Disclaimer – I do not own any characters from Harry Potter, they belong to J.K.Rowling. Any characters you have not heard of, I own though, as in the case of Adam and Sarah.

A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed, sorry it has taken so long to post this chapter; I have been up to so much recently. I would like to dedicate this to my good friend Emily who is leaving my school. I love you so much and I will miss having you in my class. Love you xoxoxo

Chapter 2

The four Marauders were heading down to breakfast, discussing some trivial matter about Quidditch or pranks, completely oblivious to the storming red head that was heading their way.

"Potter. I need a word, now," Lily snapped, flicking her red hair over her shoulder.

"In private?" Lily made an impatient noise in the back of her throat, stirring James ever so slightly. Thank Merlin for the loose robes, he thought.

"Yes Potter, in private. And don't give me any smart comments about 'in private', you've managed to tell me them all in third year." The four Marauders laughed, earning glares from a much shorter Lily.

"Wait a minute Evans," Sirius chuckled, "If you have anything you want to say to Prongs, you might as well tell us. He'd tell us anyway, seeing as we're…what did she call us in forth year, Wormtail?"

"'Gossiping, giggling boys, whose testicles haven't dropped yet.' I think is the exact quote." Lily groaned, switching her weight onto her other foot. Boys could be so immature, even when they were seventeen.

"Fine, whatever. Potter, look, I can't do this 'punishment' that Dumbledore is setting us, and I don't want to. I'm going to act civilized to you, on the condition that you," here she poked him hard in the chest with her wand, sending small blue and purple sparks from the want, "won't try anything on with me. Understand?" You know, Lily, he's got a rather yummy body, Lily thought, smiling inwardly. Like ice cr – bad Lily, bad! Yuk, I didn't just think that!

"Well, I did kinda work that out already, when you were trying to curse my hair off. But, you had to tell me this why?" James smiled, making Lily's stomach do a slight flip. Just feeling sick, nothing more. Probably something I ate.

"Because, I don't intend to be stuck in detention with you for my entire Christmas break. I've got to do a Potions essay for Slug - "

"In other words," Peter cut her short, "Prongs, she prefers the Library over you." The other three Marauders laughed, slapping their friend on the back. Lily once again glared at them, throwing her hair over her shoulder in obvious distaste. Lily rubbed her temples wearily, not hearing what James had just said.

" – Don't you think, Evans?" Her head snapped up, looking him in the eye.

"Pardon, Potter?" Remembering her manners, which her grandmother had drilled so rigorously into her.

"Isn't this so-called 'punishment' supposed to make us get on better? Surely Dumbledore actually has a reason to set us this, don't you think?" Lily had to admit, it was a good argument.

"Well, Prongs, where was his reason when he made you Head Boy? He'd either had been downing his Firewhiskey to much, or he's finally cracked it."

"Mister Lupin, I don't think that I have 'finally cracked it', as you so aptly put. And Firewhiskey gives me terrible indigestion." All five spun round, blushing (Remus resembled a tomato on fire) and failing to meet the gaze of their Headmaster, even though Sirius was much taller than him. Dumbledore smiled inwardly.

"You are heading to breakfast? Here, I'll join you, if you don't mind this cracked old drunken fool," waving his hands in front of him, ushering them forward.

"I hope you're all looking forward to Inter-House-Unity Day. Miss Evans and Mister Potter, not to mention all the prefects, have spent quite a bit of time thinking about this, haven't you, Miss Evans?" Lily nodded her head in agreement, walking a few steps behind Peter and Sirius, who were in obvious hurry to get to breakfast. James smiled, keeping his eyes trained to her backside, standing to the left of Dumbledore, and slightly behind him. Didn't want the Headmaster seeing him with a hard on, or checking out his fellow Head's arse.

"I think if everyone follows the rules set out, we'll have a much better bonding between the Houses." Sirius gave a snort, entirely disagreeing with Lily's statement.

"Well, what are your views on this subject, Mister Black?" Dumbledore asked. Sirius stopped, making Lily side-step him in frustration, thinking about the question.

"I doubt whether a thousand Inter-House-Unity Days will change anyone's views towards either House. We were put into Houses because we would conflict if we were just a single House, and not everyone in the Houses themselves gets on with each other. I mean, just look at Prongs and Evans, couldn't be more opposed to one another. And, not to mention, the Purebloods versus the Muggleborns and the Half-Bloods. If anyone got wind of Remus – uh, 'furry little problem', he wouldn't be accepted generally, either, would he?" Sirius fell silent, and Dumbledore nodded at each of his points. He opened his mouth, but was interrupted when Lily asked,

"Do you have a rabid rabbit or something? Why would a rabbit make anyone hated?" The four Marauders began to laugh at Lily's unknowing, as they entered the Great Hall.

"It was delightful talking to you five, but I do believe there is a Cornish Pastie with my name on it at the Staff's table. Good day." Dumbledore headed up towards the other Professors, taking his seat in the middle of the table, and began to eat a Cornish Pastie. Lily huffed at Sirius's disapproval of Inter-House-Unity Day, she'd thought it was a good idea herself. Of course, she doubted whether the Slytherins would approve trying to – well, that was yet to be decided. The activities were the main point, but they were going to make new Houses, for a day, and the more point you got, the longer you got to stay in Hogsmeade. That was the prize, visiting Hogsmeade for a day, for the winning team.

"What's gotten your knickers in a twist, eh Evans?" Sirius asked waspishly, walking past the Hufflepuff table.

"Your distrust in Inter-House-Unity Day. It's attitudes like yours that ruin it for others, and we might as well not have it, if you turn up with such dislike for it."

"What's the matter with your attitude? Maybe it's that time of the month, is it Evans?" James joked, watching Lily's eyes narrow in anger. She was really hot, he'd decided, when she was angry. And his body seemed to agree with him, yet again, making his trousers tighten a notch.

"I'm going to leave you immature prats alone. I'm not hungry, thank Merlin. I doubt whether I could survive watching Black and Pettigrew inhale their food again, or put up with Potter's stupid comments. I've got something practical to do."

"What's that?" Asked Peter, "Brush your hair?"

"Actually, I'm going to see my boyfriend, before classes." She smiled sarcastically at them.

"Who's your boyfriend, then?" James joked, thinking Lily was indeed being sarcastic.

"Andrew Murray." She turned on her heel, walking out the Hall without a backwards glance towards the four boys. If she had turned, she might have seen a crestfallen James.

"Come on, James. Have some toast and jam," Remus said, buttering toast for James in a motherly sort of fashion.

"Look, she's just a girl. There's plenty more mermaids in the sea. Why don't you get back at her, use Andrew's sister. She's in the year below, Sarah I think," Sirius said, pouring himself some pumpkin juice.

"Merlin! We've got a test in Potions today! Oh hell," Peter swore, a spoon of cereal halfway to his lips. The four boys groaned.

"Trust him to set a test three days before term ends. Stupid pillock," Sirius said, drinking his pumpkin juice in a single gulp. He frowned, not noticing the pumpkin moustache he had. And his friends weren't going to tell him, either to annoy him, embarrass him or because they were too moody to.

"What's the test on again?"

"Potions that suffocate, poison or send the drinker into a comatose state when asleep. It's stuff like Draught of Living Death and Mongolian Anaphylaxis," Remus said, eating an orange.

"Mongolian Anaphylaxis?" Asked Peter, looking very crestfallen. He'd barely managed to get into NEWT Level Potions, just scraping an 'Exceeds Expectations', as had Sirius. He wasn't the best at the subject, which Slughorn didn't bring up, seeing as he didn't give him much recognition.

"Is that the one that makes your throat swell up, suffocate you, then the swelling goes down and is hard to see in autopsies, unless you check the person's tongue, which shows massive scarring?" Sirius asked, massaging his neck self-consciously.

"Yeah, that's the one. And the nostrils look really dilated, or the eyes seem to bulge from the head, because the poison makes a pus, and if you touch it gives you third degree burns."

"Nasty."

"But a favourite with the Death Eaters."

"Didn't a bunch of Buddhist monks make that one? To defend themselves against Genghis Khan?" Asked Peter, taking a sip from his goblet.

"Yeah, but as Khan was a wizard, it didn't work, because the antidote is to add saffron to the food, because the saffron is pure, or something?"

"You guys aren't cramming from Slughorn's test, are you?" The four boys turned around, and smiled back at Dorcas Meadowas.

"Hi mates," She said, taking a seat next to them, "You seen Lily? She promised to help me cheat on the test." She smiled, adjusting her robes over her Prefect badge.

"I can't believe it, a Ravenclaw cheating on a test, with our dear Head Girl," Sirius said, ignoring the hand gesture Dorcas gave him.

"Well, seeing as all I'm doing is copying her answers with," she pulled an ordinary looking quill from her bag, "Copy-Out Quill, and Lily doesn't know about it…" Sirius and Peter gave the quill a longing look.

"You give me five galleons, and you can have a copy of the quill." Dorcas held out her hand, and James put five gold galleons into her tanned palm. Dorcas reached into her bag, pulling out an eagle feathered quill.

"And don't bother trying to make a copy of it, Caradoc Williams did that, and it won't let you write anything. You pay me five, I'll give you the quill," Dorcas said, smiling as James waved his wand over the quill.

"Well, got to go, five minutes to rig the quills up to Lily's. Catch you later," Dorcas laughed, breaking into a jog. Sirius gave a small burp, laughing as Remus began to wave away the smell.

"Merlin, that stunk," he choked, leaning away from the table, and toppled off of his seat. His three friends laughed, as he pulled himself back up, hair sticking up slightly.

"Hey Moony, since when did you refer to Prongsie as a fashion idle? Your hair looks just like his!" Remus glared at Peter, brushing his hair down.

"Oi, you little bugger, what's wrong with my hair? I'll have you know that – "

" – Many a girl has run her hands through it. That line is as old as Padfoot's 'No, I'm serious!'." A large crowd of Gryffindors passed them, followed by Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins.

"Does this mean we have to take the test today? Please, say it doesn't!" Sirius whined like a dog, as they joined the crowd heading off to classes.

"I don't like to be a bearer of bad news, but," James sighed dramatically, placing his hand on Sirius shoulder, looking very solemn, "But yes. And you're going to fail, cause I've got a Copy-Out Quill, and you don't! Ha, in your face, dogbreath!" He leapt away from his friend, ducking in and out of the crowd, getting quite a few disgruntled shouts, some more rude than others.

"Would you stop jumping? You're giving me a headache!" James turned around, realising that Evans was stand less that a foot away, and staring up at him. And he had a particularly good view down the front of her robes.

"Sorry." She still hadn't realised.

"You should be. Dorcas, what are you doing with my quill?" She turned away, just as Sirius crashed into James, grabbing hold of his waist in a Muggle rugby tackle. James caught Lily as he came down onto the floor, Sirius's face embedded in the small of his back. A sickening crack could be heard, followed by a high pitched scream.

"My arm!" Lily cried, as James lifted his head up. All he could see was her backside and head.

"Get off her, you little bastard," Dorcas yelled, kicking the two boys onto their backs, "She's broken her bloody arm 'cause of you. Now, now Lily. Come on, I'll take you to the Hospital Wing – "

" – But I don't want you to miss your te – don't touch it there! What about the test? I'll have to take it when we come back from the holidays! Oh no!" Lily broke into a brand new fit of sobs, her green eyes surrounded by reddish looking skin. Dorcas ushered the crying Lily out of the dungeons, as Professor Slughorn descended them.

"Why hello Miss Evans, Miss Meadowas. What seems to be the problem?" Slughorn rested his clasped hands on his slightly protruding belly, making Lily giggle.

"Potter and Black decided that the best way to initiate yourself with your potential girlfriend is to break her arm, and stick your head between her knees."

"My aunt used to balance her dinner on her belly when she was pregnant," Lily sniffed quietly, making the students snort.

"Well then, I suggest you two go up to the Hospital Wing, and you can miss your test. It wasn't really that important anyway. Hop along, you two!" Dorcas nodded, poking her tongue out at the rest of the students, and returned to comforting the sniffling Lily, who was cradling the broken arm in her good one.

"Right then, chaps, on with this test. Hope you all do fine!" He said, clapping his hands, so the door sprung open, and ushered the students in.

A/N- Right, I'm really sorry about the delay and there might be one in between this and chapterthree. It'sbecause I'm kinda having a writers block! So sorry guys.

(This author's note was corrected grammatically by the author's friend. Ha ha, I corrected your thingy ma bobbers!)