"How can you possibly know so much about Animagi?" Lily asked, incredulous. McGonagall had asked them to work together and write a basic summary of the process and steps involved in turning into and animagus.
James smiled and shrugged. He had just explained to Lily the entire concept without so much as a glance at their Advanced Transfiguration textbook. "I like Transfiguration," was his only reply.
"No one," Lily said, still looking at him, "could like Transfiguration that much as to know the entire process of, of what you just described."
James shrugged again and said, choosing his words carefully, "Well I do, Evans. Just like you like Charms."
This comment took Lily completely by surprise and she looked back down at their textbook, though she wasn't reading anything. Inadvertently, she smiled a little, feeling somewhat happy that he knew what her favorite subject was.
Back a table behind them, Elain grumbled loudly and said, "I don't get this!" Her partner, a light-haired Ravenclaw boy, looked rather intimidated. Anne, who was working at the next table with Remus, laughed slightly at her. Lily caught Anne's eyes and they both smiled before Anne's face turned suddenly serious. Her lips formed the words, "Shocking, isn't it?" before quickly turning back to talk to Remus again.
Lily was bewildered at what Anne had meant, but soon forgot about it as they turned their paper in to Professor McGonagall.
She peered at them as she took their paper and said, "Finished already?"
James smiled a crooked smile and said, "Of course," before turning and walking back down the aisle again.
They weren't the only one who finished fast. Soon after them, Sirius, Samantha, Remus, and Anne went up to turn in their papers. Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows at each one of them, but didn't say anything.
When class ended, the Gryffindors headed to Potions and the Ravenclaws to Herbology. Lily caught up with Anne and asked, "What did you mean by shocking?"
Anne said, casually, "I mean the process of turning into an animal, it's shocking how people can be so good at transfiguration as to do this, don't you think?"
Lily nodded. Then Anne's face turned dark and she spoke again in a lower voice.
"And what's more shocking is how much Remus knows about this stuff. I heard some of you and James' conversation. He seems to know a lot, too, doesn't he?"
At this, Lily glanced at Anne sharply. "Transfiguration is Potter's best subject," she said finally.
Anne shrugged. "I just thought it was a bit odd."
Their conversation ended there. When Elain caught up with them, they soon began contemplating the dreadful first lesson of Potions so much that the subject was soon lifted out of their minds.
Lily had a fair day in Potions. She had added a male banshee's rather than a female banshee's saliva to her sleeping potion so that it turned into a puke green rather than a butter yellow color, but everything else went rather well.
After Potions, they had lunch. Everything was going along peacefully when Lily heard screams from the Slytherine table.
They turned to look and, as it seemed, the legs of the Slytherine table had disappeared, and the tabletop had crashed on the floor, spraying bits of juice and food onto just about everyone in the process. The Slytherines were looking disgusted and horrified at what had just happened, and they were all standing up, trying to clean the gunk off. Everyone else in the Great Hall was also standing up, trying to get a good view of what had just happened.
"No…" Lily whispered, her eyes flashing angrily. Elain giggled slightly and even Anne laughed, but Lily was the only one of the Gryffindors who didn't find the scene amusing. "He could not have," she hissed and immediately swiveled around to look at James.
He was pointing at Snape and laughing, with Sirius doubled up beside him. Peter was also squeaking in delight. Remus, who had buried himself in The One Million Ways to Use Grass Roots in Potions, was even having a hard time restraining himself from smiling.
"No, Lils," Elain said, still giggling as she saw the expression on Lily's face. "You are not going to…
"Oh, yes I am," Lily said with fire in her eyes.
"Lils…" Elain said again.
"POTTER!" Lily shouted at James, who immediately turned around to face her, still laughing at the Slytherines' fate.
"Evans!" He shouted back and ran his hand through his hair.
"I don't believe you!" Lily shouted again, quite frustrated. Quite a few people were now ungluing their eyes from the Slytherine scene to watch their Heads battle it out.
"What did I do?" James assumed a look of innocence which, not surprisingly, didn't work well. Even Remus had now put down his book to watch the two.
Lily went on, "You're so arrogant! What did they ever do to you, huh? Potter, you're always like this! You find some sort of entertainment from the embarrassment of others! You think you're so cool, but you're not! You're just a…a…bully, James Potter! I don't know how you can proceed to ask me out for the five hundredth time and…
James, whose face had fallen with each insult Lily had made, suddenly grinned said lightly, "You kept track, Evans? I never knew you cared so much."
The Gryffindors around them erupted into merry laughter. Lily stopped in her speech. As much as she didn't want to, she felt herself smile and turn slightly pink.
"Potter…you…" Lily was about to continue scolding but couldn't because she found herself laughing with the rest.
It was the first time for as long as she could remember that Lily Evans laughed at something James Potter had done to make her laugh.
James, seeing her reaction, chuckled lightly, feeling much happier until he felt a shadow cast over him. The shadow was caused by Professor McGonagall and the head of Slytherine, a grim woman called Professor Lott.
"Mr. Potter," McGonagall's voice was so deadly that the entire Gryffindor table quieted down. She seemed much taller at the moment to James.
"Uh…yes, Professor?" James offered nervously, glancing slightly at the huffing Professor Lott. The Slytherines, meanwhile, had forgotten about cleaning their food off and was now looking with full excitement at the scene.
"DID YOU DO THIS JAMES POTTER?" Lott screeched, pointing at the Slytherine table.
"Do what?" James asked, pulling an innocent look that was even worse than the one he had given Lily.
"Detention, Potter," McGonagall said again. "And twenty points from Gryffindor. I would think that making you a Head would have put more responsibility in you, but clearly it hasn't, has it Potter?" And, without waiting for an answer, she walked off briskly with Professor Lott trailing behind.
As she walked back, the Great Hall became loud again. Sirius patted his friend on the back and said, "At least you'll have detention with me."
James grinned and asked, curious, "You have detention, too?"
Sirius shook his head. "Nope," he said. "But I reckon I will pretty soon…Oh, Moony, don't look so glum. You can get detention with us."
Remus, who was looking disapprovingly at them, sighed and turned back to his book.
James sat back down again to finish his meal and he glanced at Lily. But instead of glaring at him, she looked back and smiled.
