Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, but golly I wish they were….

A/N: This story is related to a chapter called 'The Penseive' in my story 'Emerald Green.' Each chapter has a specific James/Lily moment from each year at Hogwarts. Hope you like!

The Train – First Year

"Bye mum!"

"See you soon, darling, and make sure you eat properly!"

"I will!"

Pushing her way through crowds of people, Lily Evans walked away from her mother with a heavy heart as she went to board the Hogwarts express. Extremely nervous, Lily shoved her book underneath her arm and stepped daintily onto the train, without noticing the Wizard families, some rather absurd, or a boy with jet-black hair grin in her direction.

Lily Evans waved her small hand towards her mother as the Hogwarts Express left Platform 9¾ leading her to her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Quite sure that she was going to be hopeless and friendless because she had spent 11 years believing she was a Muggle, Lily walked curiously through the train looking for a compartment where she could read quietly. After realising that everywhere was full, Lily slumped back against a wall and listened to the conversations of the people in the compartments nearby…

"Oh yes, I want to be in Slytherin of course, it sounds by far the best…"

"Did you see the latest model in the Cleansweep series?"

"I'll swap you ten Chocolate Frog cards for that one!"

Lily sighed; she clearly didn't belong here and was almost wishing that she was starting her first day back at a normal Muggle high school. Slytherin sounded like some bizarre code or language, Cleansweep reminded her of her mother sweeping the kitchen, and she wasn't quite sure what a magical chocolate frog could possibly do. Convincing herself that she surely didn't belong here, she took Petunia's words to heart, maybe she really was a freak.

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James Potter was extremely excited. He had never been allowed onto the platform before, and he was now standing in front of a steaming Hogwarts express, taking him to learn how to hex and finally give his wand a little exercise. Knowing he would most definitely find someone to talk about the recent Quidditch game, James pushed his way forward onto the train, with a mere wave at his parents behind.

He brushed past other first years like himself, stopping briefly to look at a sad girl with flaming red hair and bright green eyes about to board the train, waving sullenly at her mother. He smiled at her for a brief moment, hoping she'd notice, aiming to perhaps sooth some nerves she had, but she ignored him, and clambered on the train. Dismissing this as nothing, James walked into the first compartment he saw, and was quickly joined by two nervous looking boys, and one other that was talking excitedly about the curses he wanted to learn.

"Hullo there, I'm James Potter," he told the other boys, who introduced themselves as Remus, Peter and Sirius -who would not stop talking about learning a certain bat bogey hex. Feeling rather content, James hoped that he would perhaps become friends with these boys, and started chatting about his desire to purchase a new broom.

"Did you see the latest model in the Cleansweep series?"

"We can't go into house teams straight away, bloody rules!"

After talking for quite a while, the lunch trolley finally wheeled past their compartment, and James stepped outside, escorted by a still-chatting Sirius, to buy several chocolate frogs for himself and his new friends. Thanking the lady courteously for the chocolates, he turned to enter the compartment again, but paused when he noticed a small redheaded girl sitting on the floor about the start crying.

It was the girl from the platform, James doubted that he would soon forget that mass of red hair. She was very pretty, he thought, prettier than any other 11-year-old he had seen, anyway. The girl looked so sad, he wished he could do something to help her. After deciding quickly that he would go and talk to her, he felt a strange need that he would have to get some courage to try and approach this girl.

While walking over to her to invite her to talk to the other boys with him, the train gave a large jolt, resulting in James falling over, and the several packets of chocolate frogs to fly through the air, in Lily's direction.

"Sorry, I must have slipped"

"Good shot, James!" laughed Sirius, with Remus and Peter clearly audible in the background. James couldn't help but feel awful for her. Standing up to leave, she shot him a dirty look, and if possible, he felt even worse.

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Lily had been sitting at the wall for almost an hour when she saw a tall boy with black messy hair walk out to buy food. She looked at him closely, and decided that he was obviously the boy who had been discussing broomsticks; he was covered in that Quidditch paraphernalia. Lily thought he was quite good looking, despite the fact that he was just so stereotypically boy-ish. She hoped for a very brief moment that she would be in the same house as him, the way in which he was walking to her almost indicated that he wanted to be friendly to her, but then he threw his chocolate frogs on her. The train bounced, and he stopped and threw seven chocolate frogs on her.

Feeling even worse than before, Lily was upset for already being ridiculed on her first day in the Wizarding world, and hurt that someone would do something like that on their first day at school. She glared at the Potter boy, hoping that he felt awful for every part of newfound hatred she was feeling. Throwing chocolate frogs, and wearing ridiculous Quidditch tops, and for a moment I thought he was going to be alright! Lily had firmly decided that school would most certainly be torture with James Potter in the vicinity.

Angry with herself for even assuming that a boy like that would ever be nice, Lily stood up, tossed her hair, and made for the next compartment, even though she had no idea who would greet her when she went inside. Trying to slap of the last of the frogs, which she had thought for a moment were real, she was greeted by another small girl, Alice, who was also sitting on her own. They smiled kindly at each other, before Lily began to discuss how much she was already beginning to hate James Potter.

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When James and Sirius returned to their own compartment, to be greeted with more cheers and congratulations from Remus and Peter, James couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed with their merriment. She had looked so angry with him, and all he had wanted to do was help her. So had looked so lost, and so miserable, and now she was probably alone again and hating him. When Sirius, who still found the whole affair extraordinarily entertaining, asked him, why had he so brilliant set all those chocolates loose on that girl, he could simply reply, "Because I thought she was kind of cute," and feel helplessly guilty on the inside. James remembered her face, even though furious, and felt a small jolt in his stomach which he had never felt before.