A/N: Thanks for sticking it out to read the first chapter. That's a good sign, right? Once again, review please! It'll motivate me to write chapter two faster! -Jess

Disclaimer: I own nothing (except the clothes on my back).

Chapter One: Rising to the Task

September 1, 1977

It was two in the morning and Lily Evans was staring at the cracks in her ceiling, willing her mind to shut off. Turning in her bed, her eyes fell upon the outline of the gold badge that was lying on her bedside table. She couldn't suppress a small groan. Dumbledore was a brilliant man, and she'd be lying if she said it hadn't always been her ambition to be Head Girl, but now? A substantial sect of the wizarding world wanted her dead, and most believed she was less than them because of her blood. She knew the reactions from her classmates would not all be positive when they found out she had been made Head Girl. How was she supposed to lead them?

To cap it off, James Potter was Head Boy. James Potter, who had spent the better part of the last six years doing his best to make her life at Hogwarts miserable. And true, she had noticed a change in him over the course of the last year. His bullying seemed to have ceased entirely, and though his pranks had persisted, they had become far less harmful in nature – sometimes even somewhat impressive, loathe as she was to admit it. Last year, when Professor Selwyn, their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, had off-handedly expressed purist ideology during class, Potter and his friends had lead the charge to have him removed from his position, and had pulled quite a few rather brilliant pranks on him. At the end of it all, he left more than willingly.

Sure, Potter had perhaps matured a bit in the past year, but did that mean she had any desire to work alongside him all year? Absolutely not. Their relationship was tensely polite at best and volatile at worst. It had come as a great relief to Lily when Potter had given up his ceaseless and incessant teasing and begging for her to go out with him. In the last year, the two seemed to have forged an unspoken agreement to stay away from each other, and, though she couldn't speak for Potter, it worked quite well for her. And now he was Head Boy to her Head Girl.

It was a nightmare. On no fewer than eight separate occasions, she had come close to writing Dumbledore to respectfully decline the position. Somehow, however, here she was, on the morning of the first day of term, due to meet Potter on the platform in less than eight hours.

She would not be getting any sleep tonight. Sighing, she flicked on her lamp and proceeded to reread (for at least the fifteenth time) the letter detailing the expectations and responsibilities for her as Head Girl.

James Potter was definitively not a morning person. And yet, here he was, awake at dawn. And when the old grandfather clock in the hallway outside of his bedroom struck five and he could see the light of dawn beginning to crest through the translucent blinds of his balcony, he felt quite like a different person. And, in truth, wasn't he?

For today, he was James Potter, Head Boy, and as much as he'd laughed along with his friends at the absurdity of the situation, he had to admit, finally, on the morning of his judgment day, that meant something. No, it didn't mean what Sirius secretly thought it meant: that he would forsake his rebellious nature in favor of docking points and doling out detentions and spend all his free time in the library (though Sirius had yet to actually voice this fear, James could read his best friend like a Transfiguration textbook.) Sirius was wrong, however. It didn't mean that he would be transformed into the model Head Boy as soon as he finally pinned on that ruddy badge. All the same, it meant something. James could feel a change in the air, the same change that had been making swift and fierce movements through James' life over the course of the last year, and though he was usually the first to embrace a new challenge, he had to admit that he was somewhat uneasy about this particular change.

It was partially the finality of it all. Today was the beginning of the end. He knew it, and he knew that his friends knew it as well. Much as they avoided talk of the future, they were barreling into it at a terrifying speed. The world was practically calling out to them now, begging them to join it, and there was only a year standing in between themselves and something much larger. It was their last year now, there was a war on, and he was Head Boy, and it all just seemed to mean something and it was a bit frightening and unnerving, but what was most unsettling to James was that a large part of him was excited.

Because James Potter didn't do anything half-arsed and because life demanded action more now than ever, he was excited.

But none of that explained why he was awake at five in the morning after only three restless hours of sleep. No, though all those thoughts were buzzing about his mind like a horde of mad doxies, they alone were not enough to keep him from his beloved sleep. There was one and only reason for his current sleep-deprived state, and that was Lily Evans.

Lily Evans, whom he had done an excellent job of banishing from his mind for the better part of a year, was back with a vengeance, by necessity. She would be Head Girl. In addition to seeing her daily, which was an inevitable part of being a Gryffindor and sharing most of each others' classes that he had now come to accept, they would need to work together on a regular basis. This thought, like all the others, was both terrifying and exciting, for though he would readily admit to numerous fantasies in which this partnership lead to something positive for the two of them, he had to admit – and he had to because this admission was what had gotten him through this past year – that Lily Evans simply did not, would not, and could not like him. Not as a friend, and probably not even as an acquaintance. She had even grown to like his friends – Peter had partnered with her in Potions last term and she had grown close to Remus through their shared prefect duties – but she would never like him. She had made as much abundantly clear at the end of fifth year, and he was done with trying. And yet, here he was: five hours away from a meeting with her that was bound to go poorly and, though he thought he had managed to completely banish such thoughts from his mind, all he could find himself thinking about now was snogging her senseless in their train compartment.

Bloody hell, Potter. Pull yourself together.

With that, he decided it was time to get out of bed and throw some cold water over his face.

Morning in the Evans household was always an unpleasant affair, but Lily thought this one might take the cake. She trudged down the stairs, still half-asleep, greeted by the sound of her older sister's shrill complaints.

"I don't want to go, mother. You know I can't stand to be around all those freaks. It's bad enough to have had to spend the whole summer around her – god, doesn't she even have any friends at that freak school of hers?"

Lily cringed, pausing just outside the doorway to the kitchen where her sister and mother were arguing. Petunia made no efforts to conceal her feelings about her, and would have said as much to her face, but Lily thought she would very much like to avoid another confrontation on her day of departure. After all, as she had mentioned just about five thousand times this summer, Petunia would be moving to London in a few weeks to begin a typing course – yes, a typing course, of all things – so the next time Lily returned home, her sister would no longer be living there. Still, it took a great deal to hold back from jumping into the argument to defend herself. After all, she did have friends at Hogwarts. Sure, perhaps the McKinnon sisters had been inexplicably radio silent all summer, and perhaps Mary MacDonald had only written her twice throughout her entire summer traveling about Asia, and perhaps Alice 'Longbottom' (that still sounded odd!) didn't seem to have nearly as much time for her now in the year since she had graduated and gone and gotten herself hitched. But so what? She had friends. She realized she had been too distracted to hear her mother's retort, but it seemed that she may have won, because Petunia simply let out a loud huff and slammed her teacup on the table.

Lily hoped the waters were calm enough to finally enter the kitchen, because her head was throbbing and she was desperate for a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit. With an incoherent mumble, she greeted her mother and sister.

"Morning, darling. Looking forward to your first day back?" Her mother chirped brightly. Though Lily had received her apparition license the previous Spring and could very well make her way to the station on her own, she knew her mother always looked forward to the trip to King's Cross and having a chance to get a glimpse into the wizarding world.

"Mm," Lily hummed absent-mindedly, dipping her biscuit into her tea. "I mentioned we need to go earlier today? I'll need to be there by ten." Lily noticed that Petunia was now making a point of picking up the morning paper and pretending to pay a great deal of attention to whatever was on the front page, though why she bothered with such a ruse was beyond Lily – she knew full well that her sister didn't read the paper.

"I couldn't forget. Head Girl duties! Oh, if only your father could see..." Serena Evans was brimming with pride, but her last words were spoken in a softer tone. Though it had been nearly four years now, it was still difficult for the Evans women to mention their deceased patriarch casually in conversation. Composing herself, she gave Lily a broad smile. "I'm just so proud, darling."

"Thanks, Mum," Lily mumbled, shifting on her feet uncomfortably. There was a part of her that expected to arrive at the Hogwarts Express only to have her badge snatched away and be told that a mistake had been made, and that thought was now causing an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. Or maybe she'd already inhaled too many chocolate biscuits? Heavens, they were delicious this morning.

"You girls should really get ready if we're to make it to London by ten!" Suddenly, Serena Evans was snatching the tin of biscuits from a disgruntled Lily and shooing her daughters up the stairs. "Do be sure you've packed everything, Lily dear! I don't want to have to send anything with that owl of yours. You know I always feel bad giving her large packages..."

As Lily trudged back upstairs behind her sister, the reality of their situation suddenly hit her like a bludger to the face. She found herself meekly calling up to her older sister, who was now turning the handle of the bathroom door: "Tunie?"

Petunia stopped moving, her hand still clutching the door's handle, and seemed to be debating whether to respond or continue ignoring her sister. Finally, with a small sigh, she opted for a response. "Yes?" Her tone was harsh, but Lily could swear she detected a note of softness, even sadness, in it as well. She wondered whether her sister had come to the same realization as she had today.

Petunia had not turned around, so Lily approached her sister, leaning against the wall beside the door in an attempt to catch her eye. "I just – will you write me?"

"I'm not sending anything with one of your owls if that's what you're asking," Her sister snapped coldly.

She bit her lip to hold in a nasty retort. Patience, she reminded herself. Then, in as calm a voice she could muster, she replied: "No, just send them to the house here and mum will pass them along."

"I suppose," Petunia was still doing her best to avoid meeting Lily's eyes, and now made to open the door once again. Lily blocked her entrance with an arm, at which point she finally looked up at her younger sister to glare daggers in her direction.

"Tunie, we're sisters. I know we're different, but I think we can be ok again if we try. I think – I think we owe it to each other to try. Please, just write me? I'll write you every week."

Petunia sighed, looking down at her feet, and finally nodded. "I'll write." She agreed quickly, after a pause that felt like an eternity. Then, she pushed her way into the bathroom. Lily caught one glimpse into her eyes before she entered and could tell that they were filling with tears.

In that moment, it was impossible for Lily to hold in her own tears, but they were accompanied by a hopeful smile. Perhaps this time they could actually keep their promises.

James arrived downstairs to be greeted by his doting mother and two house elves busily readying the breakfast table. The Potter dining room was grandiose and eating at the table here felt silly and impractical for their small family, but his mother always insisted on setting it for special occasions. "You're up early!" His mother exclaimed over the sound of sizzling bacon. "I never thought I'd see the day when I didn't have to drag you out of bed to make the train."

"Yes, well, turning over a new leaf and all that, remember?" James said with a grin, attempting to grab a slice of bacon off of one of the plates.

Margaret Potter slapped her son's hand away. "Don't even think about it. Chirpy, Sally and I have been hard at work all morning getting a nice breakfast ready for you boys, and we'll sit down to eat together when it's ready." James groaned in protest, but took a seat at a table. "And you can't fool your wise old mother with any of that 'new leaf' business. Your father and I are proud as pixies that you'll be Head Boy this year, but don't think for a moment we aren't expecting to continue receiving our regular correspondences from dear Minerva." With a broad smile, she added quietly: "I think your father might be a little disappointed in you if we didn't."

"Make that two of us." Sirius' voice echoed about the marble-covered chamber. James turned to see his best friend leaning against the door frame in the entrance to the dining room wearing a smirk that, James noticed, contained a hint more darkness than was typical for Sirius. "Where is good old Harry this morning?"

"Good morning, Sirius, dear!" His mother greeted Sirius brightly. "Unfortunately, James' father was called in to help attend to a matter at the Ministry this morning."

James raised his eyebrows. "Retirement isn't nearly as quiet as they make it out to be."

Margaret hummed her agreement. "Yes, well Barty Crouch needs all the help he can get with the Auror Office right now," she explained in a darker tone. She ran a hand through her gray hair. "I do wish they could give him some more notice for these things, though. We were so looking forward to taking you boys to the station."

"Mum, Sirius and I were just going to apparate..." James began in protest.

"Oh, absolutely not." Margaret Potter snapped, gesturing for Sirius to take a seat at the table beside James. "I am not missing my last chance to see you off at the train station. Not to mention meet this mysterious Head Girl of yours. You haven't said a word about her all summer! Do you know her, Sirius?"

Sirius now wore a broad grin. "Oh, yes, I know Evans. You know that our little Jamie's been carrying a torch for her for five years, don't you?"

It was apparent to James that Sirius was in a rightmood this morning – made blatant by his callous mention of Evans and his use of a nickname that James detested – and James was in no mood for dealing with it himself. "Shut up, Sirius," he mumbled, but the damage was done.

"Oh, James! Don't be embarrassed, dear. Is that why you don't want me at the station? I promise I'll be good." The grin on his mother's face was sickening. He glared daggers at Sirius, who laughed and gave a small shrug. James was not buying it, but he had neither the desire nor the time to have this confrontation right now. He had been avoiding this confrontation all summer, and it had lead to a deluge of awkward and tense moments. Yet, to any outsider, the two boys were still every bit as close as they had ever been.

It was his mother who interrupted this particular tense moment: "Let's eat, then, boys. It's nearly nine thirty, and we need to be at the station by ten!" The two boys proceeded to devour their breakfasts, neither saying much through the rest of the meal.

Kings Cross Station in September was a place of potential. Despite all her nerves, the moment she entered the station, Lily's predominant emotion was one of excitement. Suddenly, she felt eleven years old again. It was a new year at Hogwarts, the place she had spent her entire summer wishing to return to. She wasn't going to let her nervousness ruin that, and she certainly wasn't going to let James Potter ruin that. So, now within the station, it took all of her willpower to contain her excitement enough to keep from running to the platform ahead of her mother and sister.

Petunia was particularly dragging her heels on the walk toward the platform. She had tried three times already to come up with different excuses to get out of the excursion, but Serena Evans was having none of it. So, the trio made their way slowly toward the platform, Lily beginning to grow anxious that she would arrive late. The last thing she wanted was to arrive after James did – what sort of precedent would that set? She attempted to rush her family to little avail, but they finally reached the barrier into Platform Nine and Three Quarters after what felt like an hour's walk. Once in front of the barrier, she gave her mother an inquisitive glance.

"I would go through with you, dear, but..." Serena Evans trailed off, but Lily didn't need to hear the explanation. After the first year dropping Lily off on the platform, Petunia had always refused to cross the platform barrier, horrified by the prospect of interacting so blatantly with magic.

Lily nodded, letting go of her trolley, running to her mother and engulfing her in an enormous hug. In that moment, she realized how difficult this year would be for their mother – the first one with a completely empty nest. "I'll write all the time," she promised.

"Of course, dear." Lily could tell her mother was fighting back tears, running a hand through her gray hair. "And do let me know if you realize you've forgotten anything. I just hope it's not newt's eyes again... the smell of those things, really!"

Lily burst into laughter along with her mother, trying to ignore the look of disgust on Petunia's face. Her sister was standing with her hand on her hips when she turned to her. "Good luck in London, Tunie."

Petunia took a step toward Lily, and looked for a moment as though she might hug her, but seemed to have thought better of it. "Thanks," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

"And we'll write as well, ok? Don't forget."

Petunia nodded. There was a tense silence between the two and suddenly, Margaret Evans was sobbing. The two girls stared at their mother as though she had suddenly grown two heads. Through tears, she burst out, "I'm sorry – it's just – my girls... I love you both." And before they knew what was happening, Mrs. Evans had pulled her two daughters into a tight hug. Calming herself now, she sniffed a few times. "I will miss you very much."

"I know, mum. I'll miss you, too," Lily replied honestly, though she couldn't help smiling a bit at her mother's sudden histrionics.

"You should get into the platform, you don't want to be-"

But her mother was interrupted by another voice. "Evans!" The greeting came in the form of James Potter's voice. Turning sharply, Lily saw that he was joined by his best friend and partner-in-crime, Sirius Black, and an older woman who Lily assumed must be his mother. She was a tall, stately-looking witch wearing a long wool coat. Her gray hair was worn up in a tight bun. Lily noted that she did a better job than most older witches and wizards at dressing the part of a muggle.

Startled by their sudden appearance, Lily was momentarily speechless. Composing herself, she finally greeted the trio. "Morning, Potter, Black..." she began tentatively.

Sirius nodded in her direction – it may have been Lily's imagination, but he was looking moodier than his usual self this morning. James gave her a somewhat nervous smile, running a hand through his perennially-messy black hair and straightening the frames of his glasses. "Is this your family, Evans? This is my mum."

Margaret Potter was now introducing herself eagerly to Serena Evans, who appeared excited to meet another witch, and Petunia Evans, who appeared terrified by their new companions, though Lily thought she noticed her sister's eyes lingering a bit longer on Sirius, who was the definition of tall, dark and handsome – or so Lily had heard him described by the various giggling witches who constantly fell all over themselves around him; Lily herself found his arrogance, predilection toward bullying and friendship with Potter to be highly unattractive qualities. While their parents chatted, Lily twiddled her thumbs awkwardly, wondering whether she should try to start conversation.

James beat her to it. "How was your summer?"

"It was alright," Lily answered, somewhat startled by his easy friendliness. The two had barely said two words to each other in the last year. "How were yours?" She addressed both boys, though Sirius didn't seem to be paying much attention to her.

"Good, I suppose," James replied neutrally. "As good as things can be right now."

"Right. Sometimes when I'm home I almost forget there's a war on – I don't really interact much with our world over the summers. Of course, they added extra protections on my house after the attacks in July."

"Must be nice," Sirius mused darkly. Lily shot him a confused glance. "To be able to forget about this war, I mean." His words were stated plainly, but there was something of an accusation behind them.

Lily bristled at the suggestion. "Nice?" She snapped. "Yeah, it's nice. Last I checked, you were a pureblood, Black, so don't talk to me about what's nice."

"Let's not -" James began, but Sirius interrupted him.

"I'm just saying," Sirius began, his tone angrier now. "that some of us can't escape the evidence of this damn war."

"Oh, I know what this is all about. I'm so sorry if you think my kind have caused an inconvenient war for yours, Black..."

"That's not – I don't think that." Sirius sputtered, momentarily taken aback and suddenly somewhat resembling a scolded puppy.

"He doesn't think that," James affirmed, giving his friend a harsh glare. "Sirius just needs to get his foot out of his mouth."

"Oh, I need to get my foot out of my mouth, do I?" Lily suddenly felt herself wishing she could be anywhere but there in that moment. Though she never seemed to be able to avoid it when she was around James and his friends, conflict was quite contrary to her nature. At least Sirius seemed to have all but forgotten about her presence now. "Oh, that's right, I almost forgot. You're our perfect Head Boy now. Are you going to dock points for this?"

Uncomfortable as the moment was, Lily felt somewhat intrigued by this sudden change in Sirius and James' relationship. In the six years she'd known the two, she couldn't recall ever seeing them argue, though she'd always made a point to spend as little time as possible in their presence. James was blushing fiercely now. "Don't be an ass, Padfoot."

"No, I'll leave that to you, Prongs." With that, Sirius stalked over to James' mother. "Thank you so much for this summer, Mrs. Potter." He told her, traces of anger not lost from his voice.

"Oh, that's right, you three had better get onto the platform. I know you two have your meeting! Head Boy and Girl – aren't you just so proud, Serena?"

"Couldn't be prouder," Lily's mother agreed. It seemed that the two women had gotten on quite well, though Petunia still looked mortified and ready to leave.

"And Lily! She's just lovely, isn't she? Wonderful to meet you, dear," James' mother had now turned, finally, to Lily, and leaned over to give her a light but affectionate hug.

"Good to meet you as well, Mrs. Potter."

"Well, my dear boys, please don't get into too much trouble this term." Margaret Potter wrapped her arms around Sirius first, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Sirius, you'll be back for the holidays, won't you?"

"We'll see," Sirius mumbled, staring down at his feet now. Lily hadn't realized that Sirius had been staying with James' family, but she was quickly finding there was a lot she didn't know about these two, though they'd been housemates for six years.

"That wasn't a request, dear. You will. Lily, you are welcome to come visit yourself whenever you'd like."

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," Lily responded with a blush. She couldn't imagine ever willingly spending time at the Potter abode, but she had to admit his mother seemed kind – shame that Potter hadn't inherited much of her nature.

Finally letting go of Sirius with an affectionate squeeze of his hand, Mrs. Potter turned to her own son and embraced him just as tightly, kissing him on the cheek as well. When she had let go of her son, Margaret Potter turned to all three of them. "Have a wonderful year, you three."

Serena Evans gave her daughter one final hug and the three students made their way through the barrier alone.

Finally away from the adults, Sirius went back to his sullen state and without another word, dragged his trunk onto the first train carriage. Lily and James were left alone.

"Listen, I'm sorry about him..." James began, uncomfortably.

"It's fine," Lily insisted. And, truthfully, it was. Perhaps it wasn't how she had expected their meeting to begin, but she supposed that an argument with Sirius was preferable to an argument between the two of them.

"No, it's not," James protested. "He's being a git, but it's not about you. Sirius has had kind of a shit summer. And he's obviously angry with me."

Lily wasn't sure how to respond to that. The James of this morning was nothing like the James she had come to know these past six years. This morning he was something else entirely – still confident, but not cocky, and instead rather vulnerable, in fact. "He's been living with you this summer?"

"Since last summer, actually. My parents adopted him when he ran away from home."

"Oh I – I didn't know that." Lily felt somewhat guilty. This seemed to be a rather large fact to overlook about two of her housemates, even two she was not particularly fond of.

"Well, we didn't exactly advertise it."

"Should you go talk to him?" Lily asked.

James seemed to think about it for a moment. "No. He'll be fine." Lily could tell that he didn't seem to have a great deal of confidence in that fact, but decided not to press the matter. "Shall we head to the prefect compartment and go over this Head business?"

Lily agreed and the pair boarded the train.

James wasn't sure which of the pair was more shocked by the fact, but their meeting was actually going quite smoothly. They had created an agenda for the prefect meeting at 11:15 and scheduled patrol shifts for the first four weeks of term all within the first forty minutes. Now finished with their work and having changed into their school robes, Head badges and all, the two had reverted back to uncomfortable silence.

James had never been good with silence. "Why do you suppose he did it?" He blurted out finally, twirling his wand between his thumb and forefingers.

Lily raised an eyebrow, looking up from the prefect schedule she was reviewing. "You're gonna need to give me a little more to go on than that, Potter," she said, cracking a small smile.

"Dumbledore. I mean, I know he's an old cook, but why do you suppose he chose us? I mean, I guess we know why he picked you."

"I don't," Lily admitted suddenly, and her expression indicated that she'd surprised even herself with her sudden candidness. James raised his eyebrows inquisitively and she went on. "I don't know why he picked me. I mean, I know I was a prefect and I have good marks, but hardly the best. And I suppose I wanted this, you know? I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it for years, but the more I think about it, you seem like the natural choice, while I can't wrap my head around why he would choose me."

"You're mad." James ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out whether she was pulling his leg. Had Lily Evans just paid him a compliment? "You're brilliant. You always seem to know the right thing to do and people know that about you – people look to to you for help. Of course you would be Head Girl." Lily furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't seem to know how to respond to that, and James suddenly wondered whether he'd shown a few too many of his cards. Swallowing his nerves, he continued: "But why do you think I would be a natural choice? I mean, aside from the fact that my devilish good looks can charm the pants of any Hogwarts ne'er-do-well..."

"And aside from the fact that most of those Hogwarts ne'er-do-wells are your closest friends?"

"Yes, aside from that."

"You're a leader," Lily explained, quite matter-of-factly.

"I'm a leader?"

"Yes, you are. People notice you, and they follow your example. Most of the time, that's not a good thing, but I've seen in the past year that you can use your powers for good, too. And I'm sure Dumbledore saw it as well. You're a natural leader, and Hogwarts doesn't have many of those."

James shrugged. "It's not just me. Those things last year, that was all of us Marauders. I'm rubbish on my own."

Lily hummed softly. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing you're not on your own, then, isn't it?"

"I suppose so." James was baffled, his eyes boring into Lily's now, trying to figure out where this girl had come from. Suddenly, he couldn't stop his bloody mouth from blurting out the words that had been ringing through his mind since the beginning of their meeting: "I thought you hated me."

Lily's jaw dropped open and she was moving her lips to form a response when the door of the compartment swung open.

Severus' eyes bore into her like daggers. Never had Lily wanted so badly to disappear on the spot. She felt his eyes shifting between her and James, putting together the pieces. Of course, Lily knew that Severus would be attending the prefect meeting, but did he have to arrive first? And now, he was standing stiffly in the doorway of a compartment occupied by only herself and James. James! Suddenly, she was alarmed, shifting her gaze for the first time from the sullen face of her former friend to the narrowed eyes of the new Head Boy.

"Snape." James' tone was cold, but measured.

"Potter," the Slytherin prefect bit back. He seemed to have chosen to ignore Lily's presence in the room after his initial stare. Lily felt somewhat relieved of the fact, and tried to focus on her attempts to apparate wandlessly out of the compartment. This situation was going nowhere good. "I see Dumbledore's chosen to leave us no questions about his favoritism this year."

"Shocked he didn't want a future Death Eater like yourself for Head Boy?" James laughed loudly, coldly. Lily knew she should really be saying something to put a stop to this, but her throat was dry and the words were not coming. She could feel Severus looking at her again, perhaps wondering whether she might defend him. His disappointment was almost palpable.

And then he lashed out, like he always did. He scoffed coldly. "As if I'd want the post. If a blood traitor and a mudblood are our headmaster's choice for student leadership, I fear for the future of this school."

Severus' words were like a splash of cold water over her head. Suddenly, she wasn't just awash in a mixture of guilt and discomfort at his presence, she was distinctly angry. All at once, she remembered every reason that their friendship had imploded over a year ago. James had risen from his seat and pulled his wand out from his back pocket, but Lily's shouts caused both boys to freeze in place. "Stop! Stop, just STOP!" Coldly, she rounded upon Snape, taking a few steps in his direction. He didn't move. Her voice became quieter and more measured once again, though her heart was pounding in her throat. "Severus, get out. Don't bothering coming to the meeting."

For a moment, Severus was staring straight into her bright eyes for the first time in over a year. In that rare moment, she saw the vulnerable child she had grown up with behind his sad eyes. Lily felt her strength fading and felt the prickle that indicated tears would soon well up in her own eyes, and she rapidly turned on the spot. Severus followed suit, wordlessly exiting the compartment.

The tears had arrived and Lily dropped back into her seat at their mercy. She heard James saying her name and shook her head in response. The last thing she wanted was for James Potter to see her this vulnerable, and yet she couldn't seem to pull herself together. In a voice she barely recognized, she finally spoke. "Potter, will you just go wait outside a few minutes. If any prefects arrive, let them know the meeting will start in just a few minutes."

James complied. Lily was left in the empty compartment, weighed down by her thoughts. She wasn't consciously aware of when the tears ceased, but they did. She was left raw and empty, wondering exactly what about the conversation had left her the most bothered. Obviously, encounters with Severus always left her bristling, but this one had hit her particularly hard. And when it suddenly did become clear, Lily realized what she needed to do.

James, now surrounding by a small but growing group of prefects, was relieved at the sight of the compartment door swinging open to the sight of a once-again-composed Lily Evans, looking every bit the model Head Girl. "Sorry, all," she addressed the group. "I just needed to get a few things ready in here and asked that James wait outside with you to let you know it would be a moment." James couldn't help but notice that the sound of his first name on her lips – for, perhaps, the first time ever – was hypnotic. She stepped aside to let James and the prefects into the compartment. "Find a seat, please. I've made copies of the first month's patrol schedules and they're on each seat. We'll go over them in just a moment after we're all settled and James and I have introduced ourselves." She was shuffling toward James now as the prefects found their seats. Remus caught his eye with a grin as he made his way into the compartment and found a seat beside Ravenclaw prefect Amelia Bones. Before James had a chance to greet his friend, however, Lily's hand was giving him a light tap on the shoulder. "I had a few things I wanted to say before we started the agenda that we set up, so can you just... go with it?"

James' lips widened into a hesitant, baffled smile. "Sure, Evans, I'll go with it. But what are you–"

"Welcome to our first meeting. As most of you know, I'm Lily Evans and this is James Potter. We'll be your Head Boy and Girl this year." A few whispers and glances were exchanged around the room and James noticed Sylvia Wilkes, a 7th year Slytherin prefect, and Regulus Black, their 6th year prefect, were whispering particularly loudly to each other and shooting Lily nasty glances that James thought might have something to do with Sylvia's partner prefect's dismissal from the room earlier. A few other students were doing a poor job of hiding their expressions of surprise or disapproval at Dumbledore's choice of Heads. Lily, however, was not the slightest bit nonplussed. "I realize," she began, her voice raised slightly over the whispers. "we, and specifically I, might not be who you had in mind as Heads, and I don't care."

James raised his eyebrows, and when Remus caught his eye across the compartment, he, too appeared equal parts surprised and impressed.

Lily continued. "James and I are going to work incredibly hard to do a good job for you and the rest of the students this year. If you have a problem with a decision we make, you are welcome to bring it up with us, but if you have a problem with us, my blood, or our politics, keep it to yourself and keep it out of these meetings. Anything to add, James?"

Lily turned to him, finally meeting his eye. The grin on James' face was so broad that he could swear he saw Lily almost succumb to its infectiousness, the edges of her tightly-pursed lips turning up almost imperceptibly. "No, Evans, I think you've said it all."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Let me know your thoughts! Was the alternating pov format confusing? I had fun writing it that way and plan to continue but I worry it may be hard to follow.