The next day, James and Sirius traveled to the train station to go to Hogwarts. As soon as they crossed onto Platform 9 ¾, they saw the bustle of people who would be going to school that year. They got their trunks in the right place, but not without James bringing up her in the memory of his helping her with her trunk in first year. As they located Remus and Peter in a thankfully otherwise empty compartment, they said their hellos. Then James suddenly glanced at his watch and gave a slightly-less-than-manly squeak.

"Oh my god! I have to go to the Heads' compartment in four minutes! How do I look? I feel sick."

"Snap out of it!" Sirius gave him a good whack on the back of his head.

"Calm down, James. It will be okay. Just don't be a prat, a bighead, a jerk, or anything else Lily has ever called you," of course it was Remus who was giving him the helpful advice. As he was walking out into the train corridor, Sirius called after him in a ridiculous falsetto,

"Give my regards to dearest Lilybean now; won't you?"

"Shut up, Padfoot," James shouted over his shoulder before making his way towards the Heads' compartment.

When he walked in, he was hit with an immediate wave of pure, unadulterated terror. The redhead who he had fallen in love with was looking more beautiful, and therefore more intimidating than ever. He was quaking in his boots. As he opened his mouth to say hello, she cut him off quickly by saying, "Let's just get done what needs to be done."

"Err…Okay," James said, "what do we have to do first?" It did not go unnoticed that she had blushed feverishly when she looked at him.

"First we have to talk to the prefects, and then we have to patrol the train corridors."

"That doesn't sound too hard, let's go."

They walked the short distance to the Prefects' compartments in silence. James had finally worked up the bravery to ask her how her summer was when she broke the uncomfortable silence with an "Um..." However, they reached the Prefects' compartment before she could finish her statement. They walked in, and began the necessary introductions, as well as explaining the duties of Prefects.

To James's disappointment, Lily immediately went back to her compartment without so much as a word after talking to the Prefects. He gave a sigh while watching her retreating back, then headed back to his compartment.

"Hey Prongs! How did the meeting with Lils go?" Sirius asked eagerly. He was quite bored, because all he had been doing for an hour and a half was watch Remus whip Peter mercilessly in chess. Sirius generally liked chess, but an hour and a half was too much.

"She was just as… detached as always, but she blushed when she looked at me."

"She has been doing that a lot lately. Maybe the poor girl has got a fever," Sirius said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeah," said James rather distractedly.

"You know what we need to do? Make a visit to the lovely seventh year Gryffindor ladies. I am supposed to fall in love this year."

"WHAT?" both Remus and Peter exclaimed at the same time.

"Well, James and I were in Diagon Alley, and he yanked me in a shop to avoid the scrumptious Lilykins—"

"Don't call her that!"

"What? Scrumptious or Lilykins? … Judging by your beautiful complexion, I am guessing your desire to strangle me is coming from my use of the word scrumptious… Fine. Fine. Don't get your knickers in a twist, honey. As I was saying, he dragged me into some random shop to avoid her—better Jamesie?"

James just grunted, but Remus muttered, "Get on with it already."

"So we went into the shop and some creepy old bat, not much unlike our Div teacher, forced us to get our fortunes told. James is supposed to change his ways of 'wooing', I think it was…" James muttered what seemed to be curses as Sirius continued his monologue, "and I am supposed to fall in love."

"Let's just go," James added halfheartedly after Sirius had finished.

"Sounds good," said Remus.

"Whatever," said Peter, ever the follower.

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Thanks for reading! (I won't be pathetic here and ask you to review)

--juliet