Disclaimer: This is my writing and certain characters are mine, but most characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 1- Letters
"James, Sirius," Mrs. Potter called. "Your Hogwarts letters are here." She laughed, her piercing hazel eyes sparkling, as she heard them racing down the stairs.
The boys rushed into the kitchen and snatched the letters off the table. They tore them open and James muttered, "No way," as a shiny badge fell out of his.
Sirius looked over and laughed, "Oh wow, James is Head Boy!"
"You know, James," Mrs. Potter said lightly. "The Head Boy and Head Girl share a small tower with two bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom."
Sirius laughed even harder. "I bet Lily will be Head Girl!"
James gave him a look. "She probably will be," he said darkly, thinking about how many times he'll get yelled at over the course of the school year.
"Lighten up!" Sirius exclaimed. "If it is Lily, you'll practically be sharing a room with her!"
"Exactly! She'll be unbearable! She'll spend all her time studying and she'll complain about every little thing I do! Plus, she's as stubborn as hell, so she won't leave any room for compromises."
"I don't get it, though," Sirius said. "If she's so unbearable, why have you asked her out so much?"
"You know I love her Padfoot."
"Yeah, but why?"
"Well," James started. "She's loyal, smart, down-to-earth, pretty."
"I guess," Sirius said. "But think of it this way, with your Head duties you have an excuse to talk to her, and you live with her, so you'll see each other all the time. Maybe if you let her see you studying a little and working hard on your Head duties she might like you more."
"Maybe," James replied, knowing that if Lily didn't like him after six years of school together, that it would take more than a few easy changes to make her feel differently.
"Well, I think after a while, Lily will learn to love you," Sirius said confidently.
"Yeah, I guess you might be right."
"I know. I always am."
"Yeah, yeah."
-----
"Lily, there's an owl in the kitchen for you," her mum told her.
Lily looked up from her Daily Prophet and quickly opened it, exclaiming, "I'm Head Girl!"
"Wow, Lily, I'm so proud of you!" her Mum said.
"I wonder who the Head Boy is," she mumbled.
"Well, who are you expecting?"
"Probably Remus Lupin, or maybe Amos Diggory," Lily said. "I need to go tell Leslie!"
Leslie Miller is Lily's best friend from school. They met at the start of term feast in their first year, when they were sorted into Gryffindor. It turned out she was a half-blood, her dad was a Muggle-born, and her mum was a pureblood. Lily remembered Potter and Leslie talking all through the feast, before Leslie told her in heir dormitories that their mums had been best friends at school so they'd known each other since they were born.
Lily grabbed some Floo powder, threw it into the fireplace, stuck her head in, and said, "Miller House."
"Hey Leslie!" Lily said from the fireplace.
"Hey Lily," Leslie replied. "How are you?"
"I'm good. I just got my Hogwarts letter, and I'm Head Girl!"
"Wow, that's great!" Leslie said.
"I know! But I heard some things about the Head Boy and Girl sharing a dorm, is that true?"
"Hold on, I'll ask my mum," Leslie told her. "She said the Head Boy and Girl share a tower. You and the Head Boy will share a bathroom but you have your own room! So you won't be in our dorm anymore! I wonder who's going to be the Head Boy!"
Lily replied slowly, "I don't know, Lupin was the Prefect."
"What if it's James?" Leslie asked curiously.
"Oh Merlin, I hope not," Lily responded.
"I don't believe that. You don't hate James, it's just a show and you know it. Plus, you guys are obviously meant to be."
Lily snorted. "Yeah, right. James Ignotus Potter is an arrogant, bullying git. We most definitely are not meant to be!"
"Calm down Lily," Leslie laughed. "I'm just telling you what I think. And he's not so bad anymore. He's grown up this summer. Sirius teases him about it constantly."
"James? Grown up? He'll never grow up!" she said stubbornly.
"If you say so Lily," Leslie replied. "But really, what if it's him?"
"I'll try to handle the time that I'm forced to spend in his presence, I guess. But why would it be him, anyway? He doesn't care about the rules at all!"
"It's true that rules aren't his top priority, but he's good at handling responsibility, Lily. People listen to and respect him. He's Quidditch Captain, remember? Not to mention he's really smart. You two are the top of every class. Plus, he hates the Dark Arts and in this war, it's important that Dumbledore chooses a Head Boy and Girl who share his views in that respect. He's a good person, really, Lily. He's far from perfect, but he's a good person," Leslie told her resolutely.
Lily was so shocked by Leslie's advocacy that it took her a moment to come back with an argument. "It's more than obvious that rules aren't his first priority seeing as he spends half his time in detention! And how much responsibility can being Quidditch Captain really be? I mean, I know it's a big deal, but what does he really do that shows he can handle the responsibility of being Head Boy anyway? I can't argue with the fact that he's really smart, though; now that I think of it, he is just as good at every class as I am. And does he really hate the Dark Arts that much?"
"Quidditch Captain is a huge responsibility! I couldn't do it, Sirius couldn't do it, but James can. Yelling all those orders would be overwhelming for me. I have enough trouble focusing on catching the snitch. And part of the reason he's so good at it is that people listen to him. And Lily, he does hate the Dark Arts that much. Both his parents are aurors and they hate it as much as he does. He won't tell anybody why his family is so dead set against it, but because it's a good quality; no one really bothers him about it much. I asked him once, but he just said it was something he didn't want to talk about."
"Well, regardless of what his views of the Dark Arts are, I still hope he isn't Head Boy."
"Well, we'll find out soon enough."
"Yeah," Lily agreed. "I have to go, but do you want to go to Diagon Alley with me on Saturday?"
"Sure," Leslie responded. "I'll meet you there at ten o'clock!"
Lily backed her head out of the fireplace, and went upstairs to her room, where she wrote a letter to her boyfriend, Michael, explaining how she was doing and that she was Head Girl. When she finished the letter, she painted her nails and then spent the rest of the day reading.
That night, Lily drifted off into an uneasy sleep, dreaming about the article she read in the Prophet this morning about an attack on a Muggle village not too far from her house.
-----
When she woke up the next morning, her long, red hair was drenched with sweat, and she worried about what will happen to her family while she's at Hogwarts. She took a shower and walked downstairs, meeting her mum in the kitchen.
"Petunia and Vernon are coming over for dinner tonight. I know the two of you don't get on very well these days," her mum said sadly. "So you don't have to be here if you don't want to be."
Lily made a face at the mention of her older sister and her fiancé. "Okay, I think I'll Floo Leslie and see if she can do something."
"Okay, darling."
Lily walked to the fire and sprinkled powder into the flames, and once they turned green, she stuck her head in and said, "Miller House."
"Lily!" Leslie exclaimed when she saw Lily's head in the fire. "Everything all right?"
"Mostly," Lily replied. "Petunia's coming over for dinner. What are you doing tonight? Maybe we can do something together."
"Hold on, I'll ask mum if we have any plans." Leslie disappeared for a second, but when she got back, she had an apologetic look on her face. "The Potters are coming for dinner. Mum said you can come over too if you want though."
"Ugh. Potter or Petunia? This is a really nice choice isn't it?" Lily said sarcastically. "I guess I'll join you. At least then I'll have someone to talk to."
Leslie grinned. "Okay, come at four, so we can talk before the Potters arrive."
"Sure. See you then." Lily pulled her head out of the fireplace and said to her mum, "I'm going to Leslie's tonight, okay?"
Her mum sighed. "That's fine. I do wish your sister could come to some sort of reconciliation, though."
Lily rolled her eyes. "It's not me who has the problem, mum," she reminded her.
"You have a point." Her mum agreed. "Have fun at Leslie's."
Lily nodded and then walked slowly up the stairs, frustrated that she either has to eat dinner with Potter or Petunia. When she got to her room, she found herself facing the question of what she should wear. Eventually, she chose a fancy, green blouse and her favorite jeans. She didn't want it to look like she tried too hard after all-especially if James Potter was going to be there.
With several hours to spare before dinner, Lily decided to wander to the ice cream parlor down the street, where she ordered her favorite, mint chocolate chip. When she finished, she checked the time and found that it was a quarter to three.
Figuring it's time to get ready to go to Leslie's, she made her way back home and took a shower. When she'd dressed, she said goodbye to her mum and dad and apparated to Leslie's. Her house was in a Wizarding neighborhood and, according to her, not far from the Potter's mansion.
Arriving on her doorstep, Lily knocked saw the familiar house elf, Katy open the door. "Hello, Lily Evans, what can Katy do for you?"
"I'm here to see Leslie."
"Of course, right this way Lily Evans. Katy will tell Mistress Leslie that you're here."
"Thanks," Lily said.
When Katy reappeared moments later, she said, "Mistress Leslie said for Katy to take Lily Evans upstairs to Mistress Leslie's room."
Lily followed the house elf and walked into her best friend's room. "Thanks Katy. See you later," Leslie said as they entered the room.
Katy bowed and left. "I've always liked her," Lily said after the elf had gone. "I don't know why, she's just really sweet."
"I know," Leslie responded. "You seemed really upset about James and his parents being here tonight, Lily."
Lily flopped down onto Leslie's bed. "I've never met his parents, but it's no secret I can't stand James. I really don't feel like being hit on, or asked out, or whatever else he decides to do."
"I don't think he'll ask you out to be honest. Or hit on you. Especially with his parents here. His mum is scary when she gets mad and he's a perfect gentleman around her. He might say you look nice, but that's probably it."
"I'm sure," said Lily disbelievingly.
"Didn't you listen to anything I said about him yesterday?" Leslie asked.
"Of course I did, but it doesn't change my mind about him."
"Why not?"
"Because he's been a git for six whole years! That doesn't just change overnight, Les."
"I know, but didn't you notice that he was different last year? At least for the second half of it. I happen to know he didn't ask you out once."
"I guess he didn't. But still, he's caused way too many problems for me to just take you word for it."
"I understand, Lily. But just look at him with an open mind tonight, okay?"
"Okay, but I have a boyfriend you know, so I won't fall in love with him or anything."
"I don't expect you to fall in love with him, just to be his friend. And why are you still with Michael? He's so boring!"
"Leslie! He's not boring, he's sweet! Not that you'd know, Miss-I'm-Falling-For-Sirius-Black," Lily teased, causing Leslie to smile sweetly. "Oh gosh, what about him?"
"He's coming tonight, too," Leslie admitted. "He lives with the Potters now."
"Really? Why?"
"Yes, really. He lives with them because his parents are Dark Wizards. Actually, his whole family is. Sirius got enough of it one day and ran away to the Potters. That's what they told me, anyway, but I have a feeling there's more to that story. You can't tell anybody, though."
"I won't," Lily promises. "Why do you think there's more to that story?"
"Because they were exchanging glances the whole time and, I don't know, something just seemed off about it."
"Oh, okay. I can't see why you like him, though. He's as bad as Potter!"
"You're too close-minded, Lily. He's not that bad. He's actually really fun to be around."
"I'm sure he is. But is that really all you want-just to have fun? I mean, Michael sends me flowers, but all Sirius does is joke around."
"You know, you should try having fun every once in a while. You might like it. There's no need to walk around hiding behind a mask all the time. I know the real you, but you refuse to show anyone else. You focus on nothing but school, when you know you have so much natural ability that you don't need to. Michael doesn't help you loosen up either. You always ask why I don't like him, and now I'm telling you that I just think he's the opposite of what you need. All the giving you things, it doesn't feel right to me. It seems too superficial. I suppose I could be wrong, but I just have a bad feeling about him, Lily. I just don't think he deserves you."
"Michael's really sweet, though. I don't think he could ever hurt me."
"I think that's part of the problem. You won't take a risk; you just date the safe choice, the guy who buys you jewelry and flowers. Do you think you can let go a little next year?"
"I don't know. Maybe, but what if Michael doesn't like me anymore? And what if my grades slip?"
"First of all, if Michael doesn't love you for whom you are, then he doesn't deserve you. Second, you know your grades won't slip. You know all the answers on the exams without studying much at all. And I'm not saying you should never study or do your homework, I'm just saying don't study constantly or spend every second of your time doing homework."
"I guess you're right. But Michael gives me such thoughtful gifts, and when he sees me, he's really sweet. I don't want to lose him."
"Don't take this the wrong way, but are you sure you're not hanging onto him for the gifts?"
"What?! Of course not! I really like him, and the gifts just show me he feels the same way."
"No, Lily. Getting gifts from your boyfriend as much as you get them from Michael shows he feels guilty about something. I don't know what it is, but I don't want to see you get hurt."
"I know, Leslie. But there's no way he's cheating on me or anything. He treats me like a princess."
"Well, does he ever tell you he can't make a date with you for whatever reason? Every once in a while doesn't mean anything, but does it seem like he has Quidditch practice all the time?"
"He has Quidditch practice a lot, but he's a dedicated player and I understand that. Other than that though, he doesn't break dates much."
"Okay, well, I could be wrong and he just likes constantly showering you with gifts, so don't worry about it for now. We'll worry about it if it becomes a problem."
"Okay, that sounds like a good idea. Now, enough about me and Michael, I've hardly heard anything about you and Sirius!"
"Well," Leslie responded. "We've hung out a lot this summer because he lives with the Potters and we see them all the time."
"And has he shown any signs of fancying you?"
"I don't know, which is part of the reason I'm so glad you're here. Maybe you can tell me if he's flirting with me or just being nice."
"Well, tell me how things have gone when you've hung out this summer."
"Okay, well we talk a lot and we've gone to Diagon Alley with James a few times. It was really fun. Oh, yeah and we played Quidditch loads of times at James' house," Leslie explained. "It's so easy to talk to them. And this summer they told me why Sirius lives with the Potters so it seems like they're starting to trust me more."
"It definitely sounds like he fancies you, Leslie," Lily confirmed. "I think I'm going to have to pay attention to how he acts around you tonight, though."
"It's quarter after five, we should probably head downstairs in case they show up early."
"Do they know I'm joining you?" Lily asked.
"No, but something tells me they won't complain," Leslie answered with a mischievous smile.
"I'm sure they won't," Lily responded, and they walked down the stair laughing.
Ten minutes later they heard a knock on the door. Leslie's mum answers, with the girls closely behind them. "Hi Leslie, oh hi Lily. I didn't know you'd be here," James said.
"My sister and her fiancé are eating at my house and I have no interest in being there, so Leslie said I could eat over."
"Oh, okay. You look nice, Evans."
Lily raised her eyebrows, surprised that Leslie's predictions about Potter's behavior were proved correct. "Thank you, Potter."
At that, Mrs. Miller brought everyone to their sitting room. "Sit down, everyone and make yourselves comfortable."
Lily and Leslie sat on cushy armchairs by the fire with James and Sirius, while Mr. and Mrs. Miller sat in another corner of the room with Mr. and Mrs. Potter. "So Leslie, have you been practicing your Quidditch skills?" James asked.
"Yes, I have, Captain," she responded.
He laughed. "Good. I've been making sure Sirius has been."
"I don't doubt that," Leslie says, laughing with him.
"You really should consider joining the team, Lily. We need another Chaser." James said.
"I don't think I'd be very good, to be honest. I was decent at some Muggle sports, but not usually."
"I'm sure you'd be great at Quidditch," James said. "I don't think you were a bad flyer in first year."
"I suppose I was decent. And I'd probably be a decent Quidditch player, but I doubt I'd be good enough to play for Gryffindor."
James shrugged. "If you say so."
Mrs. Miller stood up and said, "Time to make our way into the dining room for dinner, I think."
As they walk in, Katy is putting the last of the food on the table. Lily sat down next to Leslie, and James and Sirius sat across from them.
"So, Lily, how has your summer been?" James asked her.
"Better than usual. Petunia lives with Vernon now, so she hasn't been around much."
"That's good. How are you and Abbott doing?"
"Great, I saw him about a month ago. He's on vacation in France, but he should be back soon."
"Oh, that's nice. Are you Head Girl then?"
"Yes, I was so happy when I got the letter! Do you know if Lupin's Head Boy?"
"Well, no, he's not, because, well, I am," James said nervously.
Lily dropped her fork. "What?"
"I'm Head Boy," James replied.
She turned to Leslie. "You knew?"
"Actually, no. Congratulations, James."
"Er- thanks. So Lily, it looks like we'll be working together this year."
"I suppose. Well, congratulations."
"Thanks, Lily."
"Hey, do you girls want to come to Diagon Alley with us on Saturday?" Sirius asked.
"Lily and I were already planning to go then," Leslie responds. "We got our letters today. I suppose we could meet you at Fortescue's at eleven?"
"That works for us. Where do you need to go?"
"Well, I'll need new books and robes. Plus I have to replenish my potions ingredients. I think that's it, although I do want to stop at Quality Quidditch Supplies. Pass the carrots, please."
"That's what I need, too. But I want to stop at Gambol and Japes. What about you, James?" Sirius said, and passed the bowl of carrots.
"I don't think I need to go anywhere else except Gringotts."
"Oh I forgot, I'll need to go there, too," Leslie said.
"Where do you want to go Lily?" James asked.
"Gringotts, as well, to exchange Muggle money, and Scribbulus, but other than that, I think I need the same things you do." She spooned some broccoli onto her plate and passed it to Leslie.
"Okay, so we'll meet at Fortescue's and we'll go to Gringotts, Flourish and Blotts, Madam Malkin's, the apothecary, Scribbulus, and Quality Quidditch Supplies. Does that sound right to everybody?"
"Yeah," Leslie responded, and everyone nodded in agreement.
After dinner, Lily and the Millers said goodbye to Sirius and the Potters.
"We'll see you on Saturday, then," Leslie said as they were leaving.
"Definitely," they said together.
"Well, that went well," Leslie said after they'd left. "You didn't bite his head off at least."
"Hey!"
"Well, I wouldn't have been surprised if you did."
"I only bite his head off when he gives me a reason to," Lily said stubbornly. "I should go home too, Les. My mum's probably waiting up for me."
"Okay, then. See you Saturday."
-----
"Lily didn't seem to hate you today, Prongs."
"I know!" James said excitedly. "We actually had a conversation. And she's coming to Diagon Alley with us on Saturday."
"I can't believe she's still with Abbott, though."
"Me either, but as long as he doesn't hurt her, I don't care."
"Wow, James, that almost sounded sincere."
"It was. I love her, Padfoot. I really do. And if she's happy dating that sop, then I suppose I'll just have to deal with it."
"I know," Sirius responded, then got quiet.
"What's wrong, Padfoot?"
Sirius sighed. "I just really like Leslie, is all. It's crazy, I know."
"No, it's not! That's great, Padfoot!"
"I know, it just feels weird. Different."
"It'll get better. Are you going to ask her out?"
"Probably. It depends how Diagon Alley goes, though."
"I suppose that makes sense. We should probably get some sleep so we can play Quidditch tomorrow."
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Sirius agreed.
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