The idea for this story just popped out at me when I was minding my own business today. I'm intending for it to be about 4-5 chapters. Your reviews would be appreciated because this is the first fic I've written in some time, also open to any offers for beta-ing! I'm on my Winter hols…so I'll finally have a bit of time to write something aside from essays!

In any case this is a James/Lily fic inspired by Time after Time by Cyndi Lauper.

Time After Time

A fiery haired Sixth year girl with an inferno of a temper stared icily down the stairs at the object of her irritation. "Potter," she said with an eerie calm to her voice, "time after time you ask me and time after time I refuse; what in your big headed, prank addled brain has convinced you that this time might be any different?" She crossed her arms in an unconscious imitation of McGonagall and mothers far and wide and waited with clear impatience for an answer.

James grinned a showy saucy smile, largely for the audience of Gryffindors paying rapt attention in the common room. He winked slowly, also for the onlookers, and said over loudly, "you once said you wouldn't date me if I asked you a million times, I'm going for a million and one!"

Lily let out an exasperated huff, threw her arms up as if pointing out to the heavens the things she as a mere mortal should not have to contend with and stormed off into her dormitory.

James' face crumpled at the empty stairwell but he composed himself before turning to the crowd who pretended they hadn't been looking and shrugged grandly before walking with a forced casualness towards the three other Marauders who looked amused, concerned, and perplexed respectively. Sirius tossed a chess piece he had just captured from Peter at James, who caught it unthinking, and grinned at his stubborn friend. "How many more times you gonna try this before you give up mate?" James slumped into an armchair with great force and glowered at his friend.

"Let him be," Remus scolded distractedly before James could retort, and went back to scanning through his charms notes.

Lily paced tight circles into the threadbare red rug near her bed, occasionally flinging her arms out indignantly. Alice motioned Cecily to do something about their furious roommate but the dark haired girl just grimaced. There really wasn't much you could do once Lily was in this sort of mood aside from wait it out. "Lily?" Alice ventured tentatively.

"What?" Lily snapped back shortly before visibly forcing her voice into something resembling calm, "sorry Alice, didn't mean to snap, but Gahh! He just makes me want to hurl things, and you know that is something I'd never usually do." Alice raised her eyebrow a little at Lily's statement, it was true James got her riled up more than usual, but she was known to also snap at textbooks and first-years on occasion. "That's alright, what did he do this time? Dip your wand in ink like he did in second year? Cut off a bit of your hair as a 'keepsake' like he did in fourth year? Try to look up your skirt like he did last week?"

"Worse," Lily complained, "he asked me out AGAIN in front of the whole common room!" Cecily rolled her eyes at Lily's dramatics, "he only does it because it gets such a great reaction from you. And anyways, anyone else would swoon straight away to have James speak to them as often as he speaks to you, let alone ask them out three or four times a week."

Lily's ensuing rant was cut off by Audrey who shushed them, "Darlings, I know you want to continue this chat but some of us have a Herbology test tomorrow, and I for one would like to get a passing grade." Alice groaned, "was that this week? I'd completely forgotten. Professor Sneezewort gives such strange tests too, I hope I have enough time to get some studying in." The other girls in the dormitory smiled at this, Alice was the only one of them who could pass a Herbology test without studying.

Remus looked his friend in the eye fighting very hard to maintain a straight face, "Ok Prongs, think of it this way. If you were playing Quidditch," Remus stifled a chuckle as James stopped fidgeting and focused intently, "and you kept shooting for the centre goal and the keeper kept grabbing the ball. What would you do?"

James looked slightly put out, "I wouldn't keep shooting there obviously, I'd try for the right or left goal, or create some kind of diversion, or…"

Remus continued again before James could completely turn the discussion over to Quidditch, "it's the same with Lily, your tactic isn't working but you keep using the same one."

James scrunched his eyebrows together and ran his hand roughly through his hair in an expression most often found on his face when he found bizarre questions set on a Potions exam. "You mean there are strategies for getting girls?"

At the sound of Sirius' guffaw and Peter's giggle James punched Sirius in a friendly way, "Padfoot how would I know these things, you may have girls falling at your feet but I certainly don't!"

"Only because you are always mooning over Lily, no offence Moony," Sirius replied. "A strategy then," James murmured, "well that's what Marauders do best!"