Just What I Needed

Chapter 2

Train Wreck (In A Way)

A quarter of an hour later Lily couldn't believe herself. Why, why, did she opt to stay here with James Potter and Sirius Black? Why didn't she realize that she would so much rather be by herself than talk to two people so full of themselves?

Actually, it hadn't been that bad at first. Sirius and James had mostly talked to each other, though the conversation had always been open to her, about their summer holiday adventures, which Lily actually found amusing to listen to. The only problem was that James had kept staring at her. Normally she would have told him off or hit him or walked away when he bugged her, but this was different. She couldn't get mad at him for just looking at her; it would be too rude after she said she would stay. But she felt very uncomfortable under the gaze of his electric blue eyes, for she couldn't look up without making eye contact with him. And the whole time he just carried on his conversation with Sirius. She found that the only safe place she could look, was at Sirius. So then, he began talking to her.

"How was your summer, Evans?"

"Oh, um," she said, caught off guard, "you know, pretty relaxing. I went on holiday to some beached in the south of England."

"You know what? James here lives in the south of England," replied Sirius with a small smile, "you probably were right near him." Ah! Stupid Sirius! Now she had to talk to James, it would only be polite since the conversation had been directed at him. Lily let her manners slip a lot with James, but she did value politeness a lot.

""Do you like it down there, James?" she felt this would be a pretty safe topic.

"Oh, sure, it's the best. I live right near a beach, so I've been surfing since I was about four years old. Normally, people don't start that early- it would be too dangerous. But I was especially gifted," James said like it was no big deal, ruffling his hair and looking very cocky.

"Oh, really?" Lily asked sarcastically, "You never thought your phenomenal surfing talent might be due to the fact that your parents, a witch and wizard, were standing right on shore?" Bye, bye manners! Lily didn't care if she was being rude. He was so arrogant, and the worst part was, he really though it would attract her.

"Well, they might have helped, Evans, but I went out by myself a lot when I was just a bit older, so they couldn't have helped then, could they? Oh, and not to brag, but I'm pretty bloody great even by wizard standards. It's probably why I'm such a good flyer. Same sort of movement..." And so the arrogance continued. Well, it least he wasn't staring at her so much anymore. She managed to tune him out and wait for other people to board the train.

She couldn't wait to see her friends, who were the best a girl could have. Bridget was boisterous, loud, and had a great sense of humor. She was tall and athletic, with short golden blond hair, and brilliant blue eyes. Constantly upbeat, she put keeping her friends happy at the top of her priorities. She was a chaser on the Gryffindor quidditch team and very competitive. She could be a little over-the-top sometimes, because she was quite popular so people (except for her friends) rarely scolded her. But Lily loved her anyways. Margaret was brilliantly smart, and full of common sense. She had straw-blond hair that fell a bit past her shoulders, long legs, pale green, eyes, and light freckled skin. Out of all Lily's fiends, Margaret was best suited to be prime minister. Margaret rarely had a spaz moment- she was constantly levelheaded. She could be annoying sometimes by always giving advice, but part of the reason it was so annoying was because she was usually right. Sam was sweet, wise, and very glamorous. She was very fashionable, average height, curvy in all the right places, and had gorgeous dark drown hair and deep blue eyes. There wasn't a soul in the world who didn't love selfless Sam. She was incredibly organized which is how she managed to always look perfect and still help other people all the time. She was a great friend to talk to because she always listened. Lily sometimes felt like she was the only one of her friends who wasn't outstanding in some way. Of course, they refused to let her believe this. She really missed them, which was why she was relieved at 10:50 when she heard voices coming on to the train.

She jumped up and grabbed her bag.

"I should be going, I need to meet my friends," she said

"Oh, you don't think we're your friends, Evans? I'm hurt," said James with a fake sad voice. Lily didn't grace him with an answer. She simply turned and left the compartment.

"Bye, Evans!" they called after her in a singsong voice. But she didn't care. She had heard Bridget's boisterous laugh down the corridor. She squeezed past a group of second-years and jogged toward her friends. They jumped up when they saw her, and pulled her into a big hug. After shrieking happily for a moment, they let her go.

Samantha took her hand, looked her up and down, and said in a comical sophisticated voice-

"Lily, darling, where have you been? We've missed you so, and you smell of cologne. I fear you've been with a member of the male species!"

"Lily!" cried Bridget, in the same silly voice, "tell us it's not true! Did you go see a boy before coming to see us, your very bestest friends?"

"C'mon, let's get a compartment and I'll tell you everything," Lily replied, cursing to herself that James and Sirius had been so pungent.

"Um, that might be a bit of a problem. Everywhere is full." Margaret pointed out.

"No, that can't be. When I got here, there were plenty of places. Oh no! I meant to save you a seat, but then..." The corridor was almost empty now, so Lily told them about her morning: running into Sirius, being early, having to talk with James, his constant bragging and staring at her.

"My dear Lily," said Margaret as they started to walk down the train, looking for an empty seat, "I hope you realize that he brags because he likes you."

"Whatever, I don't even want to think about him right now. I'm so happy to see you guys!" Unfortunately, Lily could not keep James from her thoughts for long. A few moments after they found a compartment, he reappeared, carrying Lily's trunk.

"You forgot your luggage, my dear lady, and due to my extreme gentlemanliness, I have brought it back to you."

"Fine, Mr. Gentleman, give it here."

"Don't be so hasty! I'll need something in return." Bridget giggled. Lily glared at her. "You need to let me and my three friends share your compartment. There is no where else to sit."

"What are you talking about? You just had a compartment! Honestly, Potter, you must think I'm stupid."

"Well, you see, that particular compartment happens to belong to the prefects and they very rudely kicked us out. But yes, you are stupid not to go out with me. Now, let us have a seat."

"Yes, please do," Sirius cut in, "We won't bite." He gave Sam a long, suggestive look. Sam let out a small laugh, as though she pitied Sirius for his immaturity, and continued reading her book. But Lily had just realized something.

"Ok, fine you can sit here, be my guest," she said, smiling mischievously.

"Really," said James, sounding surprised she had given in so quickly. "Is this some sort of trick?"

"No, not at all. Have a seat!" she said sweetly. Her friends and the marauders were eyeing her suspiciously, but the four boys sat down anyways. Sirius squeezed in between Samantha and Lily, Remus sat comfortably next to Margaret, and Peter (looking a little scared) sat in between Remus and Bridget. James stored Lily's trunk overhead, and just as he was about to sit sown next to her, she jumped up. "Well, well, eleven o'clock! I guess it's time for my prefect's meeting. Sorry I can't stay longer. See you later!" Lily said quickly, and with a quick smirk at James, she left the compartment and went to her meeting, closely followed by Remus. Just then the train jerked into motion, and Lily lost her balance and fell onto Remus. He caught her and steadied her.

"You ok?" he asked with genuine concern, but grinning at the same time.

"Yea, I'm fine, thanks," she replied, blushing deeply. "Let's go." It was turning out to be a day filled with awkward moments, she thought, as she walked hurriedly towards the prefects' meeting.

Lily walked back from the meeting with Remus feeling stunned. She didn't know what to say. They had arrived at the meeting expecting to be greeted by Julia Stevens (a Ravenclaw) and Martin King (a Hufflepuff), who were supposedly the Head Girl and Boy for this year. Julia and Martin were there, but they weren't wearing their Head badges. They also had notes for Lily and Remus. Lily's had said:

Dear Miss Evans,

I know that you received a notice over the summer saying that Miss Julia Stevens would be Head Girl. Unfortunately, Miss Stevens and Mr. King feel that they do not have the time to devote to this responsibility. They asked me nicely if I could give the jobs to two of the other six well-qualified seventh-year prefects. I have chosen you and Mr. Remus Lupin. I hope that you are ready for the job. Kindly accept the Head Girl Badge from Miss Stevens, she had already changed it so it will read your name. She will be happy to answer any questions you might have before you get to school and meet with me, but I believe you know what to do.

Sincerely

Professor M. McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Lily, being the mature person that she was, told Julia that she would accept the job, took her badge, ran the meeting, and patrolled the corridors. And now, on her way back to her compartment, she was still completely stunned. It wasn't as if she were unprepared for the job. After all, she had been a prefect for two years and up until August she had known that there was a big chance she might be Head Girl. But when she had found out that Julia got the job, she had made peace with her disappointment and realized that with her already busy life, being just a regular prefect was probably best. She had thought about all the reasons that she would not want to be head girl, and know, completely out of the blue, she was.

And Remus was Head Boy. They would have their own common room together. (Despite popular belief, the heads did not have their own dormitories, but they did have two study-like rooms that were joint. They also had their own bathrooms, but these were separate, obviously.) They would have to have meetings together and spend a lot more time together. Lily didn't exactly dislike Remus. Actually, he was a very likable person- smart, nice, polite, funny, popular, and handsome. But he was popular because he hung out with the marauders. He was a marauder (which is probably what kept him from becoming Head Boy in the first place). He was James' and Sirius' best friend, and he supported their pranks and their torturing of Lily. Remus had even assisted James in trying to get Lily to go out with him. He was in on a lot of their schemes, even though he was a prefect! How would she be able to get people to respect the Head Boy and Girl if one of them broke the rules on a regular basis? And how was she supposed to be able to stand such close connections with the marauders?

Their uncomfortable silence finally ended when they reached their compartment, where, to Lily's disappointment, Peter, Sirius, and James were still sitting.

"Back so soon?" James asked, grinning broadly when he saw the look on Lily's face, which told him she had not expected him. He must have been very proud of himself for ruining her little plan to get rid of him. "Missed me, didn't you Evans?" Lily chose to ignore this and taking advantage of the fact that James was sitting and she was not, chose her place between Sam and the window carefully.

"How'd it go?" asked Margaret once Remus had sat down too.

"Well..." Lily said, hesitating and looking at Remus. He smiled reassuringly at her.

"...We have some news." Remus said, finishing her thought. The other six looked curiously at her and Remus.

"Well, what's up? C'mon, spill!" cried Bridget impatiently after along pause.

"The people that were supposed to be head boy and girl backed out, and so... Lily and I have been made Heads." Remus sounded like he was nervous about how this news would go over, and Lily couldn't figure out why. She thought that the marauders would love to have power so close to them. It would make it easier to get away with stuff.

"Together?" asked Sirius inquisitively, and for some reason he gave James a concerned look.

"No, not together," said Bridget sarcastically, "Lily has been made Head Girl at Beauxbatons. She's still going to Hogwarts, but she wanted a little power over in France. Of course together, Dufus!"

"Just checking," retorted Sirius nonchalantly, "and watch what you're calling me Missy."

"Then don't you call me Missy!"

"You called me Dufus!"

"'Cause you were acting idiotic!"

"Oh, now I'm an idiot! Oh, if you weren't so pretty, you'd be in for it!"

"You want to take this outside?"

"I don't hit girls."

"I could so take you."

"You've got to be kidding..." Without saying anything, Bridget put her elbow up on her knee, and glared at Sirius, her hand outstretched. Sirius smirked and put his hand in hers.

"1, 2, 3, Go!" they shouted together. They began to arm wrestle, glaring at each other the whole times, trying to look like they weren't even trying.

For a minute or so, nothing really happened. Then Sirius reached out and tickled Bridget's stomach. She giggled, lost her grip and tried to run away, but Sirius chased her out of the compartment and they could her Bridget yelling "Cheater, Cheater!" all down the corridor. The remaining six stared for a minute and then burst out laughing. Lily had never realized how evenly matched Bridget's and Sirius' personalities were. The great thing about the two of them was they could get in seemingly real fights and still be totally joking the entire time. Lily loved the way they didn't sweat the small stuff. Oh my goodness, Lily thought, am I saying that I like Sirius Black?

When Bridget and Sirius returned, Remus was telling a story about the time Sirius chased a girl that he liked from class to class on his broomstick and every time a teacher asked him why he wasn't in class he would say that he was taking a sick day because he was lovesick and desperately needed a pretty nurse. He would then proceed to try to get his crush to feel his forehead for a fever.

"Didn't the teachers tell him off?" asked Lily laughing.

"Oh, sure!" said Sirius, coming back in with Bridget over his shoulder (They had heard her screaming in protest to this earlier, but she seemed to have resigned to it now and was enjoying her ride.), "Every single one gave me detention. I had five by the end of the day. But the girl went out with me."

"And then you never called her again," concluded Peter.

"Exactly." Said Sirius proudly, putting Bridget back in her seat. She slapped him, and he winked at her. Then she stuck out her tongue. Everyone laughed. Then Margaret told a story about the time Bridget challenged a boy to a duel because he said girls were lousy at quidditch.

"When he refused she followed him around the school sending jinxes at his back. He finally got so tired of it that he agreed to duel her. But Bridget told him she didn't feel like it anymore and walked away. He was so angry! It was hilarious! Lily smiled. Ideally, she would like to be alone with her friends. But hanging out with the marauders wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She still didn't like their immaturity, bullying, and constant rule breaking, but their actual company wasn't that bad. The only problem was James had been very subdued ever since he found out about Remus and Lily being Head Boy and Girl. And he had started staring at Lily again. What was going on? It was very unlike James to be to be out of the center of attention for so long.

Several hours later, the train began to slow. James had been unnaturally quiet almost the whole time. The few times he did talk, he would regain his usual center-of-the-universe attitude, but then he would stop lean back in his chair and continue to look at Lily. He had bought her food when the snack trolley went by (she refused to accept it and bought her own, so he shared it with everyone else), but he was still very different from his usual all-over-Lily- self. When the train stopped, the boys got their stuff and went. Remus and Peter said goodbye politely, Sirius winked at Sam and pretended to run away frightened as Bridget glared at him.

James smiled suggestively at Lily and left with a "See you later, Ladies. See you soon, Evans!" Even an out-of-character James Potter couldn't ignore her completely.

The girls gathered their luggage and quickly made their way to one of the horseless carriages lining the road outside of Hogsmeade station. At the sight of Hogwarts the girls screamed in jubilation. It felt like they had been gone forever.

They jumped in an empty carriage and Bridget yelled "Giddy up! Let's go you invisible horses! Put the pedal to the metal! We don't want anyone else in this carriage, it's ours! To Hogwarts!" To everybody's surprise, the carriage took off at a fantastic speed. It slowed when they got away from the station. This was exactly what they needed- some time with just the four of them.

"What was up with Potter today?" asked Margaret, "He was so quiet. It happened all of the sudden too- when you came back from being crowned queen of the school. Hey, maybe he's actually listening to you, Lily! He's decided that he loves you so much he's actually going to be nice."

"Fat chance," said Lily, "He was still totally arrogant, just not as much as usual. Sam, why are you smiling like that? What do you know that we don't."

"He was upset," Sam replied knowingly. "He was upset that you and Remus were Head Boy and Girl. Together."

"Oooooh," Expressions of dawning realization appeared on Margaret and Bridget's faces. Lily, however, was looking at the window as James' carriage came level with their own. James was talking animatedly. He was sitting next to Sirius and across from Remus, but he was turned towards Sirius and Lily's carriage, looking determinedly away from Remus. Lily found it hard to believe that James Potter could be jealous of anyone, especially one of his best friends. But Samantha had a tendency towards being right about these things. All of the sudden, James saw her staring at him. He looked stunned for a second, and Lily didn't know what to do. She just kept staring at him. He looked embarrassed for a moment, but then his carriage gained speed and they lost eye contact. But Lily saw him smile.

She was happy for a moment and then realized she had encouraged him. Well, what's done is done. She sat back in her seat and enjoyed the company of her three closest friends.