It had been a week since Halloween. Lily and James had announced that there would be this weekend. James had belatedly realized it would be getting to close to a full moon to have it the weekend after. James had been trying hard to push aside his feelings for Lily but he just couldn't. He absolutely loved spending time with her.

"What's your favorite color?" James asked suddenly. They had just started to patrol. She had her hair pulled back and a few curls were escaping and cupping the sides or her face. He brushed this thought off. She looked a little bewildered but answered him.

"My favorite color is green. Your favorite color?" He didn't even have to think about it. "Red." She smiled.

"What's your favorite food?" She glanced at him in surprise but seemed to actually be thinking about the answer. "Um, my favorite food. I guess I'd have to go with chocolate ice cream." She laughed. He laughed along with her.

"So, what brings along the sudden inquisition?" She asked. He looked at her thoughtfully. He couldn't answer that he loved hearing her voice and the little details about her.

"I just like to know things about the people I'm friends with." She nodded, seeming to accept this.

"What do you want to be when you graduate?" She asked. He didn't miss a beat before answering. "Auror." She tilted her head slightly.

"Why d'you want to be an auror?" He shook his head.

"My turn." She laughed and shook her head.

"No, James. You asked me two questions in a row, so I get to ask you two." He laughed. She laughed again.

"I wasn't aware that there were rules, but fine. I want to be an auror because my parents are aurors and want to do something good for the wizarding world. My turn. What do you plan on being when you graduate?" A minute passed"Lily, you don't need to write me an essay." He laughed. She smiled a and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. Tristan has always liked doing risky things. I don't know. I have wanted to be an auror for a few years now and I doubt that will change." James nodded enthusiastically.

"See that wasn't so hard." She laughed.

"All right, my turn. Have you ever gotten in trouble for doing underage magic?" he just looked at her. "Right, why did I even bother asking?"

"My turn now. What's your favorite card game?" By the end of the patrol the two of them were getting along famously, they were laughing and joking. James had fount out a lot of things about Lily.

Her favorite color was green. She secretly loved junk food. When she was eight she tried to dye her hair brown. Her favorite card game was black jack. She had always like the Beatles, apparently some sort of muggle band. Her first bit of underage magic was to turn her sister's teacup into a rat. There was tons of other little details. He'd also made her laugh. He hadn't ever made her really laugh before.

In turn Lily had also found out things about James. She had made mental notes of them. She found the story about him and Sirius playing quidditch in the house incredibly amusing. They walked back to the common room. Lily sighed,

"It's only Tuesday and I've already got piles of work." James nodded in agreement. "I feel your pain." She scoffed.

"James, you never do your work." He shook his head.

"No, Lily my dear, I do it I just don't take notes and usually leave things to the last minute." She gestured anxiously,

"I've never understood how you and Black can do nothing and remain at the top of the class." He sighed and gave a fake dreamy smile.

"It's a gift, what can I say/ When you're as charming as Padfoot and I and have the ladies, like Jessica Mulrone swooning at our feet, how can we not be perfect?" She shook her head.

" You two are perfect. Perfect idiots." He gave a look of much hurt and clutched his chest. He frowned at her.

"You have injured me deeply Lily. I feel I shall never recover. " Lily laughed and swatted him along side the head. "Trust me, you'll recover quite fine." She turned at walked towards the direction of her dormitory.

"Night James." He stared at her. She looked so beautiful just then. Her dark red locks were hanging loosely, having fallen out of the messy bun from earlier. Her eyes were shining. He could make out the dusting of freckles across her face. He snapped out of it.

'Night Lily."

Tristan was up really early. In fact she was the first person to breakfast. She didn't want to go inside the Great Hall by herself just yet so she sat on the floor and put her head in her knees. She had closed her eyes when she heard a familiar voice.

"You alive Hollis?" She glanced up and saw the familiar form with curly black hair and black eyes. He looked worn and tired. He as alone. She sighed and looked him in the eye.

"Hello Parrick." He nodded. He extended his hand and hauled her to her feet. She wobbled briefly and steadied herself against the wall.

"Hollis, you used to be the last awake." She looked at him for a moment before she turned away.

"I couldn't sleep." He nodded as a bunch of his Ravenclaw friends appeared behind him. She walked into the great hall without saying a word.

Remus was sitting next to Cris watching her thumbing through her notes. She looked so pretty. Her silvery hair was pulled back, revealing her indigo eyes.

I can't think of her like that. But she is so wonderful. Everything about her.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Remus asked nonchalantly. Her eyes brightened slightly.

"Yeah, are you?" He motioned towards James and Sirius who here off in the corner of the common room, probably planning pranks.

"Those two wouldn't let me do anything but go to Hogsmeade, besides we need to make out trip to Zonko's." He rolled his eyes and she laughed. "Do you want to hang out with me and James, Sirius will probably be off with Mulrone." She nodded.

"I'd love to. Lily never lets me go to Zonko's. Usually Tristan is the one that would go for when she and Alia would prank you guys." He laughed at that. He looked thoughtful for a minute.

"You know if her and Sirius didn't-'" Alia cut him off immediately.

"Don't even think that. Tristan would have a heart attack." He nodded and laughed. He knew that if he was a different guy he probably would have the guts to ask her out instead of hanging out but they were just friends. At least, that's what he would try to tell himself. Someday he might believe it.

It was the Hogsmeade trip. Lily was going with a nice Ravenclaw boy, Geoff Town. He had asked her on Wednesday. She stood next to him while he smiled at her shyly. Cris was with Remus and James, leaning slightly against Remus. Peter had disappeared somewhere. Alia was with Andrew Jacobsen. Cris looked at Alia, who looked at Lily, who started to laugh hysterically. The boys just shook their heads. Sirius was off in a corner with his tongue down Jessica's throat. Tristan wasn't there yet.

"Look, we need to go. Where's Hollis?" Suddenly a voice appeared from behind James.

"Right here Potter."

Her voice was mocking as she stepped from behind him with a boy with curly black hair and black eyes. Alia's eyes widened but she didn't say anything. All the boys were staring at him. Even Sirius had come towards them and was staring at this boy. They all knew him very well.

"I suppose you all know him so I won't make introductions." She motioned to him and ignored the raised eyebrows.

Once they arrived at Hogsmeade they split up. Lily and Geoff went to a bookstore while the single Marauder's and Cris went to Zonko's. Everyone else just sort of disappeared. James stopped between mid squeal as he saw Tristan walk by. He motioned toward the window. Remus and Cris nodded slowly. Remus spoke,

"I have to admit, Hollis and Connell surprise me." Cris shrugged her shoulders while James nodded in agreement. She spoke slowly.

"It doesn't surprise me. Parrick is pretty popular and very handsome. Tristan's been turning down dates since first year." James looked at her in surprise. Cris nodded and laughed.

"People always say that Lily and me are the pretty ones, but that's all we are," Remus and James were about to interrupt her but she waved her arm," don't interrupt, it's the truth. Alia is attractive. She has a different look, more ethnic, but most boys have been warned off her. Tristan is… Tristan is gorgeous. Even now, when she looks so edgy she is absolutely beautiful. It doesn't surprise me that Parrick asked her to Hogsmeade, all things considering." James nodded slowly.

That night in the common Room Lily stared at James. "Are you going to say whatever it is that you obviously want to say to me?" He stared back at her for a moment and shook his head. He then asked nonchalantly,

"How was your date with Geoff?" She glared at him.

"It was excellent to be able to go on a date without being stalked or having it sabotaged by you." He sighed and glanced at the floor.

"Congratulations Lily, he seemed like a really nice guy." She sighed and looked at the floor.

"I'm not going out with him again." James' head snapped up. He stared at her.

"Oh that's good, I mean that's awful. Why?" She looked at the floor even harder and then rose to walk to her dorm. She started walking and then turned and said over her shoulder,

"he's not what I want." James sat there positively stunned.