A.N

Hey guys this is my first fanfic so be kind! please R&R. I'd really love to hear what you think of the characters so please review! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter for anything related to it as I am not J.K Rowling.

Lily Evans didn't just hate James potter, she despised him. He had spent their whole fourth year mysteriously meeting her everywhere she went and this fact irritated her so much that she had to clench her fists to refrain from grabbing her wand and buying herself a weeks detention.

James Potter didn't just like Lily Evans, he loved every single thing about her. Why did she hate him so much? He was one of the marauders for crying out loud!

He was just thinking this as he packed his trunk for the journey to Hogwarts the following week. He threw in the Marauders map with an evil grin as he thought of the fun he would have with his friends during O.W.L year. With students stress levels peaking it was the Marauders view that it was their duty to their year to distract students to prevent them from pre-exam break- downs which were scarily common. Speaking of James's best friends, James heard frantic knocking on the door.

"Lemme in lemme in" came Sirius's mock agitated voice from the front door of Potter Manor.

"You want me to freeze to death or somthin'!"

There was some truth to what the best friend of James Potter had said. It was eerily cold for late August and there was a permanent fog in the air. Only skilled aurors knew what this meant, the dementors were on you-know-who's side and that wasn't good. James grabbed the blanket from the bottom of his bed, sprinted to the door and feigning concern, ushered his friend inside wrapping a blanket around his shoulders as he went

"don't go into the light Padfoot!" he exclaimed, his voice dripping with obvious sarcasm.

"I've missed you Prongs old chum," said Sirius flinging the blanket at James

"how's your Summer been?"

"Oh you know the usual, quiddich,..."

"Thinking of Evans", Sirius finished his sentence.

"No!", said James, casting around for a change of subject.

"Enjoyed your Summer? How is dear old Mrs. Black?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and launched into a rant about his mothers antics over the summer and how Regulas would be leaving Hogwarts after his O.W.L's to join Voldemort's ranks and how dreadfully proud his mother was of her youngest son. James wasn't listening his mind was still on Lily Evans. The one girl he liked thought him an arrogant toe-rag and all the rest of them thought him irresistible. Great! 5 minutes later he put his invisibility cloak in his pocket and climbed into the fireplace. They were meeting Peter and Remus in Diagon Alley. James went first, He grabbed a handful of the sand-like substance stepped into the fire and said loudly and clearly

"Diagon Alley!"

The effect was immediate he felt as though he was going to throw up he was spinning ridiculously fast and it felt as though he was being twisted, after about a minute he was thrown out of the fire place beside the entrance to the wizarding street. After about 10 seconds Sirius appeared grinning.

"You gotta love this street."

Crowds of excited schoolchildren were walking around in groups getting the things they needed for the new year in Hogwarts. Other than the students the street was noticeably more subdued. Only the previous week, Fabian and Gideon Prewett had died fighting Voldemort. James's parents were aurors so this scared James and he didn't like talking about it. James and Sirius smiled broadly as Remus and Peter walked over to them. The four immediately walked to Florean Fortescues ice-cream parlour without verbal agreement. As they lounged outside with their choco- nut sundaes three fellow gryffindors passed by. One third year, one fifth year and one sixth year. Isobel Elberson, Louise Hunter and Caroline Brady were the three Gryffindor chasers so they walked up to James.

"Congratulations on getting the captain gig Potter", said Caroline, the sixth year.

"Well what can I say, it's not like I didn't deserve it", said James jokingly. He then turned his attention to Louise who was in the same year

"Evans isn't with you?", he said trying and failing to sound as though he didn't really care. The three girls giggled and Isobel gave him a knowing look before Louise said

"she told me she'll be here some time this week."

As they walked away Isobel called back "sorry we couldn't be of more romantic help"and the three girls subsided into giggles again.

James said "erm... Wanna meet back here tomorrow?"

Remus raised his eyebrows and Peter smiled sheepishly.

"Don't you think stalking her at Hogwarts is enough mate? said Sirius.

"No" replied James as he started to daydream about him and Lily.

"It was a rhetorical question dungbrain" said Sirius in mock frustration but James wasn't listening so it only earned a loud "ha" of laughter from Peter.

They walked up and down Diagon Alley for longer than necessary as James's 'legs were sore'. This did not fool the rest of the Marauders for a minute but they decided no to peruse the subject. The got all their books and then stood transfixed at the window of quality Quiddich supplies where the brand new cleansweep 5 was on display for about 15 minutes before spending another hour inside. It took a lot of self control for James not to spend his life savings on the new cleensweep but he remembered that his nimbus 1000 was almost as good and he still had to buy new robes. I mean how could he be the coolness bomb that was James Potter with robes 4 inches too short! When the Marauders entered Madame Malkins they heard the unmistakable voices of Severus Snape with his big friends Rodolphus Lestrange, and Lucius Malfoy.

"You still in love with the mudblood Evans, Snape?" came the cold drawl of Lucius Malfoy's voice from behind a rack of dress robes.

"A lot has changed since you left Hogwarts, Malfoy, I was young and stupid, I shouldn't have even conversed with filth like that" came Snape's voice.

"You may want to wash your hair because I for one cannot live with filth like that"said Sirius so sarcastically that it caused Lestrange to aim a hex at him.

Sirius ducked and James hit him with a full body bind. Remus, Sirius and Peter took on Malfoy and James was left with Snape. He decided that he would teach snivellus a lesson for insulting Evans, he sent a non-verbal full body bind at him, Snape wasn't expecting James to be up to non-verbal level so he didn't expect it and the full body bind hit him squarely in the chest. He slumped to the floor hidden from the front by the rack. This wasn't good enough for James so he took a step closer, sharply tapped Snape on the top of the head and muttered a disillusionment charm. As though he was burning like a candle invisibility took him from the top down. It would be a while before his cronies found him in this state, James thought to himself. With a grim smile James hit Malfoy from behind with "levicorpus!"

Lucius was hoisted into the air by his ankle. They heard shuffling movements from the stairs in the back of the shop. In the shock of the moment, peter had transformed into a rat and was clawing his way up sirius's leg, much to the annoyance of Sirius who was trying to beat him of with what were presumably a pair of Madam Malkin's own scissors. Remus walked over and was trying to prise the scissors out of Sirius's grip. he succeeded and grabbed the scissors, to any other persons view however it looked as though Remus was trying to stab Sirius. Unfortunately for the Marauders, Madam Malkin came into view at this presise moment with a large pile of black robes in her hand. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene. Lestranges body was spread out an the floor, Malfoy was hanging in the air by his ankle and Remus was poised to stab Sirius as a rat climbed up Sirius's leg.

"Out, out all of you! NOW!" she screamed in a shrill voice "and I don't want you to see you step in this shop for a very long time!" She shouted after them but they had already mixed themselves into the throng of shoppers at this stage.

James had made the rest of the Marauders stay in Diagon Alley until the shop assistants started telling them to leave the shops as they really did need to get home to their families soon. They were all staying at Potter manor that night.

"How am I supposed to get robes now?" James complained as they queued for the fireplace.

"Only one way in there" smiled Sirius mischievously.

"Peter'll have to get them for you."

That's how 4 sixteen year old wizards spent their Saturday evening struggling with a tape measure and jotting down various lengths on a piece of paper for Peter. The next day they headed to Diagon Alley again. They had to wait for ages beside James as an obsessive girl named Enya was badgering them for his whereabouts. James was crouched in a nearby doorway with his invisibility cloak over him as she was asking them to ask him out for her. He never got to find out as she walked away at that moment complaining loudly about how unfair her life was. She was an Irish blonde with wavy hair, hazel eyes and seemed to be permanently wearing a pout. Most of the girls in her year completely hated her and her rolled skirt. She was a hufflepuff and had ambitions for a career in opera singing. The reason everyone knew this is that she would stand up at the end of dinner every and sing some celestna warbeck. That is the reason that all students now attended dinner earlier than they needed to.

"We gave her your address" spluttered Sirius through raucous laughter.

The Madam Malkin operation went off without a hitch and soon James had brand new Hogwarts robes. After their success they stopped off at Florean Fortescues ice-cream parlour. The each got their favourite choco-nut sundae but in a cone so that that could gaze longingly at the new quality quiddich supplies display of the chudley cannons.

"Hey James" called Louise from somewhere behind him.

He did an awkward pivot on his heels to face the girl. She winked at him. Standing beside her was a very irritated looking Lily Evans.

"Lovely day isn't it! Heh heh" said James awkwardly accidentally dropping his cone on her foot.

"Would've been nicer without you turning up" said Lily coldly. She turned on her heel and walked down the street.

"Go out with me!" he shouted lamely after her.

She kept walking and pretended not to hear. Inside this irritated her beyond what her friends knew. She thought he only wanted her because she was the only girl not willing to fling herself at him. She left Diagon Alley straight away. James took one look at his friends awkward faces and said "so back to mine then?"

He'd rather not have that embarrassing moment relived through talking about it. The rest of the week went by in a blur of Quiddich, every flavour beans challenges and food.

A/N: If you guys could just take 5 seconds to review please do! It would make my day :-)