Hey - I'm doing quite well with this weekly updating thing - I feel that this story is really starting to gain some momentum. Hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

"You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip." - Johnathon Carroll

I stared. Tanned pectorals surged into defined abs, the broad muscles on the shoulders tapering into a narrow waist. I even think, to my shame, that I started drooling. Lily's continuation of her rant pulled me halfway out of my reverie, and it took all of my willpower to look away.

"You are NOT, I repeat NOT, going all weak-kneed at the sight of Black's chest. No you are not..." my gaze was pulled back – "NO! STOP! BAD ROSE. BAD, BAD, BAD ROSE! Oh for goodness sake girl, it's just a chest.

It contains a heart, and a pair of lungs surrounded by a ribcage, and some flesh, and then some muscles, and then some skin. Or a lot of muscles... But that doesn't matter! Because he is a jerk – do you remember the time he... he... did something bad? Like... – when he asked you out five minutes after you caught him snogging someone else! What a nerve!

Just because the man, I mean boy, I mean disgusting thing has a chest on show, it doesn't mean that you have to look at it. At all. He probably took his shirt off to seduce someone anyway. And if he catches you staring you know he's going to get that arrogant look in his eye and make some snarky comment."

It was this final thought that induced me to tear, and I mean literally tear, my eyes away. I glanced quickly up at his face, but he hadn't noticed my arrival, too intent on James and Lily's latest spat.

What was unusual was that James looked angry too, and kept trying to interject fuming retorts, which Lily merely brushed off and continued her livid diatribe.

"Lily?" I ventured. She ignored me.

"Lily?" I tried again. She appeared not to even hear me. Granted she was in the middle of screaming at James but still, no one had even noticed I was there.

"FOR GOODNESS SAKE! LILY EDANA EVANS! WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP FOR ONE SECOND AND LISTEN!" I screamed.

Lily stopped shouting. As did James. As did the rest of the carriage. Everyone in the carriage: Lily, James, Sirius, Sirius' chest, Megs, Katie, Alice, Remus, Peter, Frank Longbottom turned to look at me. People stuck their heads out of the next compartment to look at me.

I shifted on the spot from one leg to the other.

"That's er... more like it." I all but whispered.

Everyone continued to stare. I cleared my throat.

"Lils, could I have a word outside for a minute?" She nodded mutely at me. Didn't people have better things to do than to stare at other people like they were raving lunatics? Even if they were raving lunatics.

Leaving my trunk in the corridor, I walked out of the silent compartment, Lily behind me, down the silent corridor and along the silent carriage into the next one, students staring at me all the way. Reaching the door, I hopped across the gap between the carriages (something I hated doing) and went into the toilets on the other side.

Once Lily was in behind me, I locked the door, then hopped up to sit on the side by the sink, while Lily perched herself on the edge of the loo seat.

"So... How was your summer?" I asked tentatively, embarrassed by my outburst.

"Good – I mean, the last two weeks since I saw you were busy, but good. You?"

"Yeah – not too bad. I had a fantastic time in Italy: the weather was great and stuff and it was really wonderful just to be able to relax for a while, and not worry about deadlines and everything. But that wasn't really what I brought you in here to talk about. What was going on back there?"

Her face darkened. "James Potter is Head Boy! Can you believe it? Who would make such an irresponsible and immature prat who has been causing trouble for the past six years Head Boy? And now I have to work with him all year. All ruddy year! He'll most likely just leave me to do everything whilst he abuses his power to put the Slytherins in detention and give Gryffindor loads of house points!"

"So James hasn't done anything to upset you so far?" I asked.

"Did you not just hear what I said?"

"I mean, has he done anything. Like asked you out, given his friends points, put Slytherins in detention. Left all the work to you? Caused any trouble?"

"Well – no. I guess not. But that doesn't change the fact that – "

"Just give him a chance Lil. From what I can tell, all that happened was that he stepped on the train and you started haranguing him because he was made Head Boy. You don't even know that he'll abuse his power."

"Yes, but Michael Darwin would have made an infinitely better Head Boy. Or Remus. Or anyone." She put in.

"Yes, but Michael Darwin may be intelligent and organised, but he lacks something vital. A personality. A sense of humour. And as lovely as Remus may be, he lacks the charisma, the confidence to lead others. He prefers to be part of the background rather than the foreground." I interrupted.

" Plus,James has charisma, confidence, and great leadership qualities. You don't even know what kind of Head Boy he'll be, because you haven't given him the chance to prove himself, as either a good or bad Head Boy. At least you know this year won't be boring." I reasoned.

"Maybe... It's just that he confuses me so much!" she confessed. "For six years he's been chasing me around, writing me poetry, asking me out at every opportunity, and suddenly he almost ignores me, except when he has to, and then he saves me from falling under the Hogwarts Express and then I walk past his compartment and he's wearing the Head Boy badge! And he used to look at me like I was a goddess, like I was the sun and he was the earth and he was rotating around me, and now he's stopped, and it's not like I want to be one of those girls who break boys' hearts, like that "Belle Dame Sans Merci" in that Keats poem, it's just that it used to make me feel so – so special. I don't miss all the constant annoyances and the ridiculous cards he used to send me, I just miss feeling... feeling wanted."

"Lils, I'm sure there's some other guy who'll make you feel that. And you are wanted. I want you. And not in that way, " I added as she cracked a small smile, "but you are really important to me, Lils."

"Thanks, Rose. It's just that, it's not the same with other guys. Even the few I met on holiday who were obviously interested in me didn't make me feel the same way. And now I hate myself because I don't want to make James feel that way, because if he did like me in that way, which I don't even know if he did, then it would have been awful for him. But I never knew if he was being serious, or if it was some big joke."

"Maybe he's just growing up. Becoming more mature. And with that, he doesn't want to be seen chasing around after a girl who won't give him the time of day. He doesn't find you repulsive, that's for certain. But this year, you have a chance to find out what he's really like, what he really feels about you, and you can have some fun along the way. And to be honest Lils, I don't believe that anyone can feel that much for anyone, spend so much time and energy, spend six years running after someone, all for that to dissipate within a few weeks. The point is, you don't know. Sometimes that's what so exciting about life – a little bit of mystery, a little bit of uncertainty. If you take a chance on someone and it proves that you were right about that, doesn't that make your relationship, whether it be friendship or something more, all the stronger?"

"I guess. I'm just... afraid, I think. I don't know what of. James, maybe? The future? Change?"

"All part of growing up. Everyone has to do it. Just remember that I'm going to be right there with you, most likely dating as many idiots as come my way, messing up every exam, being late to job interviews, making tons of mistakes. But it's alright, because I can learn from my mistakes. I can learn not to go home with shady looking men, not to miss out questions or whole pages on exam papers, learn to set my alarm earlier and not to fall asleep in Professor Caverleigh's class. You're not done growing yet, Lil, not yet."

Lily was looking at me strangely.

"What?" I questioned.

"When did you get to be so wise? Talking about mistakes and change and the future?"

"I took a course over the summer – How To Impress People. I can throw in a proverb if you'd like – as the great Abraham Lincoln said – 'You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.'"

She laughed. "I think he was six ft 2, so I've still got a way to go. We'd better be getting back – someone just knocked on the door."

"Speaking of back Lils, I think you owe James an apology." I reprimanded.

"Ohhhh! Do I have to? Please don't make me! I don't want to apologise!" she wailed.

I gave her a look.

"Fine. But I don't want to."

"Let's go then. Get it over with."

Leaving the bathroom, we encountered the glare of a very angry girl, her legs pressed tightly together.

"You do know that some people need to actually use the loos for a purpose more urgent than chatting, right?" she spat out.

I dragged Lily away before she could get sidetracked with an argument with a fourth year. Re-entering the carriage we encountered James trying to help Sirius pull his bag down, still topless. I stared determinedly at the wall. Peter later asked me if I was feeling alright – he thought I looked constipated.

"Potter, I... I mean James, I would – Why on earth haven't you got a shirt on, Black?" she interrupted herself. Definitely looking for a sidetrack.

"Peter spilt coffee on me when you started shouting, and I'm just trying to get my case down to get another shirt out." He explained, sheepishly.

My eyes darted to him, down to his chest, and snapped back up again as I remembered my earlier thoughts.

"Oh. Did it burn you?" she asked.

"A bit, but I got my shirt off quickly, so no harm, no foul." He answered.

"Well that's – " I elbowed her sharply in the back. "Right – sorry. Um – James."

His eyes snapped back to her, his expression inscrutable.

"I just wanted to apologise for my earlier... um... rant. I was just a bit... surprised? that you were Head Boy. Not that you won't make a good Head Boy, it's just that I didn't think you were an obvious candidate... Which doesn't mean that you weren't, it just means that I didn't think of you. Not that I don't not think of you... because I do sometimes... but not as Head Boy... but now you're Head Boy so I suppose I do think of you as Bed Hoy. I mean Head Boy. I don't think of you and beds at all. Ever. I don't even know why I said that. But that's not the point. The point is that you are Head Boy, not Bed Hoy, and I was angry with you for no reason and I'm very sorry."

He stared at her, then began laughing.

"That was without a doubt the worst apology I have ever heard. Although I liked the bit about beds." Interjected Sirius.

"It's fine, Lily. I understand that you didn't think I'd be Head Boy – when I told my parents they thought I was playing some kind of joke. My Dad couldn't even imagine me holding a meeting or telling Padfoot here off."

Lily smiled. (I inwardly punched the air.)

The whole compartment relaxed. And then, simultaneously James and Lily exclaimed:

"The meeting!"

So, here is the part where I shamelessly beg for reviews. I would really appreciate them on this chapter - I have my driving test tomorrow, and am so nervous, so reviews will help in taking my mind off it. Until next week, lol EllieBaby xxx