The end of summer vacation was ending, and for the first time in his entire life, he was glad to be going back to school. His entire summer had consisting of stressing about his chances of creating a relationship with Lily. He had watched more Muggle talk shows than he had cared to know existed. Throughout all of this, he had learned absolutely nothing that would help him in his situation. All of the advice was for guys who liked girls and didn't know how to tell them. James had already told Lily how much he liked her. On several occasions. Often publicly.

When he wasn't watching Muggle television or reading Muggle advice columns, he was wondering if he should send her an owl. He really didn't want to make her dislike him any more than she already did. He ended up not sending her any letters. But that doesn't mean he didn't write any. He wrote her one almost every day. They were about whatever happened to him or what he thought. So, naturally, when he received his letter from Hogwarts, telling him that he was Head Boy, he wrote her a letter.

Lily,

I just wanted to tell you that I made Head Boy. I don't really know why I am writing this, except that I have written you a letter every day this summer, and it is becoming a habit. Also that I figured you were Head Girl. You're just perfect like that. Well, have a good end of the summer. Maybe I'll see you in Diagon Alley.

James Potter

PS I think I may have forgotten to include the most important part of any letter to you:

I LOVE YOU

Suddenly, his owl, (who had been teased every day when James would put the letter on his leg and then take it off) swooped over his desk and snatched the letter. James immediatelyjumped up from his chair and made a fruitless attempt to grab the owl. "Bloody owl," he muttered as it swooped around his room and landed on the post of his bed. To his dying day, he swore that Godric looked at him with a mocking look before swiftly flying out of his window. "Dammit!"

He made a resolution then and there that he would not think about Lily Evans for the rest of the summer. He made a gallant attempt, but three minutes he was looking out of his window and the color of the grass reminded him of her eyes. He groaned and decided that he needed to do something. Anything to get his mind off of her. It was when he had opted for flying practice in the field behind his house that he saw a bright purple bus whiz past his house. The Knight Bus? He puzzled over what it could possibly be doing in rural England, and decided that it was just passing through when it jerked to a stop that should have killed all of its occupants. Clearly at least one of the occupants was fine, because a livid-looking Sirius departed levitating his trunk behind him. As Sirius stalked up to his house, James left his seat at the window and bounded down the steps and out of the front door.

"Hey, mate! What are you doing here? Coming to save me from the insanity that is my love for Lily Evans?"

At James's enthusiastic greeting, Sirius brightened up a bit. "Well, the last letter you sent me had faint traces of the smell 'pathetic bugger,' so I decided to come rescue you." After this, he paused a bit. "My mother also threw me out of the house," he added more quietly.

James caught him in a cross between a hug and a headlock, saying, "It's all right. I am sure Mum will let you crash here."

"Are you sure James?" inquired Sirius.

"Of course! It is so wonderful to see you again, dear," said Mrs. Potter as she walked out of her house and enveloped Sirius in a hug. Sirius had always been so comforted by her. She had the sweet, motherly smell of baking cookies and clean laundry and… love, that his mother was too mean to have.

That night, tired out from a Quidditch game that lasted three hours, James and Sirius were going to sleep in James's room, when Sirius asked a very serious question. He was going to sleep on a cot near James's bed, and he was just lying down when he asked, "What's with you and Evans, anyway? Every letter you sent me included something about her. Usually your panic about the dilemma of her smile, and your letters, and bla bla bla…" More quietly, he added, "Do you love her?" After a significant pause in which James was trying to figure out what to say, Sirius threw him another curve ball. Sirius was practically inaudible as he asked, "What's love like, anyway? I've got lust down pat, but love…I just don't know."

James replied, "I do love her. More than anything or anyone else I know—no offense." Sirius just nodded, so James continued. "Love is… scary, but beautiful at the same time. I can't seem to stop thinking about her, about what she is doing. I feel like that, if she loved me back, it wouldn't matter what else happened. It all would be okay. It is improbable. Impractical for that matter. Irrational, even. But utterly necessary for my life to continue."

"James?"

"What Sirius?"

"I want you to know that even though I've always made fun of you for being obsessed, I really do respect your love. I also want to wish you good luck this year. I think with the time you spend as Heads together might pay off. As long as you don't do anything stupid that is," at this he smiled at James, who smiled back.

"Thanks mate."

"Any time, Prongs."

The rest of the time that passed before they fell asleep was spent in conversation about the school year that was traveling nearer to them at dizzying speed. They decided to go to Diagon Alley the next day for school supplies—both the required stuff from the list and a few, well, additions. Namely, the necessities for maintaining the status of school pranksters.

"Zonko's it is," James said as he finally succumbed to his fatigue. Sirius fell asleep soon after.