Just as James had suspected, patrols had been long, boring and just an absolute waste of time. The walks along the corridors seemed endless, especially when he took into consideration the fact that everyone in their compartment was enjoying themselves while he was alone.
Occasionally, he'd pass another one of the prefects and be reminded of the train of thought that had inevitably decided that these people were nerds.
Annoying, unsociable nerds
How he'd ended up with getting Head Boy among all these goody two shoes led him to the conclusion that he, in fact, must be a goody two shoes himself.
Why else would Dumbledore have chosen one of the known members of the Marauders? A laugh? Maybe the brilliant man had grown delusional as he aged?
Or maybe, he'd seen potential within James that not even himself knew existed- a small voice inside his head whispered as James' eyes took in compartment after compartment filled with students from all different levels of education and a diversity of houses.
The whole time, the thought of being considered a goody two shoes followed him as he stalked up and down the halls.
This didn't go down well with the seventh year. Registering the thought was like swallowing razor blades and the whole way down they engraved their fall to his stomach down the tissue of his throat.
About an hour into the rounds-he'd had a half an hour sneaky, unauthorised break with his friends halfway through the hour and had been incredibly shitty about having to leave- Rosie Hunter fell into step beside him. In her hand was a box of chocolate frogs that James couldn't help but eye with unsuppressed longing.
Sadly, patrol duty meant no eating on the job. It had been Evans rules and honestly, didn't that girl eat? People grew hungry, it was a fact of life. Apparently not to Lily Evans because she'd strictly decided that the prefects were not allowed to eat while patrolling the hallways. The whole centre of the tirade had something to do with crumbs and ants. Big whoop. We're wizards. There's a thing called spells that could easily rid the train of ants. Ants wouldn't even try getting on the train.
As if Rosie could tell- she probably knew that he was- that he was eyeing the sweets off, she handed them over with a smile, eyes twinkling.
Upon closer inspection he realised that the box hadn't been opened. He gazed at her in shock and surprise before uttering a hurried and rather loud; "Thank you!"
"Don't mention it. You looked like you needed some cheering up." Rosie said absently, tucking her wand behind her ear as she walked beside James. "I was going to bring Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, you know, because all the different flavours and the faces I pull when I eat them would be a good laugh, but Remus said that chocolate is the key to happiness. Also, he waspaying, so I decided to humour him."
A string of incoherent noises came from James in the form of a response as he ripped the packaging of the box open and skilfully had a frog unwrapped and buried deep into his mouth in seconds.
"Good summer?"
"Fantastic. Pranked. Hit on girls. Forgot about Evans." The look on Rosie's face- that half smirk, one eyebrow arched to meet her dark auburn hairline and eyes glimmering with a look that clearly said; "Now, is that the whole truth, Potter?"-,made him crumble.
"Fine, not completely. Just…a little bit, you know? I just, it was so easy to try and tell the guys that I had but whenever I was with another girl. I just wished that it was her I was looking at…"
Rosie found herself nodding in agreement as she watched James from the corner of her eye. It was funny. After spending the majority of Summer break with Lily on her family's farm, she'd noticed quite a few things.
Always a wiz with a wand but never with a saddle, Lily Evans wasn't cut out for farm work, but that had always been expected.
Although Lily would never admit it, she was absolutely in love with flying. Qudditch- not so much. Just flying- it was magical to the girl.
Both the girls had spent a majority of the summer flying around the open fields of the farm and through the forest that sat on its borders.
And lastly, Lily Evans definitely did not fancy James Potter back. –Insert roll of eyes here.-
The red headed, emerald eyed girl was absolutely smitten but was too stubborn to actually get off her arse and admit that she did have feelings for the boy with the messy hair and mischievous smirk. In a way, it had something to do with pride. Pride was the downfall of so many throughout history and Lily was no exception. It would definitely be her downfall.
After years of rejecting and publicly arguing, fighting and shoving down James' feelings, there was no way Lily could just suddenly admit that she fancied the toerag.
"You should've seen her at the farm. Every time she lifted a hay bale or fed the horses, I'd get a; bet Potter can't do this this well, right, Ro?"
If there was one thing that James found absolutely brilliant about Rosie Hunter was her tendency to be blunt in situations where others just…weren't.
"Oh, did she now?" A smirk had found its way onto his lips as he rapped his knuckles onto a compartment door, sending a group of second years a stern, warning glare as they grew a bit too rowdy.
It was their own fault. If they'd been quieter, he wouldn't have done that. He wouldn't have even noticed if the noise hadn't started to annoy him and distract him from the task at hand. And to add to it even more, the task involved Lily Evans.
"She did, yes. Sirius visited too." And she was gone.
Typical Hunter behaviour, he couldn't help thinking. Rosie Hunter jumped from subjects like a bee moved from flower to flower in search for nectar.
"Did he, now?" James asked absently, his voice far off as his mind focused on another red headed girl with emerald green irises behind her delicate eyelashes.
Of course he knew Sirius had visited the girl. He also knew for a fact that he'd basically kicked Lily out because he wanted to spend time with his best girl mate. Also, Lily could barely stand Sirius on a good day. Sirius had reported back to James that it was absolutely no trouble getting rid of 'the flower'- they'd decided to act like gits and code their mail in case (t was never going to happen) the ministry started to read their mail. Sirius had even informed James about where she was going and where he could find the girl.
That day hadn't ended well. Lily had dumped her chocolate mint flavoured ice-cream cone over his hair and it had taken the combined efforts of an excessive amount of water and a lot of scrubbing to expel the sugary contents from his head.
Rosie was nodding in response to James' rhetorical question as she inspected her finger nails, a slight smile crossing her lips. "Yeah, he did. It. was great seeing him again. I think his jaw hit the ground when he saw me."
James' eyes flickered to her, moving up and down in a clinical sort of way. Rosie Hunter was definitely everything that Sirius desired in a girl- curves, a pretty smile, lips that were the perfect shape to kiss and curves- and she had gotten prettier over summer. Every passing year showed the way a girl changed into a woman amongst the females at Hogwarts.
Their face shape would change, their bodies, the way they acted and so many more things.
The sun had added slight flickers of gold to Rosie' dark hair, although it could've just been her playing around with her metamorphagus powers as she constantly did.
"I can see why." Was the response he finally decided on. One of his half smirks crossed his lips to accent the reply, as well as a play shove.
They continued like that for a few more minutes before Rosie finally grew tired and moved off to had a nap in their compartment. She did promise however to set up a rotation of his friends so that he wasn't stuck patrolling the boring hallways all on his own.
James jumped off the train with an exaggerated sigh, his muscles stretching out contently as he breathed in that beautiful Hogwarts air.
Man, it was good to be back at Hogwarts. Whenever he was away from the school that had been like his home for so long, it was like a hole had been ripped inside his chest and that he'd slowly bleed to death.
Although he felt all that away from the magical castle, he didn't let it show, for Ali's sake at least. Consideration was one of James' specialties. If his little sister had realised how much happier he was away from their family home, she'd be incredibly upset. And so would his uncle and Anna Lee.
Of course his Uncle William could see right through his fake mask. He'd try to make James feel better, but all he succeeded in doing when James was in one of his melancholy moods was becoming angry with himself, and later sad.
His house would never feel the same to James anymore. He'd never run into the study again on a rainy day, to see his father relaxing in his chair and laughing at aged jokes within the pages of a book.
James knew he shouldn't complain, he'd known his parents longer than Alison. She'd only been five when his parents had gone off their rockers, and henceforth she barely knew them.
As he grew up, James had come to realise that when you're young, you barely know your parents. You see a side to them that is purely your parents but as they grow up it turns into more of a friendship.
Alison would never have that.
She didn't remember that every Sunday morning their mother would make blueberry pancakes and would watch his father coach James on how to play Quidditch better. She didn't remember that every Christmas his mother would bake the best biscuits ever and that she'd have to guard them like a hound so James and his father wouldn't get to them before they'd cool off.
James was shaken out of the hold of the memories as Rosie lightly slapped his shoulder, gesturing to Ali who was hurrying off to Hagrid and the awaiting first years. Just watching her do that made pride swell in his heart for the small girl that had grown up so wonderfully within a harbour of so many bad things.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye?!" James called as he ran after his sister and picked her up, spinning her around like he had on the train platform.
Alison laughed and wiggled around, trying to get out of her big brother's arms before he potentially embarrassed her for the rest of her life. The opinion of children was so one dimensional, when looked back upon.
After watching the both of them for a few moments, laughter evident in the set of her mouth, Rosie finally took pity on the wiggling girl and stood in front of James. Her arms crossed over her chest and her head was tilted to the side slightly.
"James Potter, put down the girl and no one gets hurt." She drew a liquorice wand from her pocket and held it out, pretending she was about to hex him.
James made a big show of putting Alison back on the floor and falling at Rosie's feet. "Oh please. Please don't kill me! I don't want to live! You can't kill me, oh please merciful goddess."
Alison gave them both a mortified look as Rosie began boasting in an exceedingly loud voice about how she could be a knight, while James pretended to kiss her shoes.
"You two are so mean!" Ali said as she lightly punched James's shoulder, gave Rosie a quick hug then ran off to Hagrid's large form. "Bye! See you in the Great Hall!" She yelled over her shoulder, her voice filled with a mix of everything- excitement, fear and hunger.
James winced as Alison tripped and face planted the ground, muttering something along the lines of- "We definitely need to wrap that girl in bubble wrap."- but sighed in relief as a small boy bent down, checked if she was alright then helped her to her feet.
"BE CAREFUL! DON'T FALL OUT OF THE BOATS!" Rosie screamed after Alison and the boy, acting like a mother who was letting her daughter go off alone to her fast day of school.
Rosie waved foolishly before tugging James to his feet and handing him half of the liquorice wand. He gave her a 'thank you' head nod as she took his arm and pushed through the large throng of students who were impatiently trying to force their way into a carriage.
After weaving through the students like a pro for a few minutes, they finally arrived at the awaiting carriage that the rest of the Marauder's were leaning against. Rosie and James gave them all small, tired smiles.
Sirius looked up from the map he was studying intensely as Rosie gently patted the head of the thestral set to pull their carriage. A small frown was settled on his face as he looked at her through narrowed eyes.
"Why aren't you taking a carriage up with Evans and the rest of your mates? You really shouldn't take the carriage with us. "
Rosie didn't give Sirius a second glance as she gave the thestral's nose one final pat. "And why can't I?" Sirius had prodded Rosie Hunter in her stubborn side, so what did she do? She moved to climb into the carriage, before Remus, who'd muttered a quick, "Ladies first." Before following her inside and sitting directly opposite her.
Laughing at the look that had moved over Sirius' face, James slid in beside the small girl. Sirius following him as Peter hurried them all along.
The carriages were only built for four people and the fact that there were currently five people occupying this carriage was definitely proving that when a carriage was made for four people, there was no bloody way five people could fit without a bit of discomfort.
"OK, I have to sit on somebody's lap." Rosie declared as she tried to shove James over as he was currently crushing her against the window. Her words were slightly muffled as all the boys adjusted how they were sitting, and her face was pushed back up against the glass.
After a few more minutes of uncomfortable adjustments and Rosie being shoved against the window a few more times, Sirius finally took pity on her and gently tugged her onto his lap, where she crossed her arms over her chest and lightly rubbed the red mark that was starting to form on her pale cheek.
"This," Rosie grumbled. "Is why I never take the carriage with you four." A small smirk formed on Sirius's face as he looked at the girl on his lap.
"Well, I did ask why you weren't taking the carriage with Evans. I did also warn you not to take the carriage with us! See why you should listen to me, Hunter?' Rosie gave him a quick glare while she pushed her dark auburn hair out of her eyes. Her eyes could never really decide what colour they were, they were constantly changing between blue and green.
"I was not going to listen to Lily complain about how much of a git James is. I had to listen to her while I was in the compartment for the last two minutes, and Merlin, that was enough for me."
She rolled her eyes and laughed, meeting James's eyes briefly before he looked out the window. Sirius laughed and tapped the slightly smudged glass.
"You know how you claim that you'll never snog me, Hunter? Well, the window stole a snog. So why can't I steal one?" Rosie stuck her tongue out and leaned away, nose wrinkled up. After a few more moments, all five of the seventh years broke into a long fit of laughter that didn't end until they were finally at their much awaited destination.
Once they walked into the Great Hall, Rosie took her usual spot between the Marauders and her usual friends, glancing down at the empty plate in front of her with hungry longing.
James noticed Lily kept glancing at the big red mark on Rosie's cheek every few moments and he bit his lip with worry. He hadn't meant to shove her against the window; she was the smallest and by right should have been sitting right next to the door. He didn't know why he didn't think of that before all of them had tried to cram themselves into the carriage, but if he had, Rosie wouldn't currently have that mark on her face, he was sure of it.
He caught Sirius's eye and knew he felt exactly the same way. James was about to ask Rosie is she was okay when Professor McGonagall called up the little first years. Every student from second year to seventh had their eyes trained on the first years, watching their every move with a clinical intensity.
Each house had their own reason of doing this, James thought;
Slytherins watched to see who they would have the honour of bullying over the next few years. They also paid particular attention to the names of the students in case there was a muggleborn in their midst.
James really didn't understand why they hated Muggleborns so much. Rosie and Lily were Muggleborn, and they were two of the smartest girls he'd ever met. Also the prettiest. It might've had something to do with the fact that they weren't practically inbred like all purebloods.
Ravenclaw looked to see who would grow up to be smarter than them. When you're at the top, you don't ever want to fall back to second position. The ravens were incredibly jealous people when it came to academic brilliance.
Hufflepuff looked out of pure curiosity, it was a known fact that they were extremely big gossips. If you ever wanted gossip to stay hidden- never, ever, tell a Hufflepuff.
And the Gryffindors, you ask? James still hadn't figured that one out yet, after seven years of attending Hogwarts. He guessed it was because it was so much easier to judge the other houses rather than his own.
A flash of brown hair caught James's attention and he watched as Alison fidgeted nervously. He couldn't blame her for being nervous, as he'd been just as bad during his sorting. As James gave her an encouraging smile, he couldn't help but remember the talk he'd had with her the night before.
Alison hadn't been able to sleep and had come to James's room in the middle of the night, her usually smooth, pretty hair was rumpled and messy and she had a dressing grown around her. Accompanying her was a photo album and her teddy bear, both tucked under an opposite arm.
James had sleepily let her in and listened to her concerns while they flicked through the family photo albums. He'd become instantly awake when he realised that she needed her big brother more than anything.
His mother had been in Ravenclaw and his father, Gryffindor. Alison was worried that she wouldn't get in either of the houses.
James had gently stroked her hair while he comforted her. Eventually they both fell asleep, Alison feeling relieved and much better and James feeling bloody exhausted. He didn't mind it though, it was the least he could do for his little sister.
The sharp kick Sirius had sent his way told him that he'd missed all the sortings up to Alison, who was currently sitting on the stool. She was nervously gnawing on her lip as the hat was put on her head and covered her big eyes.
The hat did nothing for a long moment. Panic started to course through James as he chewed his lower lip. Alison had magic, she definitely did. The things that she'd accidentally done had been amazing and brilliant. James knew for a fact that he had a talented young witch on his hands.
James wasn't aware he'd been holding his breath till he heard the hat shout, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Alison let out a happy laugh that was halfway through a sob and came and sat between James and Rosie. Sirius ruffled the little girls' hair from across the table before returning his attention to the proceedings. Rosie began to speak with the small girl softly under her breath, laughter bubbling from both the girls easily. James kept trying to make them be quiet, knowing soon that Dumbledore or one of the teachers would look over and be fairly unhappy that a seventh year was already leading a firsty astray.
James caught Lily staring at him and he felt his stomach do a flip. It wasn't fair. Evans could look at him all she liked but he couldn't even give her a passing glance. And when she did stare at him, his stomach did gymnastics like crazy.
To keep himself distracted, he gave Ali a quick one armed hug, trying to forget how just by looking at him, Lily was making his mind whirl and his breath catch.
The sortings proceeded effortlessly, and just before the feast was about to appear, Dumbledore had Lily and James stand up. With his goblet raised to them and those eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles, Dumbledore proclaimed.
"These two talented students are your Head Boy and Girl for the year. They'll represent you and will be happy to listen to any problems you have."
James beamed and waved easily while Lily smiled politely before sitting back down, leaving James standing there all by himself. He'd known since second year that Lily Evans did not like the spotlight, but that was uncalled for. He'd been in a momentary daze and hadn't sat as Lily had and he would have looked like an extreme git if he hadn't shouted effortlessly.
"LET'S ALL HAVE A GOOD YEAR, YOU HEAR ME?" He'd shouted to cover his momentary embarrassment. It was quick thinking and a whole lot of arrogance that made the comment sound so effortless. If his voice had trembled or shook, his credibility would've crashed right to the floor with it.
As he sat down, James suppressed a grin, more than half of the students whooping and cheering as the food finally made its long awaited appearance. As always, the food was amazing.
Hundreds of dishes of meat, vegetables and any sauce that could be imaged appeared. Jugs of water and pumpkin juice were dotted all along the table and soon the hall was filled with the usual sound of more than a hundred people indulging in a fantastic dinner and catching up after a long summer had gone by.
James caught Sirius's eye as his best mate was watching Rosie cheer the loudest- being loud had never been a problem for the farm girl-, before grinning crookedly at all the Marauders and her friends and digging into her food.
Throughout the whole of dinner, James was not once inclined to look over at Lily, although he could feel eyes on him for the majority, HE had no proof except his gut feeling that it'd been Lily.
As the dinner dishes were replaced with all kinds of sweets and puddings, James briefly caught Lily's eye, but she looked away. He shrugged it off as he spooned a good portion of food onto his plate.
