Yes, everyone thought I was going to give up on this. Even me as it turned out but no, I'm back and I'm back with a vengence. Or at least a new chapter. Thank you to all who reviewed me [except those people who said, this sucks: James was a Gryffindor!] But especially Elvinprincess99. This one's for you.

I trail behind him towards the imaginatively named "Prank Making Table." I think we have Remus to blame for that one after Sirius' suggestion: "The Pranking Table" was deemed too suggestive and not quite Slytherin enough.

"Ok so what's the plan?"

"Right. We wait until Snivellus is about to go into his potions exam…"

"And…?"

"Turn his hair-"

"Pink?"

Sirius looks moderately put out. "Er, yes…. How did you know?"

"Padfoot you've suggested that same bloody idea approximately once a term without fail. I was actually starting to worry you'd forgotten and the world was about to end."

Sirius lapses into a disgruntled silence and tries to lounge nonchalantly in one of the chairs. After a while he grunts, "got a better plan?"

"Not really." I begin to smile. "That's why Snape's hair is fuchsia more often than its Black." We both collapse into fits of un-house-like giggles as Severus himself sweeps past and glares disapprovingly across at us. I recover long enough to ask: "What's your obsession with pink anyway?"

"Well… it clashes with the tie."

I raise my eyebrows. "Mmm."

"Prat."

"Charmed." The laughter begins again. "Seriously though…we need a new evil plot. People will begin to talk."

Padfoot ignores the possibility for the Sirius/Serious joke to be played out once more and his eyebrows narrow. "Okay. Give me a moment then."

I flash him a grin; a real grin this time. "Wonderful. Your plans are always so much better after the hair dying one is out of the way."

"Bugger off James."

I ruffle his hair which I know he hates because I'm the only Marauder who pulls of charmingly dishevelled and wander over to where Peter is beating Moony at wizard's chess.

"Where did you leave Sirius?" Remus asks eyes on the game.

"Thinking up a plan that doesn't involve Snape, Snape's hair or dying charms." I scan the board. "You're losing again."

Remus grimaces. "Thanks for noticing. Care to help?"

"Wouldn't that be cheating?"

"Isn't that what we do?"

He grins up at me, with a smile that tells me he knows I've been moping again. I resist the temptation to stick my tongue out at him. Smug git. "Bishop to Knight four."

Peter exclaims in disgust and Moony lets out a whoop of triumph. "Thanks James."

"Don't mention it." I watch the game for a while, biting back a laugh. Even with me helping him Remus is losing hopelessly. He is without doubt the worst player it has ever been my good fortune to exploit. I consider betting on the outcome of the game, but only briefly; today I don't feel like sitting in this easy, friendly circle.

"You're leaving already?"

"Mmm, gotta research for that project we're doing in Defence."

Remus looks up from where Wormtail's Queen is battering his pawn to death and looks at me quizzically. "The one on werewolves?"

Bugger. Had forgotten that. "No, a different one."

"On what?" Pete asks.

Oh, I don't know. "Banshees. Failed the last one, have to do it again, anyway see you later."

I head out of the common room quickly before Remus can try to understand me but once outside I realise I have nowhere to go really.

The library is as always, deafeningly quiet. I slip in, feeling almost as out of place here as I do with my own house.

A boy I vaguely recognise from the Hufflepuff Quidditch squad is stretched out over one of the tables asleep and I wonder whether Madam Pince has noticed. Probably not or he wouldn't still be here. Anton, who sits next to me in Ancient Runes waves slightly but makes no move to invite me over. I scan the rest of the working area. The only other person I know is sitting bent over her book and will not be happy to see me.

I grin and flop down in the chair opposite her anyway. "Good afternoon Evans."

She doesn't look up. "Planning on staying here a long time Potter?"

"I might be. Why?"

"I want to know if it's worth moving."

It's an insult but with so much less venom than usual that I start laughing. This is not the right thing to do. "Honestly Potter when will you grow up?"

"Not yet, Lily. Not yet." She starts at the use of her name. "Anyway why should I? Sixteen is still a child by most people's standards. You for example…I saw you laughing when Sirius put that periodic sticking spell on Snape's cutlery. And you being a prefect of the noble house of Gryffindor no less."

She starts gathering up her books. "Goodbye James." It looks like she's trying to hold back a smile.

"So, it's not Potter any more?" I yell after her but she doesn't turn around.

A hand grasps my shoulder and to my embarrassment I jump visibly. So much for my reputation.

Madam Pince glares down at me through thick glasses that make her eyes look smaller and, if possible, angrier than usual. "Young man there will be no shouting in this library," she hisses at a volume perfected by librarians the world over. "I'm afraid I am going to have to ask you to leave if you insist on disrupting those who wish to study."

I imagine a gloomy hour of researching banshees. "It's alright I'm going anyway."

Once outside the library I look around for Lily but she has long since vanished and without the map I stand very little chance of finding her. Gloomily I begin the walk back to the common room, wondering vaguely if Sirius has put the final touches to his brand new plan. Knowing Sirius he probably has… in fact, knowing Sirius he's probably combing the castle trying to find me to tell me about his brand new plan.

I turn a corner sharply away from the common room, and another. It crosses my mind that this is not actually helping me, Padfoot will have the map, he'll know where I am, but this thought is quickly extinguished with a desperate need to get away… where to, I don't know… hell, I don't even know who from but I've got to get somewhere and soon.

I stop; out of breath and realising belatedly I've been running.

The corridor looks vaguely familiar… no wait more than familiar... Merlin's beard I wasn't even on this floor, what the hell am I doing-

A soft voice behind me makes me jump for the second time in the hour. "Good afternoon Mr Potter."