So here's a first actual story. Why Marauders? Well, considering none of the characters are really, really developed, it gives a lot more free imagination and you don't have to be like "blah gotta make sure Harry is just this way." So, looking forward to this! Yay!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; J.K. Rowling does

Chapter One: Home Again, Home Again

You've got your passion, you've got your pride
but don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

-"Vienna" by Billy Joel

AUGUST 5TH, 1976

I still can't believe it.

Today was possibly one of the most irritating days of my existence. And, believe me; that's quite something when you have Petunia as a sister. Or Mr. Vernon Dursely, whom I've lovingly nicknamed Vermin, as a boyfriend. Still, Diagon alley was jammed pack today. As the school term was about to start in a few days, everyone who had procrastinated getting their arses down to collect their school supplies were, well, panicked to say the least. Everyone was wondering whether or not the right books would be there, if they'd be able to get the right kind of robes-and then there were those who were simply worried about whether or not they'd make it to the Quidditch shop to get whatever-in-Merlin's-name the top broom is before the store ran out. And I, Lily Mae Evans, had been there since 10 in the morning, and each time I had to travel to a different shop-well, I dreaded it. See, anyone in their right state of mind shouldn't even consider going to Diagon Alley today.

Apparently, I wasn't really in my right state of mind. All due to ruddy procrastination.

I guess, though, that my shopping endeavors might've been a bit better if I hadn't been alone. Of course, that was all thanks to Petunia, who'd decided that it was 'unfair' that our parents, Rose and Harold Evans, chose to spend time with me, the freak, over her. Naturally, she'd put up a big fight and whined about it. Apparently her boyfriend, dearest Vermin, was coming over this afternoon to spend some time with her. Then, she proceeded to complain that mum and dad hadn't properly met Vermin-even though they spent plenty of time with him at dad's annual company picnic-and that he'd come over for the sole intent of real introduction. But, I could see why mum and dad picked her over me. I mean, it wasn't really a tough decision; go with your youngest daughter to get her magical school supplies, OR let your oldest daughter have reign of the house, alone, with a boy.

Most parents would choose the second option.

Therefore, I'd suggested that mum and dad drop me off at Diagon Alley, let me shop, then pick me up later. The time we decided on, however, probably wasn' the smartest idea ever. it was either I had been to dumbed down with sleep and exhaustion (you know, being lazy all day really takes it out of you,) or I was just plain daft. (Honestly, I'd go with the latter.) My parents were going to pick me up around 4:30, and when my adventure of the day started (I'm getting to it) it was 3:45. That was honestly the beginning of my deep irritation. I thought I was going to die. The crowds were irritating me to no extent, since I could simply be walking from one shop to another and-suddenly-a group of bumbling idiots decide that it's great fun to stop in the middle of the road and talk, forcing me to crash into their backs, which consequently made me drop my bags all over the ground. And then, you would think they'd offer to help me, right? Well, no! The bloke just simply turned around, stared at me for a bit while I was on my hands and knees, pulling books towards me, and he simply offered an "Oh, sorry! I didn't see you there!" (I couldn't help but wonder, were they that stupid?)

So, I'd finished my shopping earlier than expected. I expected to run into a few of my mates, maybe have a butterbeer or an ice cream and catch up-but unfortunately for me, none of my mates were to be found. Figures. They were probably smarter than me and actually got themselves down to Diagon Alley as soon as they'd received their letters. Unlike me, who chose to put it off and put it off until there was no way out. I was going back to Hogwarts in a few days, for Merlin's sake! And to make matters worse, I'd forgotten to get treats for my owl, Amphitrite-and at that point, there was no way in hell I'd force my way back through the crowds because-

Smack!

My bags flew out of my hands, books sprawling all across the cobbled street. Obviously, I'd been to involved in feeling sorry for myself to notice that some bloke had stopped in front of me-again. I bent to pick them up, but the bloke managed to get to them before me, then pulling the few I'd managed to grab and stacked them.

"Oh, hullo Evans! I didn't know you were behind me."

Oh, no, please! Anyone but him! I'd take Black over him! I tensed at the sound of his familiar voice. "Potter," I greeted coldly, taking the books out of his grasp and sliding them back into my bag. Just as I was about to sling it over my shoulder, his hands shot out and puled the bag over his own shoulder. Ever the gentlemen.

He simply smirked at me. "What? No, I missed you?"

My eyes raked over his appearance. He looked exactly the same as he had-except, you know, a bit more mature considering it had been quite a few months since I'd last seen him. Messy black hair adorned his head, refusing to stay down and sticking up in the strangest places. (He always ran his hands through it, because in second year he'd heard some girl say that he looked 'sexy' when his hair looked windswept. Therefore, a habit was born.) His eyes were still brown, his jawline was much more defined-any baby fat that he might've had last year disappeared, leaving him looking much more mature looking. Obviously, his body was, er, well-developed since he played Quidditch. (I'd heard many things from various girls whom I, sadly, shared dorms with.)

I physically had to restrain myself from scoffing. "I'm afraid not. And probably a good thing, too," I smiled coyly back at him, my hand reaching forward to retrieve my poor bag-though I was only to be swatted away by his hand. Alright-really? "Will you just give me my bloody bag?"

At my words, he shook his head in a manner that reminded me of a parent scolding a child. "Evans, you're wounding my ego. C'mon, I'm trying to be chivalrous." He flashed me another cheeky grin and, using his spare hand, he ran it through the tendrils of his messy black hair. "And what do you mean, 'it's probably a good thing, too?' I could take offense to that, you know." He winked at me.

I'm going to be sick.

"Oh, really? That's what it was? I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I was wounding your ego." If that was even possible..."The day I miss you is the day that the world stops spinning on its axis." I moved forward for my bag again, but-surprise, surprise-he pulled back. "Please just give me my bag. I want to go.' Great, now I was whiny. Look what you've reduced me to, Potter.

He sighed impatiently, running yet another hand through his hair. Of course, that only made the strands stick up in odd places, giving him the impression hat he hadn't even taken the time to brush his hair. Oddly enough, I felt like I wanted to reach out and flatten it; achieve what many had thought impossible. "Look, I know you still think of me as some big-headed prat," you got that right, Potter "but I was hoping that maybe we could-"

I cut him off before he had a chance to finish. "No, I'm not going out with you, Potter."

The Big-Headed Prat simply stared at me, one eyebrow rising in amusement. And then, all of the sudden, he started laughing. All I could do was just stand there, dumbfounded, waiting until he finally stopped laughing. I didn't even see what was funny with what I said! "What?" I questioned, trying with all my might to stop the smile I felt forming on my lips.

"You didn't let me finish! I wasn't even going to ask you out, thank you very much! The world doesn't revolve around you, y'know," Again, he winked. "Bloody fantastic to know you think so much of me. I was just going to ask if you'd seen Moony and Padfoot around here."

Moony and Padfoot? What on earth was he talking about? I stared at him for what felt like a few seconds, trying to analyze him. "Moony and Padfoot?" I repeated in a dubious tone.

He chuckled. "Oh, sorry. Remus and Sirius. Haven't happened to see those idiotic blokes around, have you?"

"Er...no. Shouldn't you know where they are, considering they'd your best mates and all?" Plus, it was no concern of mine where they were. Why would I even care? Well, I'd care if they were dragging poor Remus somewhere awful and terrorizing-because he's the only Marauder that I'm actually fond of, and I'd be very sad if something happened to him.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Sirius is like a child; he's hard to keep track of."

"Trust me; I know." As a Prefect, I've been long accustomed to Sirius Black and his childish behaviors. Honestly, the bloke made me want to pull all of my hair out sometime.

Potter snorted. "You would, wouldn't you?" And then he stopped, pausing to move my bag from one shoulder to the other, yawned and then-"So would I be pushing my luck if I asked you out?"

Ah, and he was back. I glared at him venomously. "I repeat, I'd rather go out with the Giant Squid then you. Let me have my bag." I went forward again, almost grabbing it but-the ruddy sod moved away, sticking his tongue out at me. Therefore I went after him again, this time using both hands, but I found that I was only grasping air.

"If you want it, Evans, you'll have to ask nicely!" And now he was just teasing me. Great.

Ignoring him, I dashed forward again-and you know where my hands accidentally groped? Yes. His so-called 'treasures.' Can you even comprehend how embarrassing and humiliating that was? I quickly withdrew my hands, my face tomato red. Of course, there I was-humiliated beyond relief, and he was sitting there smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

"Now, now, Evans-no need to get randy." He could barely keep the laughter out of his voice.

"WILL YOU JUST GIVE ME BACK MY DAMN BAGS?" I shouted, and it came out much louder then I expected. Half of the witches and wizards in the street looked back at me as they passed, shooting disapproving glares my way. So, I made sure I lowered my voice. "Give. Them. Back to me. Potter."

At my tone of voice, that annoying smirk of his quickly faded. "Oh, come off it; I was just having a little fun. Here," he handed me the bags. "If you want them, here. I was just going to take them wherever you were going for you-"

"Which would be my house," I interjected in a dangerous voice. Before he could make any inappropriate remarks about that, I silenced him with another glare. "Bags." I held my hand out expectantly.

He handed them to me, and I turned around and walked in the other direction without saying anything else. This day had been entirely too humiliating for me. However, just when I thought I could finally be able to be alone-what happened? I heard hurried footsteps behind me and there he was again.

"Hey, Evans, I was just wondering," he started awkwardly, running another hand through his hair. Merlin. "Maybe we could swing by and talk over butterbeer?"

"For the last time, no." I glanced down at my watch-4:30-thank Merlin! "Plus, I need to go. Goodbye, Potter. I'll see you at Hogwarts." Unfortunately.

SEPTEMBER 1ST, 1976

Hogwarts. That's where I was going back to today. September 1st had finally stopped being a stranger and approached, and the next time I blinked I found myself standing on Platform 9 3/4, my trolley piled with trunks and Amphitrite's cage. She was hooting happily, her wings flapping. That was either because she was excited to go back to Hogwarts with all of her owl mates, or she was trying to appease me to give her more treats. The conniving bird. Just because I'd felt like being generous, I had opened my trunk and pulled out one of her treats and fed it to her-and now she expects me to continue feeding her. Not only is she conniving, but if she keeps expecting to eat that way she's going to end up being a fat conniving bird.

The familiar shrill whistle of the train went off, reminding all students that it was departing in ten minutes time. All around me, families were having their final goodbyes and hugs and tears-in some cases. Then there were those obscure families who simply stood there, shaking their child's hand blankly and then wishing them a good year. For those kid's, I honestly felt sorry for. Beside me, mum and dad were taking in everything they could-honestly, they were like children in a candy shop. They'd only seen Platform 9 3/4 for five years, and each time they dropped me off they observed it like it was their first time seeing it. But, I suppose, when you live among the muggles every single day, anything out of the ordinary is probably something exciting. (That's probably the same reason they were so sour when I returned from Diagon Alley. Apparently things with Vermin didn't go quite as planned...)

"Oh, Lily darling! I'm going to miss you so much!" Mum pulled me against her, hugging so tightly I felt most of the air leave my lungs. "Promise you'll write!"

I laughed, returning the hug. "Of course I will! Didn't I write last year? If I remember correctly," I pulled back from her. "You were the one who wasn't replying right away. So I suppose the ball's in your court."

Her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink. "I was busy." she defended herself.

I pretended to be shocked. "Why, to busy for your own daughter? I'm hurt." Of course, I knew that mum wasn't actually forgetting about me. She was a bit scatter-brained, so her mind was typically on anything and everything at once. I'm glad to say that was one of the few traits that I didn't inherit from her. Because, you know, I'd inherited the same pale skin and green eyes from her. The red hair, however, that was a gift from my dad.

She simply smiled at me, her lips quivering slightly as she pulled me in for another hug. And then, it was my dad's turn. Honestly, between the two of them, he was the one I was closer to. Yeah, mum was mum and she was the one I went to for girl problems, but dad was-well, dad. He was so like me that it's slightly scary. We get each other-that's pretty much the best way I could describe it. I grinned widely at him, moving forward to wrap my arms around his waist and pressing my face into his chest.

"I'm going to miss you, daddy," I said.

He chuckled. "As am I, Red. As am I." Then he pulled back, his face suddenly becoming serious. "Now, I know you're not a little girl anymore, and I know that you're smart but...you're beautiful and I'm sure a lot of blokes are going to be knocking down your door. And I know that one will catch your interest but if you have-"

Oh Merlin have mercy on me! Please, no. Please tell me he wasn't trying to have the talk with me. My face flushed pink. "Dad, please. Spare me the talk. I'll be careful. I won't do anything I'll regret later. All done." I moved away from him to my trunk. The train's whistle went off again. Five minutes, it seemed to say.

"I know blokes at this age, and the only thing on their mind is-" Dad tried again, but this time he was cut off by mum. Bless her.

She giggled. "Harold, spare the poor girl! I beat you to the talk years ago!" She embraced me once more. "Alright! Now shoo!" She pushed me away with her hands, laughing. "Go before your dad tries talking again!"

I smiled sheepishly back at them, gave both of them a small wave, and then moved forward towards the train. Of course, dodging all the ungodly throngs of students going towards the train like I was. Then, depositing my trunks where they'd get packed, I entered the compartment. It seemed almost like home to me, the way the long carpeted corridors stretched before me, each side having a long row of sliding glass doors. Behind those doors, many students were sitting, laughing and catching up on each other's summers. I walked down the hallway, peering into each compartment for my mates.

Then, after a significant amount of time passed, I was about to go settle myself down in an empty compartment (that is, if I could find one) when I heard an "Oi! Lily!"

My head snapped quickly towards the owner of the voice, a broad smile spreading across my face. There, sitting in a compartment, were my three best mates. Marlene McKinnon and Alice and Dorcas Meadowes. We were honestly quite the pair. Marlene had chestnut brown hair, reaching down to mid-back. It framed her face nicely, bringing out her chocolate brown eyes. Then there was Alice and Dorcas, the fraternal twins. Honestly, if you saw them walking, you'd never know they were actually twins unless they told you. Alice has light brown hair and brown eyes while Dorcas had a head of blonde hair and blue eyes.

Marlene was the one who'd called me, as she was sitting by the opening of the door, her cat Speckles sitting on her lap where she was stroking him contentedly. "Get your fat arse over here!" She yelled again, smiling.

I entered the compartment and slid the door shut, right as the train started off. I checked my watch. 11 right on the dot. "Hullo, Marlene! And Alice! And Dorcas!" I hugged each of them as I said their name. "How was you summers?" I paused. "Or, I mean, the things that you decided you didn't want to write."

Alice grunted. "Nothing really exciting over here. Cassy and I spent most of the summer with our house full with our relatives...as you know." She shot me a innocent smile.

Oh yes I did know. Hence all those letters of hers, complaining about how much she hated her cousins, how Bradley slipped a spider into her bed (she absolutely detested spiders,) or how her mum was being a royal arse and making her entertain everyone when she'd rather be reading a book. We got along quite well-considering we were both book-a-holics.

"I hadn't a clue," I shot back with an innocent smile of my own.

Across me, Dorcas snorted. "D'you know what mum made me do? Take care of Matt. He's a bloody perv for eleven years old! He faked crying so I'd go over to him to see what was wrong, and I catch him trying to take a peek down my shirt." Matt, or Matthias, was their eleven year old cousin who, Cassy and Alice had sworn, was the Devil himself.

Marlene laughed. "Looks like you've got yourself a little admirer."

Dorcas's eyes grew wide in pretend shock. "You don't say?" She laughed again, and then abruptly turned her attention to me. "So how was your summer, Lily? You haven't said anything since we've got in here."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay, I suppose. Petunia was the usual, mum and dad were just excited I was home, Vermin practically lived our house...you can imagine how fun that was."

Alice reached across the space to pat my arm reassuringly. "Is he really that bad?"

I felt like saying define bad, but instead I settled for something less...well, sarcastic. "Yeah. He really is. See," I leaned forward in my seat. "Petunia decided it was a good idea to tell him about my, er, abnormality. Let's just say he has the same views about me as my dear sister." Meaning, I was known as 'the freak' by two people now.

"Well, at least you're not known as a emotionally disturbed girl anymore," Dorcas commented dryly, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest. "They don't think you're going to run through the house, holding a knife above your head anymore."

"Yeah, but, now they think she'll enchant a knife to go through the house," Marlene piped in, still petting her Speckles.

The cat was honestly spoiled rotten. I eyed him; he was sprawled across her lap, eyes closed and purring at each stroke of Marlene's hand. He was overly fat, mostly because he probably figured people would feel sorry for him if he lied around all the time, not moving. Honestly, if he was my cat, I'd force him to get plenty of exercise and cut down on the snacks. But then again, this was coming from the girl who, at a specific hours throughout the day, hand-fed her owl. So I guess I wasn't really one to talk.

Alice smashed her lips together to keep herself from smiling. "Guys, you aren't helping Lily feel any better." Says her who's trying so hard not to laugh.

I rolled my eyes. "Honestly, I question why I'm friends with you guys sometimes."

"Oh, c'mon Lily, you love us!" Marlene nudged my side with her elbow, winking playfully at me.

I was just about to respond with something witty-sometimes I question my sanity, I love you sometimes,-when the glass door slid open and-gah. There he was. Did he have some sort of Lily-radar or something? I swear he did, by the way he seemed to know exactly where I was!

"Afternoon, Evans," Potter greeted in what he obviously thought was a seductive tone. I cringed. Maybe something Nifflers thought would be sexy...that is, if they could even think something was sexy...could they? Now that would be an interesting question to ask.

"What do you want, Potter?" I asked impatiently.

He smiled. "I just wanted to say hi and ask how you were since I last saw you."

Thank you so, so much, Potter. Several pairs of eyes snapped to my face, which I ignored. "Fine-not that it's any of your concern."

His expression fell slightly, and I tried to ignore the small feeling of guilt swirling in the pit of my stomach. Merlin, why was I even feeling guilty? This was Potter, who single-handedly manages to make my life miserable! "Just fine? Is anything wrong?" His voice was softer.

Dorcas scowled. "Get lost, Potter."

"Now, now, ladies, let's not get feisty!" That's it. This is officially becoming a nightmare. Standing on the other side of the door was none other than Sirius Black himself, leaning up against the wood. His black hair framed his face, bringing out those grey eyes of his. There was a shadow going around his jawline, hinting that there might've have been the beginnings of a beard as some point. His eyes twinkled dangerously.

"Dear ol'Jamesy was just being polite! That's all," Black continued. "Marlene," he flashed her a dazzling smile, followed by a wink.

She rolled her eyes at him, shifting so her back was facing him. "I'm sorry Lily, where we were before these rude bastards interrupted us?"

I shook my head. "I don't even remember, honestly." Which, apparently was an invitation without my knowing because suddenly Black was waltzing in, squeezing in between me and Marlene, throwing an arm around her.

"Good, then you won't mind us intruding," he said smoothly. "Come on, Prongs, don't stand there looking like a bloke who just discovered lingerie."

Was I mistaken, or did Potter blush? Nevertheless, he entered the compartment and sat down very close next to me. Bloody fantastic. I felt like he and Black were trying to make a Lily sandwich. Best not to forget the mayonnaise. It was quiet for a few beats after that, making me grow more uncomfortable by each second-and apparently it wasn't just me. Marlene was looking like she was about to be sick, being squished up against the wall by Sirius. Alice was 'pretending' to read a book, though it was upside-down. The book was supposed to be To Kill A Mockingbird (one of the many ones I loaned her. As she was a Pureblood, she'd never read any of those muggle books) but it looked more like dribgnikcoM A lliK oT to me.

"So, Prongs," Black finally broke the silence. "D'you remember to pack your zebra printed undies that we bought in Diagon Alley?"

I choked on a laugh.

And this time, I wasn't mistaken. Potter's face turned bright red. Hah. Good to know I wasn't the only one who looked like a bleeding tomato when I was embarrassed. Hah.

"Padfoot," he hissed, inclining his head towards me.

I would have said that Black looked innocent, but that would be going against every single grain in my body. "What? It was just a question!"

"You mention that again, so help me..." Potter continued in the same low, dangerous tone.

"Mention what?" He blinked, still smiling. "Those lovely little zebra printed undies?"

"I will cut your manly parts off in your sleep."

Beside me, Black gasped dramatically. "You wouldn't dare!"

Potter laughed manically. "Like hell I will."

Even as I'm sitting here, my dear diary, rewriting every single thing that happened, I still can't decide which was more disturbing; hearing Potter laugh like a madman or watch Black grab his manhood protectively. Both were equally scarring.

Suddenly, the door slid open again and, hallelujah, the only sane Marauder entered the room. Remus looked even paler then the last time I saw him. He looked like a vampire. His dirty blonde hair was hanging over his eyes; shaggy. There were dark circles under his eyes, almost like he'd suffered a few days of barely any sleep. The paleness of his skin seemed to illuminate the various scars adorning his skin-though it didn't make him any less handsome. I smiled warmly at him.

"Hello, Remus!"

He smiled back at me. "Hi there, Lily. Are these two idiots bugging you?" He gestured to Black and Potter.

Black pressed a hand dramatically against his chest. "I would never think of doing such a thing!"

"Because you're such an angel," Potter replied, peering around me to see Black's reaction. As expected, it was nothing but the usual dramatics.

"Anyway," Remus started. "We have a Prefect's meeting, Lily. We best be going to it."

Thank you Merlin! I hopped up from being squished between Big-Headed Prat #1 and Big-Headed Prat #2 and dashed over to Remus. "Thank God," I muttered, making sure it was loud enough for certain people to hear. "Let's go!"

Alice looked up from her book. "Bye, Lils!"

Dorcas simply nodded at me as I passed, flashing me a big smile and Marlene pointed to Black and pretended to gag.

...

Well, here I am again! Lying in my bed, surrounded by a sea of red and gold. The rest of the day wasn't really that interesting, except-well, here; let me start from where I left off. Remus and I went to the Prefect's meeting-boring, boring and boring! It was just basically to reenforce rules from last year, however they were rules that I had already been well acquainted with. SO. That wasn't the most exciting part of my day. Then we arrived at the castle, watched all the First Years get Sorted (Dorcas commented how she felt old. Merlin, we're only in Sixth year!) ate, and then bed. Of course, as I'm a Prefect, I escorted all of the adorable First Years to the Gryffindor Common room and directed them to their dorms.

Honestly, they're so cute! Don't you dare judge me. It's a feminine trait, thinking that cute little First years are cute! And now I'm feeling slightly disgusted with myself, rereading what I just wrote. I used 'cute' and 'adorable' way too many times. I need to find some new vocabulary words. Right, now since we're moving away from that subject...

I'm kind of on cloud nine right now. Benjy Fenwick came over and talked to me at dinner. He's so gorgeous. His hair is absolutely perfect-I wonder if he does it himself? I mean, of course he probably would as I don't really know who else would do it...unless he had one of his Housemates help him. In which case, I'd probably guess that Gilderoy Lockhart helps him. That bloke his so stupid, but I will admit that his looks make up for his lack of brains. Anyway, he talked to me at dinner and asked how my summer was-and, I'm so polite, I asked him how is was. Do you know what he replied with? He replied with a, "Oh, it was alright enough. You know, I missed seeing you everyday."

And right there I'm pretty sure I melted.

I don't think Benjy-dear, dear Benjy-realizes what he does to me! He can't get away with saying those comments. I swear, eventually, he's going to say something along those lines and I might just straight up die. Right. Well, I came up with a few goals that I plan on accomplishing tomorrow. So here's the list:

Goals for tomorrow:

-Talk to Benjy

-Try to successfully derail the Great Potter from being my personal stalker

-Get a better vocabulary ('cute' and 'adorable' simply don't seem to cut it anymore)

SEPTEMBER 2ND, 1976

I write to you from breakfast in the Great Hall.

This morning has been particularly...interesting. I was woken up around 3AM by Cass, who had to go use the loo, yet for the life of her couldn't find her way through the dark. Needless to say, she ran into many people's trunks and created quite a racket. After that, well, I just really couldn't sleep. Therefore I read for about three hours, looked over some of my school books, and tried to come up with ways I can get through Potter's thick head that I don't fancy him. Some of my ideas were rather, well, crazy and I've decided that I'm not going to share them with you, mainly because I don't want to remember how absolutely raving mad I was at 5 in the morning.

Anyway, so I arrived at breakfast thirty minutes ago. In the course of that amount of time, several things have happened. 1) a letter from mum and dad arrived. Mum was being her usual self and said that she was showing that she wasn't as scatterbrained as I made her out to be. Dad, bless him, was still trying to get his two cents in about how I needed to be 'careful' since I was a responsible young woman now. Marlene read that line and practically died laughing. 2) Potter gave me roses, which I promptly threw on the ground and stomped them. Perhaps that was a bit extreme, but I'm in an awful mood thanks to Cass. 3) Darling Benjy was/is staring at me! Marlene told me to act calm and just sit there, nonchalant and pretend that I don't know he's looking at me. But, that's slightly hard to do when you fancy someone and your heart is racing.

Well, that's been my morning so far! We'll see how the rest of the day goes. Hopefully better then this morning's gone so far, but-well, let's just cross our fingers and hope! Till later!

Wait, wait, wait! I'm just kidding! I was just closing my book when I got a mouthful of milk spit all over my face. Cass just got a letter from Matt, asking whether or not they could be pen pals. That kid has some nerve. Anyway, thought you might want to know that I'm going to be cleaning milk and Cass silva shortly! Now, goodbye.

...

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, if you could so kindly cease your conversation so I can continue talking," Professor McGonagall's sharp voice echoed through the Transfiguration classroom.

To be completely honest with you, I couldn't help but feel slightly smug that Big-Headed Prat #1 and #2 had gotten in trouble. In most other classes, they seemed to get away with it. How? It totally escaped me. But with Professor McGonagall, nothing got past her. That woman had eyes like a hawk.

Potter and Black straightened up right away, both of them pressing their lips together to keep from laughing. Though, to no avail. A chuckle escaped from Black's lips, which only caused Professor McGonagall's eyebrows to rise even higher.

"Something funny, Mr. Black?"

He shook his head solemnly. "No, Professor; nothing funny at all."

She surveyed him for a few seconds. "Very well. Now, as I was saying-today we will be learning how to transfigure larger items into something smaller. Observe." With her chin held high, she waved her wand while pronouncing the spell very clearly, and suddenly the large vase that had been sitting there was a smaller one. Applause erupted around the classroom.

And to that, she simply gave a stiff-lipped smile and inclined her head. "Wave your wand, one, two, three-Miss Bones, I trust that your conversation with Mr. Fletchley isn't as important as my lesson-now try it with me."

If I thought Transfiguration was awful last year-this was taking it to a whole different level. By now, most people (and you, dearest diary) should have realized that Transfiguration isn't exactly my...best subject. And that's me putting it lightly. I've worked hard for an Acceptable in this damn class. Yes, I know, most people would just say "Lily, honestly? All you have to do is make sure you wave the wand correctly and say the incantation correctly! Easy as pie!" Well, not really. See, it's not just waving your wand and spouting off interesting words that make you good at Transfiguration. It's-oh, I don't honestly know! Transfiguration is, and never will be, my thing! That's more Potter and his cronies thing. They're bloody geniuses at it.

"Mr. Potter!"

My head snapped up and looked for the source of Professor McGonagall's displeasure. And there he was-sitting in the back row, legs propped up on the table, arms behind his head, smirking like he thought he was the bloody King of England-and talking of all things! With Black! Frankly, I couldn't believe it. I mean, I'd seen Potter do some pretty stupid things in his day but...really? And the first day back?

"Since you seem so comfortable," she said sternly "with how to cast the spell, why don't you demonstrate it for the rest of the class?" Her chin was tilted upwards sharply, indicating that she was royally ticked off. (When you've been at Hogwarts as long as I have, you tend to start to notice some of these things.)

Besides me, Alice sighed in annoyance. "He never learns, does he?" She all but growled.

Cass sniggered. "Why do you care? If he gets in detention, less time that he'll have to hang around Lily!" A wicked grin spread across her face, and I couldn't help but rolling my eyes at her. In return, she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Certainly, Professor," Potter responded. Then he promptly waved his wand. If I would've blinked, I would've missed it. The vase that had been sitting on his desk suddenly transferred into a teacup-a completely different color and shape. I felt my jaw drop, and-honestly? I wouldn't have been surprised if there was some drool leaking out. Figures. Benjy's in this class.

Of course Potter would manage to waltz his way through this. He was always the charmer. Now, see, me? If I would've been singled out by Professor McGonagall, I would've died of a panic attack. Remember my rant before? Me and Transfiguration? No. Me doing Transfiguration in front of the entire class? Hell no.

...

"Evans!"

Oh no dear Merlin please no. I gripped my schoolbag tighter in my hand and quickened my pace. Couldn't he at least waited until the next day? Did it really have to be the first day back? And DAMN IT. I was in a good mood, because in Herbology I had to be paired up with Benjy! The footsteps picked up behind me and it was only a matter of time before the arsewipe was asking me out again, like he was bloody royalty or something-

"Hey, Evans! Wait!" Potter jogged in front of me, forcing me to stop abruptly to save myself from crashing into him. Because last time something along the lines of this happened, it didn't turn out well.

"What do you want?" Let's just get it over with; ask me out already so I can say no and move on with my day.

He chuckled nervously, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "So, y'know, Hogsmeade is coming up this weekend and I was just wondering-"

"No, Potter. I'm not going to Hogsmeade with you." Will he just get over me already? I mean, at first it was rather flattering to have a bloke chasing you around, serenading you in hopes he'd steal your heart-but after three years of it, it gets to the point of just downright creepy.

He didn't even blink. "Are you sure? It'll be fun?"

"Sure it will." That was murmured absentmindedly in a very, very sarcastic tone.

I stared at him for a few seconds, and then I turned on my heel and left. This time, luckily, there were no footsteps chasing after me. I didn't hear him behind me at all-and that was kind of unusual. He wasn't even yelling at me, promising for a next time. I was almost tempted to look back at him, but I forced myself not to. You know-maybe this was it. Maybe this would finally be when he gives up! Now I'm in a better mood. I think I'm going to go visit the owlry to send a letter off to mum and dad.

And that's the end of the first chapter! It kind of covered a lot of bases, but it was to get the story rolling. Now that the first chapter's out of the way-prepare yourselves for drama and hilarity! I know there weren't that much of the Marauders' in this chapter, but never fear! They will be in a lot to come.

So please review! It really will motivate me to write faster! Just so you know, if I get a fair amount of reviews-I promise I'll update in 2-3 days time! So yeah! I don't wanna be picky and if you really don't want to review-that's fine. It just inspires me and helps mewrite quicker. Love you guys! :3