This was the start of the end of so many things, James realized as they arrived at Hogwarts. His last year. This was the last Welcome Banquet he would attend. Soon after that would be his last Halloween at Hogwarts, his last Christmas, his last Quidditch game…
He paused as they neared the Great Hall, stopping just short of the entranceway. Remus stopped alongside, looking at him quizzically, while Sirius, characteristically, didn’t notice, and walked right into James, jostling him from behind. Lily drew up along his other side, gently touching his arm. “You okay?” she asked.
Looking down at her, he grinned, and nodded. Despite it being the end of so much, this was the first first-night feast he would begin with Lily Evans at his side, and there was something to be said for that.
---
“I’m so full,” Remus said, leaning back and putting a hand on his stomach.
“Ah, come on, Moony,” Sirius said with a grin. “I bet you could wolf down a little more.”
Remus looked at him impassively for a moment, then bared his teeth in a mock snarl.
Sirius chuckled. “Atta boy,” he said. “But if you’re really too full, I’ll finish off that treacle tart for you…”
“Same thing every year,” Remus said, laughing, as he passed his plate across the table.
“This is the last welcome-back banquet where Padfoot will finish Moony’s dessert,” Peter said mournfully from Sirius’s side, and both Sirius and Remus groaned and threw their napkins at him.
“Please tell me you won’t be doing that all year,” Sirius begged.
James, who had been thinking the exact same thing as Peter, marked an invisible tally in the air. “First time this year that Sirius asks Peter to stop talking about last times,” he said.
“You watch yourself now, I’m going to get all choked up,” Sirius deadpanned.
“Don’t worry about it, Padfoot. I was there this summer when my mother surprised you with breakfast in bed, I’ve seen you get emotional before…”
“I had something in my eye! I’ve told you that a thousand times!”
“He teared up, I swear,” James said conspiratorially to Lily.
“You know, Prongs,” Sirius said, switching topics. “Spreading rumors? On the first day? That isn’t really Head Boy behavior, is it? Better be careful, they’ll revoke your badge!”
James, to the surprise of everyone at the table, blushed, and looked down. Looking startled at the sudden lack of opposition, Sirius opened his mouth again, but closed it as Remus kicked him under the table and shook his head once.
There was a brief awkward silence, as Lily, Sirius, Peter, and Remus all looked at each other and James picked up his fork and started playing with it. Then Sirius gave a low whistle and Remus said forcefully, “So, everyone get my pictures this summer?”
The other three rushed to answer his question, but James tuned them out. Sirius was right, he thought. He wasn’t Head Boy material…maybe they should revoke his badge, if that was even possible. It might even make him feel better”except for that tiny bit of pride he felt niggling at him when he looked at the badge.
And there was Lily to consider, too. Things seemed to be going in the right direction, and even if she hadn’t leapt instantly into his arms and declared her undying devotion and her intense desire to be his girlfriend, well, he could wait a little while longer. But surely his being Head Boy, his having some semblance of maturity and responsibility, would help tip the scales in his favor.
But still…what did he know about being Head Boy, really? Inwardly, he cursed the badge on his chest for tarnishing his last first evening back.
James’s internal struggles kept him occupied throughout Dumbledore’s speech to the school. It wasn’t until all of the students in the Great Hall got to their feet and began moving towards the dorms that he realized the headmaster had even finished speaking, and he leapt to his feet, slightly panicked. His school letter had asked him to report to Dumbledore’s office half an hour after the feast, and he wanted to get there before the Head Girl”he had some things to discuss with Dumbledore.
“I’ll be up in a little bit,” he muttered to Remus, who was closest. Remus looked worried, but nodded as James started elbowing his way through the packed group of people.
“What the bloody hell was that all about?” Sirius hissed, and Remus shook his head.
“No idea,” he said sadly. “But that’s no way to start a year.”
“Especially our last one!”
“Hey!” Peter interjected. “I thought we weren’t doing last-year-things?”
Sirius smiled softly and clapped him on the shoulder. “Time and place, Wormtail,” he said. “Time and place.”
---
It took James several minutes to fight his way through the crowd of eager students, but once he was out into an empty corridor, he broke into a dead run, sprinting towards the headmaster’s office. Panting, he spat out the password he had been given in his letter (“Sugar Quills”) and then bolted up the spiral staircase.
He had half expected to beat Dumbledore to his office, but when he burst through the door, the headmaster was seated calmly at his desk, his long fingertips touching.
“Ah, Mr. Potter,” Dumbledore said calmly. “You’re early.”
“Yeah,” James said a little awkwardly. “Yeah, I…I wanted to ask…”
He trailed off, and in the ensuing silence, Dumbledore regarded him thoughtfully.
“I assume,” he said after a moment, “that you have some questions regarding your appointment as Head Boy.”
James nodded. “It’s just,” he said slowly, “just a little…unexpected? And, well, I know who I am. I don’t have the most responsible track record. And I guess I’m just nervous that I have this badge because I’m supposed to…well, change.”
To his surprise, Dumbledore smiled. “No,” he said, his blue eyes twinkling over the edges of his glasses, “no, it isn’t that at all. I take the Head Boy and Girl decision-making process very seriously, Mr. Potter. It’s not a position that I would grant in order to teach a lesson.”
He paused, surveying James even more thoroughly. James shifted softly, feeling slightly ashamed and wondering if this was Dumbledore’s intention. Just as he was about to speak, however, Dumbledore continued, saying, “The decision this year was a hard one. I picked you because you are a leader, and I thought that it would be beneficial to give you a place to develop that skill off of the Quidditch pitch. And while your more mischievous antics have not gone unnoticed, all of the other professors and myself have noticed a change in you over the past year, and a stronger sense of maturity. You possess all of the qualities that a Hogwarts Head Boy needs, Mr. Potter, and I stand by my decision.”
James, for all that he had been teasing Sirius about being emotional not long earlier, suddenly found himself unable to speak. He nodded briskly as Dumbledore’s smile widened. “And also,” the headmaster added, sounding a bit like a mischievous schoolboy himself, “I thought that the position might help you out where a certain Head Girl is concerned.”
Puzzled, James frowned. “Head Girl,” he started to ask, “what do you””
“Sorry, Professor, am I late?” came a familiar voice from the doorway, and James whipped around, his jaw dropping, as Lily Evans strolled forward to stand beside him.
“Not at all, Ms. Evans,” Dumbledore said smoothly. “Mr. Potter was simply early.”
“Head Girl, huh?” James muttered to her. “Could have mentioned that earlier.”
“It was too much fun watching you squirm,” Lily said sweetly.
James, aware that Dumbledore was watching them both, bit back a retort; he was grinning, however, as he and Lily both faced the headmaster.
“I’ve called you both here to, primarily, congratulate you on your appointments,” Dumbledore said, looking at them with a fair bit of mirth in his eyes, “and remind you that, as Head Boy and Girl, you are expected to uphold both the values of Hogwarts and of Gryffindor House. Your duties will involve supervising the prefects and patrolling the corridors on a regular basis, together or separately. I expect, Mr. Potter, that you especially will have no difficulty finding your way around the castle at night?”
James gave a snort of laughter. “I don’t think so, sir, no,” he said, trying to regain his composure.
“And I hope that neither of you will hesitate to come to me with any questions you may have,” Dumbledore finished.
After they both assured him that they wouldn’t, Dumbledore bid them a goodnight and ushered them from his study. James waited until they were a decent distance from the headmaster’s office before turning to Lily.
“Head Girl?” he cried, half-shouting and half-laughing.
Lily held up her hands. “I’m sorry,” she said, but she couldn’t stop grinning. “I realized you didn’t know, and it was just too good of an opportunity…I mean, I only had so long to tease you before you found out that I had no right.”
James groaned. “You barely had a right anyway, Miss Perpetual Prefect.”
Lily winced, and then looked at him impishly. “You have to admit,” she said, “I wasn’t quite so straitlaced last year…honestly, I was surprised that Dumbledore picked me.”
“Much less me!” James finished for her. “Apparently he thinks we’ve been good influences on each other.”
Lily rolled her eyes as they set off towards Gryffindor Tower together. “Apparently,” she said. “What were you doing there so early anyway?”
James shrugged. “Oh, nothing,” he said. In the short time it had been since he had found out that Lily was the Head Girl, James had already started viewing his own position of Head Boy with more cheer. “But you know, I think Dumbledore knows what he’s doing, appointing us Head Boy and Girl.”
“You think?” Lily asked, and James nodded solemnly.
“Well,” he said, “clearly he wants us to shake things up a little.”
“Right,” Lily said sarcastically. “Because it’s not like ‘upholding the rules’ is in the job description or anything.”
“Oh we can still uphold the rules,” James assured her. “We’ll just do it creatively.”
Lily chuckled. “Sirius is going to love this,” she said dryly.
---
“You know,” Sirius said one afternoon their first week back, “I think sixth year was harder.”
James, who was scratching out the end of a Transfiguration essay, smirked and said, “Tell that to Wormtail.”
They both looked across the room where Peter was nose-deep in a Charms book, his brow so heavily furrowed that James worried it might stick that way. Remus, who was seated next to him, trying to help, looked frustrated.
“Oh, that,” Sirius said, flapping a hand at them. “He’s always had trouble with classes. And he hasn’t had a mental breakdown yet, so it’s clearly easier than the sixth year.”
“It’s the first week,” James laughed. “He hasn’t had time to have a mental breakdown.”
“Don’t you remember fifth year?” Sirius asked solemnly. “He had three in the first week.”
“Well that was O.W.L. year,” James reasoned. “We all had them at some point.”
“This is N.E.W.T. year though,” Sirius shrugged. “I’m just saying. It doesn’t compare.”
“Oh yeah,” James said vaguely. “I’d forgotten.”
“Exactly,” Sirius said. “No one ever let us forget about O.W.L.s.”
“Huh,” James said thoughtfully, setting down his quill. “You have a point.”
Sirius looked smug for a moment, but then he peered across the table to James’s parchment. “Prongs,” he said, sounding suddenly worried, “did you just finish that essay?”
“For Transfiguration?” James asked, looking down at it. “Yep.”
“It’s not due until Monday!” Sirius said, horrified.
“So?”
“So it’s only Thursday!”
“Relax, Padfoot,” James said. “I’m just getting a little bit ahead. I wanted to start Quidditch practices this weekend.”
“Are you prioritizing?” Sirius asked. “Merlin, James, you’re getting all responsible on me.”
“No I’m not!” James said, sounding offended. Sirius looked pointedly at the completed essay, and one corner of James’s mouth came up in a half smile. “Only a little,” he said.
“I never would have believed it,” said Sirius mournfully. “But uh, if you’re really done, want to let me see that essay?”
The other half of James’s mouth twitched up. “That would be cheating,” he said dryly, but he pushed his essay towards Sirius.
“Thanks,” Sirius said unabashedly, unrolling. “So where is she, anyway?”
“Where’s who?” James asked absentmindedly, putting his quill away.
“Our Miss Lily the-reason-James-does-his-homework-four-days-early Evans.”
“You should start calling her that,” James advised dryly, before adding, “She’s upstairs, taking care of a situation.”
Sirius arched an eyebrow. “A situation? In the girls’ dormitory? And you didn’t offer to help?”
“She said she could handle it,” James grinned. “Besides, we can’t get up there, or don’t you remember?”
“Well I thought you might be able to,” Sirius groused. “There’s no point in being Head Boy if you don’t even get special privileges. What’s the situation anyway?”
“A few second years got hit with a Hair Growth Charm. It’s growing so fast they can’t really walk, so Lily’s up in their dorm helping them cut it off and Vanish it before they suffocate. Madame Pomfrey should be here soon.”
Sirius snorted. “That sounds like the prank I would have pulled in the third or the fourth year.”
“No kidding,” James said. “Actually, we were kind of thinking you did do it this time.”
“What?” yelped Sirius. “Really? How many times do I have to tell you that I have subtlety now?”
“Okay!” James said, laughing again. “Okay! I was just checking! I mean, it is our last year. You could just be blowing off steam.”
“Well it wasn’t me,” Sirius huffed. “I would have thought of something cleverer than that.”
“Point taken,” James said, and bent to rummage through his bag. When he glanced back up again, Sirius was staring at him intently.
“What?” James asked, slightly alarmed.
Sirius blinked. “So,” he said after a moment, “speaking of Lily””
“Were we?” James said vaguely, cutting him off, and Sirius sighed.
“Don’t play dumb,” he commanded, and James gave a half-hearted smile in spite of himself. “Are you dating now or what?” Sirius continued bluntly.
James leaned forward and rested his forehead on the table. “I don’t know,” he said, his voice slightly muffled. “Ask her.”
“Really?” Sirius asked. “Because I will.”
James groaned and looked back up. “No, not really,” he said. “As much as I’d like to know what’s going through her head right now.”
Sirius shrugged. “So ask her,” he said simply.
“I can’t, Padfoot,” James said. “I have to give her time to figure things out.”
“Oh, whatever,” Sirius said, scowling. She’s had like, three months to figure things out. She’s figured. She’s just stalling now.”
“But why?” James asked, sounding slightly panicked. “You don’t think she’s trying to figure out how to let me down easily?”
Sirius looked at him for a long moment, and then set down his quill. “Okay,” he said, with some finality. “First of all, she’s never exactly had a problem letting you down in the past, easily or not. Don’t you remember that whole I’d-rather-go-out-with-the-giant-squid thing?”
“No, I’d forgotten,” James said drily. “Thanks for that.”
“Second,” Sirius continued, ignoring the interruption, “I saw her kiss you at the train station in June, which means that, despite your really annoying unwillingness to talk about that all summer, I know that something happened between the two of you. And while it’s the most progress you’ve ever made, it probably means that she’s feeling very confused, hence the stalling. But don’t worry mate, I think you’ve got a chance.” He leaned back in his chair, looking smug.
James started at him openmouthed. “It’s weird when you’re perceptive,” he said finally.
“Don’t ever make me walk you through this again,” Sirius said. Then he looked up and grinned wolfishly. “Hey there, Evans,” he said.
James jumped and swiveled around. “How long have you been standing there?” he demanded.
“I just got here, why?” Lily said, sounding slightly out of breath but looking at him suspiciously.
“No reason,” James said innocently, looking her over. Her face was flushed, her hair a red tangle, and her robes slightly askew. “How are the second-years?”
Lily frowned slightly. “Oh they’re fine,” she said. “Madame Pomfrey came up ages ago. But just as I was leaving them, I ran into a third-year who’d sprouted a tail, and I had to take care of that too.”
Both James and Sirius sniggered at that, and Lily’s frown deepened. “It’s not funny,” she said hotly. “I know accidents and tricks are daily life around here, but this is getting excessive. I’ve talked to some of the Prefects in other houses, and none of them are having this kind of trouble…I’m started to wonder if we’re being targeted.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Sirius said. “Who’d go around jinxing a bunch of random people just for the fun of it?”
“Uh,” James said, seeing where this was going and turning scarlet, “well, Padfoot…”
“You would,” Lily finished for him, one eyebrow raised. “You have. Come on, Sirius, just admit it.”
“I’m not doing it!” Sirius bellowed, standing up and planting a fist on the table. “For the last time, I have nothing to do with any of it! And why are you accusing me of all this and not James, hm? He hexed just as many people as I did back in the day.”
James and Lily exchanged glances”Lily’s uncomfortable, James’s wry”and seeing this, Sirius scoffed. “Prefect’s pet,” he sniffed towards James.
“That’s Head Girl to you,” Lily said smoothly, flicking him on the side of the head as he sat down.
“Don’t I know it,” said Sirius.