if there was anything she would like to add, and when she said there was not he dismissed the meeting. It had taken a mere four minutes, and Lily was stunned at his efficiency.

"See you around, Lily." He said huskily as he left for the marauders compartment - the same one that they had commanded from their first year.

"Bye...Potter." Lily responded. He had used her first name! Should she call him James? No! For surely it would mean that she fancied him, and she would never fancy an arrogant toe-rag of his calibre. She drifted back to her carriage in shock, causing her friends to exchange knowing glances, and steadily the train wound its way to the far flung part of Scotland which held one of the wizarding worlds greatest secrets.