Rolling, green hills and rainbow wild flowers landscaped the countryside of the path the Hogwarts Express traveled. Lily Evans, a seventh year girl who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sighed and gazed out the window, her eyes examining the graceful scenery. The fiery-haired girl suddenly leapt from her cushiony seat as if she had sat on a pin. “Blast! I’ve forgotten… the Head Boy and Girl have to meet with the Prefects! Now I’m in for it,” Lily stormed out of the empty compartment to the one that the Prefects and Head Boy were waiting in.
James Potter sat in a compartment with the eight prefects, wondering where in the world the Head Girl was. His hand reached up to his mop of messy, jet-black hair and ruffled it, making himself look like he had just gotten off a broomstick. Wow, he thought to himself I never knew it was possible to be this bored in my life. What should I do? I could talk to Moony, but about what? The others have to be able to hear it also. Hmmmm…well I could always just- no; I don’t want to be expelled. Maybe I could- nah, that wouldn’t work without something exploding. Great! There is officially nothing to do but wait for the stupid Head Girl to magically appear.
“Alright! That does it!” James exclaimed, “If the Head Girl doesn’t arrive in the next thirty seconds, the meeting will just have to begin without-” James was abruptly interrupted as Lily Evans literally crashed through the compartment door and tripped over James’s foot, which sent her falling to the floor. As she stumbled to her feet, Lily couldn’t bring herself to meet anyone’s eyes. She had been very late and had also just done the most embarrassing thing possible. Lily straightened her robes and looked up at the Head Boy (Lily was a little shorter than the average height).
“James Potter! What are you doing in the Heads Compartment?” A flustered Lily shouted, “I want you out or I will take points from Gryffindor as soon as we step inside of Hogwarts! This compartment is reserved for the Heads and prefects only! I do not care how bored Remus was while they were waiting for me, but I’m here now so LEAVE!” Lily and James had never gotten along in the past, especially because he would never stop tormenting her to go out with him, as if James-Merlin’s-gift-to-the-world-Potter would ever give her a glance if she were actually interested in him.
The prefects were staring at the Head Girl as if she were foaming from the mouth. They continued to stare at Lily’s flushed face until Remus quietly said, “Lily, James is the Head Boy.”
James Harold Potter, the Head Boy of Hogwarts?!?! Impossible! Lily assured herself privately Remus is just paying me back for being late. Wait a second! James was wearing the Heads badge when I came in! And he had been giving orders too! Maybe he really is Head Boy! I think I need to sit down…
James stood up in the cramped compartment and tried to hide a smirk. He removed his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. He placed the glasses back on his nose and stared expectantly at Lily, who was hyperventilating and terribly close to fainting. “Hem, hem. Evans, would you care to inform the Prefects of their duties, as some of them are new?”
Lily stood flabbergasted at James’s blunt politeness towards her and merely opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. Lily took a deep breath, “Y-yeah, Potter. Okay, so you need to all patrol the hallways during the night for a certain amount of time. You will have schedules to tell you when and for how long you will be patrolling. James and I will be patrolling every night. Here are your schedules; Gryffindor- Wednesday, from after dinner to 9:00. Ravenclaw- Tuesday, same times as Gryffindor. Hufflepuff- Thursday, once again, same times as everyone else. Slytherin- Monday, you had better know what times by now. Anything to add, Potter?”
James shook his head no, letting his hair swish about his deeps, hazel eyes. James smiled and answered, “Well, Miss Evans, I do believe you have covered everything but one thing. Prefects, here are you passwords, Slytherin- Midnight; Ravenclaw- Indigo Thoughts; Hufflepuff- Hopeful Hearts; Gryffindor- Pride and Loyalty. Before you go, remember to collect the first years and take them to their common rooms. That is all. Have a nice start of term, goodbye!” Smiling, James turned around to see a very unhappy Head Girl. “Whoa, Evans!” he laughed, “What’s your problem?”
Lily could have kicked herself. How on earth did she manage to forget to tell the prefects the passwords? She had just gotten so much satisfaction from knowing everything she had to know, while Potter probably didn’t know anything, but he had to ruin it for her. “You are my problem, James Potter. You have always plagued me like thousands of locusts, trying to find ways to turn what could be a pleasant year into a year from hell. Now, if you could please just leave me alone from now on and only speak to me when needed, both of our lives would be much easier. Thank you. And, oh, how did you phrase it? Have a nice start of term, goodbye!” And with that, Lily walked from the compartment to go and join her friends Lindsay and Theresa, her emerald eyes flashing furiously. But what Lily didn’t know was that, when she left James standing in the compartment by himself, she had, once again broken off a piece of his heart. If only she could have known that one day, she would long for him, the way he had for her, for six years.
James stood in the compartment, thinking of Lily’s words. Now, if you could please just leave me alone from now on and only speak to me when needed, both of our lives would be much easier. “Easier?” James said to no one in particular, “Well, that is the only thing you will ever be wrong about, Perfect Lily. If you only knew how wrong you are, because I- I- love you.”
The compartment door slid open and Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew walked through the door. “Hey buddy! You okay?” questioned James’s best friend Sirius.
“Yeah, Prongs, you do look a little pale,” remarked tiny Peter Pettigrew.
After a long period of silence, Remus asked, “It was something Lily said, wasn’t it?” James looked at the ground and nodded. “Come on, James! Buck up! Tomorrow is a brand new day!”
Peter smiled a mousey grin and encouraged James by saying, “There’s always next time. Besides, she was probably just hungry, I know I am.”
Sirius put his arms around his three best friends. “C’mon Marauders! We have almost arrived at Hogwarts and that means food. And most especially the ladies.” The four boys laughed together and for awhile, James wasn’t thinking about how much he loved Lily Evans, and how much it hurt.
C'est La Vie by BellaMurte
Chapter Notes: Well, this is my 1st fic ever! please r/r and yes, i know the chapter is kinda slow as most chapters are. ~~~BellaMurte