It was a beautiful day at Hogwarts, the serene feeling of that day only disturbed by the loud shrieks and bangs issuing from the large entrance hall. "GUNEA PIGS EVERY WHERE! LABORATORY A MESS! WHAT IN THE NAME OF...!" Professor Mcgonagall exclaimed watching a mass of guinea pigs growing bat wings and starting to fly about the hall, some breathing fire. "POTTER, BLACK!" she shrieked anger reverberating from every syllable as her hat was knocked off by a passing guinea pig. Students wishing to escape from being burned retreated into the rather cool air of the Hogwarts grounds.
"Ugh" said a fourth year Martha Stebbins to her group of friends. "Flying guinea pigs was a good idea, but I could have done without the fire breathing." she said as she shivered slightly and wrapped her cloak more tightly around herself. 'BANG' the doors to the Great Hall burst open and a very fearsome looking student with slightly singed hair and smoke practically coming out of her ears stomped out towards the girls on the lawn. "AARRRGH.." Lily Evans slammed down her bag stuffed with books on the ground and began digging for a cloth to wipe her sooty face. "Hey Lily" Martha said spotting her and ambling over. "Hi" said Lily shortly, busy digging. "Need a handkerchief?" said Martha pulling out a white cloth from her pocket. "Thanks" said Lily standing up and attempting to clean off her nose. "Had a fight with a fire place, did you?" said Martha looking at her appearance. "Ho, ho. No, I was in the Transfiguration lab when Potter and Black were enchanting the hamsters and I was trying to get out of there before anyone saw me in their vicinity while they were pulling one of their pranks and I.I.." Lily stopped speaking now wiping her cheeks with the handkerchief. "You ..you.. what?" Martha asked trying not to laugh. "I tripped over the grate, all right? Then one of those rodents flew over my head and singed my hair. Those TWO!" Lily practically roared. "Come on, they weren't aiming to get you dirty and we probably won't have to work in Transfiguration today as the lab is practically totaled." said Martha fairly. "That's not the issue!" Lily said as she started on her hands, "the point is they are arrogant pricks who don't give a damn about the consequences of their pranks-" "Children, back inside please! All those with severe burns should go immediately to the hospital wing. Please return to the Great Hall. Breakfast will be served again for the next ten minutes." Professor Flitwick called out to the milling students cutting off Lilys diatribe. "Come on, let's go to the bathroom and we can try to sort out your hair." Martha said to Lily who grabbed her bag from the ground and slowly followed her friend back up the stairs. "Here," said Martha in the bathroom as she pushed Lily in front of her, "stay still it'll take a minute for me to fix this up," Lily sighed and began to read her Charms essay checking for mistakes. "Done" she announced five minutes later as Lily hurriedly stuffed her essay back in her bag. "Thanks" Lily said, "let's go back to the Great Hall and see if we can grab a piece of toast before we have to go to Charms." She was almost to the door before she felt that something was different. "Wha.." Lily whipped around and saw her friend stifling her laughter with a hand clamped over her mouth. She ran to a mirror and saw her reflection with a gasp. A pale red head was looking back at her, emerald, almond shaped eyes opened in shock as she surveyed her once lower back length hair, now grazing her shoulders. "What did you do?!" demanded savagely turning around. "Looks like I cut your hair." Martha said coolly, "Oh Lily, I've been saying for ages that you'd look great with shorter hair, I just decided to take matters in my own hands." she continued looking at Lilys hair fondly. "Remind me not to ask you for help with anything anytime soon." Lily replied sarcastically looking at her reflection again. "Don't tell me it wasn't a pain in the ass, I hear you growling every morning when you try to comb it." she replied. 'Ring' the bell sounded and the girls looked at each other before sprinting out the door and to their classroom.
They burst into the class room with a bang and the attention of the class was momentarily distracted as the two girls fumbled towards their seats clutching stitches in their sides. "Girls, now really! Why are you so late?" Flitwick asked perched on top of his regular pile of books. "Sorry..professor. 'gasp' ..didn't..-" Lily was cut off by Martha who was panting. "We.. lost track of time." "All right girls, because this is tardiness is a first, I'll ignore it. Please take your seats." "Thank you professor." they both said and dropped into their seats. Flitwick continued, "As I was saying we will be starting a project today that is due at the end of the term that reviews that basic mood changing charms: the cheering charm, the anger inducing charm, and the depressing charm. You will practice with your partner on a select animal of choice and the results will be shown in class when the animal is paired with its own species." Lily and Martha automatically began to move towards each other while on the other side of the room Sirius Black and James Potter moved towards each other unconsciously with the same intent. "For your benefit I have put you into pairs myself." Flitwick continued ignoring sounds of disappointment from the class. "So what should we do tonight?" asked Sirius Black nudging James Potter who was lounging in his chair lazily stacking cards of exploding snap. James turned his head side to side seeing if he was being overheard, "We went to Hogsmade last night, and the night before, what do you say to.." James' voice was suddenly cut off by Professor Flitwicks voice, "Sirius Black, Emily Midgen." Emily Midgen and her friends burst into giggles and most of the girls in the class room threw angry glances at Emily and covetous looks in Sirius' direction. Remus who was sitting nearby saw the look of disgust in Sirius' face and said suppressing a laugh, "tough luck Sirius," but began to cough severely seconds afterwards and wiped his sandy hair away from his eyes with a rather clammy hand. "Feeling all right Moony?" asked James leaning forward looking concerned. "Never better" Remus replied not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he was not feeling his best. "We're.." Sirius began until Flitwicks voice caught their attention again, "Remus Lupin, Amanda Prewett." Remus looked for Amanda who gave his a friendly wave and he waved back smiling. Sirius began again smiling at the fact that his friend Remus had a friend that he had not told him about, "We have almost everything we need for the potion." "Peter Pettigrew, Martha Stebbins" "Eh!?" Peter squeaked sitting up and looking for where his name was being called. "Peter," said James exasperatedly, smacking him upside the head, "you really should consider staying conscious for longer periods of time, other than meals." Sirius laughed his bark like laugh and Peter blushed. "James Potter, Lily Evans" "Evans? Do I know an Evans?" James thought to himself and began to look around. "Over there James," said Remus inclining his head. James noticed her with surprise, recognizing her as the girl who just came in late. She was sucking the end of a sugar quill in concentration rereading a piece of parchment, and then abandoned the quill to tug impatiently at a stray piece of hair that James had a sudden urge to put behind her ear. "What's she like Remus?" asked James offhandedly. "She's pretty cool, I've studied with her a few times when my supposed best mates were busy blowing up something." Sirius grinned apologetically while James looked thoughtful. Sirius looked at his friend and thought he saw his thoughts as if they were written across his forehead. Lily sat sucking the end of her quill, not noticing that she was attracting the attention of the famous Quidditch player and the jealous stares of more than a few females. She wondered whether she should go into more depth about the history of the spell she was researching or whether two extra feet was too much. She got distracted by the unfamiliar feel of her hair and tugged the end of a stray lock wondering why she had ever kept it long in the first place. "Uh," she grunted in surprise as Martha poked her, "what's up?" "Hey, did you hear what Flitwick just said?" Martha asked her grinning. "No." responded Lily momentarily put off by the looks of hatred she was getting from the girls around her. Martha beckoned her closer and whispered his name in her ear. "WHAPF!" Lily shouted but was quickly shut up by Marathas hand over her mouth. Looking out of the corner of her eye she saw him looking at her over his pile of exploding snap and talking with Sirius who was lounging in his chair with the selfsame attitude of relaxed indifferent ness. "I can't believe I'm stuck with that arrogant toe rag.. Of all the people in this class I get stuck with the most stuck up, inflated jerk that ever touched a wand. Even Pettigrew would be better than this... If that.thing. comes near me I'll.." Lilys murderous thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the bell and a long bespectacled shadow over her head. "Oh bloody hell." was her last thought