CHAPTER 3
Lily and James entered the common room and went their separate ways.
"So? What happened?" Nikki asked Lily when she was comfortably seated in a squishy armchair by the fire.
"Well…" Lily began, smiling.
"Did you snog him?" Nikki butted in, interestedly.
"Yep," she replied, smiling even more. "Until we were interrupted by Filch and that god-damned cat Mrs Norris."
"This is great! You're going out with James Potter! I mean, not my personal favourite choice but it's still great!"
"Ssshhhh!" Lily insisted, tugging on Nikki's sleeve and looking around wildly. "I don't want this going round."
"Why not? He's like, the most popularist lad in the whole school! All the girls will be totally jealous of you! Well, not the Slytherins – they're all after that toe rag Lucius Malfoy – but they don't count. You'll be the most popular girl in the whole of the people who actually count," Nikki said. "And now, it gives me a reason to talk to Sirius more."
"I knew you'd see it that way. Don't worry you'll have no problem with Sirius – he's a total man-slut!" Lily said, giggling.
"But a gorgeous one," Nikki agreed.
"I feel so weird. I can't believe I'm going out with James Potter after all these years of hating him!"
The girls carried on chatting, every now and then Lily and James' eyes met from across the room and they smiled their secret smiles.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the common room, the four guys who made the Marauders – James, Sirius, Remus and Peter – were talking about James and Lily.
"Well done mate, here's your fifteen galleons," Sirius said to Remus, handing him a pile of gold.
"Thanks, I'll spend it wisely," he replied, pocketing the money that so rarely came his way.
"What's the money for?" James asked paying attention for the first time since he had sat down with his friends.
"Oh, we had a bet," Remus said, happily.
"What was it?"
"Remus thought you'd get together with Lily before the end of Seventh-Year but I figured she wouldn't have you. Turns out all your hard work has finally paid off, Prongs. Can't see why personally, but there you go," Sirius said, smirking.
"Shut up. Yeah, I wouldn't have put money on me going out with her either but something's changed and I'm definitely not complaining," he replied, grinning.
"James and Lily – the perfect couple," Peter said, dreamily from his little corner. The other three gave him disturbed looks.
"OK Wormtail, I know you're weird but even you don't normally sound like a First-year girl," James said, looking at the round, fidgety boy sitting quietly in the corner.
"Yeah. But he always sounds like a girl," Sirius commented. "Anyway, Wormtail. Who do you like?"
"Erm … nobody … no," he said, looking sacredly at his three friends.
"Same as usual. I swear he's gay," Sirius added in an audible whisper. Peter looked upset but said nothing. "Remus?"
"You know I like Fran," he said. That secret was almost as well-kept as James' love for Lily had been for the past six years. His eyes wandered over to Frances who had settled herself in a chair and was deep in conversation with Lily and Nikki. "What about you Sirius?"
"Yeah, which girl is it this week?" James asked. Sirius had a habit of fancying a different girl each week, and no matter who it was, he always got them.
"I think Nikki's fit as," he said, unblushingly.
"Yeah, then you and James can double-date," Peter said, interrupting most uncharacteristically.
"Yeah, fun," Sirius said sarcastically. "James, your lady-friend is leaving."
James' head whipped round to see Lily turn and wave before disappearing up the stairs to the dormitories.
"God she's beautiful," he said, forgetting his friends were there until he heard the three of them sniggering.
"Shut up you guys," he said, punching them before deciding on an early night.
