The Early Years

Recap:

"This close about what?" asked Jo, a puzzled look on her face.

"This close to Sirius finally admitting mpha adfklj padfkjl mgag adyutle!"

Sirius had clamped his hand over James' mouth, "Nothing… nothing…"

"This close to finally admitting how much he loves," Lily stopped in mid-sentence, Sirius was giving her the glare, "cooking utensils?"

Jo blinked, "Wow Sirius, you hid your passion for cooking utensils really well!"

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"I can't believe Jo actually believed me!" Lily ranted, tugging at her hair, " I mean, habouring a passion for cooking utensils is kind of out, don't you think?"

James looked on amused, "Hey, we're talking about Sirius here. Anything is possible with him."

James and Lily were on their way to Transfiguration with the rest of the gang walking a little ahead of them.

"I suppose you're right." Lily said, grinning.

They reached the Transfiguration classroom. Lily took a deep breath, "Calm down Lily…" she muttered to herself.

"Transfiguration isn't that difficult." James said.

"Only for you," Lily retorted, "You can top transfiguration without even trying."

"Thanks for the compliment but I think we better go," James said, pulling Lily into the classroom, "We're going to be late."

Professor McGonagall stood at the teacher's bench. She looked at all her students and began lecturing them on the day's lesson before launching into her "you better not mess up or make trouble" speech. At that, she glared significantly at the Marauders, who all, may I add, have extremely innocent smiles plastered on their faces.

"For today, I'm going to pair you up." Professor McGonagall's statement was met by groans and protests.

"Silence! Unless you want me to pair you up for the rest of the year,"

Immediately, the groans and protests subsided.

"Black and Streatfield."

"Julian and Harridson."

"Duracell and Parker."

"Lupin and O'neil."

"Potter and Evans."

(A/N hehe… how convenient, our favourite Maurauders are all paired up with the girls.)

"Guess I'm with you," James said uneasily to Lily, He was okay with just talking to her casually and all but pairing up with her for Transfiguration? Didn't she keep saying she hated him? Would she feel angry or unhappy that she would have to spend the whole of Transfiguration with someone she loathe? James prepared himself mentally for Lily's angry protests.

(A/N James sure lacks self-confidence eh?)

"Phew, am I glad I'm with you." Lily said as she moved towards James.

"You are?" James asked, surprised.

"Of course! I totally am lost when it comes to transfiguration but luckily you are the best there is." Lily said busying herself to get the pin cushions they needed to transfigure into porcupines.

"Right…" James was dazed by the unexpected turn of events.

"So how should I go about doing this?" Lily asked, swishing her wand around.

James looked at her, "Really Lily, didn't you listen to Minny?"

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"I still don't get it!"

After about 30 minutes, Lily still had not turned her pin cushion into a porcupine yet.

"You got to swish your wand like that." James said, demonstrating with his own wand.

Lily stared intently at James' wand and started swishing her wand too.

"No, no like that," James said as he took her hand and started helping her swish her wand, "Like that."

Finally, Lily managed to change her pin cushion into a porcupine.

"Yay! I finally did it! Thanks James!" Lily said.

"No problem." James answered.

Suddenly, Lily felt a shadow loom over her… the shadow of Professor McGonagall,

Lily winced, "Uh oh."

"Lily, I've noticed how badly you fared in your last transfiguration test and how you can't perform some simple transfiguration without help," came Professor McGonagall's commanding voice.

"I know." Lily replied, looking down.

"So I want James to tutor you."

This was met with envious sighs all around class.

"That does not mean everyone should go and fail their tests, you got me?" Professor McGonagall barked shaply. (A/N haha, barked. Woof woof! Haha. Sorry.)

Then, in a more concerned tone of voice, she said to Lily and James, "I know you both don't really see eye to eye with each other but you really need the help."

"Okay," Lily replied, then she turned to James, "You don't mind do you?"

"No, it's fine with me." James said, letting the realization sink in that he would be privately tutoring Lily in Transfiguration.

James mentally slapped himself. Why was he making such a big deal out of it? He was just tutoring her! Anyway, didn't he find Lily a pain? Somehow, he heard a voice in his head say not anymore.

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"No, no, no Lily, not like that, you got to flick your wand for this one, not swish it."

James and Lily were in an empty classroom and James was currently trying to teach Lily how to transfigure a soft toy bunny into a real life bunny.

"It really isn't that difficult, you see, the bunny looks real enough, you won't have trouble trying to visualise a real bunny."

"But James! I'm bad at visualizing!"

"Lily, you could at least try."

"But I've tried many times!"

"Try again! Don't be stubborn!"

"I'm not stubborn!" Lily said folding her arms.

"Urgh! I give up!" James threw his arms up in the air, "You're not only stubborn, you're stupid!"

Lily looked at James, then looked away, "I'm not stupid," she whispered.

"Oh no, I've hurt her feelings," James thought.

"I'm feeling tired," Lily said, leaving the room, "We're continue this… some other time."

"Wait!" James wanted to call out but Lily was already gone.

James sighed. What was wrong with girls? He grabbed the toy bunny and headed towards the kitchens.

Meanwhile, Lily was in the kitchens eating the food the house elves so generously piled her with. Feeling frustrated, she grabbed one house elf and started pouring out her troubles.

"I always eat when I'm feeling frustrated you know," she began.

"Pinky didn't know, shall Pinky go get some more food for Miss Lily?" Pinky said wiping her hands on her rags.

"All I wanted was to pass Transfiguration! I really tried hard on that spell because I really like bunnies! I do!" Lily continued, totally ignoring the poor house elf.

Pinky was confused so she just stood there nodding her head. Finally, Lily was done and Pinky asked, "More food for Miss Lily?"

Lily smiled a wistful smile and shook her head, "Thanks Pinky," and she walked rather dejectedly out of the kitchens, not noticing a pair of eyes looking at her as she left. Lily walked out, all the way to the lake and sat down behind the tree. She gazed at the lake, her hands tickling the grass. Suddenly, something licked her hand.

"Aww… it's so cute!" Lily picked up the bunny, "Hey! You look like the toy bunny!"

"Maybe because it is."

Lily looked up and met the gaze of James Potter.

"Like the bunny?"

Lily nodded, "Thanks."

James sat down and smiled, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you stubborn and stupid."

"No, I was being stubborn and stupid. I totally cannot do Transfiguration." Lily said, hugging her knees.

"Sure you can." James said, throwing a pebble into the lake.

"I can't James, I failed many times! You saw for yourself!" Lily said, now furiously plucking the grass.

James looked at Lily, "So what if you fail a hundred times? Just make sure you get it right on the hundred and first time!"

Lily bit her lips.

James stood up, "Even if you fail a thousand times, all you have to do is succeed on the thousand and first time!"

Lily stared at the lake for a long time, then, she stood up and smiled.

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The great hall was buzzing with excitement. Professor Dumbledore had announced that the third years were going to have a formal ball and attendance was mandatory.

"But why?!" Jo was absolutely dismayed.

"Dumbledore just wants to introduce to the third years the concept of a formal ball." Remus replied, eating his cornflakes, not noticing the extra 'ingredients' Sirius had thrown in.

"But don't you think it's funny he wants the guys to wear, you know, smart muggle clothes instead of dress robes?" commented Lily.

"Yeah…"

"Maybe Dumbledore's feeling hyper today!" Sirius said brightly, glancing towards the teachers' table.

Everybody turned to look at the headmaster. Dumbledore had on this weird smile and on his plate were nine cupcakes. They nodded understandingly.

"So, has anyone asked you to the dance yet Kat?" Jo asked, looking quite pointedly at Remus.

Kat, who was reading The Daily Prophet, nodded absentmindedly. Lily looked up at Remus. He looked disappointed.

"But I turned him down," came Kat's voice from over the paper.

Remus' head snapped up at the moment she said that. Jo grinned. Lily smiled. Sirius smirked. James coughed to hide his laugh.

"What?" Kat asked, looking over The Daily Prophet.

Just then, a few third year girls from Ravenclaw came over to the Gryffindor table and seated themselves between the Marauders. Lily tilted her head, wondering what they were doing. James smiled at her little action. It was so… Lily.

"So how about you and I go to the dance together?" one girl asked Sirius, flipping her hair.

Jo coughed on her pumpkin juice.

"Isn't the guy supposed to ask?" Lily whispered to Kat, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Times are changing, I suppose."

The other girls also started asking the Marauders to the dance. Sirius raised an eyebrow. Since when were they popular with the girls? Since forever. A little voice in his head reminded him. Oh yeah.

Kat put down her paper, "I'm going to the library."

Remus looked at her and was about to say something but a Hufflepuff stopped him by attempting to feed him some pastries. Lily and Jo followed Kat but the moment they stood up, a few guys surrounded them and asked them to the dance.

Kat was surprised, "Huh?"

"The dance, would you like to go with me?" a pretty good-looking guy from Hufflepuff said.

"Uh…" Kat glanced back.

Jo cut in, "Kat has a date already, sorry."

Kat tugged at Jo's sleeve, "But I don't have a date."

Jo laughed nervously, "Of course you do. Remus asked you and you agreed, remember?"

Kat knew what Jo was driving at and kept quiet.

"Well then, how about you two charming ladies?"

Jo and Lily looked at each other, then looked around. Everyone was staring at them.

"Well…" More nervous laughter, "You see, we uh… don't dance?" It sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Of course you do! Don't try and be modest!" came James' voice.

Lily narrowed her eyes, "Why he…"

"So about the dance?"

Lily and Jo turned to the boys. They shrugged their shoulders, "Well, I suppose I…"

"We're so sorry but the ladies are taken."

Sirius and James.

The hopefuls quickly dispersed and soon they were left alone.

Jo blinked, "Was that an invitation to the dance?"

"I suppose you girls won't mind?" James asked.

Lily sighed. What else could she do?

Suddenly, Remus started choking, "Gah! Sirius, what did you put in my cornflakes?"

(A/N So is it officially a date?)

"Mr. Lupin, the Headmaster would like to see you."

The gang was in the common room.

"Yes Professor," said Remus, picking up his books, "See you guys later!"

Soon, Remus found himself in front of the gargoyle.

"Oops, I forgot to ask Minny for the password."

He tried everything. Lemon drops, Cockroach Clusters, Every Flavour Beans.

"Argh! I don't know, chocolate frogs."

Remarkably, the statue leapt away to reveal a staircase. Remus grinned and started climbing. As he ascended, he heard voices.

"Mr. Snape, I am disappointed. Why are you practising dark magic?"

Remus froze. Snape was practising dark magic? He strained to listen to the conversation.

"I believe you are not bad to the core, you could have injured her more seriously but you didn't."

Is he referring to Jo?

"You may leave now, I have a visitor."

He heard me?

Snape walked past Remus and looked at him coldly. Remus returned the glare. Then Dumbledore cleared his throat and Remus hurried in front of him.

"I trust everything is going fine? Any complications when you transform?" Dumbledore asked, clasping his hands together.

Remus opened his mouth but no words came out. He wanted to tell Dumbledore the group's plans on the Anamagi thing.

"Yes?" Dumbledore asked again, expecting an answer.

"Oh, uh… everything is fine."

Dumbledore looked at him through his half-moon spectacles, "Alright, just a routine check, you may go now."

Remus turned to leave when Dumbledore added, "Don't be quick to judge people. I'm sure you know best how it feels to be judged."

Remus nodded. So Snape is really practising dark magic? He walked back towards the common room, deciding whether or not he should tell the gang. Remus looked out of the window and saw Snape out by the lake, just standing there. He decided not to. At least, not now.

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It was the day of the dance and all the third years were excited. You could feel it in the air…literally.

"Black! Why are these confetti, streamers and junk floating in the middle of the hallway?" Professor McGonagall boomed.

Sirius let out a low whistle, "How did you guess Minny?"

"It has your fingerprints all over it." Professor McGonagall retorted, holding up the streamers and other party goods.

Sirius shrugged, "Just getting into the spirit of things." He turned away from the 'ready to explode' Professor and walked towards the girls, "Anyone up for a game of Quidditch?"

Half an hour later, the Marauders were up in the air, taking turns to throw the quaffle into the hoop. The girls, however, still had their feet planted firmly on the ground.

"No way are you expecting me on get on that old, rickety thing," Kat said, looking at the old school brooms.

"Yeah, I can imagine it now… We're flying on those brooms and when we're halfway up in the air and, may I add, very far from the ground, it snaps." Lily winced, 'Ouch…"

"At most, you'll just probably break a few bones." Remus said, landing besides her.

"I don't see what's so bad about broken bones anyway." Sirius said as he dismounted his broom. Jo absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair around her finger and admitted grudgingly, "I suppose if you do have broken bones, you weren't be able to attend the dance."

"Oh come on." Sirius said as he pulled Jo onto his broom.

Jo shrieked, "Promise you won't go too high!"

"Promises are meant to be broken, you know," replied Sirius.

"Fine, then I'll get… ah!!!" Sirius had already kicked off, "Sirius Black! You put me down this instant!"

"Sorry, no can do," came the reply.

Meanwhile, back on the ground…

"Wow… looks like they're having fun." Lily commented dryly.

Kat looked up the sky, one hand shading her eyes, "Wonder if Sirius has gone deaf yet?"

Yep, Jo was screaming pretty loudly. Oh wait, scratch that. She's screaming very loudly. Sound of shattering glass at the other end of the Hogwarts grounds. Okay, Sirius is probably deaf by now.

"So." James turned to Lily.

"So?" Lily raised a delicate brow.

James held out his broom, "Wanna ride?"

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Professor McGonagall looked briefly towards the window. She could have sworn she heard Lily screaming. She shook her head, "Must be getting old… the third years are preparing for their dance."

Or so she thought.

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Alright. Chapter 8 is done! Yay! Haha, review people!