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Part One: On Your Mark…

"So, Prongs, how did your big idea go over?" asked Sirius. He was lounging across his bed with a Butterbeer and a foot-long essay on Confidence Potions. "Anyone buy into it?"

I grinned as I took off my robes and crashed on my own bed. I kicked off my shoes and put my hands behind my head. "They loved it," I replied, feeling a bit cocky myself. "Every one of them."

"Really?" asked Peter, glancing up from his Charms text with a surprised look on his face. "Even Lily?"

"Even Evans," I answered. "I thought for sure she'd shoot it down straight off, but everyone else was so interested, maybe she couldn't. Hand me a Butterbeer, will you, Padfoot?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "That doesn't sound like our normal Head Girl," he observed as he tossed a bottle across the room. "She doesn't usually hold back when it comes to putting a stop to your nefarious plans."

Remus walked in then. "Maybe it's because she's planning on entering the competition herself," he announced.

I sat up immediately, spilling Butterbeer all over my shirt. "You're joking," I sputtered as I grabbed my wand to clean up.

"I'm not," said Remus, sitting on his own four-poster. "She just told me."

Peter put down his book to join the conversation. "Why would she tell you?" he asked. "She must know you'd tell us."

Remus shrugged. "I don't know. She asked me to help her out a bit as well."

"What?" I exclaimed, throwing my feet over the side of the bed and staring at him. "You've got to be joking."

"I already told you I wasn't," Remus laughed. "Don't worry, I told her I couldn't. So she asked Jackson Robertson instead. He about fell over when she did."

"But…but…" I stammered, slightly stunned. Jackson Robertson? The Ravenclaw Seeker?

"I think what James is so eloquently trying to say," offered Sirius, "is why didn't she ask him to help her out? And of course the answer is…"

"She still can't stand him and his big head," answered Peter with a snort, returning to his work. I threw a pair of socks at him, but he batted them away with a blithely innocent look on his face.

"Point to Wormtail," Sirius crowed. "Bad luck, Prongs. But then, when you win, you can show her who's in charge."

It was Remus's turn to snort. "Who's in charge of what?" he asked.

"Their lack of a relationship, of course," Sirius replied.

"Not James," said Peter from behind his book.

"Oh, Evans is definitely in charge," nodded Sirius.

"She's not in charge of anything," I grumbled, starting to get irritated. They had been giving me a hard time about Lily Evans for years, and usually it didn't bother me. Tonight, however, it did. Sirius was right: why hadn't she asked me to help her?

"Except there's nothing really to be in charge of, is there?" Remus asked, pretending to be thoughtful.

"Sure there is," said Sirius, putting down his essay and warming up to the subject. "She's in charge of eye-rolling, name-calling, and constant, never-ending rejections."

"Will you three knock it off?" I asked, pulling my shoes back on.

"Still a sore spot," murmured Sirius, returning to his work with a smirk.

"Wendy Foster," I replied, feeling juvenile. Sirius pulled a hurt face, pretending to be hit in the heart at the mention of the Ravenclaw who had dumped him the previous year. Then he fell back laughing.

I grabbed my Invisibility Cloak, unsure whether I would need it, but wanting it just in case. "My idea, my race," I snapped. "And neither you, you, or you," I pointed at each one of my friends to punctuate my words, "or Jackson Robertson will stop me from winning now."

I left them howling with laughter behind me as I stomped down the stairs back to the empty common room. The prefects' meeting had run late and everyone had already gone to their dormitories by the time we had returned. I threw myself into a chair and glowered into the fire, alone with my thoughts.

My great idea had turned on me. With the Hogsmeade trip for Halloween cancelled due to recent Death Eater activity in the area, I had proposed another way for Hogwarts to interact, celebrate, and keep its spirits up: a flying race across the grounds. It was for the prefects and Heads only, although if it was successful, I was hoping we could open it to all students for a spring race.

The Headmaster had approved, pleased to have found an activity that would keep the students on the grounds and safe. It would be an obstacle course around the castle. Madam Hooch had agreed to design the course so that it was challenging for both novice and experienced flyers, giving everyone a change to fly fast, fly carefully, and fly competitively.

The prefects had enthusiastically embraced the idea. Though they weren't all flyers, only a few opted out, preferring to do other things for the race instead. I had thought for sure that Lily Evans would want to be a race monitor, given how much she liked to be in control, but she had only smiled and shrugged when I had asked.

Apparently, she had approached Remus to help her after I had returned to the dormitory. Good friend that he was, he had declined. So then she had gone to Jackson Robertson, Ravenclaw Extraordinaire. The seventh-year Seeker, prefect, and pretty boy whom the girls all swooned over. The thought made my stomach turn.

Why hadn't she asked me? We still might not get along all the time, but I was far and away a better flyer than either Remus or even that prat Robertson. I’d been on the Quidditch team six years running, for Merlin's sake! I could certainly help her train better than just about anyone except Hooch herself.

As I sat there staring into the fire, I heard the portrait hole open behind me. I glanced around, but did not see anyone, and turned back to the fire with a grumble. I heard a crash and a squeal, and suddenly Lily Evans appeared, eyes wide as she stumbled into a chair and tried to make her way unnoticed to the girls' dormitory.

"Oi, Evans!" I called, jumping up to startle her some more. "What are you doing sneaking around after hours? The meeting ended an hour ago and curfew is past. You're not trying out that Disillusionment Charm we learned, are you?"

Lily sputtered; I frequently got that reaction from her. "What are you doing down here?" she finally demanded instead.

"Not sneaking around," I replied archly, hiding the Cloak in my robes. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Neither was I," she said, sounding a bit defensive. She also held something behind her back. I grinned and snatched it before she had a chance to react.

"Ah, a little bit of bedtime reading," I remarked, flipping though the book. It was a deadly dull tome on broomsticks and flying; I could have given her any other number of more interesting books and magazines. "So you really are going to try it?"

"I am," she replied, somewhat defiantly as she tried to grab the book back. I held it up, pretending to read the chapter on braking charms. "Do you have a problem with that, Potter?"

I shrugged. "No, no problem. Just don't cry when I leave you in my tailwind."

Lily snorted. "I'll be too far ahead to even worry about your back end."

"I didn't think you liked flying," I remarked, tossing the book back to her and ignoring her smart remark. She caught it deftly. "Might mess up your hair or something."

"That's true," she said, a look of exaggerated horror on her face. "Then I might look like you." She ran her hand through her hair, mimicking my own nervous habit.

"It's an improvement," I replied as blandly as I could, even though she was starting to push my buttons now. We'd been working together as Head Boy and Head Girl for almost two months, and though things had settled down between us compared to years past, we still had a good row now and then. I felt one coming on.

"I can win," she replied.

"You'll need a lot of practice," I observed.

"I will."

"And a better tutor."

"Why?" She didn't even seem surprised that I knew about her deal with Robertson.

"You know I'm the better flier, Evans. Why ask Robertson?"

"Because he'll actually teach me," she replied. "Not just show off."

Did she really think that's what I did all the time? "Well," I shrugged, "just don't fall off your broom when he starts groping you."

"What do you care if he gropes me?" she asked. "Or if I fall off?"

I tried not to grin as I ticked off the reasons on my hand. "One: he's a git and the groping would be revolting. Two: I don't want to rescue you when you fall off your broom. Three—"

She interrupted me, rolling her eyes. "No one is going to grope me, and I'm not going to fall off my broom. I'm going to win."

"Keep dreaming, Evans."

"You wish, Potter."

* * *

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Part Two: Get Set…

"Hey, toe-rag!" I heard the voice and recognized the tone—not to mention her favorite insult—before I even saw her. I stopped in mid-swoop, hanging above the Quidditch pitch on my Nimbus 1001 as Lily Evans soared up on her Cleansweep and gave me a smirk, her green eyes flashing mischievously.

Merlin, I loved —yet hated—that look.

"Looking a bit sluggish," she observed, obviously trying to rattle me. "I think your big head is definitely slowing you down."

"'Morning, Evans," I replied as blandly as I could after a greeting like that. "You know you've been using that insult for almost three years now. Can't you find something more original?"

"I'm just pointing out the truth," she threw back.

"My Quidditch record and upcoming win in the race next weekend should finally prove it wrong, then."

"Not if I can help it," she grinned. "I've got a tutor, remember?"

I looked down and saw Jackson Robertson below us. He was talking with the sixth-year Hufflepuff prefect. She had long, blond hair and giggled a lot. I sighed: she was my trainee, and although it was going to be a challenge shaping her up, I couldn't wait to see the look on Evans's face.

"Mr. Jackson, yes," I replied. "Didn't I hit him with a Quaffle last match?"

"Only because you missed the goal," Lily replied. She glanced down and frowned. "Who is he talking to?"

"What, worried your sessions won't be one-on-one after all?" I teased, raising my eyebrows suggestively.

"That's Carin O'Connell," Lily continued, completely ignoring my remark. "What's she doing out here? I don't think she's been on a broom since first year. She fell off and broke a nail."

Oh, I couldn't wait to see the look on her face now.

Robertson and O'Connell flew up to meet us. O'Connell was a bit unsteady, and I wondered what I was getting into by agreeing to tutor her in flying. I wondered why she was even participating in a flying competition. On the other hand, the Ravenclaw git was a strong flyer, and he was fast, as well. It was possible he might be the toughest competition in the race.

As they joined us mid-air, Robertson actually had the nerve to give Lily a peck on the cheek, as if tutoring her suddenly made him her boyfriend. She blushed and looked away. I tried not to let my jaw drop, since she would have smacked me if I had tried something like that. Hoping to recover, I went for biting sarcasm.

"So that's what you two are really pairing up for," I smirked. Lily's eyes went wide, and she shook her head, obviously mortified.

Robertson put his arm around her waist, and I actually saw her shift her broom, trying to move away from him. Now it was all I could do to keep from laughing. She had asked the guy for flying lessons, and the jerk had assumed she wanted more. I could hardly stand the irony of it.

"I'm as shocked as you, Potter," he grinned, and he actually winked at me. O'Connell giggled mindlessly next to me; I wanted to retch.

"I doubt that, Robertson," I murmured, still fascinated by Lily's reaction. She was positively flaming red. It looked horrid with her hair, although it made her green eyes stand out even more.

"Jackson's just going to take me around the grounds a bit this morning," Lily stated, finally collecting herself and swerving off on her broom. "Get me up to speed with my technique."

"Oh, James is doing the same for me!" twittered O'Connell. She flipped her long, blond hair out of her face, almost losing her balance and falling off her broom. At least Lily had remembered to pull her hair back and wear decent flying clothes; O'Connell would be pushing hair out of her face all morning, if she lasted that long in her flimsy—but fashionable— skirt and top.

The look on Lily's face was worth a hundred Galleons. She appeared stunned, furious, and—dare I say it—jealous all at the same time. I will remember that face forever. I grinned at her, and I swear she growled back.

Robertson was not quite so thick as O'Connell. He watched us suspiciously as we glared at each other above the pitch. "Right, then—good luck, you two," he said abruptly, taking Lily's hand. It jolted her out of the staring match we couldn't seem to escape.

"Yes, good luck, Potter," she gritted out. And then she did that crazy thing that girls can do, which is she did a complete one-eighty and smiled sweetly at O'Connell. "You too, dear. You'll need it with him."

Well, sweet with a touch of sour thrown in.

O'Connell laughed, oblivious to anything that had just passed between the three of us. It made me cringe again, and I irrationally blamed Evans. O'Connell had only asked for my help because Lily had set the precedent and lined up her own private lessons. I had only agreed because I wanted to get back at Lily. At least she seemed bothered, even if I had to put up with a stream of mind-numbing nonsense for the morning.

Robertson took Lily off toward the black lake, while I stayed by the pitch with O'Connell. She would certainly drown herself if we started out by the water. We weren't the only ones out to practice, for more and more prefects turned up to get some flying time in before the following weekend. As I tried my best to coach O'Connell—and I did, because I had a reputation to protect, after all—I sized up the competition.

There were some good Slytherins, some exceptional Ravenclaws, and a terrific sixth-year Hufflepuff that should have been on their Quidditch team. The Gryffindor prefects were decent as well; Remus was faster than I remembered, and Ryan Sloper, the sixth-year prefect and our back-up Beater, had improved tremendously over the past few months.

I tried not to watch Lily too much, but I couldn't help it: she was far better than I had thought. I remembered our beginning flying lessons as first-years, and how awkward she had been back then. Apparently, she had warmed up to flying over six years, and I had never noticed. She was steady, confident, and fairly quick. I wondered, though, if that was because she was trying to stay away from Robertson and his wandering hands.

About mid-morning, we had a bit of a run-in with Dante Avery, the seventh-year Slytherin prefect. He hung around with Severus Snape and a crowd of dirty Slytherins who were getting more and more out of control. He was a disrespectful tosspot, and he thought about as highly of me as I did of him.

We’d never got along, and this year was no exception as he became more and more vocal about where his loyalties lay when it came to purebloods and Muggle-borns. As far as he was concerned, my family was rubbish for not joining Voldemort’s side in the war, and I was even worse for associating with Sirius Black, the biggest blood traitor at Hogwarts. Avery and his cronies were constantly picking on Muggle-borns and anyone who supported them, and it was only a matter of time before their cruel taunts went too far.

Avery was large for a flyer, but he was uncannily quick and agile. He was also ruthless on the Quidditch pitch, and I suspected the same would go for the race as well. I did not, however, anticipate him antagonizing us during practice. He deliberately cut off O’Connell, sending her into a steep dive; she barely managed to avoid crashing headfirst into the ground, but stumbled to her knees and ripped her skirt instead.

“Watch, it, Avery!� I shouted as I helped her back up and repaired her skirt. “You’ll get someone hurt!�

“Watch yourself, Potter. You’re going down next weekend, you know. You and all your Muggle-loving friends.� He sneered at O’Connell; I had forgotten that her mother was Muggle-born. As usual, my blood started to boil whenever someone went on about pureblood prejudice, and I wanted to hex him. My Head Boy badge had come with responsibility, however, so I ignored my first impulse and docked him five points instead for unsportsmanlike behavior. It felt ridiculous, but it was all I could do.

Avery narrowed his eyes at me, and I stared him down, silently daring him to start something. He veered off to resume practicing with the other Slytherins instead, throwing one last threatening look over his shoulder. O’Connell was shaken, but thanked me profusely by throwing her arms around my neck. I hardly heard her, distracted as I wondered how the ugly scene would play out at the race.

As the morning came to a close, O'Connell and I settled back to the Quidditch pitch. Everyone was starting to clean up and head inside for lunch. Unfortunately, my trainee tripped on her landing and went stumbling right into Jackson Robertson, ripping her skirt again. Their brooms went spinning away as they landed in an undignified heap in front of Evans, who looked up at me in shock before bursting into gales of laughter. I couldn't help but join her, even though I knew it was rude.

Jackson helped O'Connell up before I got there. He apologized profusely, even though she had been the one to crash into him. O'Connell was obviously embarrassed and glared at Lily as if it were her fault. Lily coughed and stopped laughing.

"Sorry," she said, still grinning slightly. "Here, I'll get your brooms. You guys go on ahead."

Jackson and O'Connell began walking back toward the castle, Robertson still apologizing and even brushing dirt from O'Connell's back. I lagged behind, hoping to get in a dig or two with Evans. She started before I could even open my mouth.

"Brilliant catch, Potter," she murmured, picking up Robertson's Nimbus and tossing me O'Connell's school broom. "A wonder she knew which way was up."

"Ah, but she loves it when I show off," I shot back. It was shamelessly true: O'Connell had clapped and applauded all my tricks, although I had to admit it all felt a bit empty and trite.

"She'd clap for a monkey jumping rope," Lily replied, rolling her eyes. I made a monkey sound, and to my astonishment, she laughed.

"Whoa, watch yourself, Evans," I said. "You just laughed at something I said. I might get a big head."

Her sideways glance was both scathing and amused.

"Too late. So what happened with Avery?�

I frowned and looked away to where he laughing with Teresa Davis, the other seventh-year prefect from Slytherin. “Just the usual sneering, snarling, and going on about Muggles. I docked him five points for cutting off O’Connell.�

“I’m impressed you didn’t jinx him,� Lily said.

“So am I,� I replied.

“Do you think he’ll cause trouble next week?� she asked curiously.

“Of course,� I said. “I think they all will. Watch out. They’ll be after you, too, you know.�

Lily shrugged “Thanks, but I'm getting used to it. So how did Carin fly? Think she'll do okay?" she asked, changing the subject. I knew that being a Muggle-born was a sensitive issue for her, but I had to warn her. I had a bad feeling about Avery.

"No," I replied. "Her hair will get in the way and she'll end up in Hogsmeade somewhere. She'd be better off waving a starting flag."

Lily laughed again, and I smiled, strangely pleased to have made her laugh not once, but twice.

"I rather hope Robertson falls into the lake," she whispered, leaning closer. "He's like a squid, constantly grasping at things he shouldn't be grasping at."

I laughed and whispered back. "I did warn you. Want me to hex him for you?"

She seemed to think about it. "No," she said wistfully. "At least, not yet. I'd rather do it myself, anyway."

"Let me know when you do," I said. "Having been on the receiving end of your wand more times that I can count, I'd like to see some other bloke go down for once."

She grinned, and for one of the first times all year we were simply two people enjoying a laugh, and not two people dueling it out in the common room for show. It felt natural, and I didn't want it to end. As we continued toward the castle, we talked more about the race the following weekend and how we thought the competition would turn out. I even found myself giving her tips on her flying.

Unfortunately, we quickly caught up to Robertson and O'Connell, and it all evaporated as Robertson took Lily's hand and nodded rather curtly to me before pulling her away. She threw me an exasperated look over her shoulder, and I couldn't help but shake my head. I almost felt bad for her.

O'Connell watched them leave before she turned back toward me with a coy smile. "Thanks for the flying lesson, James," she practically purred. "You're great on a broom. I hope we can do it again sometime."

I stammered something about having Head Boy duties all week, but she just smiled again. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek. "Maybe after the race, then," she suggested softly. She batted her eyes at me a bit before leaving for the Great Hall. I just stood there, slightly stunned, wondering what I had got myself into with Carin O'Connell.

When I finally started moving again, I caught Lily staring at me from the entrance to the Great Hall. She was still with Robertson, and she was frowning. I couldn't tell if she was upset with me, or if she was just sick of him. I looked away with a sigh, wanting more than anything to try flying with Lily Evans instead. I'd take her insults over O'Connell's suggestive flattery any day.

* * *

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Part Three: Go!

The day of the race dawned bright and sunny. I rolled out of bed, eager for what was sure to be an exciting competition. Tension was high among the houses, for everyone was supporting their own prefects—or in Gryffindor's case, Heads as well—to win. Minor shouting matches and scuffles had broken out, with only a gang of Slytherins taking it beyond talk and drawing wands against a group of Ravenclaws at the last practice.

Unfortunately, by the time breakfast was over, the sky had clouded over and was threatening to dump buckets of rain on our big day. This did not stop Lily Evans from tossing one last insult down the table at me, or the Ravenclaws from casting one last jinx at the Slytherins as they left the Hall. It would be interesting indeed.

Remus and I headed down to the Quidditch pitch together, broomsticks flung over our shoulders. He got in a few digs as well, but ours was a friendly competition. I wouldn't mind losing to Moony as much as losing to Lily, or even worse—Robertson. Remus glanced behind us, where the Ravenclaw Seeker was still hanging all over Lily. She looked annoyed and caught up with Sandra Murphy, the seventh-year Gryffindor prefect, instead.

"Robertson's a total git," Remus remarked. "He can't keep his hands off her. I'm surprised you haven't hexed him into next week."

"I offered," I replied with a shrug. "She wanted to do it herself, though."

Remus grinned. "After she beats you, of course."

"She can try." I snorted. "She's good, but not that good."

"Don't get distracted," Remus advised. "And I don't just mean by her. I imagine there will be some dirty tricks out there today."

I shook my head. "It's against the rules, remember? No spells allowed, except in emergencies."

"Right." Remus glanced around again and gestured behind us. "Tell that to the Ravenclaws who just got jinxed by the Slytherins."

I turned around and saw Jackson Robertson flail ludicrously, trip, and fall flat on his face. His fellow Ravenclaws were also walking funny, the lot of them obviously hit by multiple Jelly-Legs Jinxes. Lily hurried over and was trying hard not to laugh as she helped him up.

The Slytherin prefects walked by, laughing and pointing at the flailing Ravenclaws. One of the Slytherins, Teresa Davis, leaned in toward Lily and must have said something offensive, because Lily pushed the girl away, letting Robertson drop back to the ground while his legs flopped around.

Davis, a dark-haired seventh-year with shifty eyes, just sniggered as she walked away with Dante Avery. Lily was seething, but Robertson managed to stand and was holding her back. He tried to take her hand, but she pushed him away and hurried toward the starting line at the center of the pitch. Avery saw me watching and mimed firing a curse at me; I ignored him.

"All right, Evans?" I asked as Lily came to stand next to me. I followed her gaze toward the Slytherins; she was still furious, and after what had happened with O'Connell during practice, I could guess why. The war outside Hogwarts and the friction between purebloods and Muggle-borns was becoming a bigger and bigger issue between students as well.

"Did they call you a—" I started, not wanting to say it.

"Yes," she snapped, cutting me off before I could finish. "She did, stupid cow."

I nodded. "That she is. Both of them. You should have heard what Avery said to Sirius yesterday."

Lily frowned and turned to look at me curiously. "To Sirius? Why would he pick on him?"

"They don’t need much of a reason, do they?� I pointed out. “He called him a blood traitor, of course. He gets it a lot nowadays. We both do."

"Hmm." Lily stared at Davis as if she could silently curse her into the hospital wing. "Well, let's not let them win, okay?"

I raised my eyebrows. "I'm not planning on letting anyone win, Evans. That ribbon is mine."

"Then you'll have to pry it from my victorious hands, Potter, because I'm taking it back to Gryffindor, not you." She grinned; apparently our verbal sparring was settling her mood. I was glad I could do that for her, although I still wasn't going to let her off easy.

"Want to make a bet, then?" I challenged her. I couldn't resist. I knew others were wagering, so why not us?

"Like what?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I win the race, and I pick your consequence. You win, and you pick mine."

She considered it. "What would you pick?"

I hadn't actually thought about it until that very moment. I could demand a date, or even a quick snog, I suppose. I could be more mundane and ask for a night off from Head duties or help with my Charms homework (although I didn't really need it.) However, I said the first thing that really appealed to me.

"Fly with me," I said.

"Like a date?" she asked suspiciously.

"No, just some flying," I replied. "You're pretty good, and it might be fun."

She snorted. "It might. Okay, then if I win, I want…"

"Yes?"

She leaned in closer to me so no one would hear. Her hair was pulled back, but a stray lock fell down in my face. I wanted to tuck it behind her ears, but I knew that would get me a nice Stinging Hex for sure.

"Get Robertson off my back," she whispered.

I looked at her, completely confused. "What? Why can't you tell him off yourself? You've had loads of practice telling me off, after all."

She waved her hand. "This is different," she said. "I think he's serious."

So was I, I wanted to say, but I bit my tongue. I recognized how immature it would sound at the moment.

"Okay, so how do I do that? Start snogging you at the finish line so he knows it's over?"

"Merlin, no!" she exclaimed. "Although…" she trailed off as she glanced at Robertson, who was just down the line from us and giving me a dirty look."No, he'd just jinx you. Something else. Maybe one of your famous pranks."

I was skeptical. "I'm Head Boy, now, Evans. I can't be getting into trouble for turning the Ravenclaw Seeker into a purple Fwooper the night before a match."

She laughed, a much nicer sound than O'Connell's girlish giggle. "What a lovely idea. But no, we'll come up with something—if I win."

I shrugged, willing to go with it. I could take the risk. She wasn't going to win, anyway.

"Deal," I said. She stuck out her hand, and we shook on it. An ominous rumble of thunder from the grey sky above sealed the wager.

"What if you both lose?" asked Remus from the other side of me.

"Not going to happen, Remus, old pal," I replied, glancing suspiciously at the sky and trying to sound more confident than I felt.

"May I suggest that if neither of you win," he paused for dramatic effect and grinned, "then you have to go to Slughorn's Halloween party together? In costume. As a couple."

Lily gasped, and even I frowned. It was awfully bold of him to suggest such a thing. It actually sounded like something Sirius would do. I started to protest, but Lily stopped me.

"No, that's fine," she said, taking a deep breath, like she needed to strengthen her resolve. "I'll do it. You still get a bit of what you want," she gave me a pointed look, which I tried to return with my most innocent grin, "and hopefully I'll get what I want, namely Robertson off my case. Deal."

"Deal, then," I agreed, and we shook on it again. If I held her hand a little longer than necessary, I don't think she noticed; it was just a nice hand to hold onto.

A few drops of rain began to fall, prelude to the deluge that was sure to come. The rest of the prefects took their places at the starting line; the prefects who weren't flying would be race monitors along the course. We were in the centre of the Quidditch pitch, twenty-two flyers in all. The race would begin with three circles of the pitch before shooting out over the grounds along the wall toward the black lake.

Headmaster Dumbledore had somehow convinced the merpeople in the lake to set up an obstacle course of shooting fountains. One of the seventh-year Hufflepuff prefects was apparently a terrible flyer but a good swimmer, and stood ready for water rescue if anyone should go down in the lake.

The course would then take us around the castle, winding in and out of the towers and turrets. It passed over the greenhouses and gardens and took a wide curve through the edge of the Forbidden Forest, before flying awfully close to the Whomping Willow and heading past the front gates and back to the Quidditch pitch. The first flyer to land would win the race, the victor's ribbon, and some sort of prize from Dumbledore himself.

Madam Hooch strode onto the Quidditch pitch, Silver Arrow in hand. She came to a stop in front of the racers and glanced around at the stands without cracking a smile. Almost the entire school had turned out to support their prefects and house, and the stands were packed with students wearing crimson, green, blue, and yellow. Banners waved and played music. The steady drizzle did not stop the occasional flurry of sparks from bursting into the air. It was just as good as a Quidditch match, and I felt proud that I had helped accomplish this. I nodded to myself, unable to keep from grinning.

"Nice job, big head," whispered Lily next to me. Her green eyes sparkled as she motioned to the turnout. I felt even better for having impressed her. I knew what she thought of me as Head Boy, and maybe, just maybe, this might start to change her mind.

Putting her wand at her throat, Madam Hooch called out to the crowd as well as the participants. "Welcome to the first ever—"

"Annual," I murmured under my breath. Lily nodded in agreement, and my heart soared.

"—first ever Hogwarts Broom Race. Now, the rules." The line of flyers on either side of me straightened up. We all knew the rules, as we had worked on them before submitting them to Madam Hooch. Still, it wouldn't hurt to listen again as the excitement began to grow.

"All brooms were cleared of any sort of spell that would enable an unfair advantage the moment you walked into the stadium. If you had planned on that advantage, rethink your strategy now." Her golden eyes glared down the line, and I'm fairly certain a few students looked away with guilty expressions.

"The course is laid out clearly. No shortcuts. No unnecessary roughhousing. No wands unless in an emergency. And once you hit the ground, you are out of the race. Any questions?"

There were none, as we were all too eager to get started. She nodded curtly and mounted her broom. "Then contestants, to your brooms!" We eagerly rose into the air with her. The stadium crackled with excitement. I was about ready to shoot out of my skin the moment she blew the whistle. I looked at Remus and grinned. I glanced at Lily and tried to come up with a good taunt, but couldn't; instead, I settled on wishing her good luck. She looked surprised.

"You too, James," she said with a genuine smile. I relished it, since I figured it was the last one I'd get for a while after she lost.

"Watch your back, Potter," taunted Dante Avery from down the line. "You never know what might happen out there to a bunch of Muggle-lovers."

"Watch yourself," I snapped back. "And mind the rules."

The look on his face told me exactly what he thought about the rules.

"Flyers, on your mark!" called Hooch. We lined up, still as we could manage. "Get set!" Everyone leaned forward, ready. "GO!"

We were off.

Well, most of us. Carin O'Connell immediately crashed into one of the fifth-year Slytherins. They went down in a tangle of arms and legs, disqualified from the competition before they'd even had a chance to circle the pitch. I wasn't surprised, since her hair had probably blown into her face. I could hear the Slytherin swearing at her as I flew past them. Carin didn't actually look that upset. She smiled and waved at me, and I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she had taken down a Slytherin on purpose in retaliation for Avery's dive bomb during practice.

Three times around the Quidditch pitch. I didn't worry much about taking the lead, as I figured it would be easier to pull ahead on a straightaway. Lily and Remus had no such plans, however, and quickly sped up, obviously trying to reach the front of the pack. Jackson Robertson led with the seventh-year prefect and Keeper from Hufflepuff, Alan Diggory.

Twenty flyers shot swiftly out of the stadium onto the grounds, flying low above the stone wall that surrounded the castle. In spite of the rules, there was still a bit of good-natured jostling as we tried to pass each other, but nothing rough—at least, not yet. I grinned as I slipped past Remus and caught up to Regulus Black, the sixth-year prefect for Slytherin. Lily was just behind me with Ryan Sloper, one of the Gryffindor flyers. I glanced over my shoulder and winked at her, narrowly missing the fifth-year from Hufflepuff who shot over from my left.

We quickly approached the black lake. I could see dozens of huge water fountains bursting thirty feet into the sky from all over the lagoon. I laughed out loud at the brilliance of it. Then I saw Anastasia Harrison, a seventh-year Ravenclaw, take a geyser in the face and fall twenty feet into the water. I held on tight as the first water rescue commenced below me.

It was completely arbitrary and unpredictable. The fountains shot up when you least expected it, and all you could do was either anticipate it and try to avoid it, which was virtually impossible, or hold on tight and ride it up. It was exhilarating the first time, but by the third mouthful of dirty lake water, I was ready to be done with this particular leg of the race. A fifth-year and a sixth-year went down with a big splash, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Hufflepuff prefect swimming out to them.

I finally made it to the opposite shore, surprised to see that I was now in third place behind Robertson and Sloper, who had someone managed to make up time rather than lose it over the lake. Shaking my head free of water, I also noticed it was raining harder now. I was glad I had Imperviused my glasses, and even more glad it hadn't been erased with the sweep of our brooms as we had entered the stadium. As I continued along the course, I chanced another glance behind me. Sandra Murphy was doing remarkably well and catching up fast. Regulus Black cleared the last of the fountains and pushed one of the fifth-year Gryffindors out of his way. Lily got blown back by a particularly strong jet of water, but managed to hold onto her broom, while Remus was only halfway across; he did not look like he was having fun.

I sped off toward the castle, hoping to catch up to Robertson. He was far better than I had anticipated, and I was more determined than ever to beat him. Dante Avery suddenly came up beside me and sneered, trying to knock me off my broom. It was anything but the friendly jostling from earlier, and I couldn't help but wonder if things might get violent.

We curled around the castle, neck-and-neck with each other as the rain continued to fall. A few students started to fall behind as we swirled around the towers; it was as complicated as the obstacle course over the lake, only far more dizzying for all the twists and turns.

From the top of the castle we darted down toward the greenhouses and gardens. Ryan Sloper had taken the lead, though Robertson was right on his tail with Diggory. I was now side-by-side with Avery and Teresa Davis, the Slytherin who had insulted Lily. Regulus was just behind us, and Lily was coming up on his left. I couldn't see Remus or Murphy.

The course took us out over the Forbidden Forest and down into periphery of the trees. Hagrid had cleared the area of any really dangerous creatures, but as we entered the dark eaves of the wood, we could still hear the rustling and snorting of the castle Thestrals and an occasional, ominous howl. Having spent two years roaming the forest at night, a quick fly-thru did not bother me the least, but a few others slowed down nervously as they entered the trees.

There were no race monitors in the forest, and away from supervision, things started to get a bit dodgier. Avery suddenly elbowed me hard, and I almost lost my balance. I lashed out at him with my foot, but he swerved to avoid me. Regulus suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shoved me from the other side, and for several moments they trapped me between them. I tried to get underneath them, but they pinned me tight and zoomed toward a large, dark tree—with me on target to hit it straight on.

I heard someone shout my name behind me just as Avery and Black let up on the pressure and dodged to either side of the oak. I pulled up as hard as I could and banked straight up the trunk of the tree, ripping my trousers on the rough bark as several branches came loose and scratched up my arms, legs, and face. I shot through the tops of the trees into the rain, shaking leaves from my hair, furious at their dirty tactics. To my surprise, Lily had followed me.

"You okay?" she shouted. She actually looked worried.

"I'm fine!" I yelled back. "Keep going!" I dived back into the trees and heard her right behind me. Leaning as close to my broomstick as I could, I let my anger propel me to greater and greater speeds. I knew it was dangerous to be going so fast between the trees, but I was livid. Avery had made good on his threat, and I was not about to let him get away with it and win.

Robertson was not far ahead, still in the lead. Avery was just behind him with Davis coming up close behind. It looked like they were going to try the same stunt with Robertson and pin him between them. Robertson was quick, though, and pulled up before they could smash him into a tree.

Ryan Sloper and Alan Diggory raced to catch the lead. I zoomed past them both, grinning almost maniacally. Somehow Lily managed to keep up and was right behind me; maybe she was riding my tailwind. Just as we caught up to Avery and Davis, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Sloper lean forward and shoot past Diggory.

Davis shoved Lily hard. She swerved to the side, barely keeping her balance and falling behind. Davis sniggered at Avery, and I heard the term, "Mudblood."

For some reason, that made me really angry, and I shouted at them. "Leave her alone!"

"Oh, the Muggle-lover is protecting his girlfriend!" Avery yelled derisively as we dashed through the trees. Lily caught up again and raced above us now.

"I don't need anyone to protect me, Avery," she snapped as she edged past him.

"Really?" said Davis, swiftly slamming into her from the left. Lily swore as she struggled to stay upright. "Maybe he can catch you when you fall, then."

I doubt anyone but me saw it, and it was like it was in slow motion: Davis had her wand up her sleeve, and her lips moved silently. Lily was blown sideways off her broom, crashing down through the branches of a large pine tree as her broom tumbled after her.

I swear I saw red.

I didn't need my wand tucked up my sleeve for my own spell. Even as I stopped and turned to go after Lily, I cast the strongest Bat-Bogey Curse I could and sent it racing toward Davis. She was instantly attacked by large bogeys and started to frantically bat them away.

Avery had his wand out instantly, like he was just waiting to use it, and tossed a jet of blue light over his shoulder. It skimmed my arm, leaving a red welt that instantly started to burn. I grabbed my wand from my pocket this time and sent a Hurling Hex toward him. I was rewarded when his broomstick immediately began trying to buck him off. I dove after Lily.

She was hanging over a large tree limb with her eyes closed. Her arm was dangling at a weird angle, her wrist obviously broken. I felt a sudden surge of panic as I came up underneath her and gently lifted her into my arms. All thoughts of winning the race were gone. I had used my wand, anyway, and would be disqualified, even if I hadn't fired first. And frankly, Lily's pale face worried me far more than the thought of Jackson Robertson winning the ribbon.

Lily stirred in my arms as I turned rather awkwardly and began to head back toward the edge of the forest. She opened her eyes and groaned.

"I can't believe it," she moaned. "You are actually rescuing me."

I laughed only because I was so glad to hear her voice. "You're welcome."

"What happened?" she asked.

I didn't get to answer, for Teresa Davis appeared out of nowhere and knocked us into another tree. We both fell from the broom, tumbling to the ground twelve feet below and landing in an undignified heap. I felt a sharp pain in my ankle and then my head hit the ground. I groaned as I looked up to see Davis above us, still fighting off the bogeys, but laughing as she turned to leave. She hadn't gone six feet when Lily jumped up, wand in her good hand, and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!"

My eyes widened; I would have never considered using that spell on a wizard in the air. Lily, however, watched with fierce glee as Davis froze and plummeted toward the ground, then waved her wand silently and stopped the slimy Slytherin from hitting the dirt headfirst. She froze Davis in mid-air, three feet from the ground, and slowly walked up to her, cradling her broken wrist.

"Bitch," she murmured, and released the spell so Davis hit the dirt hard. She glared at Lily, still unable to move. Lily looked like she wanted to kick her, but turned and gave me a shaky smile instead. I was still slightly in shock; my ankle was badly twisted and I could feel a large lump on the back of my head.

"Duck!" I yelled as Avery suddenly zoomed into the clearing where we had fallen. He was hanging from his broom by one hand, desperately trying to get back on. He swore when he saw us and let himself drop to the ground directly in front of me. He turned and disarmed Lily before she even had a chance to hex him. Catching her wand in midair, he pocked it and pointed his wand at me next.

"You just lost me the race, Potter," he snarled.

I stood to face him, favoring my good foot, but wincing in pain. Somehow I had managed to hold onto my wand, and somehow it was still in one piece after the fall.

"You did that all yourself, Avery," I snapped back. "You drew your wand first."

"You were supposed to fall off your broom." He scowled. "Not fire back."

"I'm good like that," I said. We were circling the clearing now, just waiting for the opening to attack. Even as I faced him, I knew it was wrong. I was Head Boy; I shouldn't be dueling a fellow student in the Forbidden Forest. It would probably cost me my badge. Then again, docking points hardly seemed sufficient for the unprovoked attack that had broken Lily’s wrist and twisted my ankle.

The rain had let up, and I could hear the other flyers zooming past us through the dark trees. The burn on my arm was throbbing in time with the painful lump on my head. Behind Avery, Lily was starting to edge closer, moving quietly and trying to send me some sort of signal with her eyes. I think she needed a distraction, but I was not going to cast the first spell.

Fortunately, Avery set himself up for it. He saw me looking at Lily and sneered.

"You're such a Muggle-lover, Potter," he spat. "You and your pet Black. Purebloods hanging out with the likes of her and Remus Lupin—it's embarrassing."

"Blood doesn't have a thing to do with it, Avery." I snapped back. Lily moved up behind him. "They're better wizards than the lot of you together."

Avery narrowed his eyes and cast a silent Stinging Hex. I blocked it easily and sent back a Trip Jinx. He barely stopped it. My eyes widened as Lily silently Summoned her wand from Avery's pocket and pointed it at his head. He was now trapped between the two of us.

"Drop your wand," Lily snarled. He whirled to find her wand directly in his face. He looked like he was going to fire, but I limped forward as quickly as I could, shoving my wand roughly into his back, and he dropped his stick to the ground.

"Thank you," said Lily, sounding smug. Avery inclined his head, then abruptly pulled his arm back and sent her sprawling across the clearing with a vicious backhand.

"Mudblood," he spat as he bent down to grab his wand. He didn't get it.

"Stupefy!" I shouted, and sent a jet of red light slamming into his chest. He was lifted off his feet and blasted backward, landing with a satisfying crack against the trunk of a nearby ash. I conjured a long, white rope that wrapped itself around him, binding him to the tree. For good measure, I kicked his wand into the undergrowth.

I stumbled over to Lily, who was on her hands and knees, blood trickling from her mouth. I helped her stand. She stared at Avery, eyes wide as she wiped her face clean. She was shaking, and I put my arm around her shoulder, making sure not to hurt the injured arm she cradled carefully. She turned into my chest with a deep breath, but did not cry.

So much for my brilliant idea. Here we were, injured, disqualified, and stuck in the Forbidden Forest, instead of back at the Quidditch pitch finishing the race. Shaking my head at how badly things had turned out, I stroked Lily's hair as I held her. Without even thinking, I kissed the top of her head. I felt her go still immediately.

"Er…" I stuttered, unsure what to say. "Sorry about that."

She glanced up and smiled at me. "It's okay," she said.

"It is?" I asked, looking down at her and wanting to do it again.

"For today," she said, and to my surprise, she brushed her lips against mine with another smile. "Thanks for your help, James."

"You're welcome," I replied, slightly stunned. "Although, after what you did to Davis, I think you would have been just fine on your own. That was some nice control."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I enjoyed it."

I really wanted to kiss her again, but didn't want to take advantage of whatever had just happened. Pushing it from my mind, I dropped my arm from around her shoulder instead. "Come on, we should get going."

"Can you walk all right?" She sounded concerned, which was a nice change from her normal sarcastic indifference.

"I'll be fine. We'll both need the hospital wing, though."

She grimaced, her arm still held tight against her chest. "We certainly do. We need our brooms as well."

I Summoned mine from the other side of the clearing. Lily tried to Summon hers, but it did not appear. Given our sorry state, it was unlikely we would find it at the moment; it was probably stuck somewhere in the branches above us.

"I'll come back and get it later," I told her. "It won't take me that long."

She raised her eyebrows at me. "You roam the Forbidden Forest often, Potter?" she asked.

"Well," I hedged, thinking of the next full moon with Remus. "Yes, actually, I do." I shrugged. "I'll get it next week, don't worry."

"Okay," she said. I was surprised that she didn't ask more questions, but she sounded tired. "Thanks." She sighed and looked at Dante Avery trussed up to the tree. "What should we do with him?"

"Leave him." I shrugged, turning away. "He can wake up, call for his wand, and get himself back to the castle, stupid berk." I started to limp through the undergrowth. I knew the forest fairly well, so I wasn't worried about making it back to the castle. My ankle was throbbing, though, and I wondered just how far I'd get before I couldn't walk any more. Trying to hold Lily on my broom with an injured ankle and a broken wrist was out of the question.

Lily came up behind me and slipped under my shoulder, supporting me as I stumbled. I started to protest, but she silenced me with a finger to my lip, and we made our way toward the edge of the forest together. We talked about the race and about who might have won. We talked about how we were going to explain things to the Headmaster, and what our unavoidable punishment might be. Just as we came to the edge of the trees, Lily brought up one more thing.

"We've obviously lost the race," she pointed out.

I nodded in sad agreement. "Unless they all went down at the Whomping Willow."

"Which is doubtful," she laughed. "So the bet was that if we both lost…" she trailed off, a questioning look on her face.

"Oh," I said, remembering that Remus had added the bit about the Halloween party to our bet. "Oh, that. Don't worry about that. You don't have to go to Slughorn's party with me."

"We did shake on it," she reminded me.

"Yes, but that was before we were forced off our brooms and dumped in the Forbidden Forest with two crazed Slytherins, a twisted ankle, and a broken wrist," I replied. "We didn't even have a chance to finish."

"That's okay," she said. "At least I didn't have to beat you."

"You mean, I didn't have to beat you," I tossed back.

"I'm still stuck with Robertson fawning all over me, though" she continued. "And you don't get your flying date."

"It wasn't a date—" I protested.

She pushed her hair out of her face and laughed. "Of course it was. And I agreed, remember? Unfortunately, I won't have a broom to fly until we find mine."

"But I didn't win," I protested. I was completely confused; she seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Maybe we should have our own race sometime," she replied, green eyes twinkling. "Just to see who would really win."

We stumbled out of the forest. We were not far from the Whomping Willow. The rain had stopped, and the race was obviously over; we could hear the cheering from the Quidditch pitch. I sighed, disappointed at how my grand idea had turned out and wishing I was there.

"Or not," she murmured, glancing at me with concern. "I'm sorry it didn't work out," she said. "I know it meant a lot to you."

I shrugged, not sure what to say. Several brooms appeared over the hill: Remus was speeding toward us, Jackson Robertson and Carin O'Connell not far behind with Madam Hooch.

"I'm glad to be here with you, though," Lily continued softly, studying me with a look on her face that I couldn't decipher.

"You are?" I asked stupidly. I must have hit my head hard, because I could not wrap my thoughts around what was happening.

Lily glanced at the approaching brooms and then back at me with the same enigmatic look. She tilted her head and smiled slyly before she reached out to touch my scratched face. To my surprise, she kissed me again, more than the quick brush she had given me in the forest. I wanted to take her and hold her, but I was still not sure what was going on.

It was, however, a hell of a kiss.

"I knew you wanted a snog at the finish line to get Robertson off your back," I murmured when she pulled away. To my relief, she burst out laughing and put her hand in mine, squeezing it tight before waving at the approaching brooms.

"I think I can handle him now," she said, sounding confident. "He's a prat."

"So was I, once," I reminded her as we walked across the lawn.

"Sometimes you still are," she replied with a wink.

"Want to go flying sometime?" I asked. Her hand was still in tucked in mine, and I had a feeling that she wouldn’t be holding my hand if she planned to turn me down again.

"Absolutely. Still taking me to Slughorn's party tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't miss it."

At that moment, the competition didn't matter. I might have lost the race to Jackson Robertson, but I had won much, much more.

* * *

Postscript:
Jackson Robertson won the race, followed by Ryan Sloper, Alan Diggory, and Regulus Black. Remus Lupin finished eighth, and Sandra Murphy finished eleventh and last, owing to two flyers crashing on the pitch, three going down in the lake, four flyers being disqualified in the Forbidden Forest, and two being knocked out by the Whomping Willow.

James and Lily were given a week of detention and docked twenty points apiece. They did, however, attend Slughorn's party together dressed as their two favorite professors. Jackson Robertson, naturally a member of the Slug Club, took Carin O'Connell.

Teresa Davis staggered out of the forest an hour later. Dante Avery was not seen until later that night. They were both given two weeks of detention for poor sportsmanship and instigating the duel with the Heads, and lost thirty points each.

The race was deemed a success and flown again in the spring.

* * *