The days seemed to fly by for Lily and James and soon it was the evening of Valentine's Day. Lily and Sarah had spent most of the afternoon blow-drying their hair, manicuring their fingernails, applying makeup, etc. Sarah was going with a sixth year Ravenclaw named Bruce Litson, who, according to her, was just as hot as Sirius. Lily met James in the common room, his hazel eyes looking almost blue in the reflection of his robes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James had spent most of the day planning for the next full moon with Remus, Sirius, and Peter. He had to endure their taunts when he stopped to take a shower in the middle of planning. He pulled on his dress robes, and feeling more nervous than he had ever felt before, went down to meet Lily in the common room. He almost fainted when she smiled at him in her green robes, matching her eyes and making her hair look like flames.
James muttered something incoherent about how beautiful she looks and was rewarded with a dazzling smile from Lily. Walking down to the dance was a blur to both of them, neither really believing that they were going together.
The Great Hall was arranged with tables for eight people at each one around the edges and an open area in the center. Lily and James sat at an empty one in a corner. They were soon joined by Sarah and Bruce, Sirius and a pretty girl, who introduced herself as Erika with a 'k', and finally by Remus and Peter, both dateless.
Lily: "We're eating dinner, right?"
Peter: "We better be."
Sirius laughed, sounding remarkably like a dog: "You would say that, Wormtail."
Erika: "Wormtail?"
Sirius: "We used to call him 'the rat' behind his back, we changed it to 'Wormtail' in his face..."
James: "However, Sirius, we still call you 'the best tall tale inventor since they were invented' Remus and I haven't found a good way to shorten that, we're working on it."
Lily: "Call him Mark."
James: "After...?"
Lily: "Mark Twain! He rivals Sirius at taking the truth and distorting it."
Remus: "Isn't he some crazy Muggle?"
Lily: "He was a writer..." Unknown to them, Snape had been listening to the last part of the conversation.
Snape: "Mudblood..." James reached in his robes for his wand, but Lily grabbed his arm.
Lily: "Let me be, just this one, for me?"
James: "...fine... but if he calls you that again..."
Sirius: "Little bastard, does he even realize that you, from Muggle parents, know more than the pure blood wizards? You know the Muggle and Magic worlds."
Lily laughed: "So calling me a Mudblood is a compliment..."
Peter: "Mudblood..."
James: "It still isn't... It's all about intentions here, he could call you 'the most fair maid ever to walk the earth' and if he means it as an insult it is! I just... he's really doing it to me, it's probably not you that he wants to insult, he just hates me... or I hate him... or more likely, both."
Sirius: "Prongs, chill... He hates you; you hate him. Besides, if you get mad, what will Lily do?"
James: "No, you've got your date."
Erika: "James? Explain?"
James: "Nothing..."
Erika: "With a 'k', Sirius?"
Sirius: "Nothing!"
Erika: "Really?"
James: "You better believe him, Erica."
Erika: "With a 'k'!"
She was interrupted by Dumbledore speaking.
Dumbledore: "Let dinner be served" He raised him hands, his beard, just beginning to turn gray, shone in the candlelight. With his words food appeared at each of the tables, everything either pink, red, white, or heart-shaped. Remus, Peter and Sirius all looked at the food, obviously slightly disgusted with its choice of color. Bruce looked indifferent, helping himself to a large plateful of heart-shaped fold-overs. James caught Lily's eye and the two of them laughed. Erika and Sarah, however, squealed with obviously delight at its keeping with the Valentine's Day theme.
As soon as they had finished the raspberry cheesecake music started. Sirius and Bruce, both looking like they would rather have another piece of raspberry cheesecake, were dragged onto their dance floor by their dates.
James: "Mind if we abandon you two?"
Remus: "Go ahead..." Peter didn't look very sure that he agreed, but he didn't contradict Remus. James and Lily were soon in each others arms, dancing, silent for a few songs...
James: "Lily?"
Lily: "James?"
James: "Remember when I told you that I loved you?"
Lily: "Yes..?"
James: "I meant it. I wish I could keep my temper and be perfect for you, but each time I do something stupid..." He was cut off by a curse hitting James, causing him to become completely petrified. Lily sighed, pulled out her wand and quickly performed the counter curse.
James: "Thanks, Tig."
Lily: "Welcome, Prongs."
James: "Wa..." He was cut off by another curse whistling over his head. Whirling around saw, hidden slightly behind a plant about five feet from them, Snape with his wand out. James, who was having some problems controlling his rage, pulled his wand out, petrifying him.
James: "Don't even start, Tig, he did that to me, I did it to him. He started it, if I don't do something he'll just keep on cursing me..."
Lily: "Just this once, I agree." They went back to dancing, James forgetting the incident and Lily only remembering it because she realized that sometimes Snape does deserve when he gets. However, unknown the them Snape was gaining mobility. Snape glared at them, dancing close, engaged in some conversation. He hated the pair of them, him for being who he is and her for not seeing through him. He had thought that she was a decent person, but she had proven the opposite to be true. He knew they would pay for it, someday, it was either joining the Dark Side or death... That Peter Pettigrew was getting the message, maybe he'd be an ally someday... He smiled to himself as he sat in a chair near where Lily and James were talking, and holding hands. He started going through all of his favorite hexes in his mind, finally deciding on the perfect one he took careful aim...
~~~~~~~~~~~
James was just beginning to feel the anger he felt when Snape cursed him fade. He moved to stand closer to Lily, which was very fortunate, because a curse whistled in the air where he was before, hitting a plant and causing it to shrivel, turn brown, and break out in blue spots. The anger that had just began leaving him came back, more furious than before.
James: "SNIVELLUS!! YOU DARK-OBSESSED FOOL! Furnunculus! Petrificus Totalus!" James was shaking in fury, cursing him twice more, he turned to Lily.
James: "Th... that... little... IDIOT, he doesn't even see what's he doing! He's so caught up in his own 'Potter cursed me' thoughts that he..." At that moment the easy familiarity between them vanished.
Lily: "Well... Potter... I think that YOU could at least see what YOU are doing! You see him as a blemish to your ego! You don't care about what I think? What he thinks? He obviously didn't curse you for NOTHING in the beginning! I'm sure... 'he was mad, because I'm better than him, and he cursed me, so I cursed him, so he cursed me...' one of you will have to stop this! Good night!" Lily stormed off back to the Gryffindor tower. She lay in bed, feigning sleep to avoid talking to Sarah, or anyone else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James knew from the moment that Lily shouted at him that he would have to win her back, somehow. He wondered why he had fallen for one of the few girls in school who hadn't fallen for him, but the instant that thought entered his mind he tried to shut it out. Telling himself "you're being arrogant again..." Thinking it'd be a lot harder to actually be Lily's perfect idea of him than to decide that he needed to be it, he too left and went to bed. Unlike Lily, however, he sat, still fuming, at the window, waiting for someone to talk to. Sirius finally joined him.
Sirius: "Prongs, what happened?"
James: "he... he... cursed me..."
Sirius: "HE?"
James talked in broken sentences: "Snivellus... he cursed me, hit me once, she performed the counter curse... He tried again, missed, I did a full body bind on him... She said he deserved that and we were getting along fine... Until he revived and tried to curse me, missed, made a plant break out in blue spots... I was just about to forget it... when he did that... I sort of... well... exploded and started cursing him... Lily exploded too... only it was... at me..."
Sirius: "That's OK, Erica went off with that Sarah girl... I was stuck talking to Remus and Peter, rather boring the pair of them without you. Not Moony. Just Peter's current crazy idea that Dark Arts might be good... I thought we got rid of that last year..."
James imitated Erika: "With a 'k'!" but then got depressed: "Evans ... she overhead us last year... she says that's what made her go with me..."
Sirius: "You really do care for her... She'll forgive you, eventually..."
James: "Peter's into Dark Arts AGAIN? He's almost as bad as Snivellus..."
Sirius: "No one is as bad as Snivellus..."
James: "...except me..."
Sirius: "You?! Are you sure that he didn't hit you with some weird hex?"
James: "she thinks I am..."
Sirius: "Prongs, listen, you are who you are. I don't mind your cursing him, she's probably the only person in the school who does..."
James: "Which makes her the only one with a heart..."
Sirius: "No, which makes her the only one who expects the world to be full of only perfect people. The point is, that if you show her how much you try to be perfect, not meaning that you can't even get a spot of mud on you. I mean perfect in Lily's idea of perfect. She wants you to be high and mighty, someone who can be looked up to.
James: "I'm trying!"
Sirius: "Don't get mad at me, I never said that I want you to stop cursing him... He deserves it."
James: "Sorry, Mark."
Sirius: "Prongs..."
James: "Yes?"
Sirius: "Let's get Peeves to chase Snivellus around..."
James: "...and then Lily won't see me cursing him, Peeves will do that... I'm so glad that we were able to get him on our side..."
Sirius: "Now?" James grabbed the invisibility cloak and soon the two of them were walking through the corridors, searching for Peeves. Spotting him ahead of them, James made a strange whistling call. Peeves saluted.
Peeves: "Hello, Marauders... need help on a prank?"
James: "...not a specific one, but we need help..."
Peeves: "...you need my help...?"
James: "We need you to help us make Snivellus's life as close to hell as possible. Don't worry, we'll get you in on some planned pranks, but we need you to do the usual, blowing in his ear, pulling rugs from under his feet, dropping soapy water on him, whatever appeals to you. Will you help?"
Peeves: "Let me get this straight... You want me to pull pranks on him?"
Sirius: "If you are up to task, of course."
Peeves cackled: "He'll never know what hit him... Peevesy is going to have some fun... But you have to promise to let me in on your next two pranks."
James and Sirius: "You will be!" Peeves went off in search of his victim, singing happily.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James had spent most of the day planning for the next full moon with Remus, Sirius, and Peter. He had to endure their taunts when he stopped to take a shower in the middle of planning. He pulled on his dress robes, and feeling more nervous than he had ever felt before, went down to meet Lily in the common room. He almost fainted when she smiled at him in her green robes, matching her eyes and making her hair look like flames.
James muttered something incoherent about how beautiful she looks and was rewarded with a dazzling smile from Lily. Walking down to the dance was a blur to both of them, neither really believing that they were going together.
The Great Hall was arranged with tables for eight people at each one around the edges and an open area in the center. Lily and James sat at an empty one in a corner. They were soon joined by Sarah and Bruce, Sirius and a pretty girl, who introduced herself as Erika with a 'k', and finally by Remus and Peter, both dateless.
Lily: "We're eating dinner, right?"
Peter: "We better be."
Sirius laughed, sounding remarkably like a dog: "You would say that, Wormtail."
Erika: "Wormtail?"
Sirius: "We used to call him 'the rat' behind his back, we changed it to 'Wormtail' in his face..."
James: "However, Sirius, we still call you 'the best tall tale inventor since they were invented' Remus and I haven't found a good way to shorten that, we're working on it."
Lily: "Call him Mark."
James: "After...?"
Lily: "Mark Twain! He rivals Sirius at taking the truth and distorting it."
Remus: "Isn't he some crazy Muggle?"
Lily: "He was a writer..." Unknown to them, Snape had been listening to the last part of the conversation.
Snape: "Mudblood..." James reached in his robes for his wand, but Lily grabbed his arm.
Lily: "Let me be, just this one, for me?"
James: "...fine... but if he calls you that again..."
Sirius: "Little bastard, does he even realize that you, from Muggle parents, know more than the pure blood wizards? You know the Muggle and Magic worlds."
Lily laughed: "So calling me a Mudblood is a compliment..."
Peter: "Mudblood..."
James: "It still isn't... It's all about intentions here, he could call you 'the most fair maid ever to walk the earth' and if he means it as an insult it is! I just... he's really doing it to me, it's probably not you that he wants to insult, he just hates me... or I hate him... or more likely, both."
Sirius: "Prongs, chill... He hates you; you hate him. Besides, if you get mad, what will Lily do?"
James: "No, you've got your date."
Erika: "James? Explain?"
James: "Nothing..."
Erika: "With a 'k', Sirius?"
Sirius: "Nothing!"
Erika: "Really?"
James: "You better believe him, Erica."
Erika: "With a 'k'!"
She was interrupted by Dumbledore speaking.
Dumbledore: "Let dinner be served" He raised him hands, his beard, just beginning to turn gray, shone in the candlelight. With his words food appeared at each of the tables, everything either pink, red, white, or heart-shaped. Remus, Peter and Sirius all looked at the food, obviously slightly disgusted with its choice of color. Bruce looked indifferent, helping himself to a large plateful of heart-shaped fold-overs. James caught Lily's eye and the two of them laughed. Erika and Sarah, however, squealed with obviously delight at its keeping with the Valentine's Day theme.
As soon as they had finished the raspberry cheesecake music started. Sirius and Bruce, both looking like they would rather have another piece of raspberry cheesecake, were dragged onto their dance floor by their dates.
James: "Mind if we abandon you two?"
Remus: "Go ahead..." Peter didn't look very sure that he agreed, but he didn't contradict Remus. James and Lily were soon in each others arms, dancing, silent for a few songs...
James: "Lily?"
Lily: "James?"
James: "Remember when I told you that I loved you?"
Lily: "Yes..?"
James: "I meant it. I wish I could keep my temper and be perfect for you, but each time I do something stupid..." He was cut off by a curse hitting James, causing him to become completely petrified. Lily sighed, pulled out her wand and quickly performed the counter curse.
James: "Thanks, Tig."
Lily: "Welcome, Prongs."
James: "Wa..." He was cut off by another curse whistling over his head. Whirling around saw, hidden slightly behind a plant about five feet from them, Snape with his wand out. James, who was having some problems controlling his rage, pulled his wand out, petrifying him.
James: "Don't even start, Tig, he did that to me, I did it to him. He started it, if I don't do something he'll just keep on cursing me..."
Lily: "Just this once, I agree." They went back to dancing, James forgetting the incident and Lily only remembering it because she realized that sometimes Snape does deserve when he gets. However, unknown the them Snape was gaining mobility. Snape glared at them, dancing close, engaged in some conversation. He hated the pair of them, him for being who he is and her for not seeing through him. He had thought that she was a decent person, but she had proven the opposite to be true. He knew they would pay for it, someday, it was either joining the Dark Side or death... That Peter Pettigrew was getting the message, maybe he'd be an ally someday... He smiled to himself as he sat in a chair near where Lily and James were talking, and holding hands. He started going through all of his favorite hexes in his mind, finally deciding on the perfect one he took careful aim...
~~~~~~~~~~~
James was just beginning to feel the anger he felt when Snape cursed him fade. He moved to stand closer to Lily, which was very fortunate, because a curse whistled in the air where he was before, hitting a plant and causing it to shrivel, turn brown, and break out in blue spots. The anger that had just began leaving him came back, more furious than before.
James: "SNIVELLUS!! YOU DARK-OBSESSED FOOL! Furnunculus! Petrificus Totalus!" James was shaking in fury, cursing him twice more, he turned to Lily.
James: "Th... that... little... IDIOT, he doesn't even see what's he doing! He's so caught up in his own 'Potter cursed me' thoughts that he..." At that moment the easy familiarity between them vanished.
Lily: "Well... Potter... I think that YOU could at least see what YOU are doing! You see him as a blemish to your ego! You don't care about what I think? What he thinks? He obviously didn't curse you for NOTHING in the beginning! I'm sure... 'he was mad, because I'm better than him, and he cursed me, so I cursed him, so he cursed me...' one of you will have to stop this! Good night!" Lily stormed off back to the Gryffindor tower. She lay in bed, feigning sleep to avoid talking to Sarah, or anyone else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James knew from the moment that Lily shouted at him that he would have to win her back, somehow. He wondered why he had fallen for one of the few girls in school who hadn't fallen for him, but the instant that thought entered his mind he tried to shut it out. Telling himself "you're being arrogant again..." Thinking it'd be a lot harder to actually be Lily's perfect idea of him than to decide that he needed to be it, he too left and went to bed. Unlike Lily, however, he sat, still fuming, at the window, waiting for someone to talk to. Sirius finally joined him.
Sirius: "Prongs, what happened?"
James: "he... he... cursed me..."
Sirius: "HE?"
James talked in broken sentences: "Snivellus... he cursed me, hit me once, she performed the counter curse... He tried again, missed, I did a full body bind on him... She said he deserved that and we were getting along fine... Until he revived and tried to curse me, missed, made a plant break out in blue spots... I was just about to forget it... when he did that... I sort of... well... exploded and started cursing him... Lily exploded too... only it was... at me..."
Sirius: "That's OK, Erica went off with that Sarah girl... I was stuck talking to Remus and Peter, rather boring the pair of them without you. Not Moony. Just Peter's current crazy idea that Dark Arts might be good... I thought we got rid of that last year..."
James imitated Erika: "With a 'k'!" but then got depressed: "Evans ... she overhead us last year... she says that's what made her go with me..."
Sirius: "You really do care for her... She'll forgive you, eventually..."
James: "Peter's into Dark Arts AGAIN? He's almost as bad as Snivellus..."
Sirius: "No one is as bad as Snivellus..."
James: "...except me..."
Sirius: "You?! Are you sure that he didn't hit you with some weird hex?"
James: "she thinks I am..."
Sirius: "Prongs, listen, you are who you are. I don't mind your cursing him, she's probably the only person in the school who does..."
James: "Which makes her the only one with a heart..."
Sirius: "No, which makes her the only one who expects the world to be full of only perfect people. The point is, that if you show her how much you try to be perfect, not meaning that you can't even get a spot of mud on you. I mean perfect in Lily's idea of perfect. She wants you to be high and mighty, someone who can be looked up to.
James: "I'm trying!"
Sirius: "Don't get mad at me, I never said that I want you to stop cursing him... He deserves it."
James: "Sorry, Mark."
Sirius: "Prongs..."
James: "Yes?"
Sirius: "Let's get Peeves to chase Snivellus around..."
James: "...and then Lily won't see me cursing him, Peeves will do that... I'm so glad that we were able to get him on our side..."
Sirius: "Now?" James grabbed the invisibility cloak and soon the two of them were walking through the corridors, searching for Peeves. Spotting him ahead of them, James made a strange whistling call. Peeves saluted.
Peeves: "Hello, Marauders... need help on a prank?"
James: "...not a specific one, but we need help..."
Peeves: "...you need my help...?"
James: "We need you to help us make Snivellus's life as close to hell as possible. Don't worry, we'll get you in on some planned pranks, but we need you to do the usual, blowing in his ear, pulling rugs from under his feet, dropping soapy water on him, whatever appeals to you. Will you help?"
Peeves: "Let me get this straight... You want me to pull pranks on him?"
Sirius: "If you are up to task, of course."
Peeves cackled: "He'll never know what hit him... Peevesy is going to have some fun... But you have to promise to let me in on your next two pranks."
James and Sirius: "You will be!" Peeves went off in search of his victim, singing happily.