bad idea, right?

haven't heard from you in a couple of months

Being back at Hogwarts was a tiny bittersweet this time. It was great to return to the castle, to see Mary and Marlene, to be able to use magic again, and to just be myself: an eighteen-year-old witch. But being the last time stained my happiness.
I couldn't really blame Petunia for rolling her eyes as I left home with our parents to go to King's Cross, considering how many eyerolls I had directed at her this Summer: I'd officially given up on trying to be on good terms with dear old Tuney.
"Have a good term, my love," Dad wished with a hug on Platform 9 ¾.
"We're so very proud of you," Mum added, a few tears in her eyes, "show them what Lily Evans is made of."
She was, of course, referring to me being nominated Head Girl although I was a Muggleborn. My stomach lurched in anticipation and I grinned back at them – that was an easy order to follow.
As always, I was the first of the girls to arrive. I picked a cabin that was near to the Prefects' Compartment, in order to be closer to my friends. I levitated my trunk to store it and sat down, re-reading the notes I had made the day before for the first Prefects meeting.
"Oh, would you look at that, Mary. The Head Girl in our cabin."
"How can we already be in trouble, Marls?"
I smiled at my friends as they blabbed about needing to watch their behaviour.
"Well, it's truly an honour to be in your presence," Mary added, hand across her heart for emphasis.
"Enjoy it while you can. Meeting's about to start," I jokingly warned after we hugged each other.
"Did you find out who's our fearless Head Boy?" Marlene asked. I frowned – not something I really wanted to think about.
"Not yet. I was really surprised when Remus told me it wasn't him. It can't be Snape, not after everything. It just leaves us with dear Frank... or Diggory."
"What a sacrifice, Diggory would be..." Mary retorted ironically.
"You're absolutely sure it can't be Snape?" Marlene said.
"No," I confessed, "but I don't reckon Dumbledore would pick a Muggleborn for Head Girl and a Death Eater for Head Boy."
"He's a weird old man," Marlene argued.
"True. Well, here's to hoping," I said, crossing my fingers. Then, with a smirk, I turned to Mary, "no sacrifice at all."
They laughed as I left for the meeting. Diggory was one of the best looking guys in their year at Hogwarts, losing only to... well, I'd better not even think about it, or I might be in deep trouble.
The Prefects compartment was still empty when I arrived; still twenty minutes remaining for the train to leave and thirty-five for the meeting to start – but the anxiety to discover my new partner was too great to not wait here.
Slowly, the other prefects arrived; I recognized some of them from the previous year and congratulated the new ones. Some of them praised me as well, and the time passed quickly.
When Snape entered the cabin and I saw he still wore only the Prefect badge, I sighed in relief. I could take anyone now, right? No way but up, right?
But then the Head Boy badge finally made an appearance, fixed in crumpled robes, joined by messy black hair, round glasses, a familiar smirk and a provoking, "alright, Evans?" – and at this moment I knew I was fucked.

*.*.*

"I told you the old man is a lunatic," Mary replied after loud screams of surprise, "I mean...why?! He wasn't even a prefect!"
I just grumbled on my seat – I was actually lying down, my feet on the wall, my arm over my eyes and my head pounding after the meeting.
"Too bad it wasn't Diggory," Marlene added, "I could've used an introduction."
"Just go say hi," was the only thing I could say back, knowing fully well she didn't even want an introduction.
"How was the meeting?"
"Thanks for asking and worrying about me as a friend should, Mary," my accusing tone was directed to Marls, "it went fine, actually."
"Then why all this bloody drama?" Marlene muttered.
"He was fine, we had similar ideas. Remus must have told him what a Head Boy's supposed to do, because he wasn't as lost as you'd suppose," I ignored Marlene and kept talking with my eyes closed. "But it always could be because he's already broken every single rule at least twice, so he knows them by heart."
"Breaking rules and detentions don't teach how to run a meeting," Mary argued.
"True. Well, whatever. It'll be fine. I'll just have to-"
"Well, that's not a very respectable Head Girl position, is it, Evans?"
Giving Sirius Black the middle finger was an almost daily occurrence – it really meant I was back at Hogwarts.
"That's not really Head Girl-ish either," he continued, his voice getting closer.
"I'll tell you where you can put your–"
"My, my, aren't we aggressive? I wonder if this is in any way related to–"
"Sirius."
The only thing that could make Black shut up was Marlene; she had him wrapped around her fingers. As if by magic, he stopped talking, sat by her side and smirked.
"Really, Lily. Your panties are almost showing," Marlene added. I groaned.
"It's turned to the windows," I replied, "let the trees see my panties."
"If you're that desperate..." Sirius started again.
"Let's say I am," I said, sitting down, "what are you gonna do?" I challenged him with a raised eyebrow.
"She got you there," Mary acknowledged.
"Whose side are you on, MacDonald?" Sirius asked.
"Lily's. I thought it was obvious."
"McKinnon, I'm beginning to think your mates don't like me," Black complained.
"They do, it's just you're annoying," Marlene replied.
"That's a hurtful thing to say to your boyfriend," Black said, but didn't look hurt at all.
"Okay, stop with that foreplay, get out of here and return my friend before lunch," I shooed him out.
"Before lunch?! That's in like, ten minutes!" He cried out.
"It leaves you 5 minutes to cuddle then," I said. The girls sniggered and Black left, pulling Marlene with him. However, he put his head back on the compartment as I resumed my previous position.
"If you're desperate, I can introduce you to some guys," he said.
"I'm cool, thanks," was my flat reply.
Sirius didn't leave quietly – as we knew he wouldn't. He and Marlene started dating five months ago, after weeks and weeks of flirting. It was a mercy on Mary and me because it had started to get too graphic with words and suggestions, so we sat them down and threatened bodily harm in case they didn't do something about the sexual attraction.
We honestly didn't think they would actually date, but they seemed happy until now. The downside was having to see his best mate.
"I'm not that desperate," I told Mary after she eyed me for quite some time.
"Sure?"
"I swear," I promised. "There was this Muggle party this summer..."
"Oh, now I get it..."
I laughed with Mary, telling her to wait until Marlene returned so I wouldn't have to say it twice.
It wasn't that exciting (as Marlene promptly informed as I narrated) my last adventure on the Muggle world before catching the train: just a cute boy in a random party. But my friends made the whole thing hysterical with their comments, and by the end my cheeks hurt from laughing.
The train ride passed by quickly, and before I knew it, Hogsmead's lights met us, announcing our arrival.
"I need to go, Head duties and all," I told them as a goodbye, walking quickly to the train main exit. I called out the first years to direct them to Hagrid, as every Prefect and Head students were supposed to. This meant I had to give up catching the same carriage as Mary and Marls ever since Fifth Year. Hagrid waved and winked at me and I watched the Great Lake with fondness and nostalgia.
"I didn't get the chance to congratulate you earlier, but your appointment was very well deserved."
I turned around and returned with a small smile.
"Thanks, Amos," I said with a small smile. He was tall (very tall), and his blond hair was always perfectly combed. The lines of his jaw fitted his broad shoulders perfectly. Definitely hot. "I thought it would be you, tho."
"Really? Well, I actually reckoned it probably would be Lupin," he admitted with a frown. I nodded along, knowing full well the reason why Remus couldn't be Head Boy, but pretending not to.
"He would be amazing too," I agreed.
"To be honest, I'm a little..." he gave a shaky laugh, "surprised, I think."
"Aren't we all?" I asked.
I usually sat with Remus after directing the new students, but I had yet to see him, so I got on my tiptoes, and started looking. Just as I looked back, I noticed he was behind us.
With his mate (who I dutifully ignored. As I should. Right? Right).
"Oh, hey, Lupin," Amos greeted, looked to the side and raised a hand at Remus and at the Head Boy. "I promised I'd make Bones some company. Nice talking, Lily. See you around?"
"Sure! Bye," I replied. The two other boys started walking with me, straight to the only carriage left. We were silent, me pretending that I was alone with Rem.
As soon as the testrals started the journey, I sighed.
"You know, gossiping isn't very cool." I hadn't heard that voice directed at me in how many months now?
"Shut up, Potter," I grumbled.
"I just say that because it might seem to the student body that we're not united, as Heads. If you badmouth me," he kept going, nevertheless.
"I didn't badmouth you, I just said I was surprised," I disagreed. "And Amos wouldn't blab about a private conversation."
"Oh, it's Amos, is it?" His eyebrows were raised, and a fake look of polite interest took over his face. "Not Diggory?"
I wanted to punch his nose just a bit.
"Yes. That's how I treat people I like," was my simple reply.
"Ah, I see. That's why your skirt was three inches shorter compared to the meeting? Because you 'like him'?"
Remus scolded him with a quiet "Prongs!", while my face flushed lightly. James Potter, damn him, smirked widely, knowing he had hit his mark.
"Fuck off," I replied, "the skirt went up because I had to help a girl with her cat. But rest assured, you're the only complainer. And if it bothers you so much, you could just...not look at my legs."
Remus raised his eyebrows, probably worried about how this would turn out but not enough to get in the middle of it.
'It' being a comeback of good old Evans-Potter word-tennis.
"I'm just worried about your reputation, Miss Evans," Potter had the audacity to say.
"Don't worry, I don't mind being seen with Amos. After all, he's sweet and can give compliments, as opposed to some people."
This time I hit the mark. We both knew he could be sweet and give compliments, but he also could be a bit rude – a fact I had made abundantly clear before.
The remaining two minutes went by in silence; I looked out the window, but I could feel his eyes on me. When the carriage stopped, Remus got out first, a sigh leaving his lips. I followed him quickly – I didn't want to be late for the feast.
However, I felt a hand on my wrist, pulling me back in place, but I refused to turn around.
It didn't matter to him.
"I pity you if you think that 'you deserve being Head Girl' is a compliment," Potter whispered in my ear. For some unknown (out of the blue, really) reason, my eyes closed and I locked in place, "and not simply stating a fact. Everybody knows you deserve to be the Head Girl. A compliment would be... well, I'd better stop here. Apparently, I can't be sweet or give compliments, can I?"
He released my wrist and I gulped, looking down at the floor as he passed me.
James Bloody Potter.
2x1 to him.