Disclaimer: Not my characters, obviously. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.
A/N: I wrote this drabble for a friend's birthday, so this is for her!
Her first reaction is thinking that Dumbledore's finally cracked.
James Potter as Head Boy? What was that man thinking?!
James, along with Sirius, is the biggest trouble-maker that Lily's ever seen. Barely a day goes by when they're not stuck in detention over a well-placed jinx or a witty remark to a teacher.
But then, upon reflection over the previous years, she realises there's no-one better suited to the job.
James commands attention, and everyone – even the Slytherins, albeit grudgingly – respects him enough to obey his words without a second thought, though they may despise him for it.
Of course Remus was the best choice for prefect in fifth year, but he doesn't quite possess the flair for leading that James naturally has. Back in fifth year, James could often be found hexing those who even slightly irked him, whilst Remus was always hesitant to lift his wand – James in a position of authority at the height of his bullying days would've been disastrous.
Maybe, just maybe, James' past may come in handy in the year ahead. Through his long and well-documented (through detention records, of course) history of marauding, he'll be perfectly apt to catch a new generation of mischief-makers.
Better James Potter than Sirius Black, after all, thinks Lily. At least James will think over a decision before rushing in to it full force. And, god forbid, Peter Pettigrew as Head Boy isn't even worth thinking about - he couldn't lead a Niffler to gold.
Even Lily has to admit now that James kept the hexing of unsuspecting students to a minimum all through sixth year, even if Black did not. She even found herself not objected to see James duel Sev - Snape, she reminds herself fiercely - only when James was acting in self-defence because her old, now ex, friend started it.
She's glad Snape's not Head Boy. The forced time together would be hell for Lily, who avoids any and all of the Slytherins now, especially the greasiest of them all. For the past year, their relationship has included stony silence and sporadic cutting remarks from her, and grovelling apologies from him – only when he's not around his pure friends. As if, Lily mentally adds, Dumbledore would appoint someone who throws around the word 'Mudblood' so easily.
Come to think of it, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had no shining candidate for Head Boy either. Maybe Lucas Macmillan, the fiercely rule-abiding Hufflepuff prefect, but he's got the personality of a flobberworm. Nothing compared to James.
Lily's second reaction is, therefore, that James was a shoo-in for Head Boy. The perfect candidate, really.
Lily's third reaction is: when did I start thinking of him as James?
Her fourth, and final, reaction is that maybe she has absolutely no objections to spending extra time with one James Potter, Head Boy.