They were quiet, and it wasn't long until Rowan heard it too-the soft, shuffling sounds of feet and small whispers.

"Sounds like men." Rowan breathed, edging forward to get a better look. Lily's arms were lightning fast, reaching out for her gown and dragging her back to safety.

"Sssh! They're getting closer."

Indeed they were. The shuffling was growing louder, and the incoherent, deep male whispers were sounding closer with every step. Rowan looked to Lily to see her eyes wide, her neck craning to get a better look out into the darkness.

"I wish they'd hurry up and show their damn faces already." She growled, using Rowan's shoulder to prop herself up for a better look. "They couldn't be more than students…"

Rowan winced, Lily's pincer like grip digging into her shoulders. The footsteps grew louder until, quite suddenly, they stopped altogether. Lily looked towards Rowan.

"Good, they left, now we can---POTTER!!" She screeched, for James had suddenly seized her around the waist and was laughing in her ear as she kicked, writhing to set herself free.

"Sneaking around the grounds this late at night, Evans? Tsk tsk, what will mother say…" James said casuaully, releasing her and pacing the hall with hands slung low in his robe pockets. "Head Girl and everything. What trouble you'd be in if you happened to be found…" Lily's eyes blazed in the firelight, and she launched herself at James Potter and began hitting every part of the boy she could reach.

"And what will everyone say when I bust their beloved Head Boy for stalking the Head Girl AND, on top of that, slinking around at night like he was invisible!"

An odd, superior smile flickered across James's face in the dim firelight, and he chuckled, glancing over his shoulder.

"Game's up, boys. Looks like Evans found us."

From the darkness, seemingly out of nowhere, the remaining Mauraders appeared. Peter came into view first, his watery eyes squinting in the darkness, trying to make out the faintest bit of light. Sirius strolled over to them next, hands in his pockets just like James and a boyish smirk on his face as he sauntered over to them and stood next to Rowan. Last was Remus, who slouched towards them with a grim face but mischievous twinkle in his tawny eyes. At the sight of him, and realizing that she was only in a dressing gown, Rowan felt her face grow hot, and she pushed her curls over her face to hide the burn.

"Well, now that the gang's all here," Lily said acidly, surveying the little group and giving Remus a rather tight lipped smile, "Why don't you tell us what exactly you were doing here?"

James shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Same thing you lovely ladies are. Just wandering about. We do this a lot, actually."

Too late, James realized his mistake. Lily had gotten the information she wanted. With a real, wide smile she seized Rowan's hand and began to walk towards the stairs, a spring to her step.

"I've finally got you, Potter. I'm going to get you into so much trouble you won't believe it. No more superiority and arrogant smugness here, you've gotten yourself into this one." She was ablaze with excitement, her eyes bright and clear in the torch light. Halfway up the stairs, Rowan wrought herself free of Lily's death grip and crossed her arms defiantly, leaning against the banister.

"Do you realize that if we say we found them sneaking around, McGonagall would assume we were out of bed too?" Lily's foot paused in mid air, and she turned so fast she slid down several steps and onto the stone floor.

"Dammit, didn't think of that…but wait!" She cried, jogging up the steps to Rowan. "If we tell her we heard noises in the common room, then thought of it as my job as Head Girl to investigate, with you as protection, it would be a valid excuse."

"Why on earth would you bring me for protection Lily? I see a spider and nearly wet myself."

"Well that's besides the point. McGonagall loves us, there's no way she'd--hey! GET BACK HERE YOU THIEVING MONKEYS!!" Lily suddenly cried, for she had just caught James Potter and his gang slinking off into the shadows, taking full advantage of the two friend's argument.

James winced as Lily's words hit him, and he turned around to find her marching towards him with slits for eyes and her face screwed up in anger.

"Get back here, you coward! Face me like the man you claim to be!"

This was too much for James. All gentlemanly swagger disappeared, and the pleasantly flushed cheeks were washed away by pure, angry red.

"Evans, I don't know why you care so much we were out after dark, but it's none of your business. You just go on your merry way and I'll go on mine!" Lily laughed derisively.

"Sending me away like a little schoolgirl now, are you Potter? Well let me tell you, women have been liberated and we don't have to take orders from any man, especially not men like you!" With that Lily turned on her heel and seized Rowan's hand again, dragging her up the stairs. All was quiet for a moment, until Potter let her words sink in and decided he wasn't backing down without a fight.

"Don't twist my words around, Lily!" He cried up the stairs. "That interpretation is all on you, not me. If you really want to know what we were doing down here so badly, I'll gladly tell you."

That had an effect on Lily. She paused on the steps and turned, letting go of Rowan, who rubbed the mark on her wrist furiously.

"Alright Potter." She said smoothly, tossing her hair out of her eyes. "Give it to me straight."

Black, who had been watching the exchange like a tennis match through his onyx eyes, suddenly came to life, falling to one knee before James and gripping the folds of his cloak.

"Don't do it mate!" He cried, tugging on the thick fabric. "You're giving her power!! She'll be able to control us!"

But James's mind was already made up, and at that moment Lily's opinion mattered more than his best friends. "We're mapping out an area for our end of year prank. It's the biggest yet. Happy now?"

This had only captured Lily's attention.

"Prank?" She asked, gliding down the stairs. Sirius fell to the floor at James's feet and sobbed in fake agony. Rowan smirked, giving him a little kick with her foot as she passed by him. "Drama king." Sirius flopped over onto his back and winked.

"Yea, prank. We pull one every year, but this one…it's the Big Bang, we like to call it." James said with pride, smiling at Lily.

"Name courtesy of Mister Remus Lupin, my dear friend and partner in crime." Sirius added, appearing at Jame's side with a mock bow to Lupin. Remus gave a small smile, then stared down at his feet again. Lily was eyeing James apprehensively.

"I know about your yearly pranks. They're always….enlightening. Continue." James looked uneasy.

"Well there's not really much more too--"

"In exchange that you don't tell anyone about us sneaking out, we won't tell on you if you agree to a challenge." Lily cut across him, her hands on hips. James looked skeptically at Lily.

"What kind of challenge?" He asked. Lily smiled mischievously, standing up to her fullest height.

"A prank pulling contest, that's the kind." James eyed Lily for a moment, and she stuck out her hand, a small smile curving at the corners of her lips.

"Don't do it, James!!" Sirius cried from the wall, his eyes fixed on Lily's outstretched hand. "It's like selling your soul to Satan!!" James ignored him.

"Deal." He said, his hand wrapping around Lily's. They shook hands quickly, Lily dusting hers off on her robes as though James' hand had been contaminated after finishing.

"A deal is a deal, Potter." She warned, sliding up the stairs again. "And just to warn you, if I ever catch you out of bed again I will go straight to Dumbledore's office, no questions asked." James nodded.

"Sounds good, Evans." He said, smirking slightly, "But just to warn you-the Mauraders don't dissapoint." And without warning he was suddenly gone, as if he'd dissolved into thin air.

**************************************************************