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James P.O.V

"What a load of dung," I snorted as I read the bulletin in the first floor corridor. The Head Boy and Girl, who were both Gryffindors, brought shame to our entire House by suggesting an event that would send half the bloody castle flying in all directions - and believe me, I would take my Shooting Star (more like Shitting Star - I really need a new broom), and lead the pack myself.

"Get this," I say in disbelief to a random Hufflepuff, "the witches ask the wizards. This is a travesty!" The tall Hufflepuff just nodded awkwardly and sauntered off to leave me to my muttering. I felt someone else behind me so I said irritably, and without restraint, "Whoever wants to go to this dumb ball is irrevocably an idiot."

"Funny, I thought that title belonged to you," that person said coldly. I turned around, and of course, because the stars weren't aligned correctly this night or something, Lily Evans thought I called her an idiot. And an irrevocable one at that. Brilliant.

I just sighed and leaned against the wall to sink into my cool, calm, collected stance. "Of course I didn't mean you, Evans," I say smoothly. "But this event will be nothing short of a fail."

Lily frowned and read the notice quickly, without emotion. Then she shrugged those small shoulders of hers. "It doesn't sound bad," she said slowly. "I don't see why it wouldn't attract some people."

"No one will go," I say confidently. She looked at me in a you-think-you're-so-cool kind of way, and I smiled at her.

"And you're so sure of this because…?" She stood there, lovely, patient, waiting for me to respond. She normally doesn't tolerate me, so I have to soak this moment and stretch it out as long as possible.

"None of the marauders are going."

Lily laughed, but it wasn't the laugh I loved. It was a mocking sort of laugh. "Pity," she said shortly.

I don't know why she seemed to find this idea so laughable. It's common knowledge that me and Sirius were the life of the party; Peter made people go along with our stupid jokes, and Moony would top off the extravagant night with an amusing McGonagall-worthy scolding.

I watch Lily still there, reading some other notes about a Charms club. (Is she a member? I must confirm someday…)

"So," I say in my most impressive drawl. She snapped her head to look at me then roll her eyes. "Are you planning on going?" I ask casually, almost indifferently, hoping she couldn't hear the please-don't-go-or-I'll-be-obligated-to-go wrapped around my voice like an itchy blanket.

"I might," she said simply, and I'm positive she was chuckling inside at my expense. She has made her decision, so I must change mine. It's always been this way.

"Well then, I just might, too." And this was true. Absolutely true.

"I thought you said you weren't going," she said, and she sounded disappointed. She'll come around.

"You change all my plans, darling." I wink at her. She opened her mouth (which I couldn't help but admire, it looked impossibly full and shapely), when out of the corner of my eye I see Sirius a few yards back, walking towards me. I vaguely hear Lily saying something that would have bitten at my heart had I been listening, but my only thought was to prolong our meeting, however badly it was going. So keeping an eye on Lily, who was still barking at me but now looking at the board again (there must be something interesting there that I haven't seen…McDaniel made Chaser, I suppose? I heard he tried out after Mason got injured...I know Lily used to fancy McDaniel…I must pay him a charming visit later if that was the case…), I try to tell Sirius to do an about-face and leave me the bloody hell alone with my eyes.

I think he took it as an invitation to walk faster, so I shook my head violently and nearly jumped when Lily glanced at me again. I shot her a crooked grin and watched as she rolled her lovely green eyes at me again.

"So you don't think your team will beat Ravenclaw?" she asked me in faint disbelief. She must have thought that was what I was shaking my head at.

I narrowed my eyes at her and tell her that of course not, my team will pummel their team so hard, they wished they booked a room in Azkaban. I looked over her head and Pad was only about a couple of feet ahead and I hiss heatedly, "Go back you fool!" Lily, of course, hears this and turns around to see Sirius, who was grinning widely.

"Ah, I'll let you speak to Black," Lily says cheerily, looking back at me, and flashes me a brilliant smile before skipping off, out of my grasp. I watch her longingly as she walks off to the grounds.

"Hey, mate!" Sirius says loudly upon arrival. "Bye, Lily-Flower!" he calls out to Lily, who had already turned the corner.

I slowly lift my head to meet Sirius eyes, and said through gritted teeth, "Bugger off next time I'm around Lily." Sirius's eyes grew wider, and a look of understanding fell onto his face like a curtain.

"Is that what you were trying to say?" Sirius asked. I nodded curtly, too incensed and my teeth too stuck together to form anymore words.

"Oh. Well Merlin, Prongs, if I thought you meant to, err, intervene because Evans was about to blast your face beyond recognition, we need new signs," Sirius says seriously, looking concerned. I just groan, because honestly, Sirius is my best mate, and I couldn't ask for someone cleverer, but simple things just don't seem to go through to him.

"What were you talking about?" he asked me quietly, sensing my disappointment.

"Look at the board," I said wearily. I saw him look at it with distaste, before reading it from far away as if getting too close would contaminate him with some unknown disease.

"McDaniel made Chaser?" he said, wrinkling his nose. Immediately, I shoved him aside and read the bottom left corner where Sirius was reading, and there it said, in fine print:

MCDANIEL NEW RAVENCLAW CHASER

"Are you mental?" Sirius asked me, knowing right away my haste and concern. "McDaniel is a troll. You can't possibly think that Evans still fancies him."

"I'll worry about that later," I said dismissively, looking away from the wall, a plan already forming in my head involving a jinx, a broom, and a bird. "That's not it anyway. Apparently Shaw and Edwards want to have a ball in the spring."

Sirius had a look on his face akin to the idea of extending a hand of friendship to Snape. "A ball?" He said it the same way you would say Death Eater.

"Yup, and Evans wants to go."

"She said that?"

"Well, I reckon she does. She said maybe, and maybe usually means yes," I said reasonably.

"No."

"Yes."

"No, I mean 'no, you're not going to the ball'."

"You're not my mum," I say sharply.

"If I was your mum you would have been able to go," Sirius said pointedly. I contemplate this, and I know he's right. "But you're not going."

"What makes you think I won't? I very well could."

"You can't be the life of the party by yourself."

"Who says I want to be the life of the party?"

"We're getting off topic," Sirius said quickly. "You can't go because it's lame, you know it." He placed his hands in his pockets.

"Maybe I like lame stuff."

"You're only going because Evans is going, and you don't even know she's going, so the fact that you say you're going is very optimistic of you," he said with a slight twitch of an eyebrow like maybe he wanted to raise it, but it was an inopportune time.

"Well I'll say this, if she is going, then I'm going, and you guys will have to go," I almost pleaded, because I'm pathetic and need my friends there. For moral support, when I woo Lily and sweep her off her feet. Knowing her she would bite me and I'll be forced to drop her, but I'll be chasing her and I'd get her in the end and hopefully she'd let me.

Sirius just smirked and then this very small, baby-faced girl came up to me.

"Are you James Potter?" she asked quietly.

"I'm sorry?" I splutter. Did she ask who I was? I'm famous.

Her little cheeks turned a solid shade of puce, and she said again, a little louder, "Are you James Potter?" I glared at Sirius who was laughing and banging his head lightly against the wall.

"Yes, I am," I say a little too roughly, and the poor girl (who was out of uniform so I couldn't tell which House she was in), said softly, "Um, Jerry said…"

"Yes?" I prompted impatiently. Jerry is my Quidditch betting partner, who was a right git unfortunately.

"He said…you owe him twenty Galleons, because…something about twice the odds or something…" she trailed off uncertainly. I looked over her head, and I see Jerry and his blond hair looking expectantly at me. In fact, he was within shouting distance.

"What's with the girl?" I shout. Jerry laughed and shrugged.

"Just thought I'd soften you up with a cute little girl," he shouted back, giving the little girl a warm smile.

"You're sick, you know that! What is she, five?" I holler. The small girl scurried off, probably embarrassed. She should be. You don't take orders from a jerk like Jerry.

He shrugged again, indifferent. He held out his hand, and waited.

"Shove it up your arse, Hunter! Puddlemere United for the win!" I shout, and run off down the corridor with my pride in my heart and Galleons jingling in my pocket.

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