Okay, this chapter is kinda pointles, I just needed to get Lily and James into a convo that wouldnt be overheard so this was what I came up with. Hopefully it doesn't do too much to derail the story line.

As you all very well know, I own none of the things you recognize, they are the products of that literary genious we all know and love: J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 4: Pointless Conversations

"Hey James, wait up!"

James turned to see Lily barreling through the crowd and swinging her book bag (James was particularly pleased when she "accidentally" hit Rodolphus Lestrange in the gut).

"Uh, can I help you?"

"I have no idea but I'm sure I'll find out."

"Okay, go on."

"Well, I'm feeling slightly opposed to having what I need to say heard by the general public, so if we could talk sometime when its good for you, we can avoid having peoples laundry aired in public so to speak."

"Um, okay, I'll talk to you tonight, meet me during dinner behind the fruit."

"Why there?"

"Because it's rather doubtful that we'll be overheard while everyone is gone to dinner and I don't really want to miss the largest meal of the day, thus the fruity location."

"Riiight, I'll meet you there, don't forget."

"Don't worry, I have the memory of an elephant."

"And an appetite to match it."

"Hey, watch yourself, you really don't have a lot of room to speak."

"No, not a lot, but more than you. See you at dinner." And with that she turned a corner and disappeared into the crowd.

"That has got to be one of the strangest conversations I've had in the last year or two. Lily Evans and I just talked to each other without her attempting to cause me some sort of bodily harm, that has got to be a miracle." James muttered, shaking his head and heading towards his next class.

Two hours later James wandered down to the kitchens for his scheduled chat with Lily. James walked casually into the kitchen, knowing that Lily had a reputation for being late for a good reason. Naturally he was very surprised to find Lily already waiting for him. 'Hmm... it must be important and I now have bragging rights as the only person to ever arrive somewhere after Lily Evans'.

"You needed to talk to me?"

"Uh huh, I have noticed a bit of something about two of our mutual friends and I figured that, since you seem to care a lot about the others then you would probably be glad to help, that and you'd probably love to horde it over their heads until the problem is resolved."

"Doth mine ears deceive me, is Lily Evans playing matchmaker?"

"Through no fault of my own I'll have you know."

"Ah, so you aren't just being a helpful, goodhearted friend after all, how did they get you to talk to me without trying to cause my insides to take up residence on my outside? Was it blackmail, or some other form of trickery?"

"All of the above if you must know."

"Really, what deep, dark secrets about our beloved prefect are being hidden from the Marauders?"

"None, at least not from all of the Marauders, one of them knows about it."

"Oh really, who would that be?"

"As though I'd be stupid enough to tell you. Do you truly believe that I hatched yesterday?"

"Why yes, straight from he egg of a basilisk, although you haven't managed to petrify anyone your glares certainly have something of a stony quality about them."

"Hardy, har, har, aren't you just a right bucket of laughs these days. Now can we get back to helping Remus and Lauren get together?"

"When did this conversation become about Remus?"

"Arrghh, why they had to choose you to help us is beyond me. I know, I know, we can't use Peter because he isn't the brutally confrontational sort, Sirius is a bloody idiot and has absolutely no tact whatsoever, naturally Remus couldn't give us advice about how to handle the situation seeing as it involves him but isn't there anyone else in the world?"

"Afraid not love, you seem to be stuck with me, its lucky for you too, as I happen to be a genius and as such, I am just the man for the job."

"You are bloody infuriating, you know that, right?"

"Oh, but bloody infuriating in a good sort of way eh?"

"I was under the impression that there was no such thing."

"Well, impressions were never really your strongpoint, where they?"

"No, not really, my first impression of you was favorable and look how that turned out."

"Are we maybe feeling a bit vindictive?"

"Can we just end this conversation? I've had more than my monthly quota of the bogus that spews from the mouth of James Potter."

"Sure Red, you need anything else?"

"Yes, don't call me Red."

"You didn't used to mind it."

"Yeah, well, you were the only one other than my dad to get away with that and you no longer have the immunity from punishment."

"Lily, are you going to hate me forever over that? I have apologized for it more times than I can count, can't you just give me a chance?"

"Apologizing doesn't fix everything, I'll give you a second chance when you prove to me that you really deserve one. Just get with me when you have a reasonable idea for helping us get those two together." She sighed as she pushed the portrait open and started back towards the common room.

"How d'you think it went?"

"Knowing Lily, James is probably battered and bleeding and she's likely planning our demise for sending her to get his help."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

The conversation between Jenna, Meara, and Melody was interrupted when the portrait hole swung open and teetered violently on its hinges.

"Wow Lily, was it all that bad?"

"Don't even talk to me or I may be inclined to hurt you." She growled and stomped toward the stairs, glowering at any who were foolish enough to be in her path.

Think we should maybe check on James?" Jenna asked over the irritable shrieks that were coming from the indignant portrait.

"Nah, he's right there."

"Well, he doesn't look much worse for the wear, amazing as it sounds, I don't think she hurt him."

"Not physically, but he looks worse than I did when my dog died."

"Your right, poor guy, he tries so hard but she just doesn't want to forgive him."

"Shows how much you know."

"Tempest, you have got to stop sneaking up on us like that, it's scary!"

"Yeah, so you've said, Lily does want to forgive him though."

"What are you talking about, she acts like he's the scum of the earth."

"That's because she's trying to convince herself that he is. She just wants him to prove that he's really sorry and that he wont hurt her again."

"Wow, did she tell you that?"

"Nah, I just spend my spare time analyzing and observing people."

"Who would have guessed? D'you suppose she likes him as in boyfriend material?"

"No, she just misses his company, apparently he understood her better than anyone else."

"You figured all this out through observation?"

"Nah, back in third year after she confronted him she broke down and spilled her heart out, hard to tell whether I should hate him for hurting Lily or like him for being there for her up to that point. Anyway, he just needs to show that he's changed and isn't just putting on an act to get in her good graces now that she's landed on Sirius Black's annual 'Snoggable Females of Hogwarts' list for the third year in a row."

"Wow, she made the list again, isn't that some sort of record or something?"

"Yeah, he told her that he just counts the votes, he doesn't make them, and that he thinks of her more like an exceptionally gorgeous sister than someone he would date."

"You know, I actually believe that, coming from the mouth of Sirius Black, the Marauders treat Lily like royalty, she's even given immunity from their pranks. She has no idea how good she has it."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to hope that James really wants her to forgive him because I get the feeling that until then we have a long year ahead of us."

Okay, I know this wasn't the best chapter ever but hopefully I can get past this foggy area I'm in, I have to link the chapters together but I have some later chapters that were really fun to write. Sorry for the delay on posting this chapter up, I would normally give you a wonderful excuse except I don't have one. However, due to some major frustration while doing my algebra I pumped out several chapters last night. I also have on in which Lily and James don't completely hate eachother (just mostly) and that one is kinda a transition chapter for them beginning to get along and I have already pre-written the chapter where they agree to a truce. Anyway hope you enjoy and this time I will try really hard to updat sooner. Also, if you hadn't noticed, I changed the name of the story, The Hogwarts Years was just for until I decided on a name. Julie