James had had an excellent first day back. He had, seeing as he was now Head Boy, given three Slytherins detention and docked them off thirty points. Sirius, of course, thought that James was grossly underachieving. Remus was shocked that James could be so pig headed and was about ready to let this slip to a certain Lily Evans who was Head Girl. But under James's threat of a detention, he kept quiet, and instead began wondering where in the world their friend Peter Pettigrew was.

It turned out that Peter's old mother had taken ill at the last minute and decided to send Peter by the Knight Bus, an extremely shaken Peter had told them the next day at breakfast.

"How can you be scared of a bus?" asked Sirius for the tenth time. "I mean, it's not like you were a rat at the time! It couldn't eat you!"

"A bus can never eat anything, Padfoot...it's a bus." interjected Remus, his mouth full of toast.

"Besides, I've been on the Knight Bus and I thought it was really cool! And the hot chocolate they serve is delicious."

"Oh, back with us, are you?" Sirius asked James, whose focus was back to his friends.

Remus looked in the direction of James's distraction and found what he expected. Lily Evans had just come down to breakfast, surrounded by her usual group of friends. They sat at the very end of the table, on the opposite side of the Marauders.

"What are you staring at?" asked Sirius, looking at Remus who was still looking at the group of girls.

"Huh? Nothing." he replied, shuffling food into his mouth and consequently choking.

"Oh, not you too!" complained Sirius as Peter thumped Remus on the back. "I swear if you're going to start pining like James you won't have me as friend for long! I can't take two of you in this state!"

"What are you talking about?" spluttered Remus, recovering from his cough and vehemently denying Sirius's accusations. Sirius was about to argue back when all of a sudden, all the Marauders stopped talking. Peter was shaking slightly, Remus and James were staring, their jaws on the floor. Sirius was smiling.

"So! Finally want to talk to Jamesie, do you? I knew you'd come around! You owe me five Galleons, Remus!" said Sirius enthusiastically, as Lily Evans made her way towards James. With a smile on her face.

"What?" she asked, preoccupied with something in her bag. "Potter, there's a meeting with Professor Dumbledore at five in the evening. This is the material you're 

supposed to read. Don't look so worried. They're just rules and stuff. Make sure you're there, Potter." She said, and walked off to her friends.

After a few moments of silence, while James watched her go out of the Great Hall, his face lit up in a smile.

"I can't believe it! She actually smiled at me!"

Sirius groaned. "Great...now we'll have to listen to 32 hours of how perfect Lily Evans's teeth are." he seemed to be really grumpy for some reason.

"Shuddup, Padfoot! It's not like you actually listen, anyway."

"I think she might be friendlier towards you now!" piped Peter.

James ignored Sirius's comment about Peter's remark, and instead turned to his one rational friend.

"What do you think, Moony? You think she'll give me a chance?"

"Moony?"

"Moony!" said James, waving his hands frantically in front of Remus's face.

"What? Oh, sure."

"What's up, Remus?" asked Peter.

"Huh? Nothing. Let's go we'll be late for class."

With a final suspicious look at Remus, the four of them walked up to their Transfiguration class, only to find a large crowd outside. They were just about to ask why everyone was outside, when all of them promptly started choking.

"Oh god! I know that smell! Which idiot would..." started James, but was cut off by the need for fresh air.

They tried to get away from the smell, pinching their noses and walking into people in their hurry.

"AHA! I knew it must have been you two!"

All four of them, and their classmates turned towards the direction of the sound. Argus Filch was glaring at James and Sirius, pushing students out of his way to get to them.

All four of them stood stock still.

"How dare you set off Dungbombs on the first day back? You just wait. Oh this time you've done it! Professor! I've found them, Professor!"



Professor McGonagall came into view, wearing what looked like a muggle ventilator.

"Professor, I swear it wasn't us! We were in the Great Hall this whole time."

"Mr. Potter! You are Head Boy, I expect you to behave like one! Go to my office while I deal with this."

"But..."

"I really don't want to give you detention on your first day back, now go!"

"But Professor, they're telling the truth. They were in the Great Hall. I saw them."

All six of them turned towards the voice. James was blinking rapidly, a faint flush growing on his cheeks and neck.

"And who...Miss Evans!" said Professor McGonagall, turning to look at Lily. "Wha...you...you saw them?"

"Yes. They were having breakfast, I was right there." said Lily, giving James a small smile.

"Well...in that case...umm...alright. Back to class everyone!" she walked into class, still looking rather shocked.

"Thanks, Lily!" said James looking sheepishly at her.

"There's no need to thank me, Potter." she said bluntly.

James looked up at her, wondering what he had done now to get her mad.

He saw her turn to leave in a huff, with her nose pinched. She looked at him for a brief second but it was enough for him to see the small, discreet smile playing on her lips.

He returned the smile and when he got back to the dormitory at the end of the day, he was still smiling.