Author's Note: Well, I've edited a few bits and such. Not drastically, mind you, so probably no one will notice the changes except me.

Chapter One: Juxtaposition

"Padfoot..."

"Shut up."

"Padfoot, are you sure about this?"

"I can't concentrate, Wormtail, with all your whining. It's torturing my ears." Sirius Black was checking the supplies in front of him with the list on a page he had torn from Moste Potente Potions. "Amethyst dust," he muttered, reading from the middle of the paper. He scanned the table until he located a small, chipped bottle half filled with glittering purple powder. Taking the quill from behind his ear, he marked the parchment.

"But what if we get caught?" the small boy sitting on the floor whimpered, watching his friend. Sirius had had the supply kit owled to him when hours of searching Hogwarts and Hogsmeade didn't surface the needed materials. Earlier that day, Peter, who was over-eager as always, had dropped half of the bottles and was consequently assigned the position of "look-out." Sirius only wanted him to stay a good distance away from the remaining items.

"What are we going to do if we're caught?"

"Wormtail, say that any louder and you'll get us caught," Sirius said in annoyance, putting aside the list momentarily.

Peter chewed worriedly on the bottom of his lip and started picking on his nails. "But - " he started.

"Look, last I checked there was no rule that says we can't make a potion on our own," the taller boy sighed while returning to his paper. "And it's perfectly fine to have extra potion ingredients sent in - "

"Only to replenish your school stock though," a new voice interrupted, causing Peter to jump and Sirius to whirl around so quickly his neck cracked.

A lanky seventh-year stood in the doorway, the light from the torches flashing off his blonde hair and gleaming badge. The corners of Remus's lips turned up slightly as he surveyed Sirius rubbing his neck.

"Oww...Fuck, Moony," he winced. He frowned at Peter. "Some guard you are." Peter stared at his feet.

"Evening, Padfoot," Remus strolled towards the table. "I've been looking for you. Should've known you'd be in the Room of Requirement. Though," here his eyes shifted at the numerous jars and bottles, "I can only guess at what you are doing here."

"Aw, you know I'd never do anything really bad," Sirius objected to the prefect's tone.

Remus chose not to answer. " Now what was I saying before...? " he asked thoughtfully. "Oh yes, extra supplies. Last I checked, amethyst dust, obsidian sliver, and crushed dragon bone are NOT standard," he stated, reading the labels. "And aren't they very expensive? You've got dragon bone here!"

"They're worth it though," the dark-haired boy shrugged. "Besides, I thought it best not to improvise with the stronger love potions."

"What? These are for a love potion?" It was Remus's turn to massage his neck.

"Yep!" piped Peter. "It's for Prongs!" At this the werewolf's eyes narrowed.

"Sirius..." he growled. "I told you to leave James alone."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I told you already, I gave up on him last week. He's too confident, I could never have my way with him," he added the last bit as an afterthought.

"THAT'S the reason? I cannot believe you, Sirius! Do you ever see anything past - "

"I said I gave up on him, didn't I?" he sounded a tad bitter. He had never been refused before.

Remus saw that he was getting nowhere. "Then what did Pete - "

"What he meant was that I am making the potion was for Prongs. It's for someone else to fall for him, not to make him fall in love."

"Who?"

"Who do you think?"

"If you're thinking Evans, no potion in the world would be strong enough, Sirius."

"She's already half crushed on him," Sirius snorted. "She's just too proud to admit it and our dear Prongs is too infatuated to see it. Obviously, they need outside help." He gestured grandly to himself. "They need ME! Padfoot, acting cupid for the Marauders!"

"You're mad," said Remus. Indeed, with his wide grin and a satanic gleam in his eyes, Sirius did look insane.

Up in Gryffindor tower, the aforementioned girl sat cross-legged on her bed, fuming.

Sirius was wrong about Lily Evans. She did not partially like James. No. She had past that point long ago.

But he was right in saying that she was very proud, and was not about to succumb to her petty crush after years of criticizing him. She couldn't believe she had fallen for that bigheaded idiot, always swaggering about, and showing off in class. Alright, so he wasn't an idiot, his marks were almost as high as hers. But he would get this annoying, smug look in his eyes; those brilliant, golden-brown eyes... oh no. Now she was fantasizing. Nothing was right anymore.

Just accept it, cut in a small voice in the back of her mind, sounding uncannily like Potter. She could practically see his smirk.

"This cannot be happening," she frowned at a corner of her bed.

"What can't be happening?" came a voice from the open doorway. Lily whirled around and caught sight of long black hair before quickly moving aside as her roommate jumped on her bed.

"Dorcas!" she gasped, "If you don't kill me one day, I will kill you! Or someone else will..."

The other girl laughed and flopped down on her front. "You don't mean that," she grinned at Lily. "Besides I only do it to you; no one else jumps nearly as high."

"I'm honored," Lily said darkly, snatching a pillow and thumping it on her friend's head, smiling at Dorcas' muffled yell.

"Don't think I've forgotten," Dorcas peeked at Lily from beneath the down, her voice sounding distant. She pulled the pillow off, scattering a few random feathers. "Why in Merlin's name were you conversing with the bedpost?" Lily turned away and blushed. A sly, cheshire grin crept up Dorcas' lips. Aha.

"Out with it now. C'mon."

"No."

"But you want to tell me. You know you want to tell me. You do, don't you?"

"No."

"Yes you do."

"No, I don't. I think I know myself a little better than you do."

"Hah!"

"Shut up."

"Really, though, if you truly wanted to keep it a secret, you wouldn't just announce it. You would just let it fester inside you."

"I thought the room was empty. And I never announced any secret!" Dorcas had this uncanny and annoying way of guessing information.

"Just tell me, Lily. You'll feel better. And I'll be a much nicer audience than any old furniture." And I've already figured it out anyway.

Lily, doubting Dorcas' last comments, didn't reply.

"You fancy someone don't you?"

The red head opened her mouth, a denial ready on her lips, when she... hesitated.

"You do!" the brunette crowed.

"Yes..." Lily blushed again. "But I'm not telling you who," she added sternly.

"Pfft, I don't need you to say who. I already know there's a ninety percent chance it's a certain hazel-eyed seeker."

"Dorcas! Not so loud..." Lily took out her wand and magicked the door shut. "Besides, ninety percent? Who's the other ten percent supposed to be?"

"Just being careful. But you're right, better raise it to an even hundred." Dorcas nodded gravely.

Lily reached for the pillow again.