(Disclaimer; I own nothing but my genius)

"What are we going to do about the Slytherins?"

It was James who posed the vital question; in the common room, late on Sunday morning.

"They're getting cocky," Remus agreed.

"We haven't pranked them in weeks!" Sirius added in horror. "And we still haven't got Snivelly and Malfoy back for what happened in Potions."

"Are we going to do one big prank or lots of little ones?" Remus queried.

"Both!" said Sirius immediately, practically bouncing up and down with enthusiasm.

"We'll do lots of small ones, leading up to a big one." James, as leader, decided for them.

"Any ideas?"

Sirius' hand shot up.

"Padfoot?" said James wearily.

"Spike their drinks, put smudging-spells on their quills, seal their books shut, tie their shoelaces together, make their food throw itself at them, put dungbombs in their pockets, turn the Slytherin colours red and gold…" Sirius paused for breath.

"Make them all dance around the Hall at breakfast," Remus suggested quickly, before Sirius could start again.

"Put nails in their food," Peter exclaimed, getting excited.

"No real damage, Pete, remember the rule?"

"Oh yeah." Peter looked disappointed. (A/N; I'm sorry, I just can't help making him evil…)

"Good. We'd better get this sorted, then. We can pick up the stuff at Zonkos this afternoon."

"Can I come?" asked Katrina, who had been listening in on the last part of the conversation. "I have some ideas too, if that's ok with you?"

The others looked to James, who nodded vigorously. "Look forward to hearing them!" he smiled. Katrina blushed.

Sirius glowered.

"Can I come into Hogsmeade then?" Katrina repeated.

"Sure," James and Sirius said at the same time. Sirius shot James a wounded look. Katrina eyed them both up and down with raised eyebrows, wondering exactly what was going on here. James was just being friendly, and Sirius was acting like a jealous lover. He probably was jealous, she mused sadly. ::Please don't get attached:: she begged silently, eyeing that gorgeous face, that jet black hair…those biceps…::I'd hate to lose this.::

James waved a hand in front of her eyes; she jumped back to reality with a start, realising with some embarrassment that she had been gazing dreamily at Sirius, who was looking smug.

"So, are we going to lunch or what?" she asked briskly to cover her confusion, ignoring Remus' knowing look. "No, Lily isn't coming," she added, before James could open his mouth. She led the way; Sirius jostled James for the privilege of walking beside her. Katrina, worried by the sudden display of possessiveness, quickened her pace; Sirius let her get ahead then ran to catch up. He slung an arm casually around her shoulders.

"Sorry," he said quietly in her ear. "I know I'm acting like a prick."

Katrina made no comment.

"I dunno what happened," Sirius admitted. "James was getting a bit big-headed, and…you know…and I kind of…felt…" He trailed off.

"Eloquent today, aren't you?" Katrina commented with a smile. "Look, just don't take things too seriously. You know what we decided this would be, and the rules haven't changed."

Sirius nodded gloomily.

"Cheer up!" she exclaimed. "You don't want me on your arm all day long! I'll cramp your style."

::But I do want you on my arm all day:: Sirius thought, and then pushed the revelation away in dismay. ::Shit! No! No attachment! Attachment is bad. Bad. Ok…just keep thinking that…bad…attachment is bad…::

It was a mantra that stayed in his head constantly over the next two weeks as the Marauders proceeded, with military proficiency, to prank the whole of Slytherin house to hell and back. All of Sirius' ideas were picked up on, and more; half the Slytherins didn't know whether they were sitting or standing; the rest checked before turning corners, slept with one eye open and moved in flocks for safety.

Lily and James became practically inseparable, spending every spare second together; although Lily continued to refuse his invitations to Hogsmeade and James disclosed to Sirius and Remus that it was only a ploy to get Lily more interested before publicly rejecting her by asking someone else to the ball.

Sirius had his doubts about this plan of James'; Lily was flirty with James, but she exhibited no desire whatsoever to go out with him. He wondered whether James had got in deeper than he realised…which was no way for him to think, because he was in exactly the same position with Katrina. He enjoyed every second they spent together and found himself missing her company when they were apart – and he knew that to ask for more than they had already would be the one sure way of losing her altogether…

For the most part, Sirius kept his feelings to himself. He unbent just enough to admit to his admiring comrades that yes, he was sleeping with Katrina Moore; no, otherwise they were only friends, and could Remus and James please for fuck's sake keep it to themselves?

Not being able to express himself made it worse in some way, and he sometimes thought that if he could have had her wholly at the start, they would have been over by now. (A/N; Sad but true…) As it was, he pined in secret and around Katrina acted as normally as he could manage – the odd suggestive comment and frequent masculine preening aside – but he lived in constant terror of her finding out his secret.

With two days left to go before the ball, Lily was still hoping James would ask her – so she could turn him down, of course, she told Katrina hastily.

Her friend smiled knowingly and carried on with her Astronomy homework – which was odd, because she and Sirius had spent half of last night in the astronomy tower working on it…

It was rather a shock to Lily, then, when James swaggered into the common room that afternoon to announce smugly that he was going with Suzie Pierson; a pretty, airheaded Hufflepuff who had more make-up than brains.

He didn't so much as glance at Lily, who was surprised to find herself going cold with jealousy.

Katrina squeezed her arm sympathetically. "Don't worry, he's just trying to get to you. You'll dance at the ball, wait and see."

Lily did see, but that didn't stop her from death-glaring Suzie all through Transfiguration. James, noticing, smiled to himself but said nothing.

Lily descended the stairs apprehensively, feeling exposed without Katrina or James attached to her side.

Katrina had tripped out of their dorm five minutes before Lily had finished showering, calling a cheerful goodbye and going off to find her date, a good-looking Ravenclaw whom she had been going out with on and off since third year.

Lily had not seen James since that morning, when he had raised her hopes by talking only to her all through breakfast and dashed them again by babbling for a good ten minutes after that about how hot his date for tonight was.

The dark green silk of her dress clung to her legs; she smoothed her hands down it nervously, automatically looking for the Marauders as soon as she got into the common room.

(A/N; Well, one in particular…)

She spotted Sirius and Remus almost immediately, arms around their respective dates, laughing at something Sirius had said. Remus looked over at her - still laughing - and rolled his eyes, running an exasperated hand through his spiky hair.

Lily smiled vaguely at him, then her heart did a flip; James was sitting on the sofa behind Remus, meeting her green eyes steadily with his hazel ones.

He broke off the contact abruptly, grinned cheekily at her and jumped up to greet Suzie who had materialised beside him. Lily made her way to the Hall alone, bewildered, listening to the Marauders' laughter echoing off the walls from a few metres ahead of her.

After dinner, when Lily finally found Katrina again, she sat down beside her and proceeded to tell her heatedly exactly how she felt about being left to go down to the ball all by herself. And why the hell had Kat left her to sit through all of supper with some random couple that she didn't know on one side and a disdainful Slytherin fifth year on the other? And James wasn't even looking at her, let alone asking her to dance…

Katrina sat through it patiently. When Lily paused for breath she jumped in, "You done yet?"

Lily let out the breath in a long sigh. "I guess so, yeah."

"Jealous of Suzie?"

"No."

"Truth?"

"Green with it," Lily admitted.

Katrina put her head on one side; thinking. "Dance with someone else," she advised finally. "Enjoy yourself. James fancies you, I know; Sirius told me."

"Dance with who?" Lily inquired facetiously, ignoring the other revelation.

"God, you exasperate me! How am I supposed to know? Just ask someone. Oi, Derek!" she called suddenly. A blonde Hufflepuff looked around and lounged over.

"Kat!" he drawled, grinning. "Looking good."

"Dance with my friend," Katrina commanded. Derek looked Lily up and down.

Lily felt like something on sale.

"It'll be my pleasure," he smiled finally. Katrina winked at Lily and sloped off, satisfied.

A couple of minutes later Lily was surprised to find she was enjoying herself; Derek was a good dancer, as well as a passable conversationalist, although she couldn't help feeling that he was no match for James.

Just as she was thinking this (A/N; Here we go…shamelessly predictable as per usual. You know you love it XD), a warm hand landed on her shoulder. "Lily."

She was pulled firmly from Derek's grasp – she noticed that he looked only mildly put out – and a second later she was facing a grinning James Potter, her arms having somehow found their way around his neck.

"That," she informed him tartly, "wasn't very nice."

James' grin widened. "You seem so upset about it…"

"Gutted," Lily confirmed happily, resting her head just below his shoulder

(A/N; lessee…he's 6'1", she's 5'4"…I haven't worked the proportions out so you'll just have to assume that the way they're dancing is anatomically possible ok? #shifty grin#)