Chapter - 21

James P.O.V

"Did you like question 10, Remus?" Sirius asked, as they walked to the Entrance Hall.

"Give five signs that identify a werewolf?" Lily interrupted, drawing closer to the marauders. James was secretly glad she'd gotten over the entire 'pranking the Slytherins' thing.

"A wonderful question," Remus replied. "Loved it."

"Do you think you managed to get all the signs?" James asked, mock concerned.

"Oh, I think I might've." Remus nodded. James knew what was coming and had to suppress his laughter. "One: he's sitting in my chair."

"Two: he's wearing your clothes," Lily added, leaning in, and grinning.

"Three: His name's Remus Lupin."

James burst out laughing, as Sirius completed the jibe. Even Peter laughed, albeit very nervously.

"I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes and the tufted tail," Peter spoke up when the laughter died. "But I couldn't think of anything else."

James bit down on the impatience and annoyance rising through him. He wasn't going to snap at Peter with Lily around, even if Peter was a little thick sometimes. He wouldn't snap at Peter ever again, especially after the entire missing/kidnapped thing that happened.

James was still feeling guilty about that. He'd missed Peter those three weeks, when his first best friend had disappeared. He hadn't imagined how difficult life would be without Peter just being there and supporting their ideas for anything and everything.

"You think you'll get an outstanding, at least?" Sirius asked Lily, and the two of them got into a discussion about the paper.

A year ago, James would've been jealous and irritated with Sirius, but well, Lily was her own person, and she wouldn't ever appreciate James interrupting a conversation she was having.

"Did you steal the snitch that's in your pocket?" Remus asked, settling down under their usual tree.

James didn't ask how he knew. "Sure did."

"You're not going to play with it, though." Remus said, more of a statement than a question. His observation skills were matched by none of the others in their group.

James didn't need to reply to that, so he just settled down next to Remus, enjoying the shade. Sirius and Lily settled themselves under the tree to James' left and Peter was sitting beside Remus.

James had almost dozed off in the comfortable warmth, when he heard Lily exclaim and call to Snape.

"Sev! Come on, join us!"

James opened his eyes and sat up, just to watch the trainwreck. Snape wouldn't give up his position in Slytherin by sitting with the marauders. And indeed, he looked reluctant.

Then, as though there was a change, he stood up from his spot a few yards away and moved towards them. James was shocked, but reluctantly impressed with the Slytherin. The bravery it would take to defy your entire house…

"He's doing it with permission," Sirius whispered, leaning towards James as he did so. "Look at Reg, he knows what's going on."

James turned to look at Regulus, seated near the lake, a bit further away. He had the same haughty look as Sirius, with the same features. Somehow, Regulus made them look much colder and more distant than Sirius had ever managed. And at that moment, he looked utterly bored and interested in Snape's movement.

"Are you sure?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Are you saying I don't know my brother?"

James didn't want to break Sirius' bubble. Regulus might be horrible, and a murderer and Sirius would still refuse to hear a single bad word towards him. It was the way siblings worked, James supposed, something he wouldn't know, as he was an only child.

"Good of you to join us, Snape," Sirius said, directing the conversation towards him. "How'd you find the OWLs?"

As the stilted conversation turned to the exams, James looked back at Regulus. The younger Black brother wasn't looking at them any longer, but instead exchanging words with a Ravenclaw who looked the same age as him. James turned away and back to the conversation that had changed to their plan.

"-uld have an idea," Snape was saying, "of what our plan is. We can't just go in blind."

"We don't even know much though. We got the bare minimum of information, and we need more." Sirius argued.

"We'd need more personal information. What would he use, or how his thought process works."

Lily started outlining the information they would need, and James was shocked at how little they knew and how little they had found out.

"We need to find another lead, because we're at a dead end," Remus said. James wasn't sure when he'd started listening, but he did seem to have a point.

"Someone who knows more information that we can trust, preferably," Lily agreed, nodding.

"You're saying that we need another letter?" James asked.

There was a bright flash, as though his words were a trigger and another parchment floated down from the tree. James looked around, and surprisingly no one around them had noticed the bright flash or the letter.

It landed on the ground between Snape and Sirius, and Sirius reluctantly picked it up. He looked at the six people around him and spoke.

"It's definitely a letter."


A few days after the letter arrived, no one had opened it. They weren't sure they should, at least not right away. Snape, Remus and Sirius had voted for it to be opened after the summer vacations and Lily had agreed. James hadn't said anything then, but in the last few days, he'd thought about it.

The letter had arrived when they'd said they needed it. The first time, it had arrived when Lily and Snape were out. This time it had landed between Snape and Sirius, although it could've just as easily been between James and Snape. James felt like Snape was a condition for the letters' arrival, but there was something else that was bothering him. If Snape was a condition, then why was the letter addressed to Lily? If this letter wasn't addressed to Snape either, then there was something else going on, some different type of conditional magic.

"Potter, are you paying any attention?" Lily asked, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

It was only the two of them in the common room in the afternoon. Everyone else was out, enjoying the pleasant weather and the last day at Hogwarts. Predictably, Sirius had dragged Peter and Remus out to jump in the lake.

"Of course I'm listening!" James said, putting on the most offended expression he could muster.

Lily rolled her eyes. "What is going through your brain, Potter? Because you're not here mentally."

"Just thinking." James shrugged, and Lily let the matter drop. James didn't want to invade too much, but he was also curious, so he spoke up first. "What did you go to do, when you left that day?"

Lily seemed to be thinking about it, before she answered. "I went to meet a friend."

"Right." James dragged the word out, not believing Lily's lie. "If you don't want to, then don't tell me, but please don't lie."

Lily frowned and retreated behind her book, slouching further into the couch. James picked up his own book – The Incomplete Guide to Complete Human Transfiguration and the quill he was using to add his own notes in.

Every few seconds, he glanced over at Lily, who slowly stopped frowning. In the afternoon light, Lily, sitting near the window was beautiful. Her hair glinted gold and red, and she practically glowed. James couldn't help himself.

"Hey, Evans!" He called out, and she turned to look at him. "Will you go out with me?"

She looked slightly amused. "When and where, Potter?"

"In the summer, where ever you want," he replied, nervously, which slowly turned into him feeling optimistic and hopeful. Lily laughed, not maliciously, but pleased.

"Alright, Potter. I'll tell you my decision before we leave the platform tomorrow."

James turned back to his book with a wide smile and for the rest of the afternoon, he couldn't concentrate. All he could think of was how Lily Evans had finally agreed to go on a date with him. And every time he snuck a glance at her, he wished he was an artist instead of a Quidditch player. Anything that would allow him to catch the moment perfectly.

The next evening, in the crowd of students rushing to their parents, eager to get home for the holidays, Lily leaned up to whisper into James' ear.

"My house, 31st July, at 10 in the morning. See you then, James!"

And she was gone, leaving James floating in the clouds and bouncing on the spot. He wouldn't waste this chance, not for anything in the world!


Hey guys!

I'd just like to say: thank you to all of you who comment and favorite this story! I'm glad people like it! If you have any questions about why something is changed, pls ask in the comments (I've changed a few details from canon that I haven't explained, nor will I be explaining in the story, so feel free comment). Pls don't be rude or nasty!

Have a good day!