Winter had begun to creep across the grounds, bringing with it faint anticipation and excitement for the holidays. The Marauders were in fine form these daysâ”the first real snowfall of the year found them outside, throwing snowballs at each other and anyone who passed by. Remus bewitched one snowball to target Siriusâ”it continually hit him in the face and reformed. Sirius retaliated by turning Remus into a giant icicle. Once he had unthawed, Remus enchanted a snowman to chase Sirius around the grounds. It got confused, however, and tackled Professor McGonagall who, while siphoning the moisture from her robes with her wand, gave all four of them detention, despite James and Peterâs indignant protestations that they, like her, were merely innocent bystanders.
Despite this, James especially was cheerful. He was looking forward to going home for the holidaysâ”he was, as always, bringing Sirius with himâ”and his Quidditch team was doing well; they had won their first match of the season against Slytherin by a landslide, and were in high spirits during their training sessions. And more than that, Lily Evans was still speaking to him.
For all that she had claimed to dislike him, Lily no longer seemed to be going out of her way to avoid him. She had given him a hand several times in Potions over the past few weeks when he had been struggling, and the other day in Herbology she had been friendly when they were paired to the same Snargaluff stumpâ”although she had reverted to calling him âPotterâ instead of by his surname, she wasnât ignoring him altogether. And when a nearby Venemous Tentacula had seized him rather surprisingly around the arm, she had quite savagely helped him beat it off with a pair of pliers. And while she didnât seem inclined to want to start dating him anytime soon, he reassured himself with the fact that, at least, she wasnât going out with anyone else, either.
---
âSo, Evans, did you see that thereâs a trip to Hogsmeade scheduled for next weekend?â
Lily nodded absently, her attention on the squirming Bubotuber plant in her hands.
âWell, I was thinking you might want to go.â
âI was planning on it,â she said vaguely, trying to squeeze the pus from the pod into a bowl.
âNo, I mean, with me. Like a date.â
The pod shot from her hands and landed on the floor a few feet away, where it lay still. She eyed it suspiciously for a second, before turning her gaze to the boy who stood in front of her, blowing a strand of loose hair from her face as she did so.
âIâm sorry,â she said. âWhat did you say?â
âI was wondering,â Isaac Smith, a sixth-year Hufflepuff, said slowly, âif you wanted to go to Hogsmede with me next weekend. On a date.â
Surprised, Lily just stared at him for a second. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed James Potter, who had been struggling with the Bubotuber next to hers, go suddenly still.
Isaac was still standing in front of her expectantly. Tall, blonde, and broad-shouldered, he was good-looking enough, but Lily had always found him a little pompous, and far too eager to show off.
âOh,â she said, choosing her words carefully. âThanks for asking. But I was just really planning on going with Mary, you know, and Iâm not really looking for anyone to date right nowâŚâ
She trailed off as he snorted derisively. âSure,â he said. âOr maybe itâs just that the perfect Lily Evans is too good for any normal boy.â
âWhat?â she asked, hurt and startled. âNo, itâs not that at allâ”â
He cut her off, saying, âOr maybe thereâs something else wrong with you. Pretty girl like that, no boyfriendâ”maybe itâs just that filthy Mudblood stench coming through.â
Lily blinked. It was a word she had grown to expect from the Slytherins, and it hardly bothered her. But somehow, coming from a Hufflepuff, it felt much more like a slap in the face. She darted a quick glance to her right and saw James Potter tense; beside him, Sirius was staring at Isaac with a look of deep disgust on his face. Remus Lupin looked furious, and even little Peter Pettigrew was clutching his wand tightly.
She felt a strange and unfamiliar rush of affection for all of themâ”despite whatever differences they had had in the past, or still had, they were there, on her side. Whether it was as Gryffindors orâ”maybeâ”as friends, they had her back. Encouraged by this, she turned to face Isaac.
âYou donât take rejection well, do you Smith?â she asked coolly. Most of the students, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors alike, were paying rapt attention to their dialogue. Mary, who was seated just to Lilyâs left, inhaled sharply as Isaac Smith barked a short, scornful laugh and turned away. Lily shook her head and started to bend back over her Bubotuber as Smith stopped in front of the pod she and dropped, and, with one last look at her, deliberately stomped on it.
Pus squirted from the tuber. Lily threw her arms in front of her eyes at the last second, causing some of the pus to spatter all over her dragon-hide gloves instead of her face. But a fair amount hit the bare skin on her forearms where the gloves didnât quite reach, and some landed on her neck and the lower half of her face. Large welts rose there almost instantly, and Lily whimpered unintentionally against the pain.
There was a moment of complete silence as everyone in the greenhouse, including Professor Sprout, stared at Lily in amazement. Then Mary gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, and James Potter sprang from his seat, Sirius Black half a second behind him. The two of them tackled Isaac Smith, fists flailing and wands forgotten.
The sight seemed to jolt Professor Sprout into actionâ”pulling out her wand, she shouted âPetrificus Totalus!â and the three of them were blasted apart, limbs locked to their sides. She cast them one disparaging glance before sweeping over to a motionless Lily.
âClass dismissed,â she said, before departing for the hospital wing. Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors alike shuffled out in her wake, leaving the three boys lying on the floor behind them.
---
Lily woke suddenly in the middle of the night to find a dark shape leaning over her.
She reacted without thinking; her fist shot out, and she heard the satisfying sound of impact. And thenâ”âOuch, Merlinâs beard, Evans, what are you doing?â
The voice was masculine and familiar; raising herself onto her elbows, she said cautiously, âBlack?â
He popped up in front of her, making her jump. âOf course itâs me. Who else would be sneaking around the hospital wing in the dead of night?â
Surreptitiously, she rubbed her fist, which was a little sore from hitting his face. âYes, but what are you doing here?â
âMove over,â he commanded, and she was so startled by the order that she didâ”a second later, she regretted her compliance as he sat familiarly on the edge of her bed. She tried to look suitably firm. He ignored her.
âTo be honest,â he said, âJames asked me to come see how you were.â
Lily raised an eyebrow. âWhy didnât he just come himself?â
âWhy, did you want him to?â
She scowled and shoved him off the bed. He emerged grinning. âIâll take that as a yes,â he said cheekily. She started to protest, but Sirius put a finger to his lips and said, âDonât want to wake Madame Pomfrey!â Lily settled for what she thought was a severe frown.
âAnyway,â Sirius continued, settling himself down beside her again, âhe would have come. But heâs in detention all night. Sproutâs totally fierce when it comes to messing around in her greenhouse, as it turns out. Hey Evans, why does your face look like that? Are you constipated?â
Hastily, she tried to rearrange her expression, ignoring his last comment with as much dignity as she could muster. âWhy arenât you in detention, then?â she asked.
He made a face. âShe didnât want me and Prongs doing ours at the same time. Thought weâd have too much fun together. I have to do mine all day Saturday.â
Lily felt a pang of remorseâ”it was over her that they were in trouble, after all. âIâm sorry,â she whispered. âItâs my fault, isnât it.â
He waved away her apology. âNah,â he said. âYou didnât make him jump that guy. And you know me. Always itching for some action.â
She rolled her eyes. âYeah, yeah,â she said. Then, the thought suddenly occurring to her, she asked, âHeyâ”Smith got in trouble too, right?â
âOh yeah,â Sirius grinned. âWay more than Prongs and me. Heâs got a whole week of detention, and heâs banned from Hogsmeade for the rest of the year.â
âGood,â Lily said smugly, leaning back into her pillows, suddenly very tired. Noticing this, Sirius stood.
âIâd better be going. Itâs late. And donât worry Evans,â he said diplomatically, âyour boils look much better already.â
She groaned and pulled the blanket over her head. Then, as she heard him leaving, she remembered something and sat up again. âWait!â she hissed. âWhy do you call him âProngs?ââ
He turned and winked at her. âWouldnât you like to know?â he asked, and he was gone.
She looked after him, shaking her head. âTheyâre all the same,â she muttered faintly, and went back to sleep.
---
The weekend came and went, and both Sirius and James had recovered from their detentionsâ”both of which had involved various odd jobs around the greenhouses. They were satisfied to notice, however, that Isaac Smithâs detentions were much more frustratingâ”when James left his detention, he saw Smith attempting to prune the Venemous Tentacula, and he couldnât help but grin.
Late Monday night found the four of them sprawled in front of the fireplace as usual, flipping idly through schoolbooksâ”or, in Siriusâs case, sniggering over a Muggle magazine heâd nicked from a first-year. After awhile, James looked up, and, noticing that the common room was empty, shut his book emphatically.
âUh-oh,â Remus said, glancing at him.
Peter looked up as well, startled. âWhatâs going on?â he asked.
âJames has a bright idea thatâs going to land us all in detention,â Remus said. âAgain.â
Peter looked at James. âOh,â he said. âOh.â
James frowned defensively. âWell I was just thinking,â he said slowly, âthat a weekâs worth of detentions just isnât enough punishment for Smith. He needs something moreâŚâ
âPersonal?â suggested Remus.
âHumiliating,â said Peter.
âHot,â breathed Sirius, turning a page of the magazine. The other three looked at him for a moment, and then, as a whole, ignored him.
âRight,â said James, nodding at the other two. âSomething heâs not going to forget in a hurry.â
Remus was fidgeting a little uncomfortablyâ”no doubt the Prefectâs badge on his chest was weighing on himâ”but Peterâs eyes were shining excitedly. âWhat do you want to do?â he asked eagerly. âHang him from the roof of the castle?â
âNo, no,â said Remus, apparently choosing mischief over order this time. âItâs got to be more subtle than that.â
âHereâs what I was thinking,â James started to say, leaning forward, when someone cleared her throat behind him.
They all turned to look. Lily Evansâ”apparently fresh from the hospital wingâ”was leaning against the doorframe of the portrait hole, watching them. They blinked at her guiltily (Sirius quickly shoved the magazine beneath a nearby couch).
âUh, hey Evans,â James said, trying to grin. âWe were justâ”â
She held up a hand to silence him. âStow it, Potter,â she said. âI heard what you were saying.â
He leapt to his feet, a little angrily. âCome on, Evans,â he said. âYou canât be threatening to turn us in here. After all, itâs for you that weâre evenâ”â
âI didnât say I wanted to turn you in,â she interrupted him. âWhat I was going to say, if youâll let me finish, is that I want to help you.â
âOh,â he said, slightly stunned. He sat down again. Sirius was now eyeing Lily approvingly, and Remus was grinning openly. Peter was examining his fingernails.
James moved over, opening the circle to give her a place to sit. She took it.
---
Lily dragged herself down to breakfast the next morning with some effort; she hadnât gotten to bed until dawn the night before, and it had been difficult to resist the urge to sleep through her morning classes. But her internal Prefect nagged her to get upâ”with the mischief she was helping to plan, she couldnât afford to miss class.
Mary was already in the dining hall when Lily entered, and she squealed in delight, moving down the bench to make room for her exhausted friend. Lily slid in beside her, and immediately started looking for the coffee.
âI didnât even hear you come in last night,â Mary said to her. âIâm surprised Madame Pomfrey let you go so late, instead of just keeping you in for the whole nightâŚshe did a fantastic job, though, your face looks totally normal!â
Lily glanced at her dryly. As she did so, she noticed James and Sirius enter the Great Hall. Neither of them looked as tired as she felt, and Sirius was bouncing around like a puppyâ”whether it was years of running around on little sleep or sheer, irrepressible energy, she didnât know.
James caught her eye and winked, and she raised her eyebrows in response. She had to admit that she liked the intrigueâ”the late-night planning, the covert communication, all of it added up to the kind of adventure that she had been searching for when she attempted to prank these boys in the first place. It was what Mary had never had the patience for, and Lily was forced to admit to herself that, when it came to excitement, maybe she had more in common with James Potter than she wanted.
Not, she hastily thought to herself, that she liked him now or anything. Despite his recent acquisition of mannersâ”and despite the fact that she had been enjoying herself in his presence latelyâ”she had seen him hex people for the fun of it, not in the least of which was Severus. And Lily had trouble reconciling that side of him with the side she saw now.
But still, they were awfully good at pranks. She had noticed that last night. Planning with them made her attempts at pranking look feeble and amateurâ”their kind of mischief was what she had been longing for. Well, she thought, helping herself to a piece of toast, If you canât beat âemâŚ
She shook her head to clear it, half-noticing that Mary was still chatting away beside her, when the mail arrived. Lily looked up expectantly. She was still receiving, with some regularity, letters from her mysterious friend, and she looked forward to them. These days, they didnât have quite the solemnity of the first few; they were lighthearted and funny, and often a bright spot to her day. This morning didnât disappoint her. Todayâs letter was briefâ”it included a short, mildly amusing joke about a hag, a healer, and a Mimbulus Mimbletoniaâ”but it made her laugh nonetheless, and she pocketed it.
âWhoâs that from?â Mary asked curiously, as they got up to walk to class.
Lily hesitated for an instant before answering, âA friend.â
---
A few nights later, and the plan was ready to be set in motion.
Sirius was all for it, and although James would have liked a few more days to plan, he had to admit that the Christmas holidays were only a week away, and they had to get moving. He, Sirius, and Remus were awake in their dorm when Peter returned in the form of a small rat. He turned back into himself, sat on the floor in a daze for a minute, and then stood up.
âOkay,â he said. âIâm done tailing Smith, I think. He has a pretty strict schedule.â
From his four-poster, Sirius snorted. âOf course he does, the ponce.â
Peter ignored him. âHe always studies alone in the library until ten, and then he walks back to the Hufflepuff dorms via the passageway by the kitchens, which is pretty much deserted then. Thatâd probably be the best place to get himâ
âGood job, Wormtail,â James said, clapping him on the back. Peter grinned.
âWeâll let Lily know that tomorrowâs the night,â Remus put in. This time, it was James who grinned.
---
âI canât believe Iâm doing this,â muttered Lily the next night.
âAh, come on, Evans,â said James, bumping her with his shoulder. âYouâre enjoying yourself.â
She was, actually, although she wasnât going to admit that to himâ”especially not when they were both on their hands and knees in a broom cupboard that was barely big enough to hold them. They were squished together, waiting for Siriusâs signal.
âHow long do you think itâs going to be?â she whispered, trying unsuccessful to wriggle away from himâ”his elbow was jabbed unpleasantly into her ribcage.
âProbably any minute now, and stop fidgeting like that, youâre going to knock something over, give the whole game away.â
âPlease,â she spat back quietly. âIâm not five, I can sit still. Itâs just a little uncomfortable being continuously prodded by you in here.â
âYou want to talk uncomfortable? Do you have any idea where your knee is right now?â
âNever tell me. If you could just move a little to your left, I could get this broom handle out of my spineâŚâ
âOkay, Iâm trying, I donât exactly have all the room in the world here.â
They shifted around, ending up more tangled then before. Somehow, Lily ended up with her back to the wall, shoved unceremoniously into a corner. James was braced above her, his hands splayed on the wall, trying to keep both himself and a few brooms from falling over. Lily sighed. âThis isnât working,â she said, looking up at him.
He was so close that, even in the dark, she could see him roll his eyes. âTell me about it,â he said, slipping a little as he tried to keep his balance.
She laughed softly, and tried to raise herself into a sitting position. âHere,â she said, putting her hands on his chest to gently push him back, trying to maneuver herself around him. âMy legs are falling asleep.â
He managed to back up, kneeling, holding onto the brooms for support, as she, with some effort, pushed herself onto her knees as well. Their noses brushed, and she ducked her head almost shyly.
âHey,â James said, his voice suddenly deeper, gentler. âWe always seem to end up on broom closets, donât we?â
Surprised, she glanced up at him again, laughing again, and for a moment they just looked at each other. And then he was tilting his head, leaning in towards herâ”or maybe he wasnât, maybe it was just a trick of the dim lightingâ”but either way, she wasnât thinking anymore, just raising her chin, her mouth parted slightly. She could feel his breath on her face, and surely this couldnât be her imaginationâ”
A stream of red sparks shot under their door, and James leapt to his feet and bolted outside so fast that Lily was sure the last few seconds hadnât happened. A moment later, he stuck his head back in the closet. âWhat are you still doing in here?â he asked, grinning. âCome on!â
She got to her feet and dashed after him. The rounded a corner and came face-to-face with Isaac Smith, who blinked at them in confusion for a moment. James flung out his wand, shouting âIncarcerous!,â Lily a beat behind him.
âHa,â James said, satisfied, as they stared down at the thoroughly bound and gagged body of Smith before them. He held out his hand and Lily, smiling, high-fived him. Together, they dragged Smith around the corner, to a corridor that was more frequently populated during the day. Stretching from one wall to the other was a giant spider web that Remus and Peter had put together while Sirius had stood in the hall, disguised in a suit of armor, watching for Smith. He appeared around the corner as well now, clanking, removing the metal helmet from his head and beaming.
âWell done!â he said to James and Lily. âNow we just got to get him up there.â
It wasnât, in the end, a difficult task; James and Remus levitated Smith into the center of the web where he stuck, squirming weakly. Then Lily used her wand to embellish the words âSome Pigâ over his head. Then they all stepped back to admire their handiwork.
âYou know,â Sirius said thoughtfully, âI donât really get that.â
âThe pig thing?â Lily asked, and he nodded. âDonât worry,â she reassured him. âSome Muggle-borns will. But either way, it still describes him perfectly.â
Sirius admitted that it did indeed, and as one, they turned to walk back towards Gryffindor Tower.
âOh, wait,â Lily said suddenly, turning around and facing Smith. She pointed her wand at himâ”the four boys behind her exchanged nervous glancesâ”and then she cried, âObliviate!â
His eyes slid out of focus for a second, and Lily dashed towards the boys, hauling them around the corner.
âThat way,â she said, sounding pleased with herself, âhe wonât be able to remember who did that to him to tell on us.â
She walked ahead, and behind her, the Marauders stared at her in amazement.
âHow come we never thought of that?â Peter muttered.
âWell, thinking ahead has never really been our strong suit,â Sirius said lightly.
âHow many detentions do you think we could have avoidedâŚâ Remus mused, and James clapped him on the shoulder.
âDetentions build character!â he cried. âI am thankful for every one. Although,â he paused, âIâm actually okay with not getting another one anytime soon.â The other three chortled.
Ahead of them, Lily stopped and turned around. âAre you guys coming or what?â she called.
âWeâre coming,â Remus called back, but James was already running to catch up to her.