"Lily? Are you ready yet?" my mother called, looking up the stairs for me. I sighed and coughed so she would realize that I was right behind her, in fact, ready to go.

"Oh!" She jumped and turned around, dishtowel still in hand, "of course you're ready! Let's get going shall we?" She threw the still wet towel down on the counter and grabbed her purse off the chair. "Harold! Harold? Harold!" Mum then promptly ran upstairs to fetch Dad from the study so we could head off on "Let's See Lily Off To Hogwarts Day"

Merlin, I dislike this day. Hence why I'm dressed in grey sweatpants and a red hoodie that says 'TEMPER' across it. My entire being screams dislike.

This day stands for everything that makes me different from my original life. From what my parents have lead, from what my sister will lead, and her whale of a boyfriend will lead it, too. Not that I'm sad about being different. I'm quite pleased in the way I'm different. Who wouldn't like to be able to shave painlessly, clean a room with a 'swoosh', or make clothing bottoms period proof? I mean, it could be worse…I could be different by having a disorder that made me point and laugh at funerals. Would that be a disorder? Or would that just be a rude person?

But the one thing that makes it all worthwhile? Hogwarts. Need I say more?

"Mum? I need my rose purse! Have you seen it?... Mum! -Oh, it's you." Petunia had come from the downstairs bathroom in a short red dress with big red heals and was sneering at me.

"Oh? Is it me? I wasn't sure…" I mumbled going back to checking the fastenings on my trunk. There was a certain boy who liked to magically unlock it every year at the train station, just to see my knickers fall out. I'll stop him this time! Well, I'd better. This is my last chance, being a Seventh year and all…

"Earth to Lily!"

"Earth to me? Aw, how sweet."

"Listen, bimbo, I have to be at this brunch in exactly 50 minutes. I need my rose purse. Did you put your furry little hands on it?" Petunia snarled at me, looking at my hands as if they were bear claws.

"No, Petunia, why would I take your stupid purse?"

"Because you're jealous! It cost more then any of your purses!"

"I don't want to spend that much on a purse!"

"Jealous"

"So not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too!"

"YES!" I shrieked. "I took it! I was riddled with envy and stole it from you!"

"I knew it!" She cried triumphant, "where'd you put it?"

"Want to know where? Up your-!"

"Lily!" Mum had returned. I humphed and sat down on the bottom step of the stairs.

"Tuney, your purse is in your closet." She continued, "I put it there when I saw it laying on the loveseat."

Petunia shrieked, "Oh!" and ran upstairs. Not before making sure her heels raked me as she passed.

"Bye Tuney!" I called, standing up, "I'll miss you so!" I pretended to tear up at the end only to receive a dirty look from mom as dad came downstairs.

"All ready?" he asked grabbing and giving my trunk a heave onto his back.

"Oh, Dad, you don't have to carry it! I'm seventeen now. I can just use magic to-"

"Now, Now," he said struggling, "this is the last time my baby girl gets to head off to Hogwarts and I want to do it just like I did your first year."

I smiled and leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Love you, Daddy."

"Love you, too, Lils"

"Goodbye, guys!" I said waving from the platform entrance. My parents, being muggles, weren't too crazy about going through it again. They did up until third year…and then felt that it was just too weird for them to keep doing it. I understand, though. It does take some getting used to.

"Write us!" Mum cried holding hands with Dad. She had a tissue to her face. Oh Merlin. No water works please.

"You know I will!" I said, "Love you, Mum! Love you, Dad!"

"Bye, Girlie." My Dad said sadly. I always hated leaving him. My 'goodbye hugs' to him were always the longest.

"Bye." I called softly and passed though the wall with my cart. The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and saw for the last time: The Hogwarts Express waiting for me. The last time it will ever whisk me off for a new year at school. For the first time a pang of nostalgia hit me.

I shook it off, smiled, and headed for the train.

"Oh, shit!" I cried suddenly and came to a halt. I began rummaging through the pockets of my sweat pants and hoodie to find it. I began to panic. 'Where is it?' I moaned in my head.

"Looking for this?"

I shot around like a rocket expecting to find- "Mary?"

"Lily!"

I laughed and hugged my roommate with abandon. "How are you?"

"Good, good!" She said, pushing her dark brown bangs out of her eyes, " But anyways, I think you'll want this back, yeah?" She held up my Head Girl Badge.

Yeah, I'm Head Girl. Yeah, I'm thrilled to death. What of it?

"Oh, Merlin! Thank you!" I said taking it from her and placing it on the front of my hoodie over the 'T'.

"I bet you're real excited, huh?" She linked arms with me and together we trudged up to the train dragging our trunks behind us.

"Ha, hardly." I shrugged and she laughed playfully hitting her hip against mine.

"Is anyone else here, yet?" I was thirty minutes early and didn't have to be at the Head meeting until fifteen more minutes.

"Well, The other Gryffindor girls have yet to show up but the boys-"

"-Are, of course, here." I sighed. The only time the four Gryffindor boys are ever early is on the first train ride to school. Other then that…never.

"Where did they get to exactly?" Mary wondered aloud, looking up and down the train side.

BOOM! Mounds of rainbow colored smoke crawled out of the last compartment's windows along with gales of male laughter and yelling.

Mary turned to me, "Find a compartment in the front of the train?"

"Yes, please."

"…So then my mum was all like: 'DON'T DIP THE CAT IN HONEY, MARY!' and the cat was squalling and I was laughing...oh Merlin, it was awful!" Mary said in between laughter.

I was holding my side while trying to catch my breath, "Oh, Mary Macdonald! Why did you ever get that cat?" I said looking at the cat cage under Mary's seat where her infamous animal slept.

"Oh, I don't know." She said wiping here eyes with her wrist. "Maybe because—"

"Macdonald."

Mary stopped mid sentence to look at the boy calling her name at the compartment door. My heart beat once really hard when I saw the caller. I looked down quickly at my shoes…, which I couldn't see because my sweat pants were extra long.

"Snape." Mary said standing up and stepping in front of him, blocking his view of me.

"I need to speak with Lily for a moment." He said.

"Well, I'm not sure she wants to speak with you." Mary said, extra protective.

"Well," Snapesaid, "maybe you should ask her if—"

I stood up. "I don't want to speak to you, Snape." I stepped around Mary to face him. "I didn't want to speak to you last year, nor after OWLs the year before. Get lost."

Snape huffed and pulled at his tie. "Just one minute, Lily! I swear—"

"No."

"—you will—no?"

"No." I slammed the compartment door shut and held it closed as I watched his blurry shadow pause and then retreat.

"Damn him." Mary said from the cushioned seats, "He always had the worst timing."

"Oh well," I said pulling back my red sleeve to look at my watch. "I've got to go to the prefects carriage anyways now."

"Why?"

"The Head Girl and Head Boy always meet up fifteen minutes before the prefects meeting to make clear on everything."

"Ahhh." Mary said sleepily leaning her head back on the seat.

I grabbed my folder from inside my bag that held all my ideas for the upcoming year. I was desperately hoping that the Head Boy would like them. And if he didn't…tough shit.

I straitened up, "I wonder who the head boy is anyway…" I mumbled to myself more then anything.

Mary sat bolt upright. "You don't know?" She was all of the sudden very tense.

I looked at her confused, "Um, no I don't. Should I?"

Mary was looking extremely alarmed now. "Oh my Merlin's Big Toe. No, no, no, NO!" She had jumped up.

"What?" I said alarmed holding my arm out to her, "who is—?"

"NO! I am not going to be the one to tell you!" she was scooting around me now, trying to get by. "I don't want to get my arms ripped off!"

"But Mary-!"

"NO!"

And she was gone. Just like that.

I stood there confused. Who could possibly make me flip out like Mary was saying? 'It isn't Severus is it?' I panicked. 'No, it's not: because that would make me uncomfortable…not mad. And besides, he didn't have a Head Boy badge on.' Then who is it that would make Mary worried that I would flip a lid and… 'Oh, no'.

I held my breath. God wouldn't be that cruel would he? 'Oh, yes.' My mind said to me, 'he so would.'

I ran. No, that's not fast enough. I trampled and scurried as if my sanity depended on it. I shot past the trolley cart just beginning to load up. I passed second years poking each other's sides and giggling. I dodged flying Owls, hissing cats, and screaming owners.

I ran towards the Prefects cabin with all my might.

I was almost there when a tall boy with blond hair began opening its doors. 'Oh, thank Merlin!' My mind panted, 'It's not…him!'

"Hey Lily!" Scott Orcan called out as I approached full speed.

I stumbled to a halt, mildly embarrassed to have been caught running full tilt with a probably red sweaty face to match my fly away red hair.

"Hey, Scott!" I said panting. I braced myself on my knees, trying to catch my breath.

'It's Scott!' My mind was ecstatic. Scott Orcan was a Seventh Year Ravenclaw…and cute to boot! Him and me could definitely be getting along this year.

"Are you alright, Lily?" Scott had pulled the door fully open and was leaning on it. His eyebrows were creased in the middle with worry. Awww!

"YES! I mean: yes, I'm fine, thanks!" I straitened up and pushed my hair out of my face. "I'm so glad that it's you!" I said smiling (hopefully charmingly).

Scott smiled wider with laughter, "What's me?"

I smiled back, "Head Boy, of course!"

Scott laughed, "Oh, no! That's not me!"

I rolled my eyes grinning, "Scott, who else could it be? I mean, you're even going inside the prefects carriage, just now."

"No, I was getting the door for you. You seemed in a big rush so I'd thought I'd help out." He was still smiling pleasantly at me.

My smile faltered. "Then who's the Head Boy?"

For the first time his smile fell, "Oh, um…he's in here…I'm, um…I'll just see you later, yeah?" And he all but ran off.

'Everyone's afraid.' I thought. 'Merlin, let my instincts be wrong, please! Don't let me even have instincts! Let me be more of a freak then I already am!'

I turned slowly and looked inside the half open compartment. My heart was pounding. Every second felt like ten. I was experiencing the 'slow-mo' moment where it felt like a very important revelation was going to occur. If this were a muggles movie, there'd be dramatic music climaxing…

And he was in there. The Head Boy:

He was already in his school uniform and was tying his tie. I watched transfixed as he tilted his head from side to side flexing his neck to make sure his tie wasn't too tight. His head snapped down to face mine as the sun filtered in from the window behind him to streak his face, neck, and arms with sunlight. He smiled at me, with the right side lifting up more then the left.

He swiped his thumb across his bottom lip as if to remove the excess moisture.

"Alright, Evans?"

Potter.

'F-you, Merlin.'