CHAPTER 1 (JAMES)

As the cold rain slid gently down the window, I rolled my eyes and groaned in frustration. As if I wasn’t already having the absolute worst two weeks in my entire life, now it had to rain. Bloody wonderful. I stared resentfully out the window, wondering why this had to happen to me. No one in the compartment seemed to notice my sulky mood today; I supposed I wasn’t any different than I had been for a while. I especially surprised that the gorgeous blonde next to me wasn’t making a big fuss over me right now. My eyes automatically narrowed as I glanced over at her. She was busy chatting animatedly in her thick French accent with my best mate Sirius Black, who was watching her with more than a friendly gleam in his eyes as she tossed her long glossy hair behind her shoulders.

Fiancée. I shuddered at the word. And it wasn’t as if the prospect of marriage scared me; on the contrary, I had always known that I would be married one day. But I never thought that it would be in less than a year, to the beautiful girl next to me. Her name was Arabelle de Champagne, soon to be Arabelle Potter, I supposed. Her mother, Emeline de Champagne was the Minister of Magic in France, just as my father was the Minister for England. Apparently this was the reason for the arranged marriage, because it would create strong political ties between the two countries if anything serious ever happened. I wasn’t sure if I believed that. There were many other ways of forming political ties without making your children marry each other. It seemed a bit ridiculous.

We had always known the Champagnes. When we were younger, and Emeline was over at our house for a meeting with my father, she would always be sure to bring Arabelle, as well as the twins, Arabelle’s younger brother and sister. I hadn’t liked Arabelle much when I was younger either; at first I had a bit of a crush on her, being as pretty as she was, but I quickly got over it. She was, without a doubt, the most conceited girl I had ever met. Every time she and her siblings would come over, Arabelle and her little sister would follow me around, being irritating, and her brother would sit down somewhere and sulk. He hated coming to my house, I guessed, because he really seemed to hate me.

And now he was going to be my brother. Well, in-law at least.

I had argued every possible reason there was not to be married to Arabelle, especially not when I was seventeen: it could interfere with my career; it would be annoying if I wanted to travel after graduation; I didn’t want to; I would refuse to marry her; I would kill myself first; I already liked Evans, and didn’t my feelings mean anything to them?

My parents had somehow managed to shoot down every one of my reasons. The one about Evans had hurt the most, of course. They told me that if she had turned me down five years in a row, maybe I should give up and move on. Maybe this would be healthy for me, having another girl in my head besides one who continued to reject me. I disagreed; it would be especially unhealthy to have any other girl in my head but her.

And no one understood why I didn’t want to marry Arabelle, of course. I knew for a fact any other guy at Hogwarts would gladly trade both of his arms to be in the situation I was in right now. I supposed I could see where they were coming from, up to a point. Arabelle was the living incarnation of beauty. She had flawless features and an hourglass figure; almost translucent porcelain skin, that was of course, perfect; wide icy blue eyes; and, her pride and joy, extremely long, silky, silvery blonde hair.

But all of that didn’t mean much to me. The only thing that could catch my attention right now had long red hair and green eyes. The only problem was, my redhead didn’t want me, and the blonde did.

And now Arabelle was coming with me to Hogwarts for our 7th Year, along with her younger brother and sister, Pierre and Arienne. When Arabelle had announced that as my fiancée, she would be following me to “‘Ogwarts�, Arienne had insisted on coming with her, because she, “Could not bear to be away from ‘er beeg seester.� I thought she had other motives as well, as she had been openly staring at me during the entire train ride.

Pierre was another story. He had always been insanely overprotective of both of his sisters, and would not allow either one of them to be out of the country without him, especially not Arienne. So the twins would be starting their 6th Year at Hogwarts this year as well. This was just great, because now I would have two more girls trailing me everywhere I went, as well as their moody brother to glare at me constantly.

But Arabelle was definitely not the only one who had inherited the veela genes. Pierre and Arienne were also ridiculously good-looking. They both had the same wide blue eyes as their older sister, though theirs were not nearly as icy. The only difference between them seemed to be their hair was a dark, silky chestnut-brown instead of blonde. The two of them were as identical as a pair of fraternal twins could be, the only difference seeming to be that Arienne adored me while Pierre loathed me. He was glaring at me at that moment as well, with his gorgeous sisters on either side of me.

It was Arabelle who snapped me out of my thoughts. “James, you ‘ave a Prefect meeting to go to, no?� she reminded me with a frown, glancing at her slim silver watch. “I theenk you are late.�

Damn, I cursed inwardly. I had been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t even noticed the sun slowly sinking into the horizon. I quickly got up, and did my best to maneuver my way out of the compartment without taking someone out in the process. Arabelle smiled brightly at me as I walked out, her pearly white teeth shining in the dimming light. I just gave a little wave and began down the aisle of compartments.

XXX

It took me quite a few tries to find the right compartment; I accidentally walked in on a group of First Years, three nasty Slytherins, some Gryffindor girls who giggled just like the First Years when they saw me, and most memorably, a couple who very rudely spat at me to ‘get the bloody hell out’ before leaping back into each other’s arms as soon as they thought I was gone.

But I knew the right compartment as soon as I neared it. I could hear her compelling voice from a few feet away, and I slid the door open eagerly.

And there she was, the core of my existence. Her long dark red hair was swept back into a perfect ponytail, and she was focused on reading something to the Prefects around her, who mostly looked like they were about a second from falling asleep where they sat. Her bright green eyes quickly looked up to meet mine as she heard the door open, and she narrowed them into what I assumed to be annoyance.

“What do you want, Potter?� she asked icily. “We’re in the middle of a meeting, here.�

“It seems to be very interesting, too,� I commented pleasantly, watching Ben Smith snore on Katie Jones’ shoulder. “But I’m here for the meeting too, so be nice, Evans.�

“What do you…?� she trailed off, looking confused. I could tell what was running through her head as I watched her face. Why would Potter be here for the meeting?

As comprehension dawned on her, her eyes widened in horror. She searched desperately for some sign that what I was saying wasn’t true, but she found my evidence pinned to the front of my robes.

“You… you’re Head Boy?� she asked, clearly shocked.

“Obviously,� I replied cheekily, tapping the shiny badge on my chest. At this point, sensing something interesting was going on, most of the Prefects were wide awake, probably trying to figure out if Evans was going to snap and jinx me. “Now where were we?�

Her mouth gaped as she tried to regain her composure. “Right…um…�

“I think we were going over patrol duties,� Remus prompted helpfully from the corner.

“Of course,� Lily said, gathering her papers in a flustered sort of way. “So as I was saying before, the Ravenclaws will patrol the northern corridor on Tuesday nights, and…�

I crossed the room and sat down in the seat next to her, most of the Prefects staring at me in just as much awe as Evans had. Was it really so hard to believe that Dumbledore had made me Head Boy?

My attention began to drift almost as soon as she started talking again. She prattled on about upcoming events and things like that, and I watched her in sadness every time her eyes lit up in excitement, every time she adjusted her ponytail, every time she sent an ‘I-can’t-believe-this’ look my way. No matter what I had always said, Lily Marie Evans would never be mine.

Trying to snap myself out of my sudden depression, I looked over at Remus, who seemed to be the only other person still awake and listening to the Head Girl. He was attentively taking notes as Lily went over rules and Prefect Bathroom passwords, but I caught his eyes when he looked up. He grinned at me, and I was glad that he wasn’t mad that I had taken what obviously should have been his job.

As Lily continued to drone on, my attention slipped back to the rain that was now pelting the train. In Evans’ defense, the rain probably had something to do with the nearly unconscious prefects as well; it had always put me to sleep.

I tried very hard to keep my mind away from my blonde devil, but my impending doom with her seemed to be most of what I thought about these days. I wondered vaguely why I wasn’t as infatuated with her as every other breathing male in the world was. I knew for a fact that she and her siblings had a fair share of veela blood in them on their mother’s side, and yet Arabelle didn’t hold my interest as she had when I first met her. And when our parents announced our marriage, I had passed out cold. Once they finally got me up again, I had gotten into a very explosive argument with them, listing every single reason in existence that I was absolutely not marrying Arabelle de Champagne. They, of course, had a comeback for every one. When I threatened to kill myself first, they told me that if I ever said that again, they would have a team of Aurors watching me at all times.

But I hadn’t given up hope.

I didn’t know how I was going to stop it, but there was no way I was marrying Arabelle in June.

XXX

“Potter.�

I felt something poke my arm.

“Potter?�

The thing poked my arm again, and still half-asleep, I tried to slap it away.

“James Potter, open your bloody eyes before I cheerfully beat you to death.�

Warily, I opened one hazel eye and peered around. And there was Lily, arms folded across her chest, tapping one foot.

“Not only are you going to beat me to death, but you’re going to do it cheerfully?� I asked her in a mocking voice. “I think that may be taking it a bit far, Evans.�

“I really don’t have time for this, Potter,� she told me, the usual irritated look on her face. “The meeting’s over, everyone’s gone and I have people to see.�

Surprised, I sat up and blinked around the large compartment. Sure enough, all of the prefects were gone. And I had one annoyed Head Girl in front of me.

“Right,� I said, sitting up and stretching. “I have people to see, too. See you around, Evans.�

Even I noticed how bitter the words in my mouth sounded as I walked out of the compartment.

XXX

When I got back to our compartment, Remus was already sitting down, trying unsuccessfully to break Sirius’ attention on Arabelle. Peter was eating a chocolate frog out of a large bucket of candy, and Arienne was watching him with a look of utmost disgust on her face. I was sure she hadn’t eaten that much candy in her entire life, judging from the size of her diminutive waist. The only person missing, I realized, was Pierre. I was surprised that he had actually decided to walk around; I thought the only thing he knew how to do was mope.

I got lost in my thoughts again, as no one was talking to me. My eyes drifted over to where Sirius and Arabelle were still involved in deep conversation, and I vaguely hoped that maybe she and he would run away together, and get me out of this mess. That would definitely work for everyone – I would be free to keep chasing after Evans, Sirius would have the girl of his dreams, and I was sure Arabelle wouldn’t mind being with the second-best-looking bloke at Hogwarts.

Trying to find something to distract myself with, I pulled out my Quidditch plans for this year. I had pretty much confirmed who I wanted on the lineup, but I couldn’t make it official until I held tryouts in a few weeks. I fiddled with that for a while, planning what new moves I was going to teach them this year that I had seen at matches this summer, and trying to come up with ideas for feints on my own.

When I looked up again, the stars had completely come out for the night, twinkling brightly against the inky sky. Arabelle was studying me keenly, as Sirius was now snoring next to her. I automatically gave her a small smile, which she apparently took as a sign to come over and distract me. Picking up my parchment and quill, she serenely placed herself on my lap and studied my plans closely.

“Thees eez what you ‘ave been doing all thees time?� she asked, eyeing my diagrams critically. “Drawing these steeck people?� She gave me a cheeky smile. “If I ‘ad known you were bored, I could ‘ave found a way to distract you…�

My eyes widened as she set the parchment down next to me and ran her finger down my face. “Arabelle,� I whispered urgently, “We’re in a full compartment!�

She smiled again, and her blue eyes held a mischievous sparkle. “But zey are all sleeping, no?� she asked, placing a soft kiss on my cheek.

She was lowering her face to mine, my hands locked around her arms trying to restrain her, when the door suddenly slid open. We both looked up in surprise; as soon as I saw who it was, I really wished that I was underneath the train. Lily Evans and Pierre de Champagne were standing in the doorway.

Of any two people on the earth, these are the last two that I would ever want to walk in on this situation: the girl I was in love with, and my fiancée’s brother.

Lily and Pierre had been laughing at something while they were sliding the door open, but once they saw us their expressions were immediately wiped clean. We were in a rather awkward position, really, with Arabelle in my lap, leaning towards me while I held her hands in mine. What they didn’t realize was that I was trying to push her away, not pull her closer.

Lily’s mouth was gaping open again, but Pierre made a quick recovery. I couldn’t really understand it, but I realized quite quickly that he was cursing brilliantly in French, probably damning me to hell.

“Oh mon dieu!� Arabelle screeched as Pierre yanked her off of me. “Je ne suis pas enfant!�

“You are not an adult, either,� Pierre retorted.

“Il est le mien! Je peux faire comme je s'il vous plait, Pierre!� Arabelle cried dramatically, stamping her foot.

“In English, please,� Sirius complained sleepily from the corner.

It was Lily who answered. “She said, ‘He’s mine. I can do as I please, Pierre.’� Her voice was very quiet, and her face had turned beet red, which I knew only happened when she was upset, angry, or embarrassed. I wasn’t quite sure which emotion she was currently feeling.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Finally, Lily spoke again. “Potter, I came to get you because we have to go help the Prefects with the First Years. We’re almost to school.�

I nodded and we walked out, Pierre glaring at me the entire way. Before we walked away, however, Arabelle made a point to give me a kiss on the cheek and whisper loudly in my ear, “Vous voir bientôt, mon amour.�

I just nodded dumbly, not understanding a word she said; I hated when she did that French thing to me.

The walk with Lily to the front of the train was awkward, and neither one of us spoke. I counted the number of compartments we passed to try to give myself something to focus on.

Finally, when I couldn’t stand the silence any longer, I said teasingly to Lily, “So, Miss Translator, what did Arabelle say? I don’t speak much French.�

She turned, looking annoyed, and said in a low voice, “Arabelle said, ‘See you soon, my love.’�

XXX

CHAPTER 2 (LILY)

The blood was pounding in my ears as I made my way back to my compartment from the Prefect’s meeting. How in the world had Potter made Head Boy? And why was he being so… distant today? That last comment before he left made him seem like he was angry at me. The echo of his voice repeated in my head – I have people to see, too. See you around, Evans.

I shook my head, trying to rid my thoughts concerning him; it didn’t matter what was going on with Potter. He was probably just trying to mess with head. And succeeding. Besides, I had much more important things to be focusing on, such as school, Head Girl duties, and Marlene and Alice, who were probably about to come search the train looking for me.

Marlene McKinnon and Alice Carter had been my best friends since I was eleven. We were like the three musketeers: you never saw one of us without another. Marlene was the outgoing one of our group; loud, wild, and fun, she was taller than me (though this didn’t say much, as most people were), and had straight black hair and deep blue eyes. Like me, she also had a quite nasty temper, and she was prone to jinxing people that annoyed her. If you didn’t know us, you would think that Alice was her opposite: Alice was even shorter than me, with shoulder lengthed hair that was neither blonde nor brown, coffee colored eyes, and a round face. She was remarkably kind, though she had a rather difficult time remembering things, and she was extremely shy. And as for me, I was the normal one, not really one extreme or the other. I was the studious member of our circle that kept Marlene and Alice from flunking out, and the kind of girl you went up to to ask what the homework had been.

“There you are!� Marlene cried out as I slid the door open. “Alice and I were afraid that the prefects didn’t want to give you back.�

“Well, you’re wrong about that,� I told her with a chuckle. “I think they were quite glad to be rid of me - I guess my meetings are rather boring.�

“I’m sure Remus didn’t think so,� Alice commented with an impish grin, and I blushed. Marlene and Alice were rather sure that Remus had liked me for quite some time. “How’s the Head Boy doing anyway?�

“Since when do you care how Potter’s doing?� I asked her, not really paying attention to her question.

“Potter?� Marlene bursted out. If this was a movie and she had a drink in her hand, this is when a spit shot would have come in. “Are you kidding me?�

I shook my head gravely. “James Potter is the Head Boy. I kid you not.�

Alice’s mouth was gaping open, not unlike mine when I found out. “How is it even possible that Remus isn’t Head Boy? I would have bet anything in the world that it would have been him.�

“Me too,� I told her sadly. “I’m disappointed that it isn’t him. I would have a much better time of it with Remus than with Potter.� This was quite true; I had always been close to Remus. He was probably my best male friend. However, I had never gotten along with Potter, and I didn’t really see it happening in the near future.

We spent the next fifteen minutes discussing our summers and what we thought would happen this year at school. A lot of that time was also spent trying to coax Alice into talking to Frank Longbottom, the popular boy in Hufflepuff that she had had a crush on since First Year.

“Come on, Alice,� Marlene sighed in a frustrated voice. “How can you ever expect him to ask you out if you don’t talk to the boy?�

“I know you’re right,� she said, her brown eyes defeated. “But every time I try to talk to him, I freeze up. I don’t know what to say to him.�

“Okay,� I told her with a gleam in my eyes. “Today you and Marlene make sure you get into his carriage somehow. Then ask him about his summer, and if all else fails, talk about Quidditch.�

Alice looked as if she was about to start hyperventilating at the thought of having a conversation with him. “Don’t be such a baby, Alice,� Marlene scolded, shaking her head. “I’ll be right there with you. Believe me, there won’t be any awkward silences.�

Alice nodded, but she still didn’t look completely relieved. Trying to change the subject, I said brightly, “Hey, who wants some candy?� This seemed to brighten Alice’s mood immensely, and before I knew it, I was being loaded down with sickles and instructions:

“Make sure you get the kind with peanuts, but no caramel.�

“If you bring me back anything that has even the slightest taste of cherry, I will hex you into oblivion.�

“Remember, I like chocolate and strawberry, but see if you can get the lady to pick out the vanilla ones.�

Feeling slightly dazed with the numerous commands I had just received, I made my way out of the compartment and started toward the front of the train, where the trolley lady should just be starting to make her rounds.

Quite a few people stopped me to say hello to the new Head Girl. Dorcas Meadowes chatted my ear off for about ten minutes before I politely told her that my friends would murder me if I didn’t bring them some form of sugar soon. The train had never felt so long to me before. It seemed to be taking me forever to get up front.

My heart almost jumped out of my chest as a tall boy with short sandy hair was pushed out of a compartment a few feet in front of me, laughing with his friends inside. My pulse quickened as his name passed through my thoughts. Amos Diggory. I had always had a bit of a crush on him, as I had patrolled with him a few times when I was still a Prefect.

“Hey Lily,� he greeted me cheerfully when he looked up. His eyes were a luminous blue-green, and seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.

“Hey Amo –“ I started, but tripped over my own feet, landing face-first on the hard floor. Luckily he didn’t see my graceful move, because he was already back in his compartment. That boy moved fast, thank God.

Irritated with myself, I rubbed the sore hand that I had stuck out to try to stop the fall. I could see the trolley lady now, about twenty feet ahead, but there was a crowd of Third Years around her and I could not be bothered to get up. So, I sat, and waited for her to come to me. I realized how ridiculous I must have looked, but on the whole, I didn’t much care. I had been in worse situations before.

She must have been an extremely slow mover, because it seemed to take five minutes for the woman to budge an inch. I had been sitting in the same spot for what seemed to be an eternity when I heard footsteps behind me. Of course, the way I was positioned I was taking up most of the walking space, but I would be damned if I was going to move now. I had been here awhile, waiting for the slow trolley lady, bored out of my mind, and now to top things off, my butt was asleep. Plus, I was Head Girl now. If someone was going to be rude, they were going to get written up. I wasn’t going to move.

“Excusez-moi,� said a silky voice behind me.

I leaned my head back to see who it was, and my breath caught in my throat. Standing behind me was obviously what had to be a Greek god, or the closest thing to it in existence. Amos Diggory had nothing on this boy. Though not extremely tall, he would dwarf my 5’4�. He had glossy dark-brown hair, and eyes that reminded me of the blue sky of a sunny summer day. There was a casual elegance to the way he stood, and any male model in the world would gladly exchange their soul for his perfectly featured face.

“Yes?� I asked in a rebellious tone. Just because he was the most gorgeous creature on the planet didn’t mean I was going to move my sore butt for him.

“Do… do you need some ‘elp there?� he asked, staring down at me with an amused grin.

“No, actually,� I replied, keeping my voice light. “I’m waiting for the trolley lady to get here, but she seems to be taking her sweet time.�

“I see,� he laughed in his thick French accent. “So, you need no ‘elp een getting up, then?�

“I see no reason to until the candy gets here,� I replied airily. “Why? Am I in your way?� I wasn’t sure why I was purposely being so annoying. I guess I was just determined to take my frustrations out on the next attractive boy to walk by. However, he didn’t seem annoyed by me – he seemed entertained.

“Not particularly,� he said, shrugging. “I ‘ave no where to go anyway.� And without further ado, he sank down next to me and extended his hand. “May I ask your name?�

My heart thumped against my chest as I placed my hand in his. It was quite warm, and I was tongue-tied for a moment. “Lily Evans,� I finally managed to spit out.

“Nice to meet you, Lilee,� he said with a dazzling smile. “My name is Pierre.�

I was smiling so hard it hurt, and his voice was so soothing that it didn’t even bother me how he pronounced my name. All that mattered to me at the moment was that Pierre was sitting next to me.

“So, what brings you to Hogwarts?� I asked him pleasantly. “I mean, obviously you’re not from around here.�

“I came with my seesters. I suppose you say we are een an exchange program.�

“Are you a Seventh Year?�

“No,� he answered with a grimace. “I am only sixteen. Tell me, does age difference make you far superior to me at ‘Ogwarts?�

“Not quite,� I said quietly. It was almost comical – as if there was any way I could ever be superior to Pierre.

We sat like that for a few minutes while the trolley lady slowly dragged herself towards us, asking and answering questions about each other’s lives. He told me about his parents and how much he loved his sisters, and I told him about my mother, stepfather, and sister from hell.

“What about your father?� Pierre asked curiously. “You ‘aven’t mentioned ‘im.�

Even though that wound was long healed over, I still felt a stab of pain from the words. “He…he died a long time ago…� I said quietly, staring at my hands. I had been hoping to avoid this topic with him – most everyone at school already knew better than to bring it up.

“I’m sorry,� he apologized, and I could see the sincerity reflecting in his eyes. I nodded, and we sat in silence.

“Excuse me, dearies,� said a voice from over my head, “But would you like anything off of the trolley?�

My face lit up excitedly – the trolley lady was finally here! I quickly got up, pulling my money out at once. “I need two packets of Drooble’s, four Pumpkin Pasties, two Licorice Wands, five Ice Mice, seven Chocolate Frogs, three boxes of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans…� The list went on and on seemingly forever. By the end of it, both Pierre and the trolley lady were staring at me, wide-eyed. “What?� I asked. “My friends are hungry…�

“Are you going to be sharing some of zat?� Pierre asked me playfully, watching me struggle with my armful of candy. He reached out his hand to grab a chocolate frog, but I quickly turned the other way, trying to defend the sweets. It soon turned into a struggle, with me trying to deflect his snatches at the candy. Thanks to my usual smoothness, I ended up tripping over my feet trying to walk around him, taking him down with me. Then we both sat on the floor, him finally getting his chocolate frog, the two of us laughing as though we had always been friends.

XXX

When we finally made it back to the compartment, Alice and Marlene quickly jumped up in excitement.

“Jeez, Lils, where you been?� Marlene joked, pulling a bag of Bertie Botts’ out of my arms.

“Yeah, we were starting to think you got lost -� Alice started. Pierre had just walked into the compartment, and Alice’s brown eyes widened.

“-or something…� Marlene finished for her, with a wicked glint in her eyes as she took in the new arrival. “Why, hello there.�

“Bon jour,� he said, nodding his head in greeting, since his hands were full from trying to help me carry the candy. “From what Lilee ‘as told me, I am presuming that you would be Marlene.�

“Yes, and bon jour to you,� Marlene replied, after regaining her composure. She was now openly gaping at him. Not that I could blame her - I mean, he was completely gorgeous.

“And you must be Alice,� Pierre said, turning to face the shorter of my friends. She giggled and blushed, and I wanted to bury my face in my hands.

“This is Pierre, guys,� I told them, hoping that they would soon stop drooling. “I met him when I went to get your candy, and he was bored so I told him he could sit with us.�

“That’s fine with me,� Marlene sighed, reaching blindly for a chocolate frog. “But Lils, I must say that that was the longest candy trip dear Alice and I have had to sit through. May I inquire as to what took you and Pierre so long to get back?� She smiled devilishly, and Alice raised an eyebrow.

Pierre laughed, and said, “Well, Lilee refused to actually go up to the candy lady, so we ‘ad to sit and wait for ‘er to come to us. Eet took quite a while…�

“Mmhmm,� Marlene nodded. “I’m sure that’s exactly what happened.� Her cerulean eyes were still full of amused suspicion, and she gave me a look that told me that she would have some questions for me later.

Luckily, as we all sat chatting and devouring the ridiculously large pile of candy, the awkwardness that Marlene and Alice created faded away, and soon we were all laughing.

The rest of the train ride passed extremely quickly – a little too quickly for me, since I was enjoying myself so much. I was in a compartment with a (now almost gone) pile of candy, my two best friends in the entire world, and a boy who was perhaps one of the nicest people I had ever met. But before I knew it, the sun had completely slipped under the horizon, and the stars were twinkling overhead. Irritated that I had to leave, I stood up. I had to go get James bloody Potter, and then we had to help the Prefects with the First Years.

“Where are you going?� Alice asked curiously.

“I have to go get Potter, and then I have to help those twitchy little First Years get to the boats,� I answered, pulling my black cloak over my uniform. I honestly didn’t mind First Years – they were cute the way they got lost about the school – but I was annoyed that they were the reason I had to leave Pierre. You mean Alice and Marlene, I quickly corrected myself.

“James Potter?� Pierre asked. I was surprised that Pierre knew who he was, and I was even more surprised of the resentful tone in which he spoke his name.

“Yes, the very one. Do you know the toerag?� I inquired.

“You could say that we ‘ave known each other our ‘ole lives,� he answered in that same bitter tone.

“Lily, you should really be nicer to him,� Marlene rebuked me. “Just because he’s a Marauder doesn’t mean you should treat him like dirt.�

I shot her a look of complete disbelief. “Marlene, that is the most hypocritical statement I believe I have ever heard,� I retorted. “You have been nothing but cruel to Sirius Black since the day you met him.�

“Well… that’s different, that is…� she said, trying in vain to defend herself. “He flirts with me constantly just because he knows it annoys me, he’s always playing pranks on me, and he’s just a git!�

“Wow,� I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. “And that doesn’t sound familiar at all.�

“Yeah well, James actually cares about you, Lils. Black just enjoys annoying the hell out of me.�

“If you say so, Marlene,� I said, walking toward the door. “I’m going now - Bye, Pierre.� I flashed him a bright smile.

“You are going to Potter’s compartment, no?� he asked. I nodded. “Well that ees also my compartment. I will go with you.�

Alice and Marlene shared another knowing glance, and Alice said, “Have fun, Lily,� in the most meaningful way she could manage. My face was burning as I stepped outside the compartment, Pierre close behind me. When he stood next to me, I glanced up at his face to see that he was smiling, almost laughing, at Marlene and Alice’s reactions to him. My face turned to an even deeper shade of crimson, and he pretended not to notice.

“Well, your friends are certainly… interesting,� he commented with a pleased smile.

“That’s one way to put it,� I answered dryly. “But Pierre, how exactly do you know Potter?�

He grimaced at the mention of his name, but answered, “Our parents are… business associates, I suppose you could say. We ‘ave been dragged to their meetings together since we were leettle.�

“Oh,� I said, dropping the subject. I didn’t want to keep discussing it, since it seemed to darken his generally happy mood, although it was refreshing to be able to talk to someone who apparently disliked Potter as much as I did. That didn’t occur very often in my world.

We were silent for a moment, and then Pierre cast me a curious look. “You don’t like Potter.� It wasn’t a question.

“No, I don’t.�

He tilted his head. “Why?�

I took a deep breath. I wanted to explain this to him as calmly as possible, but just thinking about him usually got me riled up. In general, I was a nice person, friendly to everyone, and I always tried to give people second chances. Potter had used up way more than his two chances, and I was done trying to be friendly towards him. Although, I had to admit he had grown up quote a bit since the years before, and last year he hadn’t asked me out quite as frequently as before. Maybe I should give him one more chance… I thought to myself. After all, he is the Head Boy, and I am the Head Girl. I might as well attempt to get along with him.

“Lilee? Are you going to tell me?�

I smiled sheepishly, caught off guard. I had a tendency to get wrapped up in my thoughts, and forget what was going on around me. “Well Pierre,� I started. “When we first started Hogwarts, he was never anything other than utterly rude to me, although I expect that’s quite normal of an eleven year old boy.� Pierre smiled. “But that’s not why I dislike him. As we got older, he started being, well, friendlier to me, if you know what I mean, and I really wasn’t interested in dating an arrogant git like him. I don’t like him because he never bloody leaves me alone, and he acts like I fancy him and I don’t.�

Pierre just nodded his head. “That makes sense,� he agreed. “Back in Paris, I ‘ad a few girls chasing me around like that. You are right. Eet ees very annoying.�

I started laughing as one particular memory came back to me, from Fifth Year, and I told him about how I screamed at him that I would rather date the giant squid than go out with him. It hadn’t really been funny at the time, since that was the day I stopped talking to Severus for good, but it got both of us laughing. In fact, we were still laughing about it as Pierre slid open the door to his compartment.

We both froze as our eyes settled on the scene in front of us. A girl with long, silky blonde hair was seated on James’ lap, their hands interlocked, and she was slowly lowering her face down to his. I could feel Pierre tense up next to me when he saw this, and I wondered vaguely why he cared. I knew my mouth was probably hanging open, but that was probably because I had just stumbled into one of the awkward moments of my life.

It didn’t take long before Pierre reacted to the situation. He quickly entered the small compartment, and yanked the blonde right off of Potter. She shrieked indignantly, and began angrily spouting off in French, “Oh mon dieu! Je ne suis pas enfant!� Luckily, I had taken French in Primary School, and I understood every word: Oh my God! I am not a child!

“You are not an adult, either,� Pierre shot back, placing her back on the ground gently. So far, their argument sounded like a father talking to his child, and I got the feeling that this blonde girl was his sister.

“Il est le mien! Je peux faire comme je s'il vous plait, Pierre!� she practically shouted, wrenching her hand out of Pierre’s grasp.

My pulse quickened as I translated what she said.

“In English, please,� said a voice from the corner. I looked over to realize that it was Sirius, who was half-asleep against the window.

Trying to steady my voice, I practically whispered, “She said, ‘He’s mine. I can do as I please, Pierre.’� Everyone’s eyes were now on me, and I could feel my face heating up. Again.

I looked at the ground as I let the girl’s words sink in. So. Potter had a girlfriend. Pierre’s sister, to be exact. I should have felt relieved. I should have been reveling in the fact that Potter couldn’t chase me around anymore, because now he had his little French blonde to follow. But I didn’t feel relieved. Why didn’t I feel relieved?! This was what I had been hoping would happen for quite awhile now, so that James would leave me alone and another boy might actually work up the courage to ask me out. Now that was possible, and for some reason, instead of me being happy about it, the room was spinning.

Everyone was completely silent. At this point, no one really knew what to say. Realizing that I was going to have to be the one to break the silence, I turned my attention to James. “Potter, I came to get you because we have to go help the Prefects with the First Years. We’re almost to school.�

He nodded, the hazel eyes behind his glasses confused, but got up anyway. As soon as he started to walk forward, however, the blonde girl glided over to him and pressed her pink lips to his cheek, whispering quite loudly, “Vous voir bientôt, mon amour.�

My stomach clenched as I heard the words, but I didn’t comment. I should have seen this coming. A lot of things can happen over summer break; and, although I hated to admit it, James was a very attractive guy, and I shouldn’t have been shocked that someone besides me had finally managed to catch his eye. I stalked out of the compartment, and I could hear Potter close behind me.

It was a long walk to the front of the train, and we seemed to be stuck in an atmosphere of uncomfortable silence. I had no idea what to say after what I had just witnessed, and apparently neither did he.

However, once we had nearly reached the front, he finally said to me, “So, Miss Translator, what did Arabelle say? I don’t speak much French.�

I squeezed my eyes shut. Knowing her name just made it worse. Arabelle. A pretty name for a pretty girl, I supposed.

Answering his question, I turned and said, “Arabelle said, ‘See you soon, my love.’�

It was dark and windy as I slid open the door of the Hogwarts Express. The wind was howling, and made my already messy hair even more chaotic than usual. I ran my fingers through it without even thinking about it, and glanced back at the short redhead behind me. As soon as my hazel eyes met her green, she quickly looked down, at anything but me, I was sure. We hadn’t spoken a word since she translated Arabelle’s last sentence, and it was beginning to eat me up. I craved contact with her, whether it was having an actual conversation, which did actually occur from time to time, or having her scream at me, which seemed to occur more. Having her completely ignore me was complete torture.

And yet, I could think of nothing to say to her. This entire situation was extremely awkward, and all I wanted to do was explain everything to her, but I couldn’t make the words come out of my mouth. Drawing a blank, I stepped down off of the train, and began helping the new students off. Lily did the same on the other side of me, smiling brightly to the younger children, although the familiar sparkle that usually illuminated her emerald orbs was absent. Her eyes were cold.

My stomach squirmed a bit, but I ignored it and put my focus on getting everyone off of the train.

It took about fifteen minutes to get all of the excited students off the train, and at that point they were all crowded together on the platform, the older ones confidently making their way towards the carriages, and the First Years standing around, looking confused. I could see Hagrid’s towering frame approaching in the distance, and sighed in relief. Soon I would be able to get in a warm carriage, out of the biting wind. I pitied the poor First Years who had to cross the lake in this weather.

“James!� I heard Hagrid roar as he approached me.

I turned and smiled. “Hey, Hagrid.�

“Yeh made Head Boy! Great job, I knew yeh had it in yeh!� he exclaimed in an eager voice, clapping me on the back.

“Thanks, Hagrid,� I replied, doing my best to act cheerful. It seemed as though my mood was beginning to emulate Lily’s.

“Who got Head Girl, then?� he asked, scanning the crowd around us. His black eyes twinkled merrily as they landed on his other favorite student. “Lily?�

“Yeah,� I replied monotonously, my act instantly crumbling as soon as he mentioned her name.

He raised an eyebrow. “Yeh don’ seem too excited. Aren’ yeh lookin’ forward to spendin all that time with her?� Hagrid, along with the rest of the world, was well aware of how I felt about Lily.

I shrugged, and he gave me a suspicious look, but said nothing else about it.

After a few more minutes of rounding up the First Years who had attempted to get into a carriage, Lily and I pointed them in Hagrid’s direction, and began heading back to the carriages.

“Oi!� came Hagrid’s booming voice behind us. “Would you two mind helpin’ me keep this lot from killin’ each other out there? They seem rowdier than usual this year…�

“Sure, Hagrid,� Lily replied, though she didn’t seem too thrilled by the prospect. Neither was I, for that matter. The clouds seemed to be turning darker by the second, and thunder was beginning to rumble in the distance.

I groaned, and Lily narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t act like you’re the only one who doesn’t want to do this, James,� she said. “I don’t fancy crossing the lake in this weather either, but it’s our duty as the Heads to help in any way that they ask us.�

“Lily, I know,� I said calmly, attempting to get back in her good graces. “I wasn’t going to complain.�

She gave me a doubtful stare, but said nothing more. As she turned to start heading for the lake, I grabbed her arm.

“Wait, Lily,� I said, pulling her back.

“What?� she sighed, pulling out of my grasp. Our eyes locked, and the iciness in her gaze melted. I was determined to tell her what was really going on.

“I need to explain something to you. I’m not supposed to tell anyone about this, but you have to know -�

“Jamie!�

I winced as Arabelle’s silky voice drifted into my ear. She latched onto my arm, and kissed my cheek. “Come, you will show me to my boat, no?�

The frost immediately reappeared in Lily’s eyes, and she turned and walked away without a second glance. Arabelle watched her retreating figure and smiled triumphantly.

“Come on, Jamie, wheech boat shall we get een?�

XXX

As I climbed into the boat Arabelle picked out, I wondered vaguely to myself what I had done to receive this kind of punishment. Had I gotten away with murder in a past life, and now I was paying the price? Glancing over at my bride-to-be, who was currently studying her nails in a bored fashion, I figured it had to be that or something much worse. All of the other students were gazing around in wonder and awe at their surroundings, amazed that they were actually here, actually entering Hogwarts, the best wizarding school in the world! And then there was Arabelle, who was more interested in her cuticles than the fact that she was presently crossing the Great Lake. What a bloody fun life this was going to be for me.

Fighting the urge to just push the petite blonde out of the boat, I turned my attention to my surroundings. I had never thought that I would cross the lake again, at least not like this. Even though the conditions were miserable, and the company was even worse, I figured I might as well enjoy it while it lasted. It wasn’t every day that someone got to relive their first day of Hogwarts.

Without even thinking about it, I started to look around for the Head Girl. It didn’t take long to locate her fiery red hair, even through the veil of drizzling rain. She was about three boats to the right of me, sitting in between Pierre and Arienne. Arienne was wearing an expression that mirrored her older sister’s, a fusion of exasperation and boredom. Lily and Pierre were talking and laughing, and I felt a stab of jealousy tear through me as he wiped a raindrop off of her cheek, and she smiled up at him in thanks.

Why did he get to be friends with her so quickly? It had taken me years to get to the point we were at now, which was saying hello in the halls, and having short conversations in the Great Hall. Of course, that was after I had been trying desperately to make up for years of senseless pranking. I supposed Pierre had the advantage of never making her hair flash different colors throughout the day… But I still felt as though that was unfair. I had only been eleven at the time! Sirius and I had been pranking anything that moved, with Remus and Peter laughing in the background. We were young, stupid, and immature, and I admitted that, and I had apologized so many times that I lost count. By Third Year I had started to fancy her a bit, so I stopped pranking her at once and set my sights on the Slytherins instead. And yet I knew it would still never be the same. She was always going to remember me as that little git that tried to get her attention by making her homework zoom around the room, just out of reach. And then there was Pierre, starting off with a clean slate, and using that veela charm to his full advantage, I was sure.

I sighed, and felt a small hand rub my back comfortingly. “What ees wrong, Jamie?� Arabelle asked, concern reflecting in her azure eyes.

“Nothing,� I said, maneuvering out of her reach. “I was just looking around, since no one’s talking.� It was true, too. We weren’t even the only ones in the boat; there were a few First Year boys in the boat with us, but they were too busy gawking at Arabelle to say much of anything. I almost told one of them that he could have her – I wanted to – but I held my tongue. God forbid I do what I want, and not what my parents told me to. I was supposed to be “in love� with Arabelle. I guessed trying to give her away wouldn’t appear to be very romantic.

“Well, let’s talk now,� she said eagerly, grabbing my hand. I cringed, and although my insides were screaming for me to wrench it away from her, I left it there.

I was a bit curious as to why she suddenly wanted to talk, but decided not to mention it. “Okay. What do you want to talk about?�

She looked thoughtful. “Well, I ‘ave been thinking, and… what ‘ouse do you theenk they will put me een?�

“Well, I don’t know,� I told her honestly. “It depends on your skills, and your personality and values – that’s how the hat decides where to put you.� I noticed that the boys had turned their attention to me now, and they were hanging on my every word.

“The ‘at?� Arabelle asked, looking puzzled. “What do you mean, the ‘at decides what ‘ouse I will be een?�

“You’ve never heard of the Sorting Hat?� I asked in surprise. She shook her head. “Well, the founders of the school created it so that when they died, there would still be a way that they chose the students. You could say that they all put a bit of themselves in the hat – Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and the best of course, Gryffindor. You just put the hat on your head, and it decides where you belong.�

“Hmm,� she mused. “I am sorry, but that seems a beet silly to me. At Beauxbatons, we were sorted individually by zee ‘Eadmaster. Eet was a very good system.�

I felt a prickle of irritation. “Well, it seems to work well enough here.�

Apparently Arabelle hadn’t noticed that she was aggravating me. She rested her head on my shoulder, and said quietly “I ‘ope I am een your ‘ouse, Jamie.�

I rolled my eyes, but didn’t shake her off. We were almost to shore anyway.

XXX

The rain had still not slowed when we finally reached the ancient castle I considered to be my home. The First Years were now clamoring out of their boats, trying to relocate their newly discovered friends from the train. We were all completely drenched – the small brunette standing beside me looked like a drowned rat.

After a few chaotic minutes of trying to obtain their attention, Hagrid, Lily and I finally managed to begin leading them up to the castle. Arabelle was still hanging off of my arm, sending Lily dirty looks whenever she thought that I wasn’t paying attention. I caught every one, although I never mentioned that I had noticed. It probably wouldn’t be very wise to get into a fight with Arabelle about Lily - at least not while the redhead in question was standing right next to us.

Pierre was walking next to Lily, of course, with Arienne trailing not too far behind him, the same sullen expression still plastered onto her face. The rain was still pouring steadily on us, with thunder booming in the distance, and lightning illuminating the sky every minute or so.

To put it simply, everyone was completely miserable – I myself had a completely different reason for my mood, however. I was staring straight ahead of me, listening to Lily’s melodic voice, trying to think of some way to explain the situation to her. I knew for a fact that Arabelle would do everything in her power to keep Lily away from me, and in turn, me away from Lily, so I had to plan this right. I frowned as I remembered how close I had been to telling her before Arabelle interrupted us – I couldn’t let it happen again. I wouldn’t let her mess it up this time. Even if Lily wanted nothing to do with me, I still wanted her to understand why I was marrying Arabelle – she needed to know that it wasn’t my choice.

Professor McGonagall was standing at the top of the stairs as we entered the Entrance Hall, her catlike eyes narrowed into her usual scowl. The First Years scurried up the stairs toward her, still staring around in complete awe of where they were. Her gaze fell upon Lily and I, and she gestured for us to come to her. Arabelle reluctantly released her death grip on my arm, kissing me lightly on the cheek before I walked away. Lily fell into step beside me as we climbed the stairs, careful to avoid my stare.

“Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, you two can join your classmates in the Great Hall,� she told us when we finally reached her. “I imagine you must be quite cold; thank you for your assistance.�

“You’re welcome, Professor,� Lily said politely. I nodded, and we headed toward the Great Hall.

There was an awkward silence between us as we started for the Great Hall. Lily’s pace kept accelerating, and I knew she was trying to get to the feast quickly, so that I wouldn’t have time to say anything to her. However, I was not planning on letting her get her way this time.

I grabbed her arm again, hearing a small gasp of surprise. Without turning, she tried to wrench herself free of my grip, but I was not letting go.

“Please let go of me, James,� she said slowly, gritting her teeth as she attempted to pull away.

The use of my first name astonished me, but I didn’t let it distract me from what I was trying to do. “Not until you listen to what I have to say,� I told her firmly. She turned and gave me a look of defiance, but upon realizing that she was not going to break free, she gave up and relaxed her position.

“What?� she asked frigidly, the green eyes I adored thinning into slits.

“I just really need to talk to you,� I told her honestly. I instinctively glanced back at Arabelle, and comprehension dawned on her face.

“This is about Arabelle, isn’t it?� she asked incredulously. She smiled at me sympathetically. “Look James, you have a girlfriend – don’t worry, I get it. You’re trying to tell me that you won’t be chasing me around anymore, right?�

I opened my mouth to try to respond, but she cut me off. “It’s alright, I understand. Somehow I might be able to survive without having James Potter trying to woo me every five minutes. Arabelle is a lovely girl. I’m happy for you.� She smiled at me brightly, and turned and walked into the Great Hall, leaving me standing there, completely stunned. How was it that I missed my chance to tell her again?!

I could feel the devastation slowly tearing my heart in two. Sure, I had been turned down by Lily Evans loads of times – possibly hundreds – but I always believed that someday she would give in; she would admit her feelings for me. But this was different, and I knew it. This felt…permanent. And having her say that she was happy for me? That just made it so much worse – I wasn’t even happy for me!

My shoulders slumped as I walked through the vast oak doors into the splendor that was the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Familiar faces smiled at me from all sides as I made my way to my usual seat next to Sirius, Remus and Peter, but I couldn’t bring myself to return the favor. Disappointed, I sank into my seat, not even able to glance in Lily’s direction. I knew right where she would be sitting – about ten seats down from me, squeezed in between Marlene McKinnon and Alice Carter. But I knew that seeing her face would just send another ripple of pain through my body, and I honestly wasn’t sure if I could take it.

“You alright, mate?� Remus asked, watching me with concern.

I shrugged, staring down at the table; the golden plates seemed to be the only things that could hold my gaze.

“Prongs?� Sirius asked uneasily. Peter sent me a worried look.

“I’m okay…� I mumbled, not moving my gaze.

The other three Marauders shared a doubtful look, but said nothing more, which I appreciated. They always knew when I needed space.

The Hall was abuzz with chatter for a few more minutes before the doors swung open once again, and McGonagall led the First Years into the room, the Sorting Hat and stool in hand.

Of course, the Champagnes stuck out like sore thumbs mixed in with the younger students, and everyone watched them with interest - trying to figure out who they were, from the sounds of the conversations around me. Their beauty also seemed to be a major topic of discussion – the word ‘veela’ seemed to be thrown around from every direction.

The First Years all gathered around the Sorting Hat, studying it in interest and excitement as they waited for Professor McGonagall to begin the sorting. I saw Arabelle turn around and scan the room; she smiled when her blue eyes finally rested on my face, winking and blowing me a kiss. I heard a few guys around me grumble disappointedly, but I paid no attention to the jealous looks they kept sending me. My face burning, I looked down the table, straight at Lily. She was determinably turned away from me, apparently absorbed in deep conversation with Alice. I knew she had seen it, and my stomach twisted painfully.

My attention was brought back to the front of the room however, when McGonagall cleared her throat and read the first name off of her roll of parchment. “Adams, Lindsay,� was quickly sorted into Ravenclaw, and they clapped politely as she joined their table. The next few students were called up there, and I didn’t have to wait long to hear the name I was dreading – Champagne.

“Champagne, Arabelle,� Professor McGonagall called in a clear voice.

The crowd of First Years split, allowing the blonde goddess to walk through; she had been standing at the edge of the throng with her siblings. She glided gracefully up the steps, sitting down serenely on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the patched old hat on her head, and she beamed excitedly. It amazed me how she still managed to look like a model, even with that frayed hat sitting on top of her smooth hair.

The entire Hall was quiet as the Sorting Hat slowly contemplated which house she belonged in. A look of impatience quickly overcame Arabelle’s face as the minutes ticked by. I didn’t know which house she would be placed in, but I silently prayed that it would be anything but Gryffindor. I was having a hard enough time dealing with the fact that she was in my school – I wasn’t sure if I could deal with sharing a common room with her.

“SLYTHERIN!� it suddenly bellowed. Arabelle’s eyes widened in shock, and she didn’t move until Professor McGonagall removed the hat from her head and gave her a little push towards the Slytherin table. She recovered quickly however, and keeping her composure, walked over to the Slytherin table, where the Slytherin boys were high-fiving each other in what I assumed to be excitement.

I was completely stunned, although still somehow unsurprised. Part of me had a feeling that she was going to be a Slytherin. However, this made my life even more complicated than it had been five minutes ago. Now, not only was I engaged to a girl I couldn’t stand, but she was also a Slytherin. I glanced over to where she was sitting, and she was looking at me, too; I could almost feel the disappointment radiating off of her.

However, the calling of the next name on the list distracted me from my latest dilemma. “Champagne, Arienne,� was announced, and the diminutive brunette made her way to the hat with as much elegance as her sister had managed. The hat didn’t take nearly as long to decide this time, only sitting on top of her chestnut-colored hair for about thirty seconds before it proclaimed, “HUFFLEPUFF!� to the school.

She handed the hat back to Professor McGonagall, and walked over to the Hufflepuffs, looking pleased with herself as usual.

I winced, bracing myself for who I knew was coming up next.

“Champagne, Pierre,� Professor McGonagall read from the parchment; he quickly made his way through the crowd. The female population of Hogwarts seemed to give off a simultaneous sigh as he came into view, and I rolled my eyes.

He actually looked rather bored for a moment, sitting on the stool, but then he spotted someone in the crowd and broke into a wide grin. I didn’t even have to look to know who it was, although I couldn’t stop myself from glimpsing over anyway. And I was right. It was Lily. My Lily.

I felt a surge of infuriation surge through me as the Sorting Hat bellowed, “GRYFFINDOR!�

Pierre beamed, handing the hat back to McGonagall and making his way over the Gryffindor table where, to my great displeasure, he squeezed in between Marlene and Lily. She gave him a quick hug as he sat down, and they turned their attention back to the remainder of the sortings.

My hands clenched into fists. My day was getting worse and worse by the minute.

I didn’t pay any attention to the rest of the sortings. My concentration drifted back to staring at the plates, although I was not unaware of Sirius, Remus and Peter watching me, and sending each other concerned glances. Thankfully though, they chose not to comment.

There were three specific things running through my mind at the moment: first of all, Lily thought I was in love with another girl, and didn’t appear to care; second, it appeared as though Pierre was trying to steal my Lily-flower, and now he was in my house; and third, and possibly the most disturbing – I was engaged to a Slytherin.

Oh yes. My life was going wonderfully.