A Reason in Madness

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Began: April 5, 2004 11:27pm

"There is always some madness in love. But there is also some reason in madness."

Chapter One: You're Head Boy!?

BAM!

Eleven-year-old Lily Evans hit the ground. Luckily her fallen duffle bag had broken her own fall.

"I'm so sorry! My friend here- he's such a klutz!"

Lily looked up to see who was speaking to her. She pushed her red hair out of her face and saw a black-haired, glasses-clad boy who appeared to be about her age. His eyes widened behind his round glasses as he surveyed her.

"My-" his eyes met hers and he put out his hand. "Allow me to help you. I'm James Potter, by the way."

Lily accepted his hand and pulled herself up. James didn't release her hand, but instead, bent forward and kissed it. "Et vous avez mon coeur, Mademoiselle-" He trailed off, giving her a questioning look.

She took her hand back and looked curiously at this boy. "I'm Lily- Lily Evans."

"Ah, Lily," James finished.

"Jamesie-boy, what're you-" another boy, this one with black hair as well, only it was fairly neat, as opposed to James's own messy hair which stuck up every which way. When the new boy looked at Lily, he said, "Well, hello there. Charmed to meet you. Sirius Black." He too kissed her hand.

"Geez, Sirius, you just knocked Lily here flat on her face! You could at least apologize!" James smacked Sirius upside the head.

"Or, you could help me find my platform..." Lily said a bit shyly, looking past them at two caged owls that were on top of two trunks with the initials "J.P." and "S.B." inscribed upon the sides.

"No problem, ma chére! What is the number?" James exclaimed.

"Nine and three-quarters." Lily looked hopefully at each of them in turn.

"Are you for real!?" James nearly screamed. When she nodded in reply, he actually pumped his fist in the air and shouted, "YES!" He put his arm around her shoulders and grabbed one of the bars on the cart where her trunk was situated. He looked back at Sirius and said, "Grab our cart, would you, Sirius."

Sirius could be heard muttering, "Not ten bloody minutes at the bloody train station and my bloody best friend leaves me for a bloody girl!"

All the while, James had steered Lily and her cart towards a wall and was walking right at it. She turned to look at him. "Are you quite sane!? Watch where you're going!"

"But, I am...and here we are, Lily-flower." He grinned at the look of astonishment on her face. "See you then." James winked at her and set off with Sirius towards the scarlet steam engine labeled "Hogwarts Express."

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Seventeen-year-old Lily Evans sat in the Head Student compartment of the Hogwarts Express. For some reason, which she had pushed her cart through the gateway to Platform 9 ¾ for her last time boarding the school train, the memory of the first time flooded her mind.

Now, she thought about how different James Potter really was than she had believed on their first meeting. Soon into their first year, Lily had discovered that James was arrogant and a show-off, always pranking innocent people- well, okay, sometimes no-so-innocent people, but pranking nonetheless. He ruffled his hair constantly, making it stick up more- if that was even possible. He had managed to get hold of a snitch somewhere during fifth year and it was fairly usual to find him playing with it. Everything about him irked Lily to no end.

Oh, and let's not forget that he wouldn't leave her alone. He asked her out nearly every time he saw her. And, if he didn't ask her out, he would still shamelessly flirt with her. Rumor had it amongst the other houses that he was a player, but all of Gryffindor House knew that he had only hated a few girls. They also knew that he had never really dated seriously. The only girl he ever pursued was the only girl who ever rejected him: Lily. Maybe that's why he goes after me, Lily thought. He sees me as a challenge.

She glanced at her muggle watch and saw that it was nearly half-past eleven. The Head Boy should be arriving soon...

As if on cue, the compartment door slid open. A tall, bespectacled, messy-haired boy walked in, a Head Boy badge agleam on his Gryffindor robes. He nodded curtly at Lily. "Nice to see you again, Lily. Congratulations on making Head Girl; you really deserve it." He sat down opposite her.

Lily realized that she had been staring and quickly recovered by saying, "You- you- you're Head Boy!?" Smooth recovery.

The guy laughed, and as his hazel eyes met her emerald ones, James Potter said, "You sound surprised. Well, to be honest, I was too when I received my letter and badge. Well, then, we have some business to attend to, I believe."

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A/N: et vous avez mon coeur = and you have my heart

Ma chére = my dear