Chapter 2- Meeting with Dumbledore
As the two of them reached the stone gargoyles guarding the Headmaster's office, Lily took the chance to give James a dirty look.
"Evans, do you know the password?" he asked her, feeling kind of nervous that he had already gotten on her bad side. Lily Evans was definitely a girl he didn't want to upset.
"Jellybean," she grumbled, seeing the gargoyles move aside, revealing an escalating staircase that probably led to his office. Lily had only set foot in the Headmasters office once and had not gotten the chance to look around. James entered the circular room, feeling quite comfortable as he sat down in one of the armchairs before Dumbledores desk.
Lily however walked around, mesmerized by the large collection of books Dumbledore had accomplished over the years. She even noticed some Muggle books, which were rarely seen in the wizarding world. She glanced around and saw hundreds of snoozing portraits of the previous Headmasters. She saw a few gleaming instruments on his desk and wondered what they were used for. She saw a beautiful phoenix, perched on a ledge staring at James. James stood up and stroked the phoenix.
"Aw, Fawkes, missed you too buddy," James said to the bird. The bird nuzzled it's head on James' hand and nipped his finger affectionately. Lily couldn't help but smile.
"You know that bird?" she asked him. He looked at her, obviously shocked that he was talking to her, but smiled.
"Yes, Fawkes has made several trips to my house. Usually for my parents. But, we get along don't we Fawkes? It's a pain when he's ready to die though, you get loads of ash all around. Hard to clean up," James said.
Lily realized that she didn't really know all that much about James after all. She thought she knew enough of him to judge him, but really, they were like two complete strangers.
"This man sure does have a lot of books," Lily said. She expected James to comment on them as well but heard another voice.
"Yes, well, everyone seems to think I need books. But what I really need is a nice, warm pair of wool socks. Now that would be a dream come true," Dumbledore said. He was smiling at Lily and Lily felt somewhat embarrassed for gazing around his office. She went and sat in the armchair next to James and was ready to listen to Dumbledore.
"Congratulations for becoming Head Boy and Girl. I am sure your families were very proud. I want you to know that this job requires a lot of responsibility as well as teamwork," Dumbledore said, emphasizing the word teamwork.
"I expect that you won't take advantage of your position. I am very sure I picked the right people for the job, even if you were a little shocked at my placements," Dumbledore continued. James shot a look at Lily and then continued to slouch in his chair.
"You will get many rewards this year. One of those is the luxury of a Heads Room. It is pretty much expected for you to sleep in the Heads Room as that is what it's there for, but if there is an inconvenience feel free to move back into your dorms. But, I would appreciate if you try them out first as the House Elves have worked hard on making it suitable to your preferences," he said.
"Now, are there any questions you may have besides the password to the Heads Room?" the Headmaster asked them. Lily shook her head but was surprised to see James nod.
"I have one question in regards to an event. I was wondering if we could have a Yule Ball? I know that it's traditional for a Triwizard Tournament to accompany the Yule Ball, but I figure we could have a non-traditional dance on Christmas. For like, a time to have fun and have inter-house unity," James said, glancing nervously between Dumbledore and Lily.
That was good of him to mention inter-house unity. A Yule Ball doesn't sound so bad after all, Lily thought.
Dumbledore sat in silence for a moment thinking to himself.
"Well, if you and Miss Evans plan the charade then I feel that it would be fine to bend the rules just this once," Dumbledore said. James grinned.
"Thanks sir," James said.
"Any other questions?" he asked. They shook their heads.
"Well, you are to plan the upcoming events, such as this Yule Ball and any other school activities you wish to coordinate, such as Hogsmeade. Send an owl directly to me or to Professor McGonagall to verify anything. I think that's about it. I know you two will serve the school well," Dumbledore said. "The password is Nimbus."
"Thank you sir," they muttered together. The two of them left their office and headed towards their new dorms together.
"So Evans, how was your summer?" James asked.
"It was horrible Potter, as if you care," Lily said as she walked down the hall, James following closely behind her.
"Why, because you didn't see me?" he asked her. Great, now I've done it, he thought.
"Oh, yes Potter, I was waiting for you to come and rescue me from my awful sister. You're so self-centered," she said. "When will you ever grow up?" With that she stormed off, probably to the Heads Room to unpack. James grumbled. He was officially in Lily Evans's bad graces.
He walked over to the wall and began hitting his head hard against the wall muttering, "Why are you so stupid, so stupid, so stupid?"
Sirius walked over, seeing his friend and smiled.
"Prongsie, you could hurt the brain we need to catch the Snitch. Best be stopping that," Sirius said, laughing at James.
"Maybe it'll deflate my overly large head. At least Evans would be happy," James muttered.
"Dude, don't let her get to you. She's just a girl," Sirius said.
"She's not just a girl Padfoot, she's THE girl," James whispered.
A/N: Please review.