Author's Note: I'm calling Wormtail and Lupin Remus and Peter from now on. Makes more sense, I think.
The next day, the first class was Defense Against the Dark Arts. James was easily the best in the class, but there was always one student with skills in Defense Against the Dark Arts to rival James's: Severus Snape.
"I want you all to gather in pairs," their teacher, Professor White, a stout, cheery witch told the class. "However, today, I'll pick your pairs for you! Won't that be fun?" There was a low groan that arouse from the class. Professor White sighed and began picking students to go in pairs.
"Let's see… Lupin and Black, why don't you work together… Pettigrew, you can work with Evans. Stebbins and Blaine, you two will make a fine partnership! Ah! Potter and Snape! Why don't you two be partners?"
Sighing, James pushed his desk towards Snape. Snape was wearing an ugly scowl, and James glared at him. "Just because White is making us work together doesn't mean I have to cooperate, Potter," Snape hissed.
"You'll cooperate, all right, Snape," James hissed back.
"All right, today we're going to practice dueling! This is going to be important for you later in life- what with You-Know-Who still at large! So, you've been in my class for seven years, and you know the etiquette of dueling- go!" White waved her wand, and the desks vanished. The Defense Against the Dark Arts room, already very large, seemed to enlarge even more.
"Ready, Potter?" Snape spat, standing up.
"More than you'll be, Snape," James said. "Keep in mind I've saved your life, so you don't want to go killing me, do you?" he asked, smirking. Snape grimaced.
"I've wanted to forget that incident, you know," he hissed. Then, waving his wand, he shot a curse at James. "Serpantsortia!" A snake suddenly emerged from his wand, and landed at James's feet. It snapped its jaws.
"Evanesco!" James shouted, and the snake vanished.
Cursing, Snape sent another curse James's way. "Tarantallegra!"
"Protego!" said James, before the curse had barely left Snape's wand. It bounced off James's Shield charm. Laughing cockily, James shouted, "Impedimenta!" and Snape was frozen on the spot.
"Well done, Potter, well done! Ten points to Gryffindor!" White said, clapping her hands excitedly.
"Well, thanks, Professor, it was-"
"Expelliarmus!" James fell backwards, straight into Professor White, and his wand flew out of his hand. Blushing profusely, James jumped away from the stout witch.
"Sorry, Professor," he said, jumping away from White. He whirled around, and glared at Snape. The Impediment Jinx had worn off, and he was twirling James's wand around idly in his fingers.
"Finished chit-chatting with the Professor, Potter?" he asked icily. "Petrificus Totalus!" he bellowed, and James found that he couldn't move his body at all. He toppled over, and was staring up at the ceiling.
"Interesting form, Snape! Five points to Slytherin!" White said, before going off to help Peter, who had become entangled in his own robes when attempting to duel with Lily.
"Tut tut, little Potter. Fallen down on the ground, I see. Well, then, why don't you take a nap?" Snape snarled greasily. "Stupe-"
"Finite Incantatum!"
James sprang up from the ground- somebody had lifted the Body-Bind Curse. But who? He glanced around the classroom, and saw Lily glaring at Snape. "Ah, Potter," he smirked, "your Mudblood girlfriend has helped you. How touching, indeed."
James glared at Snape, and snarled, "Call her that again, Snape, and you'll be so hexed you won't be able to talk for a month. Now, toss me back my wand."
"You think in a real duel I'd do that, Potter?" Snape narrowed his eyes.
"I said toss it back, Snivellus," James said.
"Fine then, Potter," he said, tossing it to James. "Let's see you make good use of it."
"Renvaria!" he shouted, and a cut was formed across Snape's cheek. "Let's see you get revenge on that, Snivellus."
Snape stared at his wand for a second, then, nodded grimly. "Antillius Requartia!" As his wand waved down, James realized what he had sent at him- Antillius Requartia was the incantation for the Human Vanishing Spell- there was no hope blocking it. He would be forced to duck. Unless-
"Accio Quaffle!" James shouted, and a Quaffle that had been in the room zoomed into his hands. He quickly put it in the way of the Human Vanishing Spell, and then, the Quaffle was gone.
"I'll get you for that, Potter!" Snape shouted.
"Mr. Snape!" White strode over to the pair of them, glaring. "That was a Class D Curse- not to be used by underage wizards, let alone in school! I'm afraid I'll have to give you a detention for this!" Then, she conjured up a whistle, and blew it loudly. "Class, please return to your seats." She waved her wand, and the room returned to normal.
"So, mate, what happened between you and Snape?" Sirius whispered in his ear.
"Usual. He tried to use a Class D Curse on me, which landed him in detention," James grinned.
"Excellent!" Sirius said, grinning back.
At lunch that day, James found his way to a seat next to Lily. "So Evans, why'd you do that today?"
Lily looked over at James quizzically. "Do what?"
"Lift the Body-Bind Curse from me," he said resolutely.
"Oh," said Lily, uncomfortably. "That…"
"Come on, it's just us two, Evans. Reynolds is off helping McGonagall, and Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail are up in Gryffindor Tower. So you can tell me."
"Well…" Lily said, sighing deeply, "I couldn't just let Snape be unfair to you, could I? You were unable to move!" Lily then became very interested in her plate of spaghetti.
"Is that why you always stopped me from hexing Snape from our third year onward?" James asked quietly. "You didn't want me to be unfair to him?"
"Well… yes."
"Well, you know, Evans, he always curses me when he has the chance. I bet if I made eye contact with him, I'd be hit with a Conjunctivitis Curse faster than you can blink. Mind you, my Shield Charm would be up before Snape even opens his mouth," James explained, laughing slightly.
"Well, I suppose to be a Quidditch player, you get good reflexes. How long have you been playing Quidditch, anyway?"
"Since second year. I originally tried out for Beater, but they were short a Chaser, so I made the cut. Now, according to Padfoot, I'm better than every player on the pitch. He reckons I should try for professional," James said, his voice hiding his barely-contained pride.
"Well, you are good, James," Lily said. James blushed deeply, and mumbled a 'thanks.' "However, I think you should apply your skills in magic elsewhere."
"Where?" James asked, his face still flushing.
"I think you would make a good member of the Order of the Phoenix."
James blinked in surprise. He hadn't heard much about the Order of the Phoenix- only the top students at Hogwarts (mainly the Prefects and Head Boy and Girl) were told about the Order. It was the secret army of people who fought against Voldemort. Some of the more famous members were Frank and Alice Longbottom, very successful Aurors, Aberforth Dumbledore, the strange brother of the current Headmaster at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, Marlene McKinnon, an amazing witch, and, of course, Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, the most famous Auror of all, and Albus Dumbledore himself.
"D'you- d'you really think that, Evans?" he asked.
"Well, of course, James. You're the best wizard in our year. Someday I wouldn't be surprised if the name Potter became famous because of you."
At this, James flushed even deeper. He noticed Lily had turned a slight shade of pink as well. "Th-th-thanks, Evans," was all James could utter.
"Please," she said, "call me Lily."
As she entered the Great Hall, Chelsea Reynolds saw James and Lily both blushing, talking to each other. She rolled her eyes, as she listened. "And someday," she whispered quietly to herself, "you won't be Lily Evans anymore- you'll be Lily Potter."
* * *
Halloween was fast approaching Hogwarts. Dumbledore had announced to the students that there was going to be a Halloween dance, something that had never occurred before at Hogwarts "and was likely never to occur again," according to Dumbledore.
Sirius kept on asking James if he was going to ask Lily to the dance. All of the Marauders kept on whispering to James in classes, "Have you asked her yet?" James would only reply with a stern glare and point to his Head Boy badge, indicating that he could deduct points from them if they bugged him anymore. Sirius seemed to be deeply offended by this, and was rather cool towards James for some of the days that followed.
James was trying his best to pay attention in the classes. Ever since Lily had suggested that he join the Order of the Phoenix, he had been trying his best to be a better student, instead of the obnoxious brat that he had been most of his life. His teachers seemed to notice, too. Professor Flitwick, their tiny little Charms teacher, told him that he was most pleased with his improvements in his attitude.
Three days before the Halloween Dance, James decided he had to ask Lily to it before someone else had. Twice, in the hallway, he had heard Lily reject two students, insisting that she was 'planning on asking someone.' James hoped against hope that she was talking about him. She seemed to smile more whenever the passed in the hallway, showing off her perfect teeth.
Finally, James decided the time had come. On the way to History of Magic, he found Lily talking rapidly to Chelsea Reynolds. Pointing his wand at Lily's bag, he whispered, "Diffindo!" and her bag split open. She rolled her eyes, and said to Chelsea, "Fourth time that's happened this year. I'll catch up to you in a minute; let me get my stuff up."
When Chelsea had walked away, James walked up to Lily. "Er, Lily?" he asked.
"Oh, hi James," Lily said, muttering, "Reparo," at the broken bottle of ink that lay on the floor. "Sorry about this. My bag split open- fourth time this year."
"Imagine that," James said quietly. "Well, anyway, Lily, I've been wondering for a while… d'you- d'you- oh, Merlin, this is impossible to say. So I'll just say it," James said, and turned a deep shade of red. "Would you like to come to the Halloween Dance with me?"
Upon hearing this, Lily promptly dropped the bottle of ink, turning a shade of red to rival her hair. She magically fixed the bottle of ink and her bag, and looked James in the eye. "Are you asking me on a date, James Potter?"
"Well," James said, turning red again. His hand unconsciously flew up to his hair. "Yes, I am. D'you want to? I mean, I wouldn't be offended if you had asked someone else already and-"
"Yes, I'll come with you, James. Something in you has changed this year, and I don't know what. However, I take back what I said in fifth year," Lily said, and gave James a small hug. James's hazel eyes widened to the size of Snitches, and he remembered what she had said.
"Well, in fifth year, I was a bit arrogant," he admitted. "Now, come on, Lily, we're going to be late for History of Magic." And, for the first time ever, Lily Evans and James Potter walked down the hallway, each clasping the other's hand.
When the entered the room, Sirius saw James and Lily, and gave James the thumbs-up. James just grinned, and Lily let go of his hand, sitting down next to Chelsea. James joined the Marauders, and they all grinned back, save Peter.
"Finally got her, mate?" Sirius asked James.
"Yeah," James said.
"How long have you been after her, Prongs?" Remus asked James seriously.
"Well, since third year. Before that, I said, 'girls are icky,' remember, Moony?" James said.
"I just remember when you first noticed girls, Prongs," Sirius said, stifling a laugh. "You came running through the portrait hole, eyes wide, and said, 'Sirius, mate, I just realized what we've been missing for three years.'"
"What?" Sirius asked, his eyes wide with anticipation.
"One word," James said solemnly. "Girls."
"Girls?" Sirius asked. "Which one?"
"Well, I just noticed Lily Evans in the hallway- she's AMAZING!"
James laughed at the whole ordeal. For the next four years, he had tried to catch Lily's attention, but she was apparently displeased with him. However, now he had finally managed to ask her out without being shot down. It was something that he had never been able to accomplish in life, and he had many accomplishments to his name.
Just then, the ghost Professor Binns walked through the chalkboard, and instantly began droning on about the Werewolf Segregation in 1761, which Remus paid rapt attention to.
The eve of the Halloween Dance had approached. All the seventh year boys in Gryffindor changed into their dress robes. James had a nice set of royal blue robes that had J.W.P. embroidered on the chest in golden letters. Sirius had long, sweeping midnight black robes, to reflect his name. Remus had a royal purple set, but they were slightly used. Peter had light gray dress robes that were too short- his tennis shoes could be seen.
They all filed down to the Gryffindor common room. James and Remus bade Sirius and Peter farewell, and they went out to find their dates- James was looking for Lily, and Remus was looking for Chelsea Reynolds. He had surprised everyone when he asked her to the dance, but she agreed.
James found Lily chatting with Chelsea. Lily was dressed in bottle green robes that matched her eye color. The hem of the robes seemed to float, and she had let her long, dark red hair hang off the back of it. James thought she looked very beautiful indeed.
Remus went over and greeted Chelsea. Then, Professor McGonagall opened the portrait hole, and stuck her head in. "The dance is about to begin. Please come down to the Great Hall. I want the Head Boy and Girl and their dates- oh, I see they are dating each other. Well, I want the Head Boy and Girl to lead the procession out of the common room, followed by the seventh years, sixth years, fifth years, and so on. Please, if you have a date from a different house, search for them once you enter the Entrance Hall. Now, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, if you would."
James interlocked his arms with Lily, and turned a deep shade of red. James couldn't tell, but he thought she was smiling slightly at them. They slowly lead the procession of Gryffindors down to the Entrance Hall. Once they reached the hall, Sirius rushed over to a Ravenclaw sixth year. "See you, mate!" he called to James, and they entered the Great Hall.
