She liked the way his glasses kept falling down his nose; it was as if he couldn't even feel them sliding off. He actually might not have noticed, she thought after a moment. He was struggling to write the fifteen-inch essay on experimental brewing Professor Slughorn had set them the previous week while eating his breakfast of kippers on toast.

Why hadn't he started sooner? As she sipped her morning pumpkin juice, she pondered the boy sitting across the from her. It had taken Lily three trips to the library and seeing Slughorn after class to understand the right way to approach the essay. And here sat James, who hadn't even started his research until the morning of... Lily shook her head and returned to writing the perfect conclusion to her own essay about Complex Cheering Charms for Professor Flitwick.

Ten minutes later, she set down her quill and corked her ink bottle with extreme satisfaction. Rolling up her finished essay and carefully tucking it into her bag, she allowed her gaze to fall once more on the boy sitting across from her. James was asleep. He was asleep and hadn't finished writing the first paragraph of his essay.

Lily rested her chin on her palm and looked at him. There was no way he'd be able to finish in time for class at this rate, even if he hadn't fallen asleep over his breakfast. She knew why he was so tired; she knew that he and his friends did... something... to help Remus through each full moon. She hadn't figured out exactly what it was that they did for Remus, but she would never tell. Her poor friend deserved every comfort anyone could give him. She glanced at the empty seat on her left where Remus normally sat and then Lily made a snap decision she didn't care if she would regret later.

Before she could really think about what she was doing, she opened her bag and took out her own Potions essay. She reached across the table, grabbed James' quill, and quickly wrote his name at the top of her own beautifully completed essay. She checked her wristwatch and decided it was time to head to class. Lily reached across the table and gently tugged on James' attempt at the Potions essay.

"James Potter, it's time to wake up," she said as she finally yanked the parchment free from under his arm. "James! You can't be comfortable with your kippers for a pillow."

James grunted and raised his head an inch.

Lily continued, "Give me what you've managed to write of your essay and I'll give your excuses to Slughorn. Just do me a favor and go back up to your own bed alright?"

James just looked blearily at her, his glasses almost falling off the tip of his nose. She reached forward and straightened them before she could help herself. His eyes went wide.

"Well then," slightly pink, Lily quickly stood up and said, "I'll see you in Defense later!"

"""

On Wednesday, Professor Slughorn started handing back their essays on experimental brewing. As was his habit, he liked to announce how many of each grade he gave on the assignment. This class was no different and after expressing his general disappointment at their class' performance on the essay, his demeanor brightened.

"Not everyone did so poorly! A few of you remembered Casey's Laws of Canceling Ingredients, and there was one student who had the most wonderfully researched essay. Needless to say, I felt like I was the student and they the professor by the time I was done with their essay. I am very impressed, very impressed indeed. This essay was the only one to reach an O."

He continued to wind between the desks and cauldrons, handing back essays with a comment or a smile. When he reached where James Potter was sitting with his head on the table, Professor Slughorn knocked lightly on the wooden surface. James sprang upright looking sheepish and accepted the offered essay without a glance.

Professor Slughorn smiled, "I'm very impressed, Mr. Potter. I must say, very impressed indeed. Well done!" and then he walked off.

Confused, James looked down at the essay in his hands. The last thing he was expecting was praise from Slughorn; what he'd managed to write had been weak, to say the least. He tentatively unrolled the parchment and readied himself to see... well, now he didn't know what to expect.

The sight that greeted his eyes was a very long, very detailed looking essay written in a hand that was certifiably not his own, a hand he recognized. And right at the top beside his name was an O written in bright red ink. His eyes shot to the front table where the owner of that handwriting sat chatting merrily to the curly-haired girl sitting next to her.

Lily Evans, the long time object of his affections and now, maybe his friend. He stared at her and suddenly her eyes caught his. She smiled and glanced down at the parchment he clutched before her eyes darted back to his face. Then she winked and turned back to her friend.

James felt himself fall for her for what seemed like the millionth time.