Disclaimer: I am not Joanne K Rowling and I don't have any rights to anything recognizable. I'm borrowing. Remember: Prongs writes in Bold and Italics and Lily only writes in italics.

.o.O.o.

Chapter 14

"Um, Lily? Can I talk to you?" Lily looked up from her dinner to see McKinnon, who was standing behind her.

"I guess." Lily sighed.

"In private?"

"Fine." Lily grabbed her bag and followed McKinnon out, through the entrance hall, and into a stairwell. "What?"

"I just wanted to make sure we're still okay and that you're not mad." McKinnon said carefully.

"Why wouldn't we be okay?" Lily asked derisively.

"Well, James and I are dating now," She said delicately, "And he has always expressed an interest in you."

Lily felt a twinge at the reminder. "What's your point, McKinnon?"

"Oh, I knew you were angry." McKinnon despaired.

"I'm not mad! Where did you get that idea?" Lily asked.

"You called me McKinnon. You only call people by their last names when you're mad at them or you hate them or you don't know them."

"But I don't know you." Lily replied.

"We're friends of a sort, though." Marlene replied. "We always talked during prefect meetings. Us two and Dorcas, we're friends of a sort."

"I guess." Lily said.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, I don't think James actually likes me," Marlene said, "Just don't tell anyone I said that."

"If he doesn't like you, why are you two together?"

"Because I need him." Marlene murmured.

"To boost your image?" Lily asked incredulously, "Mar, you don't need him to do that! You are, by far, the most universally liked girl at Hogwarts."

"Look, never mind it. Are you okay with me and James being together?"

"Ya, it's fine." Lily replied, wondering why Marlene felt like she had to ask.

"Good." Marlene replied, looking very relieved. She picked up her bag and turned to leave the stairwell before turning back to Lily. "Actually, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor." she said tentatively.

"Sure." Lily sighed.

"I'm having some difficulty with the cheering charms and I was wondering if you would mind helping me with them?"

"Of course." Lily said and together, the two girls made their way to the library. Once there, Marlene went immediately to a cozy table in the back corner, and placed her things on a chair on one side of the table, sitting in the chair beside it. Lily placed her bag on the floor beside her and pulled out her Charms text book and her wand. Marlene did the same.

"So what are you–"

"What are you doing all the way back here?" Lily stiffened as she heard that voice. She scowled slightly.

"Now don't look like that." Marlene said quietly as Potter emerged from the shelves behind Lily. She smiled at her boyfriend. "Lily and I are working on cheering charms. Care to join us?"

"Oh, yes please." Potter said, taking the only available seat, which just happened to be beside Lily. "My charms work is awful. I need all the help I can get. That is, if you wouldn't mind helping me, Evans?" he looked at Lily and smiled sweetly. Lily felt her stomach flutter oddly. Nerves, she told herself, just nerves.

"Okay, what part of the spell are you two having so much trouble with?"

.o.O.o.

"This is ridiculous! Why is this spell even necessary?" Potter cried a frustrated hour later.

"You're just not concentrating!" Lily replied for what felt like the umpteenth time. "If I have told you once, I have told you a hundred thousand times: You hold your wand like this," Lily corrected his grip again, "And emphasize the oh not the ah!"

"Well excuse me for having difficulty breaking a few habits! In Transfiguration, you would never hold your wand this way and who the bloody hell cares how to pronounce the sodding incantation?"

"You should," Lily whisper-yelled back, "Since you can't seem to get it right!" She drew a breath and let it out slowly, trying to release her anger and frustration. "Now try again."

Potter scowled, waved his wand, correctly this time, and muttered the incantation, putting so much emphasis on the oh syllable that he mispronounced it.

"I'm really sorry," Marlene said, checking her watch, "But I have patrols. I'll see you in the morning." Marlene gave Potter a quick peck on the cheek and said, "Thanks Lily." before grabbing her bag and leaving the library. Lily watched her leave, staring after her oddly.

"What?" Potter asked.

"Nothing." Lily replied.

"Seriously, what? Why are you looking at her like that?"

"You two aren't very…" Lily trailed off.

"What?" Potter insisted.

"Affectionate." Lily finished, "You two have been dating for a week and no one has ever seen you kiss, or hold hands, or act like anything other than friends."

"So we're not big on public displays of affection." Potter shrugged.

"But that's not true." Lily protested.

"How do you know?"

"Because whenever Marlene has had a boyfriend in the past, they've been all over each other all the time. And I know very well how you feel about affection and public displays of it considering the fact that you stalked me for five years."

"I didn't stalk." Potter protested.

"You did to." Lily smirked. "I can remember a few love notes that found their way into my bed sheets and onto my pillow. You even managed to fold one in with my pants and bras."

"Alright, so maybe I was a bit stalker-ish," Potter conceded, grinning back. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you. But you didn't answer my question." Lily pointed out.

"And what question would that be?"

"Why aren't you and Marlene affectionate in public?"

"Because we save it for the bedroom." Potter shrugged.

Lily blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

Potter smirked and ruffled his hair. "Just because we don't kiss in public, doesn't mean we don't shag. And she is a bloody brilliant shag."

"You're disgusting." Lily said, shutting her Charms book and standing up to leave.

"No, wait," Potter said, reaching and putting a hand on her arm to stop her from leaving, his face assuming an expression of alarm. "Look, I'm sorry. Can you please stay? I'm rubbish at this spell."

"I really don't know how to help you." Lily said, pulling away from him and starting towards the door.

"I'll help you with Transfiguration." Potter called. Lily stopped. "If you help me with charms and potions, I can help you with transfiguration."

"Fine." Lily sighed, turning back towards the table, "But no more crude comments."

"Deal." Potter smirked.

.o.O.o.

What would you do, Lily wrote to Prongs some hours later, If you suddenly found yourself in a situation where you thought someone was one person, and they turn out to be the total opposite? She put her quill down, and waited for a reply.

What do you mean?

Well there's this boy and I used to think he was an idiot, and it turns out that he's actually smart and when you get him into an academic discussion, his company can be quite enjoyable.

Who is this mystery man?

Lily searched her mind. What name?

Amos Diggory.

Didn't know you talked with him.

I don't really for the most part, but we've had a lot of patrols together lately and he's not quite the idiotic jock that I always took him to be.

Nope, he's an idiotic jock. I stake my life on it.

Lily giggled when she read that. Well, what would you do?

What's there to do about it?

Do you believe your old prejudice, or your new information? What if he's faking it to get close to me? He's a bit of a player, so I'm not sure if I should trust him, and I've never even liked being near him before, but as soon as he dropped the priggish attitude, we had a really nice conversation about courses and things. What should I do?

James sighed, looking at what Lily had wrote. What should he tell her? Tell her give Diggory a chance and he risked pushing her towards another man, but if he told her not to, then why should she give him a chance?

I think that you should use your own judgment on this. Watch how he treats other people, not just you. If he's nice to everyone else, then give him a chance. If he's a prick except when you two are on patrols, tell him to stuff it and reschedule so you end up back with Remus.

How did you know I usually patrol with Remus?

Marauder.

So, what sort of 'academic discussions' did you two get into?

We talked a lot about transfiguration, charms and potions.

Transfiguration? I thought you were rubbish at that.

I am a bit.

Anyway, don't listen to any transfiguration advice that Diggory gives you. He's more rubbish at it than you are.

Oi, I don't insult your school work, don't insult mine!

You don't know who I am, James felt obliged to point out.

Prongs. Lily wrote back.

But you don't know who I actually am.

Lily paused before writing, I'd like to.

I know you would. Imagine the power and popularity that you could get from exposing the Marauders.

Who do you think I am?

You're saying you wouldn't tell anyone?

No, I wouldn't. I'm just saying that I really enjoy talking with you and I'd like to get to know you better. It seems like the only thing standing in the way of that is your alias.

I can't tell you.

I know.

James hesitated and then, looking around to make sure that the dorm room was empty, lowered his quill to the paper and wrote, Well, you're welcome to try and figure it out.

How? All I know is that you're in my Transfiguration class, both your parents are aurors, and you think Diggory's a prick. That means that you could be one of fifty. If I had to guess at your house, I'd say Ravenclaw because you are bloody brilliant. That lowers the number down to about three, Jeremy Cox, Ingrid Heap, and Andy Massingham. You're obviously not a girl, but even if you were, Ingrid Heap's muggle born. Andy Massingham's parents are freelance journalists, so that leaves Jeremy Cox. But Jeremy Cox came to school late this year because he was in St. Mungo's recovering from Dragon Pox, and the year before that, he missed the beginning and end of term feats because of deaths in the family, so unless the Marauders pulled three pranks without you, you can't be Jeremy Cox. Lily paused before adding, And I think only his mother is an auror. I believe his father's a muggle bobby.

James stared at the paper in awe for a few moments. How much thought had she devoted to the matter? Well, he finally wrote, I don't know what a bobby is, but I am definitely not Jeremy Cox, Andy Massingham, or Ingrid Heap.

Well, if you're a Hufflepuff, then –

Why don't I save you the trouble of going through every name in the class and tell you that I don't actually have Transfiguration with you.

Well then how the hell did you know the question that McGonagall asked me?

I'm a Marauder, I know practically everything that goes on in Hogwarts. Filch can't scratch his arse without us knowing about it. James sincerely hoped that Lily would never ask him to prove that lie. He didn't particularly want to know when Filch did or didn't scratch his arse.

That's revolting and I now have to guess who you are from the entire Ravenclaw house.

Not the entire Ravenclaw house, my dear Lily. The entire sixth year population of Hogwarts. I never said that I was a Ravenclaw, you just assumed that I was because of my talent and brains.

Well, if I go by that statement alone, I'd say you were James Potter.

.o.O.o.

A/N: If you have a second to type an adjective (such as cute, awful, decent, entertaining, etc.) into the review box and click the Post Review button to submit it, I would be eternally grateful!

Tapi