It was always weird, Lily thought, coming back to Hogwarts after being at home for months. At home, she couldn't use magic. It was illegal, by magic law, to use it underage and in the presence of a muggle; and back home she lived with three. But being back at the castle meant that Lily could use magic as much as she wanted. And she did. She could charm her hairbrush to brush through the knots in her hair when she was too tired to do so. She needn't make her bed the muggle way. Why? Just wave your wand at it and the bed would make itself. Lily had missed using magic.

The class that she had missed the most was one which she excelled in; potions. The exact science of it came naturally to her. It helped, also, that Professor Slughorn was her favourite teacher, and she his favourite student. It was for this reason that Lily felt awful about running late to his class. Her punctuality, just like her grades, were outstanding.

Once the bell had rung for A History of Magic to finish, the redhead had set off to make it to Slughorn's classroom. If she was early enough, which she usually was, she could ask him how his summer had been before the rest of the students arrived.

"Miss. Excuse me, m-miss." A small boy ran out in front of her in the crowded corridor.. His eyes were wide, like a deer in the headlights. It took a moment before Lily placed him; of course, the red crest on his robes gave it away. He was one of the first years that she had walked back to Gryffindors tower that first day. Though she was rushed, the redhead smiled at him politely. "I'm sorry.. I'm l-lost. I c-can't find anybody that I know." He stuttered nervously. "C-can you tell me where the greenhouses are?"

The greenhouses, of course, were on the other side of the castle from where she was headed. It caused a moral dilemma for Lily; show the boy where his class was, and risk being late to her own class, or let the boy fend for himself and end up even more lost in the huge castle? The answer was, annoyingly, simple for her.

"This way." She pointed. "I'll walk you there." She spoke with a smile as she began to lead the way towards the greenhouses, through the bustling corridors of the castle. Lily was, as Marlene had criticised, too nice for her own good sometimes. "Who do you have for Herbology?" She enquired, making conversation with the boy.

"I- um, P-professor Beerly."

She nodded. "He's lovely." She reassured him. "He likes it when people ask a lot of questions. And if you score highly on his quizzes, he gives out sweets." This made the boys' eyes light up. Lily, of course, always scored highly on the quizzes.

"Thank you miss."

"Lily." She corrected, her smile reaching her eyes.

"Miss Lily." The kid smiled back, his nerves washed away. "I'm Harry Stibbons."

Five minutes. Lily looked at her watch and saw that she was five whole minutes late. As fast as she could, she rushed to her class, which was easier now that all of the corridors were empty.

"And that's how-"

She burst through the door, red hair windswept and her breathing laboured. Slughorn stopped immediately, pausing to look at her.

"I'm sorry." She panted "A first year-" She began to explain, but the professor held his hand up for her to stop.

"All well, Lily. No harm done." He mused, much to her surprise, not needing to hear the rest of her explanation. "You haven't missed much. Please find your seat." And with that he turned back to the class.

"But don't underestimate this potion-" Slughorn droned in the background, while Lily looked around for her seat.

A set of blonde curls, half up in a red ribbon, sat at their usual table in the middle of the class, but as Lily stepped closer she realised the seat beside the blonde was taken. Black hair, just above the shoulder. She recognised him at once. Sirius. She walked over, as quietly as she could, to stand next to the occupied table. Marlene turned to her with a smile, waving softly, before the redhead turned her attention to her male companion.

"Get up." She whispered to the boy, but Sirius shook his head. She grabbed at his robe, attempting to pull him off the chair, but with little success.

"Lily. Please sit." Slughorn called out, causing the girl's cheeks to redden.

"Sir, there's-"

"There seems to be a spare seat at the back there."

Turning, the redhead saw that there was indeed an open seat at one of the back tables. Only one person sat there. It's inhabitant, and subsequently her partner for the class; James Potter. She sighed. It had all clicked in her head. Sirius sat happily in her space, next to Marlene, while the chair next to his best friend remained open. For her. Turning back to the black haired boy beside her, she noticed a smug grin on his face. "Go on." He muttered, causing her to grind her teeth.

Lily didn't cause a fuss, especially not in her favourite teachers class, and so she disgruntledly made her way to the back of the room and sat down in the free chair without a sound.

"Hey, Evans." James mused, but was met with silence as the redhead pulled out her books. Her attention shifted to Slughorn in an attempt to catch up on what she had missed, while her fingertips scrambled, turning the pages as she listened intently for a hint of what they were studying today. "Page 15." Potter whispered, leaving over to her side of the table. Nodding, Lily turned to the page, still not saying a word.

"Now, in your pairs I want you to try to make a draught of peace. Remember, this is a very highly skilled potion, which will take a lot of patience and care. The pair that succeeds will get extra credit on their assignments." Slughorn finished, before turning away as the class erupted into noise.

Silently, she began tracing the instructions on the paper, reading them inside her head. Though her grades were always outstanding, Lily couldn't say no to extra credit when it was offered.

"Evans." He spoke in a loud whisper, distracting her momentarily from her reading, though she didn't look up. "Why were you late?" There was a teasing edge to his voice, and it caused her to grind her teeth once more. Her silence only encouraged him. "Have you ever been late before?" She said nothing, frustration growing. A laugh escaping his lips, he turned to face her. "You haven't, have you? You really are a goody-two-shoes."

Looking up from her book, Lily glanced in his direction, catching a glimpse of the amusement on his face. "Because I follow the rules?" James nodded enthusiastically, causing her to groan. "Sorry if I want to do well in school." Lily looked back at her book, before reaching out to grab a small bottle labelled Honeywater.

James watched idly. "I'm late and I do well in school." Not that he felt the need to defend himself. He wished that she would loosen up a little.

"I've seen you in detention more times than I can count." Lily added a few drops of the liquid into the cauldron, a small fizzing noise emitting from the pot.

A smile crept up his face, reaching his hazel eyes. "Ah, so you have seen me." Sighing, Lily set the bottle down, before she began looking for the next ingredient. She didn't want to entertain whatever conversation he was trying to initiate. She had been late, and she'd lost her partner. Her partner who she had worked with for the last three years. To Sirius Black. "Come on, Evans. I'm not that bad."

For the second time, her gaze cast over him, noticing first how brightly his eyes were, and then the way that they watched her. "Can you pass me the ginger?" Was her response, to which he chuckled. With a nod, he grabbed the pot of ginger and held it out for her. Lily took a pinch and added it, before reaching for another.

"I haven't even had detention yet." He said confidently. He was always so confident. It was almost endearing, if she hadn't found it awfully annoying.

"It's only been four days." A smile finally reaching her lips, Lily shook her head, her eyes shifting between the potion that was beginning to steam and her partner. "I bet that it won't last long."

James's eyes lit up. "Bet?"

"Err.." The redhead turned to him, a nervous look about her.

"C'mon. Live a little." He smiled, to which she rolled her eyes. "If I don't have detention for a week-"

"Two weeks." She corrected, a smile working its way onto her lips. He noticed, and nodded in agreement.

"If I don't have detention for two weeks, you have to go on a date with me."

Lily's eyes widened. No, she couldn't agree to that. "I don't think-"

He cut her off. "But if I do, I'll leave you alone."

Pursing her lips, the redhead looked at him with thought. He could be bluffing. How could she trust his word? James grinned in return, holding up both hands to show that his fingers weren't crossed.

"You'll leave me alone for good?"

"For good." He repeated. "Solemnly swear."

Her lips curved into a smile. James Potter would leave her alone for good. Not only that, but he would have to leave her alone. There was no way that he would last the next two weeks without getting in trouble. Hell, he couldn't last two days without getting caught hexing a first year or pranking a teacher. Yes, this was the answer that Lily had been hoping for. He held out his hand for her to shake, raising an eyebrow as he waited for her response.

"Deal." And they sealed it with a handshake. It was then that she noticed how soft his hands were. His grip was strong, but not tight, and for a moment she swore she felt something in the pit of her stomach. No. Pulling away, her smile turned into a light laugh. "I can't wait for you to lose."

"Careful, Evans." James replied, mirroring the smile woven into her features. "Somebody might accuse you of having fun." To that, she laughed once more, rolling her eyes at him playfully.

As class finished, Lily waved goodbye to her partner, and waited for Marlene to do the same. The two girls left, as did the rest of the class, until just two boys remained. The two marauders met in the doorway, Black giving his friend a positively smug grin. Their plan had worked.

"Nice one, Prongs." He complimented, tipping his imaginary hat to him. James bowed in response, a laugh leaving his lips. "How did you know she'd take the bait?"

They began walking, slowly so as to leave some space between themselves and the rest of their classmates, "I knew that she couldn't say no to a first year in trouble." James replied, which received a pat on the back from Sirius. "Which reminds me, you owe that little shit two galleons."

Pausing, Sirius looked at James with a blank stare. "I owe what?"

James shifted, his smile widening at his friend. "I wasn't the only one who benefited from Sprites handiwork. I saw you and Marlene McKinnon." At the mention of the blonde's name, Sirius's attitude switched. He became almost bashful, though he tried to hide it with a smug smile. James put his arm around his best friend, pulling him in close as they walked. "You're welcome. And you can thank me by paying that kid two galleons."

Sighing, Sirius shook his head disapprovingly. "Why couldn't you have just threatened to hang him off the astronomy tower like we usually do.."

September 12th, 1977

A week had passed, and true to his word, James had avoided getting any detentions. It wasn't without difficulties, of course. The marauders were infamous for their pranks. Once, James had been close to getting caught, until Peter had run interference and cleared his name. Another time, Sirius had happily taken the blame for hexing a third year boy who, as he claimed, wouldn't call him "your highness." Yes, this was too easy.

Lily had maintained her punctuality, and her seat next to James in potions. For the first time since they had met all of those years ago, she had finally begun to see how intelligent Potter really was. He could do almost any potion without much thought. Marleen stayed sat next to Sirius, and had too begun to see something in her partner that she hadn't noticed before.

It was a cold Monday afternoon, and the girls had finished their classes for the day. The corridor wasn't busy, as they began to make their way back to the common room to relax before dinner began in the great hall. Lily walked, almost arm in arm with her two roommates.

"Y'know, at first I didn't think we'd have anything in common but-" Marlene began.

"You and Black? In common?" Mary asked with a raised brow. "What would you both have in common?"

Lily looked between them both. She had noticed how well Sirius and her friend had been getting along since the seating arrangement in potions. Often Marlene would speak about something funny that he had said, or how he had looked at her a certain way. It was a way that Lily had seen Marlene about boys in the past, but she had never expected to see her fawning over Sirius Black.

"We have a lot in common." The blonde argued, brushing her ringlets behind her ear. "He likes the same music as me. We said that we're going to go and see Crimson Wands next summer."

"Five galleons says you won't even be talking by next summer." Mary bet, which Marlene met with a smirk and a nod.

A distant voice interrupted their conversation. "Lily!"

The redhead froze in place, her heart sinking into her stomach. Mary and Marlene stopped, just steps ahead of her; when they turned, their faces reflected Lily's tension.

"Lily, wait."

She wanted to run, honestly, but her feet couldn't move out from underneath her. Not because of any hex or spell, but out of the sheer weight that her heart carried when she had heard his voice.

He moved into her vision, much to Lily's disapproval. "I need to talk-"

"You've done enough talking, don't you think?" Marlene interrupted, her hands on her hips as the boy tried to move closer to the prefect.

"I think you need to go." Mary folded her arms across her chest, glaring at the other. The two girls stood on either side of the boy, ready to pull him back if their friend asked them to.

"Please, Lily." He begged. For the first time in months, the redhead actually saw him up close. His eyes were dark, almost consumed by blackness, and wore thick dark bags under them. His jet black hair was longer, and tucked behind his ear in a fashion unlike Lily had seen before. He looked sick, she thought, though she wished that she didn't care.

Marlene raised her eyebrow, her hand on her wand in case she might need it, while Mary continued to stare at him with daggers in her eyes. "You need to leave her alone." The blonde spoke.

"Not until she tells me to." His eyes never left her emerald ones, and Lily wished that the ground would open up and swallow her whole. She didn't want to tell him to go, but she struggled to breathe with him around. "Lily?" He encouraged her to speak. "I'm sorry, okay?"

And while she had waited months for an apology, the two words meant nothing to her. "I can't do this right now." Were the only words that the redhead could get out, before she pushed past him, her legs on autopilot to get to the Gryffindor common room as quickly as she could. Hot tears in her eyes threatened to fall down her flushed cheeks, blurring her eyesight as she clutched her books tighter against her chest before-

BUMP

Not looking where she was going, the redhead ran straight into somebody unsuspecting, her book falling to the floor. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeated, tears falling from her eyes.

"Lily?" Spoke a soft voice that she recognised, though only from her prefect meetings, and Lily looked up into blue eyes that watched her. "Hey- why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry, Frank. I was-" She paused, not wanting to divulge information, before footsteps caught up with her in the corridor.

"Lily?" Mary asked, putting an arm around her friend at the sight of tears. Lily felt embarrassment running through her. It wasn't enough that Severus had made her cry, but now Frank, the head boy, had seen her too.

"I'll kill him." Said Marlene, one hand clutching onto her wand tightly. Fiercely protective. That was how you could describe Marlene. The sweetest person to those close to her, but the first to charge into battle at the drop of a hat.

"Who?" Frank questioned, leaning down to pick up the prefect's book.

"Snape." Mary said in a hushed tone, taking the book from the seventh year boy, before mouthing "thank you" at him. Frank said nothing, though he had heard about their altercation the year before. It wasn't exactly a secret around the school, but Lily still didn't wish to talk about it. "We should get back to the common room." She urged, her arm sliding down the redheads back as she began to pull her forward. Marlene, on the other hand, looked like she still wanted to seek revenge. "Mar, c'mon." She encouraged, and reluctantly the blonde followed.

"Crimson Wands?" Remus repeated, an eyebrow raised as he looked up from his book.

Leaning back against the corridor wall, Peter shrugged. "I've never heard you listen to Crimson Wands."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I listen to them sometimes. Besides, that isn't the point, I can tell she's into me." Like James, Sirius had a confidence about him that oozed with ease.

Remus looked back down at his own book, avoiding the subject, while Peter looked to James for confirmation.

"She hasn't tried to curse him yet." He shrugged, to which Remus chuckled. In honesty, James hadn't been paying much attention to the tables around him. It had been hard enough trying to focus on the lessons while Lily served as a perfect distraction.

"She likes me." Sirius confirmed, though he wasn't convincing anybody. "Just watch. I bet-"

A flurry of red hair caught James's attention, his friends voices fading into the background. Where was she in a rush to get to? He watched as she bumped into Frank Longbottom, the Head Boy, and that was enough to keep him from going over. Frank wasn't a fan of James's pranks, or how often he had needed to clean up after him to avoid Gryffindor from losing more points than they'd earned. Instead, he stayed back, a keen ear on the conversation.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you crying?" Two more witches arrived on the scene, the dark haired girl throwing an arm around Lily, and James's heart stopped. Why was she crying?

"So I told Mar-" Sirius bragged, his voice loud and confident.

"Shut up, Padfoot." James instructed, his eyes firmly on the redhead.

"What?" Sirius bit back, but the dark haired wizard followed his brother's gaze to where Lily and her friends stood. Remus put his book down, and Peter nervously stood behind the others, hoping that if somebody noticed them watching he could hide.

"I'll kill him."

"Who?"

"Snape."