Disclaimer: Don't own anything ever ever ever.
The beginning of the year feast was always the best for Lily. Not because the food got worse as the year progressed, but because the first day back made her feel content and comfortable, and when Lily was happy, her food was delicious. However, the food hadn't arrived yet.
"I'm hungry," Elain whined. "Hungry, hungry, hungry."
Lily was puzzled. "How can you be hungry when you just ate fourteen pounds of chocolate on our ride here?"
Elain glared at her. "If I ate fourteen pounds then you ate like forty."
"I barely ate any!" Lily retorted. Elain was about to fight back and the two were about to enter a chocolate war argument when Anne briefly cut them off.
"Shut up, you guys, sorting's starting," she hushed them and turned to watch as forty or so timid looking eleven-year-olds scramble into the Great Hall. They huddled close together and shrank away from the ghosts, who were cheerfully greeting them. The Great Hall fell into a merry buzz as its students watched the newcomers enter.
The old sorting hat was brought out and placed on the stool. Professor McGonagall opened a roll of parchment and began reading off the names as each boy or girl went up and jammed the hat onto their heads.
The first boy to be sorted turned out a Gryffindor, and as Lily cheered and clapped she found herself very amused at the boy's confident stride to the Gryffindor table. He reminded her of James and Lily turned her head to look at him. He sat quite a distance away from her with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and didn't notice her gaze.
The Marauders were clapping happily with looks on their faces that showed amusement and welcome. Lily again was pondering how James made head boy when Elain's voice shattered her thoughts.
"Lils," she said. "I know James Potter is really great to stare at continuously, but people around us are starting to get ideas."
Lily's blushed and quickly turned back around. Anne and Elain both laughed softly but said nothing more as another boy was sorted into Gryffindor.
James watched in admiration as Headmaster Dumbledore made his speech. He had always viewed Dumbledore with high regard and aspired to be someone like him. Dumbledore's speech was short but, as always, very interesting. He ended with another round of strange words before saying, "Let the feast begin."
"I'm starving," Sirius said as the Great Hall began to get noisy again. He stabbed the nearest plate beside him and quickly deprived it of two large pieces of chicken.
"I can tell," Remus said, watching Sirius fill up his plate with enthusiasm. He was quickly done and the plates around him were noticeably emptier but soon filled up.
"Can you eat all that, honestly?" Peter inquired, watching in awe as Sirius began to fill his mouth much the same way as he had filled his plate.
"I can eat all this and two plates more," Sirius said between mouthfuls. Peter quickly began filling his plate with everything Sirius had.
James frowned slightly at Peter's odd behavior. "Why are you eating everything Padfoot's eating, Wormtail?" he asked.
"I'm trying to get Emmie Terris to go out with me," Peter said, as if that explained every mystery in the world.
"Oh, yes," Sirius nodded. "That explains everything we've ever wanted to know, Peter."
Remus smiled slightly as he dug into his own food. "Emmie Terris?" he asked. "That girl from Hufflepuff? What does she have to do with eating the same foods as Sirius?"
Peter chewed down his slice of chicken. After quite a while he said, "I asked her out last year and she said…"
"Yes?" James was inquisitive. "What did she say?"
"She said she'll go out with me…if I became more like Sirius," Peter murmured.
Sirius let out a bark-like laughter and James couldn't help but chuckle. Remus could only shake his head in disapprobation but smiled a little. Peter couldn't figure out why they were laughing and could only look puzzled as he reached for more of the food Sirius had gotten.
When he had stopped laughing Sirius said, "Emmie Terris is a jerk. Forget her, Wormtail."
Peter looked slightly unhappy but continued to eat his food.
"I saw Snape today," James said, changing the subject.
"I bet he was happy to see you," Remus muttered, and his face was set in a serious expression.
"Don't think he was that happy," James smiled. "I said hi and he cursed at me. What's a guy gotta do to make friends with the Slytherines these days?"
Sirius offered fake sympathy and patted his friend on the shoulder. "It's okay, Prongs. It's okay. One of these days we'll all be skipping down the halls singing songs with the Slytherines."
James laughed and bit into his corn. He talked and roared with his friends, causing quite a racket as the Marauders usually did when they were together, and getting quite a few people's attention. Professor McGonagall even eyed them sternly but, seeing as they hadn't done anything troublesome yet, didn't say anything. When the feast was over, James got up to walk to the dormitories with the rest of Gryffindor when Remus grabbed his arm.
"James?" Remus raised his eyebrows. "You're Head Boy now."
James shrugged, surprised. "So?" he asked.
Remus rolled his eyes. "So you have something called responsibility. That's probably the first time you've heard the word, but it means you'll have to lead the first years to the dormitories."
"Oh," James said, watching Sirius and Peter's retreating backs. He then looked back at Remus thoughtfully and paused to ask, "Why weren't you made Head Boy, Moony?"
Remus shrugged but then said, "Maybe Dumbledore thought you and Lily would work well together." But he had said it so softly that James, who was already going to help lead the first years, didn't hear.
