'Go with me to Hogsmeade next weekend.'

'I'd rather go with the giant squid.'

Chapter one.

Saturday mornings at Hogwarts were meant for two things. Quidditch, and sleeping in. Lily Evans didn't play quidditch. So, why was she awake shortly after eight o'clock on the second Saturday of April? One reason; James Potter. Fellow sixth year Gryffindor, one-fourth of the notorious group known as the Marauders, and captain of their house quidditch team. Everybody's favorite guy, James Potter. Notice the sarcasm?

Letting out an angry huff, Lily shoved a hand through her long, red hair before throwing the curtains of her four-poster bed wide. With narrowed eyes, she took in the brightly lit dormitory around her. The curtains surrounding the occupants of the three other beds were shut tight against the bright rays shining through the wide windows, the sound of soft snores occasionally breaking past the thick red fabric. Rubbing a hand down her freckled face, she crawled out of bed and muttering under her breath the whole way, entered the adjoining bathroom. 'Stupid, Potter. - if it wasn't for him - always asking me - annoying git.'

Holding her toothbrush under the running faucet, she glared at her reflection. Taking stock of her frizzy red hair, and the dark circles under her vivid green eyes, Lily groaned. She was up well past midnight studying for a Transfiguration midterm scheduled for later in the week, and the lack of sleep was evident against her pale complexion. Rolling her eyes, she began brushing her teeth and vowed to take a nap as soon as she completed her assigned detention. Detention. Spitting out a mouthful of spearmint froth, Lily watched as it was rinsed down the drain with a glare. She had made it five and a half years without having to serve a detention. Five and a half years. Sighing, she piled her hair into a red bun on the top of her head and changed into her uniform.

Fifteen minutes later, Lily walked into a near-deserted great hall. Looking around the large room, she noted the empty Slytherin table, and let out a sigh of relief. The war against Muggle-borns was heating up, and she was grateful to not have to get into a verbal sparring match about why muggle-born wizards should have the same rights as though born from 'pure blood', so early on a Saturday morning. Walking past the Hufflepuff table, she smiled at Alfie Thomas and his group of early risers. Alfie was one of those weird people who actually enjoyed waking up early, always claiming to get the most done when the rest of the school was sleeping. Shuddering, Lily settled at the empty Gryffindor table, never would she willingly wake up before she needed. Grabbing a piece of buttered toast, she bit into it moodily and glanced around. She saw a solitary Ravenclaw sitting at the table across from her, the blonde girl had her nose buried in a thick novel, and Lily snorted. The students of Hogwarts were very committed to keeping up with house stereotypes.

'Morning, Evans.' A sleepy voice said next to her.

Jumping slightly at the sound, Lily glanced to her left and raised a thin brow. 'Black.' She watched the young man next to her shove a piece of toast in his mouth, and haughtily asked him: 'why are you sitting here?'

Sirius Black met her questioning gaze and shrugged. 'No one else here,' he mumbled around the bread in his mouth, toast crumbs flying in her direction.

'Your point?' She asked him, wearing a look of distaste.

'Merlin's pants, Evans.' Black looked at her with dark eyes before piling scrambled eggs onto his plate. 'It always amazes me that you manage to have a stick up your arse so early in the morning.'

Rolling her eyes, Lily reached for a goblet and filled it with pumpkin juice, before deadpanning: 'You've gotta work at it, but if you try hard enough, it is possible.'

Snorting, Sirius grinned at her and shook his head, his black hair hung loosely around his shoulders and swayed with the motion. Lily hated that she envied the smooth look of his silky tresses. 'Prongs is right, you are witty.'

Once again rolling her eyes, Lily reached for an apple and said, 'I really couldn't care what Potter thinks of me.'

'You know,' the man beside her turned to study her, 'I think you're lying.' He nodded at that, before smirking at her.

'And why's that?' Knowing she would regret asking him to explain, Lily asked him anyway. She took a bite out the apple in her hands, and glanced at her watch, she had ten minutes before she was due in detention.

Sirius shoved a spoonful of eggs into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. After taking a drink from the steaming mug before him, he shrugged. 'Here's my theory. You're secretly in love with James, right? But you've turned him down so much these past few years that you can't just come out and say it. Cause then you're gonna look like a hypocrite, yeah?' He paused, looking at her for confirmation. When she remained silent he continued eagerly, 'hear me out! Okay, and you're not the type who wants to be known as a hypocrite. So I figure, if you really were that indifferent about one James Potter, you would go out with him.'

'Er-' Lily blinked at him, her green eyes dark with confusion. 'How do you figure?'

'If you really didn't like him, you would go out with him to shut him up.'

'What?' Setting her apple down, she looked at him fully now.

Nodding his head, Sirius shoveled two bites of egg in his mouth before shoving back from the table. 'S'right.' He said, eggs spraying across the table, 'gotta go do some time. See ya.'

Lily watched as Sirius raced from the hall, blinking at his retreating back. Starting in once again on the apple she had cradled in her palm, she turned his words over in her head. Go out with him to shut him up. Would that work? Glancing at the delicate watch on her wrist, Lily swore. She was going to be late.

x X x

Pushing open the heavy door that would lead into the History of Magic classroom, Lily winced when she heard the familiar monotone drone of Professor Binns. 'Miss Evans, thank you for joining us.'

'Sorry I'm late.' Lily meekly replied. Letting the door close behind her, Lily noticed two other students already seated behind desks. The blonde girl from the Ravenclaw table, and Sirius Black.

Dropping her bag on the floor next to her, Lily crossed her arms and pouted. First Black had to disturb her breakfast, the most important meal of the day, and now he has to disturb her during detention. Sighing aggressively, she listened as the ghostly Professor Binns explained their punishment. It seems that they were to be knocking erasers today. Joy. Four hours of beating chalk erasers together.

'There will be no need to use your wands.' Binns low voice followed the three students to the back of the room. Glancing over her shoulder, Lily watched him float before a window, seemingly lost in thought.

'Gotta love detentions with Binns.' Sirius said happily.

'I don't know, Sinister detentions are by far easiest.' The blonde Ravenclaw supplied, her blue eyes focused on Sirius' cocky movements.

'Blasphemy. Binns always forgets he's hosting and dips halfway through.' Lily watched as Black shoved a hand through his hair, and leaned against the table piled high with their objective.

'Big whoop.' The blonde girl, what is her name again?, giggled before shrugging. 'Sinister spends the whole time talking about her times traveling. And always has chocolate.'

'Really?' Sighing at the perky tone Sirius took, Lily pushed past them and studied the erasers. 'I've never served under her.'

Lily rolled her eyes, puh-lease. Were they really going to debate on who threw the better detention? Grabbing two erasers from the pile, Lily started smacking them together. Maybe if she beat these erasers hard enough, there'd be enough chalk in the air to choke on. Then she'd have to be rushed to the hospital wing. Maybe they'd let her spend the whole weekend there. She could nap, and catch up on some reading. And it wou- 'Evans!' A pair of snapping fingers appeared in her line of sight and she jumped.

'What? Sorry.' Focusing on the laughing pair before her, Lily shrugged.

'I asked what landed you here. Twice.' Sirius held up two fingers and cocked a brow.

'Sorry, I was having a great thought.' Sighing lustfully, she glanced again at their floating professor.

'Oh really?' Switching his stance, Sirius leaned towards her and winked. 'What kind of thought?'

'The kind that got me away from you.' Smacking her erasers in his face, Lily grinned when he coughed through the chalk.

'Not cool, Evans.'

'I would rather be doing lines.' This came from the Ravenclaw girl with a whine. Was it Rebecca? Fanning the air in front of her face, she fluttered her eyes at Sirius and gave a dainty cough. No, it had to be Phoebe. 'Don't they have house elves to do this?'

'You make a valid point, Emmaline.' Ah, that's right! Emmaline Vance. Sixth year Ravenclaw. Plays quidditch, prefect, and president of the gobstones club. She could totally be a Phoebe though, Lily thought distractedly. 'I don't know how I seriously never thought about that. Seriously, it's disturbing. There are child labor laws that seriously state that we should be serving detention in an educational manner. Not this.. this dust beating hippogriff poo! I am outraged. Seriously!'

'Quiet down now, Mr. Black.' That delightfully monotone voice floated back to them. 'This isn't a playground.'

'I wish it was! But no-o,' Sirius slapped a hand to the table, before crying out in outrage: 'this is a labor-ground!'

'Mr. Black.'

'Seriously!'

'Mr. Black.'

'Professor Binns, seriously!'

'Seriously, shut it Black!' Lily cried out in exasperation.

'You too, Evans? Seriously?' He met her gaze, and Lily had to laugh at the over the top wounded look he had. His wide eyes held her gaze while his lower lip wobbled. 'I thought, you know, house pride. You'd be on my side.'

'When have I ever been on your side?' She asked him with a laugh.

'Uh-' beating two erasers together, Sirius narrowed his gaze in thought. 'Last year. When Longbottom cornered me in the common room.'

'Pfft. For all of two minutes.' Shaking her head, she argued. 'Until Frank explained that you and Potter had snuck in his room and stole Alice's knickers.'

'Did you notice that no one even questioned why he had those?' He asked, a devilish smirk crossing his handsome face.

'Ooh. Are they still together?' Emmaline asked as she rubbed two erasers against each other. 'Frank tutored me last year in Charms, I was sad he graduated already.'

'They are!' Lily answered happily. Reaching for another set of erasers, she supplied: 'I think they're meeting up during the next Hogsmeade visit.'

'They're so cute together.' Emmaline sighed dreamily before looking at Sirius. 'Do you ever want that?'

'Huh?' Sirius looked up from the eraser tower he had been building to shake his head and laugh. 'Hard pass. Monogamy, not my style.' Turning to look at Lily, he missed the disappointed look the blonde girl gave him. 'I've got one. Second year, when Snape and his cronies cursed my hair. Remember? When it all fell out? Then grew back green?'

Snorting, Lily grinned at him. 'I forgot that happened!' She laughed and shook her head. 'Doesn't count though. I found out later that you and Potter kept transfiguring Severus' robes into a dress.'

'It was a joke!'

'You did it every day for a week.'

'Eh, you had to be there.'

'Aren't you friends?' Emmaline asked of them; her blue eyes traveling between the two while they bickered.

Lily shook her head, 'nope.'

'Don't lie. We are too.' Sirius turned his charming smile on and faced Emmaline. 'Evans here has a love-hate relationship with us Marauders.'

'Yeah. I love to hate you.' Thinking about it, she quickly added, 'well, not Remus. He's a good bloke. Makes questionable friend choices. But,' she shrugged then, and grinned, 'overall, solid guy.'

'She doesn't hate James either.' Sirius added, draping an arm across Emmaline's shoulders, causing the blonde to blush and giggle. He leaned in close, and whispered in her ear, 'she's just acting hard to get.'

Grinding her teeth together, Lily glared at him. 'Shut up, Black.'

'Just saying it as I see it.' He pulled Emmaline closer and chuckled, 'just saying, I didn't mention James at all initially, she's the one who brought him up, right?'

'Get your eyes checked then.' Lily replied.

'Uh-huh. Wanna come check out my eyes, Vance?'

The blonde giggled and nodded before following along when Sirius started for the door. 'Detention isn't over!' She called after them, noticing for the first time that Professor Binns had left at some point. The door closing behind the pair echoed around her and she sighed. Dropping into the chair behind the eraser table, she rubbed at her eyes.

This sucks. The stack of erasers loomed before her. More then a hundred of them, if she had to guess. And she was left with them all. She glanced at her watch and groaned. Only thirty minutes had passed. She could just magic them and leave, she considered, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully. No one would know. Unless Professor Binns came back. And all three of them were gone, and the erasers were all clean. And there was still two hours left, but the room was empty. Then she would get another detention. And then she'd have to face more erasers. Shaking her head, Lily grabbed two of the offending rectangles and smacked at them. No way was she risking that.

x X x

Three hours and fifteen minutes later, Lily wiped at her forehead. She had just beat the last two erasers together and added them to the top of the stack. There were 142 erasers. She counted. They were all clean, no thanks to Black or Vance. Wiping her palms against the fabric of her skirt, she nodded and looked around. Binns still hadn't returned, and with only ten minutes left on the clock, Lily slowly crept towards the door. She stopped with her hand on the handle and debated the chances of Binns showing up within the last few minutes. Placing an ear against the cool wood, she listened for footsteps. Then laughed at herself. The Professor was a ghost. Not the noisiest of teachers. Glancing at her watch, she saw she had eight minutes left. Chewing on her bottom lip, she took a deep breath and pulled the door open. Peeking her head out, she looked first left then right. The coast was clear. No students, or professors. Hiking her bag up higher on her shoulder, Lily stepped into the hall and grinned. Look at her, cutting out early. She jumped when the door shut at her back but started down the hall with a quiet laugh.

She took a deep breath and smiled, she knew it was all in her head, but the air in the hallway smelt so much cleaner than the air in Binns room. Less chalky. Her stomach chose that moment to begin rumbling and she decided to stop for lunch, then treat herself to her promised nap. With that plan in mind, she turned a corner and ran into something solid. Not something, someone.

'Oof.' The air rushed out of her lungs, and she felt two strong hands wrap around her upper arms, keeping her from tumbling to the floor. 'Sorry, I wasn't paying attention.' Glancing up, she met a pair of hazel eyes, Potter, go figure.

'Alright, Evans?' The tall boy asked her, as a hand jumped to ruffle his messy black hair.

'Just leaving detention.' She told him, a snooty tone in her voice. Potter did have the grace to wince slightly. Good, he's the one who put her there.

'How'd it go?' He asked, leaning against a wall. 'Sirius was with Binns today too.'

'For all of five minutes.' Rolling her eyes, Lily avoided looking at Potter. 'He and Vance left pretty early.'

'Yeah?' She heard the grin in his voice and shifted her stance before looking up. Potter was nodding his head, a smirk on his face. 'He's been trying to get with her for weeks now.'

'Why am I not surprised.' Rolling her eyes, Lily studied the boy before her. Not boy, she realized. Sometime in the last few months, James Potter had changed. He now stood a whole head taller than her, and she noticed that his hand didn't dance with his hair as much as it used to.

Chuckling, Potter offered a shrug, before standing straight. 'So, what are your plans for the rest of the day? We should go to the kitchens... I know the way.' He shot a smile her way and tangled his fingers in his hair again.

'Are you serious?'

'No, I'm James. I thought you knew that.' He grinned at his lame joke and raised a brow.

'No, Potter.'

'C'mon Evans. Why not?'

'Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I just left detention, one that I had because of you, might I add, and all I want is to go back to bed.' She turned on her heel and started to walk briskly away.

'Don't you dare blame me for your detention, Lily Evans!' Potter called after her. 'It's not my fault you hexed me!'

'Excuse me?!' Turning on her heel, Lily marched back towards Potter. 'It's not your fault?' She stopped a foot away and fisted her hands on her hips. 'It's not your fault that you don't know what the word 'no' means? Or that you constantly badger people until they give in?'

'I don't constantly badger people. Only you.' He smiled at her then, as if the slight tilt of his lips would make her forget her anger.

Narrowing her eyes, Lily glared him down. Her nostrils flaring, 'oh, well as long as it's only me then.'

'Uh-' ruffling his hair then, Potter stared at her and shrugged. 'I'm assuming that didn't help. Hmm.'

'No, it didn't.'

'Well..' Potters hazel eyes traced her face, and Lily had to fight a blush; the intensity of his gaze always left her spinning. 'Let me make it up to you.' He started, stepping forward. Lily had to look up to hold eye contact, and she was taking deep breaths, trying to get a grip on her temper. 'Go with me to Hogsmeade next weekend.'

'I would rather go with the giant squid!'

'Don't do that!' Potter laughed at her before fingering his hair, again. 'He always makes his date pay.'

'Potter.' Closing her eyes, Lily shook her head. 'You are insufferable.'

'You know, I've heard that before. Wait- where are you going?' Lily had started walking away, ignoring the other student. 'Is that a yes?'

Flashing two fingers behind her, Lily turned a corner, 'the nerve of him!' Glancing at her watch, she saw the hour hand just settling on the one. She should've waited out the last ten minutes.

x X x

'Lily?' The soft voice floated past her shut curtains, and Lily forced her eyes to remain shut. 'Are you up?'

'No.' She called back, eyes still firmly shut. 'Time's it?'

'Almost dinner.' Light forced its way through the thick curtains, and Lily groaned. Cracking an eye, she looked into the smiling face of her dorm mate, Marlene McKinnon. 'Have a good nap?'

Sitting up, Lily ran a hand through her wild hair and grimaced. 'No. Wasn't long enough.'

'You were in there for three hours!' A chipper voice called from across the room.

'Still not enough time.' Lily replied moodily. 'What'd I miss?' Accio'ing her hairbrush, she ripped it through her hair.

The petite blonde sat at the foot of her bed and began filing her nails. With a shrug, Marlene filled her in on the days' events. 'Well, the third years played a rousing game of truth or dare this morning. Michelson is gonna have to spend a week in the hospital wing. And -'

'Lucky.' Tossing her hairbrush to the floor, Lily scooped her hair into a loose bun. 'I wanna spend a week in the hospital wing. How'd he manage that?'

'Well, I don't know the whole story.' Marlene settled Indian style on the bed, and leaning against one of the columns, she grinned. 'Pettigrew claims Slughorn caught him in his supply closet and hexed him out of pure reaction.'

'What?'

'That's not what happened!' Alice Gellar jumped on Lily's bed, her blue eyes twinkling in the bright dorm light. Alice ran a manicured hand through her dark pixie cut and laughed. 'He's just trying to sound cooler then he is. Telsa caught him coming out of that broom closet by Charms with Annie Jackson.'

'No!' With wide eyes, Lily looked at the chipper girl now bouncing on her bed. Chase Michelson and Telsa Andrews have been dating for the better part of three years. They were the Alice and Frank of Ravenclaw tower.

'Yup.' Letting the word pop, Alice nodded knowingly. 'Heard it from Telsa right after it happened. She seemed relieved it was over, honestly.'

'Can we get food now?' Marlene asked on a whine. When the other two nodded, and they set off, she refocused on the conversation. 'Can you blame Telsa for being relived though? Michelson is such a slimy little git. I've been seeing him hang around Yaxley and his goons all year!'

'Ugh, she's definitely better off without him.' Alice interjected with a nod. 'And it's perfect timing for her, with N.E.W.T.s around the corner, now she'll be able to focus.'

'Unless the breakup pushes her into a downhill spiral.' Lily supplied, a thoughtful look on her face. 'I don't know how well I'd be able to study with my heartbroken.'

Marlene threw an arm around her shoulders before pointing out: 'you need to be in a relationship in order for that to happen, Lils. And considering you have that whole, waiting for mr. right thing, going on, you should be good.'

'You say that like its a bad thing.'

'It's not!' Alice elbowed their friend, and after sidestepping a pair of slow-moving first years, turned around to look at the two. Walking backward, she gave Lily a complacent smile, 'don't listen to Mar. I think it's great you wanna wait until after school to commit.'

Snorting, Marlene shook her head. 'Greatly boring. Left, Alice.' When the girl moved to the left and avoided walking through the ghosts of the Bloody Baron and Grey Lady, Marlene continued. 'I think it would help you.'

'Help me how? Alice, right.' Alice grinned and took a step right

'Distract you. From homework, Petunia, all that crap Slytherin keeps throwing at you. And it might shut James up for a bit. Ooh, date James, then he'll definitely leave you alone.'

Lily groaned while Alice laughed, 'Yeah, he won't be asking you out, he'll be to busy trying to stick his tongue down your throat.'

'Pass.' Shuddering, Lily made a face and shrugged. 'Besides, even the idea of talking to a guy like that makes me panic. Like, I seriously will break out into a sweat, and get like, this need to poop feeling. No,' she shook her head aggressively, 'thanks. I plan on avoiding that as much as possible. If I can manage to only have to experience that once, that'd be cool.'

'Need to poop feeling?' Alice asked after turning back around.

'Yeah, it's a rough time.' Lily sighed and offered them a shy smile. 'I don't need a guy anyways. I'll just continue living vicariously through you two. Still meeting up with Frank next week?' She asked Alice, changing the subject.

x X x

Later that night, Lily sat alone at a far window in Gryffindor common room. She had her transfiguration textbook open in her lap, and notes surrounding her person. With her wand clutched in her hand, she groaned out in frustration and poked at a vase of flowers. 'Stupid roses.' Flicking her wand, she watched the vase twitch in its spot, before the flowers turned yellow. 'What? How did that even happen?'

'Alright, Evans?'

Glancing up, Lily offered Remus Lupin a smile. 'Hey.'

'Hey.' Remus settled in the chair next to her and nodded at her book. 'What ya doing?'

'Trying to turn these flowers into a sweater. It's not working.' She complained, gesturing to the yellow blooms before them.

'I see that.' Scratching his chin, Remus offered her a lopsided grin, 'they look good yellow for what it's worth.'

Rolling her eyes, Lily shook her head. 'Doesn't make me feel better. When am I ever going to transfigure flowers into a sweater?' she asked him, shoving the book from her lap.

'Maybe there will be a time, that you go for a walk. And 'cause it's nice out, you won't have a sweater. Then, it starts to rain. And not a little, like a lot! Straight down pouring. Your hair is gonna be clinging to your head, and you're gonna be covered in goose prickles. Then you spot a lone flower, off to the distance. Wouldn't it be terrible if you couldn't remember how to turn it into a sweater?'

Blinking at the man next to her, Lily grinned and slowly shook her head. 'At that point, I'd rather be able to transfigure an umbrella. Impressive picture though.'

'Eh.' Remus shrugged and picked up the book, reading the instructions printed, he flicked his wand, and the pair watched as the vase changed into a warm woolen sweater.

Lily glared at the offending garment. 'Not fair.'

'You know,' Remus tossed the book on the table and shot her a cocky grin, 'James is great at transfiguration. He'd probably help you.'

'Not you too.' Groaning, Lily dropped her head to the table and beat a small fist against the wood. 'Why has my life come to this?' Letting out an aggravated sigh, Lily's green eyes met Remus' warm chocolate, the merriment obvious in his dark gaze.

'You know, Sirius is all wrong, you're not overly dramatic at all.'

'Ha. That's the pot calling the kettle black, yeah?'

'Oh, definitely.' Laughing, Remus leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking beneath his weight. 'He's worse than every girl.' They shared a laugh at the expense of Sirius Black before Remus offered: 'I was serious about James before. He probably would tutor you.'

'I'm good.' Sliding the book back towards her, Lily offered him a smile. 'Thanks though, I'll figure it out.'

'Alrighty.' Standing up, the quiet Gryffindor offered her a salute, 'I'll leave you to it.' He knocked his knuckles once against the table before departing.

Sighing, Lily looked around the crowded common room. It seemed she was the only one using her time constructively. Everywhere she looked, she saw friends hanging out, games and snacks between them, easy smiles on their faces. Each corner held a different couple; not that she could tell for sure who anyone was, their faces having been glued together. She turned her eyes from the snogging couples and met the hazel gaze of James Potter across the common room. He was leaning against the wall laughing at something Black had whispered in his ear. She watched as he shook his head and started for her direction. Quickly grabbing her books and notes, Lily jumped up and raced for the door that would lead her to the girls' dormitory.

A/N: Thanks for reading guys! Let me know what you think!