James watched the small town slowly begin to bustle again. Remus and Sirius were already half way up the street, in their own world, forgetting about Peter and James. So he took it upon himself to retrieve the missing "rat."

He was in a coffee shop, sipping tea with the confused wizard that was a witness to Padfoot and Moony's shouting bout.

"Peter. We're going to the other side of town. We better go or we'll lose Remus and Sirius."

He looked around. "You mean you're letting them wander around by themselves? You know they aren't in the right mind for that." The old wizard nodded his head.

"Er, yeah. That's why I need your help." James rolled his eyes.

"Well, it was nice having tea with you. I'll see you around." He waved good bye and followed James out the door.

"That was ridiculous." He said. "Why did you even go talk to that man anyway?"

"I dunno, maybe because he seemed rather confused." Peter scratched his head.

James laughed to himself. "Now everyone in Hogsmeade thinks that we hang around with crazies and a cross dresser."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, hanging around with those two."

"I suppose you're right. And now we don't even know where they are." James looked around the crowded streets to see nothing but pointed hats and the occasional broomstick.

"JAMES!" He stopped in his tracks and spun around on his heel to see Lily running down the street after him.

"LILY!" He yelled back, imitating her high-pitched scream.

"You shut up." She said when she finally reached them. "I just wanted to know where I should send Sirius's owl."

"What do you mean?" James had been absent when Sirius made this little remark.

"Severus didn't work out." She began to walk with the two boys following her.

"What a shame." James sniggered. "What happened?"

Lily sighed. "I don't know . . . for some reason he wanted me to join a little club of his. Probably the Junior Death Eaters or something."

James and Peter laughed.

"What's so funny?" Lily asked, feeling left out.

"Sirius had the same idea, only he told the whole street." Peter explained.

"Great, we have something in common. Maybe I should send him that owl-"

"What?" James asked. "What is all this talk about sending Sirius an owl?"

Lily laughed. "Jealous are we?" Peter's laughter chimed in.

"No. Not at all." James turned his blushing face away

"James and Lily sitting in a tree, K-I-S--"

"Wormtail!" James yelled.

Lily and Peter stood in silence. Thankfully James wasn't as loud as Remus and Sirius or else the whole street would've stopped-again.

"James, it was just a joke." Lily told him quietly.

He swallowed. "I'm sorry."

"Hey look. There's Sirius and Remus. I'd best be going." Peter proclaimed and disappeared into the crowd.

James squinted. "I don't see them." Lily blushed.

"Maybe he did that to get us alone . . . "

He was a bit shocked that Lily would even be thinking that way. "You think?"

She shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe." She sucked in a breath. "Is it true . . . that you've always fancied me a bit?"

James heart leapt. "Who told you that?"

"Oh, a lot of people." Her face was almost as red as her hair.

"Well," James answered. "I haven't the foggiest idea where that came from. But if you fancy me, then..." He dismissed that thought. "Never mind."

"What?" She egged him on.

He sighed. "It's nothing-" Lily took his hand in hers. This caused James's heart to beat even faster.

"What is it? Tell me."

"Well then we could-"

"Well look at that!" Sirius's voice boomed. He and Remus had come barging out of a small shop with tons of shopping bags. As they moved toward James and Lily little bits of pastel tissue paper fluttered out of their numerous bags and rested on the cobblestone street. People muttered angrily as they left bits of litter trailing after them. Apparently the news of the crazy cross dressing Hogwarts students had reached the whole of Hogsmeade.

Lupin dropped a plastic bag from Double, Double Toil And Trouble joke shop and grunted something about bags not being as strong as they used to when he bent over to pick them up. "Oh, Lily and James finally-ah!" All the bags he was carrying suddenly fell to the ground.

"Oh Remus!" Lily sighed. "Do you want help?"

"No! I'm fine you and James just stay over there and be the little love birds that you are. Sirius will help me."

Sirius had a look on his face like he had just been drastically betrayed. "How am I supposed to help you when I've got just as many bags? Only in my hands not on the street." He smiled evilly.

"Where is Peter when you need him?" Lupin sighed while he pushed all of his things to where everyone was standing.

"Oh this is none sense about us being love birds-I'll help you." Lily dropped James's hand-much to his dismay-and crouched down to help Remus. "Just don't stand there James. Come and help!" She smiled at him. He soon joined his friend and erm, person that just held his hand, and aided in the picking up. Sirius just stood happily with his bags safely in his hands.

"So," He began to talk to his laboring friends. "This is none sense about you being love birds?" He smirked as James gave him a look to tell him to cut it out.

"Yes, it is. I was just about to send you that owl. I only came to James to find out where to send it." Lily smiled.

"Really? Jimmy didn't tell you how much he fancies you?" He began to swing a bag in his hand, leaving its contents at the mercy of centrifugal force.

Lily blushed. "No, he didn't." James messed up his hair again.

"No, I didn't Sirius."

He just smiled. "Whoops."