A Legacy of Love
Chapter 1: Renewing Ties
Lily pined her badge neatly on her uniform before boarding the Hogwarts Express. She had been doing this for the last two years of her Prefectship. The only difference was that, this year, she had been made Head Girl. She could still hear her mother's excited squeal of joy and see her father's proud, happy face. Petunia's reaction didn't matter; since when had she approved of anything her 'freakish' sister did?
She made her way to the Heads compartment, where she had stowed her luggage earlier. The train would be due to leave in ten minutes time. She hoped the Head Boy wouldn't be late. She didn't want to do this alone. Not that she couldn't, but Lily Evans refused point blank to have to work together with a completely useless Head Boy. She wanted to put him into place first before the Prefect meeting started.
At that same instance, the Head Boy was also heading towards the Heads compartment, pulling his trunk behind him. James was becoming more and more nervous with each step he took. Why Albus Dumbledore chose him as Head Boy was anybody's guess. He wasn't even made Prefect! This new emotion was something that frightened him. James Potter was never nervous before, not even when he was dared to profess his undying love to Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration teacher of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in a hall full of students during lunch one day in sixth year.
He really hoped, as he neared his destination, already clad in freshly laundered school robes, that everything was going to be all right. This was his year, his chance to show everybody that he was capable of handling responsibilities and executing them perfectly. He wasn't just James Potter, the Marauder. He was also James Potter, Head Boy, top of every class, and model student. Most importantly, he wanted to show everyone (especially a certain Lily Evans) that Dumbledore wasn't wrong in naming him Head Boy.
He had really grown up.
James slipped the compartment door open, took one step into the compartment and froze. Of all people, Lily Evans was sitting there! But then, he reasoned, it was only right that Lily was Head Girl. He was prepared to bet that no one else (with the possible exception of the Slytherins) doubted for a moment that Lily would be Head Girl. Pretty, vivacious, smart, friendly and fair, it was no wonder that she was chosen.
Lily had looked up from the master list of new common room passwords as the compartment door opened to reveal a person whom she least expected to be Head Boy – James bloody Potter. She was so surprised, she rose from her seat unconsciously. She seriously wondered for a moment if it was all an error. Yet, there was no mistaking the silver badge that adorned his chest, which read 'Head Boy'. Holy mother of Merlin, James Potter was Head Boy!
They stared at each other in shocked silence for a few seconds. James recovered first.
"Hello, Lily. Nice to see you again. Congratulations on making Head Girl. I knew you would get it."
Lily continued gaping at James, until "Lily? You all right?"
Lily snapped out of her trance to find James's attractive hazel eyes staring at her with concern. Pulling herself together, she smiled. "Yes, I'm fine. Just getting used to the idea that you are Head Boy." She paused, then felt the need to justify herself. "I thought Head Boys were chosen from the Prefects!"
James agreed, feeling a little light-headed himself at being appointed Head Boy. "Yeah, I thought so too. Sirius said that the look on my face when we got our letters was priceless," he said, chuckling at the memory.
She laughed. His heart soared as he saw her laugh; she'd never laughed with him before. "I guess I should be grateful," she said thoughtfully after their laughs subsided. "I won't fancy working with a Slytherin Head Boy who'd probably be hissing 'Mudblood' in my ears day in day out."
The word 'Mudblood' made James's blood boil. It reminded him of all the times he had to endure the Slytherins calling her 'Mudblood'. Lily, oblivious to the thoughts running in his head, remarked, "I suppose before we proceed to the Prefects' carriage, we'd better straighten up a few things." She said, suddenly stern, reminding James very much of McGonagall. "Number one, I will absolutely NOT tolerate you slacking on your Head duties. Number two, no funny or cheeky business while we're on duty. Number three, you tell your friends to keep your Marauder business, in other words, pranks, at a minimum. Lastly, can I have your word that I'll have your full co-operation throughout our term as Head Boy and Girl?"
James considered her for a moment before answering, "Lily, you have my promise that I will work with you to make this year our best. But why do you hate me so much that you don't trust me even a bit?"
Lily sighed. Years of reprimanding him had apparently created a wrong impression. "I don't hate you, James." Hearing this, he was over the moon with joy and ecstasy. She didn't hate him, and she had called him James! "I just don't like the way you treat your fellow students, like they're some kind of joke in a universe centred around you."
James deflated in a matter of seconds. Of course. They were back to the old grudge of I'm-the-bully-and-you're-the-protector. Trust Lily Evans to burst his bubble on the first day of school. And the train hadn't even started yet!
Right at that moment, a whistle sounded, and the train started moving. Caught off guard, the two Heads tumbled onto the floor in a very undignified manner at the sudden impact, limbs tangled, with James on top of Lily.
As they attempted to untangle themselves, blushing furiously, their eyes locked, and they were both lost. James couldn't resist but trace a finger down Lily's cheek lovingly. Their lips inches apart, they could feel each other's breath hot on their faces. At that crucial moment, they heard a cough, seemingly from far away.
Remus Lupin, seventh year Gryffindor Prefect and co-Marauder was standing at the compartment door with a bemused expression on his face. He cleared his throat again and said, "James, Lily, the Prefects are waiting for you." He left them at that, with a grin on his face. James cursed silently under his breath. He was going to go through a hell of a tell-all confrontation if Sirius ever caught hold of this information.
Standing up hastily and readjusting their robes, James and Lily avoided looking at each other in embarrassment as they strode purposefully towards the Prefects compartment, where twenty-four Prefects were already assembled there waiting. Some of the more sharp-eyed ones immediately noticed the flushed faces of the two Heads and how they were determinedly looking everywhere except at each other and, connecting it with Remus's silly grin as he re-entered the compartment, began to fabricate wild stories about Head Boy Potter and Head Girl Evans being engaged in everything from a liplock to fornication. Idle gossips, in other words, but sometimes gossips stemmed from misunderstandings may have very drastic and terrible effects, as the two subjects-in-question were about to discover later.
"So, welcome, Prefects, to another year of Hogwarts. First of all, let me congratulate you on being chosen as Prefects for your Houses. It is a great honour and I hope you won't misuse it," Lily began, remembering a little of the Heads speech during the previous years. At the last sentence, many Slytherin Prefects glared at James pointedly, as though he had mortally offended them. James decided to ignore them and continued where Lily left off.
"Your duties will include patrolling the corridors in pairs after curfew following a schedule which the Head Girl and myself will draw up. For… err… safety reasons, your patrol partner shall be the other Prefect from your house of the same year. If either one of you cannot make it for patrol for acceptable reasons, please inform the Head Girl or me so we will be able to swap your patrol duty with another pair of Prefects. Alert the teachers immediately if something is seriously out of place." Lily raised her eyebrows. How did James know all this? She quickly brushed the thought aside momentarily as she took over.
"Points may only be taken from the Houses as you see fit, although, as I said before, please do not misuse your power and dock points for no reason. Detentions may be handed out if and only if you have brought the situation to the Heads' or the teachers' notice." Lily continued, looking stern.
"On a happier note, we will also be organising the usual Hogsmeade trips. When we do have a trip, it will be your duties as Prefects to protect the students and, should the need arise," some of the Prefects shifted uncomfortably; they knew that James was talking about the possibility of a Death Eater attack, "the fifth year Prefects will be in charged of escorting the students back to the castle and alerting the teachers for help while the sixth and seventh year Prefects must stay behind and join the Head Girl and me to fight. Buy time for all the students to return safely to school. I know that it's a lot to ask but we must do this. It is our responsibility as Prefects and Heads to protect the younger students from harm."
"I think that's about it. Any questions?" Lily asked. When no one replied, she said, "I'll take that as a 'no' then. Please patrol the train ever so often and make sure no one breaks any rules. We don't want any accidents happening before we reach Hogwarts. Oh, and here are the passwords for your dormitories. Seventh year Prefects, please get them from me. You are dismissed."
Not until the last of the Prefects left the Prefects compartment that Lily first spoke. "I'm surprised, James Potter. How did you know all that stuff when you weren't even a Prefect?"
James just shrugged. "I did my homework," He said nonchalantly. When Lily raised her eyebrow, he added, "As soon as I received my letter, I owled Remus for immediate help. I didn't want to be a useless Head Boy, you know. I'm not that irresponsible." Lily nearly laughed at that last statement, causing James to grin reluctantly. "All right, all right, I was irresponsible. I'm not anymore, see?"
To which Lily replied, beaming wickedly, "We'll just have to wait and see, then."
James pretended to be highly affronted. "Hey! I resent that! Don't you trust me to change?"
"Well…" Lily said, smirking. "I didn't say I didn't trust you to change…"
"But you implied that much with your tone, young lady!" James countered, before laughing with Lily.
"Shall we?" James said after a while, offering his hand, as if to invite Lily to dance.
Lily smiled and responded, "After you, James."
After an hour of patrolling they decided that it was time to take a break. They began to look for the Marauders' compartment. They were just nearing the end of the train when a compartment door to the left slid open to reveal none other than Severus Snape.
It wasn't clear which of them exactly loath him more, although Lily took care never to show it and even stuck up for him a fair few times, but never receiving a word of thanks or a gesture of gratitude. James, however, didn't bother to hide his feelings as hate seeped out through his darkening hazel eyes. If looks could kill, Snape would have been dead seven hundred and seventy-seven times over.
Snape stopped, having just realised that the Heads were standing in front of him. His mouth curled into a sneer. "Ah... Potter and Evans... Most popular couple of the day, I see. Why are you down this end? Finding for a more private compartment, Potter? I would have thought that the Heads compartment would be sufficient for your… ah… advances. Or are you planning to do it in front of your pals and gloat?"
James made to move forward furiously, but Lily held him back. "James, don't!"
"On first name terms now, are we, Mudblood? So, the rumours are true!" Snape was delighted. "No wonder you're so intimate all of a sudden. How long have you been screwing him?"
"Crawl back to where your sorry ass came from, Snivellus, or it'll be detention." Lily decided that enough was enough. She could feel heat rising on her face. She was tired of having to put up with him and his snivelling excuses to insult her. What had she ever done, except being Muggle-born, to offend him? Hadn't she stood up for him many times when the Marauders were making fun of him? How dare he spread false rumours about her and James!
James appeared even angrier than Lily at Snape's last comment, and it had to take all of Lily's will-power and self-control not to let James loose on Snape and not to beat the bloody daylight out of the greasy hair idiot at the same time. She maintained a tight grip on James's left arm while saying, in a menacing tone, a tone she had never, never in all her seventeen years, used before, "I mean it, Snivellus. Crack one more joke about James and me and it'll be straight to the Headmaster's office for you."
Snape was shaken. He had never been at the receiving end of Lily's wrath this badly before. However, he soon appeared calm and collected again. As he walked past, he hissed, "I won't have anything to do with a Mudblood anyway. Pure-bloods who mix around with Mudbloods are all brainless and stupid, contaminating their blood for filth like you."
"I assume you're talking about yourself, then, since you're talking to me right now." Lily's temper was really edging to the extreme now. "Hell, you even needed me to save your pathetic excuse for a human being when you were being kicked around like a football! Pure-bloods aren't necessarily more powerful than half-bloods or Muggle-borns. You yourself are living proof, Snivellus."
Snape was stunned. So was James. He waited until Snape disappeared into the bathroom before rounding onto Lily and, seizing her hands, proclaimed, "Lily Evans, you've just become my new hero! I never knew you had that in you… Lily?" He asked anxiously. Lily had just wrenched her hands out of his and, no longer wishing for company, turned on her heels and ran back to the Heads compartment. James sped after her, calling her name frantically. He soon caught up with her, having longer legs and excellent stamina thanks to years of Quidditch training. As soon as he did, his heart broke in two. She was sobbing. Hard.
Instinctively, James pulled her into an embrace so strong that she couldn't break free. Instead, she turned her head and sobbed into his chest. He soothed her with quiet, comforting words, rubbing small circles in her back. He knew that Snape had hurt her bad. Why had he saved him the previous year, if all he did was to harm the one woman he liked so much? Swearing that Snape wouldn't rest in peace when he was through with him, he continued speaking softly to Lily, while enjoying the feel of her in his arms. When she had calmed down a bit, he steered her towards the Heads compartment, just as the lunch lady started pushing the trolley down the train. He made Lily drink some pumpkin juice and eat some snacks before pulling her close and holding her, just holding her, stroking her hair, trying to make her forget her sorrow.
For Lily's part, she was grateful for James's companionship, grateful for the warmth he had given her, grateful, even, for holding her together when she would have broken into pieces. He understood what she was going through, had stood up for her, and neither made fun of her nor took advantage of her, but silently watched her, granting her both peace and quiet, as they sat there comfortably, engrossed in their own thoughts. His strong arms gave her a sense of security and comfort, which she wished never to leave. Gradually, she became more her usual self. She turned to thank James for all he had done for her.
"Please don't mention this to anyone? I'm sorry I broke down like that… I just couldn't take it anymore…" her voice trailed off. James's arm tightened protectively around her waist as he said sadly, "It's all right, Lily. I promise I won't tell anyone. Frankly, I was surprised that you managed to keep your cool for so long under his verbal abuses. I'm sorry for getting you in the way of our feud." He hung his head in regret as he said this. "If it weren't for me he wouldn't have insulted you so badly."
Lily shook her head as she replied, "It's got nothing to do with you, James. He hates me just because I'm a Muggle-born. He treats me like scum no matter if you're in the picture or not." She sighed deeply. "He and Petunia has a lot in common."
"Petunia?" James's hazel eyes were perked up in curiosity. Another flower name… Possibly… her sister?
"My sister," Lily replied, confirming his suspicions. "She thinks I'm a freak because I'm a witch." She gave a shaky laugh. "Luckily mum and dad are very supportive of me. I guess it's inevitable. She fears me because she fears what I can do with my powers… which she doesn't have."
James felt an inexplicable sadness washed over him. He had always taken for granted that Muggle-borns like Lily would be accepted, even admired and respected for their magical abilities in the Muggle world. Lily was trapped between two worlds, accepted in neither world fully. For the first time, he understood how fortunate it was to be a pure-blooded wizard, and how terribly they had discriminated all those who were different from them. He understood, too, why Lily was so adamant about saving those who were disadvantaged, even Snape, because she knew how it felt to be in that same situation.
"I usually just ignore her comments. But sometimes it really hurt too." Lily's eyes filled with tears again. "Once, I nearly lost control and made her dinner plate explode. Thank God mum was there. She's a darling. Always trying to bridge the gap between the two of us. And I tried. I really tried. But Petunia destroyed that bridge. I couldn't do anything."
She stayed silent for a while, then abruptly got up. "Want to go patrol for the last time, James? I think we'll be arriving in another couple of hours' time. Better not make a bad first impression on the Professors." She managed a smile.
James got up too. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked worriedly. He didn't want to risk another scene like that again.
"Yes, I think so. Just give me a minute in the bathroom and I'll be fine." She smiled at him again before disappearing from the compartment. He was glad that they were well on the way to being friends, but it broke his heart to see her cry.
She reappeared a minute later, as promised, looking much better and more alert. Together, they walked down the train, making sure that no one was misbehaving or flaunting the rules. A new year was about to start at Hogwarts, with promises of a happy year ahead, though the outside world was in doubtless jeopardy with each passing day. James Potter and Lily Evans were, for once, untroubled by that worry as they looked forward to the beautiful friendship they had formed on the first day of their final year.
– To Be Continued –