Alright, here's a L/J interaction-less chapter, but it's a really fun chapter, I think. It's just Lily and friends hanging out and being girls. Then to contrast there's a scene of the Marauder's hanging out after one of Moony's transformations. Hope you like it!

*""*

Lily, Geeta and Alice were sitting in their dormitory and painting their nails, enjoying one of the many advantages of being seventh years; free period. September had been a busy month while they were getting into the swing of their schedules and keeping up with homework, and they had spent far too many free periods in the library working. So, even Lily now agreed that they had earned a break from everything. Besides, they had just a week before the Halloween Hogsmeade visit, and they liked to plan out whom they would go with in advance.

"Frank will be coming to see me! He's going to meet me at the Three Broomsticks." Alice was saying excitedly, "I can't wait! I mean, we've been exchanging letters, but that's not the same."

Lily smiled at her friend. She knew that Alice really cared for Frank, and she also knew that he was an Auror in the Order of the Phoenix so he rarely saw her. This pained Alice, but the sweet girl never let anyone worry about her. "I'm glad for you, Alice." Lily said softly.

Geeta, who had been busy painting her nails a deep ruby red suddenly suddenly shoved her hand in front of Lily's face, "What do you think of this colour, Lils? Is it flashy or trashy?"

Lily, whose make-up knowledge was about as vast as a hippogriff's, wasn't sure what to say. "Oh, it's…er…."

Geeta rolled her eyes, "Oh never mind. What do you think, Alice?"

"It suits your skin tone really well, Geets." Alice said honestly. "How about mine?"

"Wow, I love it! What's it called?"

"Pink Snow."

"It's so beautiful! I just love how it shimmers. Will you let me borrow it?"

"Of course! Can I borrow yours? What's it called?"

"Heart's Afire."

"Oh, I love that! It suits it perfectly."

Lily groaned loudly and pretended to yawn, "As fascinating as this is, can we please change the subject?"

Alice laughed, "Lils, are you sure that you're a girl?"

Lily stuck her tongue out at Alice and then turned to Geeta, "New topic please?"

"Alright, how about you? Who are you going to go to Hogsmeade with?" Geeta asked with a mock innocent expression.

Lily really didn't know. In sixth year she had often just gone with her friends, and then she had gone out a couple of times with a Ravenclaw boy named Dan. Truth be told, they had never really gone much past holding hands, and they now were just friends so it would have been awkward if she went with him.

Realizing that her friend hadn't decided yet, Geeta decided to help her out, "How about James?"

"Potter?" Lily exclaimed with a look of disgust.

Geeta shrugged, "Well, you have been spending a lot of time together lately…why not?"

"I haven't been hanging out with him for fun, Geeta! I've been forced to because of my head duties! Don't you know that I hate him?" Lily was practically shouting, which she quickly realized could be interpreted as being defensive. Which she wasn't because there was absolutely nothing between her and Potter that she needed to be defensive about.

So, Lily decided to tactfully change the subject before Geeta read too much into the issue, "So anyways, who are you going with, Geets? Why don't we go together?"

Geeta bit her lip, "Well, actually, there is someone who I've been thinking about asking…"

Alice perked up; this was just the sort of thing which she and Geeta really enjoyed, but Lily, unfortunately, couldn't stand. "Who is it?"

Geeta sighed, "I dunno if I should even bother telling you, I mean, I don't even think he'd go with me if I asked him…I can't really picture him going on a date with someone. No, I don't think I'll ask him. I'll just have to find some other way…maybe if I could get him alone…"

Lily rolled her eyes, "Wow, this sounds so complicated. You've really put my advanced arithmancy to shame with the complexity of asking someone to Hogsmaede."

"Oh be quiet Lily." Alice admonished, "You wouldn't understand. But Geets you've gotten me curious...who is it?"

Geeta's cinnamon complexion turned slightly pink as she blushed and said, "Remus."

That succeeded in grabbing Lily's attention and she exclaimed,"Lupin? Since when?"

"Since the Quidditch tryouts. I just noticed how…well, intense he was. And after that I talked to him a couple of times and he's just so smart. And I don't just mean books, he clever with everything and he's got this great sense of humor; he always knows exactly what to say. Oh, and he's got the deepest grey eyes, they're like silver pools and his brown hair is just so soft and…"

Lily groaned, "I'm sorry I asked."

"If my nails weren't wet, I'd smack you for your lack of sympathy." Geeta growled, upset that Lily had broken her reverie.

"Well, as my nails aren't wet – "

WHACK

"HEY! I'll get you for that!"

Lily laughed at the expression on Geeta's face, and then she danced up onto her four poster bed and out of her friend's reach. Once she was sure she was safe, she called down to her friends mockingly, "Oh, by the way…being witches, you could have magically dried your nails ages ago. I was waiting for you two to figure that out…but apparently you guys are even thicker than I thought."

For a moment Geeta and Alice simply stared at her. Then they whipped out thier wands, magically dried their nails, and grabbed their pillows advancing on Lily menacingly. Lily gulped and grabbed her own pillow, holding it out in front of her like a sword. The pillow fight that ensued would have put even the marauders to shame.

And it all happened because Lily wanted to change the subject.

*""*

"Moony? Moony? Are you awake yet?"

"No."

"Oh, we'll come back later than…"

"Wormtail, he's awake."

"But he said –"

Sirius sighed and gave Peter a well deserved smack on the arm, "Never mind what he said. So, are you feeling better today Moony? You won't try and bite me again will you?"

"Only if you annoy me."

This comment caused Sirius to take a big step back from Remus's bed, and Remus chuckled. Then he grimaced in pain, holding his still sore face. Out of habit more than anything else, he reached for the soothing balm on the nightstand by his bed. The balm was always there beside him because he was always put in the same hospital bed after his transformations.

Remus had started to apply the balm to the re-opened scars on his face when James ran into the hospital wing clutching a small bag. "Hey, I brought you some of your favourite Honeydukes chocolate, Moony! I had to use the cloak and map to get them so you had better be grateful. Are you feeling any better?"

Remus gave his friend a small and grateful smile. "Loads now that you guys are here."

With chocolate…

Sirius grinned and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Aw Moony! I knew you loved us!"

Then Sirius threw his arms around his friend which caused Remus to let out a loud, "OW! Watch it; I'm in pain over here!"

"Aw, you know you're loving this! Come on Prongs, Wormtail! Join us!"

Remus closed his eyes saying, "Oh…please no…" but it was too late. James and Peter joined in the hug enthusiastically, practically crushing poor Remus in the process.

After they had properly squished their friend into pulp, James Sirius and Peter pulled back and helped themselves to Remus's bag of chocolate. Remus, who was still bed ridden, could only watch in horror as they proceeded to pull and eat treats from a bag that was well out of his reach.

Merlin, I can see the chocolate…but I can't get any! This is torture…

"By the way, Moony", Sirius said through a mouthful of fudge marshmallow delight, "Did I mention who I was going with for the Halloween Hogsmaede visit tomorrow?"

Remus eyes the fudge in his friends hand predatorily, "No, and I don't really ca –"

"I'm going with Felicia Crumpet."

This, unfortunately, caught Remus off guard, and he momentarily forgot the marshmallow filled fudge. "That Slytherin girl with the blond hair? I though that she was going out with your brother Regulus?"

Sirius grinned mischievously, "Oh, she was…but then she met me." Sirius popped the last bit of the fudge in his mouth, and Remus cursed inwardly. Then he noticed the un-opened Toblerone bar in his bespectacled friend's hand.

"Ah. So I'll be going with James and Peter then?" Remus asked as he finally managed to swipe a bar of chocolate from the former.

"Just me, actually" James said pulling a large cube of chocolate covered sponge toffee from the bag (to replace the stolen Toblerone) , "Peter's in trouble with McGonagall. He accidentally transfigured her hat into a rabbit. And then it…well, you know…on her head."

Sirius laughed, "It was so classic! And it really was an accident too!"

"Speaking of class, Moony, you missed loads of work while you were out cold. I brought that here for you too." James said handing Remus his book bag.

Remus sighed and bit into his Toblerone bar, "Maybe I should just skip the visit and finish this…"

"NO!" James cried out loudly, waking several of the Hospital Wing's other patients, "You can't make me go on my own, do you have any idea how bored I'll get? I brought you chocolate Moony! Chocolate; your favourite!"

Remus couldn't help but laugh. Partly at his friend and partly at the room full of angry patients who were now glaring pointedly at the Marauders, "Alright I'll come. But just so we can get some more chocolate while we're there."

James grinned, "Anything for you ol' Moony ol' pal! Especially after what you went through yesterday…"

Remus grabbed the sponge toffee from James's hand and grinned back, "Good."

*""*

As you can probably tell, I love the Marauders (minus Wormtail and especially Moony) and I also love chocolate... I also really enjoyed doing the girls scene. I was sorta poking fun at the way teenage girls behave...even though I am one =]

Alright, the next chapter is gonna be the first part of the Hogsmeade visit, which will have some L/J but is mostly R/G. L/J is coming up later though...along with more of the - you guessed it - PLOT!