Ever since Lyra Black had turned eleven and went off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she didn't like the summer holidays. While she liked spending time with her family and getting a break from schoolwork, she prefered being at school, with her friends. 

Now seventeen and a half, Lyra had reached the first summer in years when she didn't feel that way. She loved this holiday, and she never wanted it to end. But time passed too quickly, as it always does when one is happy. 

The days were spent with either her sister and the Tonks family, or the Potter Manor. James and Sirius were just as annoying as ever, but they were lucky she loved them enough to find it endearing. 

But during one of the hottest days of the summer of 1977, James and Sirius had finally accepted Lyra's pleads for them to go to a nearby lake, where she could sunbathe and get a tan and they could fool around in the water. 

Lyra leaned back on a towel they had brought with them, wearing only her bikini top and denim shorts along with a black pair of shades to protect her eyes from the burning sun. She smiled softly, watching James and Sirius splash around in the water. 

She never wanted this summer to end. If she had to, she would look through every book in the library to find a way to freeze time, to relive these days over and over for the rest of her hopefully long life. 

Because the moment September 1st arrived, she would step onto Platform 9 3/4 for the last time, and she would be forced to pretend that she wasn't in love, like Sirius was no longer her family. 

"Lyra!" a voice brought her out of her mind. She smiled brightly at James, who was waving at her as Sirius rolled his eyes, faking a gag at their relationship. "Come on! Get in the water already!"

She shook her head, because she felt really calm and comfortable where she was, and she wasn't warm enough to feel the urge to cool off. "I'm good, thanks! Maybe in a few minutes, though!"

From the distance, she couldn't see her boyfriend's face, but she was sure he was rolling his eyes with the biggest, stupidest grin on his face. It was a very normal sight, because it was just who James was. 

But he quickly climbed out of the water, leaving Sirius to have to entertain himself. The Black boy would have followed, but he had already spent way too much time third-wheeling the couple, and he wasn't going to do it any more than he had to. 

Lyra giggled as he made his way towards her, squinting because he didn't have his glasses on. They were safe by her side, as she was scared he was going to lose them in the water, because that was definitely something he would do. 

He frowned as he scoured the ground next to her for his glasses, but he couldn't see, obviously. She smiled and held them out, and he grasped for them and quickly put them over his nose, once again rolling his eyes at her thinking it was funny he couldn't see them. 

"Oh, yeah, make fun of the almost blind man. Hilarious," James quipped sarcastically, throwing himself down on the towel next to her, still soaking wet from his swim, running his hands through his dark hair. 

"Aw, you know I don't mean it like that," the blonde responded, but her teasing smile was enough to let him know that she was far from sincere. "Alright, maybe a little. You're just so adorable when you're confused."

He knew they were just having fun, so he allowed himself to smile slightly. But, he still needed some payback. "Ah, shut up!"

Lyra shrieked loudly as he jumped her, his naked torso rubbing off on her, where she was still very dry, not having dipped more than a toe in the water. "James, get off me! You're wet, stop it, come on!"

He was finally pushed off her, and he pouted. He honestly liked being on top of her, and he had a feeling that if Sirius wasn't around, then they would both be coming back home with grass stains all over their bodies. "Come on!"

"I'm sorry, were your feelings hurt? Come on, I'll give you something other than an assault to think about," she said, reaching out to grab his chin, pulling him into a nice, sweet kiss that he did not complain about. 

"And I'll spend the rest of my life thinking about it," he smiled, quickly pecking her once more. Then again and again and again as she giggled. "But that's not enough for the horrid pain you have caused me."

Lyra should have realized what he was about to do once he quickly ripped off his glasses. But she only looked at him strangely before he quickly grabbed her by the waist, throwing her over his shoulder like she didn't weigh a thing. 

"Ah, James! Put me down, you git!" Lyra yelled, although her laughs betrayed the fact that she wasn't really angry. That didn't keep her from banging on his bare back, even if it didn't hurt him at all. 

"You might want to hold your breath, love," James warned mischievously as he approached the lake, along with an amused Sirius. She quietly whimpered, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. 

James leaped forth, still having her on his shoulder, quickly hitting the water. He lost his grip on her once they went under. She quickly went upwards, searching for air. She gasped once she hit the surface, still shocked he did what he did.

It only took James a few more seconds to appear in front of her, grinning widely and innocently, like he had done nothing wrong. He pulled his wet hair back, so it wouldn't fall over his eyes. "Now we're even."

"You absolute arse!" Lyra exclaimed, quickly splashing some water at him in retort. It was clear to all three of them that Lyra definitely didn't think James was an absolute arse, especially with such a sweet smile on her face. 

It was then they realized that Sirius had been laughing quite loudly at James scaring Lyra in such a way. It was the first time he thought they had been cute without being a little bit disgusting, where they usually managed to be both. 

Finally, the couple realized that they had been to busy focusing on the wrong enemy. So, they both exchanged glances of mischief, making it obvious that they were planning to torture the poor boy. 

Suddenly, they both leapt forward and started splashing around wildly, though in Sirius's direction. They both laughed brightly as Sirius yelled for help, although they knew he was only joking. They were all just having fun. 

▹▹▹

The trio couldn't stop laughing for hours. It was the first time ever that Lyra had felt she had so much fun in a day that she almost forgot what it was like to be in pain. All thanks to two of her favorite boys. 

They returned to the Potter Manor after a while, taking many more swims and hours sunbathing. James did end up throwing Lyra over his shoulder a few more times. The last time was because she claimed her feet were tired and he had to carry her part of the way home. 

Fleamont and Euphemia knew they were coming minutes before they walked through the door. They weren't sure if three teenagers had ever laughed so loud before, making them hear them from such a distance. 

Though they were both a bit exasperated at how they never seemed to grow up, they smiled fondly at the teenagers, thinking that if there was ever a time to be happy teenagers together, it would be at seventeen, before their last year at school. 

Speaking of that school, Euphemia was holding three letters in her hands, excited. The last Hogwarts letters they would ever receive. None of them noticed Lyra's face fall at the sight of them, of the cruel reminder that summer was almost over. 

But she quickly faked a smile, neither of the boys having noticed that they have arrived. She didn't want to call attention to it, but she supposed she would have to. "Oh, are those our Hogwarts letters?"

Euphemia grinned widely, quickly reminding Lyra of her son as she handed each of them their letter. "Yes, dear. They're finally here and you won't have to deal with boring old me for much longer."

"Like dealing with you is a bad thing, Euphemia," Lyra smiled back, feeling the weight of letter, scared to open it. Both because it would officially say that she was going back to school soon and because it would reveal whether or not she was made Head Girl. 

Euphemia blushed, waving her hand. Again, she was so pleased to have such a sweet and charming girl in her house, especially one who loved her son as much as she did. "You are too kind, Lyra."

Fleamont raised his eyebrow playfully. While James had gotten his smile from his mother, the look of pure mischief that rested upon his face was purely his father. "Hope some of that rubs off on our boys."

"I'm kind!" the young Potter boy protested, looking offended of the way his usually loving parents were portraying him, especially in front of his girlfriend, who he had spent over a year trying to impress. "I'm the kindest boy you'll ever meet."

While Sirius couldn't suppress his grin at the Potters considering him one of their boys, but he still managed to create a reasonable offended expression. "Yeah! And I'm the second kindest boy you'll ever meet."

"Open your letters already. We've got to find out if there are any special surprises in there," said Fleamont, excited to see if there were any new badges that would make him proud, especially with how much he cared for all three of the young adults in front of him. 

Lyra smiled at him sweetly before looking down at her letter, which was strangely enough addressed to her at the Potter Manor. She supposed Dumbledore never missed a beat. He seemed all-knowing a lot of the time, after all. 

She sighed before starting to open her letter, ripping up the crimson Hogwarts seal. She pulled out the letter, which only told her all the things she'd need throughout the year, like the books and ingredients for Potions. It wasn't very interesting for her. 

What she was more interested in was which badge she would find enclosed within the letter, because she knew there would be one. She hesitantly pulled it out, noticing the letter P on a Slytherin green background. She was still a prefect. 

That meant she hadn't been made Head Girl, which she supposed was a good strategic move on Dumbledore's part. If she wasn't Head Girl, then it had to have been Lily Evans, a muggleborn which would spew inclusivity. 

That didn't mean Lyra wasn't a little disappointed though. She had worked so hard throughout the past few years, gotten great marks, taken good care of her fellow students and it still wasn't enough. Even if part of her knew that she didn't really need more stress during their N.E.W.T. year, it was still a bit sad. 

Sirius looked at her, raising an eyebrow as if to say she was alright when he noted the Prefect badge in her hand. He seemed to have thought she would get the coveted Head Girl position as well. She only shrugged, telling him it didn't bother her. Because it didn't really, she just wished she would have been their first choice. 

Sirius obviously hadn't found something within his letter, which she hadn't expected. He wasn't going to suddenly steal Remus's prefect badge from him, unless he had suddenly been made Head Boy, which would sort of surprise her. He wasn't the leader type. 

She had expected James to find a badge, though. But only the same one he had had the last year, his Quidditch Captain badge that he wore prouder than any crown. But then she heard some surprising words. "I'm Head Boy."

Lyra's eyes widened in shock, wondering if she had misheard him in some kind of way. Because it was almost as if she had heard James Potter of all people say he had been made Head Boy- "You're what?"

"I'm Head Boy!" he repeated, his lips tugging up into a grin. He held up the red badge with HB engraved on it, showing it off to the other four people in the room. Those he considered his family. 

Euphemia exploded into a frenzy of pride and joy, running over to James and planting kisses all over his friends, incoherently muttering about how proud she was. Fleamont looked like he was going to burst into tears any minute, muttering: "That's my boy!" over and over.

Lyra didn't even care that she hadn't been made Head Girl along with him for a moment, or that they were in front of his parents. The moment Euphemia let go of her son, Lyra grabbed James by the neck and pulled him to a great, long kiss, beaming with pride. 

"So much potential... all wasted. And for what? To be Head Boy? What kind of existence is that?" question Sirius, expressing faux disappointment. Only when James looked at him doubtfully did he break and smile, hugging him tightly. "I'm kidding. Good job, mate."

"We have to celebrate! We'll be having your favorite for dinner. I better stop preparing, that will take hours. I need to go shopping," Euphemia started muttering before smiling at him once again. "My little boy... Head Boy. I'm so proud."

James blushed slightly, looking down until Lyra reached out and grabbed his hand. She pulled it up to her lips, kissing his knuckles sweetly. He looked up and met her eyes, supposing being made Head Boy was worth it if she kept looking at him like that. 

▹▹▹

Both Fleamont and Euphemia had expressly forbidden James and Lyra from sharing a room during the summer, saying that they didn't want any grandchildren from them until they had at least graduated. Then they could go at it like rabbits. It was a very strange and embarrassing conversation. 

But that didn't stop Lyra from sneaking into her boyfriend's room, which she did a lot more than both them and Sirius thought. Not just to shag, but to just lie in his arms and feel his touch. To feel comfort after how the summer started out. 

Sometimes she ended up sleeping there, so he could shield her from the nightmares, which were much stronger when he wasn't around. She suspected both of his parents knew about this, so they hadn't scolded them the few times they had found her in his bed. They were quite understanding, and kind. She loved them. 

James had his arms around Lyra as she had her head on his chest, feeling it rise and fall as he took a new breath, hearing his heartbeat. It was a comforting sound. They had been talking for what felt like hours already, including topics like her not being Head Girl, which she had finally been able to convince him that she was fine with. 

James ran his fingers down her arm, just liking the feeling of his warm skin on hers. It was very comforting, reminding him that she was still there with him as he pondered. "Wait, so if I'm Head Boy now, does that mean I'm sort of your boss?"

Lyra snickered into his chest, shaking her head. She wasn't ever about to let her boyfriend insinuate that he was the boss of her when he was the one who always looked so whipped. "Don't you dare."

"Eh, I still love you, anyway," he shrugged, grinning down at her. He moved his hand from her bare arm and to her silky soft hair, which still smelled like strawberries, reminding him of what he had smelled in their lesson on Amortentia. 

But the blonde hummed for a second, thinking about how there could be a few perks to her boyfriend being the boss. "You can be my boss if you give me preferential treatment ahead of the other prefects."

 He chuckled for a second, thinking about how that was a very Slytherin thing to say, and he had almost forgotten that they weren't in the same house after spending all of summer together. "Yeah, I'll do that anyway. You know, since I love you." 

"Are you fishing for an I love you?" Lyra asked, tilting her head back to meet his eyes, a teasing smile appearing. She had noticed him only responding with those three words to what she said, twice. 

He nodded sheepishly. "It's always nice to hear." 

Lyra pulled herself in a sitting position, grabbing his cheek and pulling him towards her. "I..." And she kissed him. "Love..." And she kissed him again. "You." Then she kissed him one last time before resting her head on his shoulder.

She sighed heavily. "I do really love you, James. I don't want to go back to pretending that I don't even like him. I just want to get out of Hogwarts already, maybe even just run from the rest of the Wizarding World and just be with you, like this, in your arms forever."

"We could go public with our relationship," the Gryffindor suggested hesitantly, though he knew exactly what sort of reaction he would get. The same one he used to get when he suggested they become an actual couple, before she had dared say she loved him. 

Lyra shifted uncomfortably at this, not wanting to think about the consequenses of it all. This was supposed to be a happy time, she didn't want to ruin that by only thinking about the darkeness. "I don't know."

"Come on," said James, wanting to convince her so badly. "You wouldn't have to be afraid of You-Know-Who and his band of Death Eaters. I'll protect you, I swear I will. So will Dumbledore and all of our friends. We all just want you to be safe."

"It's not that simple." She tilted her head to look at him sadly. "I really wish it was. But I love my family more than you could ever know, even after all they've done. And I love my friends and being a Slytherin and all it entails."

Lyra sighed once again, reaching over to pull a strand of golden blonde hair behind her ear. "I know that one day I will either have to leave him or them, but I don't want to do either. Not now. Not yet."

But when she looked into his eyes then, she could see the fear, the concern at the thought of her leaving. He couldn't believe she would even bring it up. "Oh, James, you don't have to worry. I don't want to leave you. Ever. I love you, Head Boy. Very much so."

James smiled slightly, leaning down to lean his forehead against hers, happily. He pushed those doubts out of his head. Because now it was just him with Lyra and his arms, and he wanted to focus on that. "I love you, too, prefect."