I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 2 Absolute Shock and Confusion

Several hundred miles away two boys raced down the hall of a large manor. One had extremely messy black hair, glasses, and hazel eyes. The other had neat black hair that always fell right back into place and gray eyes.

James slowed down right before entering the large kitchen causing Sirius to bump into him.

"Oof! Hey mate, warn me when you're gonna stop suddenly like that," Sirius said, annoyed.

James just rolled his eyes.

"Good morning boys," said Mrs. Potter smiling brightly. "Did you sleep well? I hope you weren't up too late."

"I slept fine Mum," said James, while trying to stifle a yawn, "We got plenty of sleep."

Suddenly, James noticed two yellow envelopes addressed to Sirius and himself in emerald green ink.

"Why didn't you tell us our Hogwarts letters came?" James asked excitedly.

"James, I know you've already been here a whole thirty seconds, but I'm not as young as I used to be, you have to give me a few extra seconds," Mrs. Potter, replied trying to sound annoyed, but the smile on her face made it evident that she wasn't.

Sirius picked up the letters and handed James's to him. A look of confusion suddenly spread across Sirius's face.

"What's wrong mate?" James asked in response to his friends look.

"Your letter's thicker than mine," said Sirius.

James looked at Sirius like he was crazy, but then looked down at his letter and realized that Sirius was right.

"Oh no, Dumbledore's come to his senses and he's decided to expel me," Sirius suddenly stated horror struck.

"Sirius, if Dumbledore were going to expel you I'm quite certain he already would have in fifth year," James said reasonably.

"But what if…" Sirius began, before James cut him off.

"Padfoot, your letter is the same thickness it's been every year, if you were expelled wouldn't you think it would be thinner than normal?"

Sirius looked at James for a minute then said, "Hmm, good point," and proceeded to open his letter.

"You're right, I'm not expelled," he said happily, "but then why is your envelope so much thicker?"

"No idea," James replied looking puzzled.

James tore open the envelope and pulled the letters out of the envelope. As he did so a shiny gold badge fell out onto the floor.

"Why did they send you a new Quidditch Captain badge, did you lose the old one?" Sirius asked in confusion.

"No, it's sitting on my dresser right where I left it, maybe they changed the design for some reason," James suggested as he reached over to pick it up, placing the papers in his hand on the table.

James picked up the badge and looked at it:

Head Boy

James Potter

James was struck dumb. He stared at the badge in his hand. Head Boy, him? No way, maybe he got Remus's letter by mistake. But then why was his name on it.'

"James, mate, are you okay?" Sirius asked. "What's wrong?"

Still too shocked to speak and not entirely believing what he was seeing, James picked up the letters from Hogwarts. There it was, a letter from Dumbledore:

Dear Mr. Potter,

It is with great pleasure that I inform you that you have been selected as Head Boy of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the coming school year. This is an honor that should not be taken lightly. As Head Boy you, along with the Head Girl, are a representative of the student body and a role model to the younger students. I have every faith that you will perform your job admirably.

I'm sure that this will have come as a bit of a shock but I believe you are the best choice for the job. I know that you have a reputation for causing trouble, but you are also a top student and have proven yourself to be an excellent leader as Quidditch Captain these past two years. I will not deny some of the teachers are a little worried that you are not mature enough for this position but I believe certain events have proven otherwise and I am fully confident that you will perform your role admirably.

I'm sure you are wondering who will be your Co-head this year. This year I have chosen your fellow Gryffindor Lily Evans as Head Girl. I know that the two of you have not always seen eye to eye in the past but I feel that the two of you are the right people for the job and I know that you will be able to overcome your past differences and work well together.

I know you are not as familiar with the Prefect system as Miss Evans is so please do not hesitate to ask her any questions you may have. You are to brief the Prefects on the train on September 1st. Further instructions will be left for you in the Prefects' compartment on the train. I will also meet with both of you after the Welcome Feast. I look forward to working with you both this year.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

James stared and read the letter over several times to make sure that he had indeed read it correctly. Perhaps this was some kind of joke, but who would ever think of it, not even Sirius would ever consider the idea of James being Head Boy, even just as a prank.

"James, sweetie, are you all right?" his mother asked concerned, it was very unlike James to be this quite when his Hogwarts letter arrived. Usually he immediately launched into plans to meet his friends in Diagon Alley or Gryffindor's prospects of winning the Quidditch and House Cup.

"What does the letter say, mate?" Sirius asked curiously. "He hasn't expelled you has he?" Sirius asked, only half jokingly.

"Dumbledore's gone mad," James said more to himself than anyone else.

"The letter says Dumbledore's gone mad?" Sirius asked confused.

"No," said James, confusion evident in his voice, "It says I'm Head Boy."

Sirius snorted, "Good one James, what does the letter really say?"

"That I'm Head Boy," James repeated, handing the letter to his mother and showing the badge to Sirius.

"I can't believe it!" exclaimed his mother with a huge smile on her face. "I have to owl your father right now and tell him, he'll be so proud."

"Mum, it's not that big a deal," said James, flushing slightly at his mother's excitement.

"Not a big deal? Don't be ridiculous dear, this is wonderful!"

James sighed knowing nothing he could do would stifle his mother's excitement and a small part of him, he had to admit, didn't want to.

Later that night James's father came home carrying a long thin package.

"Hi, Dad," James said as his father entered the room. "What's that?" James asked pointing to the package his father was holding.

"This is your congratulations on becoming Head Boy present," Mr. Potter stated matter of factly.

"Dad, you didn't have to get me a present, I already have a perfectly good broom," James said, completely serious.

"I know," said Mr. Potter smiling, "but I had to run to Diagon Alley for your mother and I saw this sitting in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies and I just couldn't resist."

"In the window," James asked, trying to fight the feeling of excitement that was slowly growing inside him like a bubble. It's probably just the new Cleansweep 3, he told himself. Even if he was Head Boy, there was no way his father would have bought him a Nimbus 1, which according to Which Broomstick, would revolutionize the racing broom industry. Sure his parents were rich and certainly they were guilty of spoiling him a bit, but they would never buy him something that expensive. He and his father had even discussed the matter at Christmas time when its summer release was announced. Mr. Potter had told James that if he wanted the Nimbus he would have to do some extra work to earn part of the cost.

James carefully took the package from his father. Sirius, who was sitting in a chair across from James, looked at the package eagerly. Slowly James unwrapped the package and out rolled the most spectacular broomstick he had ever seen.

"Dad, you shouldn't have…I…thank you," was all James could think of to say.

His father smiled, "Your mother and I are very proud of you. I won't deny I was a little shocked at first, what with all the trouble you boys manage to get into at school. However, Dumbledore wouldn't have chosen you without good reason so you must have done something to impress him."

James couldn't help but feel slightly guilty as he and Sirius examined James's new broom from every possible angle. Even though he knew that it wasn't a financial struggle for his father to buy him this broom, he couldn't help but wonder if he really deserved it. Sure Dumbledore thought that James would make a good Head Boy, but what if Dumbledore was wrong…James was determined not to let the Headmaster down.

Later that night James and Sirius were lounging around in James's room listening to Sirius's new favorite band, The Weird Sisters.

"I can't believe Dumbledore made you Head Boy," Sirius declared suddenly.

"Neither can I," James said.

"Just think of all the trouble we can cause, all the points we can take from the Slytherins," Sirius said with a maniacal grin on his face.

"No," said James firmly.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Sirius asked in obvious confusion.

"I'm not going to take points from the Slytherins just because I can, that wouldn't be right. And this is not an open invitation for us to screw around more, you can't go hog wild and expect to get away with it just because I'm Head Boy, Sirius," James stated in such a serious tone that Sirius looked at James as if he'd suddenly sprouted a second head.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" James asked. "Dumbledore trusted me enough to give me the job, you can't just expect me to abuse it and use it for my own personal gain?" James asked this time with a slight hint of anger in his voice.

"I think I suddenly understand why Dumbledore made you Head Boy," Sirius said, looking at James as though seeing him for the first time. "You're serious, no more pranks, no docking ridiculous numbers of points from Slytherin? That's like the ultimate power, mate!"

"I can't dock points from the Slytherins just because I feel like it," James said sounding annoyed bordering on angry. "Dumbledore trusts me to do my job."

"So you're telingl me you're just going stop completely, even if Snivelly attacks you, you're just gonna take it?" Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"No," said James with a slight edge in his voice, "Snivellous is an evil git. If he tries to attack me I'm not just going to stand there and take it. But, unfortunately, I can't take points just because he exists, as much fun as that would be. Though I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out I'm Head Boy," James said with a devious grin on his face.

Sirius just stared at him, in six years he had only heard James be this serious twice. The first time was when they finally figured out that Remus was a werewolf. The second was fifth year, when James found out Sirius had told Snape how to get past the Whomping Willow.

"So," Sirius said in an attempt to lighten the mood, "I wonder who the Head Girl is going to be? I thought Evans was a definite, but as you're the Head Boy and the Heads usually come from different houses I guess she's out. I can't really think of any of the other girl Prefects who would do as good a job though. Unless Dumbledore decided to really rock the boat and the Head Girl was never a Prefect either."

James laughed at him.

"What?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Well according to the letter that Dumbledore sent the Head Girl is indeed Lily Evans," James said with a grin.

Perhaps being forced to work together would allow them to finally get to know each other. They weren't enemies per say, but they didn't exactly get along either. James had harbored an interest in Lily Evans for years. She was stunningly pretty with fiery red hair and almond shaped emerald green eyes. It had started out as nothing more than just an innocent little crush on a pretty girl. It wasn't even until fifth year that he had asked her out. Sure he had thought about it, but he didn't want her to be his first date and end up making a complete fool of himself. Unfortunately, although James was a perfectly nice person, he now realized that his past actions hadn't always shown it. Needless to say, when he had asked her out she had said resolutely, "No!" It probably hadn't helped that he spent quite a lot of his energy on hexing her, then best friend Snivellous Snape. Though why she had ever been friends with Snape was beyond him. Though on the plus side, during the incident after their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. that Lily had finally seen Snape for who he really is, an evil, prejudice, Voldemort loving, git.

Unfortunately, James, being himself, had refused to take no for an answer and persisted in asking her out at every opportunity. She of course refused and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to convince her to give him a chance.

He still couldn't quite pinpoint when he went from having a small crush on Lily to genuinely wanting nothing more than to be her boyfriend. He knew he had realized it sometime in fifth year but he wasn't sure when. She was one of those genuinely good people who was always kind to everyone even those who didn't deserve it. Even after that disastrous incident in fifth year after their DADA O.W.L. when Snivelly had called her the M-word in front of everyone she refused to treat him with anything worse than disinterest. Sure she didn't stand up for him as vocally as she had on that day, and apparently she had ended their friendship, but she never joined in like others did when he and Sirius were tormenting Snape and she made it very clear that she didn't think it was right to harass Snape or any other Slytherins just because of who they were.

He wished he had understood before why she wouldn't go out with him. She had been right he was an "arrogant, bullying, toe rag," he just wished he'd realized it sooner.

Oh well, maybe this year things would be different. Part of James worried that she would be angry that she had to work with him. She probably thought he would slack off and make her do all the work. Not that he could blame her; he'd be thinking the same thing if he were in her shoes.

"Haaawwwh," Sirius yawned, snapping James out of his reverie. "Man I'm tired. Well, congratulations Prongs…I guess. I'm off to bed. See you in the morning."

"Night, Padfoot," James said somewhat absentmindedly.

After Sirius left James continued to lie on his bed staring at the ceiling his mind wandering back to the fact that he was Head Boy and would be working with Lily Evans. Suddenly he came to a decision. If they were going to be working together they were going to need to learn to get along like Dumbledore said. It shouldn't be too hard, they weren't friends but they didn't hate each other either. Sure her opinion of him was entirely based on his acting like a total prat whenever she was around, but that was mostly his fault for acting like one and causing her to not want to get to know the real James.

Almost unconsciously James got up, walked over to his desk, and pulled out a quill and parchment.

Dear Evans,

No, no if they were going to work together they should call each other by their first names. He crossed out the first line and started again:

Dear Lily,

Yes that sounded better.

I'm sure by now you too have received your Hogwarts letter telling you that you have been selected as Head Girl. Congratulations! I'm sure or at least I hope, that Dumbledore told you in your letter that I would be Head Boy. I was just as shocked and confused as I'm sure you are, but where Dumbledore is concerned I find it's best not to question it, although it is at times like this I wonder if he's lost his mind.

Anyway, I know that you and I haven't exactly been friends in the past and that I haven't really given you a reason not to think that I am an arrogant prat, however, since we are going to be working together this year I thought it would be a good idea to discuss the fact that we have to work together before we actually board the Hogwarts Express.

I'm sure you are concerned that I won't pull my own weight or that I will abuse my position. I want to tell you that I won't. I'm not sure you'll believe me, I'm not sure I would believe me if I were in your shoes, but I wanted to tell you anyway. Dumbledore chose me for this position, even though I think some of the other Professors think he's crazy, and I don't intend to let him down.

I finally understand why you always tell me I'm "an arrogant, bullying, toe rag." It's because I always acted like one. You were right and I'm sorry.

Although we haven't gotten along that great in the past I would like to try and get along seeing as we will have to work together and I think it will make things easier if we actually get along while doing it.

Tell me what you think.

Your fellow head,

James Potter

P.S. I know you don't have an owl so I've told Merlin to wait patiently so he can bring me back your response.

P.P.S. I also think if we are going to get along that we should start calling each other by our first names. It sounds much friendlier, like we're on the same side and will give us more authority.

James read over what he had written and decided that although it sounded oddly formal, that was probably for the best and so he sealed the letter, attached it to his Merlin's leg, and sent him off, hoping that Lily would take him seriously.