Title: Right in Front of me—series—part I

Warning(s): language and a mention of Lily's undies.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. This was written on a stolen Burger King napkin with a pen borrowed from my friend.

Summary: Another year at Hogwarts has begun, but why wait till you get there to start the party? James Potter is pulling all the stops to get Lily's attention this year, but will it be enough? Randomness will ensue as the Marauders take the Hogwarts express to the next level of teenage insanity. R/R!

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The train whistled, signaling its impending departure. Mothers were yelling final words of good-bye and warning to their children and friends were meeting and catching up. Just as the scarlet engine began to pull out of the station, there came a blood-curdling shriek.

"POTTER! I'll hex you kingdom come!"

A few people cringed, hoping it wasn't their child in the scuffle. Others laughed and nudged the parents of new first years with remarks like "Welcome to Hogwarts" in good supply.

A beautiful brunette with startling hazel eyes looked at her husband.

"Harold," she started quietly. "You don't think she'll hurt him too bad, do you?"

The raven haired man grinned cockily as he slid his arm around his wife.

"He'll be fine, love. He's a Potter, after all, and our son to boot! He can take care of himself. Besides, it's been seven years since she first started threatening him and she hasn't killed him yet." He replied and kissed her gently on her forehead. She pursed her lips.

"Of course, James has never threatened to drop her school things out the window of the train, either."

Harold Potter grinned sheepishly and ruffled his hair as he led his wife down the platform towards the barrier, not entirely sure whether or not he wanted to consider that avenue of thought.

Meanwhile, on the train

"Oh C'mon, Evens! It's just a bit of fun, yeah?" Sirius Black laughed as he pulled a pair of racy lingerie out of her trunk.

"Ah-ha!" he exclaimed while stretching the soft, lacy material that matched it's blushing owner's hair. "What do we have here? Some sexy knickers for the goody-two-shoes? At least now I know why Jamesie here fancies you. Eh, Prongs?"

James Potter was staring, open-mouthed, at the object in his best mate's hands. Glancing between the unmentionable and Lily, he suddenly had the not-so-strange desire to snog her senseless. Unfortunately for James, it showed.

"Slytherins, cold showers, Lucius Malfoy, cold showers, Padfoot singing, cold showers, Snape, cold showers, studying, cold showers…oh bloody, buggering Hell!" he thought exasperatedly, desperately trying to cover us his…situation.

All of a sudden, the panties were out of Sirius' hands and a streak of honey-colored hair grabbed Lily's trunk just as James, in his state of preoccupation, let go. Remus Lupin lugged it back through the window and handed Lily her knickers, a slight blush creeping over his cheeks.

Lily smiled at him and whispered a polite "thank you" before rounding on James, wand-at-the-ready.

"Petrificus Totalis!" She yelled, causing James to freeze up and fall to the floor rigidly straight.

"The full-body bind?" Sirius looked disappointed. "That's it? Oh c'mon, Evans, I at least hoped you'd set him on fire!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "I thought you were best mates, why would you want me to set him on fire?" Suddenly, her eyes lit with a mischievous fire and she grinned evilly at him. "But if you like fire, Sirius…" her voice took on a sultry tone and she slowly, deliberately, closed the distance between them. Tilting her head to one side and adopting Sirius' own trademark smirk, she asked far too innocently to be believed. "Have you ever snogged a redhead, Black?"

Sirius gulped and glanced at James, still in the body bind on the floor, whose eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates and made a muffled noise in his throat that sounded vaguely like "NO PADFOOT!" Lily used the distraction to mutter under hear breath, her evil smirk still firmly in place.

Sirius took one step back just as he noticed smoke filling the compartment.

"What the…BLOODY HELL!" Sirius, just realizing what was going on, tore off his robes, trying desperately to put out the steadily growing fire.

Lily laughed manically and James let out what appeared to be a sigh of relief, then laughed at his mate's expense. Even Remus chuckled lightly at the sight Sirius made.

"That, Evans," Sirius panted with a strange, almost admiring look on his face. "Was positively masterful! I actually thought you were going to snog me…nearly killed poor Jamesie, though." Sirius shook his head and cast the counter-curse to free James from his motionless prison.

"What, in Merlin's name, would provoke you to do that to me! I mean Sirius." James gasped an incredulous look on his face.

Lily looked back at him, her green eyes glowing with practiced innocence. "I only had to think of something that would torture you both. Sirius' libido seemed a logical answer." When she stopped speaking, her mouth kept its "O" shape and James had to physically restrain himself from ravishing her then and there. He was saved from response, however, when a loud, obviously female voice called from somewhere beyond the door.

"SIRI! Where are you!"

Sirius paled and covered James' mouth quickly. "Quiet!" He whispered hoarsely. "She's coming, and she's hyper!" Pure fear shown in his eyes and the other occupants of the compartment stifled their laughter with great difficulty.

Suddenly, a stunning blonde girl stuck her head in the doorway. Her eyes surveyed the small space and widened at the sight of Sirius who was hiding behind James.

"Siri! I knew I'd find you!" She pushed past James and enveloped Sirius in a gigantic bear hug.

"Hey, Deanna…can I ask you a question?" Sirius looked to Remus and James and mouthed "Help!"

"Anything for you, Siri!" she gushed, her eyes sparkling back at him.

"Exactly how much sugar did you have today? And is I completely necessary to call me 'Siri'?" He rolled his eyes and wriggled in her grasp, trying to set himself free.

She giggled girlishly. "That's two questions, love! Sugar? Let's just say I had enough…" She winked at Lily who gave the over-zealous blonde a thumbs-up. Sirius glared at the redhead as if he knew she had somehow organized this disastrous turn of events.

"And of course I have to call you Siri. I think it suites you. Besides, it's so adorable, isn't it!" Deanna looked expectantly around the room and immediately, and much to Sirius' dismay, both boys nodded. Lily merely smirked.

Looking thoughtful for a moment, James tapped his chin with his index finger. "Siri, hmm…it just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? Siri…yep, Padfoot, old boy, you've got yourself a new nickname."

"Whatever, Jamesie," he replied sarcastically, turning his attention to Remus.

"C'mon, Moony, help me out!" he whined.

Remus looked from Sirius to Deanna (who still had a death-grip on Sirius' midsection) then back to Sirius. He shook his head and backed away slowly.

"Sorry, Padfoot. You're my friend and I want to help, but I've seen what she can do when she's hyper. It's not pretty. Besides, she's your girlfriend, why do you want to get away from her?"

Sirius rolled his eyes as if the answer to that question was obvious.

"When I asked her out, she neglected to warn me that she turns obsessive and psychotic when she has sugar." This statement was met with snorts of amusement from both Lily and James. They glanced at each other and Prongs smiled contentedly. Sirius rolled his eyes again; they deserved each other as far as he was concerned. Then an idea struck him and he smirked.

Snaking his arms around his girlfriend's slender waist, he gazed deeply into her eyes and whispered into her ear.

"Say, Anna," he began, fondly using her nickname. "What say you let me out of this bear hug and we find someplace we can be alone?"

He nuzzled his face against her hair and gently kissed he neck where it connected with her jawbone. He felt her heartbeat quicken as she released her grip round his middle and slowly slid her hands up his chest and finally linked them behind his neck. She melted into his arms as her knees buckled and he supported her weight easily as his lips found hers. She made a small noise in her throat, not unlike that of a purring cat, and Sirius opened one eye in amused surprise. Pulling away slowly, he began walking her towards the door of the compartment.

"We'll see you three at the Welcome Feast, then?" He drawled over his shoulder, caressing the contours of Deanna's back.

"Yeah, Padfoot, we'll be there." James called after the pair. "The question is, will you?"

Lily rolled her eyes and began walking towards the door when a hand caught her wrist.

"Lily!" James looked like he was searching for the right words. "I-I'm sorry…for the whole…trunk thing…" He looked at his shoes and ran a nervous hand through his perpetually-messy hair.

Her eyes softened a little at the wistful look he cast at their still-clasped hands. Slowly she sighed and leaned forward on her toes to kiss his cheek gently.

"You're forgiven, just don't do it again."

He looked up hopefully and grinned. "So, how about Hogsmeadenext weekend?" He asked with a wink.

Lily groaned. "Potter you're incorrigible. Just because I've forgiven you doesn't mean we're going to live happily ever after! Let me guess, you thought you'd apologize and I would jump into your arms and we would get married and have a bouncing baby boy with your hair and my eyes!"

James looked sheepish and shrugged. "He doesn't have to have my hair…"

"It's not going to happen, James…just give it u—Mmph!"

But she was cut off when a warm pair of lips were pressed to hers and hands encircled her waist. Only able to protest for a few moments, Lily was soon lost in the repressed emotions the kiss drudged up.

Running a hand through the thick, ebony mess that was James' hair, she pulled him closer, not wanting the feeling to end.

No one noticed when Remus removed himself from the compartment, sliding the door closed behind him. He waited a moment, leaning against the compartment wall to see what would happen.

He knew Lily was stubborn, but she wasn't stupid. After a kiss with that much power and emotion behind it, she could never deny the mutual attraction between the two of them.

"So what was that about never falling for me, Evans?" James voice floated through the compartment door.

There was a smack of flesh hitting flesh and James squeaked.

"You're still a great, arrogant, narcissistic prick, James Potter!" Lily ranted in a slightly bemused vice. "But, I'll admit, that you are one hell of a kisser."

"Oh yeah," Remus thought contentedly before heading off to find Peter. "They deserve each other."

—fin—