Butterfly Seasons Chapter Four - Urgings Toward A New Beginning
Title: Butterfly Seasons
Author: Laliath (aka dancinggoldfish/Irelynne/Anya)
Rating: T/M (language, thematic elements later on)
Timeframe: MWPP
Summary: Lily Evans is a prefect who happens to have a lot on her plate: her sister's getting married to a jerk, James Potter won't leave her alone, and there are way too many rumors going around. Just one of those would be bad enough, two would be hell, but three is unimaginable torture. Good thing she's capable of holding her own, and perhaps things will turn out to not be as bad as she thinks.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, objects, spells, places, etc. belong to JKR. I just happen to be playing in her sandbox.
Notes: Multi-chapter fic. The lovely aseret789 did a fantastic job beta-ing this chapter!
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6
Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12
Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | TBA
*~*~*~*
“Hey, Lily.”
The redhead turned when Marlene called her name. “Hey, Marlene,” she returned.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” the blond girl asked quietly, fingers playing with the strap of her bag.
“Sure,” Lily said, a bit surprised by the request.
Marlene waited until they had left the Potions classroom and Hogwarts behind them and were strolling towards the lake. “What do you think of James?”
“James?” the redhead asked blankly.
“Yes, James Potter. What do you think of him?” Marlene asked with exasperation.
Lily shrugged. “He hasn’t dumped goop or water balloons on me lately, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Marlene made a sound of frustration deep in her throat. “What do you think of him as a person? He is one of those too, you know.”
The redhead shrugged again. “I don’t know. Previous experience tells me he’s a lazy prat, but he hasn’t been that terrible recently. Why?”
“Lily-” Marlene let herself trail off for a second before finally saying, “I want you to give him a chance; he really is a swell bloke.”
The redhead eyed her friend suspiciously. “What, did he elect you his campaign manager?”
Marlene flushed. “No, I’m just his friend. Just give him a chance, Lily, please?”
“That’s all I ever do, Marlene. I’m always giving Potter another chance, and he always blows it. And since when are you friends with him?”
“Maybe he won’t this time,” her friend pointed out, ignoring the second part of Lily’s question.
“Most likely he will,” Lily countered heatedly.
“He’s grown up now. He’s not the same arse he was before,” Marlene said, her voice rising just like Lily’s.
“I’ve seen very little evidence of that,” Lily retorted coldly. “I only see the same immature git he’s always been.”
“Lily! That’s not true and you know it! You admitted it!” Marlene protested.
The redhead’s shoulders stiffened and she opened her mouth to say something in return. But then her shoulders slowly relaxed and she asked, voice slow and measured, “Why are we fighting over a toerag like Potter?”
That got a bark of laughter out of her friend. “Good question.”
The crisis was averted. Lily bent and selected a smooth flat rock from the many covering the lake’s shore. When she tossed it out over the shining water, it bounced once, twice, a third time before sinking. Marlene joined in her game, each girl silently trying to skip her rock further.
“What did you think of the history test this morning?” Marlene asked after her arms had grown tired and they had flung their bodies down on the grass under the tree.
Lily gratefully welcomed the new shift in conversation. “It was a beast, as always,” she said with a bright grin as she rolled onto her back on the drying grass.
Marlene laughed. “And that question about the goblin rebellion in 1612! Who cares where it was anyway! That was absolutely unfair!”
“Mh-mmm,” Lily mumbled noncommittally as her eyelids drifted closed under the cool light of the autumn afternoon.
Her lack of an exclamation drew Marlene’s attention. “I bet you knew the answer to it, didn’t you?”
“The inn at Hogsmeade,” the redhead mumbled smugly as she shifted over the grass. A stone was digging into her back, just to the side of her spine.
“You are such a brat, Lily,” Marlene complained.
“My special gift,” Lily retorted quietly.
There was a quick jarring to her shoulder moments later. “You’re not falling asleep on me now, are you?”
“Of course not,” Lily grumbled. “And it’s a good thing I don’t get seasick with the way you’re yanking me about.”
They fell into silence after quiet laughter, and the redhead could feel herself drifting off. Almost like summer, except minus Tunie and that git.
“Hello, ladies,” a cheerful male voice said above them, and Lily cracked open an eyelid to see Frank’s head blocking part of the sun.
“Could you shift over a bit?” she asked. “No, the other way. That way you’ll block the sun. Thank you.”
Frank flopped down on the grass next to the two girls, causing Lily to grumble about terrible friends. “What are you two hellions up to?” he asked.
“Lily’s busy falling asleep,” Marlene offered.
“I am not!” the redhead protested.
“Oh, so you’re just admiring the insides of your eyelids?” Marlene asked.
“You’re one to talk - I distinctly heard you snore a minute ago!”
“I don’t snore!”
“I share a dorm with you, remember?” Lily teased. “You keep us up all night with your racket.”
“I don’t know, Lily. You were making some pretty ferocious noises yourself when I walked up,” Frank pointed out with a grin.
Lily reared up and thumped him on the shoulder. “You are such a liar, Longbottom. See if I ever talk to you again!”
He pulled her against his side, rubbed his knuckles over the top of her head as he kept her trapped. “You’re mad about me, Evans.”
“Driven mad by you, you mean,” Lily corrected, trying to duck her head away from him.
“Such sass from a prefect!” Frank exclaimed, shaking his head. “Young ones have no respect for their elders these days.”
“Oh, go stick your head in the lake,” Lily shot back, finding herself irritated. “Don’t you have some sort of prissy Head duties to take care of?” she demanded.
“I have a cleared schedule for the rest of the day,” he reassured her. “But thank you for the idea.”
“For the i - Frank! Put me down! Put me down now!” she protested loudly as she was flung over his shoulder in the most undignified position ever.
The Head Boy ignored her and continued marching towards the lake. She could catch glimpses of its bright waters as she was jostled on his shoulder, each step bringing them closer to its shores. “Longbottom, put me down now or I swear I’ll hex your face off!”
“Ooh, I’m really scared now, Evans,” he taunted as he clamped a hand down on her leg, preventing her wriggling off - and, she was relieved to note, holding down her fluttering skirt.
“Longbottom, don’t you dare!” she yelled, breathless where his collarbone jammed into her stomach. She twisted and turned as much as she was able to atop his shoulder, pounded his back with her fists. “Don’t you dare throw me in the lake! Put me down!”
“Alright,” he agreed, sliding her down to the ground. She hadn’t quite found her footing when he pressed his hands against her shoulders, and pushed.
Even as her body was tumbling backwards, hands and arms flailing wildly, she was yelling in surprise. She hit the water with a splash, landing hard on her rump against the rocks that covered the bottom of the lake. “Damn it! Longbottom, I’m going to kill you!” she yelled, pushing herself off the bottom and trying to shove herself back onto her feet. Even though the water level wasn’t even up to her knees, the ground was unstable enough, and the water cold enough, that she had a hard time getting up. She slipped once more before managing finally to get to her feet.
Frank was already beginning to back away, she was gratified to note as she stomped towards him as best as she could, water streaming off her body. A crowd had gathered around the lake, and the catcalls began almost immediately as she marched towards the Head Boy. “Nice tits, Evans!” someone - Black - called out, and she blushed bright red, quickly crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to cover them up, prompting groans of disappointment from the males of the crowd.
“Fuck off, Black! And Longbottom, I’m going to kill you! You’re a bloody dead man walking!” Lily shouted.
The crowd suddenly became silent, and then she could hear Professor McGonagall’s rigid voice. “Miss Evans, Mr. Longbottom. I expect to see you in my office immediately. You too, Mr. Black.”
“But Professor - ” Lily protested, plucking at her wet shirt.
“You may change your shirt before you arrive, Miss Evans,” the professor allowed her before turning her fearsome glare on the two boys. “Mr. Black, Mr. Longbottom, march!” They immediately began moving back towards Hogwarts, although Black did allow himself a cheeky grin at Lily, who returned it with a hand gesture none would call polite.
*~*~*~*
Lily dumped her book bag down on the table next to Potter’s books. “Hullo,” he greeted, looking up at her from the parchment he was busy sketching an essay across.
“You too,” she muttered as she concentrated on pulling the books she needed out of the bag.
“Heard you got into some trouble today,” he commented, wisely sliding his eyes back down to his essay.
“Your friend is a menace,” Lily grumbled.
“Which one? I have many,” he replied cheekily.
She gave him a baleful look. “Don’t be cute, Potter. It doesn’t suit you,” she retorted.
“Oh, Sirius.”
“Yes, Sirius. The obnoxious prat.”
She opened her book and concentrated on reviewing the diagrams that explained how to turn a rock into a flying parakeet. Potter sat next to her, silently reviewing his own notes. “So, what happened?” he finally asked.
She slid her eyes over towards him. “What happened with what?”
“With McGonagall earlier.”
“Points off. Now what do I do after the swish and flick?” she asked, wand out in her hand as she tried to decipher the text’s instructions.
He reached out, wrapped his much larger hand around hers. “You drive your wand towards your target and say the incantation,” he said as he demonstrated.
“Alright, let me try,” she said, removing her hand from his as quickly as she could without revealing the uncomfortable feeling she was experiencing. She imitated his gesture, then asked, “Like this?”
“Yes.”
She was relieved when he didn’t press the matter, but instead contented himself with her Transfiguration problems. Finally, Madame Pince came to kick them out of the library, eying Potter carefully. He was the perfect gentlemen, however, helping Lily pack her bag, and even insisting on carrying some of her books for her. I don’t mind him like this, she thought to herself as they walked through the halls toward Gryffindor Tower. Quiet. Not obnoxious or demanding attention.
She snuck a glance at him, only to look away quickly when she got caught looking at him. He was looking straight at her, making no bones about the target of his staring. Red rose up in her cheeks, and irritated by the embarrassment she felt at being caught sneaking peeks, she demanded, “What?”
He shrugged. “Just trying to figure something out.”
“What, the exact number of freckles I have on my nose?”
“Eleven,” he replied without missing a beat, “but no. Something else.”
She waited a second, then said, “Potter, you know I hate mysteries. What is it?”
He ducked his head, finally looking away from her. “Why is it when Longbottom pushed you in the lake, you didn’t care, but if I tried to pull that kind of stunt you’d be pissed as hell at me?
She stared. “I didn’t care? I was threatening Frank with bodily harm!” she exclaimed.
Potter shrugged again. “It’s different and you know it. You were having fun up until the point you landed in the water and even after - well, Longbottom is walking and talking. If I pulled a stunt like that, they’d never find the pieces after you were done with me.”
Now Lily was beginning to wish she’d never asked. “Frank and I are friends.”
Potter’s face tightened into a scowl. “Don’t you think that’s hypocritical, Evans? Just because he’s your friend, behavior you condemn in me is okay for him? You complain about Remus letting us off the hook all the time. How is this different?”
“Oh, like you guys do stuff like that to each other!” she snapped, angry at his judgment.
“Hell, we throw Remus in the lake all the time!” he exclaimed. His hand was in his hair again, pulling at the ends. “You have so many damned rules, Evans. It’s impossible to figure them out, and every time I try to - bugger, I just end up tripping up against some other rule.”
“If I’m so damned impossible and hypocritical, why do you keep trying then?” she shot back.
“Fuck if I know!” he yelled, his hand oscillating between them as if he couldn’t make up his mind about wanting to shake her. She took a step back.
“You know why I won’t go out with you, Potter?” she demanded after taking a deep breath.
“Why don’t you enlighten me, O Merciless Queen?” he retorted. “Let me know exactly what I’m doing wrong, again.”
“Because every time I try to be even remotely friendly with you, I end up in a screaming match with you!”
“Friendly? You wouldn’t know friendly if it bit you in the arse, Evans!” he scoffed. Her jaw dropped, and he slammed past her to the Fat Lady, where he tersely spat the password, then disappeared through the portrait hole.
“I am very friendly, Potter, except to unimaginable arses like you, you obnoxious, arrogant prat!” she raged back as she went through the portrait hole.
“Lily, shut up right now.” Frank appeared from the crowd of people staring at her, the expression on his face about as angry as she had ever seen it.
“But he -”
“I don’t care.” His hand closed about her wrist, and she stumbled, books dropping around her, as he pulled her back to the portrait hole she’d just left. He didn’t say anything else until they were several corridors away from Gryffindor Tower, and then his words were harsh. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Lily?”
She blinked, eyes smarting, as he stepped away from her, raging. “If Professor Dumbledore, or worse McGonagall, catch wind of this, you’ll lose your badge. Fucking hell, Lily, it’s barely four weeks into school, and you’ve already been in three fights. Add in the fact that you’re failing Transfiguration, and you know McGonagall will yank the badge from you! You look like you can’t handle the job and an incompetent prefect is the last thing this school needs, especially now.”
“I’m not incompetent!” she protested hotly.
The angry expression on his face slipped away and he pressed his hands against her upper arms, holding her in place but completely opposite from Potter’s wrangling back and forth about shaking her. “Lily, I know you’re not. There is a reason that you were made prefect last year, and not any of the other girls in your year. You’re smart, compassionate, and levelheaded - except when it comes to Potter and his friends.”
She blushed at the compliment, but frowned at the end. “That’s hardly fair, Frank,” she began.
The Head Boy again cut her off. “Things have gotten even worse between you and those guys this year, and I blame you, Lily.”
“Blame me!? That’s ridiculous, Frank!”
“Shut up, Lily, and let me finish. Black is even more of a wild card this year than last, but you won’t even speak to Remus unless you have to. Same with Pettigrew, and Potter you treat like the gum beneath your shoe despite the favor he’s done you. I’m sure he’d rather be flying than practicing spells.”
Lily frowned. “Hold up, Frank. It’s not a favor, not the way you put it. He’s tutoring me in Transfiguration, and I’m helping him with Charms.”
Frank laughed. “Are you that desperate to think badly of Potter? No offense, but he’s hardly failing Charms, Lily. He’s nearly as good as you are.”
Her jaw dropped for the second time in twenty minutes. “What?!”
“Yep. The bloke is so far gone that he’s willing to spend hours relearning spells he already knows.”
“Potter’s not gone on me!” she protested.
“Then why does he continue to ask you out, even though Black currently despises you and the other two aren’t shouting fans either? Even though you always turn him down as if he were last year’s milk?” Frank challenged.
“To keep his ego in check? Because he knows I won’t say yes?” she suggested even though she knew they weren’t true.
“Don’t be stupid, Lily. Now, you will apologize to Potter - convince him to continue helping you with Transfiguration. You will keep that temper of yours under wraps - I don’t need any more digs from Maloney about keeping Gryffindor prefects under control. You know that she thinks Gryffindors get away with too much already. And furthermore, you will do nothing that is even a toe out of line,” he ordered.
“Frank -,” she tried protesting again.
He took her shoulders again. “Lily, I’m your friend. I like you. I really hate to see you screw things up. Besides, prefect meetings would be boring as hell without you there. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said, pouting a bit.
“Good.” He hugged her briefly, then changed the topic of conversation. “There’s a Hogsmeade weekend coming up.”
She smiled. “Yeah. Want to do something?”
“Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know,” she mused. “Think I look old enough to buy firewhiskey?”
He pretended to step back and examine her. “Hardly. I think you’ve still got a ways to go.”
*~*~*~*
Potter wasn’t in the common room when they got back and Lily felt a wave of nervousness hit her as she scanned the room for his friends. It got even worse as she walked over to them after spotting them.
Black’s smile got ugly as she approached. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Evans the bitch?”
“I can dock points for language, Black,” she warned.
He shrugged, clearly not caring, and turned his back on her.
She looked to Lupin, whom she had the most rapport with, not that that was saying much, and asked, “Would you ask him to come down here, please?”
“Depends on who you mean by ‘he’,” Pettigrew cut in firmly.
Hell, this can’t be good. Pettigrew is never this confrontational, she thought to herself before pasting her best ‘do what I say because I’m a prefect and in charge’ expression on her face. “I would like to speak to Potter, if you don’t mind.”
“Actually, we do,” Black said fiercely as he turned to face her again. “James Potter is one of my best friends. After everything he’s done for me, the least I can do is keep a cold-hearted bitch away from him.”
“I just want to talk to him, alright?” she said, rolling her eyes as she dismissed his melodramatics.
“Sorry, Evans, I’m not letting you anywhere near him,” Black told her, the cheery smile merely ironic against the hard determination and animosity in his voice.
“Black, you have called me a bitch twice and are now being very insubordinate and rude. I, on the other hand, have been very polite and even nice through out this unfortunate conversation. Now return the favor and let me talk to Potter.”
The black haired boy leaned in close, his grin even cheekier than it had been before. “No.”
Lily clenched her teeth. “You are insufferable, Black.”
*~*~*~*
Three days later, Lily was still frustrated when it came to talking to Potter. His three friends had run interference so well that if she so much as looked in his direction, they whisked him away.
But she forced herself to shake away all thoughts of a certain messy-haired Gryffindor as she pushed open the door to McGonagall’s office. Her Head of House had requested to speak with her, and Lily was crossing her fingers that it was about some matter relating to her prefect duties. Anything would be preferable to talking about her Transfiguration grade.
“Good afternoon, Professor.”
“Please, sit down.” The gray-haired witch waved Lily to a chair in front of her desk, which the redhead promptly took, not glancing around the office that had by now become very familiar to her. McGonagall took off her spectacles and cleaned them with a section of her robe, and began to speak, focusing Lily’s attention on her teacher’s words and the squeaking sound of cloth rubbing across glass. “As I am sure you are aware, Miss Evans, prefects are required to maintain passing grades in their classes.”
So it’s about both, Lily realize with a sinking feeling. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Your grades in my class, while never stellar, have been fairly steady up until last year.” McGonagall peered through her glasses to see if they were clean enough, then continued speaking. “Now, I understand that everyone is distracted with this madman running around killing people, and you have even more to worry about, being Muggleborn. But you are also a prefect. You are required to perform at a standard higher than most other students. I expect you to do so, both in behavior and academically.
“Now, this year you have passed two of my exams and failed one. You passed one with flying colors, and the other just barely.” She fixed Lily with her gaze. “Miss, Evans, am I supposed to expect this up and down performance from you on my exams?”
Lily shook her head mutely.
“Good. Now, you got a ninety-one percent on your second exam. There is no reason why you shouldn’t continue performing at that level. I understand Mr. Potter has been helping you?”
Lily blinked at the sudden change of topic. “Yes, but we’re not really talking right now.”
McGonagall gave her a long look, then said, “I expect that you will do something about that soon. We’re having another exam in less than two weeks.”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m trying.” The redhead hesitated, then added, “I’m having a hard time getting through his friends to see him.”
Her professor frowned, then said, “I believe that Mr. Potter has Quidditch practice scheduled right now. I doubt Mssrs. Black, Pettigrew, and Lupin attend every practice their friend holds.”
Lily nodded. “Thank you, Professor.”
She did find the Gryffindor team out on the Quidditch pitch, practicing hard for the upcoming game. Instead of interrupting their practice, she decided to sit in the stands and wait. Better to start her conversation with Potter off with him feeling as non-mad as possible.
He came over within minutes of her arranging herself in the stands. “Towler thought you were a Slytherin spy,” he said by way of greeting, floating several feet above her on his broom. “What do you want?”
“I was hoping to talk to you,” she said.
“It’ll have to wait,” he answered coldly. “I have a practice to run.”
“I’ll wait,” Lily replied.
He hesitated then said, “Have fun.” After that, he flew back to his team, leaving her alone in the stands. She didn’t mind, really, she told herself. He had every right to be mad at her - even if his question had been a bit of the prying nature. And she could hardly expect him to rearrange his life to suit hers, even if - especially since - he’d done so in the past to a certain degree.
So instead, she stayed. In the stands, in a Muggle jumper, jeans, and trainers, the banners for Gryffindor behind her, she watched the team, bright red against the darkening sky, flit around in the drills he ran them through.
No slacking or goofing off here, she noted, just hard work and the occasional teasing remark. His teammates respected him, something she had never considered during the rare moments she contemplated the oddity that was James Potter. Blind hero worship, maybe, or admiration and envy for the many pranks he pulled off, but not respect. And certainly not the kind of respect that had them going through practice drills again and again.
They looked good, focused, and she made a note to put ten galleons on Gryffindor for the next game.
Practice certainly lasted a while, she realized after glancing at her wristwatch and discovering that two hours had passed since she’d talked to McGonagall. But it looked like it was finally done - two players had gone shooting off towards the broomshed still on their brooms, and the others had landed and were walking in the same direction without even a backwards glance at her.
She left the stands, followed the Quidditch players to the broomshed, and plunked herself down just outside the door. If she had to, she’d take a leaf from Potter’s book and harass him until he listened to her, hopefully meeting with more success than he had with her. She grimaced. Serves you right, you silly girl. Who knew it would actually be important to listen to Potter?
“’Lo, Evans.” Potter finally came out of the practice shed, hair wet and dressed in Muggle clothes instead of his practice uniform.
“What, do you guys have a shower in there or something?” she asked, standing up to crane her neck around him to catch a glimpse of what was inside.
“Or something. You wanted to talk to me?” he said, only the faintest glimmer of a smirk lurking around the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah.” She knew what she wanted to say, but couldn’t. Their roles had shifted, flipped entirely, so that she was the supplicant and he was the one in control. For once, he had something she wanted, instead of the other way around. She didn’t like the feeling, not one bit.
He raised an eyebrow, and she knew that she would have laughed had it been anyone else. But this was Potter, someone she had never liked, and he was the one with the power in this conversation. “I wanted to say I’m sorry,” she finally muttered, unable to keep eye contact with him.
“What was that?” She raised her head to see him standing there, looking so incredibly cheeky with his bright grin and his dancing eyes. “Did the flawless Lily Evans just apologize?”
“Potter.”
“Please, once more with feeling. Let me relish this moment that will never come again,” he said, grinning.
“I’m sorry,” she said, louder and more clearly.
All of a sudden she was smushed against his chest, his arms tightly wrapped around her, her own arms glued to her side, unable to move. Just as quickly, she was released, and Potter was grinning again. “Thanks, Evans. So what did you really want to talk about?” he asked, turning to walk towards the castle.
“Just like that - we’re good?” she asked, stunned at the quick transformation of their relationship back into something that wasn’t painful.
Potter shrugged. “Well, if you want, I can probably think up some uncomfortable tasks for you to do to make it up to me.”
“I think I’ll pass.”
“Thought you might. What, you want to talk about what happened? Isn’t that why we were fighting in the first place?”
“I thought you would have me grovel a bit more. After all, how do you know what I was apologizing for?”
Potter laughed. “Sometimes you think too hard about things, Evans. I’m good. Now that you’ve apologized, I apologize for being a nosy prat who thinks everybody else’s business is my own - oh, and I apologize for Black. I’m sure he said some things that weren’t so flattering.”
“What, he doesn’t tell you everything?”
“We do have some secrets, though not many,” Potter replied.
Lily laughed. “You guys are pretty close.”
“You could say that. We’re practically brothers.”
They were practically to Hogwarts and she hung back. After a quick, confused glance over his shoulder, Potter followed suit. “What is it, Evans?”
She didn’t say anything, didn’t know what to say. Finally, “Everyone’s been telling me how great you are - or at least implying it. Marlene, Frank, Professor McGonagall - they all think that I should be nicer to you.”
“What are you saying - that you’re willing to be friends with me because someone else told you to?” Potter didn’t sound too happy about that.
“Not exactly. More, I wonder where we’d be if you hadn’t cut my braid off during the Sorting Ceremony first year,” she mused.
Potter laughed. “That was pretty funny - even if you did try to kill me for the rest of the year.”
“It wasn’t funny, Potter. I was a poor, traumatized little First Year with hair cut like a boy’s!”
“Until you discovered the spell to help you grow it out and then used it on me,” he pointed out.
She giggled at the reminder. “Madame Pomfrey had to charm a pair of scissors to not stop cutting your hair until she found the counterspell.”
“Which only took her about six hours.”
“Do you think we’d be different if you hadn’t decided to pick on me that first day?” she asked.
“Probably,” Potter said, shrugging. Then he looked at her, as if realizing what she was going at. “Are you saying that you want to start over - just put everything behind us and start completely over?”
She blushed. “You think it’s stupid.”
“No, not at all.” He stuck his hand out to her. “Hi, I’m James Potter. I play Quidditch for Gryffindor. Who are you?”
“Lily Evans. I’m a prefect for Gryffindor,” she replied, taking his hand firmly in her own and shaking it.
*~*~*~*
Please read and review. :D I am still in need of a beta reader come the end of August, so if you're interested (details found here) please let me know.
Author: Laliath (aka dancinggoldfish/Irelynne/Anya)
Rating: T/M (language, thematic elements later on)
Timeframe: MWPP
Summary: Lily Evans is a prefect who happens to have a lot on her plate: her sister's getting married to a jerk, James Potter won't leave her alone, and there are way too many rumors going around. Just one of those would be bad enough, two would be hell, but three is unimaginable torture. Good thing she's capable of holding her own, and perhaps things will turn out to not be as bad as she thinks.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, objects, spells, places, etc. belong to JKR. I just happen to be playing in her sandbox.
Notes: Multi-chapter fic. The lovely aseret789 did a fantastic job beta-ing this chapter!
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6
Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12
Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | TBA
*~*~*~*
“Hey, Lily.”
The redhead turned when Marlene called her name. “Hey, Marlene,” she returned.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” the blond girl asked quietly, fingers playing with the strap of her bag.
“Sure,” Lily said, a bit surprised by the request.
Marlene waited until they had left the Potions classroom and Hogwarts behind them and were strolling towards the lake. “What do you think of James?”
“James?” the redhead asked blankly.
“Yes, James Potter. What do you think of him?” Marlene asked with exasperation.
Lily shrugged. “He hasn’t dumped goop or water balloons on me lately, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Marlene made a sound of frustration deep in her throat. “What do you think of him as a person? He is one of those too, you know.”
The redhead shrugged again. “I don’t know. Previous experience tells me he’s a lazy prat, but he hasn’t been that terrible recently. Why?”
“Lily-” Marlene let herself trail off for a second before finally saying, “I want you to give him a chance; he really is a swell bloke.”
The redhead eyed her friend suspiciously. “What, did he elect you his campaign manager?”
Marlene flushed. “No, I’m just his friend. Just give him a chance, Lily, please?”
“That’s all I ever do, Marlene. I’m always giving Potter another chance, and he always blows it. And since when are you friends with him?”
“Maybe he won’t this time,” her friend pointed out, ignoring the second part of Lily’s question.
“Most likely he will,” Lily countered heatedly.
“He’s grown up now. He’s not the same arse he was before,” Marlene said, her voice rising just like Lily’s.
“I’ve seen very little evidence of that,” Lily retorted coldly. “I only see the same immature git he’s always been.”
“Lily! That’s not true and you know it! You admitted it!” Marlene protested.
The redhead’s shoulders stiffened and she opened her mouth to say something in return. But then her shoulders slowly relaxed and she asked, voice slow and measured, “Why are we fighting over a toerag like Potter?”
That got a bark of laughter out of her friend. “Good question.”
The crisis was averted. Lily bent and selected a smooth flat rock from the many covering the lake’s shore. When she tossed it out over the shining water, it bounced once, twice, a third time before sinking. Marlene joined in her game, each girl silently trying to skip her rock further.
“What did you think of the history test this morning?” Marlene asked after her arms had grown tired and they had flung their bodies down on the grass under the tree.
Lily gratefully welcomed the new shift in conversation. “It was a beast, as always,” she said with a bright grin as she rolled onto her back on the drying grass.
Marlene laughed. “And that question about the goblin rebellion in 1612! Who cares where it was anyway! That was absolutely unfair!”
“Mh-mmm,” Lily mumbled noncommittally as her eyelids drifted closed under the cool light of the autumn afternoon.
Her lack of an exclamation drew Marlene’s attention. “I bet you knew the answer to it, didn’t you?”
“The inn at Hogsmeade,” the redhead mumbled smugly as she shifted over the grass. A stone was digging into her back, just to the side of her spine.
“You are such a brat, Lily,” Marlene complained.
“My special gift,” Lily retorted quietly.
There was a quick jarring to her shoulder moments later. “You’re not falling asleep on me now, are you?”
“Of course not,” Lily grumbled. “And it’s a good thing I don’t get seasick with the way you’re yanking me about.”
They fell into silence after quiet laughter, and the redhead could feel herself drifting off. Almost like summer, except minus Tunie and that git.
“Hello, ladies,” a cheerful male voice said above them, and Lily cracked open an eyelid to see Frank’s head blocking part of the sun.
“Could you shift over a bit?” she asked. “No, the other way. That way you’ll block the sun. Thank you.”
Frank flopped down on the grass next to the two girls, causing Lily to grumble about terrible friends. “What are you two hellions up to?” he asked.
“Lily’s busy falling asleep,” Marlene offered.
“I am not!” the redhead protested.
“Oh, so you’re just admiring the insides of your eyelids?” Marlene asked.
“You’re one to talk - I distinctly heard you snore a minute ago!”
“I don’t snore!”
“I share a dorm with you, remember?” Lily teased. “You keep us up all night with your racket.”
“I don’t know, Lily. You were making some pretty ferocious noises yourself when I walked up,” Frank pointed out with a grin.
Lily reared up and thumped him on the shoulder. “You are such a liar, Longbottom. See if I ever talk to you again!”
He pulled her against his side, rubbed his knuckles over the top of her head as he kept her trapped. “You’re mad about me, Evans.”
“Driven mad by you, you mean,” Lily corrected, trying to duck her head away from him.
“Such sass from a prefect!” Frank exclaimed, shaking his head. “Young ones have no respect for their elders these days.”
“Oh, go stick your head in the lake,” Lily shot back, finding herself irritated. “Don’t you have some sort of prissy Head duties to take care of?” she demanded.
“I have a cleared schedule for the rest of the day,” he reassured her. “But thank you for the idea.”
“For the i - Frank! Put me down! Put me down now!” she protested loudly as she was flung over his shoulder in the most undignified position ever.
The Head Boy ignored her and continued marching towards the lake. She could catch glimpses of its bright waters as she was jostled on his shoulder, each step bringing them closer to its shores. “Longbottom, put me down now or I swear I’ll hex your face off!”
“Ooh, I’m really scared now, Evans,” he taunted as he clamped a hand down on her leg, preventing her wriggling off - and, she was relieved to note, holding down her fluttering skirt.
“Longbottom, don’t you dare!” she yelled, breathless where his collarbone jammed into her stomach. She twisted and turned as much as she was able to atop his shoulder, pounded his back with her fists. “Don’t you dare throw me in the lake! Put me down!”
“Alright,” he agreed, sliding her down to the ground. She hadn’t quite found her footing when he pressed his hands against her shoulders, and pushed.
Even as her body was tumbling backwards, hands and arms flailing wildly, she was yelling in surprise. She hit the water with a splash, landing hard on her rump against the rocks that covered the bottom of the lake. “Damn it! Longbottom, I’m going to kill you!” she yelled, pushing herself off the bottom and trying to shove herself back onto her feet. Even though the water level wasn’t even up to her knees, the ground was unstable enough, and the water cold enough, that she had a hard time getting up. She slipped once more before managing finally to get to her feet.
Frank was already beginning to back away, she was gratified to note as she stomped towards him as best as she could, water streaming off her body. A crowd had gathered around the lake, and the catcalls began almost immediately as she marched towards the Head Boy. “Nice tits, Evans!” someone - Black - called out, and she blushed bright red, quickly crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to cover them up, prompting groans of disappointment from the males of the crowd.
“Fuck off, Black! And Longbottom, I’m going to kill you! You’re a bloody dead man walking!” Lily shouted.
The crowd suddenly became silent, and then she could hear Professor McGonagall’s rigid voice. “Miss Evans, Mr. Longbottom. I expect to see you in my office immediately. You too, Mr. Black.”
“But Professor - ” Lily protested, plucking at her wet shirt.
“You may change your shirt before you arrive, Miss Evans,” the professor allowed her before turning her fearsome glare on the two boys. “Mr. Black, Mr. Longbottom, march!” They immediately began moving back towards Hogwarts, although Black did allow himself a cheeky grin at Lily, who returned it with a hand gesture none would call polite.
*~*~*~*
Lily dumped her book bag down on the table next to Potter’s books. “Hullo,” he greeted, looking up at her from the parchment he was busy sketching an essay across.
“You too,” she muttered as she concentrated on pulling the books she needed out of the bag.
“Heard you got into some trouble today,” he commented, wisely sliding his eyes back down to his essay.
“Your friend is a menace,” Lily grumbled.
“Which one? I have many,” he replied cheekily.
She gave him a baleful look. “Don’t be cute, Potter. It doesn’t suit you,” she retorted.
“Oh, Sirius.”
“Yes, Sirius. The obnoxious prat.”
She opened her book and concentrated on reviewing the diagrams that explained how to turn a rock into a flying parakeet. Potter sat next to her, silently reviewing his own notes. “So, what happened?” he finally asked.
She slid her eyes over towards him. “What happened with what?”
“With McGonagall earlier.”
“Points off. Now what do I do after the swish and flick?” she asked, wand out in her hand as she tried to decipher the text’s instructions.
He reached out, wrapped his much larger hand around hers. “You drive your wand towards your target and say the incantation,” he said as he demonstrated.
“Alright, let me try,” she said, removing her hand from his as quickly as she could without revealing the uncomfortable feeling she was experiencing. She imitated his gesture, then asked, “Like this?”
“Yes.”
She was relieved when he didn’t press the matter, but instead contented himself with her Transfiguration problems. Finally, Madame Pince came to kick them out of the library, eying Potter carefully. He was the perfect gentlemen, however, helping Lily pack her bag, and even insisting on carrying some of her books for her. I don’t mind him like this, she thought to herself as they walked through the halls toward Gryffindor Tower. Quiet. Not obnoxious or demanding attention.
She snuck a glance at him, only to look away quickly when she got caught looking at him. He was looking straight at her, making no bones about the target of his staring. Red rose up in her cheeks, and irritated by the embarrassment she felt at being caught sneaking peeks, she demanded, “What?”
He shrugged. “Just trying to figure something out.”
“What, the exact number of freckles I have on my nose?”
“Eleven,” he replied without missing a beat, “but no. Something else.”
She waited a second, then said, “Potter, you know I hate mysteries. What is it?”
He ducked his head, finally looking away from her. “Why is it when Longbottom pushed you in the lake, you didn’t care, but if I tried to pull that kind of stunt you’d be pissed as hell at me?
She stared. “I didn’t care? I was threatening Frank with bodily harm!” she exclaimed.
Potter shrugged again. “It’s different and you know it. You were having fun up until the point you landed in the water and even after - well, Longbottom is walking and talking. If I pulled a stunt like that, they’d never find the pieces after you were done with me.”
Now Lily was beginning to wish she’d never asked. “Frank and I are friends.”
Potter’s face tightened into a scowl. “Don’t you think that’s hypocritical, Evans? Just because he’s your friend, behavior you condemn in me is okay for him? You complain about Remus letting us off the hook all the time. How is this different?”
“Oh, like you guys do stuff like that to each other!” she snapped, angry at his judgment.
“Hell, we throw Remus in the lake all the time!” he exclaimed. His hand was in his hair again, pulling at the ends. “You have so many damned rules, Evans. It’s impossible to figure them out, and every time I try to - bugger, I just end up tripping up against some other rule.”
“If I’m so damned impossible and hypocritical, why do you keep trying then?” she shot back.
“Fuck if I know!” he yelled, his hand oscillating between them as if he couldn’t make up his mind about wanting to shake her. She took a step back.
“You know why I won’t go out with you, Potter?” she demanded after taking a deep breath.
“Why don’t you enlighten me, O Merciless Queen?” he retorted. “Let me know exactly what I’m doing wrong, again.”
“Because every time I try to be even remotely friendly with you, I end up in a screaming match with you!”
“Friendly? You wouldn’t know friendly if it bit you in the arse, Evans!” he scoffed. Her jaw dropped, and he slammed past her to the Fat Lady, where he tersely spat the password, then disappeared through the portrait hole.
“I am very friendly, Potter, except to unimaginable arses like you, you obnoxious, arrogant prat!” she raged back as she went through the portrait hole.
“Lily, shut up right now.” Frank appeared from the crowd of people staring at her, the expression on his face about as angry as she had ever seen it.
“But he -”
“I don’t care.” His hand closed about her wrist, and she stumbled, books dropping around her, as he pulled her back to the portrait hole she’d just left. He didn’t say anything else until they were several corridors away from Gryffindor Tower, and then his words were harsh. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Lily?”
She blinked, eyes smarting, as he stepped away from her, raging. “If Professor Dumbledore, or worse McGonagall, catch wind of this, you’ll lose your badge. Fucking hell, Lily, it’s barely four weeks into school, and you’ve already been in three fights. Add in the fact that you’re failing Transfiguration, and you know McGonagall will yank the badge from you! You look like you can’t handle the job and an incompetent prefect is the last thing this school needs, especially now.”
“I’m not incompetent!” she protested hotly.
The angry expression on his face slipped away and he pressed his hands against her upper arms, holding her in place but completely opposite from Potter’s wrangling back and forth about shaking her. “Lily, I know you’re not. There is a reason that you were made prefect last year, and not any of the other girls in your year. You’re smart, compassionate, and levelheaded - except when it comes to Potter and his friends.”
She blushed at the compliment, but frowned at the end. “That’s hardly fair, Frank,” she began.
The Head Boy again cut her off. “Things have gotten even worse between you and those guys this year, and I blame you, Lily.”
“Blame me!? That’s ridiculous, Frank!”
“Shut up, Lily, and let me finish. Black is even more of a wild card this year than last, but you won’t even speak to Remus unless you have to. Same with Pettigrew, and Potter you treat like the gum beneath your shoe despite the favor he’s done you. I’m sure he’d rather be flying than practicing spells.”
Lily frowned. “Hold up, Frank. It’s not a favor, not the way you put it. He’s tutoring me in Transfiguration, and I’m helping him with Charms.”
Frank laughed. “Are you that desperate to think badly of Potter? No offense, but he’s hardly failing Charms, Lily. He’s nearly as good as you are.”
Her jaw dropped for the second time in twenty minutes. “What?!”
“Yep. The bloke is so far gone that he’s willing to spend hours relearning spells he already knows.”
“Potter’s not gone on me!” she protested.
“Then why does he continue to ask you out, even though Black currently despises you and the other two aren’t shouting fans either? Even though you always turn him down as if he were last year’s milk?” Frank challenged.
“To keep his ego in check? Because he knows I won’t say yes?” she suggested even though she knew they weren’t true.
“Don’t be stupid, Lily. Now, you will apologize to Potter - convince him to continue helping you with Transfiguration. You will keep that temper of yours under wraps - I don’t need any more digs from Maloney about keeping Gryffindor prefects under control. You know that she thinks Gryffindors get away with too much already. And furthermore, you will do nothing that is even a toe out of line,” he ordered.
“Frank -,” she tried protesting again.
He took her shoulders again. “Lily, I’m your friend. I like you. I really hate to see you screw things up. Besides, prefect meetings would be boring as hell without you there. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said, pouting a bit.
“Good.” He hugged her briefly, then changed the topic of conversation. “There’s a Hogsmeade weekend coming up.”
She smiled. “Yeah. Want to do something?”
“Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know,” she mused. “Think I look old enough to buy firewhiskey?”
He pretended to step back and examine her. “Hardly. I think you’ve still got a ways to go.”
*~*~*~*
Potter wasn’t in the common room when they got back and Lily felt a wave of nervousness hit her as she scanned the room for his friends. It got even worse as she walked over to them after spotting them.
Black’s smile got ugly as she approached. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Evans the bitch?”
“I can dock points for language, Black,” she warned.
He shrugged, clearly not caring, and turned his back on her.
She looked to Lupin, whom she had the most rapport with, not that that was saying much, and asked, “Would you ask him to come down here, please?”
“Depends on who you mean by ‘he’,” Pettigrew cut in firmly.
Hell, this can’t be good. Pettigrew is never this confrontational, she thought to herself before pasting her best ‘do what I say because I’m a prefect and in charge’ expression on her face. “I would like to speak to Potter, if you don’t mind.”
“Actually, we do,” Black said fiercely as he turned to face her again. “James Potter is one of my best friends. After everything he’s done for me, the least I can do is keep a cold-hearted bitch away from him.”
“I just want to talk to him, alright?” she said, rolling her eyes as she dismissed his melodramatics.
“Sorry, Evans, I’m not letting you anywhere near him,” Black told her, the cheery smile merely ironic against the hard determination and animosity in his voice.
“Black, you have called me a bitch twice and are now being very insubordinate and rude. I, on the other hand, have been very polite and even nice through out this unfortunate conversation. Now return the favor and let me talk to Potter.”
The black haired boy leaned in close, his grin even cheekier than it had been before. “No.”
Lily clenched her teeth. “You are insufferable, Black.”
*~*~*~*
Three days later, Lily was still frustrated when it came to talking to Potter. His three friends had run interference so well that if she so much as looked in his direction, they whisked him away.
But she forced herself to shake away all thoughts of a certain messy-haired Gryffindor as she pushed open the door to McGonagall’s office. Her Head of House had requested to speak with her, and Lily was crossing her fingers that it was about some matter relating to her prefect duties. Anything would be preferable to talking about her Transfiguration grade.
“Good afternoon, Professor.”
“Please, sit down.” The gray-haired witch waved Lily to a chair in front of her desk, which the redhead promptly took, not glancing around the office that had by now become very familiar to her. McGonagall took off her spectacles and cleaned them with a section of her robe, and began to speak, focusing Lily’s attention on her teacher’s words and the squeaking sound of cloth rubbing across glass. “As I am sure you are aware, Miss Evans, prefects are required to maintain passing grades in their classes.”
So it’s about both, Lily realize with a sinking feeling. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Your grades in my class, while never stellar, have been fairly steady up until last year.” McGonagall peered through her glasses to see if they were clean enough, then continued speaking. “Now, I understand that everyone is distracted with this madman running around killing people, and you have even more to worry about, being Muggleborn. But you are also a prefect. You are required to perform at a standard higher than most other students. I expect you to do so, both in behavior and academically.
“Now, this year you have passed two of my exams and failed one. You passed one with flying colors, and the other just barely.” She fixed Lily with her gaze. “Miss, Evans, am I supposed to expect this up and down performance from you on my exams?”
Lily shook her head mutely.
“Good. Now, you got a ninety-one percent on your second exam. There is no reason why you shouldn’t continue performing at that level. I understand Mr. Potter has been helping you?”
Lily blinked at the sudden change of topic. “Yes, but we’re not really talking right now.”
McGonagall gave her a long look, then said, “I expect that you will do something about that soon. We’re having another exam in less than two weeks.”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m trying.” The redhead hesitated, then added, “I’m having a hard time getting through his friends to see him.”
Her professor frowned, then said, “I believe that Mr. Potter has Quidditch practice scheduled right now. I doubt Mssrs. Black, Pettigrew, and Lupin attend every practice their friend holds.”
Lily nodded. “Thank you, Professor.”
She did find the Gryffindor team out on the Quidditch pitch, practicing hard for the upcoming game. Instead of interrupting their practice, she decided to sit in the stands and wait. Better to start her conversation with Potter off with him feeling as non-mad as possible.
He came over within minutes of her arranging herself in the stands. “Towler thought you were a Slytherin spy,” he said by way of greeting, floating several feet above her on his broom. “What do you want?”
“I was hoping to talk to you,” she said.
“It’ll have to wait,” he answered coldly. “I have a practice to run.”
“I’ll wait,” Lily replied.
He hesitated then said, “Have fun.” After that, he flew back to his team, leaving her alone in the stands. She didn’t mind, really, she told herself. He had every right to be mad at her - even if his question had been a bit of the prying nature. And she could hardly expect him to rearrange his life to suit hers, even if - especially since - he’d done so in the past to a certain degree.
So instead, she stayed. In the stands, in a Muggle jumper, jeans, and trainers, the banners for Gryffindor behind her, she watched the team, bright red against the darkening sky, flit around in the drills he ran them through.
No slacking or goofing off here, she noted, just hard work and the occasional teasing remark. His teammates respected him, something she had never considered during the rare moments she contemplated the oddity that was James Potter. Blind hero worship, maybe, or admiration and envy for the many pranks he pulled off, but not respect. And certainly not the kind of respect that had them going through practice drills again and again.
They looked good, focused, and she made a note to put ten galleons on Gryffindor for the next game.
Practice certainly lasted a while, she realized after glancing at her wristwatch and discovering that two hours had passed since she’d talked to McGonagall. But it looked like it was finally done - two players had gone shooting off towards the broomshed still on their brooms, and the others had landed and were walking in the same direction without even a backwards glance at her.
She left the stands, followed the Quidditch players to the broomshed, and plunked herself down just outside the door. If she had to, she’d take a leaf from Potter’s book and harass him until he listened to her, hopefully meeting with more success than he had with her. She grimaced. Serves you right, you silly girl. Who knew it would actually be important to listen to Potter?
“’Lo, Evans.” Potter finally came out of the practice shed, hair wet and dressed in Muggle clothes instead of his practice uniform.
“What, do you guys have a shower in there or something?” she asked, standing up to crane her neck around him to catch a glimpse of what was inside.
“Or something. You wanted to talk to me?” he said, only the faintest glimmer of a smirk lurking around the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah.” She knew what she wanted to say, but couldn’t. Their roles had shifted, flipped entirely, so that she was the supplicant and he was the one in control. For once, he had something she wanted, instead of the other way around. She didn’t like the feeling, not one bit.
He raised an eyebrow, and she knew that she would have laughed had it been anyone else. But this was Potter, someone she had never liked, and he was the one with the power in this conversation. “I wanted to say I’m sorry,” she finally muttered, unable to keep eye contact with him.
“What was that?” She raised her head to see him standing there, looking so incredibly cheeky with his bright grin and his dancing eyes. “Did the flawless Lily Evans just apologize?”
“Potter.”
“Please, once more with feeling. Let me relish this moment that will never come again,” he said, grinning.
“I’m sorry,” she said, louder and more clearly.
All of a sudden she was smushed against his chest, his arms tightly wrapped around her, her own arms glued to her side, unable to move. Just as quickly, she was released, and Potter was grinning again. “Thanks, Evans. So what did you really want to talk about?” he asked, turning to walk towards the castle.
“Just like that - we’re good?” she asked, stunned at the quick transformation of their relationship back into something that wasn’t painful.
Potter shrugged. “Well, if you want, I can probably think up some uncomfortable tasks for you to do to make it up to me.”
“I think I’ll pass.”
“Thought you might. What, you want to talk about what happened? Isn’t that why we were fighting in the first place?”
“I thought you would have me grovel a bit more. After all, how do you know what I was apologizing for?”
Potter laughed. “Sometimes you think too hard about things, Evans. I’m good. Now that you’ve apologized, I apologize for being a nosy prat who thinks everybody else’s business is my own - oh, and I apologize for Black. I’m sure he said some things that weren’t so flattering.”
“What, he doesn’t tell you everything?”
“We do have some secrets, though not many,” Potter replied.
Lily laughed. “You guys are pretty close.”
“You could say that. We’re practically brothers.”
They were practically to Hogwarts and she hung back. After a quick, confused glance over his shoulder, Potter followed suit. “What is it, Evans?”
She didn’t say anything, didn’t know what to say. Finally, “Everyone’s been telling me how great you are - or at least implying it. Marlene, Frank, Professor McGonagall - they all think that I should be nicer to you.”
“What are you saying - that you’re willing to be friends with me because someone else told you to?” Potter didn’t sound too happy about that.
“Not exactly. More, I wonder where we’d be if you hadn’t cut my braid off during the Sorting Ceremony first year,” she mused.
Potter laughed. “That was pretty funny - even if you did try to kill me for the rest of the year.”
“It wasn’t funny, Potter. I was a poor, traumatized little First Year with hair cut like a boy’s!”
“Until you discovered the spell to help you grow it out and then used it on me,” he pointed out.
She giggled at the reminder. “Madame Pomfrey had to charm a pair of scissors to not stop cutting your hair until she found the counterspell.”
“Which only took her about six hours.”
“Do you think we’d be different if you hadn’t decided to pick on me that first day?” she asked.
“Probably,” Potter said, shrugging. Then he looked at her, as if realizing what she was going at. “Are you saying that you want to start over - just put everything behind us and start completely over?”
She blushed. “You think it’s stupid.”
“No, not at all.” He stuck his hand out to her. “Hi, I’m James Potter. I play Quidditch for Gryffindor. Who are you?”
“Lily Evans. I’m a prefect for Gryffindor,” she replied, taking his hand firmly in her own and shaking it.
*~*~*~*
Please read and review. :D I am still in need of a beta reader come the end of August, so if you're interested (details found here) please let me know.