So, I'm already in the second chapter and I've still had no reviews? Auch. I know I'm out of practice and the plot does seem rather generic (What cannon L/J story isn't?), but is it really that bad? Surely someone must at least have read it. I'm feeling rather let down… Oh well.

Chapter 2

"So for your homework I expect a four and a half foot essay on transfiguring vertebrae into household crockery by Monday," McGonagall droned, pushing her glasses back up her nose with a bony finger as she returned to her position at the front of the class, a box of teapots that in some cases still had a noticeable hint of fur, "You will find Pages 147 to 152 in your textbooks very useful, but any direct copying will be met with the appropriate punishment. You may go." She turned to put the box safely away in her desk. In the third row, by the window, Lily flipped her notebook shut and stuffed it into her back, elbowing a slightly vacant-looking Jocelyn out of a pen-sucking stupor.

"Well, that was interesting, I thought," Gwendoline declared on her right, swinging her satchel over her shoulder. "Do you think there will be anything helpful in the library? Transfiguring vertebrae is so likely to come up in our O.W.L.s I want make sure I've revised it properly."

"Personally, I thought those guinea pigs were very cute," Lily agreed, swinging herself from the bench and standing beside her friend, as Jocelyn hurried to stuff her things back among the clutter in her bag. "It felt like a shame to transfigure them. I wouldn't have minded keeping one as a pet." Around them the classroom was a cacophony of noise from their fellow Gryffindors, but the teacher herself was safely ensconced in discussion with sandy-haired prefect Remus Lupin and for once did not seem to take much notice.

"Your cat would eat it, Lily-dear," Gwendoline grunted, nudging her in the ribs, "Either that or give the poor thing a heart attack, stalking it and rattling its cage in the middle of the night. Using it as a new toy ball."

Lily snorted a laugh and let herself fall back onto one of the desks in the row behind her to allow Jocelyn room to stand up. "True," the redhead grinned, "I might as well drop it in the cat bowl and have done with it." It was a well known fact that Lily's hyperactive tom, Paws, was in the habit of pouncing on anything that moved, chasing it across the room until it disappeared into some distant corner under the furniture never to be seen again or else mauling it beyond all human recognition. The girls had by now even removed the red velvet drapes from their beds to save them from being shredded by industrious cat claws every time a breeze blew in through the window.

"So, how about we meet in the library after lunch?" Gwendoline suggested as she strode out into the gangway, the others following like a pack of lambs, "I want to see if I can find any decent books on transfiguration before the others snap them up!" Jocelyn groaned loudly at this and shook her head vigorously. Transfiguration was her pet hate among all her lessons at Hogwarts and she dreaded every minute spent in activity relating to it. Occasionally her friends speculated if this was more due to her being slightly afraid of McGonagall than any actual ineptitude for the skill. Jocelyn point black refused to go near the teacher unless she had too, but at the end of the year they usually found her results quite passable.

"Why Gwen?" Lily, who also did not include transfiguration in her favourite subjects, retorted mockingly, "You'll only leave the books untouched until Sunday evening, then skim desperately through the index at the last minute and not get very much useful out of them anyway."

The Welsh girl looked embarrassed for a second and then smirked playfully at Lily over Jocelyn's shoulder. "You never know," she chirped sarcastically in a tone designed to irritate the redhead, "I might get very bored during charms and decide to revise instead." She blew a raspberry at her.

Lily snorted in disgust and feigned reaching for her wand. Her friend just giggled and made a mad dash towards the door. Jocelyn, turning round wildly in surprise, caught sight of Lily's expression and hurried to catch her up, with her ginger-haired friend darting along behind her.

It was as she passed the last bench before the door that Lily felt something odd happen. A hand grabbed the handle of her satchel, arresting her in mid-run. There was a horrible whine of tearing leather and Lily felt her feet skid on the floor, sending her thumping into the desk beside her.

"Are you alright, Miss Evans?" came a concerned McGonagall, as Lily lay sprawled on the ground, rubbing her sore head. The girl's eyes were fixed directly in front of her, at the person sitting in that bench, the one who must have grabbed her. There wasn't anyone else in reach and she was sure she had felt or seen… or something… She watched him slowly replace his hand on the desk. To her annoyance there wasn't even a trace of emotion on his face. He did not so much as hint at an apology for accidently tripping her up or gloat at a deliberate prank. He was just looking at her. The imbecile.

"Yes, I'm fine," Lily mumbled, getting to her knees and grabbing her split satchel without looking at it. The contents had spilt all over the floor. Several of her schoolbooks had become badly scuffed, one of her inkbottles had smashed all over her upturned pencil.

"Did you trip?" the deputy headmistress asked again. She was coming round the benches to where Lily lay, a startled Remus following her like a lapdog.

The question made the girl pause slightly. Her eyes fixed onto her assailant again. His remaining friends were peering round him from the surrounding benches, stealing anxious glances at Lily. "I suppose," she finally replied, a few seconds later than she might have done.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the Hospital Wing?" McGonagall put in again. She had now reached Lily and bent to help her gather up her scattered equipment.

"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you." Embarrassed Lily tore her eyes away and started snatching books up from the floor, forcing them into the remnants of her bag.

"Well, if you say so," McGongall shrugged and gave her a smile, as she handed her back a repaired ink bottle. Remus had sorted out of her pencil case. "You had better hurry along then," she added in a sterner tone of voice, "Or you shall be late for your next class."

"Thank you," Lily rose, taking the last of her things from Remus and headed over towards the door where her concerned friends were already waiting. "What happened?" Gwendoline asked, taking her arm and noticing the split schoolbag as she steered her through the door, "Is everything okay?"

"Were you hurt?" that was Jocelyn, who was reaching out to take her things from her. Unfortunately Lily never had time to reply, because at that moment her assailant spoke.

"Hey, Evans!" came the voice of James Potter.

Lily turned slowly. He was leaning in the doorway of the transfiguration classroom surrounded by his fellow Gryffindor males. One of them, the smallest standing just behind James, appeared to be hidden behind several towering schoolbags. The other two had gone slightly ahead and seemed as surprised by the interruption as Lily's own friends, who stared around the party in bewilderment.

"I wanted to ask how the rest of your birthday was yesterday," James threw in casually, pushing himself of the door, "After we ruined it?"

"Fine. Thank you," Lily replied curtly, rather nonplussed.

"That's great then!" James suddenly flashed her a broad grin that caught her rather off guard and marched off, his friends dissipating in his wake. Only Remus managed a polite wave and a 'See you' before he disappeared around the corner.

"What an odd person," Jocelyn declared, rather awkwardly scratching her head with her arms full of Lily's belongings.