I'm in kind of a weird mood right now, because I'm listening to music and my mood changes with the song (i've got arms of an angle and inside out on the same list, don't ask), so if this seems kind weird, oh well. Anyhow, again, thank you for reviewing, please r/r this one too.

It was early afternoon when classes finally let out, but for many it it was not the end of the day, and a stream of Gryffindors trailed out to the Quidditch field bundled up in their fur cloaks and wool socks. It was early November, and the weather had taken a cold turn, leaving the air crisp and clear.

James couldn't help but notice the flushed look that made Lily seem quite pretty, or the sparkle in her green eyes...

... but he soon forgot about that. He needed to regain his place in Wood's favor.

"Scrimaging," Wood began, seeming no less detemined despite the cold weather, "is the most important Quidditch, because it's the most like an actual game." He glared at them. "You may be able to fly fast, pass well, even avoid bludgers, but if you can'tput these together, you'll never be good at playing Quidditch." He waited a few minutes for this to sink in. Lily and James both lifted there heads a bit higher, as though Wood's speech had applied personally to them and they were prepared to meet the challenge head on.

Having said this, Wood divided them into two teams, and left it to them to sort out who played what.

"Well, I'm the seeker," Gildroy said, with an air of total assurance. He wasimmediatly shouted down, which led to an air of total choas.

"QUIET!" Everyone turned, startled, to James.

"Gildroy, why don't you try chaser," he said, but not asthough it weren't a question. "I'll be another chaser, and-"

"Me," Lily cut in, disgruntled that she was on James's team. James glared at her, but didn't contridict.

"Right," he said, looking at the rest. He pointed to a small, wiry second year no one had paid much attention to. "You, umm, Will Chang, isn't it?" The boy nodded. "Why don't you play seeker?" There were several mutters, but no one wished to cross with James Potter. James, looking wistfully at Sirius, who had gone to the other team, appointed two beaters who looked barely strong enough to pick up the club, and a tall, but lanky fifth year to Keeper. "Everybody ready?" James asked, looking over to the other team, whom Sirius had already assembled. "Then...UP!"

A good Quidditch team would have flown up at the same speed. Here, one of the bludgers got left behind on theground, and the other flew into a tree. But eventually the players got prepared (actually, Wood blew his whistle and they were forced to start), and began the play.

James started with the quaffle, but was immediatly blocked by Gildroy, who wasfumbling with his robes.

"Gildroy!" he yelled, while Lily called, "Pass it!" To the suprise of the opposing team, he feinted around Sirius and dropped it to Lily, who sped towards the goal. Sirius, with no real malice, chacked the bludger at Lily.

"Lily!" James yelled, more worried about the quaffle then her. Lily ducked just in time, and the bludger ran straight into the other side's keeper, who groaned and clutched his stomach. Lily tossed the ball in the goal.

"Yeah!" James shouted, so caught up in the game he forgot he didn't like Lily. Between the two of them, they had the other team running in circles, with only occasional misshaps involving Sirius and blundering Gildroy, who for his life couldn't do anything except perhaps fall on a broomstick. Sirius, not suprisingly, was a very good beater, and made it quite obvious that relationships off the field didn't count for anything on the field, and his attacks resulted in many near fractures for both James and Lily.

Wood surveyed the sweaty throng of students lying on the ground before him, torn between astonishment and dismay; Evans had been suprisingly good, and the second year, Chang, had heen a relatively good seeker. But with those three, and Sirius, there were still three spots open on the team, and for his life he hadn't seen anyone that could possible fill them.

"Well," he said at last. "Tommorrow is the last day of tryouts, and..." he stopped, and sighed. Four players couldn't make up a team of seven. "Come out as early as possible tommorrow, ready to play." He sighed again.

The students slowly and painfully drew themselves up, and began limping ack to the castle. Sirius had been quite ferious with his bludger, but hadn't directed it at anyone but Lily and James who had both been extremely evasive. The injuries were mostly results of collisions-often between teamates-and the few unaimed smacks the other three beaters managed.

Lily didn't feel like going in just get, and shot up on her broom again, tossing left over quaffles through the goal. Seeing her, James almost smiled.

"Looking at the setting sun, I suppose?" Sirius sighed dramatically. "What a lovely night out... I don't suppose you're up for some more practice?"

James opened his mouth to say no, but caught himself. He had wanted to become the bestat this, even ifit did mean working. And the tryouts today had not been the most taxing he'd ever expeirenced.


"Hey, Evans!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the thin air. "How 'bout someone one on one?"

Lily flew back to the ground, looking suprised. "Yeah, sure." She turned, and smiled at Sirius. "With him chucking the bludger at iboth/i of us." She wasn't about to get teamed up against.

"Fair enough," James said, while Sirius smiled in delight.

"Ready," Sirius said, holding the quaffle up. "Go!" He threw the ball up in the air, and immediatly whacked a bludger after it.

One on one in quidditch was much like the muggle sportof basketball without the rules; the point was to steal and carry the ball withou getting knocked by the bludger... or the other player.

Lily swooped into take the quaffle, but it was knocked quickly from her hands by the bludger, leaving James to catch it easily. He sped to the goal, Lily following closely, and would have scored, had not Sirius whacked the bludger at him and forced him to stop suddenly. Lily stole the Quaffle from his hands,and flew across the field, only to drop it as Sirius's well aimed bludger forced iher/i to stop. Unfortuanately, James was right behind her, and thumped into her quite forcefully, sending her flying-without the broom beneath her. James slid right off his broom onto her, but the bludger returned with a vengeance, hitting the end of her broom and sending him after her.

"Ow." Lily said, thankful that the grass was soft enough to break her fall. "That hurt."

"Understatement of the year," James moaned, glad that Lily had broken i his/ifall. "It was your fault, though."

"My fault!" Lily would have jumped up, but it required to much energy. "iYou/i pushed i me/i!"

"You stopped...-

"I must say," Sirius said, gliding gently to the ground. "The two of you make a lovely couple."

James was all prepared to jump up and strangle Sirius, but he needn't have bothered because Lily used the remainder of he strenght to shove James off of her and sprawling into Sirius.

"Sirius," she said, attempting to hide her contempt.

"Ye-es,"he replied, batting his eyelashes.

"I suggest that you James get off the field before I give in and kill you both." Shesaid this with utter calmness,but her eyes glinted dangerously.

Sirius smiled. "But you can't kill us." He pointed towards James. "Who would make you're speech about women?" James groaned, whether from physical pain or the thought of his almost certain ordeal it wasn't certain.

"Good point," Lily growled, but she was -almost- smiling. "I can't kill James. But there's absolutely nothing stopping me from hurting you." She smiled a smile Sirius could have sworn was evil.

"Prongs, buddy, it's time to go," he said hurridly, pulling James up. James groaned, still disoriented.

"What?" he mumbled, as Sirius attempted to drag him across the field. "Bye, Lily." He smiled, as though remebering something, closedhis eyes, and promptly fell asleep. Sirius was tempted to leave him there, with Lily still looking slightly malicious, but just couldn't do it and instead magicked him towards the castle.

After a nice, hot shower James returned to himself, though his memory was still a bit foggy. He wentdown to the common room and made a weak attempt to do homework, but because of the noise surrounding him and his own weak self-imposed will. He found his gaze resting outside, through the window.

Though it was almost winter, it was only late afternoon and the sky held just the beginnings of dusk, the setting su leaving a radiant glow of orange and pink across the darkining clouds. A lone figure danced across the sun, a girl on a broomstick doing a series of spins and twists. Th golden like on herrobes and red hair flyingout behind her, she looked lke an anglefrom heaven.

Seeing her, James smiled, though he himself could not have told you why. He grabbed his own cloak.

"It's cold." James huddled his cloak around him. Lily skidded to the ground.

"Thanks, I hadn't noticed." Lily flew back up to the field. James smiled in ironic amusement, and began the long trek back to the castle. Lily, with an exasperated sigh, flew back and intercepted him.

"Did you come all this way to tell me that?" she asked, hovering in front of him.

James considered for a moment,quite uncharacteristically. "Yeah." He shrugged, and walked on.

Lily watched him go, unsure of what had just happend. "Whatever,"she muttered, unwilling to contemplate it much further. She sped back to the field.


That was the fourth part! Yeah! So, it was kind of weird, i know, but please please please r/r (i know it wasn't great... quidditch gets boring after awhile.