Sixth Year

"I blew it, didn't I?" sighted James.

"Yup" said Sirius popping his lips at letter P.

"Thanks Padfoot" James muttered.

"No problem" he replayed with a wink.

"What will I do now?"

"Just try to leave her alone for time being. Show her that you are not idiot she thinks you are" tried Remus.

"But he is an idiot she thinks he is" grinned Frank.

"Enough you two" said Remus sternly "Ether be helpful do get lost"

"Fine" muttered Sirius "Don't beat yourself Prongs, she'll come around"

"How can you know, she hates me now more than ever?" whined James.

"She doesn't hate you, just how you act like jackass" pitched in Frank wisely.

"Yes, just stop asking her out every five seconds, show you that you matured" Remus tried again.

"But how will she know that I like her then?"

"I think last year shouting while standing on top of Professor's table should suffice"

"But she said no"

"And she will continue saying no until you change your ways"

"Argghhhhh I'm hopeless, just drop it guys" sighed James dropping his head in his hands. Rest of Marauders shared worried looks.

They were sitting in Hogwarts Express compartment going to school for their sixth year. James spend whole summer whining how Lily hates him now more than ever thus running any chance he had with her. He just had to push Snivellus so hard that he uttered those horrible words to Lily. His words, not theirs. And nothing they said didn't seem to cheer him up. They shared another glance and sinked to awkward silence.


Marauders were already sitting in Great Hall after arriving at Hogwarts when Lily and her friends strolled past them as sat few seats down. Dumbledore started his speech regarding new school year.

"Hi girls" said Frank, smiling at Alice and she smiled back.

James head jerked up "Lily, my love, how are you?" he grinned and Remus just wanted to bang his head at table. So much about leaving her be.

Her eyes narrowed but didn't show in any other way that she heard him. She nodded "Remus, Frank" and after a moment "Black. How were your holidays?"

"Umm, fine yours Lily?" Said Remus slowly glancing at James who just sat there with his mouth slightly opened.

"Fine, missed my friends, but I'm here now" she gave him small smile.

Dumbledore stopped talking and food appeared at the table before anyone could say another word. Feast has started.

Everyone piled food at their plates and started eating. Everyone except James that is. He just sat there for 20 minutes glancing at Slytherin table every few minutes.

"Excuse me, I have to go do something" he stood up.

Marauders glanced up at him. "Can it wait until after…" Sirius started but James cut him short.

"No, don't worry, I'm not hungry. See you in Common Room, eh?"

"Are you sure you are OK?"

"Yes mum, don't fret about it"

"Fine, see ya Prongs"

"Bye guys" and with that he left table and exited Great Hall

"What the hell was that?" Frank muttered.

"I don't know but I don't like it. Let's go" they stood up and fallowed him out. Once they exited Great Hall they pulled James' invisibility cloak out of Remus' bag and throw it around them. Sirius pulled out peace of parchment and muttered "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Lines started crawling from tip of his wand and they looked for James' dot. Thirty seconds later they saw it going towards Slytherin dungeon fallowing Severus Snape and they started running towards them. They just came nearby when they hear James' voice

"Snape!" he jumped and pulled his wand at James

"I am not here to fight you" he said moving his hands up to show he is unarmed

"What do you want Potter?" spat Snape

James started walking toward him "To apologize"

"What?" muttered Sirius to Remus but he just stared at James.

"You want what?" sneered Snape.

"I want to apologize" James repeated

"And why do you think I care Potter?"

"I am sure you don't but I still wanted to apologize" he moved in front of him "So, I am sorry for treating your wrongly when you didn't deserve it" he said and pulled his hand up.

Snape just punched him knocking him down "Take your apology and show it up your ass you fucking blood-traitor"

"Oyyee!" Yelled Sirius and pulled his wand but Snape already run away after he saw rest of Marauders coming behind corner.

"What the fuck was that Prongs?" demanded Sirius towering above James.

"I told you to stay in Great Hall" replayed James picking himself up from floor.

"That's not what I asked you. What were you thinking going in dungeon alone? And for what? To apologize to Snivellus"

"Yes, now drop it Padfoot"

"Do you know what could have happened if we weren't here Prongs" asked Frank "He could have tortured you if he wanted. He could have killed you. You know he is Death-Eater wannabe" Frank wanted to know.

"I know Claw!" yelled James "Just drop it, I'm sorry, don't know what was I thinking"

"Fine, leave it be guys, we will deal with it later. Now come here, let me look at that black eye" calmly said Remus

"No, I'm fine, let's go" James replayed and started moving towards Gryffindor Common Room. Rest just decided to fallow him.


"What's with them?" asked Alice after James left table without eating anything and rest of Marauders jumped after him. "They usually eat half a table of food."

"Who knows, they are they. They just do crazy things, I decided to roll with it" shrugged Marlene

"Maybe they went to ruin someone else's life" muttered Lily

"What's that Lily?"

"Nothing Marlene, just thinking out loud."

"Right. So guys ready for our annual begging of the year gossip night?"

"Yes!" all of the replayed and where Marauders went was pushed aside

After they finished diner girls climbed to seventh floor and entered Gryffindor Common Room. They sat down two love seats near fireplace and started sharing summer experiences.

Fifteen minutes later portrait opened and James stepped in fallowed by rest of Marauders. He had a black eye witch just confirmed Lily's suspicions that they were out looking for trouble. He felt someone's gaze and turned around noticing Lily quickly shifting her eyes to Frank and gave her a smile. But seeing she kept ignoring him he just retreated to Boy's dormitories. Marauders fallowed him looking in between them self's.

"So Alice what's between you and Frank?" Giggled Mary

"Nothing" she replayed bit to quickly

"Well he did gave you that smile, and kept his eyes on you in Great Hall" said Marlene

"That was nothing, he doesn't like me. You are more suited for him Marlene"

"What? I told you thousand times, I don't like blond guys. Plus I think he likes you, he is just too shy to tell you"

Alice snorted "Right shy, that's why he slept with half of Hogwarts female population"

"You confused him with Black or Potter" said Lily "He is one girl guy and doesn't sleep around like man-wore that his two best friends are".

"You really think so?"

"Yes!" yelled all three of them.

"Well maybe, we will see. But I don't want to be a fling to him. I'll rather watch him from distance than let him broke my heart".

"He won't, he is different, trust us" pitched in Mary.

"Yeah and if he does I will curse his balls of permanently" added Marlene with a wink.

Whole school year passed by and James kept his usual Lily pestering although he did it more rarely and sometimes there were weeks between two date proposals. Lily thought it was the work of Remus since he was most sensitive one of the group and she was grateful to him for that. Truth was in fact that Remus didn't mention leaving Lily alone from the train ride at the beginning of the year. James apparently did took that advice to heart and Remus was glad to see Lily smile while being in the same room as James instead the usual frown she kept when he was around for last five years.

It was three days before school end when Lily received Letter from home. It was from her sister Petunia which was unusual as she never wrote to her in six years. She quickly opened it and saw short printed letter

Freak

I am writing you this letter to inform you that last Saturday was my weeding. Mother insisted that I invite you but I truly didn't want a freak like yourself at my happies day. So this letter serves as warning not to let out parents know that you were not invited. I told them that you couldn't come because of that freak place you call "school". I would hate to see mother's hearth torn apart by you so keep quiet!

Petunia Dursley

Lily felt tears falling down her face without even realizing that he started to cry so she ran out of Common Room before any of her friends could see her and start questioning her. She went to girls lavatories and locked herself in one compartment and started sobbing. Her own sister didn't want her at her weeding. Sure they are not best friends but they were still family. And she had audacity to ask her not to tell their parents. She toyed to tell them just to spite her but decided that she wouldn't do that to her parents. It's not their fault that they had a cow for a daughter.

After hour and a half of crying she felt calm enough to face her friends so she exited lavatory and walked to Gryffindor Common Room. She told password to Fat Lady and stepped through portrait hole head hung low and turned toward her dormitory when she heard "Evans!"

James sat miserable sounded by his friends. His Uncle, Aunt and little cousin were found dead last night in their family manor with Dark Mark hovering over the roof. A portrait swung open and girl with auburn hair walked in looking more miserable than he was feeling. He momentarily put his misery aside, jumped to his feet and yelled "Evans".

She turned around and saw James Potter right in front of her. Before she even had enough time to tell him to sod off he asked her:

"Are you oka-"

She snapped at him not letting him finish. Feeling her anger retiring "Let's get this cleared Potter" she yelled at him taking step forward and poked him in chest "I. Will. Never. Go. On. A. Date. With. You." She poked him with every word she yelled pushing him back. "Get that in your thick skull! I don't like you, I never had and never will!"

Whole Common Room held their breaths. Lily's and James' screaming matched were legendary but they never witnessed one with so much hate in her voice.

She lifted her hand "You make me sick, I would literally date any other man on this planet than you!" she continued yelling oblivious to full room looking at them. He cringed when she slapped him "I hate you with my entire hearth, you are stupid, disgustful, obnoxious little man and I would rather date Voldemort himself than you. For he must be better than you in every way possible" She slapped him again. He just stood there feeling tears gathering, fist clenched and jaw locked.

"What? Are you going to start crying now? I didn't hit you that hard you moron, now leave me alone before I hex you."

His eyes darkened and all glow from them disappeared before he coldly spoke "Fine"

She blinked. *Did he just said fine? Why am and blinking like an idiot? I should be dancing* She blinked again.

"You want me to leave you alone?" he continued "I am done with you, and don't you ever look at my direction or I will show you that I am far worse than Voldemort" he all but growled.

Lily blinked again *What?* She never felt that kind of tone from him towards her. That was usually reserved for Slytherins. Before she even had a chance to think about it he brushed past her and out of Common Room.

Sirius Black jumped op from chair he was sitting on and run after James. He just stopped by Lily for a moment to tell her in a low voice "Evans you are truly bitch, I would watch myself around" and went after James. She had no idea what was with them, it's not like they never yelled at each other.

"Evans, you should have said that" Remus spoke getting up as well with Frank

"So now we are on last names Remus?"

"Yes. When someone compares my best friend with Voldemort after what happened to him last night I tend to distance myself from that person." We said moving past her after his friends.

"So what if I compared them, what happened? It's not like…" but he left already.

"His only uncle and aunt and their daughter were killed by Voldemort last night Lily" whispered Frank and ran after rest of Marauders

"Shit" muttered Lily "Shit" and stumbled to first chair. Marlene came near here and wrapped her arms around her

"Are you OK honey?" she whispered

"No, I didn't know Marlene. He must have felt terrible"

"You didn't notice newspaper this morning? It was all over first page?"

Lily thought about this morning and remembered reading death of family of three H.P. (46), J.P. (43) and A.P. (8) found dead in family manor with dark mark above it. P in initials must have meant Potter

"Fuck, his cousin was eight years old. I need to apologize to him" se blurred out

"Well you can wait them here" said Marlene with small voice. Lily nodded and sat down on chair in front of fireplace. She waited all until morning but Marauders never returned that night.

Next day she saw Sirius, Remus and Frank at breakfast but James was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't find him in Common Room, he was nowhere to be seen during meals and he skipped all classes. That continued next day as well and Lily found herself being avoided not just by James but by rest of Marauders.

*Fine I will find him at train back home* she thought to herself so when they boarded train next day she started looking for Marauders. She found them sitting in one compartment but James was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello" she said with small voice and three boys just glared at her. They never saw James that cold and they had Lily to thank for that. She broke James' spirit with the second blow to his feeling that day there I no wonder he asked Dumbledore to organize him portkey back home two days before.

"What do you want Evans? Came to Crucio him little before we go home?" asked Sirius coldly

"No, I just wanted t apologize to James. Where is he?"

"Home, he bought portkey" said Remus

"Oh, OK, thank you" she closed the door and thought *Well there is always next year, right?*