Lily hadn't talked to her friends all throughout dinner. She ate quietly, ignoring their attempts to apologize. She knew they didn't really mean what they were saying, and she had a fleeting suspicion that they were planning something, but she couldn't make herself care. When dinner was over, and Dumbledore had finished up what he had been trying to say prior to the feast, the Prefects were sent to lead the first years to the common room, and the Head Boy and Girl were to make sure the Houses knew their passwords.

As Lily made a beeline for the exit, hoping James would take it upon himself to give everyone their passwords, someone grabbed her arm. She turned abruptly on her heel, and glared down at the hand that restrained her. "What are you doing?"

"Stopping you from leaving," James Potter replied. "We, meaning both of us, are in charge of making sure everyone knows the passwords."

"I'm well aware," Lily snapped, though she didn't bother to take her arm back from him. He stared at her, examining her expression for what seemed like the longest time before he finally released her. Lily felt her heart contract painfully, but she ignored it.

"Good," James smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You get Slytherin and Ravenclaw; I'll get Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

Lily rolled her eyes and headed towards the slowly rising students at the Slytherin table. All of the first years had been instructed to follow the Prefects, but the rest of the students were able to stay behind for a while. When a few seventh year Slytherins spotted Lily walking towards them, they curled their lips into an expression of disgust and resentment.

Severus Snape, one of the sneering seventh years, stood to greet her. "Evans," he said snidely.

"Snape, I'm here to inform you and your cohorts that your new password is purus sanguinem. I expect you, being a seventh year, to make sure that the rest of your House mates know it. Have a pleasant evening."

As she turned towards the Ravenclaws, it took her much effort not to turn around and hex the boy she had talked to. Severus Snape had been a former friend of hers. He had been the one to tell her she was a witch; he had been the one to show her the magic, and convince her that she was special, and not just some freakish girl. But then things had changed when he was sorted into Slytherin House. He met a few upper classmen and they told him things, and he believed them. And what really made Lily despise him now was the fact that he had called her the name he had sworn he would never call her; mudblood.

Mudbloods were the scum of the wizarding world, and the term mudblood was intended to be derogatory. What the actual name was for someone like Lily was Muggleborn. It meant that even though both of your parents were muggles (non-magical folk), you were still of magical descent. Lily wished that Snape had never changed, because she had believed that he was different, that maybe he wouldn't end up like all of the other students that were sorted into Slytherin. She had hoped, but she had been wrong. And Lily Evans hated being wrong.

"You alright, Evans?"

Lily looked up, startled to realize that she had been standing in front of the Ravenclaw table for the past five minutes. "Oh, yes, perfectly alright. I'm just here to tell you that your new password is ingenium. I thought it was clever, and Dumbledore agreed, and it's easy to remember, for the first year's sake."

Jennifer Fredericks smiled kindly. "That's true. I like it. Well, I'll go tell the others. Have a good night, Lily."

"You, too," Lily turned and ran a hand through her hair in relief. "Thank Merlin I'm done with that…"

She made her way through the sea of students, heading for the place where she would be patrolling for the next few hours. James was supposed to be there with her, but she couldn't help but hope that he would forget that he had duties now. She didn't want anything to do with James, and patrolling alone with him for the next few hours would only mean trouble.

Once she reached her post, she slowly began walking down the halls. Students passed by her every few minutes, and when they acknowledged her, she smiled and waved them on. Curfew was coming up, and she knew not to hold anyone in a conversation. Lily sighed quietly and crossed her arms over her chest, her thoughts wandering back to Alice's and Mary's strange attitudes during dinner. They had been trying to apologize to her for being so brash on the train, and though she was beginning to accept it, she kept thinking about Mary's shifty glances around the table. She hadn't looked to see where she was glancing at, but the looks she was giving, and probably hoping no one would see, made it obvious that something was going on. Something that Lily was not meant to be a part of.

With that, her thoughts drifted into a very unwelcome direction. Why were her friends so adamant about she liking James? She knew she didn't, because he was rude, arrogant, and... her thoughts paused. What else was he? She couldn't exactly label him as rude anymore, because it had been a little over a year since the last time she had seen him get into trouble. Lily frowned and turned to walk down the stairs. How was this even possible? She couldn't believe that she couldn't come up with anymore negative things about James. He was still arrogant of course, but that was because he's confident in himself. Lily unwillingly let herself smile; she had to admit she liked his confidence. But she didn't like him, no, that would be crazy. Wouldn't it?

Lily sighed heavily and glanced around the hall she was walking down. She had already reached the second floor. No students were wandering the hall as far as she could see. "I'll make one more round before I head off to my dorm..."

But when she turned around to go back up the stairs, James was standing behind her. She let out a very girl squeak and clutched at her shirt. James stared at her with one of his eyebrows raised, an amused smirk on his face. All admiration for him left her as she studied his face. "So now you decide to help me? I'm almost done."

He shrugged. "A couple of first years got cocky. I put them in their place with a strict warning."

"You didn't jinx them?"

"Nope."

"Hex?"

"No."

"Yell?"

"Why would I?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. In my opinion, Dumbledore made a bad choice in using you as Head Boy."

James looked genuinely insulted. "I've changed a lot since my fifth year. I don't know if you've noticed, but Dumbledore seems to have, and he's rewarded me with this. And you know what, I'm glad he did. I did do my job, because I was patrolling the west wing. I didn't just get here."

Lily's eyes were wide by the time he had finished speaking. He had never talked to her like that. It had always been fancy words, lots of promises, and many insults whenever she would turn him down. She knew he had a temper, but he had almost been rude as he said that to her. He was defending himself. And, in all honesty, she had noticed a change in him, she had just tried to ignore as best she could. She didn't want to give herself a reason to give him a chance. She felt that she was destined to hate James Potter.

"Whatever you say, Potter. So are you going to finish patrolling with me? I was planning to patrol all the way back to the Head Dormitories."

James shrugged, though he still appeared miffed by Lily's accusation. "I guess."

They walked in silence, which Lily thought was uncharacteristic for James. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what exactly. "So..." she pursed her lips. "I'm sorry for accusing you."

James glanced at her. "It's okay. I kind of deserved it."

"But if you were really doing your job, then no, you didn't. I was just being supercilious."

James snorted. "Yeah, no kidding."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Potter. Don't get smart, or I'll take it all back."

He smiled, a genuine smile that Lily couldn't help but like. She thought it made him look gentler, like the kind of guy she might actually like. She watched him push his glasses up the bridge of his nose in that annoying, unconcious habit of his, and ruffle his hair.

"Why do you do that?"

He frowned. "Do what?"

"Ruffle your hair like that. I insulted you about it in fifth year, but I don't actually know why you do it."

He laughed. She found that she quite liked his laugh too. She had never heard it before. "You were right back then. I only did it to make it look as though I just got done playing Quidditch. But now it's just an empty habit. I don't even think about it anymore. Why did you ask anyway? Does it still bother you?"

"No," she scoffed. "I was just curious, that's all."

James smirked and then turned to face a portrait. "Amor es ut," the portrait swung aside and James opened the door to let Lily walk through. She turned to face him when he closed the door.

"'Amor es ut'?"

He grinned. "Love is might. I chose it, believe it or not. Well, goodnight Evans. Have to get the beauty sleep."

"Yeah..." she muttered. "Goodnight, Potter."