James just couldn't keep up with everything that was going on around him for the next few weeks, it seemed. He would be caught in the middle of Charms day dreaming and Professor Wizzle would use an invisible tickling charm to wake him. Sirius and Remus seemed to not understand what was going on, according to James. Who knew what James thought lately, he blew Emily off at the slightest thought that Lily might see him. He was torturing himself with thoughts of Lily. James wanted to be something that just wasn't happening.

Lily seemed to be in a bit of a fix herself too. She couldn't seem to concentrate in Transfiguration and Professor McGonagall secretly knew what the reason was. Lily hadn't produced a proper hex, jinx, counter-jinx, or charm for weeks. Professor Wizzle resorted to using her famous tickling jinx whenever miss Potter would avoid doing work. Lily would skip meals and she hid in her room, she didn't go to Hogsmeade weekends and she refused to be in the corridors as much as possible. Normally Lily would pipe up and take on extra rounds for other Prefects with extra last minutes that prevented them from their duties however, Lily avoided this at all cost.

Dumbledore had indeed noticed all of this behavior. He could only wait until Lily or James was ready to come forward for his advice. Emily had already gone on a rant about James about how much he had changed and she was worried for him. Dumbledore assured her that it was only a phase and that James would sure return to his normal, charismatic self.

There was to be a small ball on Friday evening. James had told Emily that there was Quidditch until late in the evening so he wasn't going. However, she did not take this new very well and made her point quite clear the Thursday morning before the ball was due to take place.

"James, dear, how are you?" asked Emily sitting down next to him. James shot Sirius a look of loathing and then replied, "I'm just grand"

"Oh, and why is that?" She said spreading jam on a biscuit.

"I have Quidditch practice till about 10 on Friday evening"

Emily stopped what she was doing.

"You what?"

"Quidditch practice, it's on the ruddy thing I do around here anymore"

"yes it is, you never make time to spend it with me ever since Evans assigned you detentions."

"that's ridiculous, I've been caught up in make up work and Quidditch because of her, this is why I have no time for you aside from the very little I can spend with you" said James.

"James, you are going to the Ball with me Friday evening and I will hear no word against it, Have a good day in class" as she got up and walked over to the Ravenclaw table.

"What the bloody hell just happened?" asked Sirius

"I think James here, was told what he had to do on Friday night"

"I thought we were going to break into Wizzle's cupboard and get pissed off our rockers?" whispered Sirius.

"apparently that plan was nixed last night at dinner, Sirius" said James a bit irritated.

"oh" Sirius' looked put-out.

"I'm going to the common room, I'm not up for Wizzle's tickling hex for the 13th time" said James.

"Right, see you" Said Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

Really, the Marauders knew exactly what was going thru James' mind. James had to break up with Emily before it did him in. James sat in his favorite chair near the fire, in a foul-sullen mood. He thought and thought about how it would be grand to end things with Emily. It had just became too much to enjoy because he had to deal with everything else. She didn't get 2 weeks worth of detentions in a row, she wasn't behind like mad in all her schoolwork and she wasn't on the Quidditch team. He thought about forming a plan to make sure he didn't go to the ball but he couldn't come up with anything. He had used the whole go home to see his ailing grandmother too much, Remus wasn't due to change until the following weekend. He furrowed his brow, and adjusted the pillows so he could sleep until lunch, he could handle potions but charms was just too much.

Lily appeared at the top of the entrance of the girl's dormitory. She had slept in for the third time this week. Professor Wizzle was going to be furious with her. She would have to go after dinner for make up lessons. As she dashed down the stairs, she tripped and all of her books went in every direction possible. One book landed on James' lap waking him with a start. Lily froze with embarrassment. James just looked at the book, the stairs where Lily stood, and back to the book in his lap. Then, as if it hit her, Lily burst into tears. James, wide-eyed, didn't know what to do. He instead laid back down and covered his face with a pillow. Lily wiped her tears, cleaned her mess, and left the common room.

"that was your chance, you dolt" exclaimed Remus.

"You think so? I felt so bad, she looked so red in the face, I didn't say anything"

"James! James!"

He turned around to where the voice was coming from. It was Emily. She looked gleeful.

"I've just had a chat with your Quidditch Captain and she said she's canceled practice Friday evening, you can come to the Ball after all" she said excitedly.

"Oh you see, there's a bit of conflict now. Mum's just sent me an owl and said I have to come home this weekend, Grandmum's getting worse and she doesn't look like she'll make it to Christmas Holiday." Said James with a look of sympathy from Emily.

"Oh, James, I'm so sorry. It's slipped my mind about your Grandmum, I do apologize." she said sadly. "I understand if you wont be attending the ball."

"I knew you'd be a sport about the issue, I'll send your best to Grandmum." pecking her on the cheek and walking towards the pitch.

As soon as Emily was out of earshot, James began ranting. " Remus, I can't handle her anymore, it's the whole I want everything from you James bit that has me in a right state"

"Mate, if it's so bad just end it, I think she would understand" said Sirius

"No, I can't she'll think that it'll have something to do with Lily, and that reminds me today in the common room, Lily had a sort of fit, well I think. I was asleep for a good bit of it. I only woke up when her book came flying into my lap…"

Lily just so happened to be behind him in the corridor.

"Funny Potter, why don't you go hex Severus? Jerk" she said furiously.

James looked at Remus and then to Sirius with a look of she's off her rocker.

She is probably upset because she slept in and has to go to make up sessions" said Remus

"I dont care, she shouldn't cop that attitude with me" stated James.

Sirius looked ahead there was Severus consoling Lily.

"hey, we've got Snivelly at 12 o'clock and he's with Lily"

James didnt know what he wanted to do versus what he should do.

"I would just walk by because you might upset her and she'll assign detention you tomorrow night, and you're supposed to be going home Friday, remember?" said Remus.

"yeah, you're right lets go this way" said James.

And so they detoured around Lily and Snape.