Chapter 2

Quick a/n:

Firstly I'd like to thank LittleMissCracker for actually being kind and not hostile.

Secondly: PLEASE REWIEW!

Then I'd like to say: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!

And finally I'd like to explain some things:-

- In this fanfic Lily detests swearing and only swears if needed (not like me then …)

- Lily and Zoë can about lots of things at once but if you don't understand don't worry 'cause a lot of it is just insulting James - BTW: it is how me and my friends speak when we want no one but us to understand

- Caroline is not a random person, her and James are very good friends because they lived near one and other as children - BTW: she is not contest for Lily

- And this may seem the same as an actual Harry Potter book but it isn't!

Right that's enough of me … on with the story …

Chapter 2

The Feast

"Z, please be quiet!" groaned Lily as she stepped onto a carriage dragged by complete nothingness.

"But Lily, he is a prick!" replied Zoë.

"Just because he called you a slag!"

"He's a whore!"

"Z, I'm being totally serious when I tell you that James Potter doesn't even deserve your attention. And don't use words like that they're filth." Lily criticised.

"What, 'whore'?"

"Shut up, Z!"

"Whore!" she said bursting into uncharacteristic laughter.

"I mean it!" Lily warned but a smile played on her lips.

"Whore – oh come on Lily, he is a W…"

"Don't you dare…"

"…H…"

"Z, I mean it…"

"Awww… come on Lily, there's nothing more liberating than the truth … O …"

"Where's that from? And I'm going to get into a carriage with Slytherin."

"Me, you wouldn't and … R …"

"As if, I would and ..."

Suddenly they were interrupted by Maxine who had her brow furrowed and her glasses between her teeth. She jumped into the carriage with easy grace muttering something about one night stands. Lily cocked an eyebrow when she heard this but it was Zoë that finally broke the silence: "What's wrong with you boyfriend problems? Oh … and Lily … E!"

Maxine rolled her eyes, "Can we have one conversation at a time please? Your double, treble, quadruple – or whatever else you want to call them – conversations are confusing to outsiders like me and … oh! Here comes Marlene!" The brunette jumped out of the carriage as lightly as humanly possible and ran to her best friend. Leading her by the wrist, Maxine dragged Marlene into the carriage. When they sat down, Zoë began her questioning.

"Maxine you just avoided a very important question. Because I, Zoë McKean, am very nosy and would like to know what your arse of a boyfriend has done now."

"Wow, Z, you sound like you actually care!" commented Maxine.

"Don't! And you're avoiding my question – AGAIN!" Her voice rose as she finished her sentence and the nothingness that pulled the carriage jumped, jolting the passengers.

"Okay, well it's about Lucas …"

"Never!" interrupted Zoë, rolling her eyes.

"… Shut up or I don't tell you, bitch," Maxine scolded, causing Lily to sniff, "Pardon my French," she apologised to Lily's frown, "But it was necessary. Anyway, I got off the train and ran straight into Lucas he had a worried look on his face apologised then walked past without acknowledging that it was me!"

"Oh, just wow!" commented Zoë, unimpressed with the weak tale, "Maybe he's having an affair!" she gasped and pretended to wipe sweat from her brow.

"Oh, Zoë, shut up!" groaned Marlene, suddenly interrupting the argument. Zoë began a heated reply before her moth opened and she let out a surprised gasp. Her mouth remained in an 'o' shape while her fellow Gryffindors spun in their seats.

"What's that?" asked Lily, confused.

"Is it a ship?" offered Marlene.

"In the sky?" retorted Zoë.

"It's a ship!" squealed Maxine.

"How do you know?" enquired the red head.

"Well, I read in Witch Weekly," there was an audible groan from the three listeners but the brunette held up a delicate finger to silence them and continued: "that we might be hosting The Triwizard Tournament."

"You mean The Triwizard Tournament?" enquired Marlene, ecstatic.

"Yep!" exclaimed Maxine popping the 'p', with an excited gleam in her eye. The carriage drew to a halt as they reached the front of the magnificent castle. The girls looked up in awe; the house elves had been busy. Hogwarts looked even more important and ominous than ever; the school motto hung, in bewitched letters, over the entrance; the grey towers seemed to rise higher than before, dwarfing even the ominous ship that travelled towards them; every light seemed to be on, making the castle glow out from the cloudy, overcast day. Then they all gasped in surprise as they turned around to view a long line of girls. They were lined up in an orderly fashion heads tilted in a doll like fashion and eyes piercing the castle grounds – almost as if they were searching for something that could disgrace the school. There was nothing, for the castle grounds were immaculate, not a weed or random shrub. The grass was green up to the Quidditch Pitch (A/N: is it a pitch? Please tell me!) and the Forbidden Forest.

Waking from their daze the girls met each others' eyes and grinned. This was going to be a good year at Hogwarts.

Welcome to Hogwarts

"Hey, James!" shouted a feminine voice from behind. He spun around and grinned and waved. It was Caroline, she walked towards him, flushed eyes downcast, and mouth set in a grim line. James' grin disappeared, him and Caroline were friends and he'd asked her out knowing she'd say no. She wasn't as grim in all eight years they had known one and other.

When she reached him, she exclaimed, no smile on her always-smiling lips, "James, people are calling me names!"

James was confused at this announcement and replied, in a very insensitive way, if you need the details, "And…"

"They said I should go out with you and it's the best I'm ever going to get. But James we're friends and you only have eyes for one girl," at James' confused look she replied solemnly and simply with: "Lily."

At the sound of her name James' looked at the redhead who he had recently fought with and he groaned, knowing he was going to have to apologise. She was currently discussing prefect duties with Remus and seemed to be frowning. Suddenly he felt an arm link with his and he decided to reassure his worried friend: "Don't worry yourself, Caroline. It will pass over – no one hates Lily and look how many times she's declined." He shrugged off the feeling of disappointment settling in his gut and continued, "Plus, you're my best-friend-that's-a-girl 'cause I can actually talk to you without being interrupted by a fit of giggles from a certain Black." At this point James glared at his best friend who was chatting up some seventh years in an off-hand manner, as if he did so every day (which he did) and smirked to himself.

Caroline followed his gaze and blushed a deep scarlet. She stood on her tip-toes and whispered into his ear, "That certain Black is very important to me." She smirked and returned to her normal height.

James laughed heartily, "Yep, there's only one man for you Caroline Mitchell." She rolled her eyes but her blush deepened until suddenly she turned pale and confused. Concerned James followed her line of sight to where the door had opened and admitted Professor Greengrass. Suddenly, Caroline whispered to James, "Let's go get a seat before anyone else."

Letting go of him, she walked briskly towards the open doors of the Great Hall and stopped dead in her tracks, mouth agape. Standing next to her, James took a sharp intake of breath. The Great Hall was breath-taking. And golden! It was lit by thousands and thousands of golden candles that were floating in midair over four long golden tables, where the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long, golden table where the teachers were sitting. The house colours and banners were turned golden and the ceiling was not the fog outside but a beautiful golden sunset. Awestruck they travelled towards the tables, parting ways James to the Marauders and Caroline to her fellow Ravenclaw friends. (I thought that 5 of each gender in each house was OK – Gryffindor girls being: Lily, Marlene, Maxine and their room-mate Mary (minor character) and boys being: James, Sirius, Remus, Peter and Marcus ('nother minor character))

When he arrived next to his friends, Sirius looked up expectantly and whispered, "Your Ravenclaw friend say anything about me?"

James smirked and tapped his nose. The sixth year sat down just as the whole hall silenced and Dumbledore stood and addressed his students: "Greetings, students, as you may have noticed we have guests at Hogwarts. This year our school has been chosen to host The Triwizard Tournament," excited whispers passed throughout the hall but Dumbledore simply silenced them by holding up his wrinkled hand, "Students from the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and the Durmstrang Institute of Magic will be staying in their allocated wings and I hope you welcome them warmly. Each school will enter one student, this student will be chosen at random from the candidates and they will then complete three challenges. Each of the visiting schools are now to present themselves, firstly Durmstrang Institute." The headmaster's wand tapped upon the table in front of him and the doors flung open.

In marched fourteen serious-looking boys, they wore a burgundy over coat; they had a fur hat tucked under their arm and a staff in their hand. They were followed by a wrinkled man with a hooked nose; he had scars on his face and a tight-lipped smirk. Suddenly the procession halted. You could hear a pin drop. That was until a roar came from the back of the grim looking boys. There was a gasp when, abruptly, a dragon formed from fire arose. It soared above the heads of the students, looping around the house banners and heating the room up considerably. As the dragon flew the smirk on the hunch-backed man widened and he suddenly flicked his wand. The dragon was immediately replaced by the Durmstrang crest, which looked like two eagles sitting on a reindeer. (No, really, it did.) Suddenly they all slammed their staffs onto the ground, in sync, and the doors slammed shut behind them.

Slowly the boys dispersed into groups selecting tables to sit at and the noise rose in the Great Hall, once again. Excited whispers could be heard at all the tables and the gossiping fourth years got started with, well, gossiping. Sirius was muttering curses about his family and the likes (for he was nearly sent to this visiting school and was related to some of those who did attend). James was smirking as he came up with pranks with Peter – because Sirius was otherwise engaged while cursing his family like a man who has had a bout in Azkaban. Then there was Remus whose head was having a conversation a lot like this:

What's the password for the Gryffindor common room?

I don't know, ask Lily.

What do I say to the first years?

I don't know, ask Lily.

Do I have to patrol on my own?

I don't know, ask Lily.

What happens if I walk in on a couple doing You-Know-What?

I don't know, ask Lily.

What do I do about patrolling and being a werewolf?

I don't know, ask Lily… Wait … Don't!

Remus' thought train stopped as Dumbledore rose again, silencing them all. Smiling at the clearly excited student body at Hogwarts, an amused glint in his eye, the professor announced the second school's representatives: "And now for Beauxbatons Academy of Magic!" This time he made a sweeping gesture with his arm and the doors flung open admitting 15 girls dressed in light blue.

Seven of these girls began to cartwheel, forward roll and many other acrobatic movements to the teachers table. They were dressed in leotards that were enchanted to look like skies on a sunny day, clouds occasionally floating across the beautiful blue colour. The remaining girls were led by a tall woman with short, bobbed hair and a teenage girl with long blonde hair. They were casting spells around the hall, causing plates to turn silver and blue, the banner and colours to shine in a blue blow and themselves to sparkle, as if covered layers upon layers of fine, blue glitter. The girls walked slowly up to the teachers' table. Spinning around, on the balls of their feet, they turned to face the crowd. The students stared while the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic representatives bowed. Then, as the guests dispersed, there was a wolf whistle followed by three muffled laughs. Everyone stared at the culprits.

The Marauders.

Grinning, James hit Sirius on the shoulder and eyed the Headmaster, who looked vaguely amused. Dumbledore cleared his throat drawing the attention back to himself; "Thank you Durmstrang Institute, Beauxbatons Academy and, of course Sirius Black – I'm sure our visitors are flattered." Sirius went red, Caroline's face turned stony and the rest of the students (along with a few teachers) laughed at the remark but Dumbledore continued: "Students, as always there is a curfew of 10 o'clock and visitors remember: Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus – Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon. May the feast begin."

He sat down and food appeared on the students' plates.

Sirius grinned, "You entering, James?"

"Yep," he replied, "You?"

"No! I'll leave them stunts to you; I'll be too busy blowing up the wings where those misery-guts are staying." He replied with a devilish glint in his eye and hand pointing in the direction of the Nearest Durmstrang students.

James nodded and turned to his food.

Hogwarts was going to be good this year.

He could tell.