Autumn quickly slipped by. Most of the students were busy with school work and making plans for the upcoming winter holidays. The four Marauders spent their time like they had every other year at Hogwarts: namely, playing pranks on other students and trying to get away with as much as they could. As team captain, James spent a lot of his time on the quidditch field as well. Gryffindor beat Slytherin in their first game together of the year, and he had hoped to use that to his advantage in getting Lily. Although she was excited her house had won, she seemed to be the only person who didn't congratulate him personally. In fact, shortly afterward she starting dating a Hufflepuff boy named Thomas Shay. Unfortunately, it ended after only a few weeks. Lily and Thomas had gone to Hogsmeade together, and James had followed them around the entire day. When they returned to Hogwarts, Thomas told her he didn't want to date anyone with her own fan club.

"What is wrong with her?" James asked his friends for the four hundredth time. He had been watching Lily while they ate dinner. She was sitting further down the Gryffindor table with some of her friends, joking and laughing. Occasionally, a girl would look over to where the Marauders were sitting together. But Lily never looked.

"As your best mate, I feel it's my duty to tell you to just forget it! It's not going to happen," replied Sirius.

"I just can't figure it out," he continued, ignoring Sirius. "Why? Why won't she go out with me?"

"She seems to like guys who are really smart," said Remus.

"I'm smart!"

"But you don't worry about your grades."

"Maybe you should try ignoring her completely," suggested Peter.

"Maybe you should buy her something," added Remus.

"Maybe you should hex her food with a love potion," said Sirius.

James sighed. "You are all not helping."

"Maybe you're just too tall."

"Maybe your breath stinks."

"Maybe she only likes vampires."

"Enough!" James turned back to his food while the other three continued to make outrageous suggestions. He thought about what Remus had said. Maybe that was it. Maybe she wanted someone who was boring and cared only about school. Well, if that's what she wanted, that's what she was going to get.

He shared his new plan with his friends. "I'm going to devote myself fully to studying. No more breaking any rules. No more goofing around."

"I give it one week," said Sirius.

However, James proved him wrong. Almost as soon as they returned from the winter holiday, it was as if James was another person. He was no longer playing pranks on Slytherins or hexing people in the hallways. When he wasn't practicing quidditch, he was studying. His teachers remarked on his new devotion to his studies. During one particular Transfiguration class, the professor had declared him the top student in the class.

Lily had also noticed this sudden change in James. After another Potions class where James had emerged with the highest marks, she wondered about it out loud while relaxing in the common room one evening. "What do you think has gotten into him?" she asked her friends Candeline Cross and Apple Gladstone.

Apple shrugged. "Maybe he's trying for head boy next year. Why do you care all of a sudden? I thought you didn't even like him."

"I don't," Lily said quickly. However, there was a twinge of something that she couldn't quite pinpoint. James had also stopped asking her out every chance he got. She hadn't noticed until Valentine's Day had come, and she received a box of chocolates from James. The chocolates were all shaped like animals, and whenever she opened the box they started to dance. The present made her realize that it was the first time in weeks that he had done anything to get her attention. She hid the chocolates in her room, and never admitted to anyone that they had really made her laugh.

"Right, Lily," joked Candeline. "Handsome, popular, and now super smart? Even you can't resist him."

March arrived, and suddenly the Daily Prophet began reporting on a wave of attacks that had killed and injured several witches and wizards. No one knew who was behind the attacks, which means that everyone was under suspicion. Finally, one morning the paper arrived and announced that Lord Voldemort was responsible for the deaths. He had recruited an army of dark wizards and witches who were carrying out his attacks. Voldemort had only been a whispered threat among the wizarding world. Now he seemed to be starting a war upon them all, and it was almost impossible to tell who had sided with him and who had not.

The students at Hogwarts talked about this new threat daily. Several students had been sent home because they had family members who had been attacked. The threats grew steadily worse, and then an attack was made on a wizard who lived near Hogsmeade. A trip to the village had been already scheduled for the following weekend, and many students were on edge. The night before the trip, Dumbledore made an announcement at dinner.

"I know many of you have been following the tragedies that have struck many of our friends as the result of Voldemort and his followers." Students shivered at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "I, however, would not wish to see fear of this evil bring a halt to our school activities. Therefore, the trip to Hogsmeade will still commence tomorrow. Any students who wish to stay behind may do so. Those who decide to go, please be aware that there will be security in the town. If you see anything suspicious, report it to a staff member immediately. We must all work together during these dark times. The Dark Lord will only win by breaking us apart with suspicion and fear."

In the Gryffindor common room that night, the students huddled together and talked about Dumbledore's announcement. "I'm not scared of those Death Eaters," said Sirius loudly. "I just hope they try something tomorrow."

"Oh shut up," said Charles Churley, one of the fifth year students. "You'd be scared to death if you came across one of the Death Eaters."

"That's what you think," Sirius said, standing.

"It is, in fact," said Charles, standing up to him.

"Stop it, both of you." Lily jumped in between them. "Remember what Dumbledore said. We have to stick together. It won't do if we have Gryffindors arguing among themselves!"

"Stay out of this, Evans," said Sirius.

James walked over and pulled on Sirius' arm. "Come on, leave it alone." He led Sirius to the other side of the room. When they were out of earshot, Sirius said, "What's with you? Any other time you'd be there to back me up."

"I was backing you up," said James, "and keeping you out of trouble."

"Don't do me any favors." Sirius pushed James away and stalked out of the room.

James looked over and saw Lily watching them. He walked over to where she sat. Lily suddenly became very interested in her book.

"Lily, can I talk to you?"

Lily looked up. "All right, I suppose."

"Sorry about that," James said.

"You don't have to apologize for him," said Lily.

There was an awkward silence. Then James said, "Will you be going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

Lily nodded. "I doubt anything will happen anyway. I'm not all that nervous."

"I guess I'll see you down there then." James walked back to where he had been sitting. Lily followed him with her eyes. Again, he didn't ask her to go out. And he had called her Lily. A few months ago, she would have gotten ten invitations from him by now. James had definitely changed.