Disclaimer: I do not own or in any way take credit for the wonderful world of Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling is much more creative than I ^_^. So before you decide to have a heart attack about the names I use in this and suing me for all I'm worth, I'll remember that I wrote a disclaimer to save my ass, dammit.

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~*The day was bright, sunny and a little nippy. Lots of laughter and incesive chattering of the students filled the crisp air. The Marauders were sitting by their favorite place, speaking of what pranks they had in mind to pull this year. Prongs had thought that putting green slime on the girls bathroom toilet seats when they sat down was a good one.
"You know, I'm taking the girls bathroom idea and running with it. If we put horny toads in there that were actually sexually frustrated, tha'd be even better," Moony suggested with a glazed over look in his eyes and a big stupid grin on his face.
"Why not just do both on the same night?" Padfoot played with a blade of grass idly.
"You git. If we did that then we wouldn't have any girls screaming out of their wits because they wouldn't go in at all." Prongs ruffled his hair. "We'll have to break it up into at least two month periods before we pull another prank."
"You? Being careful? That's a laugh." A young Black leaned against the tree trunk and glanced over at Wormtail who didn't have anything to add.
"When do we want to do this, then," Moony asked and started to take out one of his favorite books.
"Fairly soon. As a way to welcome the girls back to Hogwarts."
They all nodded in agreement and fell silent with grins on their faces, watching the girls in amusement. They delighted in hearing a girl squeal in fright, especially ones they knew personally. It was time to go in for dinner and they headed toward the Great Hall. They all had a seat on their reserved bench and began to help themselves to a hearty meal. Halfway into the meal, Rhiane Westwaters came down and sat next to Sirius who was sitting on the end of his three friends. All the girls watched her in jealousy... except two. Aislynn Stellar sat next to Lily Evans, contented with her soup and bread. Lily spoke about her day and the charms that she had been practicing over the summer.
"Hey, Evans... Have a good summer?" James gave his most dashing smile he could muster and watched her toss her long red hair.
"Yes, I wasn't around you... so it was extremely nice." She shot him an Ice-Queen glare and took a bite out of her pot pie. Aislynn snorted into her mashed potatoes and brought a napkin up to her mouth.
"Aw, c'mon. You're not still mad about the incident with Snivellus, are you?" His smile fell and he furrowed his brows.
"As a matter of fact, I am. Both of you are rude and incorrigible. So, to solve the issue of my hate towards both of you... I avoid you at all costs." She shrugged and nibbled on a peice of crust.
"Ah, but you are talking to me."
She looked at him and kept her mouth shut for the next few minutes then resumed her conversation with Aislynn. They talked animatedly for about ten minutes more before they got up to head up to Gryffindor Tower. Rhiane watched after them and smiled a little.
"Someone should warn the school about their tempers," she chewed on her food.
"Yeah, Prongs. You should give up on her and go for that babe from Ravenclaw. She's available and I hear she's kept her eye on you for some time now." Sirius nodded his head toward Ravenclaw's section and wrapped an arm around Rhiane breifly. James played with his food for several minutes with a vacant expression in his eyes. The Marauders looked at each other then the melancholy Potter. They would formulate a plan to help him out later. Soon after, they all got up to head to the Gryffindor Tower as well. There, it was warm with fire and a friendly air.
Aislynn played Wizard's Chess with Lily, who was a worthy opponent, in the corner of the homey Common Room. Remus came and sat down next to Aislynn.. Lily looked up, glared and immediately moved up to the girls dormitories. Aislynn sighed deeply and leaned back in the chair.
"Why is she so moody?" Remus picked up one of the figurines and inspected it as if he were interested.
"Potter, of course. She still holds a grudge and since you're his friend, she holds one against you too."
"You're my friend, why doesn't she leave whenever you're around," he grinned at her and rested his chin on his fist.
She smiled a little and shook her head, "because she's nice like that." She began to place the pieces back in their box and glanced over at him. "What?"
"Look, Ais... you've gotta help us get those two together. She's really cutting Prongs deep whenever she merely looks at him with a glare."
"I'm sorry for your buddy. But I'm not going to play a part in tricking her to like Potter. That's not my style. You should just let fate take it's course. She'll come around as soon as his head deflates. Women don't like men that strut around like peacocks. Most women like the intelligent, strong, funny, silent type..." She trailed off and blushed a flattering pink.
"We can't just sit around watching the clock as he sulks. It's disgusting. Look at him! He's never sad like this, even when rejected. He really likes her." He nodded to James who sat with his head hung and the same vacant expression in his eyes. She watched young Potter and she had to admit that he did look pitiful. She looked up to the girls dormitories and exhaled after looking into Remus' eyes.
"All right! I can't stand it when you look at me like that... big, watery, pleading, puppy-eyes. I'm such a push over," she grimaced and shut the box. A happy smile came to his face, her heart skipped a beat but she shook it off. "What plan did you have in mind?" She watched and listened carefully to the plan that he had thought up. She felt like she was somehow betraying Lily by helping the guy she had grown to loathe. After about half an hour of talking and getting Aislynn's ideas too, Remus headed over to James and told him what was going to be happening. Prongs' face lit up immediately and he looked at Aislynn with a smile, he nodded in his gratitude and she waved it off with a big smile.
A few weeks had passed after Aislynn had explained that she had a guy that she wanted to set Lily up with on a blind date. She agreed and the day when they were leaving for Hogsmeade, teased her hair, put on her best robes and dabbed some lipstick on that her mother had given her. Aislynn pulled her hair into a long elegant braid and brushed off her robes before taking Lily to where her blind date was waiting.
"Ugh, there's Potter... Look at him, trying to smooth out his hair and messing with his glasses." Lily tossed her hair, "what is he doing there anyway? Isn't that where my blind date is supposed to be? I hope Potter didn't scare him away."
"Er. Well, Lily..." Aislynn stopped infront of James and glanced at him a little nervously. "This is your blind date. May I introduce you to James Potter... James, this is Lily Evans."
He grinned a little and handed her a tiger lily, while she grabbed it red in the face, he leaned over and kissed her hand.
"Ais... I can't... Why did you...? And..." She stuttered.
"Oh! Look at the time, I have to get to the Three Broomsticks to meet um, everyone else." Aislynn winked at James and whispered, "just don't give up, no matter what she says or does." She promptly took her leave, watching the two from afar for a moment or so.
"Potter... I can't believe that you'd go as low to bribe my friend into tricking me," she looked at the tiger lily with a wounded expression.
"I didn't bribe anyone. She did this on her own accord. Look, Lily.. Just give me a chance, if after this day you don't feel like seeing me anymore, I'll leave you alone and make sure to duck out of your way in the halls." He took her hands in both of his and looked her in those big, pretty green eyes.
She glanced at the tiger lily and to him and smiled, "promise? If I'm not impressed with you, you promise that you'll go away?"
"I promise."
"Great! So, what did you have in mind to do? Maybe go to that cute cafe down the road for some coffee and maybe some chocolate?" She began to drag him along and placed the white tiger lily in her hair to wear.
Aislynn was deeply satisfied with herself and wished James good luck before heading to the Three Broomsticks to tell his friends what had happened. She sat down at their table and was handed a Butterbeer.
"How did it go, Ais?" Remus asked with a hopeful look. Sirius and Rhiane looked mildly interested but continued to snuggle while Peter stared at her longingly.
"She took it really well and they're on their way to that cafe down the road," she smiled and took a swig of her drink. "James is really charming when he's one-on-one..."
"He learned from the best," Sirius puffed his chest out and beamed. "Observe..." He glanced around and moved his chair back. Rhaine watched him with an eyebrow quirked.
"Excuse me, miss... I couldn't help but notice your beautiful eyes.. Can I buy you a Butterbeer?" He smiled suavely and winked. The girl giggled like she had a feather under her butt. Rhiane stood up quickly so that her chair flew to the ground, her cheeks were red and she reached around and slapped Sirius in the face hard. He looked up at her, slightly stunned. After she let it sink in she dumped her Butterbeer on his head.
"Go get a room, will you?!" She tossed her hair and stormed out.
"What was that for?" He looked around to everyone at the table, wiping Butterbeer out of his eyes.
Aislynn laughed softly, "you deserved that one, Sirius... talking to another girl flirty-like while your lady is around." She looked down at her cold butterbeer and back to Remus....
Rhiane muttered to herself, glaring vacantly infront of her. Her hands were clenched at her sides and she grit her teeth. She turned a corner and collided into something hard and fell back to her rump with an 'oof!'.
"Why don't you watch where you're go--" She looked up while rubbing her bum.
"You're the one who bumped into me..." A greasy, wired haired boy lifted a brow and crossed his arms.
"Oh.. Snape. Sorry. I just was angry and..." She got up and dusted her robes off and trailing from her train of thought. She blinked and had a look as if a lightning bolt had just struck her. She smiled at him sweetly and bat her lashes. "Say.. you're available, aren't you?"
He took a step back and gave her a look of utter disbelief.
"Well? Do you want to be my boyfriend? I'm sure that we could have a great time, if you'll only say yes." She leaned in closer to him and wrapped her arm around his.
"Er... um..." He cleared his throat and pulled the collar of his robes back nervously, "yes?"
"Wonderful! We can make this our first date, then!" She smiled and kissed his cheek and started to drag him to the candy store. He was still looking as though he were a deer in headlights by the time they had reached their destination....
Remus watched the girl that he'd had his eyes set on since last year, she was a tall pretty blond from Hufflepuff and sweet as sugar. He leaned his cheek on his hand and let out a soft sigh. Aislynn knew who he was watching and let out a soft sigh as well. She suddenly became very self conscious and played with her hair to straighten it up. She had tried to be nicer and sweeter than normal and dress nicely around him, but nothing seemed to work. She was slowly losing her confidence. Hot tears began to well up in her eyes and she excused herself to go back to Hogwarts.
"What's the matter, Aislynn?" Sirius asked.
"I... I just don't feel too well all of a sudden," she stuttered and took one last look at Remus before walking out the doors. Whispering to herself helped her think but only seemed to make her feel worse... "Being myself didn't work. Being someone else didn't work... Maybe.. I should just give up. Go back to Ireland or America." She stiffened and exhaled hastily. Depression had been an illness she was battling ever since childhood but it seemed to wash over her and want to drown her to put her out of her misery lately. Aislynn sunk down to the ground slowly, sobbing into her sleeves of her robes. Everything had seemed to be wrong in her life. Nothing was going right and it all piled on at one breaking point.
Her stomach began to hurt when horrible memories consumed her... Her mother and father leaving her in an abandon building when she was just four years old... she had been a bad girl when she unlocked the door to her room when they shut her in it for more than a day. The day that she had found out that after she went to Hogwarts school, she would no longer be welcome to her foster mother's home. Feeling that her grades were less than perfect. When she had found out that Sirius had accepted Rhiane, a friend, to go steady with. Remus not noticing her after all her attempts to drop that she likes him... She found herself in her dormitory, not knowing how she had gotten herself there. Feeling very tired, Aislynn flopped into bed, feeling sicker.
The next morning came but she did not rise out of bed. She slept on and on. The second day came and finally she was taken to the hospital wing where she still slept. The fourth day came and she lifted her lids slowly to see a worried Lily, Remus, Molly and Rhiane standing close to her bed. She had no recollection of what had happened or where the time had gone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You have just read the product of chapter four to Ticking Clocks.