A/N: Aww, you guys are awesome. Thanks for all your reviews. I do appreciate them quite a lot. Truly, you have no idea.

I don't like this chapter as much, but it's still pretty fun because there's an elimination and a cat-fight (minor, but enjoyable for me as a writer) – so read on and critique away!

Also – official chapter count for this story: 22
I've just finished up my outline and there's some seriously fun stuff coming up in the later chapters. I hope I finish this story so I can get to all of it!

Enjoy.
Xx

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Georgiana Welsh

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After the challenge, it's late so all us girls decide to go back to the Room of Requirement to hang out and chat before going to sleep. Unfortunately for me, at least, Lucille comes along. I really, really hate that girl – she's exactly the kind of girl who bothers me beyond all comprehension, because she's so fluffy and air-headed and arrogant and stupid. Fathoming her mind ought to be a scientific expedition.

Still, I do my best to ignore her and talk to Sydney, who is my closest friend here. Sydney, however, is frequently reigned in by the conversation Alicia conducts and I am forced to join in as well. There's nothing seriously wrong with Alicia, but she can come across irksome, perpetually peppy, and that feels hollow to me. No one can be happy all the time.

Today, with the sensational Lily Evans (not a compliment) and her performance with James Potter during the challenge, all Alicia can talk about is what she calls the "changing dynamic of the competition." She insists that things are different now.

"James has changed her," she says. "I mean, after that kind of a conversation, something has to have given. She has to do something different."

"You're right," I agree. "I mean, she won't suddenly turn into a saint within the next few hours, but little changes…that's not so far-fetched." Or so I hope…that girl desperately needs a reality check.

"Lily may be stubborn, but she's not stupid," says Sadie. "She knows when she's gone too far and…well…this is probably that point. She's going to have to play nice from now on."

I think I hear Lucille mutter something about idealism under her breath, but I satisfy myself with an unseen glare in her direction. She doesn't exactly hide the fact that she doesn't like Lily Evans and I don't think that's quite fair, because even though she has her flaws, Lily isn't a bad person. Lucille simply hates thinking well of people, since she believes herself to be above all in the general social food chain.

"She's a nice girl when she wants to be," says Sydney, echoing my thoughts like she can read my mind or something. "We ought to give her a chance on this one. There has to be some reason James likes her so much."

There are nods and grunts of approval for this statement, because Sydney is the most reasonable out of all of us and knows what she's talking about. I glance back at Lucille and sure enough, she's kept her mouth shut about Lily and is instead torturing Verity with some dialogue or another. A crease has appeared between Verity's eyes – a very, very small one, but one that's definitely noticeable if you look close enough – and I can tell the poor thing is irritated. Too bad she's too polite to say anything about it.

Verity may look silly and dreamy, but she's in my house and my year and I've known her forever – she is not what she appears to be at first glance.

We girls bust into the Room of Requirement and flop onto our beds, content with our little room and the latest challenge. I notice that Lily retreats to her corner and Alice is torn between wanting to join us and be with Lily. I watch for a few moments to see what she'll do, and like I half-expected, her worry for her friend wins out and she joins Lily.

I see Sadie glancing at Alice with me, slightly disappointed because we like Alice and would like her company more than we would like, say, Lucille's, and I decide to take action.

"Oi, Alice," I call out.

She turns to look at me, startled, and I say, "Come over here and join us."

The girl looks like a deer caught in headlights, so I impatiently say, "Bring Lily too."

Alice shrugs. "All right, then," she says as level-headedly as she can. She cajoles Lily wordlessly to come join in – Alicia and Sadie are sitting on Alicia's bed while the rest of us lounge around on the floor. Alice sits daintily on the rug and Lily lies down on her side, resting her head in Alice's lap. Alice absently strokes Lily's hair, braiding and unbraiding it, as Alicia takes her usual role as awkward-silence-breaker.

That girl is the social equivalent of a blunt ax – all about the drama and the dramatics without actually getting anything done.

"So, now that one of us is already gone, I want to know something," says Alicia in a meant-to-be-impressive whisper. "Since one of the girls in this room is going to win this whole competition…who would you date if it ends up being you?"

I have to hand it to her; this is a good question to ask in order to get everyone talking. After all, this competition and what it entails is really the only thing every one of us has in common.

"I want to date Sirius," announces Lucille at once. "In yesterday's challenge, he was the most fun to talk to."

Eurgh. Damn that bitch.

"I was thinking about taking Sirius out as well, if I won," I confess. "But I dunno…James is a real sweetie too."

"Yeah, I like James," says Sadie, a flaming blush in her cheeks. "He's lovely."

"Merlin, I love that kid!" Alicia chirps brightly, somehow even cheerier than she was a minute ago. "I would definitely go out with him, no questions asked!"

"That's hardly surprising," I remark. "You two get on very well."

"We do." Alicia's voice is serene, thrilled, little-girl-ish. "He's a great guy. Honestly."

"I'd want to go out with Remus," says Alice. "James and Sirius are a little too…flamboyant for me."

"That's half the fun, mind," says Alicia.

"Maybe for you, but not for me," Alice says firmly. "Remus is lovely – very easy to talk to, very understanding. I like him."

"But you like Frank Longbottom," Lily points out from Alice's lap. "Wouldn't dating Remus be a bit of a dampener on Operation Frank?"

"Aww, you like Frank?" Sydney is very amused, but also warmed. "He's in my house, he's absolutely adorable!"

Alice turns the color of ripe tomatoes. "Erm…"

"Sorry," says Lily.

"It's fine, it's fine…" Alice waves the whole thing away with a few murmured words, but I can tell she's still the slightest bit upset that Lily took the trouble to reveal this to the group. However, she quickly changes the subject by turning to Verity and Hannah, who are on the fringes of the conversation, and asking Verity, "So…who do you want to go out with, Verity?"

"Most likely Remus," says Verity. "Sirius has a tendency of being rather vulgar."

"A tendency? It's like his trademark," I say with a snort.

Verity smiles sweetly. "Maybe you're right," she says.

Lucille takes a quick sweep around the group and suddenly, her eyes land on Hannah beside her. I don't like the look on her face, particularly as she asks, "Hey, Hannah, who do you like in this competition?"

Immediately, Hannah goes violently red – almost as red as Alice had gone – and she whispers, "Erm…I'd rather not say."

Smelling weakness, Lucille pounces right on her and says, "Oh come on, we're all dishing it out here. You're with friends. Tell us, who d'you fancy?"

"N-No, it's fine, I don't think you need to know," says Hannah. Her ears are red enough to look infected, a total contrast to her thin blonde hair.

"I do want to know, though," says Lucille. "Who do you like? C'mon, Hannah, it can't be that gruesome. All the Marauders are quite fanciable."

Hannah has been blessed with massive eyes that are a lovely gray-ish blue and she uses them now to look around at us, appealing for one of us to stand up on her behalf, save her from the scrutiny. No one is, though, not even Alicia, because we're all shamefully curious. Someone as quiet as Hannah ought to talk more often anyway, so I stare at her like all the others are. Hannah looks like a kicked puppy and I almost feel bad for her. Almost.

"Very well then," she says awkwardly. She swallows and it's louder than her wispy-thin voice is. "Erm…"

"Go on," prods Lucille, boorish as usual. She's looking at Hannah like a predator stares at a helpless rabbit.

She says something in a flurry of small words, so quiet that Lucille (who is sitting right next to her, Merlin help her) has to lean in to listen.

"Wait, what's that? I couldn't hear you," says Lucille.

Hannah looks like she'd much rather cut out her right kidney. "I like Peter Pettigrew," she finally says, just a touch louder, but loud enough to somewhat hear in the quiet of the room. "There, are you through now?"

"You like Peter," repeats Lucille. "That's not the worst secret you could possibly have. Why were you so worried about telling us?"

All eyes are on Hannah again and her eyes are on us; and to our enormous surprise, they begin to brim with tears.

"N-No reason," she stutters.

"Hannah, are you crying?" This is Sydney, a concerned humanitarian. "Merlin, love, we didn't mean to get you upset!"

"I'm fine." Hannah's voice is muffled, on account of her mouth being covered by her sleeve as she wipes her eyes. "Really."

"Why are you crying?" This is Lucille. She is not a concerned humanitarian – she is a lethal one-woman gossip machine.

"It's just…just…" Hannah can't stem the flow of her tears. She curls up by the end and hugs her knees to her chest, her long blonde hair a curtain around her face.

"Just what?" I wonder if Lucille has a secret undiagnosed pathology. It would explain so much about her.

Hannah looks like she might die in the next five seconds; so finally, Sydney decides to step in and says, "Hey, hey, all right, we're done questioning here. Leave her alone."

Sydney crawls to sit next to Hannah, as if her physical presence will be enough to shield Hannah from scrutiny. Hannah, looking frightened under Lucille's continued gaze, swallows again and whispers, "It's all right, Sydney. You don't need to defend me."

Sydney is bewildered. This is a kicked puppy that needs saving! How could she be denying that?! I can see where this would startle Sydney – that girl cares too much about other people's happiness – but at the same time, I can see why Hannah would opt for the fend-for-her-own-arse choice. No one likes to be taken as a weakling, even if they are one.

"So you'll tell us why you were crying?" Merlin, does Lucille possess no sense of moral decency?

Before I can call her out on it, though Hannah sniffles and wipes her eyes again, this time saying, "It's really…it's really just nothing. I'm being silly. I've liked Peter for ages and…well…I just…I know he's never, ever going to like me back…and I'm being silly, I'm so sorry…"

Now she's really lost her nerve. Her eyes go back to Sydney. Her flicker of empowerment is gone and Sydney can give Hannah a hug.

"Aww, you poor dear," croons Sydney. "We're sorry we made you cry."

Lucille is indignant at this show of emotion. Of course she is, she's incapable of understanding the first thing about emotion. She says, "So are you telling me that you're crying because you think Peter Pettigrew would never like you?"

"I really think you've said enough, Lucille," says Sydney, now on the defensive where she belongs. "Bugger off."

"I just, I can't believe this!" exclaims Lucille. "Hannah, darling, you're a lovely, lovely girl and Peter Pettigrew would be a rat's arse if he didn't like you back. You need to understand that. Buck up and stop being such a baby."

"Oi, Lucille, back off." This is Alicia. She can sense an argument and obviously must interject with her show-girl comments so that she can take part in the fun. "You've gotten what you wanted out of her, now let her be."

I exchange glances with Sydney. Where was Alicia when we needed her a couple of minutes ago?

"I'm just saying," Lucille begins to defend herself hotly.

"And so am I," says Alicia sharply. "Leave her alone."

"I haven't done anything!" says Lucille. "I stand by my opinion – she needs to stop being such a baby. She won't get anything by being quiet and sitting on the side and thinking about the guy she likes."

I completely loathe Lucille and will never, ever change this opinion because she's unworthy of my glad tidings, but in this case, I happen to agree wholeheartedly with her opinion. Defending Hannah's baby behavior won't get her Peter. Making Hannah tell Peter how she feels will get her Peter. It's a very simple concept, but one a woeful number of girls cannot seem to fully understand. I decide to point this out.

"For once in her life, Lucille's being rational," I say to the group.

"Thank you…?" Lucille tries to work out if this is a compliment or not.

"Crying won't do her a thing," I continue. "It'll make her vulnerable and nervous and even shyer than she already is, which will boot her from the competition. Which, I'm sure, she does not want."

"That sounds a tad harsh, don't you think?" Alice asks me, surprisingly critical for someone who's generally a washcloth for Lily's tears.

"You think those boys won't be?" I retort. "You think the world won't be?"

"While that may be true, let her have her moment," says Alice. "Like Lucille said, she's among confidants. She shouldn't have to feel incriminated."

From the corner of my eye, I can see Hannah's red-rimmed eyes watching this exchange nervously. She clearly isn't sure what to do now that she's triggered an argument. She's probably one of those people who freaks out every time people aren't honey-sweet and smiling.

"Alice is right," Alicia thunders, bringing me out of my reverie. "Haven't you girls had crushes that made you upset at the thought of them?"

"No," Lucille and I say in unison.

"I've had a couple of boyfriends, though, and I only got to them by not crying and telling them I fancied them," I say. "If Hannah wants Peter, she ought to do the same. Peter is a Marauder – obviously, he won't take bullshit."

"Oh, so Hannah being perfectly normal and succumbing to strong emotion is considered bullshitting?" Alicia's all fired up by this one. "How dare you say that?"

"Crying is the same thing as bullshitting," I say. "It's giving up. It's stupid."

"So you've never cried a day in your life?" Alicia demands.

"I cried once the day my mother died," I allow, my voice stone-cold. "I was twelve. Otherwise, I don't think infancy counts."

"Well, I think it's healthy to cry sometimes," Alicia declares in a way that makes me want to mock her endlessly. "It proves that you're normal. You're human. You, clearly, have a way deeper issue going on here, but you shouldn't use that as an excuse to pick on poor Hannah."

I glance around at the group. Lucille is looking expectant, waiting for this simmering argument to continue onwards to a rapid boil, while Verity and Lily have decided not to partake. Verity and Sadie are looking longingly at their books, having lost interest in the whole dilemma, and Lily continues to lie in Alice's lap, although Alice has stopped playing with her hair. Hannah wants to melt through the floor, as usual. Alicia and Alice are glaring at me, Sydney is wishing she could stop the whole thing from escalating farther. We're a motley collection of girls, when you look around at us.

Finally, though, I've decided I'm tired of this. It's not even worth the trouble I'm taking. I say, "Right then. I'm inhuman and you are the epitome of humanity, Alicia. I'll be sure to take notes the next time you have a tantrum."

I get up and cross the room to get to my bed without looking back at the other girls. This is ridiculous. I cuddle into my blankets without feeling their warmth, my back to the cluster of girls by Alicia's bed, something smoldering with anger in the back of my stomach.

I hate retreating – it's a sign of weakness, which is pathetic – but in this case, there was no point in continuing. Everyone participating was against me. It was about something completely absurd.

My only ally was Lucille Jansen – and I'd rather sacrifice my pride than continue a battle with her on my side.

I sincerely hope she is eliminated tomorrow.

&

Judging time comes up quickly for me, the day passing me by as if it's on fast-forward. I actually almost forget about it and make mental plans for a hot bath upstairs after a tough day of classes, but I remember in the nick of time when I see Sydney selecting a hair-band with a friend on a staircase landing. Thankfully, by the time I race up to the Room of Requirement corridor, I'm not late.

Everyone except Sydney is already there, lounging about, waiting, and I feel the coolness the moment I come near. Clearly, no one has forgotten the incident from last night with Hannah, Lucille, and I – and I am still the criminal here, the scapegoat.

I refuse to let this get me down though. It can't. I'm here to win this – that date with Sirius is something I'd rather like. He's probably a lot better than the other crap boyfriends I've had. He's funny, sexy, charming…everything those other shit-heads weren't. I'd like it if, just once, something worked out perfectly instead of going horribly, horribly wrong.

I'll be damned if some idiotic, idealistic schoolgirls ruin it for me by being immature.

I ignore them soundly, choosing instead to breathe yoga-style, in and out, in and out, clearing my head in preparation for the slaughtering we're going to be enduring in a few minutes. Somewhere in the midst of this, the Marauders finally arrive, waving and grinning away like the foolish celebrities they fancy themselves to be.

"Hey ladies!" chirps James.

"How goes it?" asks Peter.

There are some murmured assurances of good health from around the group, but otherwise, we stay quiet. I know I do. Hannah probably stays quiet too, because Peter was the one who asked the question. A horrible assumption, I know, but I have no patience for spineless girls.

"All right then, let's get this judging started!" says Sirius. "We're going to another unused classroom today, because we don't want to stay in the same place too long – so follow us if you want to get to the right place."

With this, he turns on his heel rather girlishly (not that I'd ever point that out, but still…) and he leads the group of us down the corridor. Three staircases, four trick steps and a back corridor I've never been in later, we arrive at our destination – a tiny classroom that clearly has not been in use for a while. Perfect for a little bit of Marauder mischief.

The boys go sit behind the teacher's desk at once. Sirius is holding a list of names this time. From here, I can see one is already crossed out – that would be Rosaline's.

"Okay," begins Sirius, "we don't have any pictures to judge today because the challenge was an interview. Because of that, we'll just talk through how we thought it went and tell you our perceptions. Remember, this whole competition is basically a test to see which of you is mad enough to date one of us. Every challenge counts."

Remus "borrows" the list from Sirius (i.e. snatches it from his hand and ignores his filthy returning glance) and says, "All right…Lucille, you're first."

A rush of blood goes through my body – and not in the good way – as Lucille grins and skips to the front. She's expecting more praise, like the last time. I hope that they don't give it to her, just to smite her.

"Lucy, love!" Sirius greets her before any of the Marauders can say a thing. "You had a great interview. I think you're marvelous."

"Thanks," says Lucille, all tongue-in-cheek, thinking she's adorable. Blegh.

"As excitable as dear Padfoot is, he's right – you were great," agrees James. "Very confident. That's important."

"She taught me how to put on a snorkeling mask," says Peter, chuckling. "She doesn't like silence much, that much is obvious."

"Maybe you got on better with the rest of the boys, but you and I didn't hit it off too well," admits Remus. "You weren't my favorite."

"Did you even have a favorite, Moony?" Sirius wants to know.

"I did!" Remus says indignantly. "I'll tell you about her when we get to her."

"Good interview, Lucy," says Sirius, smiling warmly at Lucille and letting her go. He "borrows" the list back from Remus, ignoring Remus's heavy eye-roll, and says, "Sadie, you're up."

Sadie smiles sweetly – she's one of the few girls I can actually stand in this competition – and stands before the Marauders. Sirius grins at her.

"You know, Sadie, I liked you too," he says generously. "You had a good interview too."

"Are you in a good mood or did you sneak butterbeer before judging?" James wants to know.

"Don't be cruel," Sirius objects. "I'm in a good mood! I've got nine hot girls here hanging on every word I say! Why wouldn't I be in a good mood?"

"Because you'd be drunk," says Peter.

Sirius pouts. "Can we go back to Sadie, please?"

"Sure thing," says James. "Sadie, you're wonderful. Really. Your sense of humor is slyer than I would've imagined."

"You know what you're talking about, which is refreshing," adds Remus.

"You're a lovely girl," says Peter. "I was the one who picked you, you know. Sirius wanted Deanna Miller, didn't he?"

"I did," Sirius says, unabashed.

"But I knew you'd be better than Deanna," finishes Peter. "Thanks, Sadie."

Sadie grins and walks back. I can't help but glance at Hannah to see her reaction to Peter's praise for Sadie – she looks like she'd like to melt into a puddle and seep through the cracks of the floor. Not very appealing behavior.

"Oi, Verity, you're up," says Sirius, holding the list away from Remus, who is making swipes to "borrow" it again.

Verity smiles that serene smile of hers and stands before them as well. "Yes?" she says.

"Merlin, Verity, your interview was something else," says Sirius, beaming at her. "I never knew you were so…harsh."

To everyone else around me, this remark hails startling. For me, since I know Verity better, it's not startling at all. Verity's ditzy front is just that, a front, because that girl has the sharpest social commentary I've ever known.

"Thank you," says Verity.

"You were my second-favorite girl yesterday," says Remus. "You look so slight, but Sirius is right – Merlin, Verity! You're something else."

"Thank you," repeats Verity.

"No problem – thanks for playing," says James, smiling. He finally breaks up the enmity between Remus and Sirius by grabbing the list from Sirius's hand and says, "All right…Sydney, your turn."

Perfectly cheerful, Sydney bounces forward. She's beaming. The Marauders smile back, James in particularly sporting a very kind sort of smile.

"Hey Sydney," he says.

"Hey!" she chirps.

"Well, Sidders, you did well too," Sirius says, cutting right to the chase, as usual. It's one of the things I like most about him. "You were the most rational out of these girls."

"You were my third-favorite girl," adds Remus.

"See, there you go, Moony likes you," says Sirius. "Obviously, you're a sane, logical person. Take that as a compliment."

Sydney giggles. "I'll try, Sirius."

"Yeah, so you did good," finishes off Peter. "Nothing else we can say, really. You were entertaining enough."

James holds the list away from both Remus and Sirius and announces, "Georgiana, you're next."

I step right up to claim my criticism/praise/whatever, wondering what they'll say about me. They look jolly enough – it could be something good. Sirius starts it off.

"I dunno about you, Georgiana, you were iffy," he announces. "I didn't have as much fun talking to you as I did with the other girls."

"Yeah, you're very…direct," agrees James. "It's disconcerting, you know?"

"You frighten me sometimes," adds Peter.

I nod, but I'm stunned by this. I scare them? The Marauders?

"You're a good conversationalist, just very high-handed," Remus says as fairly as he can. "You like control, I can tell. Maybe work that out a little."

Sirius did a bit of a drum-roll on the desk with his talented hands and finally succeeds in grabbing the list from James, who scowled. "And next I want…Hannah! Hannah, Hannah, Hannah, Hannah! Hannah my darling! Come here and let me see your beautiful face."

Hannah is beetroot-red walking forward for Sirius, looking particularly fragile today with her hair down around her small, pale, heart-shaped face. Sirius roars with affectionate laughter, while the rest of the Marauders grin along.

"Hannah, darling, you look like I've tried to eat your dog," says Sirius. "I'm just being friendly! Smile with me!"

Although I'm sure Hannah wants to scream and run away like the scaredy-cat she is, she apparently gives a phantom of a smile because Sirius laughs again.

"Hannah banana, never doubt our love for you," he says. "You're here for a reason, you know. Who picked her again?"

"Me," says Peter. "Because she's a lovely girl. Hannah, you're so shy! Does someone have a hair-tie? Pull your hair up now. Let's see you."

Alicia is making lovey-dovey faces with Sadie because she finds this so adorable – she undoes Sadie's ponytail in order to toss Hannah Sadie's hair-tie. "Here you go," says Sadie merrily.

"There we are," says Peter, smiling sweetly at Hannah as she fumbles with the hair-tie. "Much better. You're very pretty and easy to talk to; you're just painfully shy. I wish you could open up more."

"You were the most fun in the last fifteen seconds of our interview," says James.

"You don't have to be so frightened, Hannah," says Remus. "We would all love to hear from you more often."

"T-T-T-Thank you," stutters Hannah, sounding like her teeth are chattering.

"Say it again, loud and proud," says James.

"T-Thank you." A bit better. Goodness, Hannah is such a little mouse. She'll need to zest it up if she ever wants anything in her life.

"One more time, Hannah!"

"Thank you," she says very loudly, throwing us all for a loop. Sirius looks delighted.

"Good one!" he chirps. "Thanks, Hannah."

Hannah scuttles right back to where she'd been originally. I catch Sadie whispering in her ear that she can keep the hair-tie.

"Okay…" James has control of that list. It's a miracle that piece of paper hasn't been torn yet, to be quite frank. "Erm, I want…Alicia. Right here, right now." He pulls a very macho-man face. Alicia chuckles as she steps forward, preening as usual.

"Hey, Jamie," she says. "You're feeling outrageous and flamboyant today, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am, Delicia my dear," he says. "And you had a wonderful interview. In case you were wondering."

Alicia laughs a high, artificial laugh. "Really?"

"Yes, really," says Sirius. "You were my favorite girl, hands down – you are such a riot, you mad woman!"

Alicia curtseys low and deep. "Well then – what an honor," she says.

"You're lots of fun, Alicia," agrees Peter. "Very fun, very fresh. I like you."

"And I like you too," she says graciously.

"You're a pretty likeable person, Alicia," says Remus, finally regaining control of the list while James and Alicia share flirtatious smiles with one another.

They say something more about Alicia, but I tune out and don't hear it, because quite frankly, I'm not sure what's going on with James and Alicia right now. Alicia is a bit of a whore – she's friends with pretty much every single guy in this school and it's hard to believe not one of them made a move on her as she claims – so it's nothing new to see her flirting with someone, but it's more surprising to me because James is playing along.

There was a time not so long ago when he wouldn't flirt with anyone because he was too busy declaring his undying love for Lily Evans during classes – and I know this despite not even being in his house. Now, he's flirting with Alicia as though she's the only one he's got eyes for, while Lily is going to be called up near the end of the line-up rather than first, where she ought to have been.

It's odd. It's fishy. I don't know what love potion Alicia's been pouring into James's pumpkin juice, but whatever it is, it's strong and he's been taking it with all his meals.

"Thanks Alicia," I hear James say merrily. "Next I want…Alice."

Huh. Avoidance. I bet this is not going to bode well with him in coming weeks.

Still, Alice comes up as requested, smiling demurely with her hair back in a headband. She looks neat, clean, smiley and very cute. Much too sweet for the Marauders, although that seems to be working in her favor, judging from last panel.

"Hi," she says.

"Hey Alice, you look cute," Sirius remarks. "Damn. You make the uniform look good. How do you do that?"

Alice giggles, but doesn't respond. James's smile is very warm.

"You know, Alice, you have to be the cutest girl in the competition right now," he says. "I just…I like you. You're so nice. It's so refreshing."

"Thank you," says Alice, smiling back at James.

"No, he's right," says Peter. "You're comforting, Alice. You're not one of the extremes here and that makes you, oddly, very appealing."

"You're tied for my second-favorite," says Remus, grinning.

"You're just lovely, Alice, what can we say?" says Sirius. "You bowl us over, keep us interested. I have a feeling we're going to be keeping you around a while."

"I certainly hope so," says Alice.

"All right, thanks, Alice," says James. "And last we have…Lily. Come here, Lily."

Wow. She's last? I wouldn't have seen that one coming…but now she's here, so all I can do is sit back and watch the fireworks, because we all know there are going to be a few. Guaranteed, with her presence in this competition.

Lily walks up though, calm, cool, and collected as usual, passing by Alice like a frisky little breeze, and James's relaxed expression hardens significantly as his eyes catch hers. He clears his throat and takes the lead in her critique, because the other boys need to know if it's okay to actually criticize her today.

"Lily," he says.

"James," Lily responds.

"As you know, we had a bit of a spat during your interview," says James, as though this is news to everyone. "But I have to say, your interview with me was the most interesting I'd had all evening."

Yeah, as if we're surprised by this.

"I have to agree with that," says Remus. "You were my favorite girl last night, Lily."

"Aww, how adorable!" Sirius proceeds by pinching Remus's cheeks, much to Remus's displeasure. "You like Lily-kins!"

Lily smirks –and snickers, in spite of herself. Remus rolls his eyes and swats his friend away, while Sirius can only guffaw away, amused as anything.

"But, to be honest, I liked you too, Lily-kins," he confesses. "You're feisty. Very fun to talk to. Maybe you're one of my favorite girls here – if only because you're so intensely hysterical. Inadvertently, of course."

"Merlin, thank you so much, Sirius," says Lily.

Sirius nods, beaming, and Peter snickers. "No, you're a nice girl, Lily," he says. "The hard part is getting you to want to be nice, you know what I mean?"

"I think I do." Lily is ice-cool, dignified, her head tilted up in such a way that she must be turning her nose up at those boys. The Marauders are satisfied enough with their conversation, though, and Sirius is about to dismiss her when all of a sudden, James speaks up.

"Lily, tell me – do you want to be here?" he demands, his perfectly serious hazel eyes flashing.

Lily is taken aback by this question, momentarily startled. "Excuse me?"

"I'm asking you if you want to be here," James repeats, deadly calm. "It's a worthy question to ask, now that we're at a bit of a crossroads with you. I want to know if you want this."

This seems to make sense – to her and to the rest of us. Lily stands there a few more seconds, pondering, and leaving us hanging on her breaths, wondering what she'll say. At least, that's the case for the girls around me. Me, I think Lily is far too overrated in both the eyes of the girls and the eyes of the boys – I couldn't care less no matter what she wanted. Her being here doesn't affect my want to win in any way. I stare at the ceiling and study the pattern up there while Lily formulates her answer.

Until finally –

"Yes," Lily says firmly. "I want to be here."

"Really." James is unimpressed – he wants more. I don't blame the poor bloke; I'd want more if I was him too.

"I do, I want to be here," says Lily. "I figure…you're right. It's a game, a spot of fun. I get to hang around with a different bunch of girls and goof around. I'm not here to win; but while I'm here, I'll give this a go. I do want to be here."

This is strangely rational, coming from Lily Evans – and, even stranger, it sounds sincere. She's given this thought and changed her mind, like Alicia kept hoping. She'll play this game. She'll do what they want. Amazing. I have a gut-feeling that James Potter has more influence over Lily's decisions than she would like.

James, however, is less excited than the stirred crowd of girls around me. Or, if he is as excited (or more so), he hides it extraordinarily well. He regards her with a cool nod of his head and says, "All right. Glad to have you aboard."

Lily's smile is significantly tight-lipped. "Thank you."

"Right then, you're dismissed."

Lily turns on her heel and marches back to stand with Alice. There's something so standoffish in the way they interact that I can't help but look back after her, curious, wondering what's going through her head and what's going through his and if it's worth caring about it at all. They really are a fascinating couple of people.

"Okay!" This is Sirius now, taking back control, calling our attention away from Lily and James and back to the mission we came for this afternoon. "Now that we've judged you all fairly and squarely, it's time for us to deliberate as 'just men' so we can make our final decision. You will be called back when it's your time."

Sirius claps his hands and we are officially dismissed into the corridor. The moment the door shuts behind us, I hear Sirius cast his charm on the door so we can't hear their conversation.

We are now in business.

&

We don't have to wait long for Sirius to usher us back into the classroom after the deliberation is over. Last time we had a judging, they took much longer. Alicia's watch reports a difference of four and a half minutes. Either this is a really good sign or a really bad one. We can't be sure which one yet.

Nevertheless, the only way to be sure is to go in and brave the elimination ceremony; so that's what we do. We go in. We stand there before James, who is holding his list, looking somber. I have a feeling James really enjoys doing this part.

"I'm going to call the girls with the best interviews first and move my way down," he says, "and the first name I'm going to call is…Lily. Congratulations."

Surprise, surprise. Actually, I'm more surprised that everyone else is even remotely surprised. Once Lily started trying, who could doubt her getting called first? Lily retreats to the side of the room, moderately surprised herself, and watches the rest of us with shifty emerald eyes.

"The next name I'm going to call," James continues, "is Alicia."

Alicia grins – second time getting called second, she's doing pretty well – and joins Lily on the side. The two exchange small smiles.

"The third girl on my list is Alice," says James.

Off goes Alice with the cute headband. Six of us left here.

"Fourth would be Verity," James announces.

Out goes Verity. Five more of us here. I can't fight the nasty, nagging voice in the back of my head whispering that one of us is going to be standing here alone for everyone to stare pityingly at. I hope it's not me.

"Fifth is Lucille," says James.

Out goes Lucille, that damned Lucille. Four more of us, three more spots left. My stomach tightens.

"Sixth is Sadie."

Out goes Sadie. Three more of us, two spots left. My heart beats faster.

"Seventh is Sydney," says James.

Sydney breathes a sigh of relief and goes over to stand by Alicia. It's only me and Hannah now, shy little Hannah who's in love with Peter Pettigrew. James surveys us both with those mesmerizing eyes of his, the Marauders behind him doing much the same but with much less potency. They let James take over the dramatics, mostly.

"So, Georgiana and Hannah, you're both here for different reasons," says James. "Opposite reasons, in fact. Georgiana, you're abrupt and unexpected and would do well with a softer appearance in public, rather than one that startles whoever you're with. Hannah, you're sweet, but far too shy, and we would love to see more of you emerge from underneath your shell. We want to know you, but you make it awfully hard."

James continues to stare at us. My stomach tightens up even more and my heart rate climbs up just slightly. Despite my cool, I suddenly wish I had a glass of water and a chance to prove myself again. I want to show the Marauders I'm not as hard as they think I am. There's more to me too. Just because I don't guard it as zealously as Hannah, doesn't it mean it's not there. Don't they know that?

"So, that means…Hannah, you'd better speak up next challenge, or we're going to have to let you go," says James gently. "And really, it's thanks to Peter that we changed our mind and allowed you another chance. He believes in you."

Hannah could pass out. I think she would, had it not been for the fact that she was allowed to wobble over to the rest of the girls, disbelief all over her face at her good luck while I am left here, the only one here, numb and freaked and astonished out of my mind.

After all this…I really didn't think I'd have to be the one to go back tonight.

"Thanks for playing, Georgiana," says James, putting his hand out for me to shake. "Sorry it didn't work out."

"Thanks for letting me play," I say as diplomatically as I can, even though my stomach is tighter than ever and my heart rate most likely won't let down for several more minutes because of the sheer anticipation. "It's really been a lot of fun."

I look to the girls, mostly to Sydney, who is about as shocked as I feel. I go over to her for a final hug – she's my favorite person here and knows it – and I'm surprised/touched to find that the other girls surround me too, in a big group hug. It's a little limp, but it's still quite nice of them. Sydney squeezes me the tightest and then lets me go, allowing me to make my solitary journey across the classroom out to the corridor. I won't be seeing them tonight in the Room of Requirement for gossip and chatting and silly girl talk.

Taking a deep breath, I wave good-bye to the girls and walk out to the corridor, as I'm supposed to. Even though this was only a game for the Marauders to pick a potential girlfriend, I can't help but feel a deep, sinking disappointment in my abdominal region because I lost.

I am the second girl to be eliminated. Most of the girls remain – eight of them to be exact – and they get to build more demented memories from this whole thing. Me, I'm going to be in the Ravenclaw common room and I'll only hear of everything second-hand. I won't be a part of this anymore. It's out of my hands, only barely touched by me. Barely anyone will remember me by the time the fun is over.

Ah, well. With Lucille still in the competition, may Merlin help them with whatever unfolds next in this mad competition.

--

A/N: Now that you've read, you can do the reviewing part. I would greatly appreciate that. Sorry about any typos too, by the way!

Thanks!!