Author's Notes: First off, the normal rhetoric of how JKR owns all the HP stuffs and I just added my own creativity. Totally normal, as this is fanfiction, ya know! Thanks again go to my sister, Juju Kitten, for pointing out my errors when I overlook them (seeing as I am only human). I am skipping some time now, because no one really cares about what happens in class, haha. Anyways, back to our heroes…

Chapter 6: Dates and Pranks

In the weeks that followed their meeting in the Room of Requirement, James and Lily had a sort of truce. Their sudden cordiality stunned their friends (Sirius nearly fell out of his chair when James asked Lily for a quill in Transfiguration and didn't get a glare in response; and Dorcas stepped on the trick step on their way back to the Common Room when Lily laughed at one of James's dirty jokes) and led to more glares than ever from Severus. Lily knew a lost cause when she saw one, so she didn't try to smooth anything over with Sev. This did not bother her overmuch, as they had not been proper mates for well over a year.

Lily gazed out of the window during Defense Against the Dark Arts and watched as the leaves fell peacefully off the Whomping Willow, a horribly abusive tree planted in the summer before her first year to conceal a passage to the Shrieking Shack. There was a trick to calming it, and it provided protection to (and from) Remus while he took refuge in the Shack during the Full Moon. It was Dumbledore's idea, and it was rather brilliant, only that tree has been a menace to society in the years since. Brooms have been destroyed, owls killed, and students injured when they dared stray too close.

How deceptive the Willow was, allowing it's leaves to fall off in such tranquility in the late afternoon light! You'd almost think it was a normal tree, rather than a botanical killing machine.

Lily stifled a laugh when the tree shook violently, as though suffering a sudden chill, shedding the rest of the leaves from it's branches, and then breathe a sigh of relief (allowing that trees could sigh, which Lily knew they could not). That was the Whomping Willow she knew!

Then, as though mimicking the falling of the leaves off the Willow, a note fluttered through her line of vision and onto her desk. Shooting a quick glance at Professor Milder (He was this year's D.A.D.A. teacher. Lily wondered how he was going to leave, as D.A.D.A. Professors never made it passed a year of service…Ah! The mysteries of Hogwarts!) to make sure he didn't see, and was relieved to hear him droning on about protective spells and Disillusion Charms. Lily knew quite a bit about these already, so she did not feel guilty about unfolding the note.

First Hogsmeade trip is this weekend. What do you say? -J

Lily blinked at the note and glanced quickly over her shoulder at James, who was looking at her out of the corner of his eye, failing miserably to look as though he was paying attention to Professor Milder. Dipping her quill into the dregs of her last bottle of deep purple ink, she scribbled a quick reply.

I say that I need some more ink and new quills. -L

Tapping the note with her wand, it floated back to James. She heard him open the note with a smile on her face. She knew exactly what he meant by "What do you say?" but she was feeling exceptionally playful and decided to be deliberately obtuse.

It was less than fifteen seconds before the parchment was fluttering onto her desk again. Written an inch below her neat script was James's message, written which apparent agitation when compared to his first note. This both amused and annoyed Lily, since James's handwriting was nearly unintelligible at the best of times.

Go to Hogsmeade with me.

Now, James, is that a demand?

Please?

Are you asking me out?

Maybe.

Hmm…I will think about it.

(It was nearly a full minute before his message came back.)

Did you think about it?

After class!

Fine.

The class had barely been dismissed before James was at Lily's side. He looked frazzled, although he was obviously trying very hard not to look frazzled. However, before he was able to say anything, Dorcas and Marlene appeared at either side of him.

"Lily!" Marlene said, her voice excited, "Remus just invited us to join the guys in Hogsmeade on Saturday. Emma, as well. I am sure he meant that you were included! What do you say? Hogsmeade with the Marauders? Sure to be a blast!"

Lily laughed. "Breathe, Marles." She stole a peek at James, whose look had gone from badly-hidden-frazzled to all out irritated-almost-angry, and she was sure that he had muttered, "Bloody sodden traitor," during her speech. "Err...I'll get back to you." James visibly relaxed. "See you at dinner, all right? I just have to get the rest of my things."

"All right," said Dorcas, with a pointed (and completely trademark Dorcas) look at James. "See you." She linked arms with Marlene and led her out of the classroom. James glared after them.

Lily shrugged her bag over her shoulder and put her hand on James's arm. "Walk me to dinner?" Without a word, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and started walking, still looking sour. Lily wrapped an arm casually around his waist in an odd half-hug and squeezed reassuringly. James tensed for a moment, but only a moment (Lily was sure she had imagined it), then his expression softened. "I'm sorry about Dorcas and Marles back there. I bet they nearly spoiled your grand scheme?" she said in an attempt to be teasing.

James raised his right hand to his face and rubbed his eyes from beneath his glasses. "Yeah, Remus was supposed to ask them after I asked you out, allowing that you agreed. The three of them with the three girls. I guess he saw us passing notes and assumed that everything was settled."

"We can still settle it," said Lily. "I haven't given an answer to Marles yet, and we still have a few minutes before we get to the Great Hall."

James stopped so suddenly that Lily stumbled. He turned to face her, his hand still on her shoulder. He gave her a charming half-smile. "So, Lily, will you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

She put her hand on his cheek. "I'd love to." Then, she raised on tiptoe and kissed his cheek to seal it. The shocked look on his face was so adorable, she almost kissed him again. Almost (he was still James Potter, for Merlin's sake!). Since it didn't seem like he was going to move any time soon, she ducked from under his hand, hitched her bag higher onto her shoulder, and skipped off towards the main staircase with a secret smile on her lips, leaving a still-frozen James behind her.

"What do you mean that you can't come with us to Hogsmeade, Lils? A full day, just us and the Marauders. It is sure to be the best trip to the village ever. Come on!" Lily ducked as pieces of chicken parmesan flew off Dorcas's fork as she gestured wildly during her outburst. Emma had casually lifted her Potions textbook as a shield and was at that moment cleaning it with a wave of her wand. Marlene had been distracted by an advantageous view of a handsome sixth-year Hufflepuff's backside and was now looking in a mirror, plucking out bits of tomato sauce and pasta from her hair, grumbling about the downsides of being best mates with Dorcas Meadowes.

Lily's voice was even, yet exasperated. "Dorcas, if you would just give me fifteen seconds to explain, everything will make sense! So, please, for everyone's sake within a two-metre radius, please stop waving your food around and eat it like a normal witch, all right?"

"Miss Evans, you had better have a good reason for bailing on us. What will James say when he hears that our foursome is short one very important number?" Dorcas exclaimed in mock outrage.

"Well, for your information, Miss Meadowes, James is 'bailing on you,' as well!" Lily crossed her arms and sat back, letting Dorcas digest the information. The latter was staring at her, fork still aimed at Lily, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Emma was giggling into her pumpkin juice (She already knew, as Lily whispered it to her when the others were filling their plates across form them). Marlene had a similarly stunned expression as Dorcas, only without the fish impression. It was Marlene who found her voice first.

"You mean…you…James…NO WAY!"

"Remus's invitation was to keep you lot away from us for the day. He asked me after Defense!"

The four girls burst into squeals of delight, drawing stares from other students, and Lily could hear Sirius's barking laughter from farther down the table. She looked in his direction, and she saw the top of James's head disappear under the table as he was attacked by Sirius and Peter, Remus was laughing across from them, clearing spilled pumpkin juice and food from the surface of the table (Peter had made a mess of things when he had launched himself over the table to attack his friend).

Lily laughed. "All right, all right, that's enough. What are we, third years? It's just a date."

"Just a date? Just a date?" asked Dorcas incredulously. "Lils, this is not 'just a date.' This is The Date. Capitol T, capitol D.Lily Evans and James Potter. Only the entire school has been waiting for this to happen for years."

"Years? Really, Dorcas, don't exaggerate." Emma was always the sensible one. "It hasn't been years and it is isn't the entire school."

"Thank you, Em," said Lily.

Emma wasn't listening. "It's only been since the start of term and it is really just Gryffindor House."

"And there goes my backup," mumbled Lily, laying her head on the table. Emma gave her a sympathetic pat on the back of her head.

"Don't be silly," said Emma. "We are always here for you."

"So what are you going to wear?" asked Dorcas.

"I haven't gotten that far, yet." Lily's voice was muffled by the table.

Marlene snapped her fingers. "What about that green jumper of Dorcas's?"

Dorcas gave her a sideways glance. "What about my green jumper?"

Marlene brushed her off with a wave of her hand. "It's perfectly date-worthy."

"And perfectly slaggy, Marles," mumbled Lily, still against the table.

"Oy!" Dorcas exclaimed. "I happen to like that jumper, I'll have you know!"

"I don't want to wear Dorcas's green jumper on my first date with James."

Dorcas took a bite of chicken in triumph. "It's more of a third date jumper, anyway. The top button tends to pop apart and show way too much for a first date. Make sure you wear a cute bra when you borrow it later, Lils. Like that pretty ivory one with the black lace trim. It was a push up, right?"

Lily looked up at Dorcas. "You are such a slag," she deadpanned. "And you are far too well-acquainted with he contents of my underwear drawer."

Dorcas shrugged. "I'm denying nothing."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I have a really pretty pink top with white lace. It's great for a first date."

Marlene choked into her cup. "For you, Em. That top is great for you. Not for Lily! She is a redhead." She nearly hissed the word "redhead," as though it was some sort of dirty word. Lily put her head on the table again.

"I have never been so insecure about being a redhead in my life. Thank you, Marlene."

"I don't want to make you insecure, Lils, I just want to make sure you don't wear pink. It will clash horrendously with your hair."

Dorcas slammed her fork down on the table (everyone nearby jumped), and finished her pumpkin juice in one swallow. "That's it!" she proclaimed. "To the wardrobes!"

"After class!" exclaimed Emma, stepping away from the table.

For several hours when classes were done for the day, Lily was dressed and undressed into an unknown amount of outfits, never feeling more like a Barbie doll in her entire life.

And Dorcas definitely knew too much about Lily's undergarments.

Lily was finally able to escape "Operation: Make Lily look amazing-but-not-too-slaggy" when it was time for her to do rounds with Remus. She needed to meet him at the portrait hole at half-eight, but by eight-twenty, she was still fighting off the next possible outfit and trying to get back into her school robes. She was plaiting her hair and out of breath when she all but fell next to Remus at eight-thirty-five.

"Rough night?" he asked, grinning. Lily gave a dry laugh.

"One date and my friends become monsters."

Remus shrugged. "It's our prerogative."

"I noticed. How long did it take for James to resurface at dinner?" They started to patrol the corridors. Lily liked doing her rounds with Remus. He was pleasant to be around, and he was always fair when they found students out passed curfew. Some of the other prefects often leaned toward favoring their friends or House, but Remus had been known to dock points even from the other Marauders.

"Lost track. I was too busy cleaning up after Peter." Remus smiled. The last full moon wasn't an easy one, she could see it. He sported a few new scars, the healing process accelerated by Essence of Dittany, but they were still quite pink against his pale skin. Lily hated how the other girls would gossip about where the scars came from, and the theories only got more outrageous as the years progressed. She did not even want to think about what would happen if they found out what happened to him once a month. Suddenly those "sexy and mysterious" scars will just be frightening. It had scared Lily at first until she acclimated to the idea. Remus wasn't dangerous until the full moon, and even then, Madam Pomfrey's potion helped to sedate him. Secretly, she hoped he could find a girl who would love him for him, overlooking what James called his "furry little problem." He was a good bloke through and through, lycanthropy aside.

They walked through corridor after corridor, looking behind tapestries and into vacant classrooms. They took turns checking lavatories and under tables. It was an uneventful night, and Lily was starting to wish they would find someone, even Peeves (the resident Poltergeist), for the sake of something to do.

When they entered the Entrance Hall, Remus held her back and signaled her to be quiet. They could hear a strange banging noise coming from the staircase leading to the dungeons. "It sounds like a boggart," said Lily. "Let's get it."

"Sounds like fun," said Remus, drawing his wand. Lily followed suit, and together, they followed the path to the dungeons.

"I hope it is not just some Slytherins tormenting a first year again." During their sixth year, Lily came across some Slytherin seventh years laughing around a chest that contained a little Muggle-born first year. She had trouble getting the older students to cooperate (being a Muggle-born Gryffindor sixth-year prefect only made them sneer at her more), and it took her threatening to summon Professor Slughorn, their Head of House, to finally get them to leave. They had left the locked chest for Lily to open. Another situation like that one was the last thing Lily wanted to deal with. Most of the bullying Slytherins were Blood Crazy, and when the Head Girl was Muggleborn and the accompanying prefect was a Half-Blood Gryffindor who was close to a blood-traitor member of the "Most Noble and Ancient House of Black," things were sure to get interesting. And not in a good way.

They walked on light feet, barely breathing, and perfectly silent, pressing their ears to doors in search of the strange banging sound. Inside her head, Lily was chanting, Please be a boggart, please be a boggart… Lily pressed her ear to another door and the banging seemed to be coming from beyond it. She waved Remus over and slowly opened the door. Inside the classroom were rows of desks and her eyes were drawn to a small cupboard in the corner, which was shaking at random intervals. She looked at Remus and they shared a conspiratorial smile before entering the classroom.

Remus pulled out a knut and they flipped to see who will get to cast the charm. Lily lost, so she positioned herself off to the side and aimed her wand at the cupboard, prepared to open it for Remus, who would be casting Riddikulus. She was acutely disappointed, as it was a fun spell! She resigned herself to the task at hand and opened the cupboard at Remus's signal.

Lily saw Remus's look of shock before she registered what was happening. Remus knew his boggart took the form of the moon, why was he so surprised? Then, he was suddenly tackled to the floor by a big Slytherin student. "What the devil?" hissed Lily as she shot Expelliarmus at the assailant and he flew off of Remus, hitting the opposite wall. It was a seventh year named Mulciber, and he was one of the group of rumored Death Eaters. Why was he hiding in a cupboard? She knew he was a prankster, but his antics usually bordered on evil, and this was downright ridiculous.

Remus was on his feet in a trice and he and Lily stood back-to-back as they carefully made their escape to the hallway, Lily keeping her wand aimed at Mulciber, who was shaking his head as though to clear it, while standing up.

When they got into the hallway, it was clear that they were ambushed. Lily recognized Evan Rosier and Regulus Black right off, and was sure the others were Avery and Wilkes. What kind of a joke is this? She took an odd comfort in how Severus was not a part of this. It had to have been planned out in advance and he probably wanted no part in it. It was just a small comfort, however, since five-on-two odds were not exactly ideal. Mulciber was laughing when he emerged from the classroom.

"Five Slytherins out of bed? This is certainly interesting," drawled Remus tauntingly as he and Lily, still back-to-back, circled and faced the members of the little gang. "You will never win the House Cup this way. I can almost hear the points disappearing from the hourglass."

"It will be worth it, to have a little fun with a Mudblood bitch and a Half-Blood," announced Evan Rosier, his voice like molten steel. Lily took a deep breath and fought to keep her cool. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end when he said that.

"Brave of you to bring up Blood Status, Evan," interjected Remus, wand aloft and his eyes hard as he surveyed the group. "You know Voldemort is Half-Blood, right? As are some of your own. A bit hypocritical, don't you think?"

"Some can be forgiven," spit Avery. "What's the Mudblood's excuse?"

"You all just need to go back to your common room," said Lily, her voice stronger than she felt. She thanked her lucky stars that it didn't waver. She may be Muggle-born, but she was not going to cower before these arseholes.

The group just laughed. Lily was beginning to get really nervous. They all had their wands out, but no one fired a single spell. What was the game? She looked out of the corner of her eye towards Remus. Would she be able to raise the alarm without anyone getting hurt?

In her peripheral, a wand rose a fraction of an inch, and with a flick of her wrist, she silently cast Protego over her and Remus, deflecting Wilkes's curse.

All hell broke loose at that point. Curses and charms were flying all over the place and getting skillfully deflected. Lily and Remus were holding their own, but they were losing steam. Suddenly, Evan, who was tall, kicked Lily's legs out from under her, and she hit the ground, her wand skittering across the corridor and the wind being knocked from her. Remus used Accio to retrieve it, but by then Mulciber already had her plaited hair in his hand and was wrapping it around his fist, tightening his hold.

He pulled a gasping Lily several feet, the pain was blinding as she held fast to her hair. Wilkes and Avery had their wands on Remus, and every one of the Slytherins, the rumored Death Eaters, were laughing as though it was some kind of lark. Lily cried out as Mulciber used her hair to pull her to her knees as he stood behind her. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "This is for slamming me against the wall, Mudblood bitch."

Fighting back the tears that threatened to flow, Lily murmured, "I would not have to if you would stay out of the cupboards."

He yanked her hair in response (Lily cried out) and Evan stepped forward. Swiping his wand through the air like a sword, gashes appeared in Lily's arms, legs, and on her abdomen. She screamed, the pain was sharp and it burned as though she was cut with a white-hot blade. Her world grew dark around the edges, but she blinked it away, refusing to pass out anywhere near the Slytherins. Remus was staring at her, and she stared back, wriggling her fingers and praying to every Higher Power she could think of that he would catch on. Toss me my wand, toss me my wand!

Slowly and painfully, Lily raised her arm and Remus tossed her wand. In one motions, she caught it and swung it above her head, hitting her plait at Mulciber's hand, severing her hair and probably leaving a welt on his hand (which he fully deserved). With adrenaline rushing through her veins, she sent a few stunners around the group and Remus followed suit, and they ran through the corridors, the Slytherins' footsteps thundering behind them. Remus reached back and grabbed Lily's hand, pulling her along as her energy started to fade and her world started to waver. They skidded to a stop in front of Professor Slughorn's office, Lily colliding with Remus, and they started pounding on the door, shouting for their Potions Master. Lily kept looking over her shoulder, but the group wasn't following now that they were so close to the Head of Slytherin House.

Lily breathed a sigh of relief and sank, dizzy, to the floor, her bleeding limbs screaming, her hair uneven and flowing about her shoulders in disarray.

When the door opened, revealing Professor Slughorn's generous girth, Lily forced herself to smile from her location on the floor.

"'Lo, Professor."