Three weeks later, James, Lily and the other sixth years had all passed their final exams (Peter just barely passed transfiguration — and that was with some major sucking up to McGonagall) and were all riding the Hogwarts Express back home before James and Lily had another encounter. They had been avoiding each other the whole time and as hard as that was (they had all their classes together), they had managed to do so up until this point.

Lily had been sitting with her best friends Alice Stuart and Kayla France in her compartment when she fell asleep. She was so tired from her exams, that she didn't even hear the food cart go by. But two hours later, when she awoke, she was starving and set off to the front of the train where the strange old witch rode with the driver.

She was midway there, when the compartment door next to her slid open and suddenly Lily found herself face to face with none other than James Potter himself. There was an awkward moment where the two just stared at one another, but that was soon broken by none other than Sirius Black.

"Jamie! Can you get me some mints too? I don't want my reputation ruined with some crumbs from a cauldron cake and Alice Stuart is looking particularly fine today." Lily's eyes flashed as she finally looked away from James.

"Sirius Black, if you so much as touch her I will rip your tongue out of your mouth and shove it up your nose!" she screamed, trying to push past James to get to Sirius, who merely glanced up.

"Oh, hello there, Flower! I didn't see you there. Would you mind terribly passing that message onto your dear best friend?" he said casually, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.

"You stay away from her, you womanizing, lying, son of a—"

"Whoa, there, Lils," James quickly interrupted. "Let's just calm down a bit, shall we?" He had his hands on her waist, stopping her from charging into the compartmeny. She grabbed his hands and shoved them back at him.

"And you," she growled. "James Potter, you have no right to ever even speak to me again, let alone touch me." She looked over his shoulder. "Black, Alice has a boyfriend and I have every intention of being the maid of honor at their wedding. If you do anything to break the two of them up, I will personally remove your reason for wearing a loincloth. Remus, you're a prefect. Can't you learn to control your friends? And as for you," she pointed at Peter last, "well I barely even know you, but somehow this is your fault too."

With that, she turned on her heel and marched back to her compartment, head held high.

"What's a loincloth?" Sirius asked. Remus leaned over and whispered something in his ear that made his eyes grow as wide as saucers. "Prongs, mate, I think she's serious. Can't we just leave her alone?" James, who was still staring after her, was finally drawn back into the real world as he came back into the compartment.

"I've tried, Padfoot. Remember my anti-Lily pact in October? That lasted all of two days," he said wearily taking off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. "I just can't get her out of my head. I don't know what to do. I'm in love with someone who hates my guts."

"She doesn't hate you," said Remus mildly. Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

"Oh really, Moony?" he asked. "So that's what true love really looks like? Threats of castration and death glares? Now I know what I've been missing out on."

"There's a thin line between love and hate," Remus reminded him.

"But there's an entire world of difference between Prongs and Lily," Sirius came back. This was met by silence.

"Padfoot, you are a genius!" James exclaimed suddenly.

"That's what I've been telling you all along," said Sirius, once again lounging with his hands behind his head.

"Why is he a genius?" Peter piped up.

"Lily and I are complete opposites," James muttered, "so all I have to do is change who I am completely and lie about everything to like everything that she does! It's foolproof!" He clapped hi hands together once and Remus shook his head.