I can never thank her enough, my amazing Beta Jane. LOVE YOU! Also, thank you all for reading and reviewing, it keeps me going!

Chapter 4: Serendipity

Katrina approaches James Potter cautiously; she looked everywhere for Sirius, but couldn't find him, so she has resorted to asking James instead.

"Excuse me?" He turns confusedly, not recognizing the low voice.

"Yes?" James observes the small girl, who wears too much eyeliner, with curiosity.

"Hi, I'm Katrina Mace. I'm new here." She sticks out her hand, her nerves gone after seeing James's friendly face.

"Yeah, Sirius told me about you. He didn't tell me that you're American, though. I'm James Potter." He shakes her hand and smiles.

"Sirius told me about you as well." She smirks knowingly.

"Did he now? Were they good things?" He asks, an arrogant grin spreading across his face.

"Mostly." She smirks. How could Lily hate this guy? He seems like so much fun! "Anyway, the reason I came over here was to ask you if you wouldn't mind training me a bit for Quidditch Tryouts?" Her face looks so hopeful, he almost says yes immediately.

"I'll need to ask Madam Hooch if it would be okay. I don't know if it's allowed, as I'm Captain, but I'll get back to you on that." Katrina seems a bit put-out by his answer, but she nods anyway.

"Thanks, James. Sirius was right. You are pretty awesome… and hot too. I don't see what Lily has a problem with." She winks and walks back over to her friends.

"Had fun talking to James?" Elaine laughs.

"How can Lily hate him so much? I barely talked to him five minutes and I already love him!" Katrina marvels.

"Lily's just stubborn and she doesn't hate him, at least, not anymore." Elaine amends her comment, remembering fifth year with a scowl. "They were both such prats in fifth year, though. Ugh, I could barely stand it, being friends with both of them."

"Both of who?" Lily sits down at the foot of Elaine's armchair.

"Don't play dumb, Ginger, you know very well who." Lily blushes.

"He was a prat and I couldn't stand it." Lily points out matter-of-factly.

"Was?" Katrina prompts, smirking at Lily with Elaine.

"You guys are hopeless. Just shag and get it over with." Evelyn rolls her eyes behind her Arithmancy textbook. The ginger in question blushes, if possible, deeper.

"I have Transfiguration homework to do. Don't you have to ask Sirius for Quidditch training?" Lily sneers at Katrina.

"I already asked James," Katrina tells her happily, only causing Lily to scowl further. She stands haughtily and stalks back up to their dormitory, muttering to herself. Evelyn is the only one of her friends who misses James following Lily with his eyes, a new determination there.

The Portrait Hole opens with a BANG, making everyone inside jump. A very smug Sirius Black comes striding into the Common Room. He strides over to the girls, noticing them before his best mate.

"Why do you have that look on your face?" Elaine asks noticing the mischievous glint in his eye.

"What look, Elaine, my dearest?" He innocently bats his eyes.

"Oh please, I've barely known you three days and know that look means trouble. Spill," Katrina commands him. He sighs dramatically and begins his story, but is interrupted by James tackling him.

"Paddy!"

"What? I was telling these wonderful ladies of my adventures!" Sirius grumbles loudly.

"You can tell them – and me – of your adventures later. Now, you need to come with me to the dorm for a super-secret Marauders meeting." James is practically bouncing in excitement.

"After we find Remus and Pete."

"We're here." Remus and Peter file in through the still-open Portrait Hole.

"Excellent!" James pulls them all up the stairs. Alice is the last to come through the Portrait Hole, closing it behind her.

"Where are they going in such a rush?" she asks the girls.

"A 'super-secret Marauders meeting'." Elaine rolls her eyes.

"I see… where's Lily?"

"She went up to her dorm, after we teased her about James." Katrina smirks.

"C'mon guys, you know she hates that. I want her with James as much as you guys do, but we need to let her make the decision herself. She won't do it if we push her. She's stubborn," Alice chides them, clearly annoyed and hurries up to Lily's Head Girl dorm.

"Prongs, what is this all about?" Sirius crosses his arms over his chest.

"I'm back in business!" When he sees his friends' expressions he elaborates."Lily says I was a prat!"

"Okay… I don't see how that's good," Peter mumbles.

"Was, as in, I'm not anymore!" James corrects him, practically beaming.

"I thought you said you weren't going to… go after Lily anymore," Remus chides his friend. James lowers his gaze, a little bit of the light gone from his eyes.

"This summer made me lose my faith, but its back and Lily doesn't hate me anymore!"

"She never said that," Sirius mutters; James decidedly ignores that comment.

Lily sits in her bed, snuggling with the blanket she found on herself this morning. She once again thanks Merlin for the fact that the Heads get their own rooms; the staircase leading up to their shared, mini-Common Room, called the Heads Office, was simply there between the girls' stair case and the boys' on the first day of school. There are three doors in it, one leading up from the stairwell (which is password-activated – fancy), one leading into James's room and one leading into Lily's. She woke early and found that someone had transfigured the pillow to be more comfortable and that she had a blanket draped over her. She couldn't believe it. Naturally, she's very curious as to who did it; she recognizes the scent lingering on the blanket, but can't place it. It's a musky and fresh smell; a mix of Quidditch Turf, fire, and some sort of cologne. She sighs and decides to work on her Transfiguration homework, like she told her friends she would, instead of pondering this Mystery-Comfort-Giver.

"Whatcha got there?" Lily starts at the sound of Alice's voice; she didn't hear her come in.

"My Transfiguration homework." Lily holds up the parchment.

"No, silly, the blanket." Alice rolls her eyes at her friend, coming to inspect it herself. She's fighting off a smile, seeing Lily cuddle with James's blanket.

"Oh, well, I fell asleep on a couch in the Common Room last night and woke up with this on top of me." Lily shrugs. Alice sits next to the ginger on her bed.

"That's sweet. Whoever did that must really like you." Alice nudges her suggestively.

"I guess." Lily shrugs again, blushing to her hairline. "I dunno, maybe they're just a really good person."

"Or maybe." Alice snatches the blanket from Lily's grasp. "Both." She smirks as Lily blushes even more furiously.

"Give it back." Lily pouts. Alice laughs and throws the blanket in her face.

"Let's finish our Transfiguration homework." Alice chuckles, summoning her own supplies from her dorm.