Lily went down to breakfast the next morning with Marlene. Dorcas and Emmeline were waiting with their seats. As soon as Lily got into the hall, she groaned.

"What's up?" asked Marlene, who was still drying her curly hair with streams of heat from her wand.

"I forgot we're getting our timetables today. I think I'm still getting the same as last year, right?"

"Lily, you definitely didn't fail out of anything and I don't see how you're taking on anything new, so why're you worrying?"

"Because of Slughorn!" Lily said exasperatedly, taking her seat across from Emmeline. "All his trash about Slytherin and his stupid Slug Club, and the essays are only getting longer, and—oh here's Potter!" Lily gnashed her teeth and stuffed a spoonful of porridge into her mouth. Emmeline laughed, and Dorcas mouthed a 'What's wrong with her?' to Marlene, who just shook her head.

The Marauders had just entered the Hall (Strutting of course, Lily thought, like a pack of peacocks) and sat down. Only a few people separated Lily from James and his friends, some first years she had never met. Lily, determined not to look to her side, gazed straight ahead. She noticed several Slytherins with their faces covered in stings, glaring mutinously out over the tables. Lily only glowered into her porridge, willing different people to die painfully. The owls flew into the Great Hall, landing all around her as she mulled over the plotted deaths of several classmates.

"Has your food done you personal injury?" asked Dorcas with a chuckle, motioning towards the porridge that was now boiling. Lily waved her wand once, horizontally, and stilled the bubbling glob.

"I'm not hungry," she said smartly, pushing it away from her. From farther along the Gryffindor table, James and Remus doubled over in loud mirth. Lily took a particularly large gulp of orange juice. Emmeline smiled suggestively. "How's Jamie doing, Lily? Have you got your proposal yet?" Lily's eyes narrowed when, with his characteristic perfect timing, James Potter boomed in her ear,

"Lily! Darling! Enjoying your food?" Lily choked on her orange juice, nearly inhaling the lot of it, and was finally calmed by a very entertained Marlene. James was smiling broadly, his look changing barely a jot as a very irate Lily stood up suddenly, nearly upsetting the entire bench. She faced him with a terribly unamused look.

"You! Stay here for just five seconds longer and I'll blast you to fiery bits. Five—"

"Just wanted to say that Slughorn, your old pal, invited me to dinner in a few days, heard you'd be there too—"

"—four—"

"—wondered if I could squire you to such an innocent occasion—"

"—three—" Lily felt herself getting madder and madder; she heard not only Sirius, Remus, and Peter laughing, but also the tinkling chuckle of Marlene and the full-bodied laughs of Emmeline and Dorcas.

"—and if you don't want to go with me then, maybe we could meet earlier, say, eleven tonight? For a patrol—"

"—two—" James was obviously trying not to laugh either; she decided that she wouldn't need her wand, she'd tear into his infuriating face with her bare hands—

"—so I can pick you up at the Gryffindor common room maybe quarter-to? Unless that's an issue—"

"—one!" Lily grabbed her wand, not sure what she was quite going to do, when suddenly a piece of paper was thrust into her hand. She looked up to see Professor McGonagall standing there, looking from James to Lily and back; the paper was her timetable.

"Potter. Evans. Here are your schedules. You know you've got patrol tonight." She whisked off to the next batch of Gryffindors.

Lily stood stock still, clenching the quavering paper in her hands. James was at least decent enough to not say anything yet; he was looking over his schedule and muttering, "Runes…Creatures…Transfiguration…free…Charms…"

Lily stopped listening. I do not want to know James Potter's schedule, he's just a blithering fool. He deliberately makes trouble, he's completely out of control, he's arrogant, he's handsome— Lily stopped, horrified with herself, and frozen. She knew, deep down, that the real reason James was able to get to her so easily was because she liked him a lot. It was a terrible jolt though, when one's own mind betrayed her secret thoughts. Lily bit her lip nervously, what if she said something next? Completely blabbed everything, everything, to that four-eyed twit and his gaggle of asinine—

"Come on," whispered Marlene in her ear, tugging on Lily's sleeve. "Let's go. I've got Herbology, excellent, you do too, you can tell me what's wrong then—"

"Nothing's wrong," answered Lily absently as Marlene led her away from the table. "Everything's just…weird…"

"No, you're weird. James said goodbye, you didn't even notice, we've got to get to Professor Sprout before we're late for our first class—"

"James did what?" asked Lily, suddenly coming out of her reverie. Marlene repeated herself. "Oh." Her friend gave her a strange look.

"Lily, really, what's wrong? You've been acting strange, and you've got your knickers in a twist this morning—"

"Marlene, he's just so stupid that I—"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh," nodded Marlene, satisfied. "I get it. This is about James."

"What would give you that idea?" asked Lily immediately, looking rather surly again as they entered the greenhouse and took a seat at their benches. Marlene just shrugged, but held Lily's gaze. Lily submitted with a sigh, deflated like a balloon. She told Marlene every detail of what had happened yesterday and this morning; Marlene, however, seemed to find it funny.

"What's funny about any of this?" demanded Lily.

"You've fallen for James Potter, that's what."

"I know," moaned Lily, plunking her head facedown onto the soil cover.