Chapter Two

The Gryffindor common room was crowded with returning students talking and laughing as they caught up with one another after the summer holiday. Several waved as Lily entered, and a few offered congratulations on being chosen as Head Girl as she made her way toward the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

She smiled and waved back, even exchanged a few hugs. She tried to be happy and excited, yet she wasn't—wasn't happy, wasn't excited, and didn't even feel like being Head Girl at the moment. She just wanted to get to her dorm so she could rant and rave to her heart's content.

Lily was irritated. Professor Dumbledore had made an egregious error by handing James Potter the Head badge. Of all the seventh-years, why him? She knew she was the right choice. She had worked hard for it and earned it. She could do the job and she would do it right. She was just immensely disappointed that she had to work with Potter.

Shaking her head as the dismal thought entered her mind again, she hurried up the stairs to her dormitory. Her trunk and other things had already arrived, so she busied herself with unpacking and setting up her small area of the room exactly they way she had each year. As she laid out her things, however, it occurred to her that this was the lasttime she would be unpacking at Hogwarts. The train ride, the feast—all marred by constant bickering with Potter—would all be her last. This was her final year at Hogwarts—and it was off to a bloody bad start.

Throwing herself on the bed, Lily stared at the ceiling and grumbled to herself. Outside, a steady rain drummed against the windows, matching her mood perfectly. She had been looking forward to seventh year, she really had. The summer had been dreadful, and she had longed to escape the stifling atmosphere of her Muggle household and return to the magical world. Petunia's garish wedding had only confirmed something she had been denying for years: she was more a part of the magical world than the Muggle world now. It was where she was meant to be.

Yet even though she had left King's Cross without a look back, a part of her already missed the Muggle life she knew she was leaving behind forever. She would finish seventh year and move on to further studies at St. Mungo's. She would probably see her friends more than her family, particularly Petunia. Her sister had made it clear in no uncertain terms that her new husband would never tolerate a witch in his house. In some ways Lily was glad, for Vernon Dursley was a horrible man. But she felt like she had lost her sister forever; married now, Petunia wanted almost nothing to do with her anymore. She had moved on.

Lily thought she could move on as well. She had been excited to return to Hogwarts for her seventh year, especially after earning the Head Girl badge, and yet as soon as she found out Potter was Head Boy, all her hopes and expectations seemed to come crashing down. She had spent the entire holiday putting him and their near-kiss in June out of her mind. He was a prat who had taken advantage of a highly charged and emotional time for them all. He was arrogant and lazy, and now he was Head Boy. For some reason, she couldn't stand the thought of working with him on a regular basis, let alone sharing responsibility with him.

"Why?" she groaned out loud, and was startled to hear a snigger in the room. Sitting up, Lily saw that Sandra and Mary, the other Gryffindor seventh-years, had come in and were covering up their laughter. Lily threw her feet over the side of the bed and stood to hug them. In spite of everything else, she was glad to see her two closest friends again; she had been too busy on the train to really talk with them.

"What are you groaning about?" asked Sandra, moving toward her four-poster. She immediately Transformed the dull bed into a frilly candy pink concoction, exactly the same as she had done since learning the simple spell, then began to unpack her belongings. Lily smiled to herself; she had missed her friends and their magical quirks.

"Just the usual," she answered, sitting on the edge of Mary's bed as her other friend began to unpack as well. "You know."

"Don't say James Potter," admonished Mary, pulling her long brown hair back with a clip. "He's Head Boy, after all."

Lily fell back against the mattress with another groan. "Don't remind me. That's exactly what I'm moaning about."

Sandra frowned as she added an old ruffled blanket to her bed. "I thought you were over that. You stopped complaining about him last year."

"But now I have to work with him!" Lily exclaimed. "A lot!"

Sandra shrugged and began to tuck her clothing into her dresser. "I don't see the problem. He's not the same kind of prat he was fifth year, after all. Otherwise Dumbledore would have never picked him."

"Dumbledore's mad," Lily muttered, convinced it was the only answer.

"Dumbledore has his reasons," said Mary.

"That's what Remus said," Lily replied, tossing a pillow at her. Mary laughed as she caught it and threw it back. "I'll never understand them, that's for sure."

"You don't have to," said Sandra from her side of the room. "You just have to accept it. It's not as bad as you think."

"Thanks for your support," said Lily sarcastically. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you fancy him."

Sandra shook her head and smiled. "I don't. I'm just tired of beating up on him."

"Why?" asked Lily, sitting up. She was curious about her friend's change of mind, since her own thoughts about James Potter were quite the opposite at the moment.

Sandra turned and looked at her very seriously. "Because he saved my life out there last year. Yours too."

Lily was silent. That was exactly what Remus had said as well, but she just couldn't accept it. A part of her was still furious for panicking and not being able to do what she'd been taught to do when it really mattered; another part of her was annoyed that of all people to take charge, it had been Potter. Sometimes she still relived the attack in nightmares: Sirius's arm covered in blood, Sandra's leg buckling beneath her, Kieran Quinn's dead eyes…

And then there was the part of her that still tried desperately to forget what had almost happened afterward…James Potter was not a hero, he was a cocky, gormless prick.

"Peter told me James's mother died this summer," said Mary, suddenly interrupting her thoughts. "She was sick most of last year and passed in July. He said the funeral was desperately sad."

Lily and Sandra stared at her in shock. Lily had no idea—she felt terrible she hadn't expressed any condolences. She'd put him down and picked a fight with him the moment she'd found out he was Head Boy. Then again, would knowing have changed her reaction to seeing his badge? She might feel sympathy for him, but she still didn't want to be Head Girl with him.

"That's awful," murmured Sandra, turning back to her trunk. "As if he needed more to deal with. As if any of us do."

Lily gave her another funny look. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

Sandra was quiet as she continued unpacking, then turned and sat on her bed with a sigh. "I'm fine, I'm not even limping anymore. But my aunt and uncle went missing over the holiday. My dad is having a hard time with it. They were close."

"I'm so sorry," Lily murmured, hurrying over to sit next to her friend. Sandra put her head on Lily's shoulder as Mary joined them. "I wish there was something we could do."

"My dad would say to pray for him, but I don't know what good that will do," Sandra said with a shrug. "He's a Muggleborn who married a Muggle. They were almost bound to be targeted."

"It must be horrible not knowing," said Mary, squeezing her friend's hand. "I hope they find them soon."

"Thanks," murmured Sandra. "I'll let you know if anything happens. But please – tell me your summer was better!"

She stood and returned to her trunk, and Mary to hers. Lily was silent, thinking about how her own summer troubles seemed to pale in comparison as she listened to the rain outside.

"Lily?" asked Sandra. "Come on, tell us – how was the wedding?"

"Rubbish," said Lily, falling back on Sandra's bed now and staring at the pink ruffles overhead. "Utter tripe. Complete nonsense. A load of—"

"We get it," laughed Mary. "It was exactly what you expected. Was it really that bad?"

"Worse," murmured Lily, shaking her head as she remembered. The days leading up to the ceremony had been a nightmare, Petunia's nerves lending her an increasingly grating and irritable demeanor. There had been all sorts of setbacks, most of which had been blamed on Lily for no reason whatsoever. The wedding itself had been boorish torture, the reception even worse. And then there was Michael Townsend…

"Did you…you know, find a date or anything?" asked Sandra.

Lily groaned and covered her eyes, hating to remember, but knowing she would never get out of telling her friends. She had decided, however, that she would give them the short story, and not the truth of it. The truth was something she didn't feel like sharing—ever, with anyone.

"I met one of Vernon's cousins at the reception," she said. "He was nice enough. We had a few drinks, danced…" She shrugged, leaving the rest to their imagination. They could imagine whatever they wanted, for all she cared; it was worse.

Mary was suddenly beside her. "Did you snog him?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "Because if you did and you've been keeping it a secret, Lily Evans, we are going to have to do something about that!"

Sandra joined them on the bed again. "Spill. Everything. Or we tickle."

Lily sighed. "Yes, we snogged. But that's all there is to it, I swear." She didn't tell them how many drinks she'd had, how they'd snuck off to an empty cloakroom, how far they had really gone. She didn't want to think about it, because it was too appalling, too embarrassing, too disheartening.

"You're lying," stated Mary. "I know you. But that's okay, we'll pull it out of you eventually. At least tell us his name."

"And if he was any good," added Sandra.

"His name was Michael, and he was—" Lily was glad to be cut off by a sudden explosion downstairs, followed by the sound of dozens of Gryffindors shrieking and laughing…and the Caribbean rhythms of a steel drum band.

"What the hell!" she exclaimed, jumping up from the bed and dashing down the stairs. Sandra and Mary followed close behind, almost knocking her over when she stepped into the common room and stopped short.

She had walked into a beach party.

Reggae music echoed loudly around the room as balloons, streamers, and beaded necklaces floated down from the ceiling. The lamps were flashing and the potted plants in the corners were doing a rumba. The few first-years who hadn't gone straight to their dormitories just stood frozen in shock, staring at the chaos, while the rest of the house laughed and danced under the music and lights.

On the other side of the room, James stood with Remus, watching the scene with a grin on his face as he batted away a red balloon. Sirius was dancing with a group of fifth-years, beads around his head, while Peter was talking animatedly with sixth-year Susan Pritchard, pointing out the conch shells blasting the music and streamers from several points on the ceiling.

Lily was sorely tempted to cast a Finite spell, but she knew she'd be met with a room full of angry groans. Instead, she stomped her way over to where Potter stood, leaning casually against the wall and laughing as Sirius started a conga line. She crossed her arms and stared at him. He straightened up and stared back.

"Come to have another go, or was the meeting and the Sorting not enough?" he asked. Remus frowned, glancing between them, but didn't say anything.

"Is this the detention you were worried about?" she asked, gesturing around the room. Bob Marley started playing One Love, and a cheer went up from every Muggleborn in the room.

James nodded. "Decided it was better to keep it in house than the train. Bit much for the Hogwarts Express."

"And you don't think it's a bit much for the common room?" she replied.

"Not really, no," said James, shrugging with that infuriating manner he had. "I think it's a good way to welcome everyone back, increase morale, and foster house unity."

"I don't remember anything about boosting morale or house unity in the notes Professor Dumbledore sent," Lily pointed out. "We're supposed to enforce the rules, not break them."

"You have now said that at least ten times today. Are you trying to make a point?" Arms crossed over his own chest now, James was clearly feeling defensive. Lily suddenly remembered what Mary had told her and Sandra about his mum, and felt bad for starting in on him so quickly again.

"Look, I'm sorry about your mum," she said softly, unable to meet his eyes. "I know it must be hard."

He didn't answer, just nodded stiffly.

"But we're Head Boy and Head Girl. We can't do stuff like this. We have to set an example."

James looked down at her, raising his eyebrows. "I am setting an example. I'm showing everyone how to relax before classes start tomorrow."

"Just because you plan on slacking off your final year doesn't mean everyone else does," Lily said, feeling frustrated. It was that sort of logic that was going to get everyone in trouble, not just him.

"For your information, Evans," said James, and his voice sounded distinctly cold, "I have no plans whatsoever to slack off this year. I intend to pass all my N.E.W.T.s, win the Quidditch Cup, and still be the best damn Head Boy Hogwarts has seen—all while having a brilliant time."

Before she could reply, he walked away, leaving her alone with Remus. He crossed the room and joined several members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He shook hands with Thomas Kirke, the captain, and embraced Cynthia Morris, his fellow Chaser. Lily frowned as she watched them, but was interrupted in her thoughts by Remus.

"You don't have to be so hard on him, you know," he said softly, inclining his head toward James. "He's had a rough summer."

"We all did," Lily muttered. "Doesn't mean he can run around pulling pranks all year to make up for it."

Remus gave her a pointed look. "His mum died, Lily. Give him a break. This was just good fun—and like he said, we had planned it for the train, but James talked us out it."

Lily sighed and turned toward Remus. She knew he was right, but somehow she couldn't stop all the negative words flowing from her mouth. There was just something about James that rubbed her wrong this year, and she wasn't sure how long she could take it before really exploding.

"I'm sorry," she finally managed. "I am. I don't mean to be so—"

"—bitchy?" offered a voice nearby. Sirius sauntered up, a dark look on his face. "Loosen up, Evans. It's not hurting anyone."

It wasn't, and she knew it. As much as she wanted to relax and enjoy it, however, her stubborn pride wouldn't let her. She turned and weaved through the crowd, heading back toward the dormitory. Mary and Sandra were dancing, but Lily didn't want to spoil their fun with her bad mood. She hurried back to her dorm, the storm outside providing the perfect backdrop to her dismal thoughts.

End Notes:

Thank you once again to mugglegirlmarauder/Lea for being my alpha beta and helping me plot and plan!