Disclaimer: I want my baby back, baby back, baby back….I don't own Harry Potter.

Captain Oblivious:  That's all you can come up with?! I can think of many more people who are butts…though they might not be related to Hp….

Mel: Of course it's rat-boy's fault!! Not. He's too stupid to think of it.

TheLaguna: Anytime you want to fish for reviews, feel free to fish here. ^_~

ping*pong5: I think I should be offended you think I need psychiatric help…but oh well.

TaioraCrazedGirl: Yes. Malfoys are mean.

Volley Ball Chika: Three things.

1.) I broke up with my boyfriend because he annoyed me, and I wish you luck on the no dating thing.

2.) It's ok about the forgetting your ideas…I forgot mine too.

3.) James WAS a chaser!! I looked it up!!

a.) Nowhere in the books does it say he was a seeker. It just says he was a great Quidditch player.

b.) In an interview: "Q: What position did James play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team? Was it Seeker, like Harry, or something different? JKR: James was a Chaser."

jandl: Don't worry. It's coming.

Atlanta-avalon1.1: Of course I've been there! What sort of Harry Potter fan woul I be if I hadn't?!

BluPhEoNiX22: I know, I know. Believe it or not, you're not the only one to tell me to update more often. :-P

A/N: I am sooooooo sorry!!! I'm a very bad author, I know. *smacks self* It's been nearly two months since I last updated….so to make yp for it, I've made the chapter nearly twice as long!! Hope you like it. And remember to review, even if it's just so you can yell at me!

Carpe Diem

            Hermione sat in a chair near the fire, bent over a book, writing on a sheet of parchment.

            "Hermione, what are you still doing up? It's usually us who stay up late doing our homework," stated Harry.

            "Hmmm?" Hermione said, distracted.

            Ron sat down on the couch and Harry sat on a chair across from her. Harry gently started tugging the book out from under Hermione's arm, successfully gaining her attention. She looked up, startled.

            "Harry!! Don't do that! You scared me!" Harry laughed.

            "Sorry 'Mione, but you seemed to be in another world. What are you doing anyways?"

            Ron picked up the book and read the title. "Time Travel: The Theory. Looking for a way to get us home?"

            Hermione sighed. "Yes, but I can't seem to find anything on time turners. Of course, they are still relatively new…. but you'd think there'd be something!"

            "Well, maybe because they're so new…there aren't any books about them," suggested Ron.

            "Or," said Harry, "there just aren't any in the unrestricted section of the library."

            "Of course!! That's it! I mean, it makes sense that students wouldn't be allowed to have access to something that isn't fully researched yet. Even in our time it isn't fully researched, so imagine how much research there would be now!" Hermione, of course, said all of this very fast and there were a few seconds of silence while Ron and Harry tried to work out what she had said.

            "But…how are we going to get into the restricted section? None of the teachers here are exactly Lockhart," Ron said bluntly.

            "My invisibility cloak."

            "Harry, you don't have your invisibility cloak!"

            "I may not have it, but my dad does."

            "It's perfect Harry, but now you have to convince James to let you borrow the cloak," Hermione pointed out. "That might not be easy." She picked up her book, closing her parchment inside it. "Now I'm going to bed, and you should too. We have potions tomorrow."

~*~*~*~*~*

            "You want to borrow my cloak? Why?"

            "Err—we wanna sneak into the restricted section of the library."

            "Hmm…I suppose you can…for a price."

            "What?"

            "Tonight, we're going to ambush Snape and the other Slytherins on their way back to their common room after dinner. You have to help."

            Harry thought about it for a moment, knowing Hermione would disapprove.

            "Alright, Ron and I will help, but Hermione can't know we did. If she finds out, we won't hear the end of it for weeks."

            James smiled. "Don't worry Harry, if Lily finds out I was involved I won't hear the end of it for months. As far as she has to know, it was only Sirius and Peter…And Bella if we can get her to help." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It'd be so much easier to get away with if Remus were out of the hospital wing."

~*~*~*~*~*

            Lily groaned as she made her way through a pile of homework. With N.E.W.T.S. at the end of the year, the teachers were loading it on. Add in her duties as Head Girl, and you have one very big headache. James, however, didn't seem to be having difficulties at all. Even with his Head Boy duties. In fact, he seemed to be having such an easy time of things; she began to wonder if he really did his own work.

            Putting that thought aside, she was about to start on her Transfiguration essay when Arabella plopped down across from her.

            "Lily, my dear, dear, dear, friend. Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you?"

            "Yes Bell. Every time you want something. What is it now?"

            Bell smiled sheepishly. "You know me too well. I was simply wondering if I could…copy your potions essay?"

            Lily groaned. "Bell, you've spent hours in the Library this month, and this is the third time you've asked to copy my homework! What have you been doing?!"

            Was it her imagination, or was Bella blushing? "Uh…you're right Lily. I should be more focused." She was babbling now. "I should spend more time on my homework and I should pay more attention in class and I should take better notes and—"

            "Bell!," Lily interrupted. "That doesn't answer my question. I didn't ask what you need to improve on; I asked what you've been doing with the time you've supposedly been spending on your homework."

            Looking extremely uncomfortable, Bell opened her mouth to answer, but was saved by a loud bang as Sirius Black dropped a large book on the table next to Lily. Lily squeaked in surprise.

            "Hello ladies. How are you on this glorious morning?" He said with his usual lopsided grin.

            "Fine, Sirius," Bell mumbled, before standing up and striding out of the library.

            Sirius stared after her curiously, then turned to Lily and asked, "What was that all about?"

            Lily shook her head and Sirius, looking almost concerned, stood up and walked after Bella.

            "Lily sighed and went back to her homework.

~*~*~*~*~*

            "Bella!" Arabella could hear Sirius running after her.

            What does he want now? She wondered. She stopped as he caught up to her.

            "What's wrong, Bell? You seem…depressed." Was it just her, or did he really seem like he cared?

            "Nothing's wrong Sirius. I'm just a bit tired is all," she reassured him.

            He looked doubtful, but nevertheless, he changed the subject. "Well, James, Peter and I were wondering if you'd like to join us in a bit of payback…"

~*~*~*~*~*

            Ron and Harry were crouched in the dark corridor outside the Slytherin dungeons, waiting for them to return from dinner. James and Peter were across from them, and Sirius and Arabella were around the corner.

            To avoid suspicion, they had all gone to diner, but made sure they left before the Slytherins. Now Ron could hear voices coming towards them, and stiffened with anticipation. The thought of being able to curse Snape and Malfoy, not to mention getting revenge for Remus, in one night was more than enough to convince him to do this. Even if his back was beginning to get stiff.

            Harry, on the other hand, while finding the though of cursing Malfoy and Snape appealing, was only there because he knew Hermione wanted to find a way for them to get home. He had realized that, even if she said the best thing to do was let others handle the problem, Hermione loved to feel useful. So if she wanted to feel useful and do research (though he doubted she would find anything), he would get her access to the restricted section.

            As the footsteps came closer, Harry drew out his wand and ran through a list of curses he could use, thinking particularly nasty ones for Malfoy and Snape. He heard one of the Slytherin girls scream as Arabella and Sirius started firing curses into the crowd, and watched as James ran out to join in. Peter, of course, stayed put.

            The plan was that Harry, Ron, and Peter would wait until some of the Slytherins started trying to make a break for their common room, while the other were busy cursing those that tried to fight.

            Harry felt Ron stiffen next to him as Draco Malfoy's voice echoed through the hall, with a leg-locking curse.

~*~*~*~*~*

            When the Marauders, Harry, and Ron were making their plans, they forgot to take into account one thing.

            Virginia Weasley.

            Hermione and Lily had gone up to the common room beforehand, luck for the boys, but Ginny had seen them leave, one after another. She had thought it seemed quite suspicious, that they left so soon like that. And, having been around Harry, Ron, and Hermione for so long, she knew how people acted when they were planning something. So she decided to follow Sirius, who had been last.

            Had she realized that he was going to take a short cut down to the dungeons, she might not have gotten a bit lost and walked right into the middle of a duel.

            Hearing voices, Ginny had followed them to the corridor near the Slytherin dungeon, and nearly had her head taken off by a stray Locomotor Mortis. Cautiously stepping around the corner she ducked to dodge a stupefy and pressed against the wall, surveying the scene.

            Too late she noticed that one of the Slytherin's had cast a Blasting Curse at her. She tensed, expecting to be hit…and instead was suddenly pushed out of the way, causing it to hit the wall.

            Looking around, Ginny couldn't tell who had pushed her.

~*~*~*~*~*

            Draco sent hexes, curses, and jinxes at the few Gryffindors he saw, but basically, he wasn't doing much, as they were lost in the large group of hectic Slytherins. So instead, he tried to figure out what had drawn him to push the girl out of the way of a Blasting Curse. He knew, of course, that if she had been hit by it, it would have caused her serious harm, but why did he care?

            Suddenly, a cry of, "Professor! Professor!" cut through the noise and the cursing stopped. The only teacher that would be there was the Slytherin Head of House, and he wouldn't care who had started it. Unlike Professor Snape, he didn't favor his own house, and would punish all those involved.

            Malfoy ran for his common room along with everyone else, having no desire to spend the next week in detention.

~*~*~*~*~*

            The next morning, James woke up and Lily was standing over him. He groaned and reached for his glasses.

            "Do you know how much trouble you could have gotten in if you had been caught?! You could have lost your Head Boy badge, you could have been expelled, you could have—"

            "Lily! What are you talking about?!" he asked, feigning confusion. Peter rolled over and muttered something in his sleep.

            "You know what I'm talking about, James Potter. The ambush on the Slytherins last night! I know you were there!"

            "Lily, I really don't know what you're talking about. Honestly, last night I came straight to my dormitory to do some last minute homework. I wasn't involved in any attack on the Slytherins," he said, convincingly. "You can even ask Harry and Ron. I was here all night."

            Lily considered for a moment, then turned and stalked out of the room, leaving a relieved James Potter behind.