***

Lily stared icily at James' back as he turned and swaggered through the door, mentally turning him into a salamander.  It seemed fitting for one as annoying as him.

"Well," she said in frosty tones, "let's get to that revenge, shall we?"

She stepped on Becca's stomach, producing a loud "oomf!" and a mumble about getting up, before slipping the book out from under the covers.

She sat crossed legged on her bed and waited for her two friends to join her before opening the book to its index.

"Let's see," she said, scanning the page. "Curses . . .no . . .. spells . . .that won't do . . .. bathroom jokes . . .ick . . ."

"What are you looking for?" Kat asked.

Lily sighed and cocked her head upwards.

"I'm not really sure.  I want something where they'll know I did it, but they won't be able to prove it."

"Ooo, devious!" Becca put in, leaning over the book.

"Hmmm . . . how about a potion?  That way, you could mix it in with something, have him drink it, and then . . ." Kat finished with a sly smile.

"That's brilliant, Kat!" Lily exclaimed, hugging her friend. "Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Kat just smiled and glanced over the memo book she had left lying on her nightstand. 

"Neither do I . . . ." she said quietly.

Lily scanned the page with Becca and didn't notice her last statement.

"Hey, look!" Becca suddenly exclaimed. "There's a bookmark here!"

"Yeah, there is . . . .It must be the next prank James and his 'buddies' are planning for you, Lily!" Kat said.

Lily smiled thinly.

"So. They want to mess with me, do they? I'll show them."

She flipped to the page that had been bookmarked and read aloud:

" 'After this spell has been recited, the person will passionately love the person she hates the most for one full day.'"

"That's great!" Becca squealed.  "You'll have him at your feet!"

Lily smiled and looked to Kat.  Her brainy friend nodded her consent and grinned.

"Ok, it says it's a spell, but it's actually a spell that you put on a potion, so here's what we'll do . . ."

She was going to make that James Potter pay.

                                                                        ***

The next day, during breakfast, James noticed that Lily was talking an awful lot to her two friends.  And looking in his direction when they thought he wouldn't notice.

"They're planning something," he muttered. "I just know it."

Sirius snorted loudly and put down his fork.

"Them??  Planning something?  Ha!  James, James, James.  When will you learn?  First of all, they're girls.  Their idea of revenge is probably pouting when they think you aren't looking!  Second, it's Lily.  She wouldn't break a rule if her life depended on it!  A third, my four-eyed friend, anything they do, we can countercurse with the book."

At mention of the prank book, Remus grew distinctly pale and cringed slightly in his seat.

"The book," James said flatly. "Where is the book?"

Remus looked around nervously. 

"I . . .well . . .it's upstairs.  I'll get it after breakfast . . ."

James sighed and pushed his scrambled eggs around on his plate, not in the mood to eat.  Sirius, however, was scarfing down everything he could find.

"Mfames?" he asked between a mouthful of pasta (much to James' and Remus' disgust). "Horchwtch dchoo get thath black eye?"

James picked the strands of angel hair off his robes before answering flatly.

"I tripped."

Sirius sloshed some water into his mouth and closed it.  It was all James could do not to turn away at the site of a huge bulge in his throat when he swallowed.  Sirius could be repulsive, sometimes.  Well, most of the time.

"You tripped.  Onto a fist?"

James grimaced and looked for an answer – by now Remus was looking at him interestedly – when Lily and her friends stepped in front of him.

"Good morning, Potter," she said coolly.

"Good morning, Evans," he mimicked in a whiny nasal voice.

Lily crossed her arms but said nothing, Becca, for some reason, was staring icicles into him, and Kat was frantically scribbling in a small notebook. 

"Good morning, Sirius, Remus," Lily continued in that regal tone, completely ignoring him. "I trust you had a good night's rest?"

Sirius grinned like an idiot and eyed her up and down; she did not seem to mind.  Remus looked abashed, of all things, and even mumbled a meek "Yes, Lily."

This was too much.  James stood up, eyes blazing, a placed his fists on the table, leaning close to her face.

"Now look here, Evans.  I don't know what you're doing, but stop it.  Stop it now.  Whatever you're trying to do to me, I can to ten times worse, so stop.  For your own good."

She arched a cool eyebrow and looked at him, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Now, now, dear Jamsie, if you lean any closer, I'll think you might want to kiss me!" she laughed at this, and Kat scribbled faster than ever. "Maybe we'll talk again later.  Until then, don't try any tricks with me!"

She patted his cheek as though he were some sort of pet dog who had done well and sashayed over to the table they had been sitting at, Kat and Becca hard on her heels - after a sharp sniff for him.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. 

"She doesn't know what she's playing at," he mumbled, looking to his friends for support.

Sirius looked somewhat dream, though his gaze was directed on Becca instead of Lily.  Remus seemed very intent on picking little pieces of lint of his coat.

James grit his teeth.  He could not believe this. 

"Sirius!" he hollered in Sirius' ear.

Sirius jumped a foot in the air, yelping, and snapped back to the present.

"Owwwwww!!!! What'd you do that for, James?  Geez!  A guy can't even check someone out without his friend . . ." he dragged off, noticing James' twitching hands and throbbing vein in his temple.  "Ah . . . hey, buddy, ol' pal!  You won't let Lily get to you like that by saying . . . .erm . . .what did she say?"

"It's not important," James said, making an effort not to make his voice rise above normal level. "What is important is that you – you! – are goggling at her friends!"

He made the word "friends" sound very much like "vipers" somehow.

"Yeah," Sirius said, grinning again. "That Becca, she's a hot one.  Not that Lily is bad, of course, just a little too prickly for me.  Do you think she likes me, James?  I just know I felt sparks fly . . ." he ended with a dreamy sigh.

James threw his hands up and looked at Remus.

"And you?  I suppose you've also fallen for her."

Remus concentrated on his nails.

"Well, not Becca . . . she's too . . . uh . . . excitable"-producing a snort from Sirius-" But Kat . . .She's got something . . .. She's . . ."

He blushed, not able to talk about these things as easily as Sirius, who was currently chanting, "Remus has a girlfriend!  Remus has a girlfriend!"

James scowled and stood up. 

"Tell me when you've come to your senses; I'll be in the library."

***