A/N: This chapter was actually pretty easy to write, but it took me ages to get round to it! I've got a work experience placement in an IT firm this summer, which involves getting up at quarter to 7 every morning. Huzzah. And a 4,000 word essay to write. Double huzzah. Oh well, these are my problems, not yours! Enjoy the chapter! :D

If the prefects had been surprised to see James Potter as their Head Boy on the Hogwarts Express that morning, it was nothing to the astonishment of the entire school as James and I sat next to each other at dinner, talking animatedly, laughing and joking, and paying more attention to each other than to our food. It was certainly a departure from the start-of-term feast last year. The Old James, as I had taken to referring to him in my head, had strolled very arrogantly into the Great Hall and straight to where I had been sitting with Alice and Emmeline, and said loudly, "So, Evans, going to go out with me this year?" I had been a little embarrassed, but predominantly annoyed, as everyone within a fifteen-metre radius had looked round to see my response. Although I had felt myself going slightly red, I decided to simply ignore him.

This year, though, it was the muttering onlookers I was ignoring, not James. I marvelled how easy it was to talk to him; despite exchanging constant correspondence since we had become a couple that day in Diagon Alley, and spending a whole day together in the meantime, we still found no shortage of topics for conversation. In fact, we talked to the extent of somewhat excluding our friends from the conversation, and whilst the other Marauders, Alice and Emmeline were nevertheless enjoying themselves without us, it did make me feel some small twinge of guilt, as James and I sat at the end of the group of seventh-year Gryffindors, paying hardly any attention to the rest. However, the pleasure of simply talking to James and the enjoyment of his company vastly overshadowed this.

It was during a conversation about the Gryffindor Quidditch team's prospects for retaining the cup this year that James said abruptly, "You do realise at least half the people in the hall are talking about us, don't you?"

I tore my eyes away from him and looked around. James and I were seated on the far side of the Gryffindor table from the doors, so that we were looking out across the three other house tables. Sure enough, eyes from every table were flicking towards the pair of us occasionally, and I saw the same story looking down the Gryffindor table. As I looked the other way along the table, my gaze also took in the staff table, and I saw that even Professor Dumbledore was observing us with a twinkle in his eye. As I caught his eye, he raised his goblet in my direction ever so slightly and winked. I blushed and grinned sheepishly. James, who had also seen this exchange, laughed softly.

"Told you so," he smiled, and I looked back at him. "Even Dumbledore… It doesn't bother you or anything, does it?" He tried to sound casual, but at the same time I detected a slight hesitation in his tentative question.

"Not at all," I reassured him. "In fact, it feels… sort of nice, in a way. Don't you think?"

"Depends what they're saying," he replied. "As long as you're not worried about it."

I smiled, again feeling warmed by his concern for my feelings, and continued the conversation we were having. "So anyway, what were you saying about Ravenclaw's Chasers?"

"Well, they're looking pretty strong this year. They were brilliant last year, of course, but thankfully Moran was injured when we played them. Of course, with Frisby keeping for us, we'd probably have been fine anyway, but it really depends who we can find to play Keeper this year. I kind of fancy playing Chaser this year, which should help a bit. None of the other houses' Seekers are particularly strong, and Frank Longbottom's a decent enough reserve."

I nodded. "That'll make Alice happy," I said absently, referring to Alice's long-standing and well-known crush on Frank. I had momentarily forgotten that she was sitting right next to me.

"What'll make me happy?" she said quickly, looking round. "I am still here, you know."

I opened my mouth to reply with a hasty "Nothing," but thankfully, at that very moment, Professor Dumbledore stood up to make his usual start-of-term speech, and the whole hall fell silent. Internally, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lily? Lily, can you hear me?"

"What?"

I started. Alice had grabbed my shoulder and shaken it forcibly.

"Ouch! What was that for?" I said, annoyed.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but Dumbledore just finished his speech, and now you need to show the first-years to the common room," replied Alice, a slight edge to her voice. "Or were you too busy staring at James?"

I blushed. That was exactly what I had been doing.

"Right… thanks, Alice…" I said distractedly. Thankfully, James had been talking to Sirius, and had apparently not heard our conversation. Alice got up and stalked out of the hall without another word.

"What's up with her?" I asked Emmeline, who was still sitting opposite me.

"Um… don't know," she said, unconvincingly. "You'd better go, Lily. I'll see you tomorrow."

We both got up and leaned across the table to hug each other. After we broke apart, and Emmeline turned to walk out of the Great Hall, I turned to James. "Come on, then! We need to show the first-years where to go."

"Alright," he said, getting up. He looked down the table at the small group of nervous new students at the end of the table. "Come on, you lot! Don't be shy!" They got up and came over to the pair of us.

"So, welcome to Gryffindor!" said James, grinning round at them. "And congratulations on getting picked for what is quite obviously the best house." A few of them giggled.

I was quite taken aback. In the prefect's department on the train, James had hardly said a word. Here, however, he was very much in control of the situation, and seemed completely at ease.

"We're going to take you up to the common room now," he continued. "It's quite a way away, it's on the seventh floor. You're really going to get a sense of just how big Hogwarts is on the way up. So just follow us, me and Lily, and if you've got any questions, feel free to ask, okay?" Then he turned and lead the way out into the Entrance Hall.

I remained at the back of the group, watching James as he lead the group. When we had come to Hogwarts in our first year, the prefects had shown very little interest in us as they showed us to the common room. James, however, was chatting freely with the new students, telling them about various aspects of the castle, pointing out and waving to some of the moving portraits, and talking about some of the lessons and teachers the first-years would experience.

When we reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, James greeted her jovially and introduced her to the first-years. "Word of advice, guys," he said, grinning shiftily. "If you're ever coming back to your dormitory at one in the morning – which I would obviously be appalled at, being Head Boy…" He paused, and gave them all a very stern look, causing some of them to laugh again, albeit slightly timidly. "… you should most certainly be prepared to cover your ears. She may look sweet and docile, but you don't want to get on her bad side!"

The Fat Lady laughed. "You're too kind, James!" she said, giving him a roguish wink.

"Anyway," continued James, as the first-years laughed again, "the password is King Richard. Don't forget it, and remember to keep an eye on the notice board in case it changes." With that, the Fat Lady swung open, and James clambered inside. After all the first-years had followed him through, I started forward too, but before I had gone through, the Fat Lady spoke again.

"He's changed, hasn't he?" she said, her voice slightly muffled as she was still facing the wall. I could still hear the implication behind her words though. Perhaps her friend Violet had already informed her of the gossip that was sure to be spreading through the school like wildfire about James and me.

However, I simply replied, "A lot," and clambered through. I emerged from the other side of the portrait hole to find James finishing his talk to the first-years.

"It'll take you a while to find your way around Hogwarts, but you'll pick it up," he was saying. He pulled out his wand and waved it, and a small stack of parchment appeared in front of him. He caught it, and said, "These are instructions on the quickest way down to the Great Hall from here. So you can impress all the other houses by not getting lost on your way to breakfast tomorrow." Once again, they all laughed as he handed round the parchment, and then made their way up to their dormitories.

After sending the first-years off to bed, James and I went to see Professor McGonagall before turning in, as we had been instructed on our arrival ealier. She had congratulated us both on our appointment, and spoke briefly about our new positions, encouraging us to use our responsibility to benefit the school in new ways. We were then given directions to the Head's common room, and the password (New Leaf).

As we left, James said to me, "Can we please change the password?"

I laughed, but said nothing. It was quite possible that James himself was setting some kind of world record for the biggest leaf ever turned over.

A/N: Please please please review! The next chapter will feature Bitchy!Alice, Gossipy!Slytherins, and Jealous!Snape. Not sure when it'll be up, but I'll try and get it written ASAP. Thanks to everyone so far who has red, reviewed, etc. ^_^