A.N: this is my first fanfic! I decided I'd start off with Lily/James, as they're one of my fav couples. Enjoy, plz review smooch!
Yes yes, I don't own anything in the Potterverse, yada yada.
James Potter woke with a start.
From what he could see through the crack in his drawn hangings, the weather was sunny and fresh; he could hear no indications of others inhabiting the dormitories at that moment, so he was at ease to catch his breath from his strangely startling dream.
He'd been dreaming about the Marauder's escapades, one of which was planned for that night. Usually these adventures involved something thrilling, daring… yet still somehow innocently fun.
Once, the group put nervous little Peter Pettigrew up to sneaking into the girl's dormitory. The other three waited nervously in the common room after watching his wormy tail slither up the spiral staircase. He then emerged, ten minutes later, with only a lacy brazier as proof of his unnoticed intrusion.
Another time, Sirius Black, James' best friend, slipped a few drops of Amorentia, the most potent of all love potions, into Severus Snape's morning coffee. For the rest of the day, dear old Snivellus followed James around like a lost puppy.
This, however, had been different. James sat up in his four-poster bed and rubbed his eyes, He could see the crisp rays of morning sun peeping through the hangings.
Though the reassuring light of day eased his troubles slightly, James still couldn't help thinking, after al of those close shaves, what if finally, tonight… something goes wrong?
"It won't," said the part of his conscience James usually listened to. "It hasn't yet! You four are the Masters of Mischief, the Princes of Pranks, the Kings of Chaos! You've pulled it all of before and you are going to do it again!"And with this final, comforting thought, James decided to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
On his way across the common room he saw Lily Evans emerging through the portrait hole.
"Morning, Evans!" James said brightly.
She eyed him warily.
"And just what are you doing up so late?" she inquired.
"It's impossible for me to sleep when all I can think about are your beautiful green eyes."
Lily snorted.
"Honestly, Potter. You could feed a whole colony of dung-beetles with that crap," she spat, as she began to march crossly to her dormitories.
"What, you tell me to grow up so I grow up, and you still hate my guts?" he yelled furiously up the staircase at her.
"You get the general picture!" she called down sweetly.
James heard some stifled snickering behind him. He spun around and saw a group of second-year girls by the fire having a laugh at his failed attempt at love.
"It's not as easy as it looks," he said defensively, ruffling his hair as he left.
James entered the Great Hall and took a seat beside Sirius.
"Rough night last night, mate?" Sirius asked casually.
"Yeah… I guess I shouldn't eat so much before going to bed, eh?" James joked, covering up for his obvious sleep talking during the previous night.
"Well, tonight's going to be one hell of a lot better, I can assure you," said Sirius. "Pomfrey took Moony down to the Shrieking Shack this morning and the Invisibility Cloak is well hidden in our dormitories, so we're all set!" said Sirius, his eyes shining with a gleam of excitement.
"Mmhmm…" replied James uncomfortably; his thoughts flickering back to his dream.
"Listen," said Sirius, leaning forward. "We'll pull it off without a hitch, same as usual. We've done it so many times before!"
James took comfort in Sirius' remark, and also the fact that Sirius seemed to read James' mind about his problem. And with that, he piled his plate high with breakfast.
"You up for some Quidditch later, Prongs?" Sirius asked.
James forced down a mouthful of scrambled eggs.
"You know it, Padfoot," he said through a mischievous grin.
Lily flopped hopelessly onto her bed.
"Honestly," she thought to herself. "The boy's almost done school and he's still at it."
James had been chasing Lily on and off for the past five years. Now, entering their sixth year at Hogwarts, things obviously still hadn't changed. James was still as obnoxious as ever, and Lily equally repulsed. Everything about him agitated her, from his cocky tone to his ridiculous hairstyle, and her dismissive attitude seemed to intensify his quest for her affecion.
"Lils, are you up here?" called Emily Sanderson, Lily's best friend.
"Yeah, I'm here," Lily replied glumly.
"Oh no," Emily said, stopping dead in the doorway once she caught sight of Lily. "Not Potter again?"
"Who else…" Lily said, rolling her emerald eyes.
"Aw, come on Lils, how about we take a walk around the lake, catch up a bit? I feel like I haven't talked to you for a year! Mind you, two months is pretty close…" Emily said.
Lily laughed.
"And what about the other ten months?" she said as she threw a pillow at Emily.
"I was joking, you loon!" retorted Emily, catching the pillow. "Come on! Shoes! Now! Homework can wait!" she added, seeing Lily open her mouth to argue.
"But my Charms essay will be late," Lily grumbled, but she pulled on a light sweater nonetheless.
"That's the spirit, love," cooed Emily.
As the girls proceeded down the sweeping lawn, three Marauders were making their way towards the Quidditch pitch. James caught sight of the other pair and slowed his strides slightly. Sirius noticed this and failed to conceal the snicker that escaped his mouth.
"I don't see what is so goddamn funny!" James bellowed, stomping off in a wave of anger and embarrassment.
"What's his problem?" asked Peter nervously, startled by James' sudden outburst.
"Our friend Prongs is having a few… ah… feminine problems," Sirius said with a grin, nodding towards Lily and Emily, who were now making their way around the lake.
"Oh…" replied Peter, blushing slightly.
"C'mon, Wormtail," said Sirius enthusiastically. "Let's go kick his ass."