Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters and other recognizable whatevers are not mine. Period.











“Evans! Hey, Evans!”





Lily turned around to see James Potter running toward her at the train station. She scowled. “Hello, Potter.”





James grinned. “I hear you’re the new Head Girl! Congratulations!”





Lily half-smiled proudly. “Thanks.”





“You hear who the new Head Boy is?”





“No,” Lily answered, “but I’m guessing it’s Remus. He was Prefect, you know.”





James’s grin grew wider. “I know, but it’s not Remus.”





Lily looked shocked. “Well, then, who is it?”





“Care to take a guess?”





Lily shook her head, and James seemed to burst with, “It’s me!”





Lily’s eyes widened. “You? One of the Marauders? One of the greatest troublemakers in the school?”





“Yep!” James said proudly. “We’re on the same side this year!”





Lily turned in frustration and started to walk toward the Express.





“Evans!”





Lily walked back to him and said impatiently, “What? If you’re going to ask me to got out with you, the answer’s ‘no’. I don’t feel like boosting your ego any more than it already has been.”





James held his hands up. “I’m not asking you to go out with me. In fact, I’m not going to ask you at all this year.”





Lily tilted her head. “Is this a joke?”





James grinned. “No, not at all! I mean, if you want to go out with me you’ll know where to find me, but I’m not going to ask you anymore.”





Lily stared at him with skepticism.





“Look, I know you don’t believe me,” James continued, “but I’m really not kidding. I’ve realized that you’re never going to say ‘yes’, so I’m going to stop asking.”





Lily laughed and marveled at James’s new maturity level. “Well, it’s a good thing you got that through your thick head!”





James looked her in the eye. “Lily.”





Lily crossed her arms. “So we’re on first-name terms now, are we? Forgive me, but if you want to call me ‘Lily’ that’s fine, but you are still ‘Potter’ to me.”





James smiled. “That’s fine with me, but Lily, we’re both in Gryffindor House, we’re both seventh-years, and we’re Head Students.”





“And…”





James took a deep breath. “We’re going to be patrolling the halls together. In Professor Dumbledore’s eyes we’re on the same side.” James held out his right hand. “Can we be friends?”





Lily laughed off-handedly. “Friends?”





“Yes, Lily,” James answered. “Just friends. Not boyfriend and girlfriend, just at the stage where we can talk and not hate one another.”





Lily looked down at his hand. He’s offering that the two of us become friends, meaning that we’re no longer enemies. What do I do?





After a long pause Lily took his hand and shook it. “We’ll see what happens.”





James beamed at her and the two walked onto the Hogwarts Express to go into the Prefect Compartment.

---

Months later, near the end of the year, Lily awoke to see sunshine flowing in through the windows. The sky was bright blue, and there were just enough clouds to cool students as they walked to and from classes.





Perfect, she thought, I’ll have to go outside after lessons today.





She quickly dressed and applied a little lip gloss. She wasn’t much for make-up, but today was an exception. She had something to be cheerful about.





Lily reached down for her wand so she could go to breakfast, but didn't find it.





Where is my wand? she wondered worriedly, and scurried around the room in a panic.





"Lost something?" one of her roommates, Kelly, asked.





"I can't find my wand anywhere!" Lily answered.





"You could try summoning it," Kelly suggested.





Lily grinned. "I would need my wand for that."





Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you left it in the Common Room last night."





Lily grew excited. "Maybe I did! Thanks!"





Lily ran gracefully down the winding staircase and entered the Common Room in time to hear…





“Boo!”





She screamed and fell backwards onto one of the sofas. She looked around and saw nothing except�”a set of feet.





“James Phillip Potter, you get out from under that Invisibility Cloak this instant!”





James threw it off to reveal a dark tangle of hair and a mischievous grin.





“You like that one, Evans?”





Lily fought to not smile. “Oh, shut up! I bet you have my wand, too, don't you?”





James grinned. "Guilty as charged!"





"Alright then, hand it over and let me to down to breakfast!"





“Yeah, Prongs, you’d better give it to her.”





Another boy with dark hair entered the room. He looked at Lily, then at his friend. “We wouldn’t want to deprive her of her morning meal, would we? It wouldn’t be very polite or kind.”





James glanced over at his friend with an annoyed look, then held out Lily's wand and said to her brightly, “I suppose I could allow the young lady to enter the Great Hall for breakfast. Shall I escort you, my dear?”





Lily took her wand and just as brightly answered, “No thank you, I can manage,” and made her way out of the Common Room and downstairs. She laughed to herself as she joined her friends Alena and Janice at the Gryffindor Table.





“What’s so funny?” Alena inquired, and Janice leaned over with interest.





“Oh, the usual,” she answered casually. “James is trying another strategy to get me to go out with him.”





“What did he do this time?” Janice asked eagerly.





“He was very polite. ‘Shall I escort you, my dear?’” she mimicked, and sent all three of them into giggles.





“You know,” said Janice, still laughing a bit, “you ought to say ‘yes’ sometime and see what happens.”





“Why Janice,” Lily said, “if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you want me to go out with Mr. Potter.”





Janice looked around guiltily, and Alena stared at her.





“Are you serious, Janice?” Alena asked with disbelief. “You want Lily and James to get together?”





“They’d just be such a cute couple!” Janice burst out.





Lily also stared at her friend. “This is amazing,” she said slowly. “How long have you wanted us together?”





“Well, to tell you the truth, ever since I saw James glancing longingly at you from his broomstick.”





Lily laughed. “He does watch me, hoping for a chance, and I know he likes me, but we’re good friends, that’s all.”





Janice nodded. “Yeah, I thought the world was coming to an end when you smiled at him on the Express.”





“I was pretty amazed, actually,” Lily admitted. “He walked up to me and flat out told me he wasn’t going to ask me out any time this year. Since then we’ve been good friends.”





“Will you ever agree to go out with him?” Alena asked.





“Probably not,” Lily answered.





“But he loves you so much! You can tell when he flies and gazes at you that he loves you!”





Lily thought about that for a minute. James did look pretty good when he flew, and he was pretty smart...





“But he’s rude and arrogant!” she said loudly, and a few people glanced at her for a moment, and then turned away to continue eating. She continued softly, “He's a good friend, and I admit that he’s good at Quidditch, but he’s always messing his hair up to look like he just won a game, and he’s always causing trouble and picking on other kids. And when he talks to me he still expects me to like him right off the bat.”





“Maybe that’s what he expects, but what about you?” asked Alena.





“What do you mean?”





“How do you feel about him, truly?”





Lily thought about it. She took a deep breath and said pianissimo, “James is very haughty, feeling all smug because he can play Quidditch and is Head Boy, but I remember when I first met him. He helped me onto Platform 9¾ and introduced me to the two of you. He stood up for me when I most needed it.”





Lily shivered, remembering the countless times she had been called “Mudblood” to her face.





“But he expects me to like him,” she continued. “It’s hard to like a guy like that, even if we are friends.”





Then she paused and took a deep breath. As silent as is possible, she ended with, “But to tell you the truth, I’m in love with James Potter.”











A/N Hi! I know this is a short first chapter, but I would love reviews! It's great to hear reports, even if they're bad.





I'll give you guys a teaser for next chapter: There's a new class, and one of the Marauders (not James) will play a big part! Until then...

Disclaimer: Nothing to do with Harry Potter belongs to me. Hope that’s clear enough.



Lily’s two friends gaped at her, Janice mouthing, Wow, and Alena finally summoning the words, “Are you serious?”

Before Lily could answer, a different voice said, “She isn't, but I am. Sirius Black at your service, ladies,” Sirius said with a bow. “Would you like your schedules?”

“Yes, thank you, good sir,” Lily gushed, and, laughing, passed out the week’s schedules to Janice and Alena. Alena joined in, but Janice’s eyes followed Sirius across the Hall, and she said dreamily, “Sirius is pretty hot, you know.”

Lily nodded absent-mindedly, then exclaimed, “Whoa!”

“What is it?” the girls asked anxiously.

“Have you looked at our schedules?” Lily asked in return.

Janice rolled her eyes. “Normally we wait until after breakfast to look, Oh Intelligent One. But what’s new?”

“‘9:00-10:00�”Ballroom Dancing Class, Transfiguration Room.’ And that’s all we have today,” Lily said, astonished.

“Interesting,” Alena mused. “Wonder what that class is for?”

“It must be some sort of extra-curricular activity,” Janice guessed. “Maybe we’ll learn a dance today, and decide whether or not we want to continue.”

“Maybe, but why would they wait until now?” Lily asked. “There are only two months of school left!”

The girls paused, and then Alena whispered, “Are there really only two more months of Hogwarts for us?”

“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” Lily answered. “Our time here has flown by.”

The three sat in silence for a moment, until Janice finally muttered, “Guess we’d better head off to the Transfiguration Room, shouldn’t we?”

The other two nodded in agreement, then walked out of the Great Hall thinking about how little time they had left as seventh-years.

---

“May I have your attention, please?”

Professor McGonagall’s voice startled Lily out of her thoughts, and she sat up to listen.

“I’m sure many of you are wondering why we are taking a ballroom dancing class. Am I correct?”

There were many murmurs and nods throughout the room, and Professor McGonagall continued.

“Every year, at the end of the school year, the seventh-years take part in a special formal dance. Only seventh-years are permitted (unless given permission from Professor Dumbledore), and it will take place the night before school ends, as a celebration for completing your N.E.W.T.s and all of your years at Hogwarts.”

She paused, and then continued.

“Today, we will be learning the waltz. I am going to assign you a partner for the rest of today’s lesson, but you will have to find your own partner for the formal.

“Zachary Reynolds, Jennifer Tyle; Ashton Davis, Monica Lord; Jonathan Mendel…”

Professor McGonagall continued on down the list, and finally came to, “…James Potter, Alena Littlefield; Sirius Black, Lily Evans; Remus Lupin, Janice Ackerman; and Peter Pettigrew, Elisha Veliere. Gentlemen, please find your partners and escort them to a position on the dance floor.”

All the boys’ eyes searched the room for their partners, and offered their right arms to their assigned girl. Sirius made his way over to Lily, bowed, and kissed her hand lightly.

“Now, now, none of that, Mr. Black,” Professor McGonagall reproved. “Now, if the gentlemen would extend their left arms to their sides, and place their right hands at the ladies’ waists. Not that far down, Mr. Nimmons!” she barked, and continued on. “Ladies, please put your right hand in your partner’s left, and place your left hand gently on his shoulder. Now don’t lean on him!” she said quickly, as she saw many boys begin to sag with the girls’ weight. “That’s something to always remember: never lean on your partner.

“Now, I’m going to start the music. Just let your feet lead.”

A slow song echoed throughout the room, and every Gryffindor began to dance�”amazingly�”flawlessly. After a few moments of awkward silence, many couples began to converse with one another. Sirius asked with wonder, “How is it that we know this dance?”

Lily laughed. “It’s a spell Professor McGonagall used. We immediately learned it and know it.”

Sirius’s eyes widened. “That’s cool.”

The two were silent for a minute, then he asked, “So…have you ever seen anyone do this dance before?”

“Yes, actually,” Lily replied. “My parents.”

“Really?” Sirius asked with surprise.

“Well, yes,” she answered. “Why? Have your parents waltzed before?”

Sirius laughed bitterly. “I highly doubt that,” he said. “My parents would never dance.”

Lily looked puzzled. “How come?”

“Well…” Sirius sighed. “My parents have never really loved each other. The only reason they married was to continue a pure-blooded family.”

“So they didn’t marry for love,” Lily concluded.

“Right. All they care about are people who have ‘true wizarding blood’ in their veins. What about your parents though?”

Lily smiled. “We have a tradition at my house that we still keep. Every Christmas Eve, the four of us�”Mum, Dad, me, and Petunia�”will set up and decorate the Christmas tree and enjoy cookies, milk, and other treats. Then, around 11:30, Mum and Dad will send us two girls to bed, but not go to bed themselves. When I was five, I stayed up a little later than usual, and when the clock struck twelve, I heard slow, soft music start playing. I tip-toed out to the hallway, and found Petunia there, too.

“‘What’s going on?’ she asked sleepily, and we crept over to the stairwell. We looked down, and saw Mum and Dad waltzing. And they danced and danced until the clock struck one, when Dad stopped the music, kissed Mum passionately, and led her to bed.

“That happened every Christmas night. The two of us would sneak over to the stairwell to watch. Then, one night, right after the two kissed, Petunia sneezed, and they heard us. Eventually we told them that we had been watching them every Christmas night. Then Dad took us into his arms and told us it was okay to watch from the stairwell, and that one day, when we’re married, we can have our own waltzes at Christmas. Then he kissed us lightly and tucked us in.”

Sirius asked, “Do you still watch them?”

“Yes,” Lily answered, “but it’s not quite the same. Petunia sits far away from me now because she’s not that happy about my being a witch, and for the past few years she hasn’t stayed up at all.”

Sirius determined to make light of things, and joked, “Do you hope you’ll someday waltz with James?”

Lily caught on, but said, “Yes, actually.”

Sirius almost stopped in his tracks. “You want to dance with James?”

Lily tightened her grip on his hand. “Can you swear not to tell him or anyone else what I’m about to tell you.”

Sirius grinned. “You have a Marauder’s word! ‘I solemnly swear!’”

Lily laughed and relaxed her grip. She then whispered, “I love James more than any guy I know, besides Dad. He’s a great guy at times, and many nights I’ll dream that we’re together. But…” She repeated what she had said to Janice and Alena. “To sum it up, I love him, but I can’t let him have me. Do you get that?”

Sirius looked amazed. “Well, tell him that! Tell him why you can’t be with him!”

“But I can’t!” Lily said, almost too loudly. “I want him to find out for himself. I don’t want it to be like, ‘If you do this and this and this, I’ll let you win.’ I don’t want it to be a bribe, in other words. I want�””

“Mr. Black! Miss Evans! Do you not realize that the dance is over?”

Professor McGonagall and the other Gryffindors were staring at the two of them, and they quickly let go and walked away, Sirius to the other Marauders, and Lily to her friends, plus Elisha Veliere (Peter’s partner and their roommate).

“Come on,” Lily muttered, “let’s go outside for awhile before lunch,” and the four of them left the room.




A/N Hey, how’d you guys like it? I know it’s a lot more serious(/Sirius), and you may be wondering why the two of them are suddenly friends, but trust me, it'll be worth it. I’ll definitely post another chapter as soon as I can, and reviews would be great! Thanks!

Disclaimer: If the characters and places exist in the Harry Potter series, they’re not mine. If you’ve heard of them only from previous chapters, they’re mine. If some events happen that you’re not sure are written down in one of the Harry Potter books, I can assure you, this isn’t a prequel, only Jo Rowling can write one of those. Nonetheless, I hope you find the story entertaining.









“What was that all about?” Alena asked the minute the four were outside.



“What was what all about?” Lily asked in return.



“You know,” said Elisha, “the whole you-and-Sirius thing.”



“What thing? What about me and Sirius?”



Janice sighed in exasperation. “You realize that all of the seventh-years in Gryffindor House now think that you and Sirius are going out, right?”



“We’re not going out!” Lily exclaimed. “I was just dancing with him for a class!”



“But you didn’t hear the music go off,” Elisha pointed out.



“We were enjoying a normal, friendly conversation!” Lily countered. “We weren’t paying attention to the music!”



“Say what you might, Lily, but soon the entire school is going to think that you and Sirius are dating,” said Alena, and the other two nodded their heads in agreement.



Lily attempted to change the subject. “Look, let’s not talk about this. It’s a beautiful day outside, let’s enjoy it.”



Realizing that Lily wasn’t going to change her mind, the other three girls agreed. The sun was shining brightly, but there were just enough clouds to cover it without hiding all the light blue. There were little sparkles on the lake from the sun’s rays, and flowers were blooming in the soft, green grass.



The foursome made their way toward a small tree by the lake’s edge, and, when they were seated, looked around the grounds for something interesting. Alena soon spotted the Marauders walking along a little ways away.



“There are the boys!” Alena exclaimed. “Should we ask them to come over?”



“I’m not sure, Alena,” said Janice. “As much as I want to see Sirius and them, they look like they’re in the middle of an argument.”



“Let’s see what they’re up to,” suggested Lily, and flicked her wand casually in their direction and muttered, “Evsdrona.” Her friends followed suit.

---

“�”talking about, Prongs!” Sirius was saying, and James looked furious.



“You know very well what I’m talking about!” shouted James. “Why, Padfoot? Why are you going out with Lily?”



“I’m not going out with Lily, James, despite what you think!” argued Sirius. “We’re just friends having a decent conversation!”



“Urghh! I don’t want to hear this!” James paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and faced his best friend. “You have no idea how much I care for Lily. I’ve liked her since the moment I laid eyes on her! I’ve been hoping all my life that she would say ‘yes’ to at least one of my dating opportunities, but she’s so stubborn! And she doesn’t understand! I would give up Quidditch captaincy, even Quidditch, period, I’d give up looks and money and intelligence, I’d give up Head Boyship, I would ask the Ministry of Magic to snap my wand in half and banish me from the wizarding world if Lily would say ‘yes’ just once!”



James wiped away a few tears that had formed, and concluded, “Fame and glory are cool, but that’s not why I do it. I accept it, but I do what I do because I enjoy it. If she could understand that, and how I feel for her…oh, if only! I love her so much, more than any girl I know, and, even though we’re on good terms now, she still rejects me.”



He picked up a rock and threw it in the lake, then plopped down miserably. “What should I do, Padfoot?”



Sirius sat down beside him and answered, “What can I say? You have to tell her that. Are you going to ask her to the formal?”



James shrugged his shoulders. “What’s the point? She’s always said ‘no’; this won’t be any different.”



“How do you know that?” Remus joined in on the conversation. “If you quit asking her, she’ll never say ‘no’, but how will you know if she would’ve ever given the affirmative? ‘You never know until you try,’ they always say.”



James looked over at his friend. Finally he sighed. “You’re right, Moony. I have to ask her, but what if she says ‘no’?”



Sirius and Remus glanced at each other. Then Sirius answered, “I know this is gonna be hard, but if she says ‘no’, more than likely she means it, unless she says otherwise. You might have to let her go.”



James shuddered at the thought. “That’s, like, the last thing I want to do.”



“I know,” said Remus. “But you have to respect how she feels.”



“Alright.” James stood up. “I’ll go and ask her right now.”

---

Under the tree a few feet away, Lily brought her wand down and looked over at her friends.



“Did you hear that?” she asked eagerly. “He really does care about me!”



“What will you say?” Janice asked excitedly.



“You’ll say ‘yes’, won’t you?” Alena inquired.



“Of course I will!” exclaimed Lily. “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for ever since we became close friends!”



“I’m glad it worked out,” said Elisha softly. “Oh look, here they come!”



The four girls turned around and faced the four boys heading their direction. James was at the front, and looked pretty nervous. The girls stood and James spoke.



“Umm, Lily?” he began.



“Yes, Potter?” Lily replied.



“Listen, umm, I just wanted to say that I’ve really been a jerk.”



He paused, and Lily watched him with interest. He continued, “I’ve been pretty self-centered lately, and I’m sure you’ve been thinking that I expect you to like me because of what I do.” Another pause. “As much as I think you’ll answer with the negative, and even though I promised you I wouldn’t, I’d like to ask…will you go to the formal with me?”



James watched with bated breath as Lily considered his proposal. Lily answered, “You know, I think I might.”



Disappointed, he muttered, “Man, that’s what I thought…” Suddenly he perked up. “What did you say?”



Lily patiently answered, “I said, James, that I think I might go to the formal with you.”



James began shaking with excitement, and asked, “Is that a ‘yes’?”



“Yes, James, that’s a ‘yes’.”



James suddenly shouted, “Woo-hoo!” He wrapped his arms around Lily and began spinning and squeezing her tightly. Finally she gasped, “James...too…tight…” He immediately let go and stuttered, “Sorry!” and started running and leaping around the grounds and randomly yelling, “Yes! Woo-hoo! Oh yeah!” Then he ran back, grabbed Lily’s hand, and pumped it up and down, saying, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” and ran off to celebrate some more. This time his guy friends followed him, swishing their index fingers by their heads in a “he’s crazy” motion, and Lily distinctly heard Sirius mutter, “Prongs has gone mental!”



Lily turned to her friends who were blinking in astonishment and mused, “Well, that made him happy.”









A/N Yay, you all are thinking, she finally said ‘yes’! Yeah, James is pretty happy, and Lily’s finally feeling more secure about James’s feelings for her. Teaser for next chapter: what can happen if a Muggle-born and a Slytherin get into an argument? Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine besides Alena, Janice, and Elisha, and all those characters listed as dance partners in chapter two, and, as far as I know, none of the events coming up happened for real, but I could be wrong….







Lily looked calm, but her heart was fluttering furiously inside.



James loves me, that wonderful voice in her head said, he really loves me!



Lily was about to mention that it was about time for lunch, when a not-so-wonderful voice sneered, “So…the Mudblood found a dance partner.”



Lily whirled around to see one of her worst enemies, then said mockingly, “I’m sorry, your owl has just been intercepted. Please call him back and try again.”



A boy with black, slimy hair grinned maliciously, and hissed, “So how’d a filthy Mudblood like you manage to attract a partner for the formal?”



By now a crowd had formed, including the Marauders. Lily was shaking with anger inside, but outside she seemed totally oblivious to what the boy was saying. Calmly, she asked in return, “Have you gotten a partner yet, Snivellus?”



The boy she called Snivellus scrunched up his face at that name, and replied, “My name is Severus Snape, and no, I don’t have a partner.”



Lily laughed. “Well, I can understand why! You’ve got such a big and greasy head, it’s nearly impossible for a girl in her right mind to stand three feet away from you, let alone hold hands with you!”



Severus began fuming as students from the crowd shouted, “Ooh!” and “You got told!” and “Burned!” As the voices continued, he seemed to be struggling with himself, and started to walk away, but suddenly he turned around, pointed his wand at Lily, and made a slashing movement in the air.



What looked like a purple flame was a force that cut into Lily’s skin like a knife, and as she uttered, “Oh…” she fell to the ground.

---

“Lily!” Alena, Janice, and Elisha fell to the ground beside their friend. Tears had formed, but they were shaking with anger.



The three pulled out their wands and shouted hexes and aimed them in Severus’s direction.

---

At the same time, James and the Marauders whipped out their wands, and, furiously, sent curses towards their enemy. James was about to dangle Snape in the air with anger, until he heard the girls scream Lily’s name.



James ran over to her and knelt to the ground.



“We have to get her to the Hospital Wing,” Alena said frantically.



“I’ll do it,” James said, and eased Lily up with “Locomotor Mortis.” Remus did the same for Severus, who had fallen a few feet away and was writhing in agony.



“Hey James, you don’t reckon we’ll get detention, do you?” Sirius asked him as James gently spell-carried Lily across the grounds.



“I don’t care,” James found himself saying. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

---

Very slowly, Lily opened her eyes. She squinted, and looked around. She was definitely inside, but she couldn’t tell where�”



“Lily!”



James cried out her name and ran over to her bedside. The other Marauders and her girlfriends followed just as quickly.



Lily adjusted her eyes to the light and gazed at her friends. “Where am I?” she asked all of them.



“You’re in the hospital wing, love,” answered Madam Pomfrey, who was standing a few feet away. “Took a nasty spell to the chest, you did.”



“Yeah,” Sirius continued, “Snivellus used that horrible…whatever-curse-it-is on you. You collapsed immediately. Been here for three days.”



“It should be made illegal,” Alena said, wiping her eyes. “You could’ve been badly injured.”



“But I’m okay, right?” Lily asked cautiously.



“Of course you’re alright!” Janice hastened to reassure her. “Except…”



“Except…what?” Lily asked, looking to everyone for answers.



No one said anything. Finally, Sirius summoned up enough courage to say, “Well, let’s just say you’ll never look good in a bikini.”



Janice slapped him across the face and Sirius said, “Ow!” and rubbed it gently. Lily instinctively reached to her front and found a line to trace. “A scar…” she whispered.



“It could’ve been worse,” Elisha said. “If we hadn’t spell-carried you up here, you’d be in a right fix. Snivellus would’ve been, too, if Remus hadn’t done the same for him.”



“What do you mean?” Lily said with confusion. “What’s wrong with Snape?”



They all looked at each other. James finally said, “Well, see Lily, you have seven friends who will readily defend you if someone threatens you.”



“In other words,” Elisha said, “when you fell to the ground, we all cursed him. And we each used a different one.”



“Really?” Lily asked excitedly. “What did you use?”



James began to list all the spells they each used. “Let’s see…Peter used Expelliarmus, Sirius, Remus, and Elisha combined with ‘Eat Slugs’, Furnunculus, and Bat-Bogey, respectively, and�”this is the best part�”Janice and Alena and I used Jelly-Legs and Tarantallegra and Leg-Locker!”



A sudden image of Snape writhing on the ground filled Lily’s head. His legs were squirming a little, but not nearly enough. His face was contorted with pain as little tentacles and bats emerged from his skin, and huge, slimy slugs forced their way out of his mouth. Lily had been giggling at first, but now it was full-blown laughter. She almost hurt from the curse, she was laughing so hard, but soon she stopped long enough to ask, “So, heh, when can I leave the Hospital Wing?”



“Madam Pomfrey’s given you permission to leave right now if you want to,” answered Alena, “so long as you always have someone by your side and you come for more medication by tomorrow morning.”



Lily smiled. “Let’s go out now,” she decided, “there might still be time to see the sunset.”



The eight of them made their way to the front entrance to Hogwarts and entered the natural world just as the sun was sinking behind the trees. There was some orange, pink, and pale green dancing across the sky, but still a good amount of light blue. As they began to tour the grounds Lily asked, “Umm, would it be all right if James and I had some time alone for awhile? We can meet you all again in about ten minutes.”



For a second everyone, including James, stared at her. Lily began blushing furiously, but Janice saved her with, “I think it would be all right to let them alone. We can skip stones on the lake and talk if that’s okay with the rest of you.”



The group agreed and Lily and James made their way slowly to the water’s edge where they sat down and stared into nothingness for awhile. Then Lily finally said, “Thanks for cursing Snape for me.”



James laughed nervously. “I wasn’t the only one, you know.”



Lily smiled kindly and said, “I know, but a long time ago I told you never to intervene when I was arguing with Snivellus, but I’m glad you did this time. So thanks.”



She offered her hand and James shook it, saying, “Well, you know, I just wanted to make sure I still had a dance partner for the formal.”



James held onto her hand. It was very warm and strong, and Lily wondered, To hold on, or to let go? That is the question. As much as she liked him, this was a new experience for her, so eventually she pulled away, and tried to stand up.



“Oh!” Lily moaned, and fell because of her weakness.



“Here.” James helped her up, and the two headed in the direction of their friends. Sirius was telling some excellent jokes, and soon James and Lily were laughing along with them. They began walking again, this time closer to the woods. The sun was almost down, and there were a few thick clouds in the sky.



When Sirius’s jokes ran out, Lily commented, “Hey, look, the moon’s up! Let’s stay and see it, it’s full tonight.”



The Marauders stopped in their tracks, and James asked slowly, “What did you say?”



Lily repeated, “I said that the moon is full tonight. But you can’t see it now, looks like a cloud covered it.”



Remus looked up and began running toward the woods. Lily took no notice of him.



“How would you know?” James asked nervously.



“Oh, Professor Sinistra gave me an astronomy calendar since I’m not taking her class anymore. You know, with constellations and moon phases�”James?”



James seemed to be struggling to find words. Finally he said frantically, “Lily, you and the girls go inside. It’s about time for supper anyway.”



Lily got ready to protest, but Janice interrupted with, “He’s right, Lily, we ought to go inside, dinner should be starting soon.”



“Why don’t you three go inside,” Lily suggested. “I’ll join you in a little bit�”just after I get a good look at the moon from out here.”



“Fine,” said Elisha, “we’ll see you in a few minutes.”



The threesome hurried across the grounds and Lily turned to face James as he said, “Lily, I told you to go inside.”



“But I don’t want to go inside.”



“You can see the moon just as clearly in the Great Hall, the ceiling’s enchanted!”



“So? Why do you want me to go inside, anyway?”



James searched for words. “Look it’s�”it’s going to be dangerous in a few minutes.”



Lily placed her hands on her hips. “So why don’t you go inside with me?”



“I know how to master the danger!”



“And what’s to say I don’t know how?”



“Trust me, you don’t.”



“Fine.” Lily crossed her arms. “Tell me what the danger is.”



“There’s no time for that, just go inside!”



“I’ll go in if you tell me what it is!”



“But I can’t tell you!”



Lily opened her mouth again, but suddenly stopped. She turned chalk white as she whispered, “James?”



Impatiently, he whispered back, “What?”



“Don’t look now, but there’s a werewolf emerging from the forest, and it’s running at you from behind.”



James turned deathly pale and started breathing slowly with fright. He whispered, “So what do you suggest we do about it?”



Lily groped for an answer, but suddenly shouted, “Duck!”









A/N So, what are you thinkin’? I really liked this chapter, a lot of action, really cool. And thank you to my new beta, LaneTechFreshie! She's given me some great ideas, and is very supportive. Thanks a lot!

Disclaimer: I really didn’t invent any of this besides Lily’s friends and some other characters…oh, and my version of the Lily/James romance! I made that up too! Oh, and that poem near the end? I heard that at camp from a good friend, Hannah-Bee, and she found it on the Internet. And putting it on here was Emmi’s aka LaneTechFreshie’s idea. Thanks girls! You rock!





James fell to the ground as he heard “Expelliarmus!” He looked up and saw a flash of red shoot toward the werewolf from Lily’s outstretched wand.







“Lily, no!” James shouted. “You’ll just aggravate him!”





He was right. The werewolf flinched, but got right back into a fighting stance. Lily’s eyes widened as it made its way over to where she was standing and raised his arm to strike her. She screamed and dodged his swipe just in time, but when would he try next?





“Oh, no you don’t!”





Lily looked up, startled, because she had heard James’s voice, but saw a stag running in her direction instead. It dug its antlers into the werewolf’s side and chased him away into the forest. As Lily stared in wonder a black dog approached her, and suddenly Sirius was in its place.





“Lily,” he said wearily, “go inside now. We’ll be okay.”





Lily nodded and took a few backward steps as she watched Sirius run off and transform, then turned and sprinted back to the castle.

---

Lily dragged herself up to Common Room and collapsed onto the sofa. No one was there, so she didn’t feel ashamed when she broke down and started crying. And while she didn’t know the reason why, she did know that she had just faced almost certain death, and that James had rescued her for the second time that week.





Lily stood and paced in front of the fireplace. She wanted to tell someone desperately.





But I can’t, she told herself. Obviously no one else knows their secret. I’ll have to keep it to myself.





Deciding to retire early, she slowly crawled up the winding staircase to her dormitory and drifted off to sleep.

---

When Lily awoke the next morning, she tried to remember what had happened the night before. Then it occurred to her.





“James!” she whispered, and she hurriedly but quietly dressed and left her sleeping roommates so she could go to breakfast. The sun had just risen, so she knew James would be coming in soon. Sure enough, halfway through her first piece of toast, the Marauders seemingly crawled into the hall. They all had small cuts and bruises, and Remus was limping, probably from the gash in his side from James’s antlers.





James’s antlers, Lily thought with amusement, and giggled a little as she rose to greet the boys.





“Good morning!” she said cheerfully. The foursome groggily gave a reply. “You look terrible.”





“I wonder why,” Sirius answered with a weary hint of sarcasm.





“Yeah.” Lily averted her gaze to stare at her shoes. “Sorry about last night.”





“Don’t be,” James said. “I should’ve explained, but�””





“I understand,” Lily interrupted, and looked them over thoroughly. “I think you boys should get some rest. Unless I’m mistaken, and I never am, our first class is at ten, so you should have about two-and-a-half hours.”





All four gave tired smiles and whispered different variations of “thanks.”





“No problem,” Lily replied, and waited until they were out of the hall before she finished her toast and helped herself to some bacon and eggs.

---

Around 10:30 James swaggered into the room and looked around for some long red hair. He saw it after awhile and approached Lily quietly. “Morning, Evans.”





Lily looked up from the catalog she was flipping through and smiled. “Good morning, Potter. Sleep well?”





“Better than ever,” James replied happily. “So…”





Lily slightly tilted her head. “So…what?”





James grinned and asked, “Have you chosen your gown yet?”





“Shouldn’t you be choosing your tuxedo-like outfit?” she asked in return, and began copying some numbers onto a form.





He gave her a confused look and answered, “I don’t know what you mean by ‘tuxedo’, but I’ve already filled out the order form. I just have to send it off with my owl Danielle.”





Lily signed her name on her form, looked up, and said, “Well, in answer to your earlier question, I have chosen my gown and just need to send the form off to the formal wear place.”





“May I escort you to the Owlery?”





Lily considered his proposal, and after a short pause answered, “Sure, why not?” much to James’s delight.

---

Halfway up to the Owlery, Lily seemed to burst with the question, “So what happened last night?”





James turned to her and asked, “What did you see happen?”





Lily paused for a minute. “Well, after I tried to stun the werewolf�”I’m guessing it was Remus�”I saw a stag run at him and stab him. That was you, right?” James nodded and Lily continued. “Then a dog, Sirius, ran over to me and told me to go inside. Then he ran off�”as a dog, of course�”to help you fight the werewolf, and I practically fled to go inside.”





James nodded again. “You’ve made some pretty good guesses. I am an Animagus, and so are Peter and Sirius. And Remus is a werewolf.”





“You’re all registered, aren’t you?” Lily inquired.





James ran his fingers through his hair and glanced at the ceiling. “Well…”





"You’re not? James!” Lily exclaimed with shock. “What would Professor Dumbledore say when he found out?”





“He’s not going to,” James said quickly. “He wouldn’t understand. Remus wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, and even though he didn’t, we found out. Dumbledore will think that he told us and stop trusting him. I couldn’t let that happen to a friend. And besides,” he added before Lily could object, “earlier, you know, before we were there with him, he would just tear himself to pieces. Literally, he would bite himself and scratch himself because there was no one else to do it to. Now what would you do if you were me, or Sirius, or Peter, and knew what Remus was going through all the time?”





A look of sadness found its way onto Lily’s face, and she bit her lip and replied, “You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry. You’re a very loyal friend to do that for him, and I promise, I won’t tell anyone.”





The two entered the Owlery and an awkward silence, broken when Lily called, “Come on Opal!” A beautiful white owl that seemed to glisten like diamonds alighted gracefully on her arm, and she attached the order form to Opal’s leg and whispered, “Take this to Diagon Alley. I’ll see you soon.” The owl gave Lily an affectionate nip on the finger and flew out the window. James also called his owl Danielle down, and sent her with his form.





The two sauntered toward the Great Hall, and James commented, “You know, I read this poem in a book from the library.”





Lily laughed at his randomness. “A poem?”





“Yes, a poem.” James nodded. “And I do believe that it describes your, er, previous feelings about me quite nicely.”





“Alright then,” Lily said with amusement. “How does it go?”





James cleared his throat and recited:





“I am not yours, not lost in you,


Not lost, although I long to be


Lost as a candle lit at noon,


Lost as a snowflake in the sea.


You love me! And I find you still


A spirit, beautiful, and bright;


Yet I am I, and long to be


Lost as light is lost in light!


Oh plunge me deep in love! Put out my senses,


Leave me deaf and blind,


Swept by the tempest of your love,


A taper in the rushing wind.”





James said all of this with facial expressions and hand motions, and even tried to imitate Lily’s voice. By the time it was over Lily had doubled over laughing, and James asked lightly, “You like that one, Evans?”





Lily nodded, fighting the urge to keep laughing, but failing. It was almost time for lunch, so James used a spell to end her laughter, “Giglia finito,” and she giggled a “Thank you!” and hurried for her seat.











A/N How’d you like that one? I think that poem was pretty good, my friends dared me to try out for a talent show with it, and I made it! Reviews, please! You all are wonderful!

A/N to mods: Ok, last chapter Lily learned the secret of Remus and the Marauders, ordered her dress, and got to hear a hilarious yet somewhat romantic poem that James found.

Disclaimer: And…those characters�”some of which I own and some of which are Jo’s�”are back! And with new events that never happened! *applause*



Lily pulled out a sheet of paper and doodled a picture of James. It had been a few days since the werewolf attack, and now she was sitting in class working on her Charms N.E.W.T. Well, she was supposed to be, but preferred visualizing James’s wonderful hazel eyes to reviewing her already completed exam.

“Quills down, everyone!”

Professor Flitwick’s voice stirred Lily out of her thoughts, so she looked over her Charms N.E.W.T. for the seventh time that hour. Everything seemed in order, and it was soon whisked away with the professor’s “Accio!”

Lily gathered all her materials to put in her bag and walked into the Great Hall to wait for her turn for the practical exam. She looked around for her friends, and, when she found them, sauntered over to talk. They were arguing over a certain spell that was bound to be on the N.E.W.T.

“It’s Albineir, I just know it!” Janice yelled.

“Don’t be silly, it’s Eirlalino!” Alena argued.

“They’ve been going about like this for two minutes,” Elisha explained, as Lily approached them. “Trying to remember what the hair-bleaching spell is.”

“Oh, but that’s simple!” Lily cried, and placed herself between her two friends and held out her hands.

“Stop it, both of you,” she said firmly. “The spell is Leleiral.”

The two girls stopped shouting at one another, and watched as Lily pulled out a Charms cheat-sheet. There they saw: “Hair-Bleaching�”Leleiral.”

“Man,” Alena whined, “why do you have to know everything?”

Lily looked flattered. “Well, thank you,” she said politely, “but I don’t know everything.”

“You do,” argued Janice, “you just don’t know it.”

Elisha and Lily began to giggle, and soon Janice joined in when she realized what she had said. Alena, on the other hand, muttered, “I don’t get it…” But before the others could explain, a Ministry official called, “Mark Abbot and Janice Ackerman!”

Janice turned pale, muttered, “Wish me luck,” and walked toward the entrance of the Great Hall.

The other girls were suddenly quiet, and were hoping and praying that Janice would pass. Before they knew it, she was back.

“I think I passed,” Janice said breathlessly, and the girls breathed sighs of relief.

“And you’ll never believe it!” she continued. “The hair-bleaching spell was on it!”

“Did it work?” Elisha asked eagerly.

“You bet!” Janice answered excitedly. “I think the lady was a little scared, ’cause her hair was originally ebony black!”

The girls were soon in another fun conversation, and after awhile the Marauders joined them.

“Sirius just got back from the practical,” James said

“How’d it go?” Janice wondered.

“Perfect!” Sirius stated proudly. “Can’t imagine not getting at least an E on that one!”

“Aren’t you supposed to go in soon?” James asked Lily, and she nodded nervously.

“I’m a little worried,” she admitted. “I’m good at Charms, I guess, but�””

“You’ll be fine,” James reassured her. “If Sirius can say that he did well, we know you can!”

“Thanks,” she whispered, and James had a sudden urge to wrap his arm around her and comfort her in her worries. But soon her name was called, along with, “Michael Farnsworth,” and she hurriedly said good-bye to her friends and rushed off to the examination room.

---

“Lily Evans?” the examiner guessed as she entered the room.

“That’s me,” Lily answered quietly.

“Now, I hope you’re not worried.”

Lily shrugged nervously. “Just a little, I guess.”

“No need, no need,” he said, waving his arm. “Take your time.”

Lily liked her examiner at once. He began with easy spells, like Wingardium Leviosa, and ended with more difficult ones. He was especially pleased with her “Sonorus!” and claimed that “it was the loudest and clearest yet!” When the examination was over, Lily felt very much relieved, and shook the examiners hand very warmly as she said good-bye.

---

“And…how did it go?” James asked the minute Lily was in hearing range.

“Wonderfully!” Lily exclaimed, hugging James. “The examiner was very kind and understanding.”

Immediately Lily realized that she was hugging a boy, so she quickly let go and reproached herself, but covered up by embracing the other girls much showier than she did James. James, however, looked very pleased.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, and in the Gryffindor Common Room that night most of the seventh-years and fifth-years were celebrating the end of their first N.E.W.T. and O.W.L.

“They shouldn’t be partying,” Lily scolded to no one in particular. “The Transfiguration Exam is in two days!”

“Oh, come off it, Lily!” said James as he walked to her from across the room with a butterbeer. He offered it to her. “Join the party!”

“I think not!” Lily said in shock. “I have to study! This could greatly affect our future; you realize that, I’m sure!”

“Sure I do,” James said casually, “but even the brightest witches deserve a bit of fun. I mean, come on, Janice, Alena, and Elisha are going to the ball with the greatest troublemakers in the school!” He paused and added, “Besides me, of course. I’m sure the beautiful and intelligent Lily Evans can take a few minutes to just relax and have a good time.”

Lily blushed and smiled at his last comment, but�”very reluctantly, she told herself�”she agreed. Maybe it was when James said that he would study with her for Transfiguration tomorrow that she changed her mind. She didn’t like to admit it, but she was very much enjoying James’s company all of a sudden.

Don’t think that way, she said to herself, this isn’t what you want!

Oh, yes it is, her heart reminded her, so perhaps that was why she ended the night with her arms around James’s neck and his hands at her waist.

---

Lily awoke with a sense of happiness that had carried over from the night before, and very brightly put on her favorite green tank top with a lily on it�”James had gotten it for her for Christmas that year�”and practically skipped down the stairs to the common room. She spotted James instantly.

“Oh James!” she called very sweetly.

Immediately James jumped up and ran over to greet her, and answered, “Yes, love of my life?”

Lily ignored his attempt to charm her, and said, “You promised to study with me today.”

James stared at her blankly. “What?”

“You know,” Lily said with annoyance. “The Transfiguration N.E.W.T. is tomorrow, and you said you would help me study.”

The realization of James’s promise dawned on him, and he stuttered, “Oh right, well then, we’d better get started.”

He seems so nervous, Lily mused as she pulled out flash cards.

“What are those for?” James asked, pointing at the cards.

“They’re flash cards, and�””

“I’ve never heard of flash cards,” he interrupted with a confused look.

“Flash cards,” Lily explained patiently, “are an easy Muggle way of keeping track of information. See here�”” she indicated one of the cards “�”the spell is on this side, and the function is on the other.”

James slowly grinned with understanding and amusement. “Brilliant,” he muttered, and Lily began to hold up cards for him.

“Wait,” he protested, “I thought I was helping you.”

“You are helping me!” Lily told him. “As you remember the spells, I’ll hear you and remember as well.”

Reluctantly, he answered, “All right, then,” and started reciting spells with their function.

After two hours, they had been through all the cards, and reviewed the ones James had had trouble with.

“Not bad, Potter,” Lily complimented, and stood up.

“What are we standing up for?” James asked as he took Lily’s arm to stand.

“Well, we’ve done the written part of the exam,” Lily explained, “so now we have to do the practical.”

“We could’ve done the practical during the flash cards!” he complained.

“I’ve got to practice too!” Lily said indignantly. “But if you want, I’ll use my own resources and you can find some for yourself!”

“Resources? What resources? Where are you going?” James asked with confusion as Lily made for the Portrait Hole.

Lily turned around. “Are you sure you still want my help?”

“Yes!” James said impatiently. “So where are we going?”

Lily displayed a secretive smile. “Follow me.”



A/N Hi! Hope you guys liked this one. It was a little harder, but I think it had its good moments. Lily’s definitely learning what it’s like having a boyfriend and is getting used to spending more time with James. Please review! I’ll get Chapter Seven posted as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: Ah, the usual: Lily and James aren’t mine, some of the characters aren’t mine, this story isn’t real, and…yeah, that’s about it.




“Lily,” James asked for the umpteenth time as they trudged up the stairs to the seventh floor, “where in the world are you taking me?”

“You’ll find out,” Lily answered, as she had to every question.

“Are we on the seventh floor?” James asked dumbly.

“Yes, James, we are on the seventh floor,” Lily said patiently.

“But, why are we�””

“James!” Lily finally burst. “You. Will. Find. Out. When. We. Get there! Now please, just shut up!”

Apparently Lily had knocked some sense into James’s head�”his very thick head, I might add, she said to herself�”because he stayed quiet for the last two minutes as they started walking back and forth in one place, Lily muttering something repeatedly until a plain old door appeared.

“What is this place?” James wondered aloud.

“Honestly, you’re a Marauder and you don’t know?” Lily asked with disbelief.

James shook his head.

“We are standing outside the Room of Requirement, James,” Lily explained.

“What’s it do?” he asked.

Lily smiled that same mysterious smile. “Open the door and find out.”

James very tentatively pulled open the door, walked inside, and murmured, “Holy crap.”

The room was filled with animals�”all tame, Lily reassured him�”small objects, and a list of spells for reference.

“What is all this?” James asked with wonder.

“The Room of Requirement, also called the Come and Go Room, is a place that appears only when a person is in need of it,” Lily quoted as if from Hogwarts, a History. “In other words, this room has become a room for Transfiguration practice because we need it. What do you think?”

James had been staring at the room in amazement for the time she had been talking, and he managed to summon up, “Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”

Lily beamed at his response, then reminded him, “Well, now that we’re here and know what it’s here for, why don’t we use it?”

For the next four-and-a-half hours the two of them worked on spells. Lily was a big help on spells that James had never mastered, and even James proved to know some wand movements that Lily had been doing entirely wrong. When Lily finally looked at the clock on the wall, she was very surprised.

“It’s already nine-o’-clock!” she exclaimed. “We’d better head back to Common Room if we want to be well-rested for tomorrow.”

James also gazed at the clock, but soon began to head out the door. He opened it for Lily and muttered, “Thanks for the help.”

Lily looked into his eyes and said, “No, James, thank you.”

James held out his hand and Lily took it, and as they walked down the hall back to Gryffindor House, James figured that her “thank you” had more than one meaning to it.

---

The next two weeks were a blur for the seventh-years. They had N.E.W.T.s practically every other day, and in-between the students were cramming for the next exam. The fifth-years, who were in the middle of their O.W.L.s, were behaving in the same manner, and could often be seen running down the halls in a mad rush to retrieve wands or shoes from their Common Rooms.

The Saturday after exams were completed, however, was a dream come true. On this day, Lily and her friends were relaxing under the shade of a tree, and the Marauders were trying to draw the giant squid closer to shore, but to no avail.

Lily was on her belly and flipping through a Witch Fashion magazine, Janice was eating an apple from the Great Hall, and Alena alternated between glancing at Lily’s magazine and skipping stones on the lake. Elisha had nothing to do and was bored, so, as no one really wanted to talk about N.E.W.T.s, she decided to bring up the ball.

“What color and style gown did you choose from the catalog, Lily?”

Lily smiled and continued turning pages from Witch Fashion. “I’d rather not say, I’d like it to be a surprise.”

“Mine is beautiful!” exclaimed Alena, and she quickly looked up from the magazine with enthusiasm. “It’s a light pink spaghetti-strap gown. It’s very silky, and the pink is pastel-like.”

Lily could just imagine seeing that gown on Alena. Alena’s skin was a perfect light tan, and she had sunshine hair and bright blue eyes. Lily called them sapphires, as most everyone called her own, emeralds.

“Mine is turquoise,” Janice said shyly. “Sirius recommended it.”

Lily grinned. Janice was smitten with Sirius, and all four of them agreed that Sirius had been showing signs of liking her. He made a good choice, she thought in amazement. Janice had very tan skin and dark brown hair, but her eyes were turquoise, and they could understand why Sirius would’ve liked the color.

“What about you, Elisha?” Janice asked her. “You brought it up.” Elisha had dirty-blond hair, hazel eyes, and very light skin. It was difficult to find a matching gown.

Elisha answered very happily, “It’s a light sky blue color, and I have a matching hair ribbon, eye-liner, and nail polish. I have a picture of it with me.”

Elisha pulled out a photograph of a witch modeling it, and Lily marveled at how wonderfully it seemed to suit her friend. It was a halter-top dress, but still very modest. It was a little tight at the top, but from the hips down it flared out in an elegant way, and flowed as you spun. As Lily looked from Elisha to the picture and back to Elisha, she said only, “Perfect.”

Elisha looked very pleased with the compliments she received, and took it back to put in her purse.

“And you, Lily,” Alena asked expectantly.

Lily looked down at her magazine and said, “I already told you, I want it to be a surprise.”

“At least tell us what color it is,” Janice tried.

“But that would give it away!” Lily laughed.

“How about a general color then?” Elisha persisted, and the girls leaned in.

“All right!” Lily finally relented, and put Witch Fashion away. “It’s green.”

“Green!” exclaimed Janice. “Green like�””

“Don’t take any guesses!” Lily interrupted. “I’m not telling anybody!”

“Not even your best friends?” Alena whined, and displayed a puppy-dog pout.

“No, no, no!” Lily giggled. “I’m not falling for the face and I’m not telling you!”

It turned out that all they managed to extract from her was that her dress was green, so after about ten minutes they gave up. The boys didn’t have as much luck either, and came over to join the girls so they would have something to do. Janice offered to throw in her apple core for the squid, and succeeded in bringing a long black tentacle to the surface, much to the annoyance of the boys. (Except for Peter. He was so excited to see it he almost wet himself.) After that they were all at a loss for amusing ideas, and sat there pondering for six minutes before James shouted, “Let’s play Quidditch!” The Marauders agreed, but the girls were skeptical.

“If we do it girls against boys it will never worked!” Elisha told him. “You and Sirius know how to play, and Alena’s pretty good, but the rest of us aren’t that great at it.”

“Alright then, I know what to do!” proclaimed Remus, always the problem-solver. “James, Lily, Peter, and Elisha will be on one team, and the rest of us will be on the other. It’s only fair,” he added, as James and Sirius looked daggers at him. “I know you two would like to be on the same team, but we have to take Elisha’s words into consideration. Plus, this way there’s an even number of boys and girls on each team.”

James and Sirius still looked murderous, but maybe because they were with their dance partners and a good friend they agreed. Lily was a bit nervous: she could fly pretty well but had never tried the sport. Both Elisha and Janice were pretty good on the broom, and Alena was even a substitute Chaser for the Gryffindor House Team. As for the boys…Remus and Peter had played it enough to be pretty good, and both James and Sirius were wonderful, but only James had made the team.

James, Sirius, and Alena summoned their own brooms from their dormitories, and Lily summoned some from the broom cupboard. Remus and Peter went to bring the box of equipment, and soon everyone was ready to play. Janice and Elisha were set as Keepers, James and Sirius were Seekers, and Lily, Peter, Remus, and Alena were Chasers. (There weren’t any Beaters in this game.)

James began to give out instructions. “Okay, Keepers to their posts, Seekers, just anywhere, Peter and Remus out on the field, and Lily and Alena, I’ll throw the Quaffle up to you to try and catch.”

Everyone headed to their assigned areas. James released the Snitch and threw the Quaffle up in the air to begin the game.

Alena grabbed the red ball and sped in the direction of Elisha’s goalpost. Halfway there she was intercepted by Lily, who passed the ball to Peter, who passed it back to Lily, and…

“Goal!” Elisha shouted from the other end of the pitch. Lily did some loops in the air, then got ready to chase after Alena. Alena sped down the court toward Elisha, threw it, and Elisha caught it. This went on for awhile, and soon James’s team had 60 points, and Sirius’s team had 70 points. So far no one had seen the Snitch.

Then, about three minutes later, James sped downward as fast as was possible. Sirius followed close behind, and the rest of the players were in a stand-still. The two boys were very close to the ground, and pulled up just in time to avoid crashing. Sirius was lagging behind because his broom just wasn’t as fast as his friend’s.

James reached his arm out, caught the Snitch just barely…

And crashed into a goalpost.

“James!” Sirius and everyone else flew down to where James had fallen. Lily landed just seconds after Sirius did, leaned over James, and whispered anxiously, “Are you alright?”

James groaned and stirred a little. Sirius flipped him over and onto his back, and began to look him over. He had a big bruise on his head, but otherwise he looked okay….

James suddenly grinned and started laughing. Peter was whimpering a little, Remus shook his head in disbelief, Alena, Elisha, and Janice breathed sighs of relief, and Sirius yelled, “Prongs, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” Lily, however, flung her arms around James and didn’t care about what other people thought. James obviously didn’t either, because he returned Lily’s embrace and pressed his lips firmly against hers.

Lily’s instincts told her she was in heaven, and she kissed James back. After a few seconds James pulled back, and gazed at Lily happily. Lily, however, realized that she had just kissed a guy, felt her lips, and muttered, “Oh my gosh…”

James asked casually, “You like that, Evans?” and as Lily smiled the affirmative the other six in the group just stared at them. James helped Lily up and offered his hand, and Lily took it, and, beaming, the two of them walked off the Quidditch field, not really caring that they had just won the game.




A/N Hip-hip-hooray for Lily and James! Yeah, this was a fun chapter to choreograph. There’s probably just one more chapter after this that will take place at the ball, and I’ll end it there. As usual, reviews please! Thanks, you guys!

Disclaimer: None of these events ever happened, Lily, the Marauders, and the teachers aren’t mine, and Hogwarts belongs solely to Jo Rowling.



“Lily! Are you ready?”

Elisha’s voice rang out from outside the girls’ dormitory. It was the night of the ball, and Lily had asked them to stand outside while she dressed to create more suspense. The girls had reluctantly agreed.

“No, not yet!” she called.

Lily examined herself in the mirror. She had applied a thin layer of lip gloss and just enough mascara to make her eyes shine. There was also a spell she had discovered that would make her light red hair silky smooth, and it was falling loosely and elegantly.

But her dress was the main attraction. It was a light green satin that very nearly matched her eyes. There were two inch-wide straps to hold her dress on her shoulders; part of the back was exposed, but it was still very modest. At the bottom of the cut back portion was a bow, and, beneath the bow, a long line of fake buttons that ran all the way down.

Lily nodded at her reflection. Yes, she thought, James should be pleased.

Then she considered that earlier that month, she would’ve said, My friends will be very pleased. She hadn’t cared much about what James would’ve thought, but now she had grown very close to her dance partner, and was very excited about the upcoming night.

“Lily! It’s almost time to go!”

It was Alena this time, so Lily finally decided to get her friends’ approval, even though it was a little late for that. She took a deep breath, and walked into the Common Room.

The room grew suddenly quiet, and in a few seconds everyone was staring at the new arrival. Even Alena, Janice, and Elisha couldn’t find words to say.

Lily realized that the girls were staring at her. She began to blush and said with uncertainty, “Umm, I guess we’d better go, shouldn’t we?”

The remaining girls started talking again, and most of them headed for the Great Hall to meet their partners. Those who didn’t go continued admiring Lily’s gown, but eventually realized that their partners were waiting, and made for the Portrait Hole.

Lily’s three friends were still staring at Lily, and finally Janice managed, “It’s beautiful!”

The other two nodded, and, with the uncomfortable silence broken, the foursome struck up a conversation and walked down the stairs to the Great Hall.

---

In the Great Hall, couples were standing together and waiting for the music to begin. James, however, was still waiting for Lily, and the other Marauders for Alena, Janice, and Elisha.

But they couldn’t ignore the whispers between the couples already present.

“Did you hear about that girl who’s supposedly the most beautiful here?”

“A Gryffindor, they said.”

“Yeah, some of my friends were just talking about her. In a green dress, isn’t she?”

“It’s not just a dress! I saw her, and it’s a genuine ball gown! The loveliest thing I’ve ever seen!”

“Is that her over there? The girl who just entered the Hall?”

Many heads turned toward the entrance, including the Marauders’. They recognized Elisha in her light blue, Janice in her turquoise, and Alena in her pastel pink.

The other girl, however, made James’s heart flip-flop:

Lily.

---

“Have you noticed that it’s gone quiet again?” Lily whispered to her friends.

“They’re watching like they did in Common Room,” Janice observed, “they think you’re beautiful.”

The people in the Hall soon began whispering again.

“Is that Lily Evans?”

“The Muggle-born and Head Girl?”

“Look at how wonderful her hair is!”

“Her hair? What about her gown? It’s perfect!”

“I wish she were my partner….”

Then everyone grew silent again as James Potter walked up to greet Lily. He reached for her hand and lightly kissed it, and then led her to the edge of the dance floor. Their friends followed suit.

Professor Dumbledore took the opportunity to say a few words.

“Welcome, seventh-years, to the annual Hogwarts Formal!”

There was much applause, and all attention shifted to the headmaster.

“I’m very delighted to see all the handsome young men and lovely young ladies here for an evening of celebration! You can begin the night however you wish, just flow with the music!”

Cheers rang out through the crowd, and as the band began a slow but happy song, the couples moved in to the center. James led Lily to a spot near the outside of the circle, and the two started swaying together.

James soon asked in amazement, “How did you find such a wonderful gown?”

Lily smiled. “You like it?”

“I love it!” he exclaimed. “How did you do it?”

“Simple: I looked through the catalog, found a style I liked, and chose the color.”

“But…Lily, it’s perfect.”

Lily blushed at the compliment, and whispered, “Thank you.”

“There’s just one problem,” James said with a frown, and took his hands away from her waist.

Lily looked startled and hesitantly brought her hands to her side. “What’s wrong with it?”

“There are just too many boys watching you and too many girls envying you,” he said with most seriousness. “I think we might have to continue this dance outside.”

Lily laughed and allowed James to lead her away from the Great Hall and through the doors to the outside.

---

“You know, many girls were saying that your dress is green,” James said out of nowhere.

“Well, isn’t it?” Lily asked with surprise, fingering the material.

“If you’re being general, it is,” James answered, “but green is not nearly the right color.”

James walked ahead as if pondering the issue, and Lily waited expectantly. James suddenly whirled around, pointed his finger at Lily’s dress, and exclaimed, “I’ve got it!”

Lily listened to him with amusement, which soon became wonder.

“It’s the soft green of a lily pad as it floats down a glassy river,” he began softly, poetically. “But this lily pad is special, for it carries the most beautiful flower of all: the lily.

“As it is rushed downstream,” he continued excitedly, “many young men watch it and chase after it, hoping to catch that wonderful flower for their own. Then one finally takes a chance, and, after many attempts to catch her, he lifts her up to tell her of her beauty�”” he paused, suddenly laughing “�”and how much she’s blushing at this description!”

Lily had turned beet red, but joined in the laughter, stopping long enough to say, “Is that all, James?” and then erupting into giggles again.

James placed his hand under her chin and lifted it up, and Lily’s laughing ended.

“It matches your eyes too,” he whispered, “those beautiful emeralds.”

James took Lily into his arms, and she sighed with contentment.

“You know that I love you, Lily,” James told her softly.

“Well, I kind of figured,” Lily said playfully.

"Oh, hey, I've got something for you." James let go of her and began searching through his pockets. He pulled out a small square box. Lily's heart fluttered, but somehow she knew that he wasn't going to make a proposal. Instead, he opened it and pulled out a beautiful lily necklace. The petals glistened like diamonds.

"Lily," he said slowly, "I love you very much. I don't know what the future will bring, but will you consider someday being my one and only? Not now, of course, but in the near future?"

Lily stared at him and the necklace, then whispered, "Yes, James. With all my heart."

James carefully clasped the necklace around her neck, then drew her closer to himself. The two laughed and kissed and thoroughly enjoyed one another's company. Eventually, though, Sirius and Janice came out and said, “Hey, I hate to break the two of you up, but they’re doing a Head Students’ waltz, so you’d better come inside.”

James and Lily threw annoyed glances at the two and then gazed at each other. She said, “Sure,” and he answered, “Whatever,” and the four made their way inside, Lily and James walking hand in hand and feeling truly happy.



A/N This is the end, and I hope you all are happy with it! As usual, reviews, please! If you want, you could tell me your favorite character and your favorite part of the story. Thanks a lot guys!

By the way, I may submit a new story soon. It’ll be a lot longer than this one and start at the beginning of their first year, so if you liked this one, please look out for me! Thanks!