Disclaimer: Again, I own no rights to Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be filthy rich. Instead, I'm a starving college student with an imagination instead of a TV.

Chapter 4

Lily had woken up abruptly from her daze. She sniffled morosely, feeling a little sick. She was coming down with a head cold and lay on her bed swaying between consciousness and slumber. Of all the dreams she could have had, why this? Tonight's dinner was interesting, although it didn't have that particular ending. That part was her dream. In reality, Andromeda had sat with them after their joking with Sirius. She held James' attention for the rest of dinner. During dinner, he made pleasant conversation with Lily and the Marauders but only had eyes for Andromeda.

He was sweet. He listened to her and made her laugh. He acted normal. This was completely different. She had never seen him act the way he acted with Andromeda. In the past, his other girlfriends would be quickly forgotten at the sight of the Marauders or a fellow Quidditch player. He would ignore her after a while and their relationship would fade away. The only thing that had been constant since first year, or so she thought, was that he relentlessly flirted with Lily, despite the other girls and their habitual nagging.

Well, that's great, she thought. James is changing and actually becoming nice. Let me rephrase that, Andromeda is changing him. He's never made a pass at me since they've been together and that's almost gentlemanly for James. Why else would he hold the door for me or offer to carry my books? And why am I thinking about him right now? I shouldn't. Amos and I are going to Hogsmeade. He likes me and I think he's sweet. Besides, I've never taken those rumors seriously; it doesn't sound like the Amos I know." Ever so slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

ooo

"Pass me more of Ogden's, Padfoot. Think I'll need a whole bottle fer the next Hogsmeade trip. Tha' bloody git…" James slurred, plopping down next to Sirius.

"I don't think so Prongs," Sirius gazed at own friend through his own hazy eyes, "See here, I can handle Firewhiskey better than you can. And when you get completely arseholed, you always sulk. Like right now."

James took off his shirt, it was getting hot. Wagging his finger at Sirius, he continued, "I never sulk. It's only the truth. I ONLY speak the truth. Cor Blimey, is it hot or what? Can you feel your fingers, Paddy boy?"

"Yes I can, its just that you're pissed. You can't hold it down. As for Diggory, I know he's the world's biggest prat but just leave him alone. He might make her happy."

"What'd you know 'bout happiness?"

"More than you think, lad. If she really matters to you, then let her go. He might actually love her. As in 'real love'."

They looked at each other and burst into laughter. "Nah!"

"That's bloody impossible!"

"Diggory in love?"

"Not a chance, there's only three modes in Diggory-ville: apathy --"

"Hate and--"

"Come hither all ye supple girls!"

After drinking slightly too much, the mood changed. James started becoming emotional. So they left the Shrieking Shack and made their way back to Hogwarts, nearly escaping the caretaker Apolloyon Pringle. They settled down after awhile, hoping not to wake Remus or Peter. As the responsible one, Remus would merely observe them. Peter would join them at times but never often, as he had massive hangovers. That usually left the duo with plenty of bottles of Ogden's as well as bottled-up emotions. Lying in their own beds, they fell asleep promptly and without a fight.

ooo

James lay on his side, following an invisible line along Lily's warm body. Her eyes lightened with glee as he worked his way up to her face, tracing her perfectly pouty lips which were now radiant from his kisses. Her cheeks were flushed and she snuggled up to him, batting her eyelashes on his bare chest. James pulled her on top and stroked her hair, bringing her down to kiss her.

"How did it feel to be completely worshipped, love?"

She smiled lazily at him, "Brilliant" There were no words to describe what she felt. It was repose and restlessness, heat and cold tingles. Light and more light. Her body was humming with life. Already satisfied, she was surprised to feel herself stirring with his absentminded stroking. Shivers ran down her back and grinned at him mischievously.

"James?"

"What, my flower?"

"I want to be in control."

He smiled at her, "But you are, love. Always. I can't help but be entranced when your pretty little body does things I never thought imaginable. I think you're holding some spell over me. After all, you are good in Charms—"

She tickled him, giggling, "That's not what I meant. I don't think you understand. Want me to show you?"

"Absolutely"

Lily woke up panting, sweating and clutching the covers. Bloody hell? She wasn't supposed to be thinking of such things. Especially about James. Sounds of her breathlessness rose Danae and Alice from their sleep. They looked over at Lily, concerned.

"Whatever is the matter, dear?" Danae asked sweetly, walking over to Lily's bedside.

"Nothing…nothing whatsoever. It was just a nightmare." Lily sighed, sinking down into the covers once more. She didn't want to think about what just happened.

Danae shushed her, while she fluffed Lily's pillows. "Well then, try and get some sleep. Aren't we having Charms with the Ravenclaws? You know how competitive they are—" she said, waving her hand while she slipped something out from under Lily's pillow. She moved towards her own bed, pausing to give the object back to Alice. Alice took it and surreptitiously placed it under her bed.

Alice looked over at her, "Just relax, Lil. You're a prefect, not a headmistress. You work too hard."

Lily closed her eyes, thinking the same thing. One by one, the girls fell asleep after mulling over their thoughts. Lily was feeling strange, like a veil had been partially lifted, revealing something she had never known before. Danae smiled at the thought of Lily's awakening, as well as her fear of being rejected by her darling Graham. Muggles have always been frightened of witches and wizards, what would he say about her?

Alice thought about Remus and the secret she knew he was hiding. He was odd and endearing in his own way, quite different from the other boys in their year. He also knew an awful lot about herbs and other plants. As a matter of fact, he had given her the concupiscencia potentus they used on Lily tonight. It was an awkward question to ask but somehow he had retrieved it from Balsam's private store, never asking once what it was for. The problem with Remus was he never asked questions or answered them when it really mattered. She felt deeply for him, but how could she trust him if he hid himself?

ooo

Being a new teacher, Professor Flitwick ran his class with a gentle hand. The students took full advantage of this, working together and whispering despite his squeaks of protest. Today's lesson dealt with the Disillusionment Spell in objects.

"You will continue to learn the Disillusionment Spell in Defense Against the Dark Arts. By the time you finish, you'll be able to perform it on yourself. Now have a go at it! But don't pair up—"

He spoke too late. People had grouped together, practicing on various objects. Flitwick sighed as he gave up and let them work. While Remus and Sirius chose to stick with the girls, James and Peter headed towards Andromeda and her friends. Waving to his friends, he pretended to trip and, coincidentally, made it far enough to end up in Andromeda's lap. He clutched his knee melodramatically, asking for her help. With a laugh, she poked his side and kissed his knee, making sure he was looking down at her.

Remus and Sirius snickered and gagged in their direction. Peter had started talking shyly to one of Andromeda's Ravenclaw friends and paused to chuckle in James' direction. He motioned towards his knee.

"Prongs, I never knew you were so helpless!"

"Ah Wormtail, that's my point. I can help but be weak-kneed in this lovely witch's presence." He smiled lovingly at her while Andromeda rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.

Ignoring this, James continued, "Now, I think it's about time we showed these ladies what true wizards are made of." Rolling up his sleeves, he tapped his wand firmly on his head and, seemingly, disappeared.

With the Marauders focusing across the room, Lily couldn't help but watch James and Andromeda. True, she was breaking her promise to herself—to ignore him completely—but she had never seen them in class together. What struck her as odd was that other than the ridiculous antics he pulled, James seemed rather level-headed. Leaving Andromeda alone every now and then, he would walk around, Disillusioned, of course, and help out any others who were struggling. He would perform the counter-charm and repeat it over again, in detail. Lily had always thought James was a brilliant mind but he was inclined to waste it. Such a self-less act was sweet, and she poured over her books with a tiny smile on her face.

"Have we started on the charm yet? I'd expect you'd be the first to finish, Lil," a warm voice told her. She looked over her shoulder and saw James's shadow leaning over her. She rolled her eyes and smirked. "Well James, I was just about to start when you graced me with your presence."

He laughed and bowed, "Glad to be of service. Now, if you'll excuse me, a lovely lady needs my unnecessary assistance. Till later, my dear…friend."

He roamed over to Andromeda who was browsing through her textbook. "Any help, dearest?"

"I'm fine, James. I finished my work. How about you?" She pulled him closer, looking into his eyes, "how was Lily?" To the untrained eye, Andromeda looked longingly into his eyes. For reasons unknown, James found this irresistible.

He loosened his tie. "Uh, it…it went well. She didn't flinch when I got close. She would always push away when I'd whisper in her ear so that's a good sign…isn't it?"

Taking all the information in, she glanced around and whispered, "As great as this is going, Sirius thinks we need to step it up a tad. It's all over the school that Lily and Amos are going to Hogsmeade. Something major needs to happen between you and Lily; otherwise, you'll lose her to Diggory."

Flitwick interrupted them with a loud AHEM! They turned and looked sheepishly at their professor. After being dismissed, Sirius pulled them aside and spoke furtively. "Both of you: Meet me during dinner in the common room. I have an idea."

ooo

Amos Diggory was quite the charmer. Stepping out of the tub in the prefect's bathroom, he admired himself as he slipped on his boxers. Not too bad, Diggory, he thought. Tall, muscular, broad shouldered…and not a bad mind to boot. Well, at least in the charisma category. Moving towards the mirrors, he grabbed his shaving cream and started working on his annoying stubble.

Meticulously working, he was interrupted by another prefect, a Ravenclaw. "Evening, Amos," he said, tearing away at his garments and slipping into the perfumed water.

"Evening, Brocklehurst. How are we doing? Meeting a girl?" He grinned in the mirror, looking at Thomas' reflection.

Thomas sunk deeper into the water, "Of course! You know Amanda? She's in our year, a Ravenclaw. Second best looking girl in our house…" He smiled proudly.

Amos continued shaving. "Who's the first?" he said absently, looking over his shoulder.

Thomas stared incredulously, "Where have you been? Merlin, Andromeda Black is the best-looking bird in our year, maybe second only to Lily Evans! And she's taken…"

Amos was finished. He turned and grinned at his friend, "Damn straight, mate!"

Thomas laughed, "You smarmy git!"

Diggory couldn't help but smile. "I like to think so…" Moving towards the door, he waved to the young Ravenclaw. "Good luck with your bird! As for me, I don't need luck. I make my own…"

ooo

At dinner, the remaining Marauders kept up appearances. Having known of Sirius's plan, they entertained the girls with their antics. Peter had taken to joking with the girls with Remus as a sidekick. Remus didn't mind at all; he knew Peter never received attention from his parents and being with the Marauders gave him a confidence he normally would never have had. Even with his new Hufflepuff girlfriend, he was very easy and let her have the upper hand.

Remus was also thankful that it distracted Alice from his worried expression. He loved Alice and the fact that she didn't know his secret was painful. James, Sirius and Peter knew, as well as Dumbledore. Lily also knew, but only by deduction. She had asked him gently and he gave in to her. She was a clever girl, he knew that for sure. James would have to work harder to win her, especially now that Diggory is in the picture.

Diggory. He had obviously planned on sitting with her today, now more than ever considering James was gone. As he saw Amos swaggering to the table, Remus caught Lily's attention, trying to distract her.

"Lily, can I have a word with you?"

Lily looked at Remus carefully. He looked panicked. Motioning towards the door, she excused herself and started walking before she was intercepted by Diggory.

"Lily, are you finished with supper? I thought—"

"Pretty much, I'm having a chat with Remus. Its very important. If you'll excuse me, Amos…" With that, she rushed hurriedly to the door of the Great Hall, following after Remus.

Remus was waiting for her. Now that he had gotten her out, he had no clue what to do.

She patted his back, "Is there anything wrong? You don't look too good." She leaned towards his ear and whispered, "Is it a full moon already?"

He looked at Lily, wondering what on earth to tell her. She wants to hear something, and it better be good, he thought. Scratching his arm absentmindedly, he came up with something. "Er, I think I want to tell Alice about me. About Moony." He didn't want to, but he found himself telling her everything he had been feeling recently. Somehow, it was easier to tell Lily than the Marauders. He'd never had that problem before. But Alice was special.

ooo

"Well, we've been here before, haven't we?" Sirius said. He paced the floor nervously, quite unlike the first time they had met in the Gryffindor common room. He had gathered them on the plush crimson sofa and looked anxious, wondering what they would think. It would work, he thought, but at a price.

"Prongs and Andromeda, before you say no, you need to hear my reasons. It's quite rational once you think about it. Both of you have done excellently well. After all, my plan was bloody brilliant. Now we all know the biggest prat in school has asked our dear Lily to go to Hogsmeade. What to we do?"

He knelt down and gazed at them searchingly, "We put on a show. I guarantee you that Lily will be distracted by the both of you. If you didn't notice, she was pretty much looking in your direction—all with a little help from your friends. It was then that I came to a realization. Your love storyhas been a charming one, but very chaste. Judging from James' last relationships, this is unusual. In order to make this look real, it has to be real. With other distractions gone, taken away by a mild love potion, that should spark a little flame in both of you that should last till our trip is over. What d'you say?"

James was speechless. Andromeda, however, had risen unsteadily from her seat. Facing Sirius, she took him into consideration and slapped him. "Who do you think I am, Sirius Black!"

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, its nice to know that people care. Sorry for the delay, I have two papers, a math exam and a debate to plan. Yipes! I have a plan for the next chapter but I'm open to suggestions. Stay tuned!