It's a truth universally acknowledged that if a boy is popular and smart enough he can get any girl he wants. Unfortunately I'd have to agree with whoever came up with that. It's disgusting but true. Well mostly true. There was one exception. James Potter despite being Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and Head Boy still hadn't managed to get Lily Evans. Lily Evans was the sort of person people aspired to be. She was also my best friend and despite being annoyingly perfect was a rather nice person.

I'm Leila Bennet. I'm a seventh year Gryffindor, I'm on the Quidditch team, I have a father I love to bits and a mother I can't stand, I have two little sisters Laurie and Morgan. Laurie's in Hufflepuff and Morgan's in Ravenclaw. All we need is one more sister to put in Slytherin and we'll be able to represent all the houses. Scratch that. I don't want Mum and Dad to have any more kids. That would mean they were still having sex and oh that's just gross.

Anyway so I was expecting seventh year to go basically the same way all the other ones had gone. Maybe with a bit more studying. But it all changed. And rather dramatically I might add.

It all started with a party. Doesn't it always? Well this was a Marauder party and the only reason Lily and I were there was because she had gone through a particularly bad break-up and she wanted to get completely smashed. When I commented on the incongruity of the Head Girl who was actually supposed to be upholding the rules and preventing such parties from happening actually going to one of the infamous Marauder ones she just threw a pillow at my head and told me to sod off. So there we were all ready to go to a party.

The Marauders had turned an abandoned Transfiguration classroom into something akin to a disco that played music, which was just as bad if not worse. No one really cared though. People didn't come to parties to listen to music. They came to parties to get drunk and get into other people's pants.

'Lily,' James shouted enthusiastically.

She groaned. 'Kill me now,' she said.

'Be nice,' I said. 'It's their party and their alcohol.'

'Fine,' she said making a face. 'Hi James,' she said plastering a fake smile on her face.

He dragged us to the makeshift bar and gave us both large glasses of Firewhiskey. I saw Black giving him a subtle thumbs up.

'So Lils,' James said casually. 'Do you want to dance?' I waited for the inevitable not-on-your-life-Potter.

'Okay,' she said. I looked around for some clue as to why she would do something so uncharacteristic. Ah there it was. Brendan Moore, Lily's disgusting ex-boyfriend had his hand on some random girls arse. Hate the bastard so much. I glared at him and downed half of my Firewhiskey and watched as James and Lily made their way to the dance floor. I actually don't know how they managed to fit a dance floor into the classroom but they did. The Marauders might have a knack for getting into trouble but you couldn't say they weren't smart.

'What's with that?' Charlie asked dropping into the seat next to mine. She gestured to James and Lily who were actually talking to each other semi-civilly.

'Bad break-up,' I said. 'I think Lily's trying to make Moore jealous.'

'Never took Lily for the vindictive sort,' Charlie said. Charlie's a seventh year like me but she's in Ravenclaw. After Lily she's probably my best friend. Charlie's quite scarily logical but she's still one of the funniest people I know. Not funny in a slapsticky ha ha way but funny in a witty sarcastic way which is way cooler.

'She isn't,' I said defending Lily. 'You know she's actually annoyingly nice. Moore really messed with her head though.'

'Yeah I get that,' she said. 'Boys are stupid.'

'Cheers to that,' I said.

We sat there drinking quietly bitching about the flaws of the male species. Now I know that sounds fairly pathetic but it's actually kind of fun. A particularly brave sixth year Gryffindor asked Charlie if she would like to dance. I could see that she was going to turn him down pretty harshly. Poor bloke. He looked nice enough I suppose. Not like the vile Brendan Moore. Felt a bit sorry for him

'I'll give you ten sickles if you actually manage to finish the song,' I whispered. 'Without throwing anything at the boy.'

'You're on,' she said quietly. Charlie loves a challenge.

She got up and they awkwardly started dancing. I couldn't stop giggling.

'What's got you so tickled?' someone asked, amused.

'Charlie's dancing,' I said.

'Yeah I can see why that might be funny,' Remus said taking Charlie's spot.

'So how was your summer?' I asked. Remus is my favourite Marauder. He's sensitive, cute and nice. Which is basically the polar opposite of me. I was once told that my sarcasm could make a Slytherin cry. That's probably why I got on so well with Charlie.

'Pretty good. James and Sirius came to stay for a bit,' he said, 'Peter went on some weird backpacking trip to Albania or something like that.'

'Lovely,' I said. 'I bet you got up to all sorts of shenanigans over summer.'

'We're the Marauders love,' he said. 'What do you expect?'

'You lot are crazy,' I said laughing.

'Ah looks like I am being summoned by Pads,' he said. 'Talk you later Leels.'

Only Remus was allowed to call me Leels. And sometimes Lily, if I was feeling particularly affectionate. So I guess I might as well admit that I have been in love with Remus Lupin for a good part of the last seven years. It had taken a rather lot of effort but I finally realized that he certainly wasn't going to return my affection. I was just glad we were friends now.

'You owe me ten sickles,' she said. Charlie was always short on money. She hated charity though but had no problems in collecting what was owed to her.

'Fine I'll pay up tomorrow,' I said.

'Come on let's go for a walk,' she said. 'You've been sitting there for the past hour.'

She pulled me up and we walked around laughing at our stupid classmates who were either throwing up or snogging.

'Oh that's disgusting,' Charlie said as Amos Diggory detached his lips from a brainless looking blonde and proceeded to puke all over her shoes.

'I'm telling you man,' I heard someone say. 'You have to think about getting out more.'

'I get out plenty,' someone answered. I recognized the voice of Sirius Black.

'Fine, you need to think about finding a girlfriend then. You can't get hung up on that disgusting whore.' I realized that the other person in the conversation was James. I had never actually heard James so vehement about anything.

'Not hung up on her,' Black answered. But even in my slightly tipsy state I knew he was upset.

'Yes you are,' James said. 'There are plenty of incredibly hot girls right here.'

'Please,' Black scoffed. 'You know you're dancing with the only attractive one. How does it feel to finally have Evans touch you without injuring you in some way?'

'Brilliant,' James practically sighed. 'But you have to stop being such an idiot. Her friend…whatshername… Bennet. Right? She's fit.'

'Are you joking?' Black scoffed again. I felt incredibly annoyed even though I didn't give a flying fuck about what Black thought. 'She's been sitting at the bar drinking herself insensible all evening. She actually scares people away, she so prickly. Why on earth should I want to to dance with someone who no other bloke wants either.'

'I think we should leave,' Charlie said. But for some perverse reason I wanted to stay and actually hear what Bastard Black had to say about me.

'You're being a bit harsh aren't you mate?' James asked.

'No,' Black said, arrogance coming out of his ears. 'I'm being honest.'

'Okay, let's leave,' I whispered to Charlie.

'Sirius Black is a jerk,' she said as we walked away from them. 'You know that.'

I just shrugged, not wanting her to see how much his words had hurt me. Sure I wasn't exactly the most approachable and I certainly didn't have guys lining up to date me like Lily did but I wasn't exactly "prickly." Black made me sound like some sort of horrific bitch.

'Hey Lils,' I told her when I found her. 'I'm heading back to the dorm.'

'Okay, I'll see you there,' she said happily. I saw James Potter coming up to her holding a glass of mead. Well at least someone was having fun. I also suspected she was sort of drunk and was going to regret this in the morning.

I got back to the dorm but I couldn't go to sleep. I stayed up reading a book and trying to forget about stupid Sirius Black. Lily stumbled in about two hours later.

'Had fun?' I asked, trying to keep the amusement out of my voice.

Lily sank into my bed. We lay there in the single bed (which was really too small for both of us) looking up at the ceiling.

'James isn't so bad,' she said suddenly. 'I mean I thought he was awful but he isn't so bad.'

'My my Lily Evans admitting that James Potter might actually not be the devils spawn. What is the world coming to?' I laughed.

'It's not like I wasn't to marry him or anything,' she said. 'It's just that he's not so bad.'

'Yeah I know,' I said. James had been my captain for the last two years. I quite liked him. Not that I'd ever told Lily. She'd always hated him from the depths of her heart.

'I mean maybe we could be friends,' she said.

'Maybe,' I said. 'Though that boy certainly doesn't want to be "just friends" with you.'

'I suppose,' she said. 'What about you though? Have anyone you like? Anyone who likes you?' We don't usually have these conversations. I hadn't even told Lily that I used to like Remus.

'No and apparently guys find me completely unattractive so really don't have much of a hope,' I said sounding a tad bit bitter.

'Who on earth told you that?' Lily said with a laugh. 'You are incredibly gorgeous.'

'Well Black certainly seems to think that,' I said.

'Sirius Black?' she asked, surprised.

'Yeah,' I said.

'Please when has Black ever said anything remotely sensible?' she asked. 'He's a dickhead.'

'Not like James though,' I said grinning at her.

'Shut up,' she said knocking me on the head.


a/n: So this is my new story. I should stop doing this. It's just that I get ideas and I have to put them down somewhere. I really hope you like it. I just got this idea weirdly enough when I was reading Gone With The Wind. I tweaked some of the characters a little as well as making the James/Lily thing faster than normal to fit with the plot of Pride And Prejudice.

Leila Bennet-Lizzie Bennet
Sirius Black-William Darcy
James Potter-Charles Bingley
Lily Evans-Jane Bennet
Charlie Adams-Charlotte Lucas

This is basically my character list till now. Since James Potter doesn't have a sister Caroline Bingley won't be related to any of the Marauders. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet will be largely shown using letters and stuff because they really can't live at Hogwarts. Anyway I hope you like it and please revieww :)

Disclaimer: I own none of this. Everything that's recognizable either belongs to Jane Austen or JK Rowling.