Chapter 1

He was panting. It almost hurt to draw breath, but he just had to keep running. Why? He wasn't sure, but all he knew was that at the end of this maze of labyrinthine halls there would be the greatest treasure. He knew that it will have been worth tearing through narrow, dim passages until he could barely stand it. Suddenly, he felt a rush of fearful adrenaline--there was an obstacle ahead! Whatever it was, he mustn't--

Trip.

He landed face-down on the cold stone floor. Gasping, he opened his hazel eyes, finding himself not in a maze of passageways, but in his own bed in Gryffindor tower. His sheets were kicked into a soft mound at the foot of his four-poster bed, and sweat was creeping down the back of his neck as he sat up. The clock on his bedside table displayed 3:42 am. Groaning and pulling his sheets back around him in the cool spring night, James Potter rolled over and drifted off to sleep again.

When it was finally morning, James woke up to his best friend's, Sirius's, voice. "James, mate," he was saying, "you all right? You look dead." He looked at James closely, his brown eyes filled with concern.

"Nah, Padfoot, I'm all right. Don't worry about me," said James, still thinking about his dream. The two of them were in their seventh year at Hogwarts, and this chilly but sunny spring morning brought promise of long-anticipated freedom that was just months away. The uninterrupted expanse of clear blue sky seemed to invite James, Sirius, and their two other friends, Remus and Peter, outside for a late Saturday breakfast by the lake on the sweeping grounds.

Upon walking out into the bright sunshine, carrying piles of toast or English muffins, James immediately spotted Lily Evans, also a seventh-year, at the lakeside. His heart gave a leap, as it always did, when he saw her. Something about those almond-shaped emerald eyes, or that beautiful red hair always cascading about her shoulders and perfectly framing her fair face, or perhaps her unforgettable smile held James' attention.

"Prongs," Sirius said to James, using his nickname and jerking him from his reverie, "What's it going to be this time?" Sirius had lately taken to asking James often what his plans were for getting Lily out on a date. Now Sirius glanced from his friend's face to the lake's edge at Lily. "You know, you could--"

"Sirius, stop giving him advice," said Remus rather loudly and imperatively. And after heeding Sirius's annoyed shush, continued, "He can decide for himself how to attempt to ask her. If I recall correctly, the last eleven or so times you gave suggestions to James, he ended up looking like a real idiot. And that's not even counting the time when you made him--"

"Ok, ok I get the point," said Sirius, putting an end to Remus's lecture. "And you don't have to keep reminding me of 'that time'," he added in a slight undertone and glaring at Remus from under the swoop of shaggy dark brown hair barely covering his almost-perfect facial features twisted in irritation.

But James wasn't listening. He was walking right over to the shore, rather boldly. Before Lily spotted James' tall, dark-haired figure, he rumpled up his hair one last time, more out of habit than anything else. "Hey, Evans," said James in that completely different voice he always used to speak to Lily.

Lily's red-head whipped around, her green eyes looking straight into his own hazel eyes making his insides squirm again. "Oh, it's you," she said coolly, averting her gaze. "So," she continued, in that same tone, her eyes flicking back to James and flashing dangerously, "which fourth-year kid have you been tormenting this time, or was it old Snivelly again?" She waited expectantly for a reply, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot slightly.

James felt a twinge of annoyance, and he frowned. "Nah, just came by to say hey..." His voice trailed off.

"Well, HEY," said Lily. Then, she turned on her heel, her long, red hair brushing James's face angrily, and continued chatting to her friends. It was only after a disappointed James was back with Sirius, Remus, and Peter that Lily looked out unfocusedly across the lake, losing track of the conversation with her friends...