Harry Potter 1. Making Progress

James Potter looked across the Gryffindor common room at Lily Evans. She was laughing loudly with her dorm-mate and best friend, Marlene McKinnon. He quickly looked back down at his parchment as he felt her eyes flicker toward him and turn away. It wasn't a cold look that he saw, but it wasn't an endearing one either.

"Let it rest, mate." Sirius Black spoke to his best friend with a knowing tone. James had been staring at the same girl since third year and it wasn't hard to tell when he was either. James looked up at his friend and felt the embarrassment creeping up inside of him and the color flushing his cheeks.

"Yeah," he mumbled, "yeah, she's just a girl. No need to stare, it's not like I've never seen a bird before." _Just not one quite like her_.. Even with his eyes glued to the paper, he could only see Lily's blazing red hair and emerald green eyes. No matter how hard he tried to focus, he could not. Lily Evans' laughter was too irresistible to simply ignore as it floated past his ears. He shoveled his backpack onto his shoulder and grunted a goodbye to Sirius, he wouldn't get anything done at this rate anyways.

Reaching his dormitory, James was not surprised to see Remus Lupin, another close friend of his, already laying upon his bed with a book in his hands. Remus looked up as he felt another presence enter the room and smiled broadly at James who was hardly in the mood for a chat.

"Prongs! How are you, mate?" Lupin directed his simple question to James, who couldn't help but smile at the sound of his special nickname. No one outside of the Marauders addressed him as such, and it added an increased brotherly feeling between all of the boys.

"I'm good, Moony. What about you?" James asked more out of politeness rather than curiosity. Remus seemed to have noticed. He closed his book and set it upon his nightstand, cluttered with chocolate wrappers, as James flopped down onto his own bed. He was laying face-up, staring at the canopy top to his bed.

Remus studied his mate and after a pause decided to ask James a question instead of answering. "Thinking about Lily again, then?" Remus questioned James. He knew he didn't have to ask, but it felt more polite to ease into the topic rather than throw it out there.

"No, what makes you say that?" James felt his face redden by the second. It wasn't that he was embarrassed to fancy Lily, any sane bloke would, it just made him uncomfortable to talk about her. He pretended to busy himself with looking at the pattern of the traditional Hogwarts bedding.

"Well..", Lupin obviously did not want to upset his friend, but he continued on anyways. "You are always depressed and looking like a sad puppy when you get to thinking about her. I've lived with you for years mate, you are never not thinking of her and nothing else gets you down like she can." He looked at his friend who was still pretending to be oblivious, but listening nonetheless, "I don't understand why you don't just talk to her, she doesn't bite, you know."

James sighed heavily, "Moony, don't kid around. She wouldn't let me close enough to talk to her, unless it was to yell at me for being a stupid git."

"You know Prongs, she doesn't hate you as much as she lets on. She asks me about you sometimes when we are doing rounds for prefect duty." James turned to look at Remus, his face clearly happily surprised. _Did she really not hate him after all this time? Moony _had _always had a weird insight into the mind of women. Maybe he had a chance with the lovely Evans. _

"Are you sure?" James was hopeful and nervous in asking. He had been let down so many times before, he didn't think that he could handle another rejection from the one girl he had his eye on.

"When have I been wrong, mate?" With that, Remus picked his book back up and James rolled over, smiling with the knowledge that he would soon be dreaming about Lily Evans, a typical, but favorite experience.

* * *

The next morning, James headed down to the Great Hall with his three closest mates, Remus, Sirius, and Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew was a bit squeamish and anxious, but he was a dedicated friend and the others saw no harm in keeping him around.

Lily sat near the middle of the table whispering to her best friends, Alice Haney and Marlene McKinnon, about the boys on the quidditch team. She noticed James pass by her and looked away from him, a heavy feeling on her heart and mind. She thought to herself, _let it go Lily. He's an immature boy and he doesn't know how to tell right from wrong. You should pity him, not admire him. He's a right git_.

"Something on your mind, love?" Alice was always one to notice when the slightest thing was off with her mates. She put her hand on Lily's arm to call her back to consciousness and smiled as Lily looked up at her.

"Hmm-what?" Lily hadn't heard what her friend had been saying. She was too concerned with thinking about _James Potter's stupid hair_ to listen to her friends in place of her daydream.

Marlene piped up before Alice could and she shot a knowing and teasing look at Lily before saying, "Oh, she just was asking when you would finally get over yourself and snog Potter already."

Alice glared at Marlene for her inconsideration and cut in, "I was just asking if you were okay, you look a bit out of it." She sent a weak smile at Lily as she kicked Marlene under the table so that she wouldn't cut in with anything stupid again. The attempts were proven futile though, as Marlene piped up again.

"She's just too busy thinking about sharing a broom cupboard with Potter." Marlene laughed as she saw her friends face redden in embarrassment. Alice couldn't help but smirk at Marlene's not too subtle comment, but hit her arm in loyalty to her other friend.

* * *

James was staring at Lily again, but this time she didn't notice, too busy with her mates to feel the lingering of his eyes. He saw the blush creep over her face and wondered what she could be so embarrassed about. Him? _No_, he thought, _Lily has no reason to be embarrassed by me_.

Too caught up in his own thoughts, James didn't notice Lily making her way towards the four marauders. "Hi."

James coughed on the pumpkin juice he had been drinking and craned his neck to look behind him. _Oh thank God, I'm not imagining things_. "Uhh, hi." Lily shot James an uninterested look and turned her head towards Remus, the one she had come to see.

"Remus, I was wondering if you could do me a favor." She smiled a little at him. She liked Remus, he was a lot more mature than the stupid prats that surrounded him at the table. They had been friends since last year when they both became prefects. She was still surprised by the people he surrounded himself with, he was so quiet and reserved and then there was them, the idiots who loved to cause commotion wherever they tread.

"Yeah," Remus tried to not look at James, he could feel his eyes boring into him and that was more than enough. "What is it Lil'?"

"Well, see I have rounds tomorrow night, but I can't do them. Could we switch days?" She sent a pleading look at him and hoped that he wouldn't say no.

"What is it Evans? You got a hot date or something," Sirius teased. Lily turned to him and glared. _Why were boys such prats? Why do they insist on being bloody arses all the time._

"It's none of your business, Black." She turned away from him and looked back to Remus, "So, can y–"

"Evans, are you kidding me? Why would you want to go out with another stupid wanker like us? Unless, is your date with one of us? Did Prongs here finally get you to say yes?"

James kicked Sirius under the table and mumbled something about him shutting up before he directed a hex in some indecent places. Remus, knowing it wouldn't last for long, took advantage of the silence, pulling Lily's glaring eyes away from Sirius and back to him.

"Yeah, I can cover for you. I'll let you know what day I need to switch."

"Thanks, Remus." Lily smiled and dashed away before Sirius could make another stupid comment.

James watched Lily's fleeing figure until she turned the corner and then he punched Sirius in the groin. "YOU STUPID ARSE! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"What?! I was trying to help you out, mate!" Sirius was offended that his help was taken in such a harsh way. He was only trying to assist his friend, after all.

James picked up his books and hit Sirius in the head with them before heading off to Transfiguration with McGonagall. His friends had the class too, but seeing as they still had time, they decided to stay back and eat some more of the breakfast feast.

Upon reaching the classroom, he was surprised to see Lily sitting there already. He thought back to what Moony had told him in the dorm and decided to sit next to her. If he hadn't been lying, than Lily wouldn't fuss too much about James sitting next to her.

"Hey Evans," he knew he was blushing, but he kept his voice as even as possible. "This seat taken?"

Lily looked him up and down suspiciously before finally deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt. "No."

James settled his books on the desk and through his backpack on the floor underneath it. "Look Evans, I want to talk to you."

"Oh," Lily looked a little more upset after hearing this. _How many more times is he to ask me out? I thought that he had finally given up at the end of last year_.

"It's not about that," James knew that she was tired of his relentless beckons for a date and he didn't want to end what was probably the longest conversation with her that he had had on a sour note. "I just wanted to apologize for Padfoot this morning. He was being an even bigger arse than usual and I'm sorry that he bothered you."

"Oh, well– umm, thank you. That..uh, that means a lot." She smiled at James, surprised at how sweet he was being, she had never seen this side of him and she quite liked it. _Maybe the git isn't as bad as he acts..._

"I hope you have fun on your date with whoever the lucky bloke is." He tried to not sound too jealous as he said this. He did want Lily to have a good time, he just would've preferred it if he was the one that she would be spending her time with.

Lily blushed. "Well, I don't really have a date tomorrow, I was just going to go to Hogsmeade with Alice and Mar to do some shopping and then I had promised to stay in with them. I just didn't want to give Black the pleasure."

"Oh," he couldn't help but beam when he heard this. _Yes_, he thought, _maybe I've got a chance after all_. "Well than, if you do need a manly presence tomorrow, I'd be right happy to oblige." He winked at her and hoped that she wouldn't get made and hit him. Lily had a thing for physical retaliation when she got angry. _Maybe shes a redhead because it fits her fiery temper?_

"Hmm," she laughed, "I'll have to tell the girls that your services were offered." Just as the words left her lips, Marlene and Alice came into the classroom, barking laughter spurting from their mouths. Alice shoved her arm in front of Mar's chest as she saw James and Lily sitting together. Quickly, they took the seats directly behind the pair and immediately butted into the conversation.

"Well, hello there, loves." Alice played a suggestive smile and winked as Lily gave her a '_don't you dare or I will bloody murder you look._'

"Hey Alice, Marlene," James greeted the giddy girls.

"Oi, Potter, I thought I got a plenty heavy serving of your oh so delightful presence over the Summer." Marlene playfully poked James in the chest with the butt of her quill.

**(A/N: The McKinnons and the Potters were old friends and they often spent holidays with each other, speaking as they lived close and grew up as near siblings.)**

"Well, McKinnon, he just can't seem to get enough of you ladies, can't blame him though, can we? Who in their right minds would turn down company like you birds?" Sirius had snuck up behind the group and gladly welcomed himself into the conversation. Lily shot him a glare and he, with a kick of the shin in motivation from James, apologized. "Look Evans, sorry about earlier," he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"It's alright, Black." A small mile flickered at the corners of her mouth.

"You know I usually go by Sirius, right?"

Lily giggled and said, "Well yes, but you all call me Evans. I might as well continue the trend."

"So what were you lot talking about before I made my way over?" Sirius pressed the group.

"Well James here was offering his services as an escort in Hogsmeade. I told him I'd check with the girls, but I think that it's hardly neccess–"

Marlene cut her friend off and said, with a flirtatious smirk curling on her lips, "We'd love for you boys to escort us." Lily shot her a look, much resembling a glare, but wiped it off her face so that James wouldn't catch it, he was being pleasant and she didn't want to ruin it by offending him.

The class settled down and took their seats as Professor McGonagall walked briskly into the room. The remaining marauders took their seats in front of James and Lily, the perfect spot to mess with them throughout the lesson. A task that was not at all spared, many charms and notes found their way on to the former pairs' desk.

After the class was dismissed and the girls headed off towards the library, the boys went to the common room. James scolded them continuously for being "right gits" throughout Transfiguration and possibly ruining his chances with the "only bird who caught his eye."


	2. Hogsmeade

It was Saturday and James woke up extra early to get ready for Hogsmeade. He brushed his teeth 3 times and even spent an hour trying to flatten his hair. Of course, this was pointless as he kept on ruining it and running his hands through it to get past the nerves. It didn't help that the other boys were outside the bathroom teasing him the whole time he was doing it, Sirius even trying to send a jinx through the door at him. James needed to remind himself to hex the main culprit the next chance he got.

Lily woke up excited for Hogsmeade, that is until she realized she was going with the Marauders. All of the excitement she felt was replaced by a completely different feeling. Surprisingly, it wasn't dread. No, it was anxiety. She threw herself out of her bed and dashed to the shower so that she could get ready. Marlene and Alice, both of whom had been expecting this, laughed as she slammed the door.

Alice laid out an outfit for Lily and and Marlene got her wand out to do her friend's hair. Lily was confused to why she was so nervous, _this is not even a bloody date_, she kept telling herself, even though she secretly wished it was. James had impressed her over the past couple days with his sweet gestures and comments, she dare but hope that he was maturing.

The girls had just finished getting themselves ready, Lily in a nice pair of jeans and a relaxed formal sweater. Her mates' outfits closely resembled hers, but their hair and makeup differentiated them, highlighting their best features.

The boys were already lounging around the doors at the Great Hall when they saw the girls making their way down the steps. James saw Lily first. _She looks so beautiful. How the hell am I supposed to get through today with her looking like that_! He immediately began running his hands through his hair. He let out a small cough so that his friends would see the ladies approaching.

Lily was laughing as she rounded the steps and she didn't notice that the boys were already down there. As she made her way down, she noticed James running his hands through his hair, he looked so cute. She blushed at her thoughts and tried to push them out of her head before she reached him.

"Hi," Lily looked at the two boys in front of her, but blushed as she looked at James and had to remind herself to look away. She bit down on her lip to keep herself from smiling too brightly.

"'Lo ladies!", Sirius had called out to the girls in his classic 'charming demeanor.' "Let's go, I've got to make a stop at Zonko's."

"Where are Remus and Peter?" Alice looked around, failing to see the other boys.

"Studying, the gits. It's alright, we don't need 'em." Sirius said before leading the group out of the building.

James glared at Sirius for cutting into the conversation before he could properly greet Lily. His mate caught the vibe and picked up his speed a bit. When they reached the edge of the village, Sirius piped up again, "Who all is going to Zonko's?" No one raised their hands. He gave a pleading look.

Marlene sighed and said, "I'll go with you, Black." Alice and Lily looked at her confused and she just shrugged and started to walk off with him.

"Alice!" Alice turned at the sight of her name and saw her crush, Frank Longbottom, running in their direction. Her eyes lit up and she spun towards Lily and silently begged her. Lily nodded that she could go off with him and not a second later had Alice run off to meet him halfway.

"Well.. umm, so it's just us then? We can go back if you want.." James cleared his throat awkwardly.

"No, it's the last Hogsmeade trip of the year, it'll be a waste to head back."

"Yeah."

"Yeah," Lily regretted letting Alice run off with Frank, but she was also happy? What is this, why am I happy to be alone with James freaking Potter?, "so.. Three Broomsticks, then?"

"Sure." James was happy that Lily had suggested going somewhere so that he wouldn't have to.

* * *

The atmosphere in the pub was lively and loud as always. James secured a table near the back and pulled out Lily's chair for her. He smiled as she took it with no fuss. It was abnormal for her to be so compliant with his gestures and he couldn't help but wonder if it was due to the fact that he had been extra well-behaved and conscientious that past week.

"What to drink, Evans?" James sent a friendly smile at his companion and waited for an answer.

"Hmm, how about a butterbeer, Potter?" She reached into her bag to grab out her money when James held his hand up.

"My darling Evans, you hardly think that I am going to let you pay for your own drink? That's an absurdity! I have no intention of that happening." He mocked her with a faux-offended look, pressing his hands to his chest as if he had the wind knocked out of him at such a suggestion and got up to grab their drinks from the counter.

Lily tried and failed to conceal the smile that was dividing her face in half, caused by the stupid git that knew just how to charm a one Lily Evans.

When James came back to the table, he was happy to find that Lily hadn't made a run for it in his absence, and was waiting patiently for his to come back, compact in hand and fussing with her hair. "Well what're you toying with now, love? You already look bloody beautiful without trying." He winked at her and slid the butterbeer in front of her and reclaimed his previously vacant seat.

"Oh shut it, you!" Lily stopped trying to hide her pink cheeks, the effort was futile. "You make enough girls chase you around already."

"I do, do I?" James played along with Lily's innocent flirting, generally pleased that she hadn't left or hit him yet.

About forty-five minutes later, the two finished their drinks and conversation at the Three Broomsticks and gathered up their coats to leave. James held out his elbow to Lily in a mock-gentleman manner and she giggled as she tucked her arm through his. They were off to find Sirius and Marlene, who they expected were not at Zonko's like they had hinted.

The rush of cold air from the door opening was enough to make Lily wince and step back. She directed her head down against the wind and forced her way into the cool December air. James followed suit behind her and seeing that she was shivering, draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer. She reddened at his touch and hoped he would assume it was the wind chill that brought such a color to her face.

The snow that was falling hampered their vision and they struggled to see more than three feet in front of them. That's why it came as such a shock when James stopped walking and pulled Lily behind him. She couldn't see anything from where she now stood, but she could hear what he must've.

"Oh, looky here," Mulciber snarled, "it's the blood traitor and the mudblood."

"Mulciber." Lily felt one of James' hands leave his placing on her as it reached for his wand. Taking the hint, she discreetly pulled hers out too. "Is there something I can do you for? A hex, maybe?"

"No, but I won't refuse sending one your way. What good is pure blood when it's tainted by someone as unworthy as you, Potter?" Mulciber pulled out his wand and looked at the figure hidden behind James. "What, mudblood, are you too scared to come out and play?"

"Leave us alone, Mulciber. There is no need for this to get violent." Lily tried to keep her voice level, but was aware of the pleading in her voice. It made her seem weak and scared. She may be frightened, but that doesn't mean that she didn't know how to fight back.

"Violent? No, this isn't violent, this is just fun." Mulciber licked his lips deliciously in Lily's direction, making her cringe.

"In what sick world does this classify as fun?" James countered Mulciber's sneer and drew the attention back to himself.

"The one where I'm on top and you and the mudblood are dead." He made eye contact with James and laughed sickly at them.

"You really think that you can take us on alone? Even you can't be that stupid." James hoped that Mulciber would back off, but this only seemed to make the yearn to fight worse.

"Who said I was alone? Come on out, let's show Potter exactly how we treat blood traitors and mudbloods, shall we?" Mulciber called out in no distinct direction, and then the sound of at least three more people approaching was heard.

James strained his eyes and could make out the figures of Avery, Snape, and Lestrange.

"Mudblood, you realize that shagging a pureblood won't make your blood any less dirty, right? Especially one like him." Rodolphus Lestrange stepped forward and, seeing the intensity of the situation, also drew his wand.

"Leave her be." James was getting angry and tightened his grip on his wand and Lily.

"Oh, someone's protective of the little slag, huh?" Avery added.

Before James could think about what he was doing, he sent a powerful shield charm at the four Slytherins in front him. They fell down from the force and shock and James immediately pulled Lily's arm and ran with her. He pulled her into the alley behind Honeydukes and hastily drew out his invisibility cloak, throwing it over the two of them. He put a finger to his lips and pressed them against the wall.

"Where the hell did they go?" Lily cringed at the sound of Mulciber's voice and James pulled her closer. "Go! Find them!"

Avery flew into the alleyway where they were hiding and ran straight past them. Lily released a breath that she didn't know she was holding and felt her muscles relax. She and James were both too smart to know that it wasn't over and stayed in their position for an additional twenty minutes. Finally, James shrugged off the cloak and pulled it off of Lily. He could see the lines from the tears she silently cried, dried on her cheeks. He pulled her into a hug and held her for a little longer than necessary. He grasped her hand and led her from the alleyway and back towards the castle.

When they reached the entrance of the common room, she pulled him to a stop so that she could say something.

"Thank you, James." She managed a weak smile and hugged him again.

"It was no problem, Lily." He pulled away and said the password to the fat lady and walked in. Lily immediately caught sight of Marlene and Alice, nervously sitting with Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

"Lily!" Alice screamed her name and ran over to envelop her in a hug. She squeezed her tight, "We were so worried! No one knew where you were and when we saw Avery and Mulciber searching the alleyways, we knew something bad happened." Alice's eyes were puffy, evidence that she had cried out of worry, "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm sorry, Alice." Lily spoke into her friend's hair, she still hadn't let go.

"What happened, Prongs?" Sirius made eye-contact with James after taking in the exhausted look that possessed his shoulders.

"We got cornered, Mulciber, Avery, Lestrange, and", he hesitated. He didn't want to upset Lily and he was surprised that she spoke up.

"And Snape." She sighed as she said his name, no matter how much time had passed, it still hurt to think about the betrayal. Alice let go after Lily released the information, she didn't know how to react.

"What did they do?" Marlene spoke up, obvious anger in her eyes.

"Nothing." Lily lied to Marlene, she didn't want her to get into trouble over this.

"It wasn't nothing. I can tell that you were crying." Marlene now looked to James and directed her question to him, "What did they do?"

James sighed, he looked at Lily and then spoke, "They just cornered us and tried to rile us up. We ran off and hid behind Honeydukes. It was by lucky chance that I had the cloak on me."

Lily was grateful for James not revealing the full extent of what happened and reached over to squeeze his hand in appreciation. "If James wasn't there, it might've turned bad. He may be a right git, but he knows how to act when the pressure comes on."

James smiled at the praise, and then spoke to Lily directly. "You should go sleep, you look exhausted."

"Yeah, I think I will." And with that, Lily was off to bed.

The girls had retreated up to their dorm with Lily and the Marauders had migrated to their room. "So what really happened?", Sirius asked.

"Mulciber cut in front of me and Lily on our way to look for you and Marly and started flinging profanity at us until his cronies showed up. Wands were drawn, so I cast a shield charm, knocked them on their feet, hid with Lily in the Honeydukes alley under the cloak until I was sure it was safe." James was tired and this topic was exhausting. He just wanted to sleep.

"So there wasn't anything more than that?", Peter questioned James. "They came running through an hour before either of you were seen."

"We stayed in the alleyway for awhile, I didn't want to risk coming across them again. Plus, Lily was crying, Wormtail, so no, nothing more." James was aggravated that the first thing his friends assumed was that he would make a move on an unsuspecting, crying, bird. He respected Lily more than that, they should realize that by now.

Peter held up his hands in surrender, "Okay, I get it."


	3. Going Home

On Wednesday morning, the common room was filled with life by the Gryffindors, frantically rushing around to get their trunks packed before the Express arrived.

"OI! Firsties!" Sirius bellowed from the center of the room, "Whose damn fanged frisbie is this?!" He glared at the eleven year olds until a little brown-haired boy came up to him, head hanging low in shame.

"You got a brother, kid?" Sirius scanned the kid's face as his head nodded, "Well make sure you get a good throw on him, yeah?" The small boy lit up in the pleasure of not getting scolded and ran off to his friends.

"What the hell was that, Padfoot?" Peter had witnessed the whole of the event and was laughing at his mate for being so gracious.

"Eh, why yell at the kid? He was just trying to have a laugh." Sirius found a distraction in James and retreated before Peter could eat at him for being so forgiving.

"Gee, Prongs, whatever could you be staring at?" Sirius winked as he clapped his hand on James' shoulder. His mate was blatantly staring at Lily, though, for once, she didn't seem to notice.

"Shut it, Padfoot, or I'll tell McKinnon that you've been sneaking glances at her whenever she isn't looking." Sirius scowled at James' smirk and moved on, he had to finish packing his trunk anyways.

A half hour later, after the mad dash had stopped, and the train-boarding had commenced, the boys found themselves desperate for an empty compartment.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, a compartment that is better than empty, it's instead occupied by three lovely ladies." Sirius sauntered into the compartment and sat down next to Marlene, who couldn't help but blush at how close he was.

James peered into the compartment and caught Lily's eye. "Sorry, loves, we'll get him out of here." He reddened with slight embarrassment and tugged on his mate's arm.

"But _Pronngggss_, I don't want to leave the pretty girls!" Sirius complained in a childish way.

Lily cleared her throat and spoke up, "I don't mind if you all stay, as long as it's okay with the girls."

James looked to Alice and Marlene, who nodded their consent. He sent a grateful smile to the girls and plopped down next to Lily. The compartment was made to seat six, so Peter occupied the floor and Remus took Lily's left.

"Thanks for letting us in", Remus smiled kindly at all three girls.

"Oh, it was no problem, Remus." Alice returned his facial gesture and settled into the comfortable silence. Apparently, though, it wasn't as comfortable for everyone, as Sirius piped up no more than five minutes later.

"I'm bored." Sirius complained.

"Sod it, Padfoot." James countered.

"Let's play a game!" Sirius nearly shouted in excitement, making all of the girls suspicious.

"What game, Black?" Marlene studied his grin quizzically and narrowed her eyes.

"Ummm, we can play this muggle game I learned about in Muggle Studies."

"I repeat, what game, Black?"

"I think it's called Truth or Dare." He smiled at his show of knowledge.

"No." Everyone looked at Lily, surprised by her fast response and obvious disagreement in game choice.

"Oh, so you know the game, Evans?" Sirius smirked at her.

"Yes, and we are not going to play it." She hadn't played the game since before Hogwarts, and she was not hoping to be dared into telling her deepest secrets.

"Fine, I'll let you choose then," Sirius' smile grew wicked, "Truth or Dare, or strip poker." Peter perked up at the mention of the game that he was always willin gbirds to play.

_Shit_.

After Sirius hastily explained the rules of the game, allowing Lily's altercation of three 'chickens', the group was ready to play.

"Who wants to go first then?" Sirius looked at everyone, waiting for a volunteer, until Alice spoke up.

"Oh, alright, I'll go first." She looked at Marlene and smiled, "Mar, truth or dare?"

"Ummmm, truth?"

Alice thought for a moment and then questioned her friend, "Last week, when you came back late to the dorm, were you really in the library the whole time, or were you snogging some bloke in a broom cupboard?"

Marlene redded. "Uh, yeah, well it might've been the second one."

"Oh _Merlin_! Who?" Alice tried to get an extended answer, but Marlene cut off her path.

"Nope! I already answered your question, Haney. Better luck next time!" She looked directly at Sirius and claimed him as her victim, "Truth or dare, Black?"

"I'll take a dare, McKinnon." He grinned recklessly at her and prepared for whatever he would have to do.

Marlene leaned towards the girls and whispered something to them and they giggled and nodded approvingly.

"Hey! You can't work together!" Sirius was appalled that the girls were plotting against him and looked for a way out.

"Who's the muggle-born? Oh yeah, me. I think I know this game better than you and I say that we are." Lily countered his attack and smiled accomplished at her mates.

"Evil birds." Sirius glared at the girls and awaited his punishment.

"Thank you." Marlene smiled innocently at him and then told him what to do.

"NO! No way am I running down the corridor in a dress! Are you crazy?"

"So you use a chicken then?" Marlene asked.

"Yes!" He declared. He was not going to defile his manhood for a stupid game.

"Your turn." Marlene said. She kept her voice even, but there was a definite gleam in her eyes.

His eyes scanned the room, "Evans."

"Yes?"

"I choose you. Truth or dare?"

Lily studied his face. She knew that he would get her on a hot seat, and she didn't want to risk it. "Truth."

He smiled with a definite air of satisfaction and he asked her the one question she did not want to answer in that moment, "Who do you fancy, love?"

"Chicken."

"That's not a name."

"No, it isn't, and you won't be getting one out of me."

The two sat in glaring eye-contact as he tried to read her expression and she blocked him out.

"Remus, truth or dare?" Lily asked him sweetly.

"Truth.", he smiled at Lily.

"Is it true that you have a crush on Dorcas Meadowes, the Ravenclaw in our year?"

"No, she's nice, but I don't like her like that." He admitted honestly.

"Prongs, is it true that you are the one who ate the last of my chocolate?" He glared at James and James nodded sheepishly.

"Sorry, mate. You've got to get better about hiding it."

Several more rounds of the game went on, the chickens being used graciously. Lily and Sirius both had zero left, James and Marlene had one, Alice and Remus two, and Peter still had all three. It was James' turn again and he turned to Lily.

"Truth or dare, Evans?" If Lily hadn't been eating a licorice wand, she would've seen the mischievous glint in his eyes ask he questioned her.

"Dare." She replied without thinking about her answer.

"Lily Evans," he paused, " I dare you to kiss me."

Lily choked on her licorice and blushed beet red as she looked at him. _Did he really just ask that, or was she so distraught that her conscious fooled her? No. No. NO_. "Excuse me, what?" The panic was visible in her emerald eyes and she looked to a laughing Marlene and gaping Alice for help.

"I dared you to kiss me, Evans. Come on now, times a wastin." He smirked as the realization that she had no other choice set in. She considered fleeting, but she would trip over Peter, no doubt.

"D-do I have to?" She looked around the compartment at all of the nodding heads and she took a deep breath, "Oh bloody Merlin." She leaned her head in towards his and met him half-way.

He stopped leaning with a smidge of space between them and said, "I knew you couldn't resist me, Evans." Then he pressed his lips to hers.

Lily was awestruck. The second they made contact, she came to life. Her whole body prickled with excitement and she subconsciously moved her hands to rest in his hair. James' hands found their way to the small of her back and the base of her neck, pulling their bodies' closer together. Their lips moved together in a fast, but rhythmic motion until Lily realized who she was snogging and pulled away, face red and lips swollen.

Sirius sat across from them, clinging to his seat with his mouth hanging open. No one spoke for a solid two minutes after the pair separated themselves.

"Bloody hell, Evans, you sure know how to snog a bloke senseless." James stared at her, wondering if she felt the firework sensation that he had and prayed to Merlin that she did. The others didn't have time to fit in a word edgewise, as they had reached the train station.


	4. Christmas

**A/N: Woah, this is my longest chapter yet. I hope you all like it. It ends kind of awkwardly, but I didn't want it to go on forever so I cut it off. I hope you guys like the story so far. I'm really trying to make it good so if you have any opinions, send me a PM or leave a review-it would be highly appreciated, thanks. Have a nice day :) **

* * *

James was still in a daze two days after the train ride home. Lily had dazzled him with that kiss and now he couldn't stop thinking about it or her.

"Oi! Prongs, I was talking to you, you slimy git!" Sirius whacked James across the back of his head with the _Daily Prophet_ and sank into the chair beside him.

"Oh, sorry Padfoot, I was just thi‒" James was cut off by Sirius.

"Thinking about Evans, yeah I know. It's all you've done for the past two days."

"Oh.." James flushed as he realized his friend was right.

"Why don't you invite her for New Year? You just know that Dorea will be pleased to finally meet the girl you've sought since third year." Sirius rose from his seat to greet the owl that had flown to the window. He gave it a bite of bread and it flew off again.

"Why would she want to come here?"

"Well I would've asked why would she write you, too, but things just seem to happen for no reason anymore."

"SHE WROTE ME?!" James spat out his pumpkin juice and lunged for the scroll that Sirius had held out of reach.

It took a half hour to finally acquire his letter from Sirius and he sprinted up to his room, locking the door before Sirius could get near it again.

_Dear James,_

_I know that we've only been home for two days, but I decided to write you anyways. I hope that Sirius isn't causing you too much trouble, he can be a right pain sometimes. Tell him I say hi anyways though._

_Petunia has already resorted to imagining that I don't exist, it makes the wedding planning so much more interesting. I can hardly wait for it! (In case you didn't pick up on that, it was sarcasm.) I wish that you and Mar and Remus and Alice and Peter and yes, even Sirius were here. You all make much better company._

_Speaking of company, how would all of you lot like to come out to Cokeworth and experience muggle-life on Monday? I bet you all have something better to do, but maybe pity me and come out anyways? Thanks guys! Write me back, Merlin knows I've nothing better to do than wait for your letters._

_-Lily_

James read through Lily's letter several times before pulling out parchment and writing her back.

**_Lily-Flower,_**

**_Hello there, love. I hope that your holiday is going much better than you hinted at. I don't like to imagine you so downcast, it doesn't suit you._**

**_Sirius is being a right pain, yes, but at least I've someone to hang around with. I can only imagine how bored and lonely you must be, so yes. We would be enchanted to come and experience muggle-life on Monday. You'll be seeing us soon then, yeah? Look forward to that, I know I am._**

**_- James_**

**_(The Best Bloody Snog You Have Ever Had)_**

**_Potter_**

**_P.S. It could never be too soon for you to write._**

* * *

Lily felt her heart-rate increase as she got her last reply from her friends, James'. She ran off to her room with the letter, ignoring the screeches emitting from Petunia about vermin birds flying into the kitchen.

_It could never be too soon for you to write_. The words kept rumbling about her brain and a blush crept up her cheeks. _Did he really mean it? Maybe he wanted her letters. Maybe she wasn't the only person who couldn't forget about the train ride snog._

* * *

Monday had finally come and James was practically bouncing off the walls in excitement. When Lily wrote him back, she instructed him to dress in muggle attire and warm too. He and Sirius were getting to her house by a portkey his father had set up for them.

"GET UP PADFOOT! IT'S MONDAY!" James burst into Sirius' room at 8:30am, yelling for him to get up and ready. Needless to say, Sirius was not happy.

They arrived in Cokeworth at 9:25 and James all but sprinted to the house. Sirius laughed at his friend's twitches of excitement and steadied him as they reached the door. Sirius knocked and was surprised by the immediate opening of the door.

Petunia, skinny, blonde, and horse-faced stood in the door frame. She made a sound of disgust upon seeing the boys and sneered at them. "What're you doing here? I thought that freaks like your lot weren't allowed outside of your community."

Sirius looked shocked and James was outraged, but the most surprising reaction was Lily's.

"Petunia! How dare you! Mom said it was alright that I had people over, it would be the least you could do to not insult them, or me for that matter." Her eyes were sparkling with anger and her face was red from the fury and embarrassment.

"Just stay away from me, Lily." Petunia shot a death glare at Lily as she practically spat her name. She shoved past her and charged up the stairs. James looked at Lily and noticed that she was trying not to cry. He moved forward and enveloped her in a hug. She wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"Hello James."

"Hello Lily-Flower."

Sirius moved up to hug her too, which surprisingly enough she didn't resist and actually returned.

"Ahh, you must be jealous, Prongs, I'm making contact with your girl." Sirius waggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up, Padfoot." James hit his friend across the back of the head after he pulled away from Lily.

Everyone else turned up soon, and they were headed out the door at 10. Lily laughed as they all awkwardly shifted around in the snow and waited for instruction.

"Well…", Peter looked around, "What are we supposed to do?"

"Have fun!" Lily bent down and formed a snowball, she chucked it at James' chest and ran off, linking arms with Marlene and Alice, and taking cover with them behind a garden hedge.

Sirius was the first to react. He started to form a lot of snowballs and threw out instructions to the other boys to form a fort. An hour later, no one was clean of snow and they were all shivering. Lily brought them inside and made hot chocolate. Looking at the people around her, Lily couldn't help but smile. They were soaking wet from sweat and melted snow. James' normally messy hair was weighed down by the water and sticking to his neck, Sirius' longer hair was disheveled and strewn about his face, Marlene's curls were extra poofy, and everyones' faces were flushed.

"Do you guys want to go back out? I'll show you how to make a snowman." Lily smiled, she hadn't had this much fun in what felt like forever. The group had snowball fights at school, but it just was so much better when you weren't getting scolded by professors.

"Sorry Lily, we can't", Remus motioned between him and Peter, "I promised Pete that I would help him with his charms essay today. Thank you anyways, though." Remus smiled sweetly at her and she managed to conceal the disappointment that tried to shroud her face.

"That's alright, have fun, yeah?"

"Thanks. Bye!" The two boys exited the kitchen, leaving Alice, Marlene, Sirius, and James with her.

"What about the rest of you lot?" She looked at her friends and knew that they wouldn't be able to stay.

"I can't, love, I'm sorry, but my mom is making me help her set up the house for Christmas." Alice claimed.

"And I'm forcing Sirius here to take me out on a proper date." Marlene added in.

"Sorry, Evans." Sirius slightly frowned as he and the two girls left, leaving just James and Lily.

"And you, Potter?", Lily looked at James.

"Back to Potter? I thought we were friends now, Evans." He smirked as he said her last name.

"Well sometimes it's fun to slip into past habits, you know?"

"Yeah, I do." He smiled at her and hoped that she wouldn't make him leave. He had nothing better to do that day and if he could, he wanted to spend it all with Lily.

"Are you going to ditch me, too?" Lily frowned as she thought about being home alone with Petunia again, like her holiday stay wasn't bad enough already.

"Never, love, never." He looked at Lily and she met his eyes. She could see the sincerity of his words through his eyes and she blushed.

"Well, I'm hungry. Are you?" She changed the topic and he didn't seem to mind, thankfully.

"Famished."

"Take a seat, then. I'll make some lunch." Lily paused, "I'm a horrible cook, so sorry about how it's going to taste. I will do my best to make it edible."

"I'm sure that whatever it is that you conjure up will be delicious." He smiled at Lily as she reached into the cupboards and started pulling out ingredients.

Half an hour later, James finished the partially burnt mac and cheese that Lily had made with a smile on his face. "That was a delicacy." He had a smirk on his face and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, you liar! It was half _burnt_!" Lily's cheeks pooled with embarrassment.

"You said it yourself, Evans. It was only _half_ burnt!" He smiled at his brilliancy and picked up their empty bowls, laying them in the sink.

"You're a git, James.", Lily rolled her eyes at him.

"I know, thank you, Lil'." He sent his cockiest smile at her and she laughed at him.

"LILY! Will you and your freak friends shut up! I'm trying to talk to Vernon!" Petunia stormed into the kitchen screaming, phone in hand.

Lily looked at the floor and swallowed her previous laughter, "Sorry, Petunia."

Petunia snarled at James and stomped out of the room. Lily was quiet and James awkwardly stood at the sink.

"Uhh, you want to get out of here, Evans?" James wanted to leave the house and get Lily as far away from Petunia as possible.

"Yes, please." Lily ran out of the room and bounded up the steps. She returned to the room with a dry coat and a small bag. "Where to?"

Lily came through the door at 9. She had been all around Cokeworth with James, telling and listening to stories about each other and never ceasing laughing. She didn't want him to go, but his parents were beginning to worry and she felt the need to go back too. They were freezing for most of their walk, but they fixed that issue by stopping into shops whenever they could. Combined with the way she spent her morning, this was the best memory and day she had had in a long long time.

* * *

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Sirius was jumping up and down on James' bed, yelling down at his sleeping friend. "WAKEY WAKEY, PRONGSY!"

James opened his eyes and scowled. He kicked his leg sideways, effectively banging it into Sirius' and knocking him to the floor. "Why are you on the floor, Pads?" He smirked and stepped over his friends' body into the hallway. As he walked away, he heard the faded sound of Sirius' cusses.

When he walked into the kitchen, he was pleased to see his Mother and Father sitting at the table, drinking their morning tea. "Morning Mum, Dad." He reached for the kettle and poured himself a cup.

"Where's your brother?" Charlus Potter looked past his son's shoulder curiously.

"I left him on the floor." James took the seat across from his Dad and rubbed his eyes.

"It's Christmas, James." Dorea lightly scolded her son, holding back a smile.

"Yeah, that's why I didn't jinx him." James and Charlus laughed and Dorea shook her head. She was so happy to have Sirius in the family, James was never lonely anymore and he actually had someone his age to talk to, though, the jinxing could do with a lapse.

The group sat in a comfortable silence waking up gradually and only Charlus realized when Sirius came into the room, looking at a letter.

"Oh!", he fiddled with his pockets before pulling out a small box from them, "An owl came by earlier with this for you, James."

James snatched the box from his father's hands and dashed from the room, Sirius running after him. Charlus was calling after them, "A thank you would've been nice!"

James successfully locked his door before Sirius could get into the room, but he could hear him saying, "Let me see what your precious Lily-Flower sent, Jamie! Please, oh, please!"

James moved over to his desk and sat down. He gingerly placed the box on top of his desk and stared at it. _Should I open it? Of course, you daft git!_ He softly tugged at the red ribbon that surround the box. He couldn't help but admire the boxes' wrapping. It had a muggle look about it, the paper silver with ornate bells on it.

The box was no bigger that his fist and as he picked it up, he couldn't help but be surprised at its' weight. He pulled off the lid and smiled. The box was much bigger on the inside, _an undetectable extension charm, of course. Lily was infinitely clever. She muster wrapped this at school, then. She's only sixteen, like me._

James reached into the box and pulled out a book. He couldn't help but be disappointed. He grimaced as he looked at the cover _The Makings of Magical History_. He flipped through the pages, the writing was small. He stopped at the back of the book. There was a section in the back that was handwritten. He looked at the writing and immediately recognized it as Lily's.

_James,_

_I took it upon myself to make a couple of edits to this book, it just seemed to be missing something. If you look past this page, I warn you that you might not dare, you will find a small collection of Marauder's Pranks, that now we are friends, I am not afraid to admit were special._

_Though, I do not urge you and your friends to be trouble makers, I thought that I could at least appreciate your skills. I added extra pages in case you want to add more, I didn't know what your favorites were so I just simply filled in my own. I even dated them-I know, the insanity, I actually kept track of your stupid trouble-making. Though, I guess that that is what diaries are for, no?_

_Anyways, it's Christmas, so I won't keep you from opening more present. Merry Christmas, James. I hope you have a nice holiday._

_- Lily_

_P.S. Don't let Sirius get his hands on that book, he'll never let me live it down, yeah?_

This so beat the locket he got her. He, despite the warning, continued past the page with Lily's letter on it and his smile grew. There was a table of contents and a scribbled in warning to keep the pranks in order by date. He flipped to the first prank.

_19 October 1971_

_The first ever prank of the "Marauders" Is achieved. On this day, James Potter and Sirius Black aimed to charm the shoes of one, Severus Snape, to sputter out rude insults about teachers with every step taken. This original draft failed. Instead, the proposed victim was replaced by Lily Evans and James' elementary wand work was not advanced enough to pull of the spell he tried to cast. Result: Lily Evans' shoes melted and permanently stuck her to the floor in the sixth floor passageway until Sirius Black was able to reverse most of the damage, the shoes were a lost cause._

_Please note, James, that this was not a favorite prank, it was only included as it was your first prank. I am still angry about those shoes, they were my favorites. You still owe me a pair of Mary-Janes. _

Laughing, James put the book underneath his pillow and open the door to his room. He tried to step out, but ran into Sirius by accident.

'What did she get you, Prongs?" _Just like Sirius to get to the point_, he thought.

"None of your business, Padfoot." James closed the door to his room and locked it.

"I bet it was better than yours. ." Sirius taunted James and won himself a punch in the gut.

* * *

Lily was locked away in her room, she was trying to avoid Petunia and actually _enjoy_ her Christmas.

A light tap on her window drew Lily's attention away from the book she was reading and she smiled as she recognized James' owl. With it, there was a note and a box.

_**Lilykins, **_

_**You, dear, have truly outdone yourself. The book was my favorite present (ironic because I never read), thank you so much. How is it that you never cease to amaze me? Maybe because your too bloody wonderful to believe.**_

_**Please accept my condolences for your gift, it was and is incredibly lame. I knew that you would blow me out of the water. . . again. Regrettably, they are not Mary-Janes. I know that you must be utterly disappointed, so, I am going to make it up to you. **_

_**Every year, my lovely mother throws a New Years Ball. How would you like to come? I know it sounds lame, and it usually is, but with you there, it would be so much better. Please say yes, I don't want to be stuck with drunk Sirius again. **_

**_Write me soon, love, and Merry Christmas again, thank you for thinking of a gift as perfect as you are. _**

**_- James _**

**_(A Poor Bloke Who Badly Wants You Come to the New Year's Ball)_**

**_P.S. I matched your gift to your eyes on purpose. That was not just some insane coincidence. It took me forever to find. Does that make up for it being such a let down? _**

Lily set down the letter and reached for the box. She gasped when she opened it and saw the most beautiful locket. It was in the shape of a heart and it's edges were set with small green emeralds. She opened it and saw a picture of her and James from second year. He was holding out a flower sheepishly and she was yelling. She smiled at the memory and wondered how in the name of Merlin they had gotten from that to where they were now.


End file.

Harry Potter