"Potter," Lily pressed. "You can't do it. Just give up already."

James smirked. His expression suddenly changed from amusement to determination. The twinkle of joy never left his eyes.

"I will get you to smile," James declared. "You will smile at one of them."

"Yeah, when Sirius becomes the Potions Master," Lily muttered. It was common knowledge to all Gryffindors (and even some Slytherins) that Potions was Sirius Black's worst subject. He tended to make things blow... up a lot.

Out of nowhere, said boy appeared behind her. "OI!" he exclaimed, his face displaying a look of mock indignation, but the effect was ruined by the smile that was tugging on the corners of his mouth.

Lily jumped at the sound of Sirius' loud voice behind her. She quickly recognized who it was without turning around. She giggled and then turned to walk away from the two Marauders.

She quickly made her way out of the portrait hole - they were in the Gryffindor Common Room. The portrait closed behind her, leaving Sirius and James alone.

"Prongs, what were you two talking about?" Sirius asked. James decided that Sirius ought to know, even if he would tease him about it later.

James sighed. "I tried to use another one of my pickup lines," James admitted, smiling sheepishly. "And it didn't go so well."

It was silent for a moment.

James predicted that Sirus would burst into laughter in three seconds.

Three..

Two..

"HAHA!"

Hmm, early.

James frowned. He knew that Sirius actually supported him in his 'quest for Lily's heart,' but sometimes it was hard to tell. He always found his failed attempts funny, which brought down his self-esteem.

James glared at his so-called best friend. Sirius calmed down a bit to see his reaction, which only caused him to laugh louder.

It had been seven minutes before Sirius stopped laughing. When he finally calmed down, Sirius' expression was unfathomable. It looked sympathetic and sad.

"I'm sorry, mate, but Lily doesn't like that kind of stuff," Sirius said in a knowing tone.

James' eyes widened at his words, and also Sirius' use of her first name. They usually referred to her as 'Evans' but never her actual first name.

"But- How would you know?" James bellowed.

"Dude, Lily told me!" Sirius said in a rushed voice. He put his hands up as if he was surrendering to something.

James was confused. He had always thought that Lily and Sirius had a relationship as academic acquaintances. They only talked during classes and even then they barely tolerated each other.

"W-why would she tell you?"

"Because she thought telling me would somehow get you to stop, and also 'cause we are kind of friends," Sirius said the last part quietly, as if he were afraid of the words themselves.

James' mouth popped open and he stared at Sirius incredulously. Sirius noticed this and rushed to say something.

"Well, if you hadn't spent the last few years drooling over Evans, you would have noticed that we're kind of friends!"

James had nothing to say to that. He obviously couldn't deny it, not that he wanted to.

"So," James said in a much calmer tone. "What do I do?"

"Well, first of all," Sirius said in a uncharacteristically mature voice. "How do you feel about Evans?"

"She- she's beautiful," James said in a dreamy voice, as if he were in some sort of trance. His eyes glazed and his lips fell into a relaxed smile. "She's absolutely drop dead gorgeous, with her auburn hair and emerald green eyes."

Sirius nodded, encouraging him to continue. He smiled, knowing something that James didn't.

"Her laugh is like music to my ears. Her voice is so melodious and it sounds like angels singing. She's so smart and funny. Some people might call her a stick in the mud, but I think she's so full and life."

While James was describing in full detail his love for Lily, he didn't notice Sirius leave and someone else take his place. When he finally finished, he blinked and focused his attention on the person in front of him. He gasped and almost fainted when he realized who it was.

Lily Evans was leaning on an armchair in front of him. She was standing exactly where Sirius was a few moments ago. Sirius noticed her return to the room, and quickly came up with a plan.

He would get James to describe what he loved about Lily, and Lily would 'stumble' upon the conversation. It wasn't much, but the results could be worth while.

"Wow, James," Lily said, smiling. She knew her use of his first name would drive James practically to madness. "That was really.. sweet."

And with that, she stood on her toes and gave James a quick peck on the cheek. Without saying a word or looking back, she calmly walked to the girls' dorms, smiling all the way.

James just stood there, dazed, touching his cheek lightly.

"I. Will. Never. Wash. My. Cheek. Again."