Sorry this took so long. I had a slight problem editing it, meaning I didn't have the attention span to sit down all at once and revise the chapter. Anyhow, I posted the other chapter in a hurry and I forgot about some things.

I do not own the idea of Hogwarts. Anything you recognize probably belongs to JK Rowling. Yet the one single solitary thing I own is my plot...so don't steal it! =D

Also, I forgot to say that one of my goals of this story is to make Lily and James a bit more....erm...mature then they were in my last L/J fic. So, those who read it, please tell me if I'm succeeding yet! Well, onto Chapter Two!

Chapter Two

Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

The four Marauders sat alone in the basement of Remus's empty house, his parents off on vacation until the end of the summer. Remus sat by himself, on the squishy, moth-eaten couch reading what looked like, "The Beginning of Magic, and How it Came to be What it is Now."

"Moony, you're such a prat." James yawned, stretched his arms up and leaned against the wall, despite the peeling yellow wallpaper.

"What?" Remus asked, looking up from his book.

"Oh nothing." Sirius answered. "Prongs is just complimenting your reading." Sirius barked a laugh.

Remus narrowed his eyes. "It doesn't to hurt to know where magic comes from. We've spent the last six years of our lives studying it so it's a very interesting read." He huffed and turned back to his reading, eyes still narrowed.

"I still can't get it!" Peter squeaked from the corner surrounded by all the homework he had put off until the last week of vacation.

"Wormtail, you idiot! It isn't the Vera Verto spell that turns a pig into a desk. That was back in the second year when we were turning animals into water goblets!" James laughed looking over Peter's Transfiguration homework. "What you're thinking of, is the Reprimando spell."

"Thanks." Peter squeaked, quill zooming over his homework trying to repair the damage he had already made.

"I think Wormtail needs a tutor." Sirius said, leaning on the bookcase, hair falling into his eyes.

"Not a bad idea." James answered, then paused as if seeing what Sirius has said in a different light. "Not bad at all. If, you know...but maybe...."

"What're you thinking, Prongs old buddy?" Sirius asked, his face splitting into a grin, his face full of excitement as if James was plotting an excellent adventure.

"Oh nothing, just...who to tutor other then Lily Evans? But, no. I'm better at Transfiguration then her, despite what she may think."

"James." Remus said looking up from his book. "This idea stops now. She's my girlfriend, if you don't remember."

"It's alright, Moony. I was just thinking of angering her a bit, just to see how sexy she could get." James laughed.

"No you weren't." Peter squeaked, abandoning his homework for the time being. His watery black eyes darted from James, to Sirius, to Remus in excitement.

"And if you were, you are losing your touch my friend." Remus answered, marking his spot in his book, and tossing it aside him onto the open space on the couch. It bounced once, and dust rose from where it had landed.

"You are one lucky guy." James answered, trying to sound jovial, but he silently pouted for the next twenty minutes, dropping his half plotted plan.

James apparated home three hours later, now that he was of age and had passed the test, with flying colors, he would add to anyone who asked.

He walked up the stairs to his house, unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" A chorus of people shouted, Peter and Sirius included. Remus popped into the room, looked around for a moment, realized he was late and grinned apologetically.

"Whoa..." James grinned at the sight of all the people in the room. "Thanks guys...I...well of course you would remember." He grinned even broader, rumpling his hair to make it stick up more in the back. A live band that had been hired started blasting music from the corner, and people dispersed around the room, some to the refreshment table, others to the couch.

James could just spot Sirius and a Ravenclaw sixth year slip into one of the bedrooms out of sight. He realized she had only come for Sirius and a feeling of being used dropped into his stomach, but disappeared quickly when Candace Daily approached him from the corner.

"Hey James." She smiled, tossing her mahogany hair behind her shoulder. 'Just like Lily does...' He thought to himself.

"Hi." James answered. "How's your summer been?" He asked, making light conversation.

"Oh...it was OK. I missed seeing you in Diagon Alley. I knew you must be there, since I saw Remus."

"Yeah, I was there. Shouldn't have missed you though." James grinned flirtatiously. She grinned, flashing her dazzling white smile, dimples on her cheeks. She looked so enticing. "Too beautiful to miss." He said, running a finger down her face. Her shirt was low cut, not enough to see everything, but enough to make him wonder. "Come get a drink with me." He smiled.

"OK." She answered, grinning. He took her hand in his and led her over to the table. Who was Lily to say he had been "inactive" for the last six years. He hadn't been inactive, he just wasn't as public about his relationships as say, Sirius?

Then again Sirius had a new girl each week, so it was a well known fact you couldn't count on being long term with him.

James picked up a glass for Candace, not really caring what it was, and handed it to her.

"Thank you." She smiled. He grabbed one for himself, and took a deep sip. Punch...with an interesting taste. 'Must be Sirius, spiking the drinks again.' James thought to himself. He tossed his drink in the nearest wastebasket, and watched intently as Candace drank it all down.

"Wow..." Candace gasped a half an hour later, her face slightly red. "It's really hot in here." She giggled.

"Yeah." James nodded nonchalantly. This would show Evans, he thought to himself. Getting her dorm mate...

"After the floor stops spinning, do you wanna do it?" She giggled insanely, then looked at James intently.

Just say no, do it. It's not that hard... A voice in his head told him. She's drunk. If you do it she'll slap you silly when she's back to normal.

"Wanna go outside instead?" James asked. She nodded, and he stood up from the couch, and lead her out. He lead her across the damp grass towards the cherry trees placed at the back of the lot. He could just make out her features through the darkness as they reached the private clump of trees.

He took her hands, and pushed them up above her head and against one of the trees, pressing his lips to hers. He pushed her mouth open with his tongue and proceeded to explore every inch of it.

Candace giggled, and pulled away. "I'm kissing James Potter." She grinned with a drunk look across her face. She had four more glasses of punch after the first one, and James had watched her consume the spiked drinks with great entertainment.

"Yes you are." James answered, with a cocky air in his voice, before he began to kiss her again. He let go of her hands, and let his slip to her waist, then begin to roam up under her shirt.

"Prongs, Prongs, Prongs..." A voice laughed. James pulled away and spun around to see Sirius with his sixth year date for the night.

"Damn it, Padfoot." James muttered under his breath. Candace giggled from behind him.

"Candace Daily, not bad. How many drinks did she have?" Sirius asked. His date giggled.

"Five, but she was so going for me before that." James answered, laughing a bit.

"Five? I put some strong stuff in there. Of course she wanted you, Prongs old friend. Who doesn't? Oh, other then Lily Evans."

"Lily Evans?" Candace asked, stumbling a bit. "We got in a fight last year, she hated me for a while."

Sirius barked a laugh at the sight of Candace, drunk as all get out.

"Why were you fighting?" James asked intently.

"I'm...not supposed to tell." She slurred. "But it is really funny." She began to giggle insanely again. Sirius raised his eyebrow at James.

"Solitary confinement, Prongs." Sirius muttered before striding away, hand on the sixth year girl's backside.

"What was it?" James asked again.

"I...I..." Her head rolled back, and she passed out, thumping against the dewy grass.

James sighed, and lifted her from the ground and carried her baby style back into the house. He sighed again as Lily floated into his mind. 'I can never have her.' He thought to himself. He carried her into one of the guest bedrooms and gently set her on the bed. He blew out the candles and left her alone to sleep.

He walked down the hall and back into the living room where everyone was partying.

"What happened to Candace?" Remus shouted over the music.

"She's totally wasted." James laughed. "Had too much spiked punch. Good old Padfoot's doing, of course."

Remus laughed along with him. "A little fun never hurts!" He said, lifting a glass of punch to his lips, taking a long sip. "Tastes odd, but who cares!" He laughed insanely, as if he had just heard the best joke of the year.

"I think that's enough for you." James answered, grabbing the punch out of his hands and tossing it in the waste basket.

"What? Give it back!" Remus staggered after him, lost balance and fell flat on the ground.

"And Moony's wasted as shit." James said to himself. He strode over to the refreshment table, where Sirius was setting out a new batch of punch, his date sitting at the kitchen counter watching him intently.

"Hey Padfoot. No more spiking the drinks."

"Why not?" Sirius asked, sticking out his lower lip.

"Moony's wasted, Candace passed out about an hour ago and Wormtail's probably got a hangover in the bathroom by now.

"One more batch and I'm done. Promise." Sirius bargained.

"Fine. Just keep it away from Wormtail if he comes in. His mum will flay me to the last inch of my life if she knew he was getting drunk on my turf."

"Relax, Prongs. Have some fun. It's your birthday for crying out loud." Sirius grinned, clapping James on the back. James slumped his shoulders down and stalked out of the room. He climbed the stairs to his bedroom, then slumped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Prongs, what's the matter with you?" Sirius asked, coming into James' room.

"Nothing, just..." James stopped mid-sentence, knowing Sirius wouldn't understand.

"Relieve the burden." Sirius said, opening a shelf across the room and pulling a penseive out of it. He set it on the bed next to James.

"Same one as before." James answered, prodding it with his wand. A face rose into the shallow basin of swirling silver water. The face of Lily Evans. Her green eyes shone on her creamy complexion, her dark red hair contrasting beautifully with her features...

"Potter, I want nothing to do with you. Leave. Me. Alone." She said hatefully. The penseive began to swirl and her face appeared again, only a younger form of it. "Did it ever cross your mind that I hate you?" She yelled, tears in her eyes. "Leave me alone! I can't stand you!"

James remembered that moment only too well. His stupidity had landed her in detention, for the first time in her life.

The penseive swirled again, and the youngest face appeared. It was the face of the eleven year old Lily. Her hair was worn short, and her face structure had not finished forming yet. Still her almond shaped green eyes shone like diamonds.

"I'm Lily Evans." The face said. "I'm really pleased to meet you. Thanks for everything." She said before she smiled rather fondly at him, then skipped away to meet Candace, which she had met ten minutes before then.

"Ah, Prongs is feeling the painful stab of rejection." Sirius said, stowing the penseive back into the cabinet.

"More painful then ever."

"Just go for Candace. She'll have you." Sirius barked a laugh.

"Shut up." James answered, still staring at the ceiling.

"Come on, you've never been this down before." He looked at his friend, so forlorn and sad. "Full moon first week of school." He grinned in an overly cheerful manner.

"Yup." James sighed.

"Come on, it's your birthday. Have some fun."

"Another party in which Lily refused to come to, I'm guessing."

"I didn't invite her. You know, her and Moony. I thought it would be a bit depressing."

"Yeah, depressing." James sighed. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep. I'll come revive to trashed people around dawn."

"Suit yourself. I've got a date waiting for me. And you would to if you weren't a love struck prat." Sirius muttered as an undertone.

A large pillow thumped him hard on the back of his head. "Ouch!" Sirius muttered, throwing it back at James. It landed on his face, bounced off, and rested on the floor by the bed, laying forgotten until the next morning.

Please review people! It would help ever so much to inspire me to write more!

Val: You sooo crack me up! Have I ever told you that? Don't think so...oh wait. I think I have about six times! Lol.

Lil-Brat888: Thanks so much for your review! But I can't tell you why Lily and Candace were fighting...yet. But I swear you will find out later in the story! Promise!

Pittsy: Thanx so much for reviewing! I'm trying really hard to make my story as original as possible!

YoukaiGryffindor4: I see you finally fixed the spelling of your pen name! Lol. Hurry up and write more in your story, and I'll try to update the Cloud of Darkness ASAP!

Cho-Look-Alike: Thanks for being my first reviewer! But it makes me wonder, why haven't you updated your stories yet? I need to read more!!!