[On Hiatus] It Was Meant to Be (A James and Lily Story)

Chapter 23

James blew his whistle, signaling his players to stop and round up. It had been a long practice and James had to get to a Prefect meeting soon.

"What's up, Captain?" asked Lina.

"This has been a disaster. Wilson! How many times do I have to tell you? You have to catch the Quaffle. And Thompson! You and Sirius have to coordinate your strikes and aim so that you can actually hit someone. Chris, we need you to find the snitch faster. Our first match is against Slytherin and they play dirty. The quicker you find the snitch, the quicker the game ends. Coalson, I need you to practice the Starfish and Stick tactic so you can block more goals. Lina, you and I need to practice those formations I showed you the other night." James ran his hand through his hair, exasperated.

"James, you have to lighten up. We're trying our best!" said Sirius, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Well, it's not enough! I have to go to a Prefect meeting, but we'll have practice again tomorrow, same time. Be ready to be here for a few hours."

His team grumbled and walked towards the locker room. James checked his watch to make sure he could make the meeting. He took a quick shower and threw his robes on. He tried and failed to tie his tie so he left it hanging around his neck. He bid a quick goodbye to Sirius and ran to the empty classroom Lily had told him.

He opened the door and noticed that most of the Prefects were already there. He saw Lily standing in the corner of the room, pacing. She looked up when the door opened and James saw her visibly sigh, the tension easing out of her shoulders. James was still panting from running, but when she began to walk towards him, he could feel his heart thundering in his chest.

"Oh, thank Merlin. I thought I was going to have to do this myself," Lily told him.

James smirked at her, running his hand through his hair. "I would never leave you alone, Lils."

Lily rolled her eyes at him, but James saw the hint of a smile there.

"Ok, thank you so much for coming out, everyone. We're going to get started," Lily began, her voice echoing off the walls of the classroom.

"First order of business, we changed the schedule for rounds a bit, just to switch things up." Lily waved her wand and copies of the new patrol schedule landed in front of each Prefect.

James gave everyone a moment to look over the schedule before speaking. "Lily and I made these schedules based on our observations. But, if you would like to request a change, please talk to me or Lily after the meeting and we'll see what we can do."

"Ok, next, as Prefects, we're in charge of organizing the decorations for the Halloween feast that's coming up. We need people to sign up for shifts on the day of the feast to set up the decorations. However, if you can't make that day, we have other responsibilities for you as well," Lily continued.

"We'll be sending around a sign-up sheet at the end of the meeting so everyone can choose what they would like to do," added James.

A Ravenclaw prefect raised her hand. "Will we be excused from lessons if we help with the decorations on the day of the feast?"

"Well, we have yet to figure out the details, but yes, as of now, you can expect to be excused."

The meeting continued in the same way, with Lily and James clarifying information. The meeting lasted for less than half an hour, but by the end, James was feeling a bit exhausted. A few prefects stayed to ask them questions, but Lily answered most of them.

Once everyone had left, and it was just the two of them, James slumped into a chair, closing his eyes. He massaged his temples and sighed.

"Phew! That was exhausting. I could use one of those treacle tarts you left me the other night."