Disclaimer: Yeah…this is pointless. You guys know what isn't mine.

To my lovely reviewers:

Duck Goddess- I'm glad you like the story, and I hope you enjoy this update!

unknown- Well, whoever you are, I'm glad you like the story. The problem wasn't really a problem, it's just that there's a quidditch player in the 6th book that they refer to as "Harper," and I was clarifying that my Harper is not in any way related to that one.

Kurai Shinigami- Yay! Glad you like it!

katdance666- I'm happy you find Sirius and Harper amusing. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with that relationship…hmmm. Anyway, thanks for your review!

miz-attitude- I'm glad you like it!

XIllyriaX- Well, I wouldn't want you to die! So enjoy this update!

A/N: I'm SOOOO sorry this took so long. I totally meant to finish it after band camp, and then I realized I needed to finish my summer work for my AP (Advanced Placement) classes. So, here's chapter three, almost a month late. I promise chapter 4 won't take as long, although it may be a couple weeks.

Mischief Managed

Chapter Three

"Memories"

"Gryffindor first years, if you could please follow me please!" Lily called.

The start of term feast had finished, and Lily was looking for James. They were supposed to take the first years up to the common room, but James was no where to be found. Lily sighed to herself. She was going to apologize to James, but now she wasn't so sure he deserved it. After all, one of their first duties as Heads was to help the first years get used to life at Hogwarts.

"First day, and he's already dumping everything on me," she muttered to herself. She called to the first years again, and counted the heads of those who had gathered around her. She sighed again, she was five students short.

"First years! This way please!" she called, her agitation sounding in her voice.

"Calm down Lily, I have the last five right here," a voice said from behind her.

"Where were you!" Lily shouted. "I've been looking all over for you, and the rest of the first years!"

"Like I said before, calm down," James said, his voice steady. "I have the last five here, so what does it matter where we were? We're all here now."

Lily's frown deepened. Now she really wanted to know what James had been up to. Probably some prank, she realized. Not that much to worry about.

"Okay, now that you're all here, please follow James and I," Lily told the first years.

After showing the first years around the Gryffindor common room, Lily and James entered the head's common room together. The walls were decorated with Gryffindor red and gold. James and Lily glanced at each other.

"They really push house spirit, huh?" James asked, looking revolted.

"No kidding," Lily responded grinning. "I always assumed you liked red and gold. I mean, you're the star quidditch player…" she trailed off

"I am spirited and everything, but I don't really like red and gold."

"We'll have to talk to Dumbledore, see if we can change the colors to something a bit more…er…livable."

"I just hope the bedrooms aren't red and gold too."

Lily laughed. "I hope not."

"Only one way to find out," James said, climbing the stairs that led his dormitory. He took a deep breath before pushing open the door. He was startled to find that it looked exactly like the bedroom he had left that morning.

"They're not red and gold!" he called down the stairs to Lily.

"I'm not sure I believe you, James Potter," Lily's voice carried a tone of teasing. She climbed the stair that led to her dormitory. Without waiting a moment, she pushed open the door to her room. Her smile widened. The room was identical to her room back home. The floor was a shiny maple floor with a pale blue area rug. The walls were a pale yellow, and the draperies were blue, matching the rug.

"It's just like home!" she said called back to James.

"You should believe me next time!" the response echoed up the stairway.

"You've never given me any reason to believe you before!" she called back, her lighthearted attitude slipping away, and she suddenly became cross. "Everything you ever say to me is some wise crack or stupid joke. Why should I believe you?"

James gave no response. Instead, he shut himself in his room, silently scolding himself.

Hearing no response, Lily sighed. She had been mean, and she hated that. But something about James always brought that side of her out. She shut the door behind her and flung herself on to the bed. She grabbed one of the pale yellow pillows and hugged it to her chest. Silently, her tears began to fall. She thought back to her first year, when she had first met James.

It had been in Diagon Alley, three days before the start of term. She and her parents were there to buy her school things, but they weren't sure where to start. They had tried to purchase her spellbooks with muggle money, and been laughed at. Tears were streaming down her cheeks then too.

Then a boy came up to her. He had had dark, messy hair and a clever gleam in his eyes. He had introduced himself as James Potter, and asked what was wrong, and, for some reason, she found herself confessing all her worries to this stranger. He had comforted her, and then took her and his parents to Gringotts to exchange their muggle money for gold galleons, silver sickles, and bronze knutz. He had shown her the best stores to buy her school supplies, and introduced his parents to hers, so that they could answer questions he could not. The two families had eaten lunch together, and then said goodbye. Lily had never been more excited, and couldn't wait to begin school, knowing that James would be there.

On September 1st, she had arrived at King's Cross Station and easily found her way to the train, thanks to the help of James and his parents. She got onto the train, and saw James just down the corridor. She called his name, and he turned and saw her. He smiled and was about to say something, when another boy with dark hair came out of the compartment and looked at her.

"Who's she?" the boy had asked, with a superior tone to his voice.

"I don't know," James had replied, and proceeded to ask about something else. Lily didn't stick around to find out what he said. She had ducked into a nearby compartment, tears welling up in her eyes.

About five minutes later, the door to the compartment opened, and a girl with curly dark brown hair walked in.

"Do you mind if I sit in here? Everywhere else is full, or has people I don't like in it." She looked down at Lily, who still had tears falling from her eyes. "What's wrong?" the girl asked. "I'm Harper, by the way. Harper Rand."

Lily found herself confessing her feelings to a complete stranger for the second time in a week. When she was done, Harper had hugged her, and told her no to worry about what an idiot like James Potter, whoever he was, had said. The two had been friends ever since.

Lily lifted her head up from the pillow and looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was just before midnight. She sighed, and got up to put pajamas on before going to bed for the night.

Meanwhile, James was in his bedroom, thinking about Lily. He had liked her since they had first met, but she never seemed to like him back. Ok, he was kidding himself. She had seemed to like him, at first anyway. Then, on the first day of school in their first year, he had ignored her so Sirius wouldn't make fun of him. He remembered that day like it was yesterday.

"Who's she?" Sirius had asked.

James didn't answer for a moment. He didn't want to offend Lily, but he didn't want to lose his friendship with Sirius. Finally, he responded, "I don't know," and changed the subject. He had every intention of apologizing to Lily on the train later.

When they were about halfway to Hogwarts, James told Sirius that he was going to go walk around. He walked up and down the corridors listening for Lily's voice, and looking in the compartment windows that had been left open.

Eventually he heard her voice coming from a compartment door that had been left open a crack. He was just about to knock when Lily said, "I hate him. I wish I'd never met him."

"It's okay Lily," the other girl responded "He's not worth you being this depressed."

James turned to return to his compartment without talking to Lily. When he got back, Sirius asked him what was wrong, but James told him that he didn't want to talk about it.

Without noticing it, tears had begun to fall down James' cheeks. He loved Lily, and he highly doubted she would ever love him back. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep. So, instead, he grabbed his invisibility cloak and took a trip down to the kitchen to drown his sorrows in leftover chocolate pudding.

Done with Chapter 3. R&R please!