The next morning Lily rolled out of bed with the sun, much to her chagrin. She stumbled down the steps and into the common room. Willow was curled up in bed as she got up. Lily wandered to the bathrooms with her clothes and bath things in tow, a towel over one arm. She slipped into the bathroom tiredly, not seeing the sign that clearly said 'Wizard's' on the door.

James wandered in aswell, unable to sleep any longer. She didn't notice, she was so incredibly tired. She started to unbutton her pajama shirt. Everyone changed outside the showers, after all, it was boarding school, all the girls saw all the girls and vice versa. Besides, the showers were really too small to change inside.

James saw who it was, and realized what she had done. He dropped back, and hid in a shower cubicle. She slipped the shirt off, he could only see her back, but still....

It was quite clear she slept minus bra. As she unbuttoned her pants it became just as clear that she also slept without underwear. Plus, her pajamas had teddy bears on them. Serious blackmail material. Even Frank Longbottom, saint extraodinare would have been tempted.

James' jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Lily stepped into the shower, back still to him and the towel appeared hanging on the shower door. James stood watching, no one else was about. It was too early yet. James could hear the sound of the water turning on and a satisfied 'ah'. He almost burst out with laughter, but contained it. He didn't know the song.

After a bit the water turned off and the towel disappeared. Lily dried herself off, still singing and stepped out of the shower wearing just a towel. She had her eyes closed and was imatating a muggle singer, using her shampoo bottle as a microphone.

"It's simple, confusing, the truth is I'm winning but I'm losing

And pulling and pushing, won't do me any good

It could, it should

I'm honest to myself that the truth is I lied." She sung, relatively on key. James was shocked she hadn't opened her eyes. She turned to the mirror and dropped her towel, giving him full view of her chest's reflection, her eyes opening as she set down her shampoo bottle. Then she looked up and saw him. She screamed and scrambled for her towel.

His eyes widened. "Morning Evans..."

"What the HELL are you doing in here!?!" she screamed "You... You... You..."

" I was going to ask you the same question.. you being in the boy's bathroom and all!!!"

"I'm... Oh. My. God...." she was holding the towel up in front of her and had moved away from the mirror. "I..." She turned red. "Potter, you were WATCHING ME!" She shrieked. "You didn't even tell me where I WAS! You WATCHED ME CHANGE!!!!!!!!" She wrapped the towel around herself quickly. "I can't believe you. I knew you were an arse-hole but I thought you were at least a decent one! If you tell anybody about this, I mean anybody, I'll... I'll...." she wasn't screaming, she didn't want to bring the rest of Gryffindor running. Her voice was a low, controlled hiss, ten times as scary as if she were shrieking at the top of her lungs.

"You'll what?" He asked, looking at her. He was going to hold this over her head.

"Aren't you even the least bit ashamed of yourself!?!" she questioned. "Never mind, you're just like every other teenaged boy. I already knew that, so why am I so disappointed?" with a bitter laugh she drew her clean robe on, drawing the towel out without opening the robe. At least now she felt covered.

James had sighed and looked at her. "Lily, Lily, Lily..." He said, " I'm not the one who went into the boys bathrooms, I'm not the one who made an absolute prat of themselves singing a strange song, and waving that bottle around."

"You git! It's insanely early, I was tired and if you say you've never sung in the shower you're a horrid liar! There's a big, huge, gigantic difference between an honest mistake and taking advantage of that mistake!"

"I wasn't taking advantage of anything..." He said cooly, he wasn't going to get agitated infront of her.

"Do you have any idea how you sound? You sound just like all the Slytherin 'gits' you hate!"

Again, that hit him hard, he didn't let her see it. "I know exactly how I sound, Evans." he walked out of the bathroom, his hands in his pockets. Lily stormed out after him, running past him in a rage, up the girls steps as fast as she could go. James threw himself into a chair by the fire place moodily. He sighed, resting his chin in his hands.

Lily went back into her dormitory, crying by this time, great heaving sobs, burying her face in her robes to try and muffle it, not wanting to wake her house mates. Willow was already sitting up on her bed. She had been waiting for her to come back.

Lily looked up. "P...per-f-ect." She said, crying as she collapsed on her bed.

Willow got up quickly, her green nightie billowing slightly behind her. She sat down on Lily's bed. "Whats wrong?"

The other girl tried to relate the whole sad story but all she got out was "P..P-ot..ter."

"Him again?" she said, a slight angry tone to her voice. "I'm sorry Lils."

Once she had finally calmed down Lily was able to relate the whole thing, start to finish. She looked most unhappy about it. "And you've got to swear not to tell anyone, 'Low, everyone would laugh at me..." she finished. "He's such an arse-hole. They all are." she said viciously. "Except for Remus, I mean." she added hastily. "But what am I ever going to do, he'll tell everyone, and can you imagine if Bellatrix Black got a hold of this? It'd be all over the castle in minutes!" she was babbling madly by now.

Willow thought. "Maybe he won't tell." she suggested.

Lily snorted. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, he is a boy, I'm not sure I know of one who would've warned me. It was more the way he acted after. Didn't even have the grace to blush and he certainly didn't apoligize." she was done looking sad, now she just looked furious.

"But that's Potter, when has he ever done anything you've expected him to do?"

"I hate it when you're right." Lily replied. Willow smiled a little. Lily smiled back. "I'm gonna pull my bed curtains and change." she said, gently pushing Willow off of her bed. She pulled the curtains shut with a snap. Willow sighed, and went and got ready for the day.

Lily pulled her clothes on. However, she had a niggling idea that wouldn't go away. "Reducio" she whispered pointing her wand, which she'd grabbed from her bedside table, at her school skirt. It went from just brushing her kneecaps to mid thigh. She wasn't going for slutty, just flirty.

When Lily went down the stairs of the girl's tower the first thing she saw was James' messy hair. She plastered on a smile and walked, no, strutted, by him. Her skirt was shorter, just as she'd charmed it to be, her robes her open over her uniform and her hair was perfect, along with her make-up. 'James Potter, eat your heart out, cause you're missing out on a very good thing.' she thought as she passed him.

Sirius had come down the stairs not looking too awake. His eyes widened as he saw Lily. James merely glanced up at her.

Willow came down the stairs, soon after him. Her hair was again scraped back, but hadnt performed any charms on her uniform.. That was only for Remus. Lily looked back when she heard someone coming down the stairs. "Morning Willow." she said cheerfully. There was no way to know she'd been sobbing her head off a mere half hour ago.

"Morning." Willow chirped back.

Lily then turned her blinding smile on Sirius. "Morning, Black." she said but her tone was much friendlier than usual. "Sleep well?" she asked pleasently. She'd resolved to be a doll to everyone but James, whom she wasn't going to insult anymore. Oh no. She was going to pretend the poor boy didn't exist.

"Yeah, although it doesn't look like it." he said. James had no idea why Lily was being this friendly towards Sirius, she never had been before.

"Oh, you're exaggerating." she reassured him as Willow caught up with her. "See you 'round then, Black." she smiled and left with her best friend. James watched her leave, he wanted to kick something, very very hard.

Remus was standing on the stairs, stunned. "Uhhh... Was that Lily or a very pleasent figment of my imagination?"

"Willow was there too..." James pointed out bluntly.

"Yeah, but Willow's always nice to just about everyone. Lily is... Not. Well, to me she is but uhh... Oh you get my point, Prongs."

"Yes, Moony." he said, watching where they had left.

"Honestly though, she was being more than civil to Sirius, of all people. No offense, Padfoot."

"None taken." he said, plonking himself in a chair opposite James.

"Aren't you two going to breakfast?"

"Yes." Said James, monotonously

"Well you'd best get a move on then. Oh, and one of you wake Peter, thanks. I've got to go catch up to my girlfriend." he grinned and went out the portrait hole after Lily and Willow.

Sirius got up again, running a hand through his already messed up hair. "I'll go."

"Ok, we owe Evans alot of money." James sighed. She had been right. She had bet 20 galleons on the going out.

Sirius sighed, and trudged up the stairs, going to wake Peter. "Oh shit, we do. Plus five each from the bet about the lipstick." he muttered as he trudged. Soon Peter was awake and the three Marauders were on their way to breakfast.

In the great hall Lily and Willow were going over their school schedules while Remus watched Willow with a starry-eyed expression. Every now and then Lily would look up and catch the eyes of Romano Zabini to blow him a kiss.

Peter groaned. "Honestly Evans, some of us are contemplating breakfast!" he complained. Lily flushed.

"Sorry, Pettigrew." she said, obviously trying to be pleasent. Several jaws dropped, Lily didn't apoligize to Marauders. Remus and Willow's hands were joined under the table. James sat away from her, and began eating. He didn't want to make conversation with anyone.

Lily made pleasent conversation with everyone but James until breakfast was over. "Let's head to herbology then, Willow." she said, getting up.

"Yep.." Willow grinned. "What lesson do you have Remus?"

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "We all have herbology 'Low, required subject."

"Fluff overload." Lily said, but not as though she minded.

Willow blushed. "Oh yea..." she smiled.

She waved at 'Rommie' as she exited the hall.

They started making their way to Herbology, finding large amounts of lost first years on the way. Lily pointed them all on their way with a smile. She was almost always nice to everyone anyway, but her being nice to the Marauders was causing major tidal waves of gossip. Half of the school said she was being blackmailed, the other half was convinced she was secretly sleeping with Sirius. All this thanks at least partly to the big mouth and dirty mind of Bellatrix Black. And Sirius, after hearing these rumours, was neither denying or confirming them, sending suspiscions even higher.

No one dared talk of the rumors to Lily's face. She might be being pleasent but she was still at the same academic level as James and Sirius, higher in some places, which made her formidable.

Later that day Lily was walking, by herself, to the library. Willow had gone off with Remus to 'study' by the lake, so she was going to knock off her Transfiguration essay. It was just like McGonagall to pile on the work on the very first day.

James had an essay to write as a punishment, 14 inches on the Goblin revolutions, and how it affected the wizarding world.

She walked in and saw him. Straightening her spine she walked past him and sat down at the next table, resting her bag on the floor by her feet.She rolled her perfect hair into a messy bun and stuck a quill through it to make it stay, then got out her inkwell and parchment, and another quill for actually writing with.

He glanced up, and saw Lily. He shook his head slightly, He had to get this essay done. He had to give it to Professor Binns after dinner. He had pulled a prank on Snape during Histroy of Magic involving pink goo and duck feathers, both of which had somehow gotten all over the mistory of Mgic Classroom.

She bit the end of her quill, staring at her empty sheet of parchment, then at another sheet of parchment covered in tiny, cramped writing, all Transfiguration notes. Little hearts with what looked like intials in them circled the edges. James got up, and went to 'find a book'. He peered over her shoulder stealthily to see what they said.

There were a few that had been carefully crossed out but evidence of a P was there. The ones that could still be read had RL in them. He walked on, a little confused about the 'p', but knew exactly who the 'r' was.

She looked over her shoulder at him and quickly covered what was left of the 'p' with one hand. Then she turned back and dipped her quill in the inkpot, other hand still covering the not-quite filled in heart. He smiled slightly, and went off down an aisle. She began scratching out an essay on animagi.

He walked back, and noticed that she hadn't got something quite right. "You can't actually tell if anyone is an Animagi, they have no mark on them what so ever." He said, seeming to know what he was talking about. He went and sat down again, opening a book and writing furiously.

She ignored him except to scratch out the part he'd pointed out. Another fifteen mintues and she'd finished the essay. "What do I have left?" the girl asked herself thoughtfully, chewing on the end of her quill and getting ink on her lip. "Charms.... easy." She put the transfiguration essay to the side to dry and started an essay on Fidelus Charms. Charms was her best subject and she excelled in it. Half her wizarding books were on charms.

James finished the History of Magic essay, finally.

"Damn..." she muttered, her notes didn't include everything on the charm. "Professor Flitwick left stuff out I think..." she murmured, getting up to get a book, leaving her notes on the table.

James waited until she had disappered from site before quickly going and looking to see if he could work out what the 'p' word had been on her transfiguartion notes. He could hear her muttering about Fidelus charms and teachers who didn't include all the information just to throw people off. She didn't mean it though, Flitwick was her favorite Professor besides McGonagall.

It looked to James like there was another letter before the 'p'. He looked hard at it. It could've been an 'l'... or a 'j'. He pondered on this, going back to his table. His essay still drying

Lily came back and sat down, flipping open a book (by a certain Flitwick) to a chapter on Fidelus charms and in short order had finished the essay. James was going to do more homework later. he got up, slung his bag over his shoulder. He watched. He was going to be late to dinner too, he just wasn't in too much of a hurry, he knew how to get into the kitchens.

Lily got to dinner, out of breath. When someone teased her she just smiled sweetly. "Well, I'm finished with homework." she said. The other person fell silent as Lily sat next to Willow. She smiled at Lily. "Hey." She said, sipping from her goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Hey." Lily smiled and served herself from the bountiful options presented her. Willow's plate was almost empty.

Lily finished quickly. "I'm going back to the library, Professor flitwick said I could get extra credit for an essay on the wizards who've had the geatest influences on charms. Bye Willow!" she bid good bye to Sirius, Remus and Peter, who were all sitting with them, and left.

"Isn't her average in charms something like 110?" asked a rather awed Peter.

"Yep, 110." replied Willow as she helped herself to potatos.

"Yet she needs more extra credit?" questioned Sirius, blinking.

"Yea... she loves charms, would do anything for Flitwick." Willow said, gently taking hold of Remus' hand and leaning on him slightly.

"Want to go for a walk, 'Low?" Remus asked, nuzzling her neck gently.

Peter groaned. "I'm eating!"

"Would love to." She smiled, kissing his cheek, in spite of Peter.

"Don't mind Wormtail, he still believes in cooties." Remus said, grinning as he stood.

"I do not, I simply would like people to have as healthy a respect for eating food undisturbed as I do."

"Peter, all you do is eat. If we let you always eat undisturbed we'd go around having whispered discussions about chocolate frogs." pointed out Sirius. The plump boy blushed.

Willow got up too. "Bye." she said gently to both Sirius and Peter.

"Bye." they replied.

Willow and Remus walked out of the hall together, James had sat away from them all and was eating quietly.

Lily finally finished in the library around nine o'clock, an hour before curfew. She decided to go and talk to Josie, and therefore headed down to the Slytherin dungeons, not taking into account the fact that it was late, and dark, and, as always Bellatrix Black hated her, that never changed. While contemplating what Bellatrix would look like after a good dose of the insect jinx and deciding that not only would that be cool, it would be even better because she would be unable to talk, Lily bumped into to something. A tall, blond haired something. Lucius Malfoy.

"What're you doing down her all by yourself, Evans?" he asked silkily.

"Visiting my friends, Malfoy. Bugger off." she hissed. A shadow slipped up behind Malfoy, it was Serverus Snape.

"Oh lovely, another one." she said.

"Watch it, Evans... I don't think you want a nasty run in with us." Snape said slickly.

"You're right, I simply want to find my friends." she said quietly. Snape looked at Malfoy, wondering what he had in mind. "Just let me through." she said.

"Now that would be too simple, Lily." her name sounded wrong, and somehow tainted as it came from Lucius' lips

"It's Evans to you, Malfoy. Now will you let me the hell through?"

"Maybe..." he said slyly.

"Alright Malfoy, so what is it you want?"

He shrugged. "What do you have to offer?"

"An insect jinx." she said, glaring at him, hands on hips. "Malfoy, don't make me give you detention, just let me through." Snape leaned in and whispered quickly to him, gesturing slightly down the hall.

Malfoy nodded. " Ok, Evans... " he moved to the side. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously but went past them. He watched, a slight grin on his face. She continued down the hall, not noticing the grin. She just wanted to talk to Josie and Romano. Bella was waiting for her down the corridor

"Oh Merlin's bloody balls!!! Can't a girl visit her boyfriend?"

"Obviously not... " Bella said, taking a step forward. She prepared to cast a jinx on her year mate. Lily drew her wand, waiting. Prefect or not, she wasn't gonna run and she wasn't going to take this lying down.

Bella quickly screamed "Serpensortia!" a long snake issued out of her wand.

"Impedimenta!" the snake stopped dead. "Petrificus totalus!" Lily shouted at Bella, hoping it would hit. The other girl just dodged it, throwing the it right back at her.

"Protego" Lily said swiftly. The spell bounced back at Bella. Bella wasn't expecting that at all. It hit her full on, and she fell. "Bellatrix, darling, next time you mess with me, take into account that I don't have to be rescued. I can kick your arse any time, on any terms. Says a lot about your ever important 'pure'blood doesn't it?" Lily stepped over Bella, but not towards the Slytherin common room. She was going to just barely make curfew, if she ran.

Malfoy and Snape ran to help Bella up.

Ten minutes later Lily rushed into the Gryffindor common room at exactly ten o'clock to be greeted by the face of her best friend and all four of the Marauders. Her hair was tumbled all around her shoudlers, the quill still sticking out from behind her ear, her robe half off.

"You ok Lily?.." Willow had been waiting for her, and was worried.

Lily's face split into a huge grin. "Am I okay? When I left the Slytherin dungeons Bellatrix Black was face down on the ground, unable to move. I'm not okay, I'm flying!"

Willow grinned and hugged her. "Woa, took down Bellatrix Black, nice..."

Siruis was impressed. James was standing behind them all, watching. Peter was watching everyone intently.

"Of course, now she's going to do something truely horrible, but currently, I've got the one up." said Lily lightly.

"Indeed." Willow grinned. Lily plopped in front of the fire, grinning incessently. She hadn't even mentioned Rommie since breakfast. Well, not to them, at least. Willow sat down in the chair next to her. Remus sat himself down on the arm, taking Willows hand. Lily curled up contentedly.

Peter, Sirius and James all sat aswell. They were bored, their first day back hadn't been the greatest.

"I'm going up to bed. Night all." She hugged Willow and practically skipped up the stairs.

"Night." They all chorused, apart from James, who merely grunted.

"Lovely goodbye for the woman you love, Prongs." Sirius joked. Remus grinned.

James rolled his eyes, and got up. " Saw something odd on Evans' notes today..." He mused. "Looked alot like a j.p." Willow's jaw dropped before she quickly closed her mouth.

James looked at her. "What was that for?"

Remus looked down at her questioningly.

"Nothing, I just can't imagine Lily doodling names on her papers." in actuallity it was because Lily had denied liking James over over, and Willow was her best friend!

"She had that rommie guys name on there too." He said, looking at Sirius. Willow sighed to herself, wondering why Lily had been hiding it.,

Lily was getting ready for bed upstairs, humming to herself. She came back down the stairs in a robe (no one ever saw her PJs but her roomies and now James) and went into the girl's bathroom, glancing deliberately at James. James glared back. She went into the bathroom.

"Oh yeah James, she's madly in love with you." Sirius said wryly.

"I'm going to bed." He said, for the second night in a row, he just wanted to be alone.

"You're such a drama queen." Sirius said as Lily exited the bathroom. She giggled as shew ent back up the girl's stairs.

"Padfoot, shush..." He said. He then went upstairs, closing the curtains around his bed.

Willow sighed, looking out the window at the clear sky. "Nice night tonight..." she said absent mindedly.

"Go check on Lily and bawl her out, you know you want to." Remus replied.

She got up, and hugged Remus. " If I don't come back down, Night." she smiled, and kissed him.

He kissed her back. "Don't hurt her too much." he grinned.

"I won't, she should still be fairly recognizable without a head, don't you think?" She grinned, sticking out her tongue cheekily.

He laughed as she headed up the stairs. Then his face went still. "I have the best girlfriend. How the hell am I gonna tell her?"

Willow went up to their dormitory, and went in. She looked for Lily, who was sitting on her bed. "Why didn't you tell me?" she crossed her arms, an annoyed tone in her voice.

"What are you talking about?" Lily said, looking genuinely confused.

"That you like James Potter." Willow said.

"WHAT!?!" shouted Lily.

"Scrawling it on your notes..." Willow tutted. "I thought you would've told me of all people!"

"I don't like James Potter!"

Willow gave her a 'yea right' look. "Potter said he had seen it himself on your notes today."

"I filled that heart in!" Lily clapped a hand over her own mouth. "I didn't say that out loud." she said, voice muffled.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I don't like him. Yes, I think he's cute but it's not the same thing and my stupid hand doodled the stupid heart and the damned stupid initals by itself with no help from my brain because I obviously haven't got one." she said all this in one breath.

"Ever heard about that subconcious writing stuff? People just don't go round putting the intials of boys they supposedly hate in hearts." she said, her arms still folded.

"Obviously they do. And even if they don't if my subconscious likes Potter it's not my fault." she snapped. "Besides, I have a boyfriend. Romano asked me out this morning."

Willow just looked at her, Lily had never told her anything about James. She felt so distrusted.

"I DO NOT LIKE JAMES POTTER!!!!!!" Lily yelled, loud enough for all of Gryffindor tower to hear.

Professor McGonagall burst into the dormitory. "Miss Evans, interested as we all are in your love life, and I assure you, we're holding our breaths, I need some sleep, so kindly pipe down." McGonagall left. James flinched, he had heard her muffled yells through the walls. Willow left the Dormitory, leaving Lily to fume by herself.

Lily pulled her bed curtains, glaring at her open mouthed room mates. "Silencio." she whispered, holding her wand. She then proceeded to cry herself to sleep.

Willow came down the stairs, looking more than alittle upset by Lilys reaction. Remus was still down there. She had silent tears streaming down her face, and wiped them away as she approached Remus. Sirius had gone to make sure James was ok, though he'd said he was going to get his toothbrush.

Remus hugged her. "She's just in denial." he said, smiling a little bit. "Hell I would be too if I liked James." he cracked a grin.

She smiled back. He had that ability to just make her smile. " Oh Remus.." she hugged him.

They sat like that for quite awhile. "You'd better go up to bed, 'Low, it's midnight."

"Yea, I know." she smiled to him, her face no longer tear stained.

He smiled back. "Go on, see you tomorrow." he kissed her and headed up to bed. Willow disappeared up the stairs, still feeling upset.