Carpe Diem

"Ugh! You infuriate me Potter! Seriously, when are you going to just GROW UP!", and with that Lily Evans stormed out of the train compartment. This was their last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardly and Lily Evans was just bestowed the good news that James Potter, her arch-nemesis, had been named Head Boy. Suffice to say, she was not happy.

"That was… Interesting." quipped Sirius, drumming his fingers on a magazine he'd been reading.

"Shut it Sirius!" retorted his friend, running a hand through his hair. "Man, I messed up again! I was just kidding and she just has to take things so seriously…" muttered James.

"Well to be honest mate, I don't blame her, she just found out that she's sharing her Head duties with you. It's a big thing for her and she reckons you're going to mess it up, which isn't totally uncalled for, now is it?" said Sirius fairly.

"I know, but – "

"And she probably didn't appreciate you turning her book into a snake."

"You think…" drawled Remus, rolling his eyes heavenwards.

James sighed resignedly and said "I was trying to make a dramatic entrance and besides, the snake was harmless!"

"Harmless isn't quite the word people think of when they notice a snake sliding across their lap" smirked Remus.

They all sat in the silence and continued doing whatever they were doing previously. Lily shouting at James was something they had begun to get used to, after 6 years of verbal battles between the two, they weren't expecting anything less.

Sirius Black had his legs stretched onto the opposite seats and was magically levitating his Quidditch Daily magazine for ease of reading. He had a relaxed presence about him, as though nothing, pardon the pun, was ever serious. Remus Lupin was the reserved character in the group, more logical than impulsive, quite unlike his friends. He too was reading a magazine, but on Astronomy, one of his favourite subjects. Peter Pettigrew, plump and watery-eyed was quiet like Remus but didn't really have any special qualities. At a quick glance, Peter just didn't seem to fit in with the Marauders, but everyone knew that the marauders were notoriously loyal to each other, and that counted for something. James Potter, bespectacled and hazel eyed, was the epitome of popular. He was Captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch team and leader of the infamous Marauder group at Hogwarts. If anybody was jealous of anyone at Hogwarts, it was him, he had it all. Except one thing. He didn't have the thing he wanted the most; Lily Evans.

"I guess I'll apologise to her before the meeting" mumbled James, looking downcast.

"Cheer up James! C'mon, you've done much worse – she's just in shock with the Head Boy thing" said Sirius brightly, standing up and stretching enthusiastically.

"Yeah, well so am I. I mean, what was Dumbledore thinking?" demanded James to no-one in particular.

"Well", mused Remus, "it is very unorthodox for a non-prefect to get the Head Boy status.

But Dumbledore obviously sees some something in you to justify him giving you Head Boy. Maybe if you stop acting like a prat around Lily, she'll see that something too."

"Yeah, well, don't get your hopes high" snorted James. He wanted so badly to be nice to her, but for some reason, his mind simply did not function properly whenever she was around.

"Wasn't planning on it" grinned Remus, high-fiving Sirius. James chucked the remainder of his Chocolate Frog at them, glaring.