'How was the liiiiiiiiiiiiibrary?!' Sirius asked as James giggled.

'Better than anywhere with the two of you!' Lily said before she went to her dorm.

'Sirius, please! I don't want to sit here all night! We should really finish our homework, preferably before midnight.' James said tiredly.

'But Prongs, we can't do it without Moony!'

'We can, we just have to try again! It isn't impossible without him. Wormtail, tell Padfoot that we can do it without Moony!'

'Yeah, euhm, Siri-Padfoot, we're smart too! We can do this.' Peter said, not entirely convinced himself.

'See, Padfoot! Even Wormtail agrees!' James said confidently.

'That's only because you told him to do so!' Sirius said astonished.

'Yes but he could have said "Why" or "I'm not doing that!"' James laughed.

'But I truly agree with James, euhm, Prongs! We can do our homework ourselves.' Peter said, still not sounding entirely convinced.

James has just introduced the whole nickname thing and Peter was still adjusting to calling his friends something else than he was used to.

After James, Sirius and Remus were done laughing Remus said: 'Of course you do, Wormtail!'

'Merlin, I can't wait to be captain!'

'Who says you're gonna be captain, Prongs?! I'm just as good as you!'

'I'm better looking, Padfoot!'

'Says who, Evans?!' Sirius laughed.

'Yes!'

'No way!'

'She did!'

'She would never!'

'That's true, James! Lily'd never say that. Not until you stop acting like a child! She thinks you're a spoiled brat, nothing more!' Remus said gravely.

That got James to stop talking.

'Did she say that?' James asked aghast.

'She did, in a way. I mean, those weren't her exact words, because that's just not her to say something like that about a person, not even you. But I believe that was what she meant when we spoke.' Remus said carefully.

And without saying another word, James walked out of the common room.

All night long, James though about what Remus had told him.

James liked Lily, he fancied her, but she was also very friendly, to others, James wanted to be her friend. He wanted to show Lily that he was a decent lad, that he could be nice and friendly. And that he didn't care that she was a Muggle, he didn't care about everything the Slytherins said about her, he only cared about her, her beautiful personality. He couldn't stop watching her, with her bright red hair, often up in a bun, but whenever her hair was down she looked even more beautiful. James has told his father that there was this girl he fancied, he didn't tell him her name or the fact that her parents weren't wizards for James was afraid what his father would say, but him father had told him, that he should always follow his heart. That he should do everything to prove that he was worthy of her heart. James often dreamed of those emerald eyes, meeting his as she turned around, he dreamed of her hair, flowing in the wind. He dreamed of feeling her lips on his, his hands around her small waist, her hands in his hair or on his back.

James had of course dated several girls, but he never felt the way he felt with them when he'd look at Lily Evans. He knew, that she was the one for him and that he would fight to call her his own. He'd never stop loving her, that he knew too. This girl was special, this girl was beautiful, this girl, was the one he wanted to someday marry, no matter how long it would take.

He often found himself getting lost in class from staring at her, watching her, appreciation her way of doing things, appreciating her.

'What are you doing here? Coming to destroy my library again?!'

'As a matter of fact, madam Pince, I am here to study!' James said sincerely.

'Nice try, Potter!' Pince said 'Leave.'

'Honestly, ma'am, I am here to study! Nothing more, please give me a chance! I promise you!'

'All right, you get one chance, do not waste it!'

James smiled 'Thank you!'

'But,' the woman said 'you will sit next to miss Evans, and if she notices you misbehaving, she may send you out of the library!' 'Is that all right with you, miss Evans?' She said as she turned around to the girl behind her.

'Of course it is ma'am.' Lily said mischievously.

'You're already enjoying this, aren't you, Evans?!' James asked after madam Pince left.

Lily didn't answer but smiled and went back to her homework.

'Oh, sorry, we're in a library, I shouldn't talk.' James said thoughtfully.

'Did I just hear you say "sorry", Potter?!' Lily smiled.

James nodded, afraid to say anything.

Lily smiled again, maybe James was growing up! Good!

'Psst, Evans. PSSSSST. Could you maybe, I don't know, euhm...'

'...do you mean, help?!' Lily smirked.

'Yeah,' James whispered shyly 'I'm not that good at potions. See, Slughorn likes you because you're good at potions, and he likes me too, no idea why, but he does, and I'd like to keep it that way! Normally I'd ask Remus' help but he's busy tonight. So..'

'It's alright, you don't have to explain. I'll help you!'

'Thanks!' James said surprised, he didn't think Lily would actually help him.

'So you just have to add a little more of this powder to fix it.'

'I see, thanks Evans!'

'No problem! Do you need help with anything else?'

'Well actually-'

'Yes...'

'I was just curious, you know, like one often is and... I wondered, is there a potion, or maybe a spell, that can make a person transfigure into an animal?!'

'Temporarily or permanently?'

'Temporarily.'

'Well, let me think...' Lily said as she stood up to browse the library. 'I mean, the only thing I could think of is if one becomes an Animagus.'

'A what?!'

'An Animagus!'

James shook his head as Lily grabbed a book, opened it and started reading.

'An Animagus, plural Animagi, is a witch or wizard who can transform themselves into an animal and back again at will. It is a learned skill, unlike the hereditary skill of a Metamorphmagus. An Animagus registration exists to keep track of those that have learned this skill.' Lily closed the book again. 'Don't you remember? McGonagall taught is about it two years ago. She is one herself!'

'Oh yes, I didn't pay much attention in Transfiguration that year...'

'Anyway, if one wants to become an animal and change back into a human at will, this is the way!' Lily said as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

'And how exactly could one become an Animagus?' James asked.

'I believe there is a potion you have to make, but it's rather complicated and I suspect it would take several months to brew!'

'Is this potion in a book somewhere?'

'Yes, oh Merin where is it?' Lily said as she started browsing the library again.

'Here it is!' Lily yelled after a while.

'SSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH! Silence in my library, please!' Madam Pince said sternly from across the big room.

'Sorry!' Lily giggled.

James appreciated her smile, normally he'd only see an annoyed face from her.

"Maybe I should stop annoying her, so I can see her smile more often" James thought.

Fortunately for James, Lily didn't see him blush as he looked at her.

"She is really pretty" James thought again.

'James! Hello? This is the book you asked about.' Lily said, bringing him back to reality.

'Yes, thank you.' James said as he took the heavy book from Lily. 'I should go! Thank you, again, for helping me!' James was getting weak in the knees, he needed to get out of the library soon because he didn't want Lily to know how beautiful she was, he didn't want her to know what he was thinking, to know that he had been dreaming about her, about kissing her soft lips and running his hands through her long red hair and those eyes, MERLIN, those damned eyes! He was gonna break at any second. So he grabbed his homework, ran to Madam Pince and ran out of the library soon after.

'No problem.' Lily whispered to herself when James was gone.

'Did my eyes deceive me, or did Mr Potter just actually borrowed a book?!' Madam Pince said, appearing next to Lily.

'No.' she said 'I think he just, I don't know, I think he actually is interested in something other than Quidditch for once!'

'Mmhm'

'I should go too!' Lily said before she walked out of the library.