"You're joking!" said Sirius, grabbing the badge from James. He took one look at it and then roared with laughter. "It's true! Bloody hell Prongs, how in the name of Merlin did you get to be Head Boy? And Quidditch Captain too, but that was inevitable! Head Boy!"
"I honestly thought you were going to get it, Moony!" James said. "You don't mind, do you?"
But on the contrary, Remus was positively beaming, seemingly not fazed at all. "I'm still a prefect – that's good enough for me!" he said. "Well done, Prongs! I didn't think any of us were expecting that!"
"Just like I didn't expect to be turned into a girl and snogged to death!" Peter said – he had not yet forgotten the events, though he now looked back on them with amusement instead of indignity.
"I wonder what Lily will say when she finds out!" said Sirius. "Do you think she's Head Girl?"
"Probably," Remus said. "She's such a high-flier, she's very likely to be Head Girl."
"There's a letter with the badge!" said Peter, picking up a piece of parchment and unfolding it. "It's instructions for being Head Boy – like what you have to say to the other prefects on the train and suchlike."
James took the parchment and read it through.
"Not a problem!" he said, folding it and stowing it away. He grinned.
"Now that I'm Head Boy," he said. "Lily won't be able to resist!"
--
The last day of the holidays dawned at last. Ecstatic about their son's new status as Head Boy, Mr. and Mrs. Potter had bought him a new broomstick. It was a Solarcomet 1000, the newest and most advanced broom that had been made so far.
Sleek and shiny, its tail was comprised of neat, straight twigs and it had exceptionally good acceleration – James began daydreaming about how he would outstrip all the other Quidditch players and get the Snitch within five minutes. The broomstick now lay on the table in the sitting room, along with four trunks loaded with books, collapsible cauldrons and school robes.
There was an article in the Daily Prophet about the new Head Boy and Girl, and sure enough, Lily was Head Girl. She looked simply radiant in her picture on the front page, beaming at the camera with her shining hair over one shoulder.
The day consisted primarily of packing everything and checking that nothing was left behind. At the end of the day, dinner was a huge and splendid feast, bigger than the one the friends had received when they had arrived. Too tired even to play a few pranks or practise some magic, they headed upstairs and were asleep within minutes.
--
"On you go then, Peter!"
Peter grasped the handle of his trolley and jogged forwards towards the brick wall between Platform 9 and Platform 10. Upon contact, he seemingly melted into the brickwork like a ghost. Remus followed him, then Sirius, then James.
Mr. and Mrs. Potter followed them onto Platform 9 ¾ where the scarlet Hogwarts Express awaited them, beside a platform thick with students and families kissing their children goodbye.
"Well," Mr. Potter said. "It was a pleasure to have you all round for the summer. I've spoken to Remus's parents and you'll be going to them for a few weeks when you come home next summer. Then it's onto life in the outside world."
Mrs. Potter hugged the four friends in turn, reaching James last.
"I can't believe it James," she said. "Our son, Head Boy. But make sure you use your power wisely, OK?"
"Of course, mum," James said, hugging her tightly.
She beamed at him.
"Have a good term then!" she said to the four of them, as whistles began to blow and everyone began hurrying onto the train. "Look after yourselves! You've got an important year ahead of you, so don't throw it away!"
"Bye, mum! Bye, dad!" James shouted as they clambered onto the train and closed the door.
The train began to move.
They opened the window and waved at Mr. and Mrs. Potter until the train rounded a corner and they were hidden from view.
"Do you two want to go and find a compartment?" Remus said to Peter and Sirius. "The prefect stuff doesn't take long, we'll be with you in half an hour maximum, hopefully."
"Sure," said Sirius. "See you later."
"Yeah," said James, as he and Remus turned and walked towards the prefect carriage at the front of the train.
"So I just have to talk to them, tell them to patrol the corridors for a bit, then that's it," James queried.
"Yes," said Remus. "You and Lily will both say something to each other and then the Head Boy and Girl have to kiss…"
James stared at him – Remus burst out laughing.
"Just joking, Prongs," he said, as they reached the prefect carriage. James stepped inside to a storm of applause from all but the Slytherin prefects who merely nodded. Remus came in after him and closed the door.
Lily was already there, sitting with a couple of her friends. She stared as James walked in with the Head Boy badge on the front of his robes. James grinned at her and then addressed his fellow prefects.
Nobody knew what James was thinking, apart from himself. Though he talked to the prefects with confidence, his mind was not fully on that subject. A question flashed through his mind like blazing lights at a rock concert
Would this be it? Would this finally be the year where the girl he had loved for year on year, finally returned his feelings and fell for him at last?
--
Remus and James found Sirius and Peter in an empty compartment, playing Exploding Snap – like the normal Snap game except for the chance of the cards blowing up at any second. Their hands were like blurs as they produced cards from their decks.
"Snap!" Peter cried and at once the card pile exploded, singeing Peter's cheeks. The other three roared with laughter at the sight of him. Remus raised his wand and muttered an incantation. The burns vanished.
"You guys finished all the prefect malarkey then?" Sirius queried. "We've played four games – this is our fifth. I've won three so far…"
"If you count the one where you immobilised me and then stole my cards!"
"Yes, that one was probably my best!"
At that moment, the compartment door opened and a hook-nosed youth with long greasy hair stuck his head inside.
"Get lost, Snivellus," Sirius growled. "This compartment's clean, we don't need germs all over the place."
"Just seeing who was in here," Snape muttered. "I see you haven't changed much."
"Was that an insult?" Sirius said threateningly, standing up and drawing his wand. "Would you like to repeat that?"
Snape ignored him. He turned to go, but Sirius cried,
"Incarcerous!"
Ropes whipped like lassos through the air and bound Snape tightly. He writhed furiously, unable to reach his own wand.
"I said would you like to repeat that?" Sirius snarled, jabbing his wand at the floor so that Snape crashed to the ground, still bound.
"No I do not!" Snape roared. "Now get these things off me!"
"That's better," Sirius said, waving his wand.
"Finite Incantatem."
The ropes vanished.
"Take this instead," James said. "Aguamenti!"
A jet of water burst from his wand tip and struck Snape full in the face – his long hair dripping, Snape made a rude hand gesture at them, then turned round and stormed off, cursing.
"Well, he got a hair wash anyway," said Remus.
The four roared with laughter as the witch with the lunch trolley appeared at the door.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?"
All four of them stood up – they could feel coins jingling in their pockets and were ready to eat.
--
By late evening, the train had passed into the mountainous land in which Hogwarts School lay. Lakes flashed by on both sides and gigantic mountains rose like earth giants all around them. The four Marauders had travelled this way so often, they now remember almost all of it.
"Round behind those two mountains, along that lake, down into the valley beyond, round that really tall mountain, over the plain and then we're there," said Remus as the compartment lights switched on.
"Wow, Moony," Sirius said. "After all those weeks holiday…"
"I know," Remus said. "It just sticks in my mind…"
"Like Lily sticks in my mind," James said and the four laughed again.
"Yeah, I reckon you'll get her this year, Prongs," said Sirius. "I don't know what's keeping her back – I've had about eight girlfriends and none of them have ever complained."
James leaned back on his seat, grinning.
--
Past the gates flanked by great pillars topped with winged boars, up the marble stairs, into the Entrance Hall and then into the splendid Great Hall with candles floating above the tables. The place was alive with chatter, of students catching up on each other's holidays. James, Remus, Sirius and Peter sat together at the Gryffindor table.
The Sorting seemed to take no time at all and soon, everyone was tucking into their dinner on magical golden plates. When that was done, the auburn-haired Professor Dumbledore stood up to speak.
He went through the usual school rules, introduced several new teachers and announced the names of the Head Boy and Girl, at which James and Lily stood up to applause from 80 of the hall (the Slytherins were sitting defiantly in their seats.)
"And now your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could ever wish and we want you to be up and ready for your lessons tomorrow."
There was a great amount of noise as everyone stood up. James, Lily, Remus and the other Gryffindor prefects left to deal with the first-years and lead them up to Gryffindor Tower where the portrait of the Fat Lady awaited them.
"Chinese Fireball," said Lily, which was the new password for the term. Many of the first years looked puzzled and whispered to each other,
"What's a Chinese Fireball?"
"It's a type of dragon," Remus told them as they entered the Gryffindor common room. One of the most powerful, it has a talent for producing great mushroom-shaped fire clouds, no other dragon can do that."
The first years' expressions changed from puzzlement to awe.
"Wow!" they exclaimed as they gathered round the prefects in the middle of the room.
"Welcome to the Gryffindor common room," James said. "This is where you can relax and spend your free time. Boys dormitories up this staircase…" He indicated one of the sets of stairs. "Girls up the other one. All your luggage has been brought up. There'll be a sign on the door of your dormitory, so you'll know which one's yours. Make yourselves at home, then."
James couldn't see Lily's face properly from his angle, but he thought he could see a small smile appearing on her glowing face…