The sun was shining brightly on a day in April, and on the lawn outside the
castle of Hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry, four boys were lying
flat on their backs, staring up at the clouds. They were all talking
merrily, without a care in the world.
"Hey, guys, look at that cloud over there. It looks like a devil."
"That reminds me, when's next class?"
"Who cares. It's too hot for that, I say we just stay here."
"Yeah. It's a big class, no one's gonna miss us."
Right then a harsh, female voice was heard over the lawn. Nobody saw who was talking, the person was inside the castle and had strengthened her voice with magic.
"James Potter! Remus Lupin! Peter Pettigrew! Sirius Black!"
Hearing the sounds of their own names all four boys sat up.
"Go to your class immediately. And Gryffindor looses ten points."
"Yes, sahib", James said and they all got up reluctantly, leaving the soft, green grass behind them.
On their way up to the castle, Remus, Peter and Sirius looked at James in a suspicious way.
"Why so eager to get to class?", they asked. "We've already lost ten points anyway."
"Then let's not make it worse", James replied.
The others looked at each other, a little confused. Their friend had been so silent lately, and sometimes, when he thought they weren't looking, his eyes shimmered strangely behind those big, round glasses of his.
James ran his fingers through his black hair that had been warmed by the sun. He understood the others were staring at him, so he smiled and said:
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, your favourite Marauders are going to class. Girls, hold on to your boyfriends, they are entering the school."
"What was that?", Sirius asked.
"Since you're all staring at me like I'm an alien I thought I'd say something."
Little tubby Peter giggled.
"You're weird, James."
"You too, Wormtail", Remus laughed. "You giggle like a girl."
"I do not, jerk! Besides, you play the piano."
The friendly argument had thus started, and the boys entered the castle. The only one who didn't participate in the jokes was James.
At entering class, they all four sat down in their regular places.
"Where have you been?", their teacher, madam Tum, asked. "Nevermind, I don't think I want to know. Well, class, as I just said...."
James stopped listening. He hardly ever listened to his teachers, yet his grades were always great. Not even he himself knew how he did it, and the rest of the Marauders were always jealous because of it. Besides, right now, James had something much more interesting to look at than the teacher.
Lily Evans.
He had tried to reason with himself. She had been one of his best friends ever since their first day at Hogwarts, she was practically the fifth Marauder. James knew everything about Lily, and she knew everything about him, still it felt like meeting your favourite Quidditch-player every time she talked to him recently. Now she was sitting right next to him and mouthing words to him with her pretty lips:
"Where were you guys?"
"On the lawn, doing what we do best", James mouthed back.
"You mean sleeping?"
"Precisely. You really missed something, we were great."
Then she smiled, and James felt his knees shake a little under the desk.
Why had he never before noticed how beautiful she really was? Her brown, soft hair, her glittering eyes, her sweet smile, her way of walking and her cute laugh that turned his brains into jelly whenever he heard it lately. Oddly though, Lily seemed to be completely blind to her own beauty, and often she told the Marauders how much she'd like to look like them; they were all of them long and thin, except Peter. Lily didn't always fit in with the other girls, she was more of a tomboy and always hung around with the Marauders, and they never minded at all, they all thought of her like a best friend or even a sister.
Why had James fallen so hard for Lily? He was a handsome guy who could get any girl he wanted, he already knew that, so why her? The only one he'd never dare telling how he felt, he didn't want to risk their friendship. Then he understood why: every girl that had ever gone out with James, or any other of the Marauders, had all been airheads, more or less. They were silly, giggled way too much and had no sense of humour. But Lily was smart, she was funny, nice and... wonderful.
James woke up from his daydreaming when he saw that Lily was waving at him, as if trying to wake him up. Then she scrambled something down on a piece of paper with her quill, and when madam Tum wasn't looking she sent it to James with her wand. It landed right in front of him, as lightly as a snowflake, and he read it.
"Meet me after class. I've got important stuff to talk to you about. Come by yourself"
James's eyes started to glow. She wanted to see him - alone! He turned to her, nodded and saw her eyes shine with joy. Her lovely, deep eyes that made him feel like he was drowning.
Suddenly he got a punch in the side by Remus.
"Wake up, Prongs", he whispered.
James turned his face towards madam Tum, who for the moment was comparing muggle laws to wizard laws in her nasal voice, but he didn't listen too much.
"She wants to meet me, alone" he thought excited, and he had to work really hard not to smile widely.
"Hey, guys, look at that cloud over there. It looks like a devil."
"That reminds me, when's next class?"
"Who cares. It's too hot for that, I say we just stay here."
"Yeah. It's a big class, no one's gonna miss us."
Right then a harsh, female voice was heard over the lawn. Nobody saw who was talking, the person was inside the castle and had strengthened her voice with magic.
"James Potter! Remus Lupin! Peter Pettigrew! Sirius Black!"
Hearing the sounds of their own names all four boys sat up.
"Go to your class immediately. And Gryffindor looses ten points."
"Yes, sahib", James said and they all got up reluctantly, leaving the soft, green grass behind them.
On their way up to the castle, Remus, Peter and Sirius looked at James in a suspicious way.
"Why so eager to get to class?", they asked. "We've already lost ten points anyway."
"Then let's not make it worse", James replied.
The others looked at each other, a little confused. Their friend had been so silent lately, and sometimes, when he thought they weren't looking, his eyes shimmered strangely behind those big, round glasses of his.
James ran his fingers through his black hair that had been warmed by the sun. He understood the others were staring at him, so he smiled and said:
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, your favourite Marauders are going to class. Girls, hold on to your boyfriends, they are entering the school."
"What was that?", Sirius asked.
"Since you're all staring at me like I'm an alien I thought I'd say something."
Little tubby Peter giggled.
"You're weird, James."
"You too, Wormtail", Remus laughed. "You giggle like a girl."
"I do not, jerk! Besides, you play the piano."
The friendly argument had thus started, and the boys entered the castle. The only one who didn't participate in the jokes was James.
At entering class, they all four sat down in their regular places.
"Where have you been?", their teacher, madam Tum, asked. "Nevermind, I don't think I want to know. Well, class, as I just said...."
James stopped listening. He hardly ever listened to his teachers, yet his grades were always great. Not even he himself knew how he did it, and the rest of the Marauders were always jealous because of it. Besides, right now, James had something much more interesting to look at than the teacher.
Lily Evans.
He had tried to reason with himself. She had been one of his best friends ever since their first day at Hogwarts, she was practically the fifth Marauder. James knew everything about Lily, and she knew everything about him, still it felt like meeting your favourite Quidditch-player every time she talked to him recently. Now she was sitting right next to him and mouthing words to him with her pretty lips:
"Where were you guys?"
"On the lawn, doing what we do best", James mouthed back.
"You mean sleeping?"
"Precisely. You really missed something, we were great."
Then she smiled, and James felt his knees shake a little under the desk.
Why had he never before noticed how beautiful she really was? Her brown, soft hair, her glittering eyes, her sweet smile, her way of walking and her cute laugh that turned his brains into jelly whenever he heard it lately. Oddly though, Lily seemed to be completely blind to her own beauty, and often she told the Marauders how much she'd like to look like them; they were all of them long and thin, except Peter. Lily didn't always fit in with the other girls, she was more of a tomboy and always hung around with the Marauders, and they never minded at all, they all thought of her like a best friend or even a sister.
Why had James fallen so hard for Lily? He was a handsome guy who could get any girl he wanted, he already knew that, so why her? The only one he'd never dare telling how he felt, he didn't want to risk their friendship. Then he understood why: every girl that had ever gone out with James, or any other of the Marauders, had all been airheads, more or less. They were silly, giggled way too much and had no sense of humour. But Lily was smart, she was funny, nice and... wonderful.
James woke up from his daydreaming when he saw that Lily was waving at him, as if trying to wake him up. Then she scrambled something down on a piece of paper with her quill, and when madam Tum wasn't looking she sent it to James with her wand. It landed right in front of him, as lightly as a snowflake, and he read it.
"Meet me after class. I've got important stuff to talk to you about. Come by yourself"
James's eyes started to glow. She wanted to see him - alone! He turned to her, nodded and saw her eyes shine with joy. Her lovely, deep eyes that made him feel like he was drowning.
Suddenly he got a punch in the side by Remus.
"Wake up, Prongs", he whispered.
James turned his face towards madam Tum, who for the moment was comparing muggle laws to wizard laws in her nasal voice, but he didn't listen too much.
"She wants to meet me, alone" he thought excited, and he had to work really hard not to smile widely.
