i really loved him

chapter 55

Thursday, 1st September - "I can't believe it."

Lily had stormed over to find James the moment he and his family made it onto the platform and, after a polite greeting with his parents, was resuming her outrage.

"Neither can I!" he said gleefully, giving the shiny new Head Boy badge on his chest a proud little pat.

"How did-"

"I dunno."

"But why-"

"I dunno! Brilliant, right?"

"No," she huffed. "I'm going to have to deal with your rubbish all year? This is a nightmare."

At that, she cast an apologetic glance at James' parents, but there was no need; his mum looked delighted, and his dad was doubled over with laughter.

"Ouch," James grumbled, unable to keep the grin off his face, even as Sirius snickered away beside him. "I distinctly remember you calling me 'bearable' last year."

"That was before I had to work with you on rounds and behavioural monitoring," Lily sighed. "Just... promise you won't do anything idiotic and get us both in trouble?"

"Ah, sorry Evans," he smirked. "That'd be a promise doomed to fail."

"James!" Euphemia chided.

"Joking, mum!" He turned back to Lily and mouthed, 'Not joking!' "Listen, I promise I'll do my best not to make you look bad. How's that?"

Lily rolled her eyes, but she was smiling now.

"Fine," she shrugged. "But don't think I won't give a fellow prefect detention if he annoys me."

"Ah, you can't give other prefects detention," James pointed out smugly.

She folded her arms. "It's bold of you to assume that will stop me."

"You're a bloody legend, Evans," Sirius grinned.

"Thanks. Shall we go, Potter? We need to give a brief in the prefects' carriage once the journey starts."

Prefects' carriage.

"Yeah!" he said, trying and failing not to sound too eager. "Definitely. Let's go!"

He hugged his parents goodbye, left Sirius looking out for their friends and boarded the train with Lily. The prefects' carriage was more spacious than the rest of them, with wide, emerald-clad seats on either side and a thick curtain, of the same deep green, drawn back from the sliding glass door.

"I've spoken to Professor McGonagall," Lily said as they sat down. "I won't be doing rounds on Fridays and Saturdays, since those are during Shabbat; that's the Jewish day of rest, so I don't do any sort of work. Dorcas will take over for me."

"Alright," James smiled. "...Reckon she'll be up for doing rounds on broomsticks? It'd be so much quicker."

Lily sighed. Heavily, and in despair.

About ten minutes later found the train setting off and the compartment filling with prefects. Regulus being one of them. On seeing him walk in, James was caught between being floaty-headed with excitement and wrenched back to the ground with fear. The younger boy looked as he always did after weeks spent in that place. Stiff, pale, hollow.

There were too many other people here, including the other Slytherin prefect, for them to even say hello without it being weird. But that didn't stop the twinge of hurt that James felt in his gut when he offered a beaming smile and received only a nod in return.

As Lily took the prefects through the briefing, assigning first rounds and disclosing rules and responsibilities, James could barely listen, let alone contribute. Thankfully, that didn't seem to surprise her. She was perfectly happy to take over, probably because it meant everything would go a lot more smoothly. When she finished her explanation, she made her way to the sliding door.