Disclaimer: I don't own anything that came out of JKR's brilliant mind. I just own my imagination... And a few things you don't know as being part of the story JKR wrote... :)

Author's Note: This is another fragment of my bigger fic. It deals with the Marauders and Lily in their 5th year, somewhere at the beginning. It's centered on Quidditch and James' thoughts. Before you get to read, I have to add that I only posted this part to see how I'm doing when writing Quidditch related fragments. So, please, lovely reviewers and readers, let me know what you think... ;) Feel free to criticize... I look forward to making my writing better... So let me know if I am good at writing Quidditch related parts... ;) Thanks a lot! ;)

P. S.: The Quidditch Tournament is a Quidditch competition between magic schools of the world and each school has to send its best players. As Hogwarts has four Houses, members of the Hogwarts Team will be from all Houses... ;)

'Dumbledore is insane!' said Sirius, looking on the verge of pulling his hair out.

'We know that…' Remus agreed.

'Guys… I think you exaggerate… Maybe just a little? Don't you think?' James asked.

'Are you losing it too, Prongs? What is that supposed to mean?' Sirius asked.

'You get all worked up because Marlene Darkwood is on the Hogwarts Team. You should not be against her just yet…' James replied.

'What do you mean "just yet"? She's a Slytherin!' Sirius exclaimed.

'I know, Padfoot. But you also know that the Quidditch Tournament accepts teams that represent the entire school. Our school happens to have four Houses. One or more players were bound to be Slytherins, you know…' James replied.

'He's got a point there…' Remus said.

'Moony, I know! I know one of them at least was bound to be a Slytherin… But why her? Why did it have to be her? The other Beater is a Slytherin! How am I supposed to work with that?!' Sirius replied.

'Sorry to break it to you, mate, but that girl can whack a Bludger better than anyone I know, except you…' James said.

'Damn! I know! I know! I play against her on our every match against Slytherin, remember? I know she's good! I just don't like the idea of teaming with her…'

'Padfoot, get serious! She is –' Remus began, but he was cut off.

'I am Sirius, Moony!'

'I hate it when you do that, Padfoot. Do it to other unsuspecting people… Not to fellow Marauders…' James said, referring to Sirius's word game.

'What I meant is that not all Slytherins are bad, although you well know I don't like them either…' Remus continued.

'Lily said that too…' James added.

'Evans?' Sirius asked.

'Do we know any other Lily?' asked James.

'Never mind… What do you mean "she said that too"?

'That not all Slytherins are bad… She keeps saying it whenever something "marauderish" happens to Snivellus…' James responded.

'"Marauderish" isn't a word…' Remus pointed out.

'Always so fair and proper, are you not, Moony?' Sirius said, smiling.

'Anyway, back to our original goal… Padfoot… You have to give her a chance. She's the best Beater of all the other teams…' James pointed out.

'Why couldn't I just team with Cornwall? We are a great pair, the two of us…'

'He's the other Gryffindor Beater, but apparently, he's not better than Marlene Darkwood', said James.

'I wish he were… The bastard…' Sirius muttered.

'Will you please, please try to work with her?' James pleaded. 'Remember, I am still Captain…'

'Yes, sir…' Sirius agreed, not too happy about it.

'Good. Now, Moony, you go supervise. Sirius, get your robes on… The rest of the Hogwarts Team will be here shortly, and we need to start our first training together… We have to see how we can work with each other. There are different ways for each player…'

'I know that, Prongs… No team is as good as the Gryffindor Team, mind you…' Sirius pointed out.

'Then let's make the Hogwarts Team the best… We not only play for Hogwarts, we play for Britain… Sort of…' James said, thinking of all the other Quidditch players from other schools and countries that were entering the Tournament.

Remus and Sirius smiled, seeing in his eyes the same flame that sparkled on two occasions: Quidditch, and Lily Evans and all that was related to her. Two things James loved with a passion.

Five minutes later, Lily Evans arrived on the pitch, her Quidditch robes neat, her hair tied in a flaming pony tail. She carried her broom with an elegance James would have envied if she were any other person.

'Hey, Potter…' she greeted, smiling at him, without noticing.

'Evans…' he smiled back. She walked past him, and he sensed the lovely perfume she wore. He stared at her slender figure, admiring for a second the letters arranged to spell "EVANS" on the back of her Quidditch robes. "One day, they will spell "POTTER"… Just like mine…" he thought, imagining for an instant that he and Lily played for the British Team on the Quidditch World Cup…

"…And the heroes of the British Team, Chaser Lily Potter, that scored more goals than any Chaser in history, and James Potter, the world's greatest Seeker that spectacularly caught the Snitch today, leading Britain to a certain victory of the Quidditch World Cup… Please congratulate the world's best Quidditch Team!! Please congratulate Lily and James Potter!!"

'James Potter!!'

'Whoa - Sorry… Yes?' he asked, startled. He had been daydreaming about him and Lily as Quidditch heroes, and had probably a stupid grin adorning his face when she looked at him and called his name. He hated himself for looking so ridiculous before her.

'I just wanted to ask if we can really work with Sirius and Marlene…' Lily said.

'We always work with Sirius. And you said Marlene was all right…'

'I know… But I meant… They seem miserable about being the team's Beaters… That is because the Beaters are from opposing Houses…'

'Don't worry, Lily, I talked to Sirius… He'll not take her head off… For now, at least', James said. Lily felt reassured. But she couldn't tell if it was because he has called her Lily for probably the second or third time in their life, or because he had actually talked to his best friend about not sending the Bludger at Marlene for a change.

Marlene, Edgar Edwards and Jane Ash, the Rawenclaw Chasers, Amelia Jones, the Hufflepuff Keeper and Sirius walked on the pitch, next to them.

'Good, now all the team members are here… We all have different styles and… I was thinking that for the first time we can play the way we always do, just to see how we work and find a way to do it together. Do you all agree?' James addressed his newly founded team.

'I think it's a good idea, considering we all played against each other a few times…' Marlene said.

'Right…' Sirius muttered.

'I think it's for the best…' Amelia said.

'All right, then… We'll see how each position plays. First, Keeper and Chasers', he said, and Amelia took her position in front of the hoops. Lily, Jane and Edgar rose into the air, when James threw the Quaffle at them. Lily caught it first and flipped through her fellow Chasers, racing towards the hoops. She threw the Quaffle with a precision that few had. She had good aim… A very good aim, James knew… That was why she was on his team… That was yet one other reason that made her simply irresistible… With some effort, he drove away the thought of how lovely she was and focused on her performance. The Quaffle flew straight at the hoop on the right side, although she made it seem she was throwing it at the center hoop, causing Amelia to get confused and miss it, allowing Lily to score. James smiled. Amelia should know by now that diversion was one of Lily's favorite tactics. Jane went to retrieve the Quaffle and then passed it to Edgar. They worked well together, James noticed. They had an elaborate system of passing the Quaffle to each other, confusing the opposing Keeper before actually scoring. It was a different tactic from the bold, straight forward approach the Gryffindor Chasers used. He was glad he could use their tactic at some point now. Up in the stands, Remus was taking notes James and his team could later look upon.

Half an hour later, the Chasers had scored 15 times, and Amelia, after getting used to their tactics, blocked 20 of their attempts at scoring. James was proud. They really did a great job. He knew that with intensive training, Amelia would probably turn out to be better than his own Gryffindor Keeper. As for the Chasers, he only needed to find a way of combining Lily's and the Ravenclaws' tactics, and they'd be invincible.

'All right now… Come down and catch your breath…' he said to them, and the four of them landed next to him.

'Very good, all of you… If we train hard enough, you'll be invincible. And the best part f it is that while Lily, Jane and Edgar will try to get past a Keeper who is not as good as Amelia, Amelia will block off even the best of Chasers…' he added, smiling. Lily looked at him with a kind of appreciation she only held for him on the Quidditch pitch. Fifteen year-old James Potter was a complete idiot most of the time, despite his many talents. But while he was being Captain of the Quidditch team, he was worthy of admiration. She climbed up to where Remus was in the stands, and sat beside him. Edgar and Jane joined her.

'Are you always taking notes?' Lily asked.

'Always on training. James devises plans and tactics based on these things… He can see most of the things as they happen, but when he's out looking for the Snitch, he can't always keep an eye on the rest of the team… So I just help him by being his extra pair of eyes…' Remus answered.

'He already has an extra pair…' Lily observed, unable to contain her laughter.

'Those are just so that he doesn't wonder in a blurry world…'

'Funny how being so talented… His eyes are so…'

'Weak? You could say that… He doesn't mind. He actually loves his glasses. Says they emphasize his handsome features', Remus replied.

'It figures… That's such a James Potter thing to say…'

'I think he really is handsome…' Jane said, eyeing James with a dreamy expression, while he was talking to Marlene and Sirius who were already up in the air by his side. Lily shook her head in disgust. It wasn't that she didn't think he was handsome. He was… And very much so, as she was constantly reminded every time she saw him. It was just that she couldn't stand all the silly girls that fell at his feet when he no more than smiled their way.

Up above the pitch, Sirius and Marlene held tight their Beater's bats. James was about to release a Bludger. He had again asked them not to try and kill each other, just to try and act like they always did in matches that involved Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses. He released the Bludger that flew straight at Marlene, with all the intentions f knocking her off her broom. She whacked it towards Sirius, who sent it back to her. The other were watching what in Lily's opinion was highly resembling a tennis match. One half an hour later, neither Marlene, nor Sirius got hit by the Bludger.

'Send it down!' James shouted, ready to catch the vicious ball and put it back in its box. Sirius sent it flying towards James who took a step away from the spot he was standing in and then jumped at it as it nearly hit the ground. The ball struggled in his arms for a while, then remained quiet and still, bound by chains in its box.

'Well done! I guess you two didn't even need this try… I knew perfectly well how the two of you worked against each other… Now the trick is to get you to work just as well together…' James said, as the other team members and Remus joined them again on the field.

'That will be a tough one, Captain', Sirius said, eyeing Marlene with something between admiration and disgust.

'I'm willing to try if you are, Black…' Marlene said, holding out her hand. Sirius looked at her as if she had just grown an extra head.

'All right, Darkwood…' he finally answered, taking her hand.

'Good. Now, Moony… Observations, please…' James said, holding out his hand. Remus passed him the parchment rolls he had filled during their practice. James read carefully the notes Remus has taken. Lily played in a different way, while Jane and Edgar worked very well together. He needed to find a way to make their tactics, and Lily's compatible. Amelia needed practice. Other than that, she had very god reflexes and quite a few tricks up her sleeve. Sirius and Marlene were very good. They didn't need actual practice. They needed to practice working side by side instead of against each other. James now knew where he had to start. Marlene and Sirius were his main objective. He knew that if he and Lily devised a few blending tactics, he could actually leave her in charge of practicing with the other two Chasers. He had, however, to keep a close eye on Marlene and Sirius. He knew Sirius usually divided women in two categories: Adorable and Slytherin. The trouble was Marlene was both adorable, and Slytherin. Sirius surely was trapped in a dilemma he had never faced before. Not only was Marlene really good on the pitch, but she was also incredibly attractive. If Sirius hadn't had a say about that fact yet, he surely was seeing nothing more than the Slytherin in her. And that was an even bigger problem.

They walked back to the castle together. James couldn't take his eyes off Lily. He was, as Sirius, Remus and Peter often reminded him, a Marauder in love. He just couldn't help it. Gone were the days when he had tried to put Lily Evans past him, get over her and actually date another girl. Gone in second year, they were… Therefore, he never actually went on a date… Lily and others might think that he did… The "James Potter Fan Club" members swore every day that they had been out on romantic dates with Gryffindor's Quidditch hero. But James never went out with a girl. Not one single girl and he was now fifteen. Sirius had dated half the girls in school, busy as he was since third year… Remus and Annie had found that they liked and then actually loved each other since fourth year. Peter… Peter was Peter. Too shy to date girls, but still, happy as a permanent bachelor. James couldn't believe it at times. His life seemed so amazing to all the other people, and yet, he felt that it was amazing in a completely different way than most people thought. He had the greatest friends… His fellow Marauders had ceased to be his friends only back in second year. They were his brothers. The brothers he never got from his parents, but the brothers life had given him. And he loved them dearly. He could die for them, he knew it. Knew it, and was proud he could say he'd do so, without fear. He had Quidditch… The proper way to relax and stay fit at the same time. The wonderful sport had brought forth in him skills he never knew he had until he actually got to seriously play for the Gryffindor Team. He had talent and desire to learn all he could, but still, without much effort. He, Sirius and Remus where top of their class alongside Lily, who, although spent more time in the library than they did, seemed to learn and perform everything naturally. And he had the looks… The good looks all boys and men craved for. A messy hair that would look horrible on anyone else made him look charming and elegant. Failing eyesight corrected by round wire rimmed glasses made him look even more handsome and elegant, being also a trademark of his many talents. Hazel warm eyes that held a light few possessed, eyes that lit up in joy at the sight of her, his goddess, his love, his reason to live… He knew he had all those things anyone would die for… But yet, sometimes he felt as if there were so many wrong things in his life. For one, Lily Evans hated the sight of him. She hated his name, his looks, his talent, his effortlessly gained victories, his strong friendship, his charming smile, his messy hair and even the sound of his voice. Why that was, he couldn't tell… Sometimes he hated himself for committing the sacrilege of feeling envy for Severus Snape. He got to spend more time with Lily than he did, and in a friendly atmosphere too… He still bore the marks of envy and heartbreak he had felt two years ago when she actually kissed the slimy git… Severus Snape, the obscure, greasy, almost ugly, dirty, Slytherin was the one Lily liked… Not the handsome, loving and brave Gryffindor he was. And that just tore him apart inside. But he was James Potter, and James Potter was not a quitter. Winners were never quitters, and quitters never won… He was always a winner and planned on continuing to be one. He would never give up… Not on Lily Evans. He would win her heart, even if it was the last thing he did. He usually believed that if you really loved someone, you had to let go, even though that just might kill you, but he felt something completely different about her. He knew that deep down, Lily Evans actually wished for him to be the great man she expected one day to meet. It was just a question of how to prove that to her… And he'd start with proving to her that he was not a Quidditch hero for nothing… He had been working on that proof since second year when they both joined the Gryffindor Team… But now, with the Quidditch Tournament, he had a real chance of proving to her that he could be simply great.

'Potter!' she called, startling him for the second time that day.

'Evans?'

'Where are you?'

'Uhmmm… Right here…' he answered, looking at her without understanding.

'I meant where's your mind? I'm calling your name for the seventh time…'

'Sorry… I was just… Thinking…'

'All right… Listen… I think I can work well with Jane and Edgar. They have this really great approach. That dizzy passing game they play combined with well aimed attempts might just fool any Keeper and get us to score on and on… I was thinking maybe we could somehow teach each other the moves and then think of a way to combine them. I reckon it will be hard to get past Amelia, at the rate she's improving, but other Keepers will be not nearly as good as she can get…'

James was eyeing her with his adoring gaze. He was in the seventh heaven when she talked to him about Quidditch… Lily and Quidditch, both in a civil conversation with him.

'I was thinking about the same thing. If you want, we can devise some tactics tomorrow, and then I trust you can handle the Ravenclaws?'

'Good idea. Don't worry, Captain, I'll teach them right…' she said, smiling. James felt as he could kiss her. She was amazing…

'Lily, I… I honestly think that you are amazing, and, before you say something, this is not one of my countless attempts at getting a date with you… This is real… This is… Just… I wanted you to know that I really think you are great… And I don't mean just Quidditch…' he said. Her emerald eyes stared at him, and even though she wished she felt the need to slap him, she just felt happy he was there and grateful that he had just said all those things about her.

'Thanks, Potter…' she said softly.

'See you at dinner, then…' he said, smiling, and then swiftly kissing her forehead. He then ran away to the boys' dormitory, before she could say anything else.

'James Potter, you're an idiot with a heart…' she said to herself, smiling, as she climbed the stairs to the girls' dormitory.