Disclaimer: okay, okay, you've caught me, I don't own Harry Potter and its characters.

Chapter 10

"Lily, there are third years dueling on the second floor."

Lily had just step out of the portrait hole with James when she was ambushed by a frantic looking second year.

"Ten minutes, that's all I ask for!"

Lily thrust her book bag into James' arms and ran down the corridor with the student. "Meet you at breakfast." She called over her shoulder.

Sighing, James swung the new addition over his other shoulder, ruffled his hair and walked down to breakfast.

"She's already got you carrying her stuff?" Sirius grinned as James took a seat opposite him and Remus at the Gryffindor table.

James didn't reply but pulled a platter of bacon towards him and loaded his plate.

"She's gone to sort out a mess on the second floor." James finally replied, not looking up from his plate.

"I wasn't judging mate, just observing." James could feel the smirk on Sirius' face.

Before he could retaliate, Lily and Heather came into the hall laughing at an unheard joke.

Both slipped into the seats next to their respective boyfriends.

"Well that was eventful. Two third years got stuck into one another over some stupid Quidditch card." Lily said, as she helped herself to bacon. "Then one used an enlargement spell on the other's nose and he fought back with a reduction one on the other guy's head."

"So what now?" James inquired.

"Well the one's feeling a little down and the others light headed."

Heather burst into a renewed fit of giggles and the others joined in the laughter except for Peter who looked thoroughly confused.

Professor McGonagall came up the aisle between the two house tables, handing out timetable.

"Hey Professor M. You're looking lovely today. You do something new with your hair?" Sirius said as she got to them.

"No Mr. Black, I haven't and I haven't forgotten about the summer homework you owe me." She didn't look up from the pack of timetable she was searching through.

"Miss Evans and Mr. Potter, I hope you remember about your meeting tonight."

"Yes, Professor. Will do."

Once McGonagall was out of earshot, Sirius muttered, "Miserable old cow."

"Heather, what you got first?" Lily asked as she examined her own timetable.

"Hmmm. Double Transfiguration, then double potions and then D.A.D.A. after lunch."

"Same as me." Lily said.

Sirius grimaced as he looked down at his own timetable.

"Who in their right mind starts off the term with a 'double potions', I mean really."

"Oh stop moaning." Heather said as she read his timetable over his shoulder. "At least we have potions together and you know Slughorn can't see to the back of his class without his glasses." She winked at him.

"Maybe I should see what else we have together." Sirius grinned and draped his arm around the blonde's shoulder.

Lily rolled her eyes and continued examining her week's timetable. It wasn't too bad.

After breakfast the Gryffindores headed to Transfiguration with the exception of Peter who had failed and wasn't allowed to take NEWT level.

The Marauders and girls found seats in the middle of the class. Lily sat in between Heather and James and they waited for the class to begin.

"Good morning class." McGonagall voice reached them. "Your seventh and final year at Hogwarts will be the most difficult and challenging. At the end of this year you will sitting your NEWT Level exams and-"

Two hours later, they exited the class, exhausted by their efforts of trying to turn a cup into an owl with specific marking along its back. They had also been given a foot long essay on the correct movement need to create various marking on transfigured animals.

"I'm going to fail this year, I can sense it and then I'm going to have to work in my mom's tea shop! I'll die, I swear I'll die." Heather started, melodramatically.

Lily laughed and they started on their way to Potions.

Lily reached toward James' hand and intertwined her finger in his. James smiled at her and gave her hand a light squeeze.

When they reached dungeon class Heather and Sirius headed for the back desk, with Lily and James taking the seats in front of them and Remus to a seat to the left next to Paige Morgan, the girl he had been crushing on for quite a while. She was a Ravenclaw, very pretty, very smart.

Lily and James sat talking about what the exchange trip would be like and where they would go.

"Oh, I hope we get to go to French school, or an Italian one. It would be fabulous."

"Yeah, or a Finnish one." James remembered his trip with his parents to Finland. The women there were, well, really hot!

"Even an African or Asian school would be wonderful. The Americas. I'm sure they have such wonderful traditions and culture."

Lily sat thinking of the prospects of learning new magic from other countries. It would be wonderful to travel like that and to do it with James, it just made it all the more appealing.

Lily and James' heads were still together when Severus walked into the class with Avery. Seeing Lily and James so close, Severus dashed across the classroom and took a seat on the seat on the opposite side where Lily was not in his eye line.

Lily noticed (and though it was not in her nature) she felt a savage pleasure by this. She was still anger at him for what had happened on the train.

"All right, settle down, settle down." Professor Slughorn came waddling into the class. The silence came, although rather slower than with other teachers.

He lunged into his own rant at the importance of the NEWT Level exams. When he was finished, he set them to work on brewing a Draught of Growth (commonly known as Sketlegro).

Lily and James worked side by side. Occasionally, the one's hand would brush the other and sent chills up their backs.

An hour and a half later, the class trooped off to lunch or their dorms to put down their bag.

Lily and James walked up the stairs together. Upon getting to their dorm Lily through her bag down on the couch and waited for James.

He returned from his room, pulling a clean shirt over his head and ruffling his hair. Lily felt a sudden urge to want to touch his hair. His soft, dark hair.

As he walked past, Lily could smell him. He smelt like freshly mowed grass and something else. He smelt like grass and- grass and- grass and oranges.

It smelt so good, it made Lily's skin crawl. She wanted to be close to him, to touch him and smell him. She wanted him.

Not being able to resist the urge any longer Lily grabbed him as he walked past again and kissed him. She hung her arms around his neck and ran a hand through the hair in the nape of his neck.

James seemed rather reluctant at first by the suddenness of Lily's actions but was soon replying to her kiss wholeheartly. He allowed his one hand to rest on the small of her back, the other traveling towards her hair. He could feel her soft, smooth skin beneath her shirt.

Lily backed James into the wall behind them. They were close and Lily loved it. They broke apart for the faintest of a second to breath. James started kissing Lily's neck. Lily relished the feeling. Her hands traveled to James stomach and she could feel his well muscled body underneath his shirt. James' face traveled backed to hers and she captured his lips with hers.

Passion.

That's all that James could feel in her kiss. The more he kissed her, the more he wanted her.

Knock

Lily's face dropped to James' shoulder.

Knock, knock

"Lily, James, uhm, we have a serious problem." A voice called from the other side of the portrait hole.

"Ten minutes, it's really all I ask for." Lily mumbled into James shoulder.

She stepped back, straighter her shirt and drew her wand. She pushed open the portrait and turned to James.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Oh, yeah." James also drew his wand and followed Lily out of the portrait hole.

Three duels, two exploding pranks, a couple of jinxed first years and eleven death-by-detentions later Lily and James finally got lunch.

"Why must they insist on trying to destroy the castle during lunch?" James slouched in his seat, rubbing his neck.

Remus looked up from his book. "Not as fun as you thought."

James didn't reply, just glare.

He guessed they didn't have must of their lunch hour left so he pulled a plate of shepherd's pie toward him and loaded his plate. Just as he was about to bring the first mouthful to his lip the bell sounded signaling the end of lunch.

James let out a moan of longing as he pushed the untouched plate of food away him. If only he could have ten minutes.

After the afternoon lessons, Lily immediately immersed herself in the piles of homework she received.

She went to the library solemnly, as she needed to do research for Transfiguration and Potions essays.

If she could do both of them at least half way before her meeting tonight…

She rounded the corner and was thrown back as she walked into somebody.

Landing neatly in a sitting position on the floor Lily looked up to face of a handsome Hufflepuff. He was tall, with blond hair and a deep tan, giving him the appearance of a Muggle surfer.

"Lily!" he cried in astonishment. "I'm so sorry! Here let me help you up." He extended a hand.

"It's fine, Alex, I can do it myself." Lily pushed herself up from the floor, ignoring the still outstretched hand. "Like I'd accept anything from you." She mumbled under her breath.

"Lily, I thought we'd be, you know, okay this year. Can't we put it behind us."

"You know, Alex, I'd really liked to, but some things you just meant to hold a grudge for. Especially when said thing only happened two months ago."

Lily gave the handsome boy one last look of pure loath before turning on her heels and marching off.

A/n: hello there!! I really liked this chapter! How about you? Was it okay? I'd really love to hear what you think about this chapter? The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. So please, please review. It would make me so happy (even bad reviews).

Oh, and I'd like to remind everyone that 'Hell hath no fury like a women scorned'.

Thanks to those of you that reviewed last time, it is most appreciated and it made me really happy once again.

Now I'd like to know if there is anybody out there that could possibly be my beta. I really won't have much time this year and if someone could, you know, act as my beta and check my grammar and edit my story and do all the other things betas do, I think it would really help this story a lot.

So if you'd like to be my beta (it sounds like a commercial, doesn't it) please send me a review or a message or an email or something.

Thanks.

From

Vonbon