Chapter One: Uninvited Feelings

Lily Potter. He stared at her, entranced by the way the light hit her face, making her look almost as if she were an angel descended from the Heavens.

Oh, Sirius knew that he mustn’t think that way about his best mate’s girlfriend, but he couldn’t help it. Just being around her made little pools of drool form in the corners of his mouth. He didn’t realize that James saw the way he looked at her, saw the way he would stare longingly at her for almost a whole class period. To be quite honest, Sirius was jealous of James, for although they were both quite equally attractive, James was far sweeter than Sirius could ever be. True, Sirius had more of a rugged, wild look that all the girls fell for. He knew that he had girls who would swoon after so much as brushing up against him, yet he had an unsatisfied desire for Lily.

He didn’t know what it was about her. Maybe it was her bright green eyes and contrasting dark red hair, or maybe it was the aura about her that made you just want to sing with glee. Lily was that type of girl who was cheerful, popular, and outgoing, yet clever and studious as well.

Sirius was plotting ways that he could inconspicuously be around her when Professor McGonagall slapped her hand down on his desk. “Wake up, Black! I expect that as long as you are in my class, you will pay attention and participate! Five points from Gryffindor, and if it happens again, it’s detention!�

After stealing a quick glance at Lily, he saw that she was giving him a look of pure sympathy. Sirius frowned deeply and began to get started on the work assigned to the class.

***

Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all sitting together in the Gryffindor common room later that night. Peter had been able to get them the best couch, which was situated directly in front of the fireplace. Since it was mid-November, it was just beginning to become cold outside, and as one might expect, the warmth of the fire was welcome. Lily and James were, of course, cuddling on a smaller sofa near the fire, and now and then James would whisper something in Lily’s ear, and she would giggle.

What a lovely sound, Sirius thought, and instantly reprimanded himself for doing so. You have a wonderful girlfriend, Sirius, so stop thinking about those that belong to others. Speak of the devil…

Miranda tumbled into the common room with a bunch of her friends. Miranda was a fifth year, a year under Sirius. When she spotted Sirius, she flounced over and plopped on top of his lap.

“Sirius, darling!� she squealed. “How much I’ve missed you! You’ve got to tell me all about your day! Oh, and do you like my hair? I styled it differently today and I was wondering what you would think…�

Sirius half-listened as Miranda rambled on and on about her day, her classes, her professors, anything she could think about. Miranda was beautiful, yet in a completely different way than Lily. Miranda had dark, dark brown hair, which was currently tousled and looked like she had just rolled out of bed, but in a good way. Although it was messy, anyone could tell that she had spent a good few minutes’ time styling it this morning. She had dark brown eyes, long dark eyelashes, a cute nose, and a pouty mouth. Speaking of pouty—

“Sirius, why aren’t you listening to me? Or answering me for that matter? Is something wrong? Did somebody hurt you? If they did, trust me, I’ll find them and beat them to a pulp…�

Despite her delicate appearance, Miranda could certainly pack a punch. She was extremely athletic and was, in fact, on the Gryffindor quidditch team as the keeper.

“No, no… nothing’s wrong… trust me, I’m fine, Miranda. I think I’m just going to go to bed a bit early, I’m really quite tired…�

Sirius kissed Miranda on the cheek, said goodnight to his friends, and ascended the stairs to his dormitory. He climbed into his four-poster, fully clothed, and instantly fell asleep.

***

The next day was Saturday, which meant Quidditch practice for both James and Miranda. The two ran off to attend that immediately after breakfast, and since both Remus and Peter had their monthly Gobstones club meeting, Sirius was able to be with Lily, just the two of them.

Since it was an unusually warm afternoon, at least for November, Sirius suggested that they take a walk around the lake, or at least part of it. Lily, being the adventurous soul that she was, suggested that they should grab their swimming trunks and maybe take a dip once they reached the small sandy area located in a cove about a quarter-mile walk away.

As they walked, Sirius thought of so many things, many of them involving Lily. He listened to her talk of all sorts of topics, and sometimes just closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air, Lily, the smell of the lake, and some more Lily. Boy, does she smell good, he thought.

Once they reached the little cove, Lily sent Sirius out of eyeshot so she could change. He (reluctantly) went behind a knot of large oak trees and changed as well. After Lily said that it was okay for him to come out, he stepped out from behind the trees and instantly had the breath knocked out of him. Not physically of course, but from the sight that lay before him.

Yes, lay, for Lily was lying on a blanket stretched out on the ground, apparently tanning. Sirius considered for a minute what sort of playful thing he should do to her, and eventually decided that it would be playful, yet not too flirtatious, for him to pick her up and throw her into the lake.

He stood for a few seconds, watching how the light reflected off her bare stomach and wishing that she were his. Next thing he knew, he was lifting her off the blanket.

She started to shriek and laugh as he scooped her up and tossed her into the lake, and then came hurtling out again and toppled him over into the sand. They had a little wrestling match, and after becoming thoroughly exhausted, both lay in the sand for a while.

“I need to rinse off…� Lily began, but was cut off by a great roar of laughter from Sirius, for she was covered in sand.

“Indeed you do, miss, indeed you do.� He helped her up and began to pretend to waltz around the little beach with her, and then leaped into the water. “Come on in, the water’s great!� he shouted.

***
It was nearly dinnertime by the time they arrived back from the little cove, and quickly took their places in the Great Hall, both with sopping wet hair and flushed faces.

James gave the two an inquiring look, then decided not to ask, and dug into his meal. A few moments later, Miranda arrived, and soon talk at the table was dominated by her cheerful chatter.

Sirius decided to take a trip to the library, and invited James, Lily, and Miranda to come along, but Lily and James declined, reason being that they needed to spend a little ‘alone-time’.

Once at the library, Sirius found that it was quite hard to concentrate on his potions homework with Miranda talking about everything she had ever done in her life, so after only about an hour and a half, the two packed up and went back to the common room.

By this time, it was nearly ten-o-clock, and so Sirius decided to turn in after his busy day. Therefore, after a quick snogging session with Miranda in a vacant classroom, he traipsed upstairs and happily prepared for bed.

Chapter Two: A Trip to Hogsmeade

Hogsmeade. Sirius breathed in cool, early October air. It had been two weeks since his and Lily’s visit to the cove, yet nothing had changed between them. He sighed. Why can’t I just be content with what I have? Why do I always have to make things hard for myself?

Miranda had had her 15th birthday two days ago, and everyone in Gryffindor tower had celebrated by getting deserts and cakes from the kitchens and holding a surprise party for her. Sirius had stayed loyally by her side the whole time, it wasn’t bad at all. In fact, he hadn’t thought of Lily once. Not that that was a bad thing. It might be for the better, actually, considering how angry James might become if he knew about how Sirius felt towards her.

About an hour after they arrived in Hogsmeade, Sirius, Lily, James, Peter, and Remus were all squeezed into a booth in the Three Broomsticks. Lily was shivering, and she was huddled up against James, who had his arm around her. Without realizing he was doing it, Sirius was gazing at Lily with a longing look on his face. Suddenly, Remus elbowed him hard in the ribs and cleared his throat.

“Sirius and I will be right back. We’re just going to take a stroll up to the Shrieking Shack for a few minutes to check if I left anything the last time I ‘stayed’ there…� Remus explained to the rest of the group as he stood up and ushered Sirius out of the booth.

Once outside, Remus declared, “We’re not actually going to the Shrieking Shack. I want you to tell me what’s up with you and why you’ve seemed so interested in everything Lily has done lately.�

Sirius decided that he could trust Remus and started to spill his guts. He began with explaining how this year everything had changed, and how he started to feel extremely attracted to Lily. “There’s no mistaking it, Remus… I’m pretty sure that I’m in love with her. Every time I’m around her, my heart beats faster, and everything seems crystal clear and detailed. I notice the smallest things about her – what color of nail polish she’s wearing, the fact that her tag was sticking out of her robes on the way here – everything. I can’t control it. And don’t get me wrong, Remus, I still do love Miranda. But…�

“Sirius, I’m almost positive that you would never do anything to hurt James, so I know that this has to be something that you can’t control. You have to promise me though, that you won’t try to steal Lily from James. It’s as the Muggles say, ‘Look but don’t touch’. It’s alright that you are attracted to her, as long as you don’t try to make a move on her. Promise me this, Sirius.�

“I promise,� Sirius said with his head held high, his eyes glittering, and his teeth gritted, “I promise on pain of death.�

***

Later that night, the group was again in the Common Room, all except Peter, who was currently serving a detention with Filch. All of them had their astronomy homework, and all of them were copying off each other.

“Lily, can I see your paper?� Sirius leaned over her shoulder, catching a whiff of her lily scented perfume. He instinctively reached over to brush a lock of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She looked at him, startled, as he pulled back and gazed into her eyes.

“Sure…� she whispered, which made James, who was currently rifling through his papers, brows furrowed, look up. He looked, confused, between the two, and then shrugged and bent back over his paper.

Remus stood up and announced that he was going to go to bed now, and that if anyone would like to join him upstairs, now would be the time, all the while looking pointedly at Sirius.

Sirius eventually rose, and gathered his papers, thanking Lily for letting him borrow her chart of the western hemisphere.

Once upstairs, Sirius started to change into his striped pajama pants and climbed into bed.

“Not so fast,� said Remus, striding out of the washroom over to Sirius’ four-poster, “I saw that little exchange of yours. If James had looked up just a few moments earlier… you promised me, Sirius!�

“Remus, I’ve been trying, but you have no idea how hard it is… I don’t know what happened down there, but it certainly was not what you think it was! I didn’t make a move on her. You’ve got to believe that that was just a friendly thing to do. Friends push each other’s hair out of each other’s eyes, remember?� Sirius said, trying to turn it into a joke.

“Goodnight, Sirius. And don’t let it happen again.� Remus then climbed into his four-poster and shut the curtains, closing the subject.

***

Miranda skipped up to Sirius the next morning. “Hiiiiii, Siiiii-riiiius!� she squealed, “How are you on this fine Monday morning?�

Sirius grunted and grabbed her hand.

“Guess what happened yesterday in Hogsmeade? Lucinda told me that Kathy told her that Katie told her that…�

Half-listening to Miranda’s gossip, Sirius led the way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Once there, he met up with his friends while Miranda skipped over to tell her friends the latest happenings in everyone else’s lives.

Sirius pondered over The Daily Prophet while sipping a glass of pumpkin juice. He was lost in thought when he felt a tap on his shoulder. “Sirius, I need to speak to you.� It was Miranda, and she looked quite a bit unhappier than she was earlier this morning. He followed her into a vacant classroom on the first floor and she proceeded to tell him what exactly it was that was making her so unhappy.

“I’m really afraid that you’ve been unsatisfied with me lately… I feel as though you don’t think I’m quite up to par… My friends have been saying that you look distracted lately, and I was wondering if you were going to break up with me… if you are, you may well just do it now…�

Sirius studied her expression and realized that she had been quite distressed as of late concerning their relationship. He did love her, and he told her so. To reassure her, he reached over and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Trust me, Miranda, you’re perfect. No one could ask for better.�

As he spoke, he realized that he really was quite happy with Miranda. But even though this much was true, he also realized that he wasn’t being completely honest with Miranda, and most importantly, himself.

Chapter 3: Lonely

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A/N: Hi, I wanted to let everyone know that this fiction is AU and that the warning has been added. I also wanted to tell everyone that the history of the Marauder’s has been altered, and although these changes do not change the overall scheme of things, they do explain why the characters are as close as they are. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please feel free to review!!

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The next afternoon, Sirius was stirring the contents in his cauldron during Potions. Professor Slughorn had given them a very complicated recipe to attempt, and he was offering 200 house points to any student who could correctly formulate the potion. Sirius was deep in concentration, measuring his ingredients carefully and following all of the instructions word-for-word. Gryffindor really needed those extra points, and since it wasn’t common for Sirius to win his house points, he thought it might be a nice change – and a nice way to get Lily to talk to him.

Lily had been very careful all day when around Sirius. At the moment, she was across the room, also concentrating on following the instructions precisely. While waiting the instructed four minutes and ten seconds for the boar’s snout to settle into the potion, she glanced around the room, at her watch, at her textbook… anything to keep from looking over at Sirius. When he had looked into her eyes yesterday, she had felt a spark deep inside her chest, an unexplainable feeling of giddiness.

She shook her head. Concentrate, Lily. You heard Professor Slughorn. He said that anyone who concocts this potion correctly will win 200 points for their house. James will be so impressed if I win those points….

James, in the meantime, was carelessly stirring his beetle eyes into his cauldron. A large plume of orange smoke rose from the cauldron, causing him to cough. He grabbed his textbook and rifled through the pages. Orange smoke… It’s supposed to be purple! What did I do wrong? He realized, too late, that he was only supposed to add four pairs of beetle eyes, not eight.

James groaned. “Scourgify,� he muttered, causing his potion to disappear.

Another potions assignment, another failing mark. Looks like I’ll never pass sixth year potions… He thought miserably.

“Remus, did you finish your potion?� he whispered across the aisle.

“Yes, why?� came the reply.

“Can you fill me up a vial of your potion? I messed mine up and if I don’t get a good grade on this, I’m going to fail…�

At that moment, Professor Slughorn clapped his hands and announced that time was up. He asked them to please clean up and give him a sampler of their potions on their way out.

Remus sighed and filled up two vials of his potion. He handed one to James.

“I owe you one, Remus.�

***

Later that night, the Marauders, Lily, and Miranda were relaxing in their common room. According to James, Severus Snape, an extremely unpopular fifth-year Slytherin who annoyed the Marauders at any chance he got, had made a mess of his potion during the period before theirs and had earned himself a week’s detentions.

As soon as he heard this, Sirius began to laugh. “That old git. Can you believe that he actually wants to become a professor when he grows up?�

The group began to chuckle and heartily talked about all sorts of subjects, including the Winter Dance that was scheduled for this Christmas.

“I remember how they held a Winter Dance in our first year and we weren’t able to go because we weren’t old enough. How I wished that an older boy would ask me to it…� Lily sighed.

“Well this year you’re going. With me of course.� James winked at her, and Lily began to giggle. James grinned at her, and she leaned against him.

“I love you, James…�

“I love you too, Lily,� James leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

How could I ever have wanted to ruin their relationship? Sirius thought to himself. Look how obviously happy they are together…. They’re perfect for each other. He sighed audibly, causing Miranda to look at him worriedly.

“Sirius… we are going together, aren’t we?�

“Of course, love, who else would I go with? Next time we’re in Hogsmeade, we can pick out our dress robes together.�

***

Up in her dormitory, Lily pulled out her diary.

Dear Diary, she wrote, James and I are to be attending the Yule Ball together. We’re meant to be together. But I’ve been distracted by Sirius as of late. He seems to love Miranda, but I can’t help but hope that he secretly loves me too. Is it wrong to love both James and Sirius? I wish I had someone to confide in, but all I have are James and his friends. I don’t have any girl friends to ask about this… I could ask Petunia, but she seems to hate me, and besides, what would she know about a bunch of wizards? I wish I could write to Mum, but she’ll probably think it’s extremely immoral to think as I do about both James and Sirius. Well, it’s time for me to bid you goodnight, dear diary, and maybe I’ll write again soon.

She sighed, tucked the diary beneath her mattress, rolled over, and instantly fell asleep.

***

Back in the common room, Sirius sat, gazing at the fire. He was glad that he and Miranda were going to the Yule Ball together, sincerely glad. Yet he couldn’t help but feel a pinch of jealousy whenever he thought of Lily being taken to the dance by James.

He loved James as if they were brothers, and he could never do anything to hurt him. Lately, it seemed as if James and Sirius were drifting apart.

Later, as he trudged upstairs to brush his teeth and eventually go to sleep, he decided that he would do everything in his power to make sure that James and him stayed best mates – forever.

***

Little did any of the Marauders know, Peter Pettigrew had also fallen for Lily. He had loved her since their very first day at Hogwarts, when she had agreed to let him sit with her and Remus in their compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

Remus had gone to Lily’s Muggle school for several years, but considering that the school was so large, neither had so much as said a word to each other. The two had met at King’s Cross and decided to sit with each other. It was a good thing they did, because, as it turned out, James had decided to sit with the three as well, and they all had a jolly ride to Hogwarts.

Sirius had met James, Remus, Peter, and Lily at the Sorting Ceremony, and they instantly became friends. He hadn’t met Miranda until his third year, and the two had been going steady since he was fourteen.

No one knew about Peter’s feelings for Lily, nor did they notice his failure to say anything intelligible whenever he was around her, which was practically all the time. They just assumed that he was shy around girls.

Peter also had quite a crush on Miranda, but he wouldn’t let anyone else know. He had had a girlfriend for a few months last year named Kathy, but she eventually couldn’t be bothered with him and had become infatuated with Sirius.

Sirius had such a good nature – he was attractive, funny, mischievous, romantic – anything and everything a girl could want in a guy. No wonder he’s always been one of the most sought-after boys in the whole sixth year, thought Peter resentfully. The only thing that seems to be wrong with Sirius is that he can be a cruel at times, to Snape in particular. But Sirius was his friend, and he was grateful for that.

Well, at least I’m not Snape, Peter thought happily, and fell into a restless sleep.

Chapter 4: Complications and Alterations

A/N: I just wanted to remind everyone that this fiction is AU. I wrote this in one sitting, and I think this is my most well-written chapter so far. Enjoy!

(Oh, and by the way, Katie Vane is Romilda Vane’s aunt. Just wanted to clarify that!)

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Peter sighed as he looked out the dormitory window. It was now entering the last week of November, and Peter still couldn’t get rid of his feelings about Lily. He was distraught, and didn’t know what to do. By blowing on the window, he caused it to fog up. He drew a small heart in the condensation and sighed. Deep in thought, he was startled when James and Sirius barged into the dormitory, quarreling loudly.

“YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST LET ME KNOW HOW YOU FELT! I DIDN’T HAVE TO FIND OUT THIS WAY!� yelled James, his brows furrowed.

“WHAT WAY, THROUGH A BLOODY RUMOR? HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW IF IT’S TRUE, JAMES?� Sirius screamed back, his vein popping out of his temple and his face a deep red color.

James sat down on his four-poster, burying his hair in his hands. “I just want to know, Sirius. What is it that you feel about my Lily?�

“Nothing, James, I feel absolutely nothing remotely romantic towards her.� He was looking James hard in the eyes, but, looking away at the last moment, unintentionally revealed his guilt to James.

“Don’t lie to me,� James said, teeth gritted, “The least you could do is tell me the truth. You owe it to me.�

“I don’t owe a thing to you, James. I didn’t do anything with Lily, no matter what the rumors say.�

“But do you love her?� James got up and walked over, looking Sirius straight in the eyes.

At that moment, Sirius noticed Peter watching them from the window seat. “Peter, what are you doing here?�

“Oh, just thinking,� came Peter’s reply.

“Peter, I want you to forget you heard any of that, okay? Just ignore it. Pretend it never happened,� James begged.

“All right,� Peter said, “I guess I’ll leave you two alone…� He got up and began to cross the dormitory towards the door.

“No. It’s all right. Sirius and I will talk to each other later. You were here first. It’s just not right to make you leave.�

With a final fuming glance at Sirius, James stalked from the room.

***

At lunch the next afternoon, Lily was talking about that morning’s Charms class with Remus when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder.

Katie Vane was standing behind her, her dark hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Katie lived with Lily in the Gryffindor’s sixth year dormitory. She and Lily were acquaintances, but they had never really gotten to know each other.

“Hi, Katie, how’re you?�

“Hi, Lily. I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to come with me into Hogsmeade this weekend. My parents got special permission from the Headmaster, since I don’t have any dress robes to wear to the dance.�

“Sure, that would be quite nice,� Lily replied. Of course Katie would be able to get special permission. Her parents are rich and have such a long history of donating to the school. It would be quite nice to go with her, and maybe we could become closer. She really does seem like a good person, albeit a bit spoiled.

“I have permission to go on Sunday from ten o’clock in the morning until four o’clock in the afternoon. A coach will pick us up at the entrance at about nine-thirty."

“That seems very fun. Yes, I’ll go!� Lily smiled.

Katie smiled back, and said, “All right, I can’t wait!� She then flounced away, leaving Lily smiling happily after her.

That was surprising. I would have thought that Katie would have asked someone other than me to go… I wonder what she thinks of me? Does she want to be my friend? I really do hope so.

“So, Lily, what did you think of yesterday’s Herbology lesson?� asked Remus, and Lily was pulled back into the present.

***

Later that evening, James and Sirius were sitting in the Common Room together, on the same sofa, but on different ends.

They were both lost in thought, staring at the fire, wondering what they should say to the other. They had never fought before, and naturally, they were uncomfortable in the present situation.

Finally, Sirius broke the silence. “I do like her.�

James said softly, “I know you do."

“You knew?� Sirius said, confused.

“Of course. I could tell from the way you look at her. It’s been bothering me for some time now, and I just thought that starting a fight between us would have been an easier way to find out the truth.� James sighed, “I just wish you would have told me.�

“What was I supposed to say? ‘James, I’m in love with your girlfriend.’ How well would you have taken that?�

“Not well at all I suppose.� They were silent. “How much do you like her exactly?�

“You want my honest answer?�

James nodded.

“A lot. I’m pretty sure I’m in love with her.�

James sighed. “I hope that we can stay friends through this, mate. You know as bloody well as I do that we can’t both have her."

“I do. And it’s only right that you have her. She’s your girlfriend, after all, James. I’ll just have to stop liking her. It’ll be hard, but I’ll try. I think I’m going to go to bed now though. I’m really tired, mate. So, I’ll see you in the morning.�

Sirius got up and left the Common Room. With a sigh, James stretched and stood as well. But instead of heading for the dormitory, he grabbed his invisibility cloak and went on search of his favorite spot in all of Hogwarts, the Room of Requirement.

***

After narrowly missing three teachers and a prefect patrolling the hallways, James reached his destination.

He nervously did what was required to get inside, and when the door appeared, he hastily stepped inside.

He had been wanting to find a place to bury his feelings, but instead, it appeared, he had found a room where people put things they didn’t want anyone to see. Several cabinets, statues, weird birds in cages, and many other oddities cluttered the room. As he wandered around, James touched many an object, but didn’t find anything of interest.

Suddenly, he noticed a small dark blue velvet-covered book peeking out from amidst a collection of quills and parchment. Curious, he reached for the book.

On the cover were the words A Record of My Life.

“If someone wanted to hide this book that badly, there must be something in here worthwhile reading,� James mused aloud.

He looked for any evidence of whose diary it was, but didn’t find anything until he reached the seventh or eighth page. Scrawled at the bottom were the words Love, Peter. James only knew one boy named Peter, and so he flipped through the pages. On one page, there was a large heart, scrawled sloppily across the page, with P.P. & L.E. scribbled inside.

James’ heart began to beat faster as he discovered his other friend’s secret feelings for Lily. “I love her as I’ve never loved anyone before,� were the words on one page. The most recent entry read, “I need to tell her how I feel before it’s too late.� The entry was dated Thursday, November 20th. Today’s date was the 26th of November, a Wednesday. He had written this entry a week ago, James realized. James snapped the book shut and shoved it back onto the shelf.

Ashamed of himself for reading one of his best friend’s secret feelings, he threw the cloak back on himself and ran from the room. Little did he know that during the whole time he was there, Peter was hunched in the corner, with tears streaming down his face as he watched his best friend read his deepest, darkest, secrets.

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A/N: Again, please review and tell me what you think about incorporating Peter in a way that most fanfictions do not. Thanks for reading, and Happy Holidays!! =)

Chapter 5: Favors and Friendships

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A/N: I just wanted to remind everyone that this fiction is partially AU. In this chapter, friendships are both made and renewed. Enjoy, and please review. Thanks for your time

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After wiping his eyes, Peter slowly stood up and brushed himself off, feeling strangely drained of all emotion and empty inside. He grabbed his journal and stumbled from the room, then checked to make sure no one was coming before running as fast as he could back to the common room. Once there, he chucked the small book into the lit fireplace and then, without looking back, went up to his dormitory, head hanging.

***

It really is quite a nice Thursday, thought Lily as she made her way to the greenhouses. As she walked, she watched the leaves tumbling across freshly cut grass and realized that fall was her favorite season. She especially loved the temperatures. Not cold enough to wear coats, but just cool enough to wear a sweater. Lily loved sweaters.

Once at the greenhouse her class was to be held in, she opened the door and stepped inside. She was still a few minutes early, so she walked around the classroom, admiring the many different exotic plants that grew in the small space.

Upon hearing the door open again, she looked up to see Peter entering. His arms were loaded with textbooks and so she rushed over to help relieve him of some of the weight.

“Thanks,� he said quietly and took his seat. To his surprise, Lily sat down next to him.

“And how are you today, Peter? It’s quite a nice day, isn’t it?� Lily tried to be nice to Peter whenever she could. She felt bad for him, since he was sort of shy. Sometimes, if she watched him watching James and Sirius, she thought she saw a glint of envy in his eye.

Just as Peter was about to say something to Lily, the door banged open yet again and the class filled up. Lily got up took her seat next to a Hufflepuff named Martin.

Peter looked at her out of the corner of his eye for the rest of the class and realized he’d fallen for her bad.

***

That evening after dinner, James, Peter, Remus, and Sirius were sitting in the common room. James and Remus were playing wizard’s chess, while Sirius and Peter relaxed in armchairs.

“Your turn, mate,� James told Remus, and then turned to Sirius. “If you don’t like her, then why are you taking her to the dance?� He asked, speaking of Miranda, of course.

“I do like her. Can we please talk about this some other time, James?� Sirius relplied.

Suddenly, Peter started to speak. “James, can I talk to you, please? In private?�

James nodded and stood up. “You don’t mind, Remus?�

“Not at all.� Remus gave a lopsided grin and gestured for Sirius to take James’s place.

Once out of the common room, Peter spoke. “I saw you read my journal last night, James, and I just want to set things straight. I do like Lily, but I wouldn’t ever make a move on her. I just wanted to let you know that, in case you were holding something against me or something…�

“Not at all!� James stopped walking and shook his head. “What do you say we take a walk to the kitchens, see if there’s anything good to eat?�

Peter nodded and the two set off together.

***

This week has gone by so quickly, Lily thought as she found herself standing at the entrance to Hogwarts, waiting with Katie for the carriage to arrive.

“I know of a quaint little dress shop right down the road from Honeyduke’s. What do you say we stop in both of those shops, and then go to the Three Broomsticks for a nice butterbeer or two before coming back here?�

“That sounds excellent! Thank you so much for inviting me, Katie.� Lily smiled at her new friend. The two girls had been spending a large portion of their free time together, and, being that they were in a few of the same classes, did some of their schoolwork together.

Once the coach had arrived, the two climbed inside and set off on their adventure to Hogsmeade.

***

“Isn’t Hogsmeade lovely, Lily! I just love autumn.�

“Yes, it really is quite beautiful!� Lily responded. The two had just finished buying their dresses. Lily had purchased a light green satin dress with lots of tulle on it, and Katie bought a fancy pink ensemble complete with a corset backing, a full skirt, and she even bought a pair of crystal shoes. “I just love the dresses we bought. We’re going to feel like princesses at this dance!�

“We’re going to look like them, too!� replied Katie, spinning around and making both of them laugh.

After a quick stop at Honeyduke’s to pick up some candies and treats to enjoy back at the castle, the two girls stepped into The Three Broomsticks. While waiting for their butterbeers to arrive, Katie decided to confide in Lily.

“Lily, I’ve been meaning to tell you for some time… but as of late I was wondering what you thought of Peter. I really do like him… and I know he doesn’t seem like my type and everything, but he seems like a sweet boy.�

“Oh, Katie, he’s quite nice! But he’s very shy and I’m afraid that there would be no way of knowing if he likes you! But I think that you should just ask him to the dance if you like him, I’m sure he wouldn’t say no!�

Katie reached over the table and gave Lily a hug. Once the butterbeers arrived, she held her mug high and toasted to Lily. “To being friends forever!�

“Friends forever,� repeated Lily, held her glass high, and held the glass to her lips.

***

The next morning, Katie woke up early. Not just early, but, she soon realized, even before five. She rolled over and tried to fall back asleep. After a good fifteen minutes of trying, she decided to get up. It was a Monday, and on Mondays she didn’t have a class until eleven o’clock. She sighed. Oh, well. Maybe I can start that potions assignment.

Katie stumbled through her morning routine: take shower, fix hair, and brush teeth. Sometimes she felt like a robot. Soon enough though, it was nearly six o’clock and students with nine o’clock classes were beginning to stir. She went downstairs and fixed herself a place in front of the fire. Peter was sitting in an armchair a bit away.

“Peter?� Katie said cautiously, “May I ask you a question?�

Startled, Peter jumped and, flustered, pulled all of his books and papers into a single pile.

“Peter, would you like to go the dance with me?�

“Really?� he asked, a glimmer of hope dancing in his eye.

At that exact moment, though, Lily came through the door and down the staircase. Peter froze, like a deer in the headlights, murmured a quick, “I can’t�, and, leaving his books on the table beside him, hurried from the common room.

Katie, distraught, turned her face away from Lily’s questioning gaze.

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A/N: Hope you liked it! I know things are moving a bit slow or quick right now, depending on how you look at it, but just have faith and things'll right themselves soon enough! Thanks for waiting, by the way. You know how things can be!