"I'll see you guys at the feast!" Lily called over her shoulder. Her friends nodded in agreement, smiling knowingly. Lily grinned ruefully at them before turning around completely. She found herself looking at a broad, robe-clad chest. She looked up: into the menacing eyes of Lucius Malfoy.

"Careful Mudblood," he snarled. "You never know when you might slip." Lily pushed past him. She walked haughtily towards the Prefect's carriage, where she saw Remus climbing up. Suddenly, she stumbled. A pair of arms reached out and caught her before she actually fell.

She whipped around to see Sirius, his eyes for once not filled with happiness or boyish charm, but a hatred that can only be reserved for family.

"Oh dear me," came a sickeningly sweet false voice. Bellatrix Black smirked at her cousin and Lily. "Did the mean Bella hurt widdle Wiwy Evans?"

"Actually, you didn't. Would you like another go? Obviously, the element of surprise doesn't work for you." Lily had finally found her voice and had surprised herself. Sirius looked down at Lily in shock and grinned.

Bellatrix's demeanor morphed completely. The 'smile' on her face was replaced by a very ugly look. "Watch your step Mudblood," she hissed. "The Dark Lord…"

"Oh yes! The Dark Lord. I bet mummy and daddy have just been dying to meet him. Whatever happened to that lying , Rodulphus Lestrange? Word has it that he graduated from Hogwarts last year and into Azkaban. But you don't care, do you? No. You only care about that piece of Dark Lord that you one day hope to marry!" Bellatrix turned and started to walk away. "Who would have guessed that the new generation of Death Eaters actually has hopes and dreams?"

"Padfoot! What's going on?" James came running up to them, his glasses askew and his eyes aglow.

"Bellatrix," Sirius replied. As an answer to James' still questioning gaze, he nodded to Lily, who had already extracted herself from Sirius' grip. James cursed under his breath, his eyes now stormy.

Lily stood a bit apart from them. "Er…thanks Black, for, you know…" she trailed off uncertainly.

"Anytime Evans."

Lily nodded towards James, flustered. "Potter."

"Evans."

Lily walked off with as much dignity as she could muster; which was not very much, all things considering. James looked after her, his head cocked to the side, mouth slightly open. "Wow…"

"Close your mouth Prongs," Sirius snapped. "I damn near swam to the castle in first year; I don't plan on doing it again.

"Hey Lils," said Remus. He helped her up into the Prefects carriage.

"Hi Remus," she answered. Remus looked her over.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Lily shook her head in answer. "C'mon Lils, what happened?" he coaxed her. Lily lifted her eyes to meet his and, with a pang, Remus saw that there were tears in her eyes.

"Remus, what's wrong with me? Am I dumb? Ugly? Does everyone hate me?" Lily slowly contradicted everything Remus had complimented her with a few hours earlier. "Are they better than me?" Lily finally asked.

Remus forced Lily to look into his eyes once more. "They couldn't hold a candle to you. You're a million time better than any of them will be."

"But why do they hate me? It can't be because they're Slytherins, look at Tina and Andromeda's not bad either."

"Lily," Remus gently chided her. "They can't stand you being better than them at anything. Wait, who are we talking about, specifically?"

Lily mumbled something. "What?"

"It's Lucius and Bellatrix!" she wailed.

Remus became stiff suddenly. Lily looked at his face. In his eyes burned the same anger that was in both James' and Sirius' eyes. There was so much hatred radiating through his eyes that Lily felt she would die if she were on the receiving end of that stare.

"Remus?" Lily took his hand tentatively. He looked down at her, his eyes at their friendliest, but his body was still tense.

"We're here," was all he replied. Then, "Let me get out first, and then I'll help you out." He jumped down onto the soft earth below, neglecting the stairs. "Lily?" he called up. She came and proceeded to jump in the same manner Remus had. "Oh no you don't," he stopped her.

Lily just pouted and said, "Spoilsport." She stepped on the topmost stair and jumped down next to Remus.

He shook his head. "Have it your way…" Lily hit him over the head.

"Prat."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"He is too," came two voices behind them. James and Sirius grinned at Lily in a manner that they must've thought to be charming. "Hello Evans," Sirius said, mock-kissing her hand. "Always the fair one in a group of boys."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Lily asked, miffed.

Sirius left James to take care of the situation, seeing as a carriage containing a group of fourth year Ravenclaws had just pulled up to the school. James grinned nervously, running a hand through his hair. "For you Lily, anything is a compliment."

Lily glared at him, hiding a blush that was threatening to creep up her face.

"You," she rounded on Remus, who was shaking with ill-concealed laughter. "Prat." She turned to James, "Prick." She yelled after Sirius, who was already trying to get a date to Hogsmeade. "A-class pain in the ass!"

Sirius mumbled a quick, "Excuse me ladies," and tore down the steps to where Lily was standing, Remus and James gaping at her. Sirius mimicked their expressions. Lily tossed her head and started up the stairs.

"Are not!" the boys cried out.

"Are too!" Lily called out behind her.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

This continued up the steps and until the boys finally caught up with Lily. Sirius grabbed her and James and Remus began to tickle her mercilessly. She shrieked and cried out for her release, but the boys paid her no mind. Those who did pay her mind though, were ridiculously jealous second, third, fourth, fifth, and even sixth and seventh year girls. Lily struggled to her knees and began pleading with the boys, in between shrieks and tears. The boys had finally begun to tire out and they helped Lily to her feet.

"Prat!" she yelled at Remus. James and Sirius stood laughing at the expression on Remus' face. Lily took that opportunity to mess up both of their heads. Their faces took on Remus' shocked expression. All three boys rounded on her and Lily sprinted off towards the Great Hall, oblivious to the many jealous glares she was receiving.

Lily took her place at the Gryffindor table, and waved to Tina over at the Slytherin table. She sensed rather than heard the Marauders sit down across from her, Alice, and Arabella. She decided to switch into anti-Marauder mode. "Look, it's the show that never ends," she muttered to her friends, just loud enough for the boys to hear. Peter looked at her oddly. Sirius whispered something into James' ear and both boys sniggered. Remus just shook his head, grinning slightly, and looked up at Dumbledore, who had just stood up.

"The first years should be arriving shortly from their journey across the lake," he began. A wave of laughter crossed the Great Hall. Journeying across the lake was no small feat. He continued. "Until the Sorting begins, I suggest you take this time to talk amongst yourselves." His eyes twinkled as he looked in the direction of the Gryffindor table. He sat down and an immediate buzz took over the Great Hall.

Lily and Alice spoke in hushed tones, facing only each other. Arabella grabbed the boy's attentions by starting a belching contest. Tina walked over from the Slytherin table and joined the contest. Sirius soon let out a winning belch,; one that made everyone within vicinity jump. A second later, James' stomach growled so loud that everyone jumped again.

"Merlin, there really is no pleasing you two!" cried Alice in disgust.

"We're much easier to please than you girls!" James cried out in defense.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "At least we don't get y once every month!"

Arabella glowered at him. Tina Glowered at James. Peter hoped that none of the four girls would ever glower at him like that.

Lily's eyes lit up and she grinned secretively. She whispered something into Alice's ear and her eyes began to glow too. This continued until all of the girls' eyes were twinkling enough to give Dumbledore a run for his money.

The boys had no time to ponder what was going on because at that moment, the doors to the Great Hall swung open, revealing the new first years, half of which were soaking wet. Tina ran back to her table, with a promise that she'd be back for dinner. Peter took that opportunity to ask the remaining girls a question.

"What were the four of you laughing about?"

Arabella smiled sweetly at him and said "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Um, yeah," James said, refusing to let the subject drop.

"It was a rhetorical question, Potter," Alice snapped.

"See what I mean Padfoot?" James whined to Sirius. "One minute they're quiet, the next mysterious, then sarcastic, happy, and then I get snapped at for no reason!"

"It's part of the female cycle, Potter. You'll find out what I mean soon enough," Lily hinted. The three girls broke into raucous laughter.

Peter was perplexed. Remus knew from experience not to take the four or any one of the girls lightly, and was slightly scared. Sirius was examining his hair again. James, however, was literally tearing out his hair and banging his head on the table. Sirius grabbed his friend's shoulders to stop him. The Sorting was about to begin. James had begun muttering.

"Bleeding mad, the lot of them!"