A/N: My tumblr is in case anyone wants to follow me!

A/N: Just an FYI: This isn't a story where Lily's friends are all the same as Remus and Sirius and fall in love with them. Just saying.

This chapter is dedicated to twilightstargazer, who wrote a very nice review about the back stories in my fanfiction! Thank you, twilightstargazer!

Chapter Three: Fun and Games

"Oi!" Sirius' voice rang out the moment James turned off the shower. "Prongs!"

"Hold your cleansweeps, Padfoot!" James threw on his clothes quickly, his plain-colored t-shirt sticking to his still damp skin. When he appeared from the loo, he was holding a towel and drying his hair, making it stick up in all directions even more. He raised his eyebrows at his best friend expectedly.

"What took you so long? Having a wank?" Sirius grinned. "Who was it this time? Don't tell me you're still fantasizing about Evans…"

"It wasn't Evans," James said immediately, instantly realizing his mistake as Sirius barked out in laughter. "And I wasn't having a wank. Now what is so important that you couldn't wait until I was at least clothed?"

Sirius held up James' Head Boy badge. "What's this?"

"How did you find that?"

"Oh, you know, I went to Knockturn Alley, where I came across three goblins who I had to torture to get them to tell me such vital information," Sirius deadpanned sarcastically. Then, "it was on your desk."

"Oh," was James' reply.

"Should I start the taunting now or later?"

James shrugged. "Might as well get it out of your system."

"I'll never get it out of my system, oh high and mighty one. I'm surprised you're still standing. I expected your head to be so far up Dumbledore's arse by now that I would only be able to see your shoulders." Sirius grinned, but he wasn't finished. "Now, I see that you weren't busy having a wank, just helping poor old ladies across the street. If it weren't for your hideous specks, I'd mistake you for Moony."

Sirius' insults became less coherent, as his laughter grew. During the exchange, James threw his towel in the dirty clothes hamper, where it promptly disappeared, headed to the washroom. He sat down at his bed, pretending to scowl, though the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

"Done?" He asked.

"Not yet. Do you find it tough, being so important in the art of buzz-kill, or does it come naturally? Oh, bollocks, why did I even ask that question? It obviously comes naturally. You have 'git' written all over you!"

When the laughter died down, Sirius continued. "In all seriousness…" The two paused to have a moment of silence for the pun. Sirius threw the badge at James' chest, who caught it easily. "…how in the hell did you manage this?"

James groaned. "I don't know!" He did, but he wasn't about to bring that up right now. "Dumbledore's out of his bloody mind, I reckon."

"Well, whatever the reason, this is brilliant!"

"It is? Sounds like a nightmare to me."

"Think about it, Prongs. All we can get away with now."

"We got away with it before."

"Sure, but we haven't done everything we want to yet."

James grinned. "You really know how to turn my honors into things you can use to your benefit, don't you?"

Sirius shrugged. "It's a gift."

"I don't understand this magazine," Marlene said. She was lying on the floor of Lily's room, her feet propped up against the bed with the latest copy of Lucky Witch open in her hands. "Listen to this: '10 Ways to Make Your Wizard Feel Magical,' 'Sparks Fly With These New Styles,' 'Celestina Warbeck on Love Potions, Heartbreak, and Her New Record.' All it talks about are celebrities, gossip, and clothes! How is any of this going to be useful to us?"

"It talks about sex, too," Emmeline pointed out from her place at the desk, where she was painted her nails a deep red color. "That could be useful."

"Emmeline Foster!" Marlene exclaimed, shocked. "I didn't know you had it in you!"

Emmeline's face went red. "I mean… it will be useful… you know… someday."

Her embarrassed stammering made Marlene laugh, as she had much more experience than her shy, curly-haired friend. But, before she could respond, Lily walked through the bedroom door, a bottle of red wine in her hand.

She held it up triumphantly, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "And they said it couldn't be done! I think my parents forgot that their daughter in a witch and can easily break open the lock on the liquor cabinet.

"You're my hero!" Marlene said, sitting up and throwing the magazine aside. She held out her hand for the bottle, uncorked it, and took the first swig.

"What are we talking about?" Lily asked, picking up the abandoned magazine and flipping through it. She took a seat against the backboard of her bed.

"Oh, Emme was just telling me about her deep desires to make her wizard feel magical. She's a bit of a hidden tart, really."

"I am not! And I wasn't saying that!" And the two girls began to bicker good-naturedly.

"I can't leave you two alone for five minutes, can I?" Lily interrupted, shaking her hand and laughing. She stopped on one of the back pages in the magazine and her look turned to one of slight disgust.

"What is it?" Emmeline asked.

"It's a quiz." She threw the copy to her friend. "Look at number six."

Emmeline's eyes widened. "Oh my Merlin! People actually do that?"

"Prudes," Marlene interjected, getting up from her spot to look over Emme's shoulder. "Sure they do! I know three girls in our year alone who have done that at least twice." The other two stared at her. Marlene looked indignant. "Not me! Jane Brocklethurst, Bryony Harris, and I'm pretty sure Holly Craig."

"Holly Craig? Really? She seems so sweet…"

"How can they even get their leg up that high?"

Marlene grabbed the magazine and looked through the list. "Well, they aren't all so bad. I say we do it."

"What?" Emmeline did everything she could not to spew the wine she was drinking everywhere.

Marlene rolled her eyes. "Not the position, you twit. The quiz. And we'll make it interesting. If you've done what it asks, you take a drink." She settled back on the floor.

"But we already know this stuff about each other."

"Everyone has secrets, Lil," Marlene said, her voice implying more than Lily would have liked. "Ok, number one: have you ever been kissed?" The bottle was passed around so they could all drink from it. "Number two: have you ever made love? That's how they put it… 'made love.'"

Marlene laughed bitterly and took a drink, the only of the three girls who was no longer a virgin. "I think it's sweet," Lily said. "Better than the idea of 'shagging.'"

"That's because you've never shagged anyone, dear. I wouldn't get your hopes up. Ha! This one is great! Have you ever had someone… er… catch you in a compromising position?"

Both Lily and Marlene looked at the third girl. "That's just because you're nosy, Marlene!"

"Here's a tip, love: close the curtains."

"It was the boys' dormitory!"

"We were looking for you! It's your fault you went missing."

It went on like that for awhile longer, each girl taking swigs from the bottle as they continued the quiz – they skipped question six – until they reached number fifteen.

"Every witch would have to drink at this one," Marlene said, her voice slightly slurred from the alcohol. "Well, except for Lily. She only likes respectable boys. The ones Mummy and Daddy would like. Number fifteen: have you ever been attracted to someone you shouldn't be?"

Emmeline grinned. "You should take ten of those, Mar."

"Har, har," Marlene responded sarcastically and took a swig before passing it to Emme.

Lily's face paled slightly. "Hand it over."

"What?"

"I said, 'hand it over,'" she repeated calmly.

She took a drink without looking at her friends' disbelieving stares. "Alright, so… number sixteen?" She asked after a few moments of stunned silence.

Of course, she didn't tell them that she had been thinking of a stupid, arrogant smirk and hazel eyes hidden behind square glasses and messy black hair.

The question never said she had to like the person.

Sirius found James sitting outside again; only the moon was wavering and did not seem as distracting as before. His friend's glasses created a glare against the pavement, mirroring the stars in the sky, which were plenty in Godric's Hollow. Sirius loved it here. At Grimmauld Place, the stars were covered by smog, which Sirius was half-convinced was really just evil in disguise. He could never see them, not like this, even if he managed to escape the house to the outside.

He knew was lucky. Lucky that he had left when he did. Lucky that his friend had forgiven him enough to take him in. Lucky to have discovered his brother's secret before it was too late. But Sirius couldn't help but have a feeling of melancholy pass over him as he looked at James.

His friend, despite the latest tragedy, had a wonderful life. He could sit outside and enjoy the summer air whenever he damn pleased. His mother made his breakfast in the morning… not some house elf… and they sat together at the kitchen table. James was loved; something even the greatest of friends could not make Sirius understand.

Not completely.

Taking a quick, deep breath, he pushed the thoughts back. They were no good. They were what caused him to see the bottom of bottle after bottle on his bad days. They were what made his anger lash out in hurtful words at the nearest broad who let him fuck them. They were what made days like this unbearable… if he let them.

Sirius took a seat in the chair next to James' without a word. It was quiet out, but it was a comfortable silence. There was an open Daily Prophet on the table in front of them and he picked it up, scanning the page. As usual, a headline about Voldemort and his Death Eaters spread across the top in big, bold letters. This time, they had attacked an Auror in his home, killing him, his wife, and their young child.

Before he could let himself feel completely angry, he gave out a low whistle and threw the paper on the table. "Another one? You think the Death Eaters would be revolting by now, asking for more pay." He meant it as a joke – as he was very aware Voldemort's army was voluntary – but, the flash of hurt across James' face, he felt guilty at once.

It was quick, but Sirius knew his best mate.

"Damnit, Prongs, I'm sorry. I…"

But James cut him off. "It's fine, mate." He gestured to the paper. "Did you read the whole thing? The kid was six."

"Fuck," was Sirius low reply.

The silence overtook them again, but it now held something heavy.

After a few moments, Sirius sighed. It seemed that, even though it was waning, the moon could be distracting. He wished he had a bottle of firewhiskey.

"You think he'll ever forgive me?"

James blinked, genuinely surprised by this statement. "It's Moony, Sirius. He'll get over it. I did."

Sirius didn't reply. To him, James only got over it because he had to. It really wasn't too much of a choice. Sirius had shown up on his doorstep, bloody and bruised, hands trembling from the Cruciatus, with literally no warning. It wouldn't have been like James to turn him away then.

"He will," James repeated, this time more firmly. "Just give him time."

"It was only supposed to be a laugh." Though there was much more to the story that James didn't know. And much more than Sirius didn't want to tell.

"Not everything is all fun and games."

"I know." And after a moment, "I'll just give him time." Sirius was eager to get out of the conversation. He wasn't sure why he had even brought it up in the first place. Changing the topic was easy. James always liked to discuss Quidditch. "So, what are you going to do about the team?"

Talking about tryouts wasn't completely relaxed, as the only reason tryouts were to be held at all was because of Sirius. After the stunt with Snape the year before, he had gotten detention every Saturday for the first three months of school, which meant he would miss two matches and one Hogsmeade trip.

James shrugged, like he hadn't been thinking about this all summer. "I'll put Owens at beater and bring in a new chaser. That's where he should be, anyway."

"Not bad." For such a lean wizard, Sirius would not typically be put at the position of beater, but he was proved that size didn't always matter. It must have been the pent-up aggression, but he was one of the best hitters at the school and known for his accuracy, as he liked to aim at the other teams' heads.

"It'll still be a nightmare."

He wanted to remind his mate that there were much, much worse things. But, as usual, he said nothing.

James lost Sirius to the fit clerk at the bookstore before they had even finished half of their Hogwarts shopping. As he trekked on alone, he quickly got bored. It was lucky, then, to find Remus amongst the mix of people in Diagon Alley.

"Moony!" he called to his friend, who was busy observing cauldrons in the window of the apothecary.

Remus turned at his nickname and grinned when he saw who it is. "Hey, mate. Your mum didn't do your shopping this year?" he taunted.

"Nope," James said, pretending to be proud. "Didn't you hear? I'm a big kid now!"

"Very nice." Remus looked at the tag on one of the cauldrons and grimaced slightly before tearing his hand away. He gestured to the set in front of him. "My old one's shot. And we'll need a copper one this year."

"You can have my old one. My mum bought me a new one a few weeks ago, even though I didn't need a new one."

Remus perked up. "You sure? It… it's not tainted, is it?"

James laughed. "How the hell would I taint it, mate?"

"With you, I never know." Remus shrugged, though his slight blush gave away his gratitude. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Thank my mum." James reminded himself to stop back here before he left, when Remus was out of sight, to buy a new cauldron. His mum hadn't been to Diagon Alley in at least two months.

His expression turned slightly serious. "So… did you get my letter?" He had written Remus about a week ago, telling him of the badge, but he had yet to receive a response.

Remus looked down. "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry I haven't written back." In fact, Remus had started at least three letters to congratulate his friend, but they had all seemed so phony. He wasn't mad when he had heard and, after the initial shock had worn off, it made a lot of sense. James had saved Remus' life – Hogwarts was the closest thing to normal Remus had ever known – and for that, he was proud of his mate.

It was hard to convey that in words.

"It's barmy, isn't it?"

Remus shrugged. "Not really. Congratulations, mate. You deserve it."

James ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not sure about that… I lit Gertrude Famer's pants on fire last year."

Remus grinned. "She had it coming."

"She bloody well did! Stupid little know-it-all twat."

"Now is that any way for the Head Boy to be talking?" Remus faux-scolded.

"I told you it was barmy."

Remus focus shifted to over James' shoulder. "Maybe not..." His voice trailed off. "There's your Head Girl."

James almost fell with how quickly he whipped around, but instantly regretted it when he heard Remus chuckling behind him. He had spent the better part of sixth year avoiding Lily Evans – which was much easier than expected when one owned a map that told the placement of all the students in the school – and trying to convince his best mates that he was over her.

But, now she was here and he wasn't prepared. Her red hair reflected the sunlight excellently, casting a sort of glow around her face. Or maybe that was just James' eyes. She was wearing a light green blouse that brought out the color in her eyes and her curls lay around her shoulders. The ice cream in her bowl – chocolate mint, which was her favorite, though he could kick himself for knowing that – had melted from the heat. She was holding a quill and looking over a piece of parchment where she scratched something out every once in a while.

His efforts hadn't done a damn thing.

Remus clasped James on the shoulder. "I'll see you on the ride to Hogwarts. Prefect meeting."

"Oh, right, I run those now, don't I?" James said, though he barely looked at Remus as he left.

Lily still hadn't looked up from whatever it was she was writing, though she had stuck the end of the quill's feather in her mouth, thinking. Why did she have to be so fucking adorable? Before he could stop himself, James was striding over to her. "Evans," he greeted.

Whether Lily was surprised at his presence or not, James couldn't tell. She didn't even look up from her parchment as she replied coolly, "Potter."

James didn't wait, instead pulling out the chair across from hers and taking a seat. Lily finally looked up, but her eyes weren't angry like he had expected. Instead they were almost sad. She hesitated as if deciding whether or not to say something, but finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Listen, James, I heard about what happened to your dad. And I wanted to say…"

He didn't even notice the use of his first name as his heart sank. He hoped she wouldn't say it. He had had enough people tell him that they were sorry for his loss to last him a lifetime.

"…that I'm here, if you need me."

James blinked, taken aback. Now that was surprising. "You are?"

Lily sat straighter and the familiar edge in her eyes was back. James let go of the breath he didn't even know he was holding. He could handle this look. This look he knew. "Yes, I am. You are Head Boy and I'm Head Girl and that is the sort of thing that we're… supposed to do for one another." Her voice softened. "Besides, no one deserves what happened to your family. And I hate the Death Eaters probably as much as you do."

Despite the serious topic at hand, James grinned. "Look, something in common."

"I never thought I'd see the day."

"What d'ya think then?"

Lily looked confused. "About what?"

"Me. Head Boy."

"Oh." She shrugged. "There are worse choices."

"Worse choices?"

"Yes, what did you expect?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe a something along the lines of fury or a sarcastic comment, at least."

She shrugged again, as if James' idea of her reaction did not matter. "Well, that's what I think. Dumbledore chose you and I trust Dumbledore." She paused. "It actually… kind of makes sense."

James grinned mischievously. Lily groaned inwardly. That kind of James Potter grin never implied something good. "Was that a compliment?"

"No, just an observation. If you try, I reckon you'll make an alright Head Boy."

"I'm having you do all the work."

"That's fine. I'll just create dirty nicknames for all the prefects and say that you wrote out the patrol schedule. Honestly, Potter, I'm surprised you'd make it so easy for me."

James laughed and Lily's lips twitched involuntarily before she finally gave him and smiled. James' laugh had always been infectious, whether Lily liked it or not. He pointed at the parchment. "What're you doing there?"

"Oh, it's from Madam Pomfrey. It's a list of this I need to bring this year."

James nodded and Lily waited for him to ask more about it. When he didn't, she continued on anyway, her voice loud and bursting with excitement. "She's accepted me as her assistant this year!"

James grinned, his eyes showing some sort of proud emotion that Lily was sure he wished to hide. "So, you get to work in the Hospital Wing with sick, whining kids who won't stop coughing on you? Sounds great."

"If I remember correctly, you were in there at least twice last year with broken limps and you cried like a baby."

James huffed. "I did not cry! Have you ever broken your arm in two places? It makes your bloody eyes water!"

"That's not what Marlene told me."

"Marlene's a nutter. And how would she even know? She wasn't there!"

"Sam was."

James rolled his eyes. "I might have to have a talking with Sam…"

"Marlene will kick your arse if you even go near him. You know how she is, when it comes to Sam." Lily looked at James, as if daring him to counter. He just crossed his arms and Lily smirked, knowing she had won.

"Your ice cream has melted." He pointed to the bowl on the table.

Lily's eyes widen and she groaned in despair, a little louder than should've happened over ice cream. James fought a smile. "And I was saving all the chocolate chips for the end!"

James pushed back his chair. "I'll buy you another."

She looked up, her eyes wide for a different reason now. "You don't have to do…"

"Peace offering?" James interrupted.

Lily bit her lip and James shifted uncomfortably at the sight. "I guess… I mean, we should be friendly, now that we'll be seeing a lot of each other, right?"

"Right." And he turned to go into the shop.

"You don't even know what I want!"

Shit.

"Chocolate mint, please. It's my favorite."

"It's disgusting."

"You're disgusting."

"Real original."

Lily pulled a scowl. "Just go get it." And, after he had already turned away, she added as an afterthought, "You're still a prat!"

"And you're still a pris!" He called from over his shoulder, though he was smiling.

Severus' eyes narrowed as he watched the scene from Slug and Jiggers Apothecary. He had noticed Lily's red hair long ago, but hadn't attempted to approach her. Instead, he pretended to scan ingredients for potions as he watched her smile at friends that passed back and scratched at her parchment.

Her ice cream had melted ages ago.

The messy, black-haired boy that had approached had been more surprising than it would've been during fifth year. For the most part, Potter had left Lily alone the year before. Of course, that didn't mean he left Severus alone.

It had been even more of a shock that Lily hadn't even been angry, instead letting the git sit with her. She was laughing. When Potter went into the new ice cream parlour, Florean Fortescue's, and had come back with two bowls – one chocolate mint and one raspberry – Severus felt his hands twitching, eager to pull his wand.

He knew that wouldn't help anything with Lily, though. So, instead he turned and walked from the apothecary briskly, his robes trailing behind him.

He would find Avery and Mulciber.

A/N: I'm sorry this is on the shorter side. I should say that, if you continue to read my story, you'll find that I'm a firm believer in 'quality over quantity.' Every scene I write will somehow be important to the story. I will most likely not add filler scenes, just to make the chapters longer.

Despite that, I hope you enjoyed reading!

Please, please, please review. Don't make me beg! Oh, wait… I just did. Haha

Thanks for the support!

Karli