DISCLAIMER!!! Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling!

***

Emily walked down the stairs and headed toward the Great Hall with a small smile. She finally got to see her friends again after what seemed like a long summer vacation. Sure they owled each other, but it just wasn't the same. As she walked she wondered if Lily was already there or if she was still getting ready like Alice. Emily also wondered if Lily and Potter (who were this year's Heads and had to share a living space) had gotten into another one-sided argument (where Lily was the arguer). Sometimes Emily felt sorry for Potter, but sometimes she couldn't help but be a little upset at him and his friends for some of the pranks they did.

"Good morning, Kate," she heard a familiar voice say. She looked up and smiled even as she blushed. He was smiling at her.

"Good morning, Lupin," she replied.

"How does it feel to be back?" he asked her. She noticed his cheeks were tinted pink, which of course made her blush darker.

"It's great. I missed Hogwarts and my friends. Sometimes, I even missed the pranks you and your friends played," at this he gave a small laugh, "but at the same time I feel a little sad knowing this is our last year and we might not see people we like seeing," she finished and gave a little embarrassed laugh. He gave a sort of crooked smile she found cute. "And you?" she asked.

"Much like you, really. It feels great to be back and see my friends but it is a little sad knowing this is our last year," he said and it seemed to her like he wanted to say something else. She nodded and they were silent a moment as they stood near the door of the Great Hall.

"Morning," greeted a third voice. Emily and Lupin looked up to see a smiling Lily Evans.

"Good morning," they both answered with a smile. After all, Remus Lupin was the only one of the Marauders Lily and Alice liked. Emily on the other hand, seemed to get along with all of them… maybe it was her peace-maker attitude.

"I didn't know Alice took that long to get ready," Lily commented and Emily had to agree.

"Maybe we should see if everything's all right," Emily suggested and Lily nodded.

"Can I go with you? My friends should have been here a while ago," Lupin said and the girls agreed. Emily ended up walking between Lily and Lupin.

The sight that met the three when they arrived to the common room was a familiar one. Maybe it had surprised the three newcomers because it was so early into the year. Sirius Black and Alice Daniels were arguing while Peter Pettigrew watched helplessly.

"You could just go around. Why should I move when I was standing here first?" he was asking.

"Well, Black, maybe you could, oh, I don't know, try being a gentleman for once in your life and move," Alice retorted.

"I'll have you know that-"

"Good morning," Emily stepped in quickly and stood next to Alice as she smiled at Black and then Pettigrew. There was a flash of sheepishness in Black's features, but it was gone so fast nobody was sure if they were imagining things or not.

"Morning," Pettigrew answered with a relieved smile.

Alice was about to say something but Emily didn't let her. "Come on Alice, we have to go get breakfast," she said tugging Alice's sleeve. Alice sighed and nodded. Emily smiled her goodbye at Black and Pettigrew and they replied in kind. Black moved out of the way to let Emily pass and he grinned when Alice glared at him. Emily smiled timidly at Lupin and he gave her a cute half smile. The three girls left the common room.

James Potter was going up the stairs as the three girls were descending them. "Morning," he said with a smile and his eyes seemed to linger on Lily. She nodded at him while Alice mumbled a "morning".

"Good morning, Potter," Emily answered with a smile. "Congratulations for making Head Boy," she said.

"Thanks," he said as he tried to flatten his hair as he gave a sort of nervous smile, and his eyes darted to Lily and back to Emily. Then the girls continued their way to the Great Hall while Potter went to the Gryffindor common room.

"So, what's up with you guys?" James asked as he saw his fellow Marauders. "Well, Padfoot over here managed to get into a fight with Daniels before the day even started," Remus replied in mock-seriousness. James gave an amused smile at Sirius. "Really? That's interesting." Sirius glared at his friend. "It was her fault! She started it!" he half whined. James, Remus and Peter started laughing.

"So Prongs, what's your next plan to make the oh-so-lovely Lily Evans fall for you?" Sirius asked dramatically. James blushed slightly when he heard Lily's name. He still couldn't believe that he had been chasing the same girl for 3 years! None of the Marauders ever chased a girl for that long. They were all considered as players. But somehow James knew that Lily was the one for him. All he had to do was make Lily fall him. Too bad she thinks of him as an 'arrogant bullying toe-rag.'

"Hello Prongs! Daydreaming about Evans again?" Sirius asked with a smirk. Remus pretended to think deeply. "Let me guess. You still can't believe that you have been after the same girl, for a long time right?" he asked with a smile. Sometimes it's really annoying when my friends are right, James thought to himself. "Yeah, that's pretty much it" he mumbled. "But this year it's going to be different. I know it," James predicted. "How do you know that?" the other three asked him. "Because we will eventually come up with some crazy plan that's going to get me Lily," James told them with a grin. "Yes! Also, we will have to play a final prank for the students," Peter said with a smile. "Guys, this is our year. Let's make the best of it!" James told his best friends. "YEAH!" they shouted. "Oh, and Prongs? Congrats on making Head Boy, although I expected Moony over here to be appointed," Sirius told James. "Actually, so did I, but I'm not going to let that bother me because Lily will be there," James pointed out. And with that, they walked out of the Common Room.