“Ready, steady, go!” Sirius whispered. At the signal, James’ hand shot into the air.
“Oh, yes Mr. Puddyer?” Binns asked absently.
James launched one of his famous teacher-distracting questions, leaving Lily free to do her part. She pointed her wand at Binns’ carefully arranged notes and said, “Wingardium Leviosa,” from behind her nonchalantly raised hand. The note cards hovered for a second, then flew straight into the blades of the overhead fan. The first year Gryffindors were then showered with what had once been descriptions of goblin rebellions. Binns noticed nothing. Sirius and James both gave Lily high fives under the table.
Binns finished answering James’ question and looked down to his desk, seeing for the first time that the cards were missing. The ghost teacher was convinced that he had misplaced them, and he began shifting piles of papers looking for them. It was only when a residual piece floated down onto his desk that Binns realized what happened.
“It seems as if someone is intent upon disrupting this lesson,” he said in his droning voice. “So we will sit in silence until the culprit confesses.”
Several people sitting around Lily who had seen her do it snuck sidelong glances at her. They saw an innocent-looking redhead, looking for all the world as if she were bored with the proceedings and just wanted someone to give it up, already. James and Sirius were proud of their new friend. Very proud, in fact…
“How would you like to be an honorary Marauder?” Sirius asked Lily on the way to Transfiguration.
“What’s a Marauder?” Lily replied, confused. James grimaced as though she had mortally offended him.
“A Marauder,” he said, “is one dedicated to the goals mentioned in the Marauder’s Pledge.”
“Which are?” Lily prompted.
“These. Repeat after me,” Sirius instructed. “I, Lily Evans””
“I, Lily Evans””
“”do solemnly swear””
“”do solemnly swear””
“”to keep and uphold””
“”to keep and uphold””
“”the duties of the Marauders””
“”the duties of the Marauders””
“”that being to harass Slytherins””
“”that being to harass Slytherins,””
“”annoy teachers,” ”
“”annoy teachers,” ”
“”and distract lessons whenever the need arises””
“”and distract lessons whenever the need arises””
“”or whenever I get too bored.”
“”or whenever I get too bored,” Lily finished. “What did I just agree to?”
“Good Merlin, Evans, we thought you were the smart one!” Sirius exclaimed. “You just agreed to harass Slytherins, annoy teachers, and distract lessons whenever the need arises or whenever you get too bored. I didn’t think the pledge was that hard to understand!”
“Go back to the bit about distracting lessons whenever I get too bored,” Lily said. “Will a single History of Magic class be safe?”
“I highly doubt it,” James answered.
“Excellent,” Lily said with a rather fiendish smile.
The Gryffindors entered the Transfiguration classroom and saw to their horror that they were having it with the Slytherins. Professor McGonagall (who they found out was the Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor House in addition to being the deputy Headmistress) handed them each a match and instructed them to turn it into a needle. Lily stared at it. Then she pointed her wand at the match and said the spell Professor McGonagall taught them. Her match turned a shade grayer than it had been. Excited, she looked over at her friends and saw James attempting to stab Sirius with his perfectly transfigured needle. It only improved her mood slightly that the other girls were having no luck whatsoever.
Lily tried again. The match shuddered, elongated and became pointy. Lily was elated! She stabbed James and told him to stop trying to stab Sirius. He looked at her needle in amazement.
“I knew you were the smart one,” he told her, and for some unexplainable reason, that made her blush. He smiled hesitantly and fingered a lock of her hair.
“When you’re quite finished flirting with Miss Evans, I’ll see your progress on your needle,” McGonagall said, causing both of them to jump. James produced his finished needle, which she approved grudgingly. Lily handed hers to the professor next, realizing too late that there was still a bit of James’ blood on the tip. McGonagall didn’t say anything about it, but Lily could have sworn she saw the teacher wink at her.
“Charms is next,” James told the girls. “You’ll like that, it’s dead easy.”
And it was, at least for Lily. The first spell they learned was Wingardium Leviosa, the Hover Charm, and she astonished Professor Flitwick by doing it right the first try.
“Excellent, Miss Evans, simply excellent!” the tiny wizard exclaimed. “Why, if I didn’t know better, I would think you’d been practicing this!”
Lily conveniently forgot to mention the hours she’d spent mastering the spell in the common room. Flitwick moved on to aid Kathleen, who had set the feather she was supposed to be levitating on fire. Lily looked over at James and saw that he had also levitated a slip of parchment and was using the feather as a quill to pass notes with Sirius. Lily caught his eye, and then rolled both of hers at him. He shrugged and smiled sheepishly, before dipping the feather into the ink pot and resuming his conversation. Lily, determined to ignore him, struck up a conversation with Arya. Shortly, her friend pointed out a small paper airplane zooming toward Lily. On the wing was one word: Unfold. Lily did so. The small note read:
Evans,
Will you go out with me?
James
Lily stared at the page in shock. James wanted to go out with her?
“Well, he is good-looking,” Arya said, who had read the note over Lily’s shoulder. She ignored her. After pausing a moment, she scribbled:
No, Potter. I’m saving myself for someone who’s not hopelessly dim-witted.
L.E.
She sent the note back with a flick of her wand.
“Ouch,” Arya said, who had read that over her shoulder as well. “Did you have to be so brutal?”
“Yeah,” Lily replied. “I need for him to get the picture.”
“If he doesn’t get it, then he is hopelessly dim-witted.”
“D’you think she really means it?” James asked Sirius.
“Nah,” Sirius said lazily. “She’s just playing you, mate. She knows a boy wants what he can’t have.”
“You think so?” James said hopefully.
“Are you questioning my knowledge of girls?” Sirius asked his friend, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course not,” James said hurriedly. “So should I try again?”
“Not until at least next week,” Sirius advised him. “Just so you don’t seem too desperate.”
“Right you are,” James replied, and began to mentally draft what he would say to her.
Thanks for the Memories by tiger_lily821
Chapter Notes: This chapter's a bit AU, but I thought it would be fun to have Lily more closely linked with the Marauders.
Thanks to JmIliana, StarryNite4, padfootfangirl, Pissenoffanis, and Luna_Lovegood11 for the reviews!!