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"Let me just get this straight," Sirius said, lying down on his bed, looking at the ceiling. "Evans did not scream, nor yell, nor show any signs of her lack of a heart?"

James, sitting on his bed, faced Sirius's bed. He shook his head. "In fact, she was almost civil."

Remus, from the other side of Sirius, defended her. "She was never actually that bad!"

"Yeah," James said, rubbing his chin in thought, staring into the coal heater in the middle of the room. "She spoke pretty highly of you, Evans did."

Sirius bolted up. "Me?" James threw his pillow at him.

"No, Remus." James said. He decided to leave out what Evans said of Padfoot, for if he knew the truth, Sirius's world might shatter around him.

"Oh, good," Sirius said, lying back down.

Remus scratched his head. "She has a knack for finding the good in people. Always has."

"Unless she's trying to eat your soul with her words."

"Shut up, Padfoot!"

"Well," Remus said after a moment. "What did she say?"

James waited, calculating what to tell him.

"She said you were kind, in short," He stopped, weighing whether or not he should tell him about Adelaide.

"She also may have mentioned Adelaide fancying you."

Sirius bolted up, again. "Me?"

James ruffled his hair as he took off his glasses and set them on his nightstand. "Er – no. Remus."

Remus began coughing on his own air. After he had situated himself – "What?"

"Yeah, you should talk to her sometime," James said, turning away so he wouldn't have to face Sirius.

Unfortunately, Sirius came to him. He pushed James's shoulder.

"And – er – Adelaide had nothing to say about myself?"

James wouldn't face him. "Not that I am aware of." He said, voice muffled by his blanket.

Remus was in a sort of daze, as if he had been wiped of memory. Sirius was silently objecting, making facial expressions that should his thorough disbelief, occasionally muttering things like "Superficial girl" or "I could do better anyway."

Needless to say, Peter was the only one who slept soundly tonight, without dreams of girls.

The next morning, on the way to potions, the Marauders noticed something different about Hogwarts.

Well, not just something. Many things. The front door had large locks on it that weren't there the year before. The windows had iron bars running across them. Hagrid was enforcing the "Forbidden" part of the Forbidden Forest, capturing the occasional student who tried to wander in. The number of Hogsmead visits was cut in half, and teachers were assigned to chaperone the ones they did have.

"They don't think old Voldy is just going to walk in here, do they?" Sirius asked, annoyed. "Is it really necessary? I mean, are we going to run into to him in the Forbidden Forest? Of course not."

"They say he's targeting students, in particular now," Remus said, lugging his large bag with him. "Dumbledore's just trying to help."

Sirius mumbled something incoherent, obviously still miffed at Adelaide's choice.

"Lighten up, Padfoot," James said, slapping his friend's back. "There are other fish in the sea."

"Yeah," Sirius spit back, watching Adelaide and Lily walk into the potion's room. "And there are other lilies in the garden."

James decided to let this one go, and they entered the dungeons in silence.

The potion's room was filled with the usual aura of scents and fumes from the cauldrons. Professor Slughorn always had something of his own brewing at his desk.

James sat at his cauldron, with Sirius to his left and Remus at his right. Remus had taken to constantly glancing at Adelaide, who was sitting at a cauldron next to Lily. James smacked the back of his head.

"Ow!" Remus said, rubbing the hit spot. "What was that for?"

James looked at him over his glasses seriously. "Don't rub it in, mate."

Remus's eyes widened a little, and he glanced at Sirius. Moony appeared to be just realizing that, for once, Sirius was jealous of someone. He nodded, and painstakingly focused on the front board.

Slughorn walked, or waddled, to the board. He lazily flicked his wand, and a white piece of chalk began to write directions.

"The Befuddlement Draught," he started, in a drawling voice. "A basic potion, but something fun to do on the first day, hm? I will be checking your progress at the end of class. You may begin."

Lily sighed. She had hopped for something more difficult, more intriguing then the Befuddlement Draught. She could brew that in her sleep. Within a few minutes, her potion was simmering, ready to sit for thirty minutes before being stirred thrice to the left.

It appeared, however, Adelaide was having a little trouble.

"Zis is zo strange!" She said, with a light French accent, throwing her hands up. "I 'ave never seen instructions zo detailed before!"

Lily smiled. "It's quite easy, just follow the instructions."

"You are very good at potions, yes?"

Lily nodded half-heartedly.

"I thought zo." Adelaide smiled. "You are like me en Transfiguration class! I 'ave a talent in zat one."

"James Potter is good in that as well," Lily said, before she thought. She mentally slapped herself, and blushed.

Adelaide looked at her knowingly over her cauldron.

"You and zis Potter," She said, brandishing her spoon at Lily. "Are you, togezzer?"

Lily quickly shook her head. "No, 'course not."

"Ah," Adelaide said. "Zat is a shame."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Adelaide returned to stirring her potion that had turned a bright shade of yellow. Lily noticed that in the Befuddlement Draught, the potion never turns yellow, though she decided not to tell Adelaide.

"You would be. . ." Adelaide said slowly. "Coot"

"I'm sorry?"

"Eh – ahem – cute." Adelaide said in her best interpretation of a British accent.

Lily shook her head, checking her watch to monitor the potion. "He's arrogant and full of himself."

They both looked over to the cauldrons where Potter and the Marauders were brewing what appeared to be unsuccessful Befuddlement Draughts. Black turned around, scratching his head, and flipped through his Potion's book. When his back was turned, Potter threw some unknown ingredient into Black's cauldron, which then began spewing little yellow birds. Sirius whirled around frantically, trying to corral in the birds, oblivious to the snickers of his best friend.

Adelaide threw some scurvy grass into her potion. "Ah, men, what shall we do with zem?"

"I don't know, Adelaide. I don't know."

"Hey, Adelaide!" Sirius yelled across that hall, after Potion's. "Adelaide!"

As she turned her head, her black, glossy curtain of hair shimmered down her back.

"Are you enjoying Hogwarts?" He asked politely, as she walked towards them, with Lily at her heels.

"Ah, yes," she said, nodding. Her attention turned to Remus.

"'Allo!" She greeted, smiling. Remus was absolutely intoxicated. "I am Adelaide Dubois. And you?"

Remus stood with his mouth slightly ajar for a moment, before James kicked his foot.

"Er – oh! – R-Remus," he sputtered. "Remus Lupin."

"Nice to meet you," Adelaide said, with a dazzling smile. "You are a werewolf, yes?"

Everyone jumped in surprise.

"What is ze matter?" Adelaide asked, shocked at their response.

"How did you know?" Remus muttered, his eyes flitting to Lily.

"I didn't tell her!" Lily defended herself, arms crossed. "You know I wouldn't tell her."

Remus's eyes narrowed. "Then how does she know?" He yelled accusingly at Lily

James grabbed Remus's shoulder tightly. "Watch it, Moony," he hissed into his ear.

"I know," Adelaide said, obviously frustrated. "Because zere are werewolves at Beauxbatons, and et is, as you say, no big deal." She crossed her arms. "I recognized ze scars and ze look en your eyes."

Remus leaned back, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh," he muttered. "Sorry. . ."

Lily's eyes were fixated on the floor, not looking at Remus. She pulled on Adelaide's arm. "C'mon, Ancient Runes is next." She said, in a quiet voice.

Lily dragged Adelaide around, and began walking down the hall. Adelaide turned back and waved, but Lily kept pulling forward.

For the second time, James smacked the back of Remus's head.

"Damn it, Prongs!"

"After all Lily said about you, Moony? She's practically the reason Adelaide is interested in you!" James exclaimed, accusingly. "You had to go and upset her, did you?"

"She was the only one that would've told her!"

"I don't care," James said through gritted teeth. "I will personally hex the living hell out of you if you ever yell at her again."

"I was yelling?"

"Yes," Sirius, James, and Peter all shouted exasperatedly.

"You yell at her all the time!" Remus shouted back.

"It's not the same!" James retorted.

This escapade might've turned into a full blown brawl, if Professor Slughorn hadn't threw open the door, shouted at them to "get their ruddy arses to their next class".

The fact that Slughorn said the word "arse" diffused the tension considerably.

Aww, James is defensive... It's a sad moment when you realize you have a complicated relationship with a fictional character.

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