Lily had managed to avoid him for a week now, but every day it was becoming harder and harder. His once feeble attempts to impress her were catching up with her; after all these years, one night in detention could change all of … well, everything? She decided she would have to watch her back.

"Oh, come on, Prongs! You haven't told us anything about it! Look at me! You have me reduced to begging. Best friends don't do this to one another. Don't make me pout!" Sirius threatened, puckering his bottom lip. James laughed.

"You know, dear Padfoot, that if anything even mildly interesting had happened, I would have told you straight away." But Sirius was not stupid; he could see the glint in his friend's eyes.

"Pleeeeeeeeease!" Sirius suddenly leapt to his feet, then knelt next to James, took his hand, and began feverishly kissing it. James laughed, pulled his hand away, and shooed Sirius back to his seat.

"Come now, Paddy. It really wasn't that interesting. We shared a few words. She laughed, made a few jokes, talked to me a bit. That's all."

Sirius looked disgusted. "That's it? I've been following you around for a week practically groveling at your feet, trying to figure out why you've been smiling like a maniac, and that's it?"

James laughed deeply and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Ah, mate, can't looks be deceiving?"

Remus looked up from his dinner plate and glanced at James. "Did I just hear you make a literary statement?" he asked, sounding impressed.

James smiled. "Possibly." Sirius nearly fell out of his chair. Most occupants of the table, and some from the other house tables, stared at him in wonder. Only after Dumbledore cleared his throat did Sirius sit up more respectably, smiling rather sheepishly.

"I'd like to make an announcement." His voice echoed throughout the Great Hall, and yet, it was not too loud. Peter was impressed; he never seemed to get over the simple little things that were possible in this magical world he lived in. The rest of the Marauders found him quite annoying at times.

"As it is nearing the approach of October, I'd like to remind everyone that Halloween pranks, though they may provide entertainment, please be kept outside of the classrooms. Also, a list of the upcoming Hogsmead weekends will be posted tomorrow morning."

The Headmaster sat down, and the usual chattering continued.

"Did you hear that?" Sirius said excitedly to James and Remus, "Hogsmead. We can stock up for Halloween." Remus rolled his eyes.

"Didn't you hear him just say that we're not supposed to pull pranks in the classrooms?" he muttered, fully aware that Sirius would ignore him.

"You don't suppose we could get away with it, do you Prongs?" Sirius' manic grin was almost unnerving.

"Sorry boys, I have plans." Remus' head whipped around to James, who had a smug grin on his face.

"You're turning down a chance to go to Hogsmead?" Remus said in astonishment. Peter was suddenly quite interested.

"Ah…" Sirius said as the realization hit him. "So this is what Prongs has been up to."

"What? What?"

"Nothing, Peter, nothing." Peter looked away, no longer interested. But of course, he hadn't seen the knowing smile that had spread itself like butter across Sirius' lips.

"Where are you taking her?" Sirius asked as they climbed the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.

"Wouldn't you like to know," James said playfully, socking Sirius in the shoulder.

"Oh common Prongs. I promise I won't bother you. I'm just curious and all the likes.."

"Don't you try to fool me, dear old Padfoot. I know when you're up to something."

"Oh come on! I'm dying to know! You gotta tell me!"

"I'm quite tired, aren't you?" James said as they reached the portrait hole to the common room. Sirius wailed. "Patience, my friend, is a virtue," James declared, earning him another odd look from Remus.

The second weekend in October turned out to be sunny and warm. James found himself gazing out the windows of his classroom during one particularly boring Transfiguration class, longing to be out in such weather. He had taken to the task of making pictures from the swirling leaves falling from the trees.

In one pattern he found himself lost. The brilliant red leaves took him away, and suddenly he and Lily were out on the grounds, spinning round and round, hands clasped, Lily squealing with delight. James felt his grin grow wider and wider. Finally, they collapsed to the ground in a heap of laughter, smiling broadly, leaning in for a kiss…

"Mr. Potter!" rang a shrill voice, cutting through his daydreaming. "What could possibly be so interesting that you find it necessary to ignore my lesson?"

James looked up to see Professor McGonagall, standing next to his desk now blocking his view out the window, peering at him over the rims of her glasses. Beside him Sirius was snickering like mad. Remus, behind Sirius, was throwing things at him, trying to make him stop laughing, and Peter, sitting next to Remus, had hidden his face in his arms.

Across the room, Lily was having a hard time concentrating. Though the room was quite noisy with everyone chatting and trying to transfigure their pillows into badgers, she couldn't help but glance over at James occasionally.

About the third time she looked over at him, she uttered a sigh of disbelief. Once again, it seemed, he had managed to get himself into trouble. Professor McGonagall was reprimanding him for some stupid act or another, but Lily couldn't hear what she was saying.

And, suddenly, Lily realized that James was probably heading for detention. At first she wasn't surprised, but then she realized that if he was assigned detention it would be tomorrow, and no matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she was somewhat looking forward to her trip to Hogsmead with James. She knew what she had to do.

James was trying to argue his way around a detention sentence, but with every passing second it seemed as though his weekend with Lily was doomed to failure. Professor McGonagall had just opened her mouth to speak the dreaded words when a loud shriek emanated from across the room.

Professor McGonagall looked up to see Lily and her partner struggling with a particularly vicious badger. James caught Lily's eye and she winked, and then went back to helping her partner get untangled from the claws of the evil badger. Sirius, Remus and Peter broke out laughing and James sat there, extremely content, a genuine smile plastered on his face. McGonagall never got a chance to tell James just what exactly she was going to do with him.

Lily awoke the next morning feeling anxious and a bit apprehensive. She brushed her hair, put on some perfume, and changed into a slightly more attractive outfit. For a moment while she stood in front of her mirror, she wondered why she was doing this.

Why had she agreed to go on a date with Potter? And why was she dressing up for him? Was it the particularly pleading look on his face that evening during their detention, or the sincerity of his voice, or was it just that she was going completely insane?

Once in the common room, Lily sat in a rather large chair by the fire, tapping her foot impatiently. She was too nervous to go down to breakfast with her friends, so instead she fixed her gaze on the flickering glow of the flames before her.

Finally James showed up, of course accompanied by his three closest friends and troublemakers, she noted. She knew that Remus really wouldn't pull all of those pranks if he hadn't been a friend with James and Sirius, but he still enjoyed some of them.

Lily watched as the Marauders made their way up the staircase to the boys' dorms. She became more and more jumpy. At last James emerged at the bottom of the staircase, dressed for the chilly weather. Lily wondered if she should have grabbed her cloak, but just then James sat down on the arm of her chair.

"Don't get too comfortable," Lily warned, standing up to face him. When she looked at him she noticed, for the first time, that she was at least four inches shorter than him. James didn't seem to take too much heed of this, which she was glad for. She didn't need him boasting about how she had to 'look up' to him.

At first there was an uncomfortable silence. Lily had, however self grudgingly, not made a fit about James linking arms with her, and she allowed him to open the door for her when they reached the Entrance Hall. He was treating her like a lady for once, Lily thought, and though she hoped she wouldn't have to, she knew she could use it as blackmail if the need should arise.

They had nearly reached the gates to leave the school grounds when James became aware of Lily's slight shivering. Turning to look at her, he stopped and let out a small laugh. Lily met his gaze, daring him to laugh at her again.

"What's so funny?" she asked, trying to sound polite, but she knew she was no good at hiding the scorn in her voice.

"You're shivering like mad," James stated. "I thought you were smart enough to bring something along," he added. "Here, have this." James took off his cloak and held it out to her.

"I don't need it," Lily said, trying to sound dignified.

"Don't be stupid," James said. Lily frowned. "You're cold. I can tell," he corrected himself.

Lily shook her head adamantly. "I don't need it." Her voice was even less convincing than the first time she had refused him. James chuckled and draped the cloak over her shoulders. As they carried on, he walked a bit behind her, rubbing her arms quickly to keep them warm. Lily could not help but smile.

"You know, you can be quite charming sometimes," Lily said.

'Oh my GOSH! I did not just say that out loud!' she suddenly thought to herself.

"And your head probably just inflated another two inches," Lily added.

James grinned. "Nah, just one inch." Lily punched him in the arm playfully. "So I s'pose you're going to want to go to Madam Puddifoot's or something?" James added, suddenly quite sullen.

"Now I know you probably think I'm quite dull, but I take that as an insult" Lily said. James opened his mouth, either to protest or to apologize, but Lily smiled. "I didn't know you even realized that place existed. But no, I'd prefer The Three Broomsticks, if you don't mind."

James sighed dramatically. Lily hadn't even noticed he'd been holding his breath. She also didn't realize that he had long since stopped rubbing her arms and now had his arm around her waist. When she did notice, she teasingly wiggled out of his grasp and ran ahead a couple of paces, then slowed down and waited for him to catch up.

She had been completely surprised when James crept up behind her without a sound and swept her off her feet. She was in his arms and they were swirling round and round, the leaves cascading on and around them, just like in James' daydream. Lily squealed with delight, but finally James put her down. Without saying a word, she took his hand and they entered the pub together.

"Butterbeer really warms a person up," Lily said from across the table. She had quickly shed James' thick winter cloak.

"Yea," James said absentmindedly, "yea it does."

Lily looked at him. He seemed to have gone all peculiar-like suddenly, and she was attempting to make out what his problem was. "Is something wrong?" she asked, sounding more concerned than she should have.

"No, nothing," he said, looking up from his drink to catch her eye. He smiled, and Lily gulped, knowing that she was blushing a bit too much for her own good.

'How can I be attracted to him like this?' she thought to herself. 'It can't lead me to anyplace that is worth being…'

She glanced up again, and James was staring into his drink, as if enchanted by the swirls it was making. Never in his life had he been short of words. He had always had something to say. Lily even said herself that he was charming.

'So why isn't anything coming to me?' James thought.

But he could not fool himself; he knew exactly why. He had waited all of his life for this moment, and he knew that he could not screw it up.

"…James?"

Somewhere in the distance, he sensed that someone was trying to talk to him.

"James? James, did you hear me at all?" Lily asked. James noticed a familiar tone of annoyance in her voice.

"Sorry, I was just thinking …" he said lamely.

"Yea, it must be so great," Lily spat, suddenly angry, "being able to have any girl you want. You can just pick any one you want from the queue, and when you get sick of her you can throw her away like old garbage and get a new one. Real moralistic."

James was trying hard not to gape like an idiot. He definitely did not like the way things were going.

"How much money did you bet your friends that you could get me, too? Hmm! How much?" Lily was fuming. She was breathing hard and fast; she couldn't remember when she'd felt so hurt.

"Well I'm certainly not going to put up with you. This date is over, Mr. Potter." Lily slammed a few coins on the table for her drink, thrust James' cloak at him, and stormed out of the pub, the bell on the door jingling at her. After a few moments everyone stopped staring at the boy and resumed their conversations.

James stood up slowly, shoved his hands deep into his pockets, and wandered back towards the castle, wishing that he could somehow start the whole day over again. But he could do no such thing.