A/N: Hey everyone, hope you guys liked the last chapter. I don't really have anything to say, so I'll just get on with the story.


Breakfast the next day was cheerful, although James still wasn't talking. Sirius sat by Holly, Remus, and Chloe, and James sat with Peter a few seats down. Sirius was delighted that people were laughing at his jokes. He'd become so used to James' blank stare over the summer.

"Schedules everyone," Lily said plopping down on the other side of Sirius.

Everyone reluctantly reached for their schedule, groaning at the site of them. Everyone, that was, except Sirius. Lily held it out to him, but he refused to take it.

"The way I see it," Sirius said logically, "If I don't have a schedule, then I can't go to my classes. And I won't get into trouble because it won't be my fault since I don't know what classes I have."

Lily raised an eyebrow, "However fool-proof your plan might be, I have a hunch that Dumbledore will get around it," she said laughing.

Sirius laughed and stared at Lily in astonishment at the same time. He was sure that Evans was going to chew him out for his stupid comment.

"I'm not a total priss, you know," Lily said, almost reading Sirius' mind, "I might actually talk to you more if you weren't always…getting into trouble."

Sirius was again taken aback at her remark. He could have sworn Lily was going to say, "If you didn't hang around James," but changed her mind at the last minute. Why did she hate James so much?

"So Lily," Holly said, "How is Amos doing?"

"Oh, he's great! Getting a job at the ministry, you know. It'll be so weird not having him around this year," Lily said, lost in thought.


The first day at Hogwarts soon turned into the first week and slowly the second week. Things were starting to into routine. James was using the responsibilities as Head Boy as an excuse for his silence. Nobody heard him talk except in class or when he was yelling at someone for doing sometime he himself had done everyday in years past.

"Okay," Lily said to Sirius, "Am I hearing things, or did Potter just tell someone off for tracking mud into the room?"

Sirius laughed, he'd discovered that he liked talking to Lily. They'd even become friends in a short time, and Sirius soon learned that Lily didn't mind people breaking the rules, as long as it wasn't James.

Sirius watched James sit back by the fire, wearing that blank expression that almost never left his face. James had been so quiet lately that it seemed like he wasn't even there. In fact, Sirius even felt himself looking forward to talking to Lily or Holly more that James lately. Then again, talking to James was like talking to yourself, a sign of insanity.

"He seems really uptight this year," Lily said and Sirius again had the weird sensation that she could read his mind.

"Yeah, I think he's still pretty upset about the break up with Miera," Sirius said cautiously.

"Wasn't that his choice?" Lily asked arrogantly.

"Erm-Did you ever talk to Miera about the break up?"

"Yeah, she said that James just called it quits out of the blue," Lily replied, "I told her that was just his nature."

"Lily," Sirius said heavily, "Why do you hate James so much? He only wants you to like him, just be his friend. Heck, one conversation without slapping him would make his year. And he did have a good reason to break it off with Miera. She was cheating on him, I saw it with my own eyes."

Lily looked surprised at what Sirius had told her. Surely James had done something first. Miera wouldn't have cheated on James for no reason. But what James had said back on the train kept popping into her mind, "You and your friends aren't as perfect as you think."

"Maybe you should try getting to know him without slapping him first," Sirius suggested with the gears spinning in his head.

Lily looked appalled, "He's the one being mean all the time, he should be happy I'm this nice to him!" Sirius smiled, maybe James had been right when he said that he and Lily would be a great couple.


James sat out by the lake, watching Miera and Dean walk around the lake, hand in hand. How could he have fallen for Miera so hard? He almost wished that he could just go back to liking Lily, however discouraging it was. But even Lily's place in his heart had been replaced with his brutal love for Miera.

" 'Lo Prongs," Sirius said, taking a seat by James. Sirius finally got tired of the silence between them, "Your still not over her are you?"

"No," James replied miserably.

"Look, I know-"

"No, Sirius, you don't know," James snapped, "If things ever look good in a relationship for you, you're the one cheating and breaking up."

Sirius knew there was truth in what James was saying, "I was afraid, Prongs, I was bloody scared that something might happen."

"Yeah? Well, you were probably right. Things happen," James added softly, "even if you think you're in love with each other."

"James, you can't do this to yourself," Sirius pleaded. "You haven't been yourself lately, it hardly seems like you're my best friend anymore," James' eyes flickered, and Sirius continued, "I haven't talked to the James I know since last term. The truth is, I can't live without you. I need you Prongs."

James looked at Sirius. He'd never heard Sirius be so, well, serious before. James knew that he was telling the truth, he hadn't been himself lately.

"You just don't understand," James said softly.

"We would if you'd just tell us," Remus said, appearing from the other side of the tree.

James looked at Remus and he could tell that Remus knew what had happened with Miera. He owned his best friends an explanation, how stupid it sounded, "After Miera cheated on me," James began slowly, "I didn't have a heart left. I mean, after I broke up with other girls I liked, I always had Lily to go back to. She always had a place in my heart. But after Miera, Lily wasn't there anymore, she was gone. I don't like her, and I'm afraid to let my heart go.

Remus looked at Sirius and knew that he wasn't going to talk, so he gathered his courage and said, "All of us have our problems, Prongs. I'm mean look at me, I'm a werewolf. Who would want to marry me? And Sirius here, Sirius is so afraid of love that he runs in the other direction whenever somebody mentions it," Sirius made a face at Remus. "So, what I'm saying is that you're going to get over Miera, it won't be the end of your love life."

James looked at Remus thoughtfully, "I'm not sure if it's so much Miera herself that I can't get over. I feel so terrible about what I've done to other girls and how much I've hurt them. Lily was right all along, no wonder she hates me. I'm nothing but a big headed conceited jerk."

"Well your not going to change your image by just sitting there looking like you're possessed," Sirius pointed out, "They'll get the wrong idea and think you're whacked."

For the first time in a long time, James cracked a smile. His smile grew wider and wider until he finally started laughing hysterically.

"Right," Sirius said looking at James like he was crazy, "What am I saying? You are whacked! Now lets go, I'm starving."

"We just ate," Remus said incredulously, "You eat more than any boy I've ever seen."

"Yea, well, I'm not a boy, I'm a man, a big strong man," Sirius said making his voice very deep. James and Remus looked at him skeptically, Sirius smiled and said, "What? You two need to watch more muggle cartoons."


A/N: ok I hope you guys liked it…I'm glad that James is coming out of his funk. It's so boring when the marauders aren't causing trouble. Well, tell you friends about the story so I get lots of reviews...not that I'm greedy, but its nice to know your work is appreciated. Anyway, feel free to critize or suggest things for the fic. Hope I can update soon!