Summary: Lily and Marauders are in their seventh year, all with Ashleigh Rider, the new King of Slytherin, with his own secrets and problems and his odd connection to Lily Evans. Ok I cannot summarize at all apparently...just stick with me...especially after this chapter.

Chapter One

"You cannot do that!" Lily Evans exclaimed angrily.

"Do what?" Her potions partner asked, his voice filled with knowing innocence. Sirius Black's eyes glistened with mischief as their couldron's contents swirled, stirring themselves. He knew his partner well; anything deviating from the normal was liking to receive this reaction.

"Stir the potion like that! The Russian Freezing Potion needs to be delicately stirred, not swirled like a black hole!" She grabbed his wand, forcing the spell to end. She began to stirr with her own wand.

"Evans, will you get your hands off my wand?" He smirked, unable to help himself. His friends, James Potter and Remus Lupin, smirked as well; Sirius and James held theirs longer, while Remus, James's partner, went back to stirring. Lily did not voice a reply, knowing Black's humour all to well. She gave him back his wand, accompanied with a glare, and then did not look at him the rest of class.

Professor Slughorn sat at his desk, his feet on its surface, watching the clock. He had let his class go for the double period to create a freezing potion - any kind - as long as they were completed by the end of class. Since most freezing potions took about two hours to make, and the class period was just over that, he had found the speed and frantic movements of his pupils as they hurried to complete the task. The story: find a way to steathily give someone the potion. The easiest way, of course, was to change their color or texture to be more palpabale; unfortunately, not all freezing potions were about to be changed in such a way without destroying their effectiveness.

"One minute!" He exclaimed, mocking his frantic students. The first group, a Slytherin boy and girl, gingerly carried their potion to the desk. They had also made a Russian Freezing Potion, a rare choice when most of the class had mixed a standard Freezing Potion. (The difference between the two types, and all the variou types of Freezing potions, was length of time and sideaffects.) Soon the table was crowded as students hurried to turn in their work, babbling about how much better theirs was over everyone else's. "Thirty seconds!" Slughorn called with glee.

Lily was hurriedly laddleing the clear potion into a cup, as was Remus. Their partners, considering their part complete, sat back relaxed. Finishing first, Lily carefully carried the goblet over to the table and afixed its label "Russian F. P.". Remus was right behind her, carring his Artic Freezing Potion.

Lily caught sight of the label. "Artic huh? Getting the easy way out?"

"Not easy, Lily," he replied quietly. "Try mixing anything with James making 'wand' jokes all class period."

Lily smiled, feeling sorry for him. The two were close friends, both being the top of their class. James and Sirius however did not know they were anything more than acquiantences, and that made it easier for them. They broke from the crowd of students dropping off and looking at the potions and separated.

"How does it look?" Sirius, always interested in being the best with the least amount of work, asked.

"We won," She answered tiredly, opening her Transfiguration book to study.

"Time!" Called Slughorn. "Everyone back to their seats!" One last duo slyly added their cup to the collection and scurried to their seats. "Hm. They look nice, everyone. I can see one - no, two - that are the wrong texture...and - " He looked up startled. "Lily? Sirius? Your Russian is the wrong color. It is supposed to be white - "

Sirius looked at Lily accusingly. "Sorry Professor, I was going to speak to you alone about that later..." She answered easily.

"Any reason you give, m'dear, can be said infront of the class." He said pointedly.

"This had better be good, Evans," Sirius whispered.

Lily smiled. "Well, Professor, you asked us to make it stealthy. So I made it clear, like water. It tastes like water to."

"How? The Russian - "

"It was easy, Professor," She cut in. She had everyone's attention. "If you add Stonewort - "

"It becomes impotent." He cut in.

"No, if you add to much or to little the Stonewort affects it so. If you add just the right amount, at a certain time with some kind of drink, the potion will take on that drink's tastes and color, and texture. You could not tell the difference." She answered triumphantly.

"And how did you come about this hypothesis?" He asked, staring. Sirius began to grin; however much she annoyed him, she was usually right when it came to potions.

"It's not a hypothesis, Professor, I proved it." She searched through her bag. Finding the paper she wanted, she rose and brought it up to him just as the bell rang for the end of class. "Heres my math," she said, raising her voice over the mass of students leaving. "And the trial's findings. Feel free to test it, but I am pretty certain." She smiled and turned. "I have to hurry to class, Professor. See you tomorrow." And she hurried out.

Slughorn watched her, proud.

The last student, a Slytherin, smiled. That's my girl!