Author's note:

Sorry if the formatting on this is a little messed up- I originally wrote it in an email, and then tried to re-format it in Word….but anyway. Here you are! This is the first of many one-shots I have written for a sort of collection of Marauder's era stuff. Please be honest- this isn't one of my better ones in my opinion, so I'd really like any constructive criticism you can give. It would be MUCH appreciated!!

Fourth Year

"Hey Evans!"

Lily Evans looked up from the essay she was currently musing over and scanned the Gryffindor common room for whoever had spoken her name. Her eyes landed on James Potter, the only one in the room not otherwise engaged at the moment, the only one looking at her.

"Yes?" she asked uncertainly, as though she didn't suppose he'd really meant to say her name.

He came towards her, Remus Lupin following behind with an almost apologetic expression on his face.

"Lily," James stated, seating himself across from her and tilting his chair forward, leaning in. Remus perched on the edge of the table.

"Yes?" she answered again, giving him a rather bewildered look. She knew this could be nothing good, was preparing in her head reasons why he could not copy her homework, wanted him to go away. But Lily was an instinctively gracious person, and so did her best to assume the best of James. Remus liked him, after all, and Lily liked Remus.

"What would you say if I asked you out?"

Lily's good nature did a double take. "You mean...on a date? With you?"

Remus tried not to laugh.

"Yeah," James replied suavely, tilting his head and looking straight into her eyes with the slightest teasing smirk about his mouth.

Lily considered him with an amused expression. "No," she said finally, matter-of-factly but not unkindly.

"What?"

"I'd say no."

The back legs of James' chair hit the ground with a thud, and Remus snorted and shook his head at his friend. Lily shot him a questioning, help-me-out-here look. Remus just shook his head again, grinning, as if telling her she was on her own but he was he going to enjoy the show.

"Wha...But why?" James nearly sputtered.

"I just...don't think it would be a good idea," Lily answered simply.

James frowned. "You don't even know me, Evans, and you're rejecting me."

Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "You've hit the nail on the head, James. I don't know anything about you, and you expect me to go out with you?"

James shrugged. "Most people think I'm a pretty cool guy."

Remus raised his eyes to the ceiling and put a hand to his head in despair.

Lily put her quill down and looked straight at James. "Be that as it may, in my entire history of knowing you as more than a face and a name- basically, these last five minutes- you've done nothing to convince me that your coolness is anything but self-proclaimed. In fact, in all our years at Hogwarts I think this is the first time you've ever voluntarily spoken to me. Your reasons for wanting to go out with me can hardly be anything substantial-"

"What if I just think you're really pretty?" James interrupted.

"Well- urgh, that's exactly my point, Potter! Besides, I doubt that's it either. I'd bet a lot of money that this is a dare or a bet or something you lost."

She turned to Remus. "Am I right?"

Remus cleared his throat, trying desperately not to laugh. "You're pretty close, Lily."

James slammed his hand on the table and turned to Remus. "Moony! Why would you say that?!"

"Oh come on mate, she's not going to change her mind any time soon. Game's up, you lost." Remus hopped off the table and paced backwards towards the fireplace where Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew sat watching. He shrugged exaggeratedly and raised his eyebrows at James. "Give it up!" he offered jovially.

James scowled at him ferociously, then turned back to Lily, a nearly malicious sneer on his face now. "Well Evans, it's clear you're a little picky, but I'm sure some day your perfect guy will come along. If there is a guy out there as self-righteous and stuck-up as you, I wish him the best of luck!'

With that James shoved back from the little table, knocking over his chair and storming up the steps to the boys' dormitory, leaving a very surprised and hurt-looking Lily in his wake. Remus, Sirius and Peter stared after him, and then one by one turned to look at Lily. They hadn't heard what had been said, but they very much doubted that Lily had deserved whatever it was.

Sirius, who considered himself above anything concerning things like emotions, simply frowned and went back to his and Peter's game of Exploding Snap. Peter glanced at Remus, and Remus motioned towards Lily's corner. They were just getting up from their spots, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Sirius, when the common room door slammed and fifth year Marlene McKinnon breezed into the room. Sirius' face lit up in a rather stupid, lovesick gaze, and his eyes followed her path- -straight towards Lily's table. Remus and Peter sat back down, both rather relieved that they could not comfort Lily just now. What, after all, did one say to a wounded 14-year-old girl? Or any girl, for that matter?

"Hey Lil, can I borrow a couple of those star charts you made?" Marlene asked brightly, leaning with both palms on Lily's table and flashing her a warm smile. "You'd think I'd have this down after two years in Advanced Astronomy, but I'm really no good at the elementary stuff."

Lily seemed to shake herself mentally, tearing her eyes away from where James had vanished up the staircase and fixing a happier expression on her face.

"Erm, yeah, just let me dig them out...They're in here somewhere..." Lily rummaged distractedly.

Marlene's eyes wandered to a pile of parchment next to Lily's hand on the table. "Oh, look, they're right here, silly," she laughed, patting the pile. "Do you mind?"

Lily's head emerged from her bag. "Oh! Of course, no, take them."

Marlene scooped up the papers, grinned her thanks at Lily, and made to turn away. But something stopped her. "Hey, Lils, are you feeling ok?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm just a little worn out. This stupid essay..."

Lily was looking nowhere near her essay. Marlene followed Lily's eyes, up the boys' staircase. She looked at Lily, at the staircase, at Lily, and promptly pulled up a chair next to her younger friend and sat herself in it.

"What's wrong, love?"

Lily grimaced in defeat and wrinkled her nose. "Boys."

"I gathered as much. Anyone in particular?"

And because Marlene was the type of person that everyone went to with problems, and the type of person that gave the best advice, even if it wasn't exactly what you wanted to hear, and because Marlene gave the best hugs, and because Lily wouldn't have minded a hug just then, Lily told Marlene everything.

When she finished, Lily was indeed rewarded with one of Marlene's hugs.

"Lily, darling, you can't listen to that oaf. He's only miffed because you're the first girl that's not fainted when he turned those pretty eyes on her, and he'll be bitter for days, but he was entirely wrong. You are one of the sweetest girls I know, Lily Evans, and everybody knows it but James Potter. And if you're feeling rattled because before he opened his big mouth you were under his spell just like the rest of the female population, well, you're not the first."

Lily looked up at Marlene and smiled slightly. "You never fail, Doctor McKinnon."

"Well, that's my job, sweetie." Marlene looked thoughtful for a moment. "But don't get me wrong, Lils, you're not to write James Potter off completely. He can be a real gentleman when he wants, and I've seen and heard things about him that go against every air he puts on."

Lily laughed. "I hope you're right," she sighed. "He acts a total berk, but he does have nice eyes..."

Marlene swatted her arm playfully. "That's my girl. But promise me- no swooning?"

"No swooning. Nice eyes don't even begin to make up for him being so... well, I'm not the swooning type, anyway."

"I know, love," said Marlene, "And I think that's why I'm so fond of you."