"Merlin."

"What?"

"Merlin's Pants."

"Lily, what are you talking about?"

"Merlin's Pants and the giant squid's great aunt Sally."

"Lily, what the bloody hell are you going on about?" Marlene said, looking up from her Potions essay.

"Transfiguration," I exclaimed. Marlene looked confused, obviously not understanding what the giant squid's great aunt Sally had to do with the most heinous form of magic taught at Hogwarts. "The exam! It's almost two weeks away! Why did we decide to start studying now? I'm going to fail! You're going to fail!"

"Don't say anything about me failing!" Marlene exclaimed, retreating back to her essay after shooting me a scornful look.

I let out a groan and flung myself forward onto our table in the farthest corner of the library. Or rather, I tried to. My transfiguration book seemed to have other plans, and hit me square in the forehead. I rubbed my head and pushed the textbook away from me in disgust. This was proof, then. Transfiguration caused my both mental and physical pain.

"Merlin, Lily. McGonagall only announced the test a week ago!" Marlene said.

"Yes, but Marlene-"

"But nothing!" Marlene looked me dead in the eyes. "Lily, we both know you're over reacting. You're a smart girl. You'd probably pass with flying colours even if you didn't study."

"But-"

"But what?" Marlene asked.

I looked away from her. To be honest, I wasn't that bad at basic Transfiguration. But post O.W.L Transfiguration and I just didn't mix. I could never focus in class anymore, and our textbook might as well have been written in Ancient Runes. I couldn't conjure, or banish, and don't even get me started on human transfiguration. Last week I almost turned Marlene into a fox, and I wasn't even trying.

"But I'm horrible at Transfiguration." I mumbled into my arm as I pushed my slumped body back into a sitting position.

"What was that?" Marlene feigned confusion. "Speak up, dear, I couldn't hear you."

"I'm rubbish at Transfiguration, all right?"

"Hell yes, you are. I nearly sprouted a tail last week." Marlene smirked at me.

Marlene is no longer my friend.

"Hey there," I looked up just in time to see Mary MacDonald place her bag on the table. She gave me a quick smile before grinning widely at Marlene. "What are you two up to?"

"Lily is slowly slipping into madness because she believes she's going to fail the Transfiguration exam." Marlene said dryly, chewing on the end of her quill.

Mary raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" She crossed her arms and leaned forward onto the desk, staring intently at Marlene.

"Yes, really." I mumbled. Why do they all think it was so funny? I was going to fail Transfiguration, and then never get a job, and then I'd never get married, and then I'd be forced to live with Petunia in a house with twenty seven cats, unable to perform magic due to my own mundane dwelling, and every Saturday I'd get dressed up just to go to the shop to buy sardines and flirt with the bag boy.

"Are you thinking about the twenty seven cats one or the one where you have to live with your sister?" Mary asked while she pulled out a bit of parchment and began to write. I jerked out of my trance and blushed. I must have been staring off into space with a stricken look. Again.

"Both." I moaned, letting my face fall into my hands.

Marlene stood up abruptly from the table and walked to a bookshelf. She pondered the various titles before standing on her tiptoes to reach a book on one of the higher shelves. Her shirt stretched up with her, revealing a pale strip of skin. I flickered my eyes open and watched the whole ordeal before giving a heaving sigh and laying on the table. I looked at Mary, who was staring at Marlene with rapt attention, her mouth slightly agape. Mary shook her head suddenly and glanced down at her essay. She glanced up, and her eyes locked with mine, horror slowly spreading across her face. I looked at her curiously before Marlene suddenly spoke.

"Honestly, Lily, if it means that much to you why don't you ask McGonagall for some private lessons?"

I gave Mary a quick glance before I sighed and said, "She said I didn't need tutoring, and that my grades were just fine."

"See? Even the professor thinks you're good at it! You don't need help, Lils. At least, not with Transfiguration. Maybe in the mental health department, though."

I chose to ignore that comment and instead said, "Weren't you listening Marlene?" Marlene made a confused face. I inhaled deeply before I continued. "McGonagall said my grades were just fine. I don't need my grades to be 'just fine'. I need my grades to be great. I need my grades to be-"

"So good that it doesn't even deserve a grade, it deserves a Nobel Prize." Mary finished for me.

"We've heard it all before, Lily." Marlene said.

"Keep in mind that it was McGonagall who said it, too." Mary reminded. "She hardly ever hands out compliments. She must think you're doing well."

"I don't believe her." I muttered.

"Of course you don't." Marlene sighed as she flipped through her newly acquired book. Mary gave me a small smile before she started working too.

I stared at the bookshelf while they worked, trying to think of a solution to my problem. Studying only made me frustrated, practicing on my own was dangerous, and there was no way McGonagall would give me private lessons. If only…

Marlene looked up from her parchment. She was frowning. "What's another word for 'educate'?"

"Instruct." Mary said automatically.

"Explain." I fired off.

"Enlighten."

"Inform."

"Tutor."

My head shot upwards. "That's it!" I yelled.

"What?" Mary asked.

"That isn't another word for educate," Marlene grumbled. "I'll use 'enlighten' instead."

"What?" Mary asked again, wisely choosing to ignore Marlene.

"A tutor!" I exclaimed excitedly. "That's what I need. Someone to tutor my in Transfiguration. At least until the exam is over."

Marlene and Mary stared at me blankly.

"Who in their right mind would tutor you?" Marlene asked bluntly.

"Someone who's really good at Transfiguration." I insisted. "A seventh year, maybe."

"Seventh years are too busy with N.E.W.T.s." Mary reminded me.

I huffed. "Someone in our year, then. I don't care."

"No one in our year is that much better than you at Transfiguration."

"Except…" Marlene said dragging out the two syllables for as long as possible.

Mary smiled coyly at me. "Except James Potter."

A/N Hello, lovely readers! I bet you're wondering where James is. Chapter Two, my friends, Chapter Two.

I just had a long debate with my friend as to whether or not to refer to you as my 'lovely' or 'charming' readers. However, I assume that you're of the female persuasion so I'm referring to you as lovely. You can be charming too, if you want. But only if you review .

I'm sorry this one was so dry. Go read chapter two! That's where all the fun Lily and James stuff happens! View this as merely…background knowledge.