Chapter 2: James Bloody Potter.

December mornings were always cold at Hogwarts and the castle's stone walls were not much help either, seeing as they just made things colder at times. Lily Marie Evans, age sixteen and seventh year Gryffindor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, rose from her bed that same Saturday morning with a small yawn and barely open eyes. Lily was known amongst her peers for being the top of all her classes, Head Girl, a fiery redhead with a murderous wrath to fear, and the apple of James Potter's eye, as Andrea Potter, James cousin and Lily's best friend, had teased so often. Lily shared a dorm with eight other girls, six of which she was friends with the other two – no chance in hell. Andrea Elizabeth Potter was Lily's number one best friend despite the fact that she was Potter's cousin. Then there was Kimberly McGibbons and Michelle Dancers, who were also Lily's best friends. Now the other two girls, Lily would've loved to throttle if it weren't for the fact that she was Head Girl and there were rules to cursing people in the corridors, I mean she did have to set a good example if Potter wouldn't, right? Katrina Clark and Melody Hughs were the two people besides James Potter that Lily simply could not stand. Katrina and Melody had a knack for cheating, stealing other people's boyfriends, killing people's reputations; anything you can think of they had done to someone or destroyed something; and Lily hated them for it.

As Lily rose from her bed, she saw Andrea who was sleeping in the bed next to her wake up as well. It was going on nine o'clock and there was a Hogsmead trip that afternoon that everyone was anxious for. It took Lily twenty minutes in entirety to get showered, dressed, and throw her long mane of red hair into a tight bun before taking her favorite book and heading downstairs to the common room.

"Lily!" Lily heard her name being called over and over again just as she walked outside of the girls' seventh year dorm. Lily turned to look through the open door and smiled at Andrea who was half way done with pulling a black hoodie over her head.

"Yes, Andrea?" Lily smirked. "Do you need help with getting dressed? Get lost finding the hole in your sweatshirt again?" Andrea finally managed to pull her head through her sweatshirt and glare at her best friend before grabbing her wand off her nightstand and meeting Lily at the door.

"Very funny Lils, but no I don't need help getting dressed." Andrea grumbled, closing the door behind her.

"I'm not the one who manages to get lost in her sweatshirts." Lily chuckled. Andrea had brunette colored hair and tan skin with hazel brown eyes like her cousin. She was Lily's height as well, five foot eight and very talented when it came to her classes and especially when it came to Defense against the Dark Arts class. Lily was in the middle of reading Andrea's sweatshirt when she her eyes went wide with realization.

"Drea?" That was her nickname, and she hated it when Lily called her that.

Andrea groaned. "What I do now?"

"That's Sirius sweatshirt." Lily softly pointed out and pinning her with a 'how'd you get that and do you know where it's been' look.

"Shush!" Andrea giggled. "He doesn't know I stole it from him."

"Andrea!"

"What!?" Andrea gave Lily her best innocent look. "I like him alright…"

"But-but…" Lily HATED the marauders, and hearing her best friend say she liked the one that was second in command was like hitting herself with a stunning spell. "Drea! He's a marauder!"

Andrea rolled her eyes and started walking down the stairs to the common room. "Lils, I'm related to James Potter. What could be worse?"

"Dating his sidekick." Lily grumbled as she flopped down on a large couch in front of the dead fire.

"Oh honestly Lils, it's not that bad. I bet you Sirius won't even notice it's gone." Andrea sighed.

"What won't I notice is gone?" a sudden voice came up from behind where Andrea was standing in front of Lily. Jumping, Andrea turned to a smirking Sirius black who looked like he had just woken up.

"Nothing." Andrea answered calmly.

"Right, and your short response assures me how exactly?" Sirius gave Andrea a look. Andrea was only two months younger than James but the Marauders were like her brothers. Even if Lily hated them, Andrea was always around them and Lily was always with Andrea, so she tolerated them for as long as she could before storming off in rage.

"Have you seen James anywhere? He wasn't upstairs when I woke up." Sirius questioned, looking around Andrea as if she was finding her cousin.

"No I haven't, and why would I know anyway Black? I don't keep tabs on him like you do all the girls you've snogged in a week." Sirius glared at Andrea.

"I do believe she just handed your arse to you, Black." Lily smirked from her seat on the couch.

"Shut it, Evans." Sirius and Lily obviously didn't get along very well. Sirius turned to a very amused Andrea with a cunning smile.

"Andrea, Andrea, Andrea…" Sirius chuckled as he placed a heavy arm around her shoulders.

"What do you want Black? I know you too well for you to try whatever it is you're doing." Andrea shot at him.

"Me? Do something mischievous? Never." Andrea gave him a look. "No, I wanted you to answer me a simple question."

"Depends on what you want to ask me Black."

"Only this: Why are you wearing my favorite black Smashing Pumpkins sweatshirt, that I've been looking for since August, and will you go to Hogsmead with me this afternoon?" At that, there was utter silence between the three of them in the common room. Lily looked ready to puke as she tried not to listen to their conversation, Andrea was shocked, and Sirius looked on the verge of combusting with laughter. It took several minutes before Andrea came out of shock.

"You're not kidding about Hogsmeade are you?" Andrea whispered. "You won't, I don't know, say leave me to go meet some other girl like you did with Amanda Coles or Leanna Bells?"

He gave his most serious look he could manage. "No, just a date between the two of us, you know just me and you, no one else. No jokes, no pranks, no games." Andrea slapped him, leaving a red mark and hand print across his face. Lily fell off the couch from laughing so hard as she watched her friend glare at Sirius.

"OW! What the bloody 'ell was that for!?" Sirius growled. "I was being serious! No pun intended! I like you alright! I just wanted one damned date, Merlin's beard Drea!"

"Who are you and what've you done with Sirius Black!?" Andrea still didn't believe him!

"Merlin! Go ask Remus if you still don't believe me!"

"You're being serious…?"

"I am Sirius." That got him another slap. "Alright, enough already! I get it, no more 'Serious Sirius' pun."

"Does James know you're asking me out on a date?" Andrea raised an eyebrow at him. Sirius shuffled his feet.

"He will when I find him…." Andrea just laughed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"So will you go with me or not?"

"Maybe."

"Andrea!" This time it was Lily growling at her. "Stop playing with the guy and say yes already!"

Andrea rolled her eyes at Lily. "Yes I will go on a date with you. BUT," Sirius looked at her sharply. Andrea was known for being just as troublesome as the marauders, and at times she was worse – if you could believe that. I mean look at who she was related too, it was just in her genes to be mischievous.

"But what?" Sirius eyed her suspiciously.

"One slipup, one mistake." Andrea narrowed her eyes and dug her pointer finger into his chest. "And you'll never be able to walk straight again or ride your pretty little broom. Got me, Black?"

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Is that a challenge?"

"No, it's a threat you stupid git." She poked hard again. "Trust me, James will be the least of your worries."

"Challenge it is then." Sirius chuckled. Meanwhile, while Sirius and Andrea were having their little war, Lily was frantically looking through the books, notebooks, loose papers and bags that were carelessly thrown on the table in front of her. When she gave a worried cry, did Sirius and Andrea turn to look at her curiously. Lily looked about ready to cry.

"What's wrong Lils?" Andrea sank to her knees next to Lily.

"MY DIARY!" Lily screeched. "IT'S GONE!" Andrea knew all about Lily's secret diary, having been allowed to read and write in it at given times. Andrea knew the secrets in it, and it made her worry. What if someone had read it? Lily was in serious trouble if anyone had read it.

"It's not upstairs?" Andrea asked, going through the pile of books in front of them as well.

"No! I left it down here last night because I was writing in it!" Lily cried. "Andrea, everything's in that book!"

Sirius looked a little pale from where he stood above them. "Was it umm, red?" he asked.

"Yes, Gryffindor colored red actually." Andrea answered him, not looking up.

"And umm, had uhhh oh I don't know, say gold writing on it, perhaps?" Sirius began to feel a little hot.

"Yes." Andrea or Lily still didn't look at Sirius as they spoke.

"Yup," Sirius muttered. "James is screwed."

"What was that?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes at Sirius as she stood up to face him. "What did you say, Black?"

"Nothing…" He grumbled, tugging on his shirt. There was one person on the earth, besides the marauders, that Sirius Black could not lie to and it was Andrea. Unfortunately for him, Lily and Andrea knew that. Lily gave her friend a look, and Andrea began to stand up with a smirk on her face. Sirius backed away from her. Andrea backed Sirius into a corner near the fireplace where he couldn't escape. Her face came within inches of his, the same smirk never leaving her lips. She began to play with his shirt.

"What does my charming cousin have to do with Lily losing her diary, Sirius?" She whispered.

Sirius broke out into a sweat. "Did I say James? No, no, no, no, no. I meant – ummm…." Andrea got closer.

"C'mon Sirius, what does James got to do with Lils' diary? Does he have it?" She got closer….

"No…wh-why would James want her diary? I mean he's obsessed, but not mental." Sirius was sweating bullets. "I mean that's asking for a death wish right there…"

"C'mon Black, I'll give you a free pass to the fourth floor broom closet if you tell me the truth…" she whispered that bit of information. Sirius snapped at that.

"ALRIGHT!" Sirius yelled. Andrea stepped back and Lily stood next to her.

"Where's my diary Sirius!?" Lily snarled, grabbing the collar of his shirt.

"James woke us up this morning saying he had proof that you liked him or something… it was a leather covered book in the color red and I guess it was your diary." Lily looked very pale at that. "James has it with him. He was looking for you earlier this morning." Sirius found himself being slapped twice, once by Lily (which was the hardest slap he had ever received in his life) and the second was by Andrea.

"Okay, I deserved that." He sighed. Sirius found himself grabbed by the collar of his shirt- again.

"Where.Is. James. Bloody. Potter?" Lily snarled. Sirius was scared for his life; he could swear there was fire burning in her eyes now.

"I don't know, Evans! I was looking for him as well when I found you two down here!" Sirius croaked. Lily let go of him and raced out of the common room in search of James Potter.

"So, am I still eligible for the fourth floor broom closet?" Sirius turned to Andrea. Slap.

"Damn marauders." She grumbled as she left the common room.

"Women!" Sirius sighed, throwing up his hands and stalking out of the common in hopes of finding James before the girls did.