Disclaimer One: Harry Potter and all afflicted parts of the series belong to JK Rowling, Warner Bros and all the publishers involved and what not. I am producing no money from this nor do the characters, settings, etc. belong to me.

Disclaimer Two: The chapter titles are from a 'The Wishing Well' a song written and composed by Connie Dover. I am producing no money from this nor in anyway does it belong to me.

A/n: Well, I haven't been writing for a while (I had this grand session of writer's block set almost permanently into my brain) but I'm back now, at least for the meantime. I never thought I would've written something that was about the Marauders when they were in Hogwarts, but after Snape's memory in OotP how could I resist? I fell absolutely in love with Sirius and he's almost up there with Blaise right now (who's being absolutely ridiculous because he refuses to let me write anything involving him!)

Bittersweet

Part I - When First I Heard You

Spring had finally come upon Hogwarts castle only a few days ago. The wind was warm and smelt fresh and pleasant; the lake glimmered from the new sunshine; and the sun itself gleamed with a new intensity that the winter months had kept hidden in the cold.

For some reason the Gryffindor fifth years always found Fridays to be the most tedious day of the week. Maybe it was because it was the final day of classes before the weekend and it was a torment to sit through that, wanting the weekend to come around. Or perhaps, more likely, it was because the day's classes just weren't something anyone really wanted to sit through. History of Magic was right before lunch and it only the gates to Hell, the afternoon was ten times worse. Right after lunch was Transfiguration, taught by the Gryffindors future head of House, Professor McGonagall who was a relatively new teacher and although she was a good teacher she was a bit to pleased with the small bit of power she had. To top off them all, after a ten minute break that only served the point of taunting the students about the weekend's proximity, they had Defence Against the Dark Arts.

That was the class they were about to head into now.

Normally a good class, Defence Against the Dark Arts was taught by Professor Elliot, a middle-aged wizard who had a faint lisp that served as a good source of torments. He seemed to think that the fifth years weren't really fifth years at all and instead of teaching them fifth year material he taught them what they'd learned back in their second and third years.

Professor Elliot flicked his wand at the blackboard behind him and instantly as he spoke words began to fly across the board. "Werewolfths," he started introducing the class to the creature they'd be studying for the next day or two, "are theriously dangerous creatures thhat all ss'ould be aware of ..." And he went on.

Sirius Black stopped listening as of that point, actually he'd probably stopped listening even before then. First off, Elliot made classes boring; Sirius had already covered werewolves back in his second year of schooling at Hogwarts. Secondly, he made a rather bad habit of running around with the creature once a month. He glanced over to Remus Lupin and grinned wildly, leaning his chair back so he balanced it on the back two legs.

Crossing his arms over his chest, balancing the chair with no difficulty, Sirius let his eyes fall shut as the soft humming of the notes flying across the bored lulled him into a close state of sleep.

"What was the point of sitting through that?" James Potter asked as Sirius made his way out of the Dark Arts classroom along with Remus, James and a fourth boy, Peter Pettigrew. "Did we not already know all that?"

As his dark black hair fell exquisitely into his eyes, Sirius smirked at his best friend and chuckled. "We have Moony here to thank for that." Sirius clapped Remus on the shoulder and the four sauntered a bit further down the hallway, before stopping.

James glanced over his shoulder and leant casually against the wall of the corridor, running his hand through his hair, purposefully messing it up even more, if that was even a possible task. For a brief moment he looked to his three friends, who had stopped a few feet ahead of him, and then looked back to the classroom door, resting the sole of hist foot against the wall as he watched a group of girls exit, chatting amongst themselves. He grinned audaciously.

"Evans," Sirius mumbled to Remus as the werewolf watched the girls as well, rolling his eyes and taking a better hold on the Dark Arts textbook he carried in his arm. The three shared a glance and then focussed their attention on the Gryffindor Seeker.

"Hey Evans," James called to the group of girls, quickly approaching the area where he was leaning against the wall. They stopped chattering and looked to him the instant he had spoken.

One girl, a redhead with bright emerald eyes, stepped a few paces away from the crowd, her eyes piercing like daggers through his flesh. "What do you want now, Potter?" her question was cold and agitated.

Ignoring the harsh tone in her voice, he looked directly at her, a cocky smirk spread even to his eyes. "To go to Hogsmeade with you this weekend." It wasn't a question. Ever since the notice in Gryffindor Tower had announced that there was an upcoming Hogsmeade trip James had been planning on going with Lily Evans.

The girl chuckled dryly and rest all her weight on one foot, putting her a hand to her hip. Sirius looked to Remus and the two shared a wry smile before returning their eyes to the scene James was making. Sirius noted the paltry look that was stretched across Lily's face as she looked to James with narrowed eyes, sighing irritably.

"So, what do you say Lily? Hogsmeade this weekend?"

"Fat chance Potter," she breathed out in an unpleased manner, flipping copper hair over her shoulder. "I wouldn't go with you if it were the last thing to keep me alive."

Despite the obvious rejection, James dropped his foot from the wall and grinned wider in hope. Sirius saw his hand search into his robes, knowing that James was running his fingers over the stolen Snitch that only he, asides from James, knew was in his possession. James was hoping to rub a little bit of luck off it.

"Come on Evans," he asked sincerely, widening his eyes as a guilty puppy would.

Lily removed her hand from her hip and rubbed her forehead. "When will you get it?"

"When you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend." It, again, wasn't a question. He never asked her, he more or less told her what he himself wanted to hear.

Sirius looked to Lily just in time to see her eyes grow wide and darken with anger. Shaking his head, Sirius smirked beside himself at his best friend's persistence, even though he was horribly failing at persuading Lily to go on a date with him. Sirius had to wonder if James would ever win his way into her heart.

"Potter how many times do I have to go over this with you? Honestly are you so thick that you don't get it?" She paused and glared at him, the friends behind her silent at the sounds of her coursing rage. "I don't - want - anything - to do - with you? Got that?" Lily put force on every word, every syllable that left her mouth as she spoke her final sentence, then looking to the other girls she began to walk off.

The Gryffindor females passed Sirius, Remus and Peter without a second glance, but James caught up, keeping stride with Lily, walking along next to her. The three other Marauders looked to each other and then followed behind, keeping in hearing range to see what James would attempt.

"Why not Lily?" James asked, trying, in vain, to win her over.

"Jesus, you are such a waste of my time," she huffed exasperately, not looking at him.

"Come to Hogsmeade with me this weekend and I won't waste your time anymore ... not like this at least." With that James threw in a casual and suggestive wink, still keeping pace with the fuming redhead.

"GET A LIFE," she said loudly and clearly; Sirius watched several heads turn this way and that at the volume of her voice. He continued to watch as Lily walked off, turning into the girls' bathroom that was many several feet ahead of them, right before the staircase that led up to Gryffindor Tower.

Defeated, but not without his usual confidence, James returned to his friends, still grinning mysteriously. He stepped in next to Sirius with somewhat of a scheming look twinkling in his charcoal black eyes. Remus was hesitant at the look, Peter was smiling in admiration and Sirius wore a grin outmatching James's, just as plotting and even more deviant.

"Better luck next time mate," Sirius encouraged as he wrapped an arm around James's shoulder. James shrugged as he readjusted the bag over his shoulders, still beaming.

"She's just playing hard to get, you wait and see ..." he trailed off and put his hand into his pocket, again fingering the small golden ball that lay within. He shook his fingers through his hair, messing it up more as he'd done earlier and turned to Remus, who was starting back toward Gryffindor Tower. "Where do you think you're going Moony?" he had an aristocratic way to his voice and he looked to Remus from the corner of his eye.

"Commons," he said simply, pausing in his walk. "We have that Transfiguration test on Monday, I plan on passing it, thank you very much."

"What and I don't?" James looked to his friend with doubt. "You have the whole weekend. Are you really going to waste the first hours of your Friday night studying?"

Remus looked as though he wanted to object, but Sirius jumped into the conversation, grabbing the back of Remus's robes and pulling him after the group. "Moony, lighten up," Sirius berated in an unserious tone, the flames from a nearby torch playing mischievously off the almost unseen pupils of his dark eyes. "You only live once you know," Sirius said, finishing his sentence.

The four Marauders made their way out of the castle, heading to a beech tree by the lake, waiting for the day to finally come to an end and for the weekend to bless them with its existence. Sirius and James joked lightly, wishing to have some unfortunate passerby come near to have a little fun with. Peter followed the two like a lost puppy, squirming as he sat in the faintly dewy grass. Remus sat right next to the tree, leaning his back against and pulling a small piece of folded parchment from his bag, unfolding it and looking over same main ideas of this Transfiguration unit.

"Moony, you are such a Prefect," Sirius badgered, his fingers brushing a lock of raven hair over his forehead.

"Really Padfoot? I wonder why." Never looking up from the Transfiguration notes, Remus ran his finger up to the silver badge pinned to the chest of his robes, hinting at Sirius that it was a stupid comment if he had ever heard one.

Sirius merely grinned as he watched the prefect's actions, rolling his eyes up to the slowly pinking sky, the sun dropping tediously behind the forest to the other side of the lake. "When's the next full moon?" he asked absently, feeling the need for a bit of excitement.

"Next week," squeaked Peter, quickly and over-excitedly, his eyes darting about the school grounds, resting on James who lay on his back, watching the few clouds float overhead.

"When next week?" Sirius asked, wanting a bit more precision to Wormtail's answer.

Giving it no thought, already knowing the answer to Sirius's question Peter answered delighted as a child with a bag of sugar-full candy, "Thursday."

"Good, good," Sirius said with a hidden grin behind his lips, his eyes becoming narrow and almost demonic as life flared behind them, he bite gently at his bottom lip.

"We'll have good times this month," James spoke up, still watching the pink and orange clouds from his back. "Eh, Moony?"

Trying to hide the grin on his face, Remus didn't look up from the notes in his hands, he simply nodded and grunted a 'yeah' at the others, but if it was one time he liked it was the full moon of ever month. But then again, all of them liked that time. It was like heaven on Earth.