-Hedwig's Theme begins to play- Welcome back my lovely minions. You all didn't think I was going to go too long without my Marauder's now did you? I don't know how frequent these updates will be, but, here goes. These chapters are longer and better than The Tale of Miss Gryffin. And, I have barely reached Christmas in the story and already it has surpassed the length of Gryffin.

Disclaimer: I own Madison Cooper and that is it. Cara Richardson belongs to another…so sad…that is why this chapter is dedicated to psychogreendayfan a.k.a. Sara.

Chapter One

Surprises

The scarlet steam engine lurched forward and began to pull out of King's Cross Station. Lily Evans was sitting in a compartment with her two best friends, Cara Richardson and Madison Cooper. Lily Evans was a seventh year of medium height. She had fiery red hair and a temper to match. Madison was a bit on the tall side. She had short brown hair and deep blue eyes. She was quiet…usually. She was known to be quite wacky when you got to know her. Then there was Cara. She had long black hair and a pale complexion. She looked like she belonged in Slytherin but she was far to kind and loyal.

Lily was very kind and tolerant of all people. Well, almost all people, everyone but the Marauders. Better known as Messer's Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs otherwise known as Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter. Lily did not mind Remus. She found him to be nice and an excellent study partner. It was also known by the three girls that Madi had a bit of a crush on Remus. Then there was Peter. He really didn't fit in with the Marauders. He was a bit of a tag-along. He really looked up to James and Sirius. Sirius Black. What is there to say about Sirius Black? He left his parents' house over the summer and moved in with James. James didn't mind. Neither did Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Sirius was like a second son to them. If there was one Marauder Lily despised the most, it was James Potter. Ever since third year, James had taken it upon himself to ask Lily out at least three times a day. He also would hex anyone Lily seemed to be interested in. All in all, Lily despised James with every fiber of her being.

"Cara, Madi," Lily began, "I hate to have to do this to you, but I have to go to the Head Compartment and meet the Head Boy."

"No problem Lily. I'll meet you in there in an hour for the Prefect meeting." Madison replied.

"And I am sure I can find something to do to entertain myself. Unlike you, Lily, I don't completely despise the Marauders. I may go and see what they are up to." Cara said.

"Alright, well, I'll see you soon Madi, and shortly after that, we will meet back up, okay Cara?" Lily said as she stood up. Madison and Cara both nodded as Lily made her way to the Head's Compartment. On her way there, she was so deep in thought that she accidentally bumped into some coming out of their compartment.

"Oh! I am sorry. I wasn't…" She cut herself off as she realized who it was she had bumped into. James Potter stood before her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Evans. You okay?" James asked, looking concerned but with a slight smile on his face. Lily stared up into his eyes and found herself hypnotized. She never noticed how beautiful they were. "Evans? Are you okay?" James asked. Lily snapped out of her trance and shook her head.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lily replied. It seemed odd to her that she had been in the Marauder's presence for more than thirty seconds and he still had not asked her out yet.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you heading this way?" James asked, pointing towards the front of the train.

"Yes, I am on my way to meet the Head Boy." Lily responded. She was very careful not to drop her guard…this was James Potter after all.

"You made Head Girl? Congratulations. I'm just headed down here so I can stretch my legs." James replied with a knowing smile.

"Enough Potter. Who are you pranking? Do not make me give you a detention before we even get to school." Lily said firmly.

"I'm not pranking anyone Evans. See?" James said as he held his arms out showing that he did not have his wand with him, or any other pranking devices.

"I don't believe you." Lily said as she began walking towards the front of the train. James just sighed and continued to follow her to the front of the train.

"Well, here we are." James said as they approached the door that had the words Head Compartment inscribed on the front.

"Yes, good bye Potter." Lily said as she opened the door only to find the compartment empty. "Where is the Head Boy? He was supposed to be here at 11:25 sharp, and I'm late!"

"My apologies, Evans. My mates kept me behind and then I was distracted by a gorgeous red-head." James said, making his way past Lily and into the compartment.

"Potter! Get out! This compartment is reserved for the Head Boy and Girl!" Lily exclaimed.

"I know. That's why I am here." James replied simply.

"But you're not…" She was cut off by James pinning his Head Boy badge to his chest. "…it's not possible." She whispered.

"Not probable, but entirely possible."

"But…but…HOW THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU GET MADE HEAD BOY!" Lily shouted at him. James was taken aback. He had never heard Lily swear before.

"Miss Evans. That will be enough. Please, take a seat, both of you." Came the voice of Professor McGonagall.

"Yes Professor." Lily answered, making her way into the compartment and taking a seat.

"Professor M.! How was your summer? Did you miss us?" James asked throwing his arm around the Professor and leading her into the compartment.

"Mr. Potter! That's quite enough." Professor McGonagall sighed, as he took a seat next to Lily. "Now, as you have figured out, you are the Heads for this year. I must say I was quite pleased when I learned that both Heads were from Gryffindor. I know the two of you have not gotten along well in the past, so, my only request is that you put aside your differences and get along. After all, you will be living together." Minerva added.

"Yes Professor…wait…WHAT!" Lily shouted as realization dawned on her. She had forgotten that one tiny detail of the Heads sharing a dorm.

"Yes, Miss Evans, you and Mr. Potter will have your own Common Room separate from Gryffindor House." Minerva explained. Lily looked like she was about to cry and James looked like Christmas had come early. The Professor had to strain to hold back a laugh. She knew they could overcome their differences. She didn't know how, she just knew.

""Now, for your duties. You are to select dates for all the Hogsmeade weekends and draw up a Patrol schedule for the Prefects. This year we will do something new, a Leaver's Ball for the seventh years. At the end of the year, the Leaver's Ball will take place for all of the seventh years to spend one last night together as a whole. You will help the Prefects plan that. Your curfew is midnight unless you are on Patrol. Oh, and before I forget, here is a list of all the passwords for the Common Rooms, Prefect's Bathroom, and the Head Dorm. That is all; the Prefects should be coming in any moment." McGonagall said as she handed them a folder with all of the information in it. She left the compartment leaving James and Lily alone once again.

"So…did you hear about the attack on the Wrights?" James asked. Over the summer, a dark wizard who had been on the rise finally hit the surface. He already had followers, Death Eaters, they called themselves. In their minds, their work was noble. They were purging the magical world of muggles, muggle-borns, and half-bloods. The Wrights were not the first to have been attacked, but they made the most impact. Frank Wright was the head of the WWN and a pureblood. His wife, Karly, was a muggle-born.

"Yes, I heard they murdered Karly and left Frank and Ramona untouched." Lily replied, feeling shivers going down her spine as she remembered reading about it in the Daily Prophet.

"My dad knows Frank. Frank and Ramona were at a muggle zoo when it happened. They came home to find their house in ruins with that hideous mark floating above it." James explained. It angered him so much that someone could be so cruel, that someone could tear families and lives apart with out a second glance. Also, though he wouldn't admit it just yet, he was scared. Lily was a muggle-born, Remus was a half-breed, and Cara was a half-blood. They were safe enough at Hogwarts, but at the end of June…at the end of June they would be thrown out into the cold harsh world that surrounded them. It was a world that scared James half to death. James was broken out of his thoughts by the entrance of the Prefects. Madison Cooper and Remus Lupin for Gryffindor, Amos Diggory and Marie Incorvia for Hufflepuff, John Clearwater and Gwyneth Jones for Ravenclaw, and Edgar Parkinson and Narcissa Black for Slytherin.

After informing the Prefects of their duties, Lily and Madison went to find Cara. They looked in their previous compartment to find it filled with…Marauders. Madison grinned and walked in, ignoring a very loud groan from Lily. When Lily walked in, there was only one open seat. That seat unfortunately happened to be located next to the one and only James Potter. James and Sirius began a game of Exploding Snap. Peter and Cara sat and watched the two boys play the noisy game. Madison and Remus were talking about a book they had both read over the summer. Lily pulled her own book out of her bag and opened up to where she had last left off. She let herself be drawn into her book, drawn into a different world. When it seemed like only a second had passed, she learned that they were now within an hour of getting to Hogwarts.

"I'm going to go and change into my robes now. I expect we'll be arriving soon." Lily said as she put her book down and left the compartment. Shortly after she left, James noticed a certain slimy Slytherin walk quickly in the same direction of Lily with two fellow slime-balls behind him.

"Uh…mates?" James asked becoming nervous. Slytherins in groups heading towards a muggle-born was never a good thing.

"Yeah?" Sirius answered.

"Why would three Slytherins be walking in the same direction as Lily with their wands out and maniacal grins on their faces?" James asked standing up and getting his wand out.

"Bloody Hell. Let's go check it out." Remus replied as he and Sirius quickly followed James out of the compartment. They quickly ran off down the corridor in the direction Lily went. They arrived not a moment too soon. Lily's robes had been dropped on the floor and her wand resided in Snape's greasy palm. The other two held her up against a wall.

"Let her go!" James said through gritted teeth.

"Why should I let the little mudblood go? Give me one good reason, Potter." Snape replied. James launched himself at Snape yet did not get very far.

"LET ME GO!" James shouted at his friends who were holding him back.

"Potter! Don't" Lily said, trying to break free.

"Why not? He deserves it! The slimy scum-sucking…" James said before Lily cut him off.

"James, don't. You're better than this." Lily said, her eyes pleading with him. James was amazed. Lily had called him James, not Potter, not Prat, not Bullying Toe-Rag. She had called him by his first name. He relaxed a bit.

"Snape, please just let her go. She never did anything to you." James said calmly.

"Taking orders from a mudblood now, are we? That's…" Snape never got to finish that statement. Lily had broken free of her captives and punched Snape in the face. He hit the ground like a sack of…umm….bricks? Wait, he hit the ground like a sack of potatoes…that's what I meant to say. Lily looked down at him in horror as realization hit her. She turned and sprinted off down the hall towards her compartment. The boys just stood their dumbfounded for a minute, until Snape started to regain his composure. They ran off after Lily before Snape got to his feet. They bolted into their compartment to find Lily sitting there, pale as the ghosts that roamed their school. Madison and Cara were trying to figure out what was wrong with their friend.

"Lily, what happened? Please tell me!" Madison asked, gently.

"Oy, you three. What happened to her?" Cara asked the Marauders as they walked into the compartment.

"Evans, that was amazing. You are my new hero." Sirius said, clapping Lily on the back and completely ignoring Cara's comment.

"WHAT HAPPENED, DAMNIT?" Cara shouted.

"Lily punched Snape, after she broke free of his friend's grasps, of course." Remus explained.

"Why didn't you just hex him, Lily?" Madison asked her friend.

"Snape took my wand…OH NO!" Lily cried as she suddenly realized that she didn't have her wand.

"Oh, here you go Lily. It fell on the floor when you hit Snape." James said, handing her wand to her.

"Thanks Potter." Lily said as she took her wand back. "I need to go change into my robes." She said as she headed out of the compartment. Then she realized her robes had also been lost in the excitement.

"Here are your robes." James said as he handed them to her. "I'm going with you." He replied following her out of the compartment.

"If you must." She said simply. Even though she could not stand him, she knew that no one would try to hurt her if he was around..

He followed her and waited as she changed. He walked her back to the compartment before going to change himself. As they were pulling into Hogsmeade station, Sirius was finishing up his tie. All of the others were already in their robes.

When they got off, the Marauders got into one carriage and Lily, Cara, and Madison got into another one. The thestrals carried them up to the school, for the last time. The feast began after a few words from Dumbledore.

"Never run in the rain with your socks on." Dumbledore said as the Great Assigning, I mean, the Sorting began. During the feast, McGonagall came up to James and Lily to tell them to meet her in the Entrance Hall after the feast.

Well, that is the first chapter of All's Fair In Love and War...as promised.