The Doe & The Stag {James Potter & Lily Evans}

The Head Boy

Sidebar: If you'd like to see more of Lily's summer between her sixth and seventh year, visit my other story, Violet Hill.

Lily pulled her trunk beside her as she made her way down the Hogwarts Express. She had achieved Head Girl over the summer, and was finally about to meet her counterpart in the Head compartment. She had been anticipating it for quite some time, though she had to admit that the suspense was thrilling. Her hopes were high that Dumbledore had chosen someone who could help lead the student body well, and respectably. Perhaps Remus Lupin had been chosen.

Her footsteps were quick, excited, as she smiled to herself, finally reaching the compartment that was to contain her Head counterpart. Lily stood just out of view from seeing inside, slightly shamed for being late. A rather punctual individual, she'd been in distress from arriving late to the train due to mishap with her parents' car. Petunia, refusing to come to the station to see her off, seemed to gain some kind of thrill from the prospect of Lily potentially missing her train, as the car refused to start in their driveway.

Shaking herself slightly, Lily had an apology on the tip of her tongue for her tardiness to give to whomever was inside, as she stepped in view and opened the sliding door. She'd put one foot in the compartment before the apology vanished, and the urge to bash her head against a wall replaced it.

James Potter.

He was lounging on the right side of the compartment, already in his uniform, though it seemed to have been tossed on carelessly, fiddling with a spell that caused gold sparks to emit. He was taller than last she'd seen him, and appeared to have gained a bit of muscle to support his lean frame. His jawline was more distinct, and his slightly high eyebrows perhaps a bit bushier. He simply seemed to have filled in the gaps that had existed at the end of last year. His hair was just as messy as always. She had the urge to run her hands through it, an urge that was recurring and dismissed immediately. Lily, however, still found it hard to fight the thought the persisted: he looked rather handsome.

Her face tightened in disdain, upset that she thought him handsome, and her jaw clenched in frustration before she came to her senses and relaxed. Assuming she'd simply entered the wrong room, she stepped out and glanced at the compartment number. Unfortunately, it appeared that she was indeed in the correct place.

She turned back slowly to look at Potter with weariness. An amused grin slid across his features as he watched her eyes narrow at him. Lily rolled her trunk into the compartment in cold silence, and shut it away forcefully before shutting the glass door and sitting with her arms crossed on the seat opposite of him. Her face easily reflected her inner state of confusion and anger.

Lily remained silent, as did Potter, and they stared at one another for a moment. Lily tried to make sense of the situation for a good, long, moment, before seeing no other explanation than the obvious. "You're Head Boy, Potter? How in the name of Merlin did you manage that?" She asked resentfully, though her words only seemed to give amusement to the messy-haired boy, as if she was just so very entertaining.

"Well, you'd have to ask him. And anyway, I thought you'd be overjoyed to see me!" He said sarcastically with raised brows. She detected a hint of flirtation in his voice, which rubbed her the wrong way. Although, what did she really expect at this point? He'd been acting a fool trying to get her to go out with him for two years. She was sure that the pick-up lines would begin soon enough, and that she'd been in for yet another Potter-induced headache.

She sighed, already sick of his presence. "Of course I'm not happy to see you, you arrogant prat. Unless this is some sort of joke, I'll have to spend the rest of the year sharing a private Head dorm room with you. Not to mention our other responsibilities, which for the most part must be done together. And, well, you're entirely insufferable."