Just

Seventh year

As Lily and James descended the stairs from Dumbledore's office, having just had their once-a-week meeting, she stared at the boy who had used to be the epitome of everything she hated, and wondered if it was true that James Potter could really be changing for the better.

"Evans, why are you gawking at me?" said James.

"Gaw – I'm not gawking!" she burst out, her cheeks flaming.

"Yes you were," smiled James. "And not very subtly, I might add."

"I was just–"

"Just?"

"Just…" She trailed off, searching for an excuse. "You're confusing me," she finally confessed.

His eyebrows arched; he had evidently not been expecting such an answer.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You're being nice to people," she said. "And you – you're not acting arrogant or cocky or, Merlin forbid, swaggering in front of me anymore. I just wondered, why?"

"I told you at the beginning of this term, didn't I?" said James. "I can change. I don't like the old me."

"Then why did you act like that?" she asked.

He hesitated. "Well, I just…"

"Just?" she echoed, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Just," he finished, grinning himself. "You know, Lily, I don't think you've ever smiled at me before."

The smile immediately disappeared. "I don't think you've ever called me Lily."

He rolled his eyes. "Haven't we grown out of this yet?"

"Grown out of what?" she answered, feigning ignorance.

"This constant arguing," he said.

"I have," she said defensively.

"Well so have I," he retorted.

They walked onwards in silence for a few minutes. She snuck a fleeting glance at him as they walked, and wondered if he had been a good choice for Head Boy. It seemed she had been drastically mistaken about him being – what was it she had said? – awful.

"You're a good Head Boy." The words slipped out before she could help herself, and Lily felt her cheeks flush once more.

He laughed once. "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself." A hesitation. "Listen…"

"Hmm?"

James stopped walking, and Lily followed suit, curious. He looked straight at her.

"I really am sorry for everything, you know," he said. "It's not just something I said to make you warm up to me. I know I was a pig sometimes, and out of line with Severus. I'll be civil to him, I promise you. Unless, of course, he hexes me first, in which case I–"

She nodded. "You don't have to promise anything, James. I believe you."

He broke into a smile. "First time you called me James, not Potter."

"Enjoy it, because it's not going to happen for a while now, Potter," she joked.

"Did you just… make a joke?" he asked, bemused.

"Despite what you think, I can be quite funny when I want to be," she said.

"Funny?" he repeated. "Well I wouldn't call that joke funny. It was... Hey! Don't hit me with your –"

She had smacked him over the head with her Potions essay.

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that," laughed James.

"Done what?" asked Lily innocently.

"Head Girls shouldn't be going around hitting people with their scrolls," said James. "It doesn't reflect well on the school, see."

"That's why I hit you on the head," said Lily, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "I'm Hit-You-On-The-Head Girl."

James was taken aback by this. Mischief from Lily Evans? It was almost as though their roles had been reversed.

"So that would make me Hit-You-On-The-Head Boy," said James with a grin.

Lily's grin matched his as she laughed and covered her head. "Dumbledore clearly made a terrible choice."

"Terrible or perfect?"

She paused, studied him.

"Maybe neither," she finally said.