A/N - I got the idea for this months ago, and I started writing it out a few months ago, but I stopped a bit after Third Year and didn't bother writing anymore until a few weeks ago. I don't know why I stopped, but I know that I'm glad that I started, because writing this story has been so much fun, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Disclaimer: I don't own any recognisable characters.

When They Wrote Essays

Chapter One – The First and the Second.

Professor McGonagall occasionally liked going through her old files and reading the absolutely fantastic essays of her previous students. If they were really good, she would read them out to her class, and tell them she expected the quality of their essays to be just as high. Of course, the essays she received couldn't be as excellent as the one she read out, for they were the best, and you can't beat the best in McGonagall's class.

So one day, Minerva was looking through her old files from years before. She was looking for an essay about Human Transfiguration by a girl called Tia Bentley, and was moving bits of old parchment aside, when a line in one of them caught her eye.

'I wouldn't mind James Potter falling off his broomstick.'

Her eyes widened as she realised what the essay was. She remembered that two days before the kids' train ride home in 1972, she had asked every Gryffindor to write an essay. It wasn't about changing matchsticks into needles, or anything of the sort, no. They had to write an essay about themselves, what they had been doing the past year. She had only started it that year, wanting to know her pupils' thoughts about their peers and Hogwarts. An ingenious idea, if she said so herself.

Abandoning the attempt of finding Tia's Human Transfiguration essay, McGonagall grabbed the 1972 file and sat by her desk. Only then did she realise she had been looking for the essay in the completely wrong place, as the sticker on the file read 'James Potter and Lily Evan's Annual Essays'. She'd loved their essays. She'd loved them.

She sniffed slightly as she remembered her favourite pupils, and began to read.

First Year

"Lileeee! Come on, I wanna eeeeat!" a twelve year old brown-haired girl whined. She was sitting next to three other girls by the fire in the Gryffindor common room. Her name was Tia Bentley. She had a twin, Carissa. It was usually unlikely for twins to be best friends – the other ones in the school tended to avoid each other, but they were very close. Their other two friends – Lily Evans and Arcadia Yapp – were just as close to each other.

Lily Evans was a muggleborn witch. She was one of the few students at Hogwarts who liked doing work. She was busy writing an essay for her Head of House and Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall.

"I'm almost finished," she mumbled, as she counted her words. "Two hundred and sixteen, two hundred and seventeen…oops…" she added one last line, signed her name and smiled. "There! Read it, Dee!"

Tia groaned. "Okay, you two read, me and Riss are going to eat breakfast, okay?" she asked, standing and pulling her sister up by the arm.

"Ow, Tia, geroffome!"

Lily nodded while her best friend read through her work. The other two girls rolled their eyes and went over to the portrait hole.

"Hurry up, you two, or there won't be any food left!" Tia called.

"Whatever!" Lily grinned at them. They smiled back and left the common room, Carissa saying,

"I'm gonna have a bruise there, you know, you annoying brat…"

"How'd you like my essay so far, Dee?" asked Lily interestedly. Arcadia rolled her eyes.

"It's very good," she praised. "But if you'd let me finish it, I can give you a proper review!"

I'm Lily Evans. I'm twelve years old, and have just finished my first year at Hogwarts! We're all going home tomorrow, by taking the train again. I've been told to write 100 words about my year.

When I first heard I was a witch, and that we took the TRAIN to school, I couldn't believe it! I was expecting flying carpets, or unicorns or something magical. But maybe Dumbledore doesn't want everyone getting over-excited about flying on carpets or unicorns. And there's the possibility of someone falling off…

I wouldn't mind James Potter falling off his broomstick. He hasn't stopped teasing me since the beginning of the year, and he keeps on pulling my plaits, and it HURTS. And his friend, Sirius Black is just as bad. Only he makes fun of my best friend Arcadia Yapp. Remus is in their 'gang' though, and he is nice. I don't know why he's friends with Potter and Black. He is so different. And Peter Pettigrew also tags along, and I think he is the weirdest. He's fat and laughs at anything that Potter or Black say. He's just a silly little boy who wants to be popular, in my opinion. I don't care if I'm popular or not, I just want to learn LOTS and LOTS of MAGIC!

Oops, I think I've written too much. You don't mind, do you, Professor McGonagall?

Lily Evans, 1972, First-Year.

Dee laughed. "That's great, Lils," she said, handing the redhead back her parchment. "Come on, let's go down or we won't have time to eat!"

"So much for a proper review…"

They ran out of the common room, passing a group of four boys, laughing.

"…will be so fun, he knows I might break the no magic rule--"

A tallish, dark-haired twelve year old was talking and laughing loudly. Unbeknownst to him, his friends were completely ignoring him, talking with each other. Well, Peter Pettigrew was half-listening to both conversations.

"Tell him to shut up," Remus Lupin muttered to a messy haired, bespectacled boy – the infamous James Potter mentioned in Lily's essay. He was a cheeky, slightly arrogant boy, who loved pranks and practical jokes. His favourite victim was Severus Snape, but he didn't mind teasing Lily Evans. He loved how her face turned all red and she seemed to generate electricity. And he loved getting her attention.

"Nah, we're not listening anyway," James shrugged. Peter chortled as they all went over to 'their place' in the common room – the armchairs by the fire that the girls were sitting in before.

"…so great that I have a wand and he doesn't. But he's getting one soon. But he only knows Dark Magic and he's not allowed to use that…"

James shook his head, rolling his eyes, and his two friends laughed. Sirius carried on rambling, not noticing.

"James, shouldn't you be doing that homework Professor McGonagall set us?" asked Remus suddenly, and James, who had been in the middle of getting his Quidditch book out of his bag, started.

"What?" he asked, eyeing his friend.

"You know," said Remus, raising an eyebrow. "The essay we had to write about this year?"

James looked confused for a moment before comprehension dawned.

"Oh that!" he tutted. "Been there, done that, written the essay."

Remus other eyebrow raised. "Let me see," he demanded. James smirked at him.

"What's this, don't you trust me, old pal?" he asked. A frown appeared on his face. "Actually, I'm not sure you do. Tell me where you went last week!"

"I told you," Remus snapped. "I went to my visit my gran. She's really, really sick."

"Really sick my butt," James retorted. "You obviously don't trust me."

"I trust you," Remus sighed. "I'm telling the truth!"

James gave a loud, fake cough and took out his essay from his bag.

"Here," he thrust it into Remus' hand. "Tell me if you don't trust me after this."

"…and I can hex him or whatever—"

"Sirius, shut up for a minute," Remus muttered as he started reading.

McGonagall told us to write a load of stuff about ourselves. I really can't be bothered to write it, but I'm in detention at the moment and her beady eyes are watching me. Hi, Professor!

So. About me. I'm James Potter, the best thing since sliced bread! Now here, my best mate Sirius wouldn't agree and say that HE is the best, but he isn't. Don't believe a word he says, Professor; you know you love me best!

Well anyway, tomorrow is FINALLY the last day of school! In two days we get to go home, after a whole year of work! We get TWO MONTHS of NO WORK! That's the life! Sirius is probably going to come round my house a few times and we'll mess around. I asked him if he wanted to move in with me, but he can't 'cause his mum is a…not very nice. So he'll have to sneak over and we can prank Arcadia Yapp. We're thinking of writing her a letter saying…well I won't tell you, Professor, in case you tell my parents. I wouldn't put it pass you. I wouldn't put it past Remus Lupin either. He's probably reading this while we're by the fire in the morning, before class. Hi Remmy!

"I've told you not to call me—" Remus started to say, but James interrupted.

"Next line," he said, pointing.

Sorry, I meant Remus.

Hey, this is so cool; it has to be the most I've ever written without copying someone! AND I've written more than 100 words. Go me! I think I deserve one thousand house points, Professor. Really.

James Potter, 1972, First-Year.

"That's…much better than I thought it would be!" Remus said, handing it back to him. "When did you do it?"

"Some in detention, and some at two o'clock last night," James answered, smirking. "Your snoring woke me up."

"Hey!" Remus said indignantly. "I do not snore!"

"You do," said Sirius, finally joining the real word. "It woke me up, too."

"So now you join us, Sirius?" Remus rolled his eyes. "Wrong time, mate."

"I know," said Sirius airily. "I tend to do that a lot."

Second Year

"Lileeee! Hurry up!"

"Shut up, Tia," Lily Evans snapped at the brown-haired girl. "I'm working."

"Lily, you finished your essay yesterday!" Carissa murmured reasonably. "And—" she yawned. "—I'm tired and hungry."

Lily looked at her patronizingly. "So?" she asked impatiently.

"So," Tia retorted. "We all have to go eat. We eat our last meal of the year at Hogwarts together, remember?"

"Guys, give it a rest!" Arcadia shouted from the top of the girls' staircase. "You're bickering like Lily and James on a bad day!"

"We don't bicker on a bad day, we scream!" Lily yelled back. There was a pause.

"Oh yeah!"

At that moment, the four, newly-christened 'Marauders' entered the Gryffindor common room. It was then that Lily decided to leave.

"Let's go then," she said, rolling up her parchment. James, who had walked over to the couches near the fire, noticed this and smirked.

"What's the hurry, Evans?" he asked arrogantly, brushing invisible lint off his robes. "Don't want to be late for the Leaving Feast which ends in three hours?"

"No," Lily snarled venomously. Arcadia, who had walked over to her friends, raised an eyebrow. "I'm in a hurry to get away from you."

James looked at her, amused. "Ouch," he replied boredly. "That hurt, Evans." He reached out and lifted her essay out of her hands.

"Give that back!" Lily shouted.

"Oh, shut up and leave her alone, Potter," Carissa – who never really liked James either—spat, grabbing the essay and handing it to Lily. "She's having a bad day already, and you're not helping. Get lost, go comb your hair or something, you need it."

She glared at him one more time before flouncing out of the common room.

James was running his hand through his hair, looking offended.

"There's nothing wrong with my hair!"

I wrote my whole essay out, but something happened yesterday night that made me rewrite it. It's about five a.m., and I can't sleep, so I thought now would be a good time.

So everyone in the school knows that James Potter and I hate each other with a passion. We argue everyday without fail, whether it is about who ate the last cupcake or why he spilled ink all over my five foot long essay. I'm sure Potter knows that I hate him. Actually, I know he knows because he asks me almost everyday, "Why do you hate me Evans?"

My answer is always, "Because you're an arrogant, stuck-up git, that's why." Then he replies with a hurt expression, "Oh." I feel mean for about three seconds before he brightens and asks the dreaded question of the day, "Will you go out with me?" I have TOLD him SO MANY TIMES that no, I do NOT want to go out with an arrogant, idiotic prat like him! He makes fun of everyone on legs minus his cronies, the so-called 'Marauders'. He's the only thing at Hogwarts that makes me consider leaving. That's usually at the times that our bickering turns into fully-fledged screaming matches in the Gryffindor common room, or sometimes the Entrance Hall. I'm sure you've heard them, Professor.

I don't know why I'm telling you though, no offence, Professor. I don't even tell my friends that I consider leaving. They can't know or they'll kill Potter. And as much as I hate him, I don't want to cause a murder. Never.

Lily Evans, 1973, Second-Year.

"Hm," Lily mused thoughtfully. "Two hundred and sixty-three. More than last year."

"Evans?" said a voice, husky from sleep. Lily jumped off the armchair and whirled around to face the boys' staircase, heart beating wildly. James Potter stood there in his stripy white and blue pyjamas, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing up?"

"Potter!" Lily gasped, putting a hand over her heart. "You scared me half to death!"

"So you're still half-alive," James muttered, walking down the rest of the stairs and over to her, shivering slightly. "Why are you up so early?"

"I wanted to re-write my essay for McGonagall," Lily replied a little uncomfortably, holding up the piece of parchment. James glanced at it.

"Oh," was all he said. He sat down on the sofa and an awkward silence settled between them.

"Why are you up?" Lily asked him. He looked at her, shrugging.

"Couldn't sleep," he yawned. There was a pause. "Wait, weren't we supposed to hand those essays in yesterday?"

"No," Lily retorted. "D'you think I'd hand my homework in late? She said we're allowed today, because we don't receive a grade for them, and we don't get them back, either."

James nodded in understanding. He took a deep breath, as if about to say something, and let if back out, shaking his head. Lily caught this, and frowned curiously.

"What?" she asked. James shook his head again. "What?"

"It doesn't matter," James sighed. There was another awkward silence. Lily stared at the empty fireplace, obviously lost in thought. James got out a piece of parchment. "Wanna read my essay?" he asked Lily. She looked at him.

"What? Sorry, I wasn't listening," she said apologetically. James grinned at her.

"You want to read my essay?" he repeated. She looked at it, biting her lip for a few moments.

"Not really," she answered. "They're private, aren't they?"

"Not really," James shrugged. "McGonagall reads them, doesn't she?" Lily also shrugged. "Well you can read it whenever you want. You can read my future ones too, if you'd like."

Lily laughed. "Thanks, but no thanks," she replied. There was another pause, this one not so awkward. "Hey Potter, we just had a civil conversation."

James raised his eyebrows. "So we did!" he exclaimed. "Hell has frozen over for the fiftieth time in my thirteen years of living!"

Lily giggled. "Sixty-seventh!" she cried, raising her arm up in triumph. James pouted. Lily poked him in the arm.

"Wow," Arcadia whispered to her friends from the girls' staircase. "They're acting like friends."

"Hell has frozen over," Peter muttered to the leftover Marauders, at the boys' staircase. They sniggered quietly.

Lily Evans, 1973, Second-Year.

P.S. We actually acted like friends a few hours ago. First time for everything!

This is James Potter, reporting for duty for the second year in a row! Hi Prof!

So this is the first time I've actually re-written an essay! It's only because I have nothing better to do, and my last one was just about the rules of Quidditch. Please throw that one away, Professor. No, seriously. Please.

It was funny, because yesterday, I had an argument with Evans. I stole her essay, I mean, big deal; it's an essay, right? But I suppose I was acting stupidly. Hey, I'm second-year, I'm allowed to act immature. It's only in third-year that people actually start puberty, most of the time. And Jewish Muggle boys have Bar Mitzvahs when they're thirteen.

Oh, wait. I'm thirteen, aren't I? Oops.

Well anyway, I woke this morning at around four, and I couldn't sleep, so at five a.m., I went downstairs into the common room, and found Evans sitting there. She told me she was writing her essay. At five o'clock in the morning! Who does that?!

So we got talking about random things, and we actually had a civil conversation. It was weird.

James Potter, 1973, Second-Year.

"Bye guys! See you next year!" Lily waved at her friends, who waved back cheerfully, and started walking over to her parents and sister, who was eyeing up Sirius Black, oblivious to the fact that he was younger than her. Lily suppressed a laugh and tapped her sister on the shoulder.

"What?" Petunia snapped. Lily grinned at her.

"He's in my year, you know," she informed her sister, pointing at Black. Petunia's eyes widened and then made a face. Lily laughed. She loved her sister. She was so funny. "AND he's really mean, and a player," she added.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Petunia grumbled.

"Where are mum and dad?" Lily asked her.

"Oh, they've gone to get you a trolley," Petunia answered absently, looking over Lily's shoulder. She brightened. "What about him?"

Lily followed her gaze and it landed on James Potter.

"My year," she answered, frowning slightly. "Insufferable prat."

Petunia glanced at her, surprised. Lily didn't speak ill of people. "Why don't you like him?" she asked. Lily shrugged.

"We just don't get along," she replied nonchalantly, "but we had a civil conversation this morning while I was writing an essay."

Petunia grinned. "Oo-er," she teased. Lily shoved her playfully.

"Lily!" a voice cried joyfully. Lily turned around to face her parents.

"Mum! Dad!" she laughed as she hugged them both. "Ow – mum, you're cutting off my circulation!"

"Sorry, darling," Mrs Evans apologised, releasing her daughter. Mr Evans started loading his daughter's things onto the trolley he'd just wheeled over. "I'm just so happy to see you! I'm sorry we couldn't see you at Easter."

"It's okay, Mum," Lily grinned at both her parents. "I'm just glad you behaved yourselves well enough that dad got a job."

"Don't be cheeky, lass," her father said in perfect imitation of his own father, and Lily laughed and hugged him.

"Hey, Evans!"

Lily looked over her shoulder at whoever shouted her name. She knew it was Potter, she'd heard him shout a million times, and she found him quite easily, since he was running towards her. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Isn't he the one you said you don't get along with?" Petunia whispered in Lily's ear, and Lily nodded, frowning. James finally stopped next to her holding a piece of parchment.

"You might want this," he said, holding it out. It was Lily's essay.

"Oh shit!" Lily swore.

"Lily, language," said Mr Evans disapprovingly. James looked at him, and smiled nervously.

"Just owl it to McGonagall," he said to Lily. "She won't mind, and owls usually know where people are."

"I don't have an owl!" Lily clapped a hand to her forehead. "Sh-ugar, sugar, sugar…"

James rolled his eyes. "Just borrow mine. Hold on a sec," he ran over to his trolley, next to which what looked like his parents were standing. He opened his owl's cage and pulled the barn owl inside it, out, then ran back over to the Evanses.

"Here," he said, holding the owl out. "He's called Remus."

Lily, who had been tying her essay to the owl, looked at James with a weird expression on her face. James laughed.

"Oh, that was before I met the human one," he chuckled. "I've known this Remus for much longer."

Lily shook her head and carried on tying the essay. "Must be so proud to be named after an owl," she muttered, and James grinned.

"Lily, hurry up!" Petunia poked her sister in the ribs. Lily swatted her hand away impatiently and finished tying the parchment.

"There," she said, smiling. James picked the owl up and threw him in the air.

"To McGonagall, Remus, I'm sure you remember who she is!" he called to the owl, which hooted and flew out of the station. James looked at Lily who was watching the owl flying.

"He flew into her office window once," he shook his head in exasperation. "He's quite old."

"I'm sure," Lily laughed. James grinned back, and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Lily cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Yeah, well…Have a good summer, Evans," he said. "See you next year."

"Yeah," Lily waved absent-mindedly and started walking out of the station, still looking at the owl. "Mum, can I have an owl?"

"You can use mine…"

"I don't want yours!"

James leaned against a pillar and watched her and her family leave, smiling slightly.

Well that's the first chapter for you, hope you liked!

Reviews, please?