"Hey Evans," he said sweetly, as he ruffled the back of his jet-black hair.

"Good morning, James," she said absent-mindedly. Visits from James weren't extraordinary; he liked to talk to her often. She wasn't really listening; she just wished he'd go away so she could better concentrate on her wonderful book.

"Would you like to accompany me to Hogsmeade today?" James appeared hopeful.

"Sure, James," she said impatiently. She hadn't been listening to this conversation at all. She was still in her book, reading about a wonderful old wizard by the name of- "HEY PADFOOT!" James yelled over the Common Room noise.

An extremely handsome boy with nose-length chocolate brown hair looked up. Following his lead, two other boys also looked up: one with cream hair and another with sandy-blonde. The noise had also managed to arouse Lily from her stupor, and she wondered what in the world James could have to shout about this early in the morning. "Lils just agreed to go to Hogsmeade with me!" he yelled to the other boys excitedly.

Sirius grinned, then called back, "Told you she'd come around eventually, Prongs," he said with a wink.

Remus smiled sincerely, and Peter giggled and clapped his hands in glee.

Lily's jaw dropped. She vaguely remembered agreeing to something, but she hadn't been listening to the question and had only answered so James would go away! "I...but...no," Lily sputtered. "I did not," she finally cried feebly.

"Yeah you did," James said, bewildered. His smile faltered. "Just now, you did, I saw you."

She gave a hysteric chuckle. "Hallucinating a little, are we James?" She prodded him in the chest. "I've told you before- I don't like you, I never have liked you, and I will never, ever go out with you!"

She turned and ran to the Common Room door and out into the many corridors of Hogwarts. James sighed and looked after her sadly, and pulled out a worn parchment. He turned it away from the crowd and tapped it with his wand, muttering a select few words. He studied it for a minute or so, smiled bitterly, and turned to follow Lily out into the corridors.

----*----

Lily's face was as red as her hair. 'It's true then,' she thought bitterly, 'redheads do have terrible tempers.' She snorted and pushed a tapestry out of the way hurriedly. The wall hanging revealed a hidden staircase down into what seemed like a circular room with a single couch and chair. "He can't find me here," she murmured satisfactorily.

"I'd think twice about that," James smirked as he leaned casually against the doorway.

Lily groaned, still not facing him. "James, I practically bite your head off, and you have the nerve to follow me?!"

James held up his hands. "Hey, take it easy. I didn't follow you. Actually, I trust you enough to show you this." He pulled the parchment out of his pocket and sat down on the couch next to Lily. He opened its many folds and laid it on the coffee table in front of him.

Lily took in a sharp breath. "No way," she breathed. "Is this-?"

James nodded proudly. "A full and complete map of Hogwarts, as we know it."

"But James," she murmured (she had forgotten about her angry feelings towards the boy in place of awe), "where did you get this? Only very talented wizards could ever have possibly made it. It has to be very advanced magic!" James grinned. "Very talented wizards, you say? More like, Sirius, Remus, and myself. Oh yeah, and Peter too," he added as an afterthought, "but come to think of it, he didn't really do all that much work..."

Lily tapped it smartly. "So this is how the famous Marauders do it? They never get in trouble because they can see the teachers coming? And how you always manage to find me between classes no matter how many shortcuts and secret passageways I take?"

James ruffled his hair. "The secret to our success."

Lily snorted. "Whatever, idiot."

He yelped. "I'm not an idiot!"

She rolled her eyes. "You are too. And besides, I might have agreed to go out with you, but it's not fair because I wasn't really listening."

"And is that my fault?" He looked at his hands. "And besides, what could it hurt? I mean, just give me a chance. You've already agreed...I guess I could let you out of your promise, but that wouldn't be very nice. Come on, Lils, one little chance...Hogsmeade, today."

"Fine," she grumbled. "But I swear, James, never call me Lils again. And if you mess this date up, OR, if Stupid Sirius messes it up, never, ever, again."

James beamed. "Don't worry, Padfoot and I will be on our best behavior." He winked, and left the secret room and headed back to the Common Room. Lily followed, but instead of following James back to his friends, she settled herself back into the armchair with her book again. However, she found the book had lost its luster. She sat there, too dumbstruck to resume reading. She had done it. For years, James Potter had trotted after her like a lost puppy, and she had now accidentally become his girlfriend. She had always been so sure, so confident that James only meant to humiliate her by repeatedly asking her out. But that look of pure, innocent delight that she saw in her new boyfriend's face was truthful. How could she have been so wrong, for so long? Had her friends been right? Would James Potter be the best boyfriend any girl could ask for? She shook her head exasperatedly. This was not a good sign, he was already confusing her. She looked back at her book, but it didn't seem quite so exciting anymore. She looked back at the group of laughing boys, and firmly made up her mind.

----*----