Teasing Love

Summary: James finally wins Lily. But could there be someone else who loves her just as much as James? Set in the Marauder period.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. In fact, all I do know is a pair of braces, some broken glasses and a hyperactive kitten.

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16-year-old James Potter practically fell into the Boys' dormitory after the last Quidditch match of the year. Gryffindor verses Ravenclaw. Plastered on James' face, alongside various mud stains and scratches, was the biggest smile his friends had seen in a long time.

"Why are you so happy?" Remus Lupin asked his friend, shooting him a skeptical look. "Gryffindor lost, remember?"

"Maybe he's got amnesia," Sirius offered, jumping up from his seat by the window and raced over to James, placing a hand on his forehead. "He did take a big fall,"

The boys' dorm was filled with laughter and other various suggestions as to why James was so happy, each of them more ludicrous than the last.

"So come on Prongsie," Sirius smirked, whacking his friend on the back. "Why so happy?"

"Well," James said, tearing off his Quidditch robes and standing topless in the dorm. "I have just got a date." Sirius snorted.

"There's nothing new there Dearest!" he commented, before looking closely at his friend. "No way!" He finished, clasping his hand to his mouth.

"Yup!" James exclaimed. "Lily Evans, the Lily Evans, is going out with me!" Remus peered over the top of his book, Hogwarts: A History, and looked at James. He looked Happy: not like when he usually looked like when he had a date with a girl. He sighed and went back to reading.

Sirius, meanwhile, released his best dog howl, soon to be joined by James.

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It was the second-to-last night at Hogwarts and Lily was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, talking to her best friend, Vicki.

"So why'd you finally say yes?" Vicki asked Lily, who had been trying to avoid the subject of her upcoming date with James for most of the day.

"I don't know," Lily said shortly, desperate to talk about something else. "I guess I was just sick of him pestering me,"

"I'd have said yes in a heartbeat!" Vicki exclaimed. "He's gorgeous! And he wants you Lily! Nobody else!" Lily rolled her eyes, but her head quickly snapped to the portrait entrance, where Remus had just entered. Lily jumped up.

"Hey Remus!" She said, hugging him. Out of all the Marauders, Lily had always gotten on with Remus, because he shared her passion for knowledge, unlike her supposed boyfriend. Lily shuddered.

"Hey Lily," Remus said, glancing around the common room. Lily looked at him but he shook his head and smiled. "I'll catch you later," He said, and raced up the Boys' stairs. Lily's eyes followed him with a concerned look on her face, but let it go and returned to the sofa with Vicki.

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Remus hastily pushed open the door to the Boys' dorm to hear Lily's name again. He rolled his eyes and walked over to his bed.

"Moony?" James asked, suspending his conversation with Sirius. "You okay?" Remus looked up at him and smiled, before savagely tearing the head off a chocolate frog. Sirius walked over to his friend and sat on the end of his bed.

"Moony?" Remus looked at Sirius and pulled a face. He just wanted the Summer holidays to come.

"I'm fine. Just thinking of the Summer." He wasn't exactly lying, just not telling the whole truth.

"Oh good. Now back to Lily!" James exclaimed. "Well, I'd just fallen off of by broom and was lying in the middle of the Quidditch Pitch, unconscious, of course, and, well, yes, I was unconscious. But!" He continued, the suspense growing in his voice. "I awoke to the most beautiful sight in the world. Lily was asleep in the chair next to my bed, her hand clasping mine. It was bliss," He concluded, dramatically falling backwards onto his bed.

"What do you think changed her mind?" Peter asked. James looked at him.

"Well of course! She just knew she couldn't resist me!" James said, eyes gleaming. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Peter, don't inflate his ego any more than it already is!" Sirius mock-scolded the rat. Peter let out a squeaky laugh.

"Me and Lily," James said, closing his eyes, welcoming sleep, "Are gonna be together forever,"gHo