A/N Well, this chapter is… strange. I enjoyed writing it. Anyway, I have another three hours with nothing to do, so I'll go and write the next part. Maybe. I dunno. Anyway, please R/R. It took me so long to do this, and it will only take one minute of your time to tell me what you think!

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James signed the letter, and gave it to his owl, Twitterdragon, (A/N Don't ask) to take home. He should be getting a reply within a few hours. James went back down to find Lily. She looked up when she heard him approach, and smiled with relief when she saw who it was.

"James! Thank God for that! You know, I don't think this book could be more boring if it was written purposely to send me to sleep!"

"What'cha reading?" James asked her. Lily pulled a face.

"Wuthering Heights. Jill bet me that I'd never be able to finish, so of course I have to."

"That's my Lily! But persevere; the last three chapters aren't all bad."

"YOU'VE read WUTHERING HEIGHTS!?!?!" she asked him loudly, with disbelief etched across her features. James looked around the common room hurriedly.

"Shh! Yes, I have, but there's no need to go shouting it around the common room! I have a reputation to maintain!"

Lily snorted. James couldn't help himself; he grinned.

"Ok, ok, my mum made me read it. I did finish it though. Good luck." He pulled a face, and made as if to leave. Lily grabbed him by the shoulder, and he was jerked back, straight into her lap.

"Don't you DARE leave me! I desperately need a break from this… this… book!"

James grinned up at her, and then moved onto another armchair next to Lily's.

"Ok, I surrender! Have you seen any of the guys?"

"Nope. Haven't seen the girls, either.

"Hmm. I wonder where they went. Fancy a game of gobstones?"

"No! I've just showered! How about chess?"

"Ugh! No way. Snape could beat me at chess! Which is saying something."

"Cards, then?" Lily suggested.

"What?" James asked, bewildered.

"You've never played cards before?" Lily asked him, plainly surprised but amused.

"No. Are they a muggle game?"

"Yeah, kind of. I'll show you. Accio Cards!"

A pack of playing cards (although James didn't know what they were then) came zooming down the stairs. Then, Lily proceeded to teach him Poker, Blackjack, Snap, and War. James found he liked playing cards, after he got over his initial surprise that the pictures didn't move. James had always thought that the fact that muggle pictures didn't move was just a myth, or a fairy tale. It was about as realistic as having dwarves come and make shoes for poor shoemakers in the dead of night.

"Hey, Lily?" James said a while later.

"Yeah?" Her voice was slightly wary. It figured. She did know what he was like.

"Why don't we enchant the cards to move?"

"What, like to move around the room? I'd never find them again!"

"No! The pictures of the king, queen, jack, and jokers, silly! All we need to do is keep an idea of their personalities in their minds, and then perform a charm. It isn't all that simple, but we should be able to do it. Leastways, you should find it easy. (A/N Is 'leastways' a word? Well, if it isn't, it is now!) You just say, 'Mobiles Homines.'"

"There's a problem," Lily informed him. "Our perceptions of the cards' characters won't be exactly the same, and if it's a stronger spell, it will need two people to work on it, because we're probably not strong enough to do it on our own, and for it to be permanent." Boy did he like Lily! Any other girl would look at him strangely, uncomprehending, and then kiss him to shut him up. Lily was different- she had a brain!

"Well…" he said slowly, thinking. "How about a mind-linking spell? It'll let us talk without talking. It should let us send each other ideas, without words. D'you want to try?"

"Um…okay." Lily replied dubiously.

"Come on! Give it a go." He said coaxingly. (A/N is that a word, either?) When he used that tone of voice with any other girls, they melted, and agreed instantly. But Lily was different to other girls. And he was glad of it.

"Oh, ok. I'll do it."

"Great! Uh…now, let's see… hmm, ok, 'Capa Vox!'"

~ Uh, Lily? Can you hear me? ~

~* Yeah, I can. Hey, this is cool! *~

~ Isn't it? Oh, by the way, I'll only hear what you want me to hear. If it isn't directed at me, I won't hear it, 'k? ~

~* Good. *~

~ Why's that? ~

~* Because there are some things I don't want you to know. *~

~ Oh, right. ~ About him, maybe? Well, he'd better get back to business. Out loud, he said, "So, you got it figured out?"

~* Yep. *~ came the thought-reply.

James sent a thought without words of exasperation mixed with amusement at her.

"Ok, ok! So, what do you think the king should be like?" Lily asked.

"Pompous." James said promptly.

"Ok… how's this?"

James received a thought from Lily, again without words. (A/N from now on, I'm calling them 'emotion thoughts') It was pompous, regal, dignified, and slightly different from James's own idea of the king. But still good.

~ Ok, good. Want to say the spell, then? ~

~* Ok, why not? Concentrate on his personality, and then say the charm with me on the count of three. *~

"One… two… THREE!" she counted, out loud. Then, together, they said,

"Mobiles Homines!" The king moved! He sat up straighter, and looked around him haughtily. Lily's face was a picture of delight. James was pretty happy, too. It had worked! The pompous, arrogant way that the king looked at him made him chuckle. He looked a bit like Malvolio out of Twelfth Night. (A/N Yes, James knows who Malvolio is, so don't start at me. Maybe he's seen a play? Ok, ok, I'll shut up with these notes, I bet they're annoying.)

Then, Molly, Anna, Remus, and Arthur walked in.

~ They're up to something. ~ James thought at Lily immediately.

~* Definitely. *~ Lily agreed, ~* But what? *~

~ I think I know. But pick up your book and pretend to be reading it. *~ For once, Lily did as she was told without question. Being able to communicate without talking was good, because the other person could tell immediately whether you were being sincere or not. So, with Lily apparently reading Wuthering Heights, and James staring into the fire, the four pranksters joined them. They had such innocent faces that it was obvious they were up to something.

~ A galleon they're trying to set some poor, unfortunate people up, and want our help. ~

~* Nah, you'd win. Wonder who it is. *~

"Hi guys!" Molly said brightly. She sat on the only remaining armchair around the table. Arthur sat next to her.

"Hey, do you mind moving over there, Lily? So Remus and I can sit together?" Anna asked.

~* Since when are they dating? *~ Lily asked. ~* Do you mind if I sit next to you? *~

~ No, go right ahead. No idea. ~

"Ok." Lily said, and moved next to James. It was quite squashed sitting together. James suddenly had a horrible suspicion. ~ Lily! They're setting US up! ~

~* Well, it's not as if they can do much, as we're already going out. Not that they know it. Should we tell them? *~

~ No, not yet. Serves them right for meddling. Want to put on a show? ~ James's face was blank, but the next emotion thought that he sent Lily was full of mischief. It was complex, but still instant. Lily got the gist, and agreed immediately.

Lily sat rigid, and as far away from James as she could get in the comfortable armchair. James did the same. Molly asked what they had been doing, and Lily replied with,

"James was being a prat." James grinned internally, but kept his face blank.

~* Sorry, James! *~

~ Hey, don't worry, it's all part of the plan! ~

"What did he do?" Molly asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Lily said, with firmness. Boy was she a good actress!

~* Help, what do I say? *~

~ Say… say I accepted a date with Alicia Dazzlemage, and then came to brag to you about how much she liked me!

Lily sent an emotion thought that its only translation would have to be a snort.

~ And then say that I stole your book, and told you the ending. ~ James continued, ignoring her interruption.

Lily repeated all of that, and then added, "… and THEN he stole my charms homework, transfigured it into a pen nib, and then threw it into the waste paper basket!"

Molly, Arthur, Anna, and Remus all looked shocked. James had a feeling that this wasn't going quite as they planned it.

"It wasn't all my fault!" James protested, laughing internally. "She started it by saying that my charms suck, and I'm probably not capable of reading a book! That's why I did it." He tried to look self-righteous, indignant, and rebellious.

"Your charms DO suck!!! And when was the last time you read a book?"

~* Sorry. They don't suck all that much. *~

It went, at least in the conspirators' viewpoints, badly. James and Lily, however, thought it went brilliantly. When the four trouble-makers fled, James and Lily were having a full-out argument, sending each other thoughts like, ~ sorry! ~ and ~* You know I don't mean it! *~

"You insensitive, brainless, IDIOT!" ~ No you're not! ~

"Well, you're a cold hearted, calculating B***H!" that was said as the portrait door swung closed. ~ Sorry, sorry, sorry! ~ Lily just grinned. She moved over to him and hugged him.

"That's okay. Wasn't it funny, though?" She said, and she stepped back. It was lucky that there wasn't anyone else in the common room, or the two Gryffindor prefects would seem crazy.

"I…" James stopped as he heard a tapping on the window. It was his owl.

He ran over, and let Twitterdragon in. He had the reply!

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So…..like it? Detest it? That was a pretty mediocre cliffhanger, but it wasn't really even meant to be a cliffhanger. It just turned out that way. So, if you like it, review. If you don't like it, tell me why. Give me suggestions. The next part should be out soon. ~Stef