"I don't believe I've ever seen a case like this. There are rumors that say that two people with corresponding Patronus shapes are meant to be. I never put much stock in it. But perhaps, Mr. Potter and Ms. Evans, you are more connected than you realize."

A/N: I changed a few minor things in this chapter. Instead of Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett, I changed it to Kingsley Shacklebolt and Emmeline Vance, because they were in Gryffindor the year behind James and Lily. Thanks to Cwam and MarauderSeeker24 for pointing out my mistake, and that Molly and Arthur would actually have been around 7 years older than James and Lily.

A Silver Doe and a Stag Marauder

"Rise and shine sleepy head!" a shrill female voice cut through the morning air. The girl whose peaceful slumber was currently being interrupted groaned and rolled over. "Come on Lils, wake up. You've got to get down to breakfast."

Lily Evans groaned again and tried to swat at the noise. Needless to say, this did nothing. Her bed curtains were ripped open and Lily moaned and flinched away from the light as quickly as she could, considering she was still half asleep.

She felt two little hands prod her sides, poking and jabbing at her, causing her to squirm so much that she fell out of her four poster bed.

"Bloody hell!" she exclaimed as she hit the ground. Lily finally blinked open her bright green eyes and looked up groggily. She realized she was face to face with the one and only Hestia Jones, her soon to be ex-best friend. Seriously, after seven years Hestia should know that Lily was not a morning person.

"What time is it?" Lily managed to croak out, trying to clamber back into her bed. Hestia was having none of it.

"Lily Marie Evans, you get your arse out of bed this instant! It is a beautiful day outside, and you're in here wasting it!"

Lily managed a glance out the window and saw that it was barely morning. "What time is it, Hest?"

"It's 7:30, for your information."

Lily groaned. "It's too bloody early, Hestia. Come on, we've been having this discussion for years. You can't wake me up before eight. I'm not a pleasant person if I don't get my beauty sleep."

"You're never a pleasant person. And since when do you need beauty sleep? I swear, Lils, if you get any more beautiful… well I was going to put a smart line there, or analogy, but I can't think of one. So let's just leave it at the fact that you don't need any more beauty sleep. Now get up, classes start in an hour, and I for one would like to have eaten breakfast first."

Lily sighed, knowing she was defeated. She looked around the Head Girl's room, still surprised that she didn't share it with anyone. It was the only good perk of being considered the prissiest girl in the school.

"I'll give you fifteen minutes to get ready. I'll be out in your Common Room, hoping I don't run into the prat you share it with."

She was talking about James bloody Potter, the last person Lily wanted to think about, especially in the morning. How on Earth he ever became Head Boy, she'll never know. Secretly she thought that Dumbledore had finally lost his mind. Really, it's the only explanation. Although, admittedly, James hadn't been nearly as bad this year. In fact, Lily would have to say he's been almost… helpful. He really changed, it seemed.

He's stopped hexing people as they walk down the halls, him and his Marauders never get caught pranking anymore, and yesterday she actually saw him handing in an essay to Professor McGonagall! James Potter never does homework! Yes, Potter had made a surprising change in his attitude.

But she still didn't understand why he was Head Boy. Lily expected Remus to get the Head Boy badge. Everyone expected Remus to get the Head Boy badge. He was the smart choice, the best choice, really. And he was a prefect. It had previously been unheard of for a boy or girl to be made a Head without being a prefect first.

Yes, Dumbledore's definitely off his rocker.

Lily came out into the Common Room fifteen minutes later to see Hestia sprawled out on her couch. "Took you long enough."

"What are you talking about? I was in there for fifteen minutes!"

"Yeah, well it felt like longer." Hestia stood up and they walked side-by-side out of the room. "It's totally not fair that you get your own dorm room. I mean, yes, you have to share part of it with Potter, but you have your own room. You can totally bring boys around whenever you want and never have to worry about silencing charms or anything!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Hestia, I'm not exactly bringing boys to my room every night, or at all, for that matter."

Hestia groaned. "I forgot. There's a reason you're Head Girl. But still, I mean, you have the option. It's not like I do. If I brought a boy up to my room, do you know what the others would do? They'd take the mickey out of me. They wouldn't leave me alone. Can't you just imagine it? Little Mary poking her head through the curtain at the wrong time, Marlene making inappropriate jokes as loudly as she possibly could…" Hestia shuddered for emphasis. "Don't get me wrong Lils, I love our roommates, but I seriously miss you sometimes."

Lily laughed and hooked her arm through her best friend's. "You know you can come by my room anytime you want, Hestia."

"I know, I know, and it's always nice to have a backup plan, but I feel guilty leaving them up there all alone. I feel like they'll think I don't like them."

"We know you love us, Hestia." A voice said from behind the two girls. Lily and Hestia whipped around to see Mary McDonald and Marlene McKinnon come strolling down the marble staircase together.

"How did you wake Lily up so early?" Mary asked Hestia, looking awed.

Hestia looked very smug with herself. "What can I say? It's a gift."

"Yeah yeah yeah, I get it alright? From now on I will try to wake up when the sun is still rising. Now, can we get some bloody food?"

Lily stomped into the Great Hall, feeling annoyed for no apparent reason. She didn't sleep very well last night.

"Wow, maybe we should let her sleep in. I forget how touchy she can be sometimes." Marlene whispered to Hestia, who just waved her off.

"If we let her sleep through breakfast she'll kill us. With Lily it's sometimes tough to make a decision. What does she want more, food or sleep? Food wins out more often than not."

The three remaining girls entered the Hall and quickly made their way over to their redheaded friend, who was already helping herself to the wonderful food provided by the Hogwarts house elves.

They all dug into their food, making small talk about the upcoming Hogsmede weekend, when they heard a loud clamor from the Entrance Hall. The whole Great Hall went silent as every single student and staff member turned their attention to the huge wooden doors that were currently keeping whatever was making the din at bay. Lily slipped her wand out of her pocket furtively. She saw Hestia (who was sitting next to her) do the same. They were in the middle of a war; they couldn't be taking any chances.

Suddenly the doors burst open, and in flew a swarm of crimson and gold canaries. There must have been a thousand birds zooming around the Great Hall. Many of the students screamed and ducked under the table, but Lily just sat, mesmerized.

Then, just as quickly, the birds started dive-bombing the Slytherin table, knocking over goblets, ruining plates of food, and pulling at the robes of a few of the older students, like Severus Snape and Walden Mcnair.

And then, about 200 garden gnomes came running into the Great Hall, every single one of them stuffed into a little lion outfit and emitting a realistic roar every time they tried to open their mouths.

The birds were terrorizing the Slytherins, the gnomes refused to leave, and the teachers all seemed frantic. It really was quite funny.

Then the four Marauders came zooming in on their broomsticks, each one roaring with laughter and brandishing their wands, pointing them upwards at the enchanted ceiling. In bright gold cursive, the words, "Courtesy of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs" appeared across the bright, cloudless sky. Below it, in smaller, silver letters, were the words, "Go, Go, Gryffindor!"

James flicked his wand once, and right above the entranceway to the Great Hall, the words, "Will you date me, Evans?" appeared in bright purple.

A loud cheer erupted from the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff tables. The Marauders hovered in midair and took over-exaggerated bows towards the students below. James scanned the room and then came swooping over to the Gryffindor table and stopped on top of it, right in front of Lily. He ran a hand through his hair. "What do you think, Evans?"

She looked around the Hall critically, then looked him full in the face and said, "I think the gnomes were a little much. Oh, and I think I'm not cleaning this up for you, Potter."

He blinked at her, seemingly disbelieving of her lack of reaction to this prank of all pranks. He had been hoping to impress her, to maybe make her laugh. James loved it when she laughed, but unfortunately it was all too infrequent around him. She hardly even smiled around him.

James sighed and raised his wand. With one last flourish, the screeching, pecking birds vanished, along with the lion-gnomes. His proposition also disappeared from above the door. The gold and silver words, however, remained suspended in the sky. Lily looked at him questioningly. He winked at her. "Well I can't do all the work for them, now can I?"

"You're a git." Lily said to him, before scooping up her book bag and leaving the Great Hall without another glance behind her. James was left standing on the Gryffindor table, utterly defeated and dumbfounded. He couldn't believe it, all his hard work, for nothing. Lilly had barely even looked at him.

He slumped down on the bench next to her friend Marlene, who had always been nice to him and the other Marauders, seeming to get their sense of humor. He buried his head in his hands for a few moments, the only indication that he was at all fazed by Lily's complete disregard for him. Marlene patted him on the back reassuringly.

When James heard his friends fly over, laughing, he straightened up, wiped all hint of a frown off of his face, and pretended to celebrate with them.

"Did you see that, Prongs?" Sirius asked, clapping him on the back and slipping between James and Marlene. "Did you see the look on old Snivellus' face? Ohhh, I couldn't believe none of the birds got stuck in his greasy hair. So how do you think it went? I think it was smashing, dear boys, smashing." Sirius said, looking around at Remus and Peter, both of whom were flushed with excitement that only comes from a prank well executed.

"It was brilliant, Padfoot, brilliant." James agreed, though inside he was rather disappointed. But he wasn't going to show that to his friends. The only people who had any idea of how much James really cared for Lily were Marlene and Remus. Yes, Sirius had some idea, but he thought James was just after her for a shag.

Marlene was on the Quidditch team. She was the Keeper, and she was the one who saw James at his most vulnerable, right after Lily rejected him. And Remus was smart enough to catch up on all the little things James did around her. He noticed that James always messed up his hair more, that he acted like a bigger prat, that he genuinely lit up whenever she said anything remotely kind about him, and how he got a blank, awe-filled look on his face whenever Lily had to bend down to pick something up. Yes, the last one was very teenage-boy-oriented, but that doesn't make it any less true.

Marlene leaned over Sirius and whispered quietly, "Don't worry James. She'll come around soon enough." James could only hope it was true. Marlene was the only one of Lily's friends that approved of the inevitable James-Lily relationship, and even encouraged James. Though the whole school was aware of James' pursuits, and every single one of them was waiting for the day when Lily Evans would realize they were perfect for each other. It was a day a long time in the making. Even her friends, though they didn't exactly like James, didn't dislike him either, and just wished Lily would accept him already.

James sighed before digging into his food.

"Ahem." Someone behind them cleared their throat. James, Sirius, and Marlene all turned around slowly, knowing that this was coming. Professor McGonagall was behind Sirius, arms folded across her chest, and looking very unhappy.

Sirius put his best smile on, and said, "Ah, Minnie my dear! How are you this fine morning?"

She pursed her lips. "I'm not very happy, Mr. Black, not happy at all. Do you four realize what you say about Gryffindor House every time you do one of your ridiculous pranks? You are setting a poor example for the younger students. And I am especially disappointed in you, Mr. Potter. You are Head Boy. The other students look up to you. I had hoped that this boost in responsibility would help straighten you out, not give you a better reason to cause mayhem and wreak havoc on the castle!" She glared at the four Marauders in turn, and each one hung their head, in real shame on James and Remus' parts, but Sirius and Peter were just acting ashamed.

"Detention, all of you. You will all report to my office at 8:00 for the next week, and twenty points from Gryffindor, each. I hope you learn something from this. Sometimes, being flamboyant and loud is not the best way to gain attention or affection from other students." She said this last part directly to James, and he shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

Professor McGonagall turned on her heel quickly, and stomped back up to the teachers' table at the front of the hall. James followed her progress with his eyes, until he found them drawn to Professor Dumbledore. James met the Professor's piercing blue gaze, and was surprised to see a twinkle in his eyes. Dumbledore was smiling slightly at James.

The Headmaster then pulled his wand out of his pocket and gave it a light flick. A piece of paper appeared on James' empty plate. It read:

I always appreciate a well-pulled prank Mr. Potter, as I'm sure you know. However, I'm not sure Ms. Evans feels the same way. Perhaps, the next time you wish to ask her out, you should try some nice chocolates, maybe some flowers. I've never thought of her as one who answers well to flamboyance and, if you may pardon my language, pig-headedness. I suggest a less egotistical approach next time.

Cordially,

Professor Dumbledore

James' eyes widened and he jerked his head up to meet Dumbledore's laughing expression. James smiled at the old man. Maybe he was right. There's a reason Dumbledore was everyone's favourite headmaster.

"What's on the paper, Prongs?" Sirius asked with a mouthful of toast.

James smirked. "Oh nothing Padfoot, just a little advice from a friend."

Sirius shrugged and turned his attention back to his food. Remus glanced down at his watch. "We should get headed to Charms. We don't want to be late. Professor Flitwick said we'll be working on Patronus Charms today." Remus said, his eyes flashing with unbridled excitement.

"Brilliant!" Sirius said. "I've always wondered what my Patronus would be…"

"Hmmm, let's think…" James said, with mock-thoughtfulness. "If I had to guess… I think it would be a dog." Sirius slapped him on the back of the head.

"Why would it be a dog?" Marlene asked, looking confusedly between the two boys. They exchanged a secretive look.

"I always found Sirius to be very similar to a dog. You know- the hair, the drool, the fleas…" This earned James another slap on the back of the head, while Marlene and Remus burst out laughing.

"I think it's going to be difficult." Peter said, a tremor in his voice. "I mean… Patronus Charms… those are seriously advanced."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "We're in NEWT level Charms Wormtail, what did you expect?"

Peter shrugged, but still looked worried. Remus clapped him on the back. "Don't worry about it, Wormtail. We'll all help you out after class if you still don't get it." This made Peter relax, and the four boys stood up to go to Charms.

"Hey, wait up! We'll walk with you." Hestia called, as she, Mary, and Marlene all hastened to catch up.

"Anything for you, my dear Ms. Jones." Sirius said, halting his walk until Hestia was in line with him, and then continuing to walk with a more pronounced sway than before. Hestia scowled.

"I've told you before Black, I'm not interested in being another notch on your bedpost."

Sirius grabbed at his heart. "I'm hurt, Hestia. I had hoped you thought better of me."

Hestia rolled her eyes. "I'm too smart for that, Black. Why don't you go sniffing somewhere else?"

James laughed at her word choice and yanked Sirius along to Charms, ignoring his friend's complaints.

They got to the classroom with two minutes to spare, so there were quite a few open seats. Hestia immediately headed over to Lily's table and sat next to her. Mary and Marlene took the table right next to it. Sirius tried to head towards the back of the class, but James pulled him to the table right behind Lily's, where he could stare at her all he wanted and she couldn't yell at him. Remus and Peter took the table next to James and Sirius', right behind Mary and Marlene.

A few other students flowed in to the class in the last few minutes. Lily waved at Alice when she came in, and James and Sirius nodded at Frank Longbottom, who was next to her, holding her hand.

They had this class with the Hufflepuffs, which wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, while not tight friends, were all cordial with each other, for the most part. They were a nice group with pleasant dispositions. They weren't obnoxious know-it-alls like some of the Ravenclaws, and they weren't prats and arseholes like the Slytherins.

Professor Flitwick came bustling in, excitement seeping off of him. "Good morning class! I hope you all ate a sufficient breakfast, because today's lesson is going to be quite difficult and exhausting. It is, however, one of my favourite ones to teach. Today we will be working on the Patronus Charm. Often this is taught during Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I begged Professor Dumbledore to let me teach it to you.

"The Patronus Charm is quite difficult to conjure. In order to produce a fully-fledged, corporeal Patronus, you must be very competent with Charms, in addition to having a very powerful concentration. Now, on to the directions. To produce a Patronus, you must think of a happy memory. Not just a pleasant memory, but a truly happy memory, the stronger the better. It must be able to fill you up, and you must be able to feel the emotion, as if it were happening to you at this very second.

"Once you have your memory, you say 'Expecto Patronum', and wave your wand in a clockwise circle, followed by a quick jab, like so. Expecto Patronum!" A large, silver bird erupted from Professor Flitwick's wand and swooped about the room, before vanishing.

A collective "Ooohhh" went up at the sight of the beautiful creature. James watched it with rapt attention. He had never seen anything so carefree or beautiful in his life, except maybe Lily.

"The Patronus Charm is used to ward off Dementors, and though I pray you never have to use it, it is still a very useful spell to know. Now, I would like you to split up into pairs and begin working on the charm. I warn you, it is a very frustrating process. I don't expect any of you to be able to produce a corporeal Patronus on your first try. At the most, you will probably just produce silver mist. But do not let it deter you. I have complete faith in the lot of you, and I trust that by weeks end, almost all of you will have the Patronus Charm accomplished."

The students began to split up, buzzing excitedly and talking about which animal they would produce.

"No, no, no, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, absolutely not! Mr. Black, I would like you to work with Ms. Jones, and Mr. Potter, you will work with Ms. Evans."

Lily's eyes flashed as she looked at James' smirking expression. "Wait, Professor Flitwick, are you sure I have to work with Potter? Can't he work with Remus?"

"No Ms. Evans. You are a much better influence. And as you are our Head Girl, you and Mr. Potter must learn to work together. Come along now, it is a double period, but that is no excuse to dawdle. Work quickly."

Lily glared at James as he came swaggering over to her. "Well isn't this a coincidence? Come now Evans, cheer up. We're just working on Charms work."

"I don't want you messing me up Potter. The Patronus Charm is definitely going to be on our NEWTs, and I would like to be able to produce one."

He held up his hands in surrender. "I promise no funny business. I want to learn this charm just as much as you do."

Lily looked at him, unsure whether or not he was lying. As if he had read her mind, James said, "I'm not lying. I promise no funny business. Now, which memory are you thinking of using?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure if I have a memory like the one Professor Flitwick described."

"I know what you mean. Oh well, I guess we have to try, right? What animal do you think yours will be?"

She shook her head. "No idea. How about you?"

He shrugged, though he had a very good guess as to what animal his would be. He didn't really want to say it, because Lily was one of the cleverest witches in the school, and he didn't want to risk her learning his secrets.

"Well, I guess we should start." Lily said as the silence became awkward.

He nodded. "You can go first."

She appeared to be in deep thought for a minute, before standing up a little straighter and saying in a clear voice, "Expecto Patronum!" Nothing happened. She shrugged. "Well that's fine. I didn't expect to do it on the first try. I guess I should look for a better memory."

James thought hard for a minute, and then decided on his first Christmas at Hogwarts, with Sirius, Remus, and Peter. "Expecto Patronum!" Again, nothing happened. He frowned. "I guess that one's not strong enough."

"What did you think about?"

"My first Hogwarts Christmas."

Lily looked at him, shocked. "That's the one I tried."

He smiled. "I guess great minds think alike."

"I guess so. I think it's my turn now." She thought for a minute. "Expecto Patronum!" This time, a light silvery mist flowed out of her wand, but it wasn't in a definite shape. "Did you see that? Did you? Something happened!" Lily said excitedly as the mist faded.

James grinned right along with her. "What did you think about?"

"It was when I was younger, when I still talked to my sister. I had fallen over earlier that day, and Petunia helped me out all day. She sat by my bed and hugged me until I stopped crying, and then she read to me until I fell asleep."

"Sounds like a great sister."

"Yeah… she used to be." Lily grew quiet and wouldn't look at James.

He cleared his throat. "Well, I guess it's my turn."

James and Lily continued to try and cast the charm, and by the end of the lesson both of them could produce thick silver mist every time they tried the charm. They were the farthest students along, so Professor Flitwick awarded them each ten points. "I would like a foot long essay about the Patronus Charm and the effects it has on Dementors to be completed and on my desk in exactly one week's time, no exceptions. Have a good day!" Flitwick dismissed them.

The Marauders, Lily, and Hestia all had a free period next. Marlene, Mary, Frank, and Alice were all still taking Divination. The six seventh year Gryffindors who weren't taking it had all dropped it after their fifth year, all finding it completely pointless.

James suggested that they spend their free time down by the lake, because it was a beautiful day with mild temperatures. All of them agreed, each feeling like they needed some fresh air.

The group trooped outside and strolled over to a large oak tree on the edge of the lake, each of them talking about the past Charms lesson. "I thought it was brilliant, but completely impossible." Remus said, flopping down on the grass. They all nodded in agreement.

Peter sat down on Remus' right, and Hestia sat on his left. Sirius quickly slid into the spot next to Hestia and threw an arm over her shoulder. She scowled and threw him off. Lily sat a little behind the others, leaning her back against the tree. James joined her quietly, trying not to make her angry. She didn't say anything, which he considered a good sign.

"How did you manage to get anything Prongs?" Sirius asked jealously.

James shrugged. "I guess I've just got better concentration than you Padfoot. Still, it's not like I actually made a Patronus. Flitwick was right, it's way more difficult than he made it look."

"At least you got something. And the rest of you all got nothing. I managed to light Flitwick's beard on fire! I don't know what I did, but it was dreadfully wrong!" Peter exclaimed, hiding his head in his hands while the rest of them roared with laughter. "It's not funny! I can't do anything right! Charms is impossible!"

"It's not impossible Wormtail; you just need to have a better attitude about it." Remus said, placing a reassuring hand on his friend's arm.

"Can we not talk about Charms anymore? I think we should work on our Quidditch plays."

"Oh not bloody Quidditch again!"

"I don't think that's very fair, Evans. You really should give it another chance."

"I've given it plenty of chances, Potter, and I'm not changing my mind. All you lot can think about is bloody Quidditch!"

Sirius cut in then. "I agree with James. You really should give it another chance. I mean, James is chaser and captain, I'm beater, Hestia here is the other beater, and Marlene is the keeper. A good lot of your friends play the game. I think the least you can do is tolerate it."

Lily sighed. "I'm sorry Sirius, Hestia. I just can't bloody stand it! You all talk about it nonstop, and I'm just no good at it."

"Ahh, the truth comes out!" Sirius exclaimed. Everyone turned to him, confused. "The real reason you don't like Quidditch is because you're a crap flyer, and you can't stand that there's something in this world that you can't do."

Lily blushed. "That's hardly fair Black. Yes, I don't like it because I'm crap at it, but you make me out as some bitch that's completely vain and self-centered, and can't do bloody anything wrong!"

"Now I never said that. Not that it isn't true or anything, but…"

James was up and with his wand drawn at Sirius before Lily could blink. "That's out of line Padfoot."

Sirius held his hands up. "Look, I'm sorry Prongs. I'm sorry Evans; I was just taking the mickey."

"It's fine Sirius, really it is. I didn't think you were serious."

"But I am Sirius." He said, pretending to be confused.

"I swear to Merlin Padfoot, if you make one more Sirius-serious pun, I'm going to hex you." Remus said, still lying on the ground with his eyes closed.

They all laughed. James sat back down and stowed his wand. He didn't make eye contact with Lily.

"Thanks anyways, James." She said, and leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. James thought that he could have made a perfect Patronus right then, if only they were in Charms class.

Neither Lily nor James said anything about the kiss for the rest of the day. At lunch though, the two sat next to each other and exchanged small talk. This didn't go unnoticed by Remus, Marlene, or Hestia. The rest of their group didn't seem to notice it, but those three did. It was a rare occurrence to see James Potter and Lily Evans talking to each other and not exchanging insults.

They had Transfiguration after lunch with the Ravenclaws, and McGonagall was her usual severe self, except a little colder towards James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter than she usually would be. It seemed her pride was still wounded. She assigned them a fifteen inch essay for homework on the properties of an Animagus, and the difficulties in becoming one. The Marauders seemed to find this assignment extremely funny, though they wouldn't explain why to anyone.

After Transfiguration they had Potions with Professor Slughorn. He doted on Lily just as much as usual, and it made James more uncomfortable than it usually did. He had them brew the Draft of Living Death, a fairly easy Potion for most of the class. Half of them made a passable brew, Peter's was despicable, James' was above average, Remus' was close to perfect, and Lily and Snape each had a flawless potion. They got 15 points each. Slughorn dismissed the class without homework, which James was grateful for. He had 27 inches of parchment to fill up for homework. Knowing Lily and Moony, they would both squish their handwriting together to try and fit as much information as possible and Padfoot would write as large as possible and hope he didn't lose points because of it.

As he was leaving the classroom, James sped up to catch up with Lily and Hestia. "You know Evans I think Slughorn has a crush on you." Not that I can blame him, James added in his head.

Lily sighed. "I know. It's bloody annoying, and creepy, at that. I don't know why he spends so much time complimenting me, when everyone knows that Sev… that someone else is better than me." She caught herself in the middle of saying her ex-best friend's name. It was still a sore subject with her, and James found he was sorry he brought up Slughorn at all.

"So, twenty-seven inches of homework, can you believe it?" He added after a few seconds of awkward silence. Hestia and Lily latched on to the topic gratefully.

"It could be worse." Hestia reasoned. "At least old Sluggy didn't give us work. I'll barely be able to get this much done."

"I know…" Lily said. "I see many nights of being in the library in our future."

Hestia groaned and James chuckled. "Lily, no one likes the library buy you."

"Hey, the library is very useful! How do you expect to pass any of your exams if you don't even know where they keep the Defense books?" Lily asked her friend.

Hestia shrugged. "I don't know. If only I had a brilliant friend who had memorized all of the useful books already… oh wait, I do! Come on Lils, you're a walking Encyclopedia! No one knows as much as you do, except maybe Remus."

"What about me?" James cut in.

Hestia and Lily gave him a long, calculating look. "You're clever Potter, I'll give you that, but I'm fairly sure you would have failed out of Hogwarts if you didn't have Remus to force you to do your homework." Lily said, smirking.

James laughed. "I think you're absolutely right Evans. It's no wonder you're the smartest in the school." Lily blushed and didn't say anything in response to the flattery.

They all had about an hour before dinner, so the group made the decision to get started on their homework, much to Hestia and Sirius' displeasure.

"If you don't do it now Hest you'll be up doing it all the night before. And I know you hate staying up until two in the morning doing your homework." Lily said as she dug through her book bag looking for a quill.

Hestia sighed and plopped herself in one of the best armchairs by the fire. "Fine, fine, you're right. I'll get started on it." She pulled out parchment and a quill and started flipping through her books, looking for good information.

When they finally decided it was time to leave for dinner, Lily had already finished Professor Flitwick's essay, as had Remus. James was about half-way done, Peter was struggling through his fourth inch of writing, and Hestia and Sirius had barely written a sentence, instead spending the whole time flirting with each other, though Hestia would hastily deny that that's what she was doing if anyone called her out on it.

Dinner was uneventful, in that nothing unusual happened. The group entered the hall, ate their dinner, laughed at Sirius' attempts at flirting with Hestia, and then left. It was 7:45 when they all went back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Lily, Hestia, Marlene, and Mary all plopped down on the sofa or in armchairs by the fire, while the boys took seats on the floor. Remus looked at his watch. "We only have ten minutes until we need to head down to McGonagall's." Sirius groaned.

"Honestly, I don't see why you all couldn't just come into breakfast like a normal group of people." Hestia said, picking up a book and flipping through it.

"Because, dear Hestia, we are not normal people." Sirius said, leaning back against her legs.

"Oh believe me Sirius; we know you're not normal." Hestia said, just loudly enough for him to hear.

"What time will your detentions be done?" Lily asked.

James shrugged. "It depends on how McGonagall is feeling. If she's in a particularly good mood, all we'll have to do is write lines. If she's feeling nasty, then we'll probably have to polish the trophy room." All four groaned. They had quite a history with that trophy room, and none of it was pleasant.

"Well, it serves you right!" Mary said, giving a firm nod.

"Come off it Mary, that joke was bloody hilarious! I mean the gnomes in lion outfits… priceless." Hestia said with conviction.

Sirius swelled with pride. "All my idea, might I add."

James whacked him on the back of the head. "No, actually Padfoot, I believe the gnomes were Moony's idea. You had the dive-bombing canaries."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Well, either way, I would say I definitely contributed."

Hestia rolled her eyes. "Congratulations Sirius, do you want a dog biscuit for it?"

"Do you have one?"

"As enjoyable as this is," Remus said, cutting through everyone's laughter, "we really need to be going. We don't want to be late on top of it."

"You're right." James said, getting up and stretching. As he lifted his arms above his head, his robe fell open and his shirt rode up slightly, just enough for Lily to see a sliver of his well-defined stomach muscles. She had to physically force her mouth not to drop open. The last thing she needed was to be aiding Potter's already swollen ego.

"Do you think you'll be back in time for rounds?" Lily asked James as he was stepping out of the portrait hole.

"I don't know. I'll try as hard as I can. Maybe McGonagall will let me off early to patrol with you."

"Well, if you don't make it I'll just go alone."

He quickly crossed the room until he was directly in front of her. James grabbed her hands in his and said urgently, "Don't go alone."

"Why not?" She asked, not bothering to pull her hands from his.

"We're in the middle of a war, Lily. And you being a muggleborn… well, some of the Slytherins might take the opportunity to attack you. Please, if I don't make it back in time, promise me you'll go with Kingsley Shacklebolt. He's the sixth year prefect, and he's a nice bloke. He'll look out for you."

Lily looked up into James' eyes and saw genuine concern on his features. She nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll go with Kingsley if you don't make it back. But I can take care of myself Potter."

"I know you can Evans. But I'd feel better. Just… do it as a favor to me, yeah?"

"Alright. Fine."

"Thank you." He whispered, bending down to kiss her on the cheek before running out of the portrait hole after his friends. Lily's cheeks were a faint pink as she reached her hand up, almost in a daze, and brushed the spot where James' lips had been.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Hestia asked, looking bewildered.

"I… I don't know." Lily said truthfully.

Hestia gave Marlene and Mary a look. The three nodded at each other before grabbing Lily by the arms and dragging her up to the seventh year girl's dorm.

"Wait." Hestia said, before knocking loudly on the door. "FRANK? ALICE? ARE YOU TWO IN HERE?" She yelled loudly through the closed door. There was no answer. "Alright, it's safe to go in."

They dragged Lily through the door and placed her on Hestia's bed. The three other girls stood in a line in front of Lily, arms crossed, looking severe.

Lily glared at them. "What did I do to deserve this? Why are you lot dragging me through the Common Room? Did you need something illegal done? Am I in trouble?"

"Yes, you are in trouble." Hestia said, glowering and not bothering to answer the other questions.

"What did I do, might I ask?"

"What's been going on with you and James today?" Marlene asked.

Lily went a little red. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh don't give me that! You were perfectly dreadful to him this morning, much like your usual self, and then after Charms, you're just… pleasant to him. It's bizarre." Hestia looked accusingly at her best friend.

"I just thought that we should be a little more… mature in our relationship. Is that such a crime?"

"No, it's not a crime. But you know how that boy feels about you Lily, and it seems like you're dragging him on! I saw you kiss his cheek today, by the lake." Lily blushed, but Hestia continued her tirade. "You've been laughing with him, chatting to him, hell you've even been flirting with him!"

"I have not!"

"Oh yes you have. Even Mary can see it."

Mary nodded solemnly. "It's true. It's insanely obvious."

"Look… I'm not flirting with Potter. I'm just being cordial."

"You were sitting next to him at lunch."

"And you were sitting next to Sirius!"

Now it was Hestia's turn to blush. "That's different, there's nothing going on there."

"There's definitely something going on! Help me out, Marlene."

The whole room turned to Marlene, who shrugged. "She's kind of got a point, Hest. Next to her and James I've never seen so much unresolved sexual tension."

"This isn't about me and Sirius! Who are we interrogating? You lot can do this to me if I ever suffer enough brain damage to allow me to date that prat."

"I'm not dating Potter."

"No, you're not-yet. But come on Lils, admit it. You fancy him."

"I do not!"

"Yes you do. You fancy James bloody Potter. You think he's sexy. You find his cavalier attitude charming. You swoon when you see his dark, wind-tossed hair. His mysterious air and bad boy visage gets you hot."

Lily rolled her eyes. "He's not James Dean, Hestia."

"Who?"

Lily shook her head. "Muggle reference. But no, Hestia, I don't fancy James Potter."

"You can't even look me in the eye when you say that!"

Lily brought her piercing green eyes to meet Hestia's soft brown ones. "I-do-not-fancy-James-bloody-Potter." She said through clenched teeth.

Hestia's stance remained firm, but Marlene softened and went to sit down next to her friend. "Look, Lily, I know you think you hate him, but think about this. What has he done recently that's so prattish-excluding this morning, that is?" She cut in quickly.

Lily thought for a few moments. She couldn't really think of anything. Besides the fact that he still ran his fingers through his hair every other second, James hadn't done anything terrible in a year. Can he really have changed? Lily didn't believe that people ever could… but it seems like James was living proof.

"I… I ne-need a while." Lily said, getting up and sprinting out of the room. She came down off of the stairs at a run and almost knocked over a large boy with dark black skin.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kingsley Shackelbolt apologized in a deep, relaxing voice. "I wasn't looking where I was going." He said, glancing back over his shoulder at Emmeline Vance, who was sitting in the corner, laughing with some of her sixth year friends.

Lily followed his gaze and her expression softened when she saw where he was looking. She didn't mention it to Kingsley though. Instead she said, "Kingsley, I really need a favor. James is serving detention tonight and school rules say you can't go patrolling on your own. I know it's not your night, but can you come patrolling with me? You'd be doing me a huge favor."

"Of course I can, Lily. Do we need to go now?"

"Yeah, now would be good. I need a little time to think about… things…"

He didn't press her, or ask what she was talking about, and for that Lily was extremely grateful. She always knew Kingsley was a nice bloke, and James approved of him. James didn't approve of anyone.

They walked along in silence for a long while, starting at the top of the castle and working their way down to the dungeons. They didn't talk much, but they didn't need to. They weren't friends, per se, but they were definitely friendly, which meant that walking in complete silence wasn't awkward. They both had more important things (or rather, people) to think about.

When they were headed back up from the dungeons, on about the third floor, Lily finally said something. "She's a wonderful girl, Kingsley. I can see why she has your eye."

Kingsley jumped and started sputtering in embarrassment. "I… I don-don't know what you mean."

Lily smiled softly. "Relax Kingsley; I'm not going to tell her. But I think you should. We're in the middle of a war. I'd hate to see something that could be go to waste."

"But what if she doesn't like me?" he asked in a small voice.

"But what if she does? You need to take a chance Kingsley. Use that Gryffindor bravery. Ask the girl out to Hogsmede. The next weekend is coming up in just a month."

Kingsley seemed to think about it for a minute, before letting a huge grin cross his face. They were approaching the Gryffindor Common Room, and Lily could see Hestia outside of it, looking around. She stopped right before they rounded the corner.

"I'm going to head back to my room now. Thanks for doing this Kingsley, you really saved my life."

He nodded. Right as she was leaving, she felt a hand on her arm. She turned back around to see Kingsley standing there, smiling lightly. "Thank you, Lily. I think I'm going to take your advice. I think you should take it, as well."

Lily didn't have time to ask him what he meant, because he was off, sprinting towards the Common Room before she could open her mouth. He gasped out the password, and she had just enough time to hear him shout "Emmeline!" before the portrait swung shut again, leaving her in the silent hallway.

She made her way to her room and entered the Common Room that she shared with James. It was almost strange to see it without him. She was so used to coming in and seeing his form sprawled across the couch, ruffling through his hair and playing with his stupid snitch. Why did he even have a snitch? The man was the bloody chaser!

Though it was only about 11, and Lily could use the time to get more of her essay done with, she was exhausted, and needed some time to think. She went into her room, changed into her pajamas, lay down on her bed, and drifted off to sleep mere minutes later.