Lily stood on the platform watching several first years loading their trunks on the train and kissing their parents good-bye. Oh how she missed the way that her parents would see her off every year. Ever since they died in her fourth year, Petunia would drop her off at the street in front of the station. She made it very clear to Lily that she wouldn't be see with the likes of a freak. At least Petunia would drop her off early; to be honest Lily didn't want to be seen with her either. Snapping herself out of her thoughts, she loaded the train pulling her trunk behind her.
Lily had made it to the last compartment, smiling up at the sign that read "Prefects Only". Sliding the door open she walked in putting her trunk away. She wasn't a Prefect this year, she was Head Girl. She could help but get excited at the thought. She bent down to give the trunk one final push; so that it would slide under the seat, when she heard the compartment door slide open.
James leaned against the frame of the door, taking notice of how Lily's skirt was dangerously high as she situated her trunk. His eyes were unwilling to move from her creamy legs until she turned to face him. By the red tint creeping up on her checks, he could tell she realized what he was looking at. Know that she was standing; he had a chance to survey her for the first time since their sixth year. James thought that it was impossible for her to become anymore gorgeous than she already was. However she blossomed even more over the summer. When his eyes finally meet her's, her could see the utter horror on her face. She was looking at his Head Boy badge. He couldn't help but laugh.
"Please tell me that is a joke! Please tell me that yet again, I am the focus of one of your pranks!" Lily couldn't believe it. There was no way that James Potter had been made Head Boy.
James smirk got even wider. He walked out of the door frame closer to where Lily was. "I was as shocked as you when I found out. The funny thing is that I was planning this prank assuming that Remus would be made Head Boy. I guess Dumbledor thought he would save me the trouble. Sorry, sweetheart, but this badge is mine. You're stuck with me all year!" He made sure that he drug out that last sentence.
"Great! My own personal hell!" Lily took a step closer to him, causing him to take a step back. "I swear Potter, put one foot out of line and I will kill you myself! Understood?! And if you think that I am doing all the work by myself, so that you can run around snogging girls, you are sadly mistaken!" Lily was absolutely furious. This year was going to be a disaster.
Remus shook his head as he walked into the compartment followed by several other Prefects. "It's not going well, I take it." Everyone else in the room was starting to giggle at this point.
James looked up. "Man, this one is scary. We won't have a problem with keeping the students in line this year. As soon as they find out that Evans is Head Girl, they won't come out of their dorms!" Even the Slytherins were laughing now. "Alright, everybody sit down before she blows her lid." James sat down at that the front of the room in one of the chairs reserved for him and Lily.
"One more word out of you Potter and you'll never make it to the castle alive! Now unless you want to be here for the entire train ride, please settle down." Lily was beside herself! She normally at least had the train ride in peace. She couldn't help but think that this was going to be the year from hell!
James was handing out the patrol schedules to the prefects as they made their way out of the compartment. He was surprised that he was able to conduct his half of the meeting and was still in one piece. Lily even looked impressed for a moment there, which was not exactly a sentiment they normally shared. James and Lily were now left alone, again not something that normally happened. He contemplated what he was about to say to her knowing that it might not go very well. "Look Lily I want this to be a good year for both of us. Can we just try to be nice to each other?" He was right; this definitely might not go well.
Lily looked up at him with disgust in her eyes. "What?! I guess that you thought since this is our last year that you had to get started extra early at ruining my life! See just how much misery and humiliation you could inflict on me in one year, huh? Well congrats, fifteen minutes into the train ride is a new record!" Lily fought to hide the tears that she could feel building up in her eyes. She turned to stare out the back of the train. Looking out at the beautiful landscape, she knew that they were half way to Hogwarts by now. She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts when she realized that James was standing right behind her. She could fell his breath on her neck, a chill running all the way to her toes. She couldn't hold back the shiver that was now very apparent.
James didn't know what was coming over him; maybe it was the vulnerability that she never let show or the she glowed when the light from the window hit her. He was now standing behind her. The sweet aroma from her hair was so inviting. She must have been freezing because she was slightly shaking. The immediate urge to protect her sweep over him. Before James could comprehend what he was doing, he had his arms wrapped around Lily holding her tight to him. He couldn't believe the excitement that he felt when she didn't pull away. "Lily, I'm sorry. I promise I'll make this year different. You just have to let me try. Please Lily just let me in."
She didn't know if it was how considerate he sounded, how sincere his words were, or how gently he was holding her; she just didn't have the heart to fight with him anymore. "Just leave me alone James and maybe we'll make it through this year." She walked out of the compartment and out of his arms. She tried not to notice the prick of emptiness in her when she was no longer in the safety of his arms.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A silence engulfed the compartment as Lily walked in. Alice and Mary looked up at her concern written all over their faces. "Let me guess, you already know who got Head Boy?" They both nodded very slowly. "And neither of you told me! Remind me why I shouldn't kill you?" Lily plopped down on the bench beside Mary.
Alice shook her head. "Did it really go that bad? And I though that you and James were getting along so well at the end of last year."
"What in the hell are you talking about? Was I around when this happened or in a comma?" Lily was not going to give into Alice's theory that easy. She had to hear it repeatedly over the summer. How she believed that Lily was falling for James and she just didn't want to admit defeat.
"You know very well what I am talking about. How you acted at the game, and then the party; not to mention the fact that you avoided him like the plague the rest of the year."
"Oh please it was only two weeks and like I don't avoid him like the plague all the time. I do not nor ever will like James Potter, so give it a rest." The last thing that she wanted to do at this moment was talk about James. For some reason she didn't hate him as much anymore and to be honest it scared the shit out of her. Hating him was a much easier emotion to deal with. Not that she new what she was dealing with now. "Alice McKinnon, if you say another word on this subject, I will march down the train until I find a certain Longbottom. And inform him that every other word out of your mouth this summer was Frank this Frank that!"
Mary was giggling rather loudly now, following the whole exchange. "I don't think she will be opening her mouth for the rest of the night. Good one Lily!"
"Oh sod off. And need I remind you Mary, you agree with me."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The girls walked thru the massive front doors making their way to the beginning of the year feast, when they heard a very boisterous very familiar wolf whistle. Sirius wrapped his arms around Lily and Alice. "Well hello ladies. Looks like summer treated you well. Care to accompany a gentleman to dinner?"
"Sirius please. When have you ever been a gentleman?" Lily said slapping his arm from around her waist just to be replaced by another arm on the other side of her. She glanced over to see that Remus had joined the group as they entered the great hall.
"That maybe true, however Sirius can't help if we just so happen to have the most attractive girls in the school belonging to Gryffindor." Remus let go of Lily as they took their seats at the Gryffindor house table. He made sure to sit so that there was a slight gap in between them. Lily glanced up at him with a look on her face as if to ask what he was doing. Right about that time James slide on to the bench and sat there. Now Lily was shooting him a glance that said something completely different. He knew that look; it was one of her "I can't believe you just did that to me! I'm going to kill you!" looks.
Lily tried to turn and ignore James, which caused to be very unsuccessful. He would lean over and whisper comments in her ear thru the entire sorting; things like "That is Jared the third years little sister" or "That is the youngest Weasley boy. Remember Arthur who graduated when we were second years." Things she would want to know as Head Girl. All the comments were relevant; she had to give him that. She just really did like the close proximity. It unnerved her for some reason.
The sorting was now over and Professor Dumbledore was giving his usually speech. "And now I would like to introduce our head students for this year. James Potter and Lily Evans." Just as Dumbledore said her name assorted species of lilies started for fall all over the great hall. The entire hall broke out into laughter, including most of the professors. Students were gathering them off the tables and placing them in glasses. Some of the younger boys were throwing them at each other. Lily faced James now who was holding a handful of the flowers up for her to take. She sat down as quickly as possible, placing the flowers next to her. She hid her face in her hands, waiting for anything to happen that would take the attention off of her. Suddenly food appeared on the tables, which did the trick.
Her group of friends were still laughing as they loaded food onto their plates. Sirius with a mouth full of chicken said "Sorry Lily flower. We just had to do something to say congraduations."
"Saying it would have been quite good enough thank you." Lily said trying to hunch down, so that she could be hidden from the crowd.
James gave her a little nudge. "You know us Marauders. We like to show it!"
She glared up at him, which she couldn't keep up for long with the smile he was giving her. Lily just rolled her eyes and started filling her plate. This was going to be one crazy year.