Author's Note: Uh…

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 Colors~

[October 28]

"I'm glad we're going to Hogsmeade today. I need more stuff from Zonko's. The stuff I had saved up from last year is running out," Sirius said to James.

"You've used up almost all of it?"

"How is that even possible?" Remus asked.

"Well, that prank on the Slytherins used up more of my supply than I expected."

"Ah."

"So how are you and the Mrs., James?"

"Lily and I aren't married, Padfoot."

"It certainly seems like it. You guys are together so much, it's sickening."

"Oh sure. And your relationship with Koren is much less nauseating."

"It is."

"No, it's not," Peter piped up.

"Oh, what do you know," Sirius retorted. "Prongs, you and I are just as bad as each other. But hey, who can blame us? We snagged two of the most beautiful girls in school."

James grinned. "I'd have to agree with you on that."

*~*

[5th year]

"What?"

"You like Lily Evans?"

Sirius and Remus were shocked when they heard about James's crush on Lily.

"What?"

"When did this happen, James?" Remus asked.

"What?"

"Yesterday, I guess."

"What?"

"Sirius! What's wrong with you?"

"What?"

Remus and James just rolled their eyes.

"Sorry," Sirius said sheepishly. "I was just really surprised. I mean, I thought you guys couldn't stand each other."

"I didn't think we could either," James answered. "But this year, things have been different. My feelings about Lily have kind of changed."

"What? Where? When? Why?"

"I started liking Lily. Transfiguration class. Yesterday. I have no idea, I just do. That clear enough for you, Padfoot?"

"Uh… Yeah?"

~*~

"Come on, let's go," Remus said, heading downstairs.

Peter followed him out of the room.

James and Sirius raced toward the exit. James got there first. "Ha!"

Sirius slipped past him and went quickly down the steps. "Double ha!" he exclaimed, whirling around when he got to the bottom.

"Double ha what?" Koren asked from behind him.

"Nothing. Hi."

"Hi," Koren said, giggling.

"What?"

"Your hair is purple."

"What?!"

"Triple ha," James said as he passed by the other boy.

"Hi, Charlotte," Remus greeted the dark-haired girl.

"Hi." She smiled at him.

Lily walked over to James. "So what caused you to turn your dear friend Padfoot's hair purple?"

"Just wait until he finds out that his eyes are yellow," he whispered in his girlfriend's ear.

She started laughing. "That reminds me of what happened in our fourth year."

*~*

[4th year]

"Ah! Potter, get out of here!"

James and Sirius had popped into the girls' dormitory to wake them up. It was Christmas morning, so they were obviously two very excited fourteen-year-old boys.

"Sirius, get away from me! I need sleep!" Koren said as Sirius tried to get her out of bed.

"You guys aren't allowed in here anyway," Charlotte said.

"But it's Christmas!"

"So?" Lily asked irritably.

"We want to give you your presents!"

Remus chose that moment to come into the room (AN: Peter… went home for Christmas… yeah.). "Er… Sorry, girls, but they're kind of hard to control."

Koren groaned and buried her face in the pillow. "Not more boys…"

Remus tried to pull his friends out of the room. "Come on, guys. Stop bothering them." Unfortunately for the girls, he was no match for his friends and ended up just letting go of them and walking out of the room to get the girls' presents. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

***

[5 minutes later]

There was chaos in the fourth year girl's dormitory. Lily had opened James's present to find a bunch of squirrels and chipmunks. She barely had time to scream before the rodents exploded out of the box and started running around the room.

"Ah!" Koren screamed as a squirrel exploded on her bed (AN: Don't worry, there aren't any guts. They just explode, that's all).

Charlotte dodged a chipmunk as it went flying by her head. "James! What is this?"

Lily jumped out of a squirrel's way and aimed her wand at James. He suddenly had green skin, orange eyes, blue hair, and yellow clothes.

"What is wrong with you, Potter? Why did you do that? Is this your idea of a joke?!"

"No! I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure you guys were awake enough to receive your real presents."

"Even pouring water on me would have been better than this! Get them out of here!"

"Okay, okay. I'll get rid of them." The rodents disappeared with a flick of James's wand.

"There are scorch marks on my bed," Koren announced.

James fixed everything the squirrels and chipmunks had ruined. Lily, in turn, returned him to his original state.

"There. Happy now?" James asked.

"No, but we're definitely awake," Lily snapped.

Charlotte tried to calm her down. "Come on, Lily. It's Christmas. You can't stay mad at him."

"Yes, I can. But I won't," she said, noticing the way James's face fell.

"Here are your real presents," James said, producing three gift-wrapped boxes. "I'm sorry, Lily. Forgive me?"

She looked warily at the small box in his hand. "All right. I forgive you. But you're opening the box."

"Okay."

Sirius plopped down on Koren's bed and handed her a present. The blonde glanced at Lily and James, then thrust the medium-sized box back into his arms. "Maybe you'd better open mine, too."

Sirius sighed. "Fine. But you can open James and Remus's presents yourself."

Lily watched as James lifted a charm bracelet out of the box. All the charms on it were animals, and they moved a little bit by themselves.

"Oh wow… Thanks, Potter."

"Thank you, Remus!" Charlotte exclaimed from across the room. "It's so cute!" Her present was an orange stuffed cat. Her real cat, Whiskers, stared at the toy as Charlotte squeezed it and then sniffed it when she put it down. Apparently, the stuffed animal smelled safe to the black cat, because she immediately curled up next to it and started purring. The cat's owner grinned.

"Hey! Remus, you stole my idea," Sirius complained as he removed a teddy bear from the box in his lap.

Koren laughed. "Thanks, Sirius. I've been meaning to get a new one. Whiskers thought my old one was a scratching post—"

The black cat meowed in response.

The girls opened up their other presents from the boys. Squeals of delight could be heard all the way in the common room.

When the girls had finished opening their presents, they hugged the three boys. "Thanks, you guys. That was really nice of you to think of us," Charlotte said softly.

"You're welcome."

"Okay, well, bye, guys," Lily said. She started pushing James off her bed.

"Hey, wait! Don't we get any presents?" Sirius exclaimed.

Koren replied, "Presents? From us? No, nope. Not a one."

The fourteen-year-old boys looked crestfallen. "Really? You—you really didn't get us any presents?"

Koren burst out laughing. "Of course we did, silly." She pushed Sirius lightly. Sirius promptly fell off the bed.

Charlotte pulled the presents she had gotten for the boys out from under her bed. "Here, Remus." She walked over to Lily and Koren's beds to give James and Sirius their presents.

Lily tossed a box at Sirius and another one at Remus. Koren did the same for James and Remus (AN: Hey, anyone ever wonder why all the Marauders' names except Peter's end in s?).

The girls grinned as the Marauders whooped with glee upon finding new prank supplies. "Just don't use them on us," said Koren.

"Aww, of course we won't," answered Sirius. "Who'd want to hurt this face?" He pinched her cheek.

She grinned. "Thank you, Sirius. But, uh, do that again and I will be forced to hurt you."

He shifted away from her. Lily laughed. "Well, it's almost lunchtime. Would you guys please leave so we can get properly dressed?"

"I don't know, I think we like you better like this," James said, indicating the pajamas that the girls were wearing.

"Oh! Just leave, Potter."

"All right, all right. We're going. Come on, Remus. Sirius, stop flirting and get over here."

~*~

The Gryffindor sixth years headed to the entrance hall.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: Hope you like this chapter as much as you like the others!

Replies to:

Crystaline Blood: Thanks! Yeah, I have no idea why I'm focusing more on Sirius here than Lily and James… I'm supposed to be focusing on them…

Kimmy Larisa: Thanks! I will! Based on your bio, I think you're kind of like me a little…

Herm34: Okay! I will! Thank you very much!

Shadow Child: Yes! I achieved my goal! I want you guys to imagine the characters the way I do. And wow… the first few sentences of your bio kinda describe me…