Author's Note: I'm just trying to get more chapters out to make up for the length, I guess…

Title: Love and Flashbacks

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Erm… Possibly.

Summary: Lily and James remember the events that led to their romance.

Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to own Harry Potter and its characters, I don't.

Setting: This story takes place when the Marauders are at Hogwarts.

*** = setting change

*~*= begin flashback

~*~ = end flashback

[…] = time

italics = emphasis

italics = thoughts

~The Lovebirds~

"Well, I did it. I asked Lily to be my girlfriend… and now I think I might throw up."

Sirius grinned. "A little nervous about taking out the fabulous Miss Evans, there, Prongs?"

"Remus, please tell him to shut up."

"Shut up, Sirius," Remus said from across the room.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, James, really. I'm happy for ya."

"You're just happy you got ten Galleons because you forced your friend out of the room," Peter said.

"Peter," Sirius replied, "I thought I told you to stop talking about that."

"Sorry."

James wasn't paying attention anyway.

*~*

[5th year]

"Watch where you're going, Potter!"

"Sorry, Evans. I was just in a hurry to get to Transfiguration… I don't want to be late because today's the exam."

"Well, we both might be late since you just crashed into me."

Lily and James both started picking up the books they had dropped. When they had picked up all their supplies, they both started running to get to the Transfiguration classroom.

"Are you nervous, Potter?"

"I'm a bit queasy, but that may just be from the running."

Lily laughed. "Right."

They got to the classroom just in time. As they took their seats, Lily smiled at James. A real smile.

Wow, he thought. She has a really nice smile. Oh. What's going on here? Am I starting to fancy Evans?

Well, I guess that's not so bad, he thought, as he looked sideways at her.

~*~

"You know, I think he may spontaneously combust," Sirius announced to Remus and Peter.

"Sirius Black—I would use your middle name, but I can't remember what it is."

"Ha. Unlike Remus J. Lupin over there, I don't go around letting everyone know I have a middle name."

"Hey, it's not my fault my mum labels all my stuff."

***

[1 week later]

(AN: This first part is kinda taken from Spongebob Squarepants…)

Sirius was sitting with Koren in the common room on the first day of October. "What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know. It's kind of early. Too early to really do much of anything. What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do today?"

"Well, I definitely don't want to do that all day."

Sirius grinned. "Well then, what do you want to do today?"

"Oh, stop."

"Well, I figured out what I want to do today."

"What?" Koren asked.

"I want to look at you all day."

Koren smiled. "Sirius…"

"Well, we've been together for a week now. Have you gotten annoyed with me yet?"

"No."

"Darn. I guess I'll have to try harder."

She started laughing. "You are so cute."

"Why thank you."

"You are so silly."

"Yup. Proud of it, too. You know, there's something I always wanted to ask you."

She gave him a questioning look. "What?"

"Where did the name Koren come from?"

"Oh. That. It's Greek. It means 'maiden.'"

"Ah. Well. Okay, then."

"Is that all?"

"Yep."

"Well, you know what I want to do today?"

"I thought we went through all that already."

Koren ruffled Sirius's hair. "We did. I want to do this," she said as she started tickling him.

"Ah! No!—Hahaha!—Stop, please!—Hahaha!—Koren! I—No, not there!—Haha!—Not the spot!"

Koren started laughing as Sirius began tickling her back. "Sirius! No!—Hahaha!—Ah! No! Stop!—Hahaha!—Please, no more!—Ha!—It hurts!"

Sirius stopped tickling his girlfriend. She stopped tickling him as well.

"Well. Looks like I'm not the only one who's ticklish," Sirius said, satisfied (AN: Ooh, an alliteration! Sorry, English class is getting to me...) with his discovery.

Koren cuddled up next to him. "You are so adorable."

"I believe we've already established that."

"You see?"

Sirius kissed her on the forehead. "I'm only adorable for people who make me happy."

"Well, today's Saturday, and we don't have anything to do. So, seriously, what do you want to do today?"

"I'm always Sirius."

"Yeah, but you're never serious as in solemn and grave."

"That's no fun. You don't want me to end up like Professor McGonagall, do you?"

Koren giggled. "No…"

James and Remus came down the stairs talking about James's favorite subject (his other favorite subject was Lily, of course), Quidditch. (AN: Peter's sleeping in, okay?)

"That's a good idea, Remus, I'll think about trying that next—well, what do we have here?" James said, noticing the couple on the sofa.

"I'm just enjoying a Saturday morning with my girlfriend. You have a problem with that?" Sirius answered.

"Nope." James and Remus said in unison.

Lily came down the stairs of the girls' dormitories, followed by Charlotte.

"Oh look, Charlotte. We've found a couple of lovebirds."

"Like you can talk, Lily," Koren retorted. "You and James spend every second you can together."

"Well, I think it's cute," Charlotte said.

"Come on, let's go to breakfast," Remus said, "I'm hungry."

"All right."

Lily and James walked out of the common room hand in hand. They were followed by Charlotte and Remus, who started up a conversation as soon as they stepped outside.

Koren started to get up, but was pulled back down by Sirius. "Sirius, it's time for breakfast."

"Stay here for a while. It's nice."

"All right, but only because you're so adorable (AN: I'm sorry, I couldn't find another word)."

***

[30 minutes later]

"Hey, guys."

"Well, well. Look who finally decided to show up," James said.

"Shut up, Prongs."

Sirius and Koren seated themselves at the long table in the Great Hall.

Sirius started piling up his golden plate with food. Koren stared as her boyfriend kept adding more and more food to his platter.

"Uh, Sirius? Are you going to be able to eat all that?"

The three Marauders present just looked at her. "Obviously you don't know Padfoot too well yet," James remarked.

"I guess I don't," Koren replied as Sirius began chowing down.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Peter had decided to finally wake up and come downstairs. He loaded his own plate with food and began eating with an appetite that rivaled Sirius's.

***

[25 minutes later]

"Sirius, I don't think you should eat so much," Koren said. The sixteen-year-old boy had started in on his second helping.

"Why not?"

"Well, you're going to get fat or something. It's not healthy."

"I have a high metabolism. And I'm a growing boy. I need nourishment."

"Well, yeah. But you need nourishment, not a smorgasbord." She turned to look at the other sixth years. "Does he ever get full?" she asked.

James answered, "I've known Sirius my whole life and to this day, I have never known him to be full. He came close at this one dinner party, though—"

"I get it, James." Koren looked at Sirius again and stood up. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the table. "Come on, let's go."

"No, wait. The food—"

"Sirius!"

"All right." He tossed his silverware on the table. "I'm only doing this because I like you so much," he said, looking back at the table laden with his favorite foods. "Jeez, you're strong. Do you work out or something?"

"No, I just eat right and get the right amount of exercise."

"Oh…"

***

[Meanwhile…]

"Well, that was… interesting," Lily said.

"Yeah…" Charlotte and Remus agreed.

"Just means more for me," Peter squeaked. He started chomping on his fourth piece of toast.

"Wormtail, sometimes you amaze me," James said.

The shorter boy just shrugged.

Lily got up from the table. "Are you guys finished? I'm ready to go."

*~*

[3rd year]

"Are you guys finished? I'm ready to go," Lily told her friends.

"Yeah."

"Sure."

As the three girls made their way back up to Gryffindor Tower, they bumped into Sirius and James.

"Hi, Koren. Charlotte," Sirius said to the girls behind Lily.

"Evans." James nodded at the redhead.

"Potter."

"Well, I'm Black."

The other four third years just stared at Sirius. "What? It was funny…"

"Potter, you still haven't paid me back for the books you ruined," Lily said, ignoring Sirius.

"But it wasn't my fault! My wand wasn't working right that day."

"I don't care. You turned all the pages in my Charms book purple, shredded my Divination and Astronomy books, and I still don't know what exactly you turned my Potions book into."

"I'll fix them after lunch, okay?"

"All right, but you'd better, or I will be after your blood." The three girls walked away.

"Feisty, isn't she?" Sirius remarked to James.

"I heard that!" Lily said without turning around.

~*~

James, Remus, and Charlotte followed her out of the Great Hall.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: I don't know what happened in that last part… I forgot I was writing about Lily and James and just threw that in there at the end… Sorry.

Replies to:

Masqu erade: Cool. Thanks!

Felicity Aulia Evans: Hehe. Yep, new fic.