Well, this can't possibly get any worse, Lily thought. The compartment had been silent for almost half an hour. Lily was staring determinedly out the window while James gazed impassively into space. People just don't say things like that, she ranted in the privacy of her own thoughts. The ride had been bearable at first, but topics quickly turned sour and Lily and James had broken into an argument.

Flashback

"Why are you always so rude to me, Evans?"

"Me? Rude to you? Nooo…"

"You know you're so much prettier when you aren't pissed, but then again, you're always pissed aren't you? No one at this school is ever good enough to be around you, Miss Evans."

"This from the guy who suspends defenseless boys upside down?"

"And you always thinking you have to protect them! They never ask for your charity…"

"Or your attention!"

"Sometimes it would just be better if you didn't even exist!"

"Likewise, Potter"

End Flashback

Their sullen mood was interrupted by the door clicking open to reveal a handsome black haired boy. "Wow what'd I miss?" Sirius sauntered into the compartment and squished himself between Peter and James. He put his arms around the two and squeezed them.

James made a face, but looked relieved that someone had broken the tension. "What happened to Samantha?" He asked.

"Who?"

"Samantha, the girl that was in our compartment earlier."

"Oh, well she started talking about how she would be saving me a seat with her friends, and we would be together all the time. Started to scare me so I left."

Remus groaned, "You can't just treat girls like that! How'd she take it?"

"Meh, went off crying to her friends."

"You disgust me Padfoot."

"You only say that because it was me in there and not you, Prongsie."

Lily scowled disapprovingly at James. They were such prats. Disgusting, evil conceited jerks. She watched James squirm uncomfortably in his seat. He'd probably snogged her too. That arrogant…

"So…" started Sirius when he saw the fury in Lily's eyes. "Who's up for playing a prank on some considerably less than innocent Slytherins?"

Sirius was only making matters worse. If he kept this up, Lily would have more than enough justifiable reasons to hate him for the rest of the year. So partly to salvage his relationship to be, and partly to escape the accusing glare to his favorite fiery redhead, James did his best to detach Sirius from Lily, "Padfoot, would you accompany me to the bathroom so I can change into my robes?"

"What? Are we girls now, mate?" He pinched James cheek, "Widdle Jamesie isn't scared of the bathroom, is he?"

"Just come, Sirius!" James growled. He couldn't tell Sirius to knock it off in here, he would make a scene.

And so that was why Sirius found himself locked in a bathroom stall with James five minutes later as his friend quietly ranted about how awful this was going, and how he would never have a chance so long as he lived, and he might as well submit to his future life as a lowly hermit with no one to love his poor decrepit soul.

"And now she's gonna think even worse of me. It doesn't matter if I do this stuff with you or not Padfoot. People always think I take part."

Sirius was slightly taken aback, "I admit, mate, I wasn't paying much attention when I walked in. I didn't think. Sorry Prongs."

James sighed. Sirius really was sorry. Too bad that didn't always fix things "What's got you all stressed out lately Padfoot?"

"It's nothing… Just stuff. You think I messed up your chances of marrying Lily?"

"I think my chances of that have been irrevocably ruined since the beginning."

"Well atleast you won't be the only one alone if you don't get married." Sirius said with a fake perkiness.

"Not getting married, Sirius?" James inquired giving his friend a sideways glance as he headed toward the door.

"I'll most likely be single until the day I die."

"Well, that makes two of us." James opened the door of the bathroom to the scared face of a new first year.

"Yeah, but you've atleast found the girl. That gives you a head start," said Sirius as he followed James back to the compartment.

"Well, keep ruining the plan and you'll never be Best Man at anyone's wedding."

"Remus will get married."

"Yeah," said James as he slid open the door, "But I already called dibs on that one."

Remus gave the two a queer look as they walked in, "Uh…"

"What?" Asked James.

"Hadn't you two been going to change your robes?" Questioned Peter slowly.

James looked down to see he was still wearing his muggle clothes with his school robes clutched in his hand, "Well, shit."

The rest of the ride went by uneventfully. The Marauders chatted randomly about everything from wine and cheese to courses for the new school year. Lily occupied herself by glaring at passing trees. But when you're sitting within a yard of people, it's hard not to overhear their conversation. Which is how Lily wound up getting a full reenactment of James's summer from Sirius.

"And that's when I make this amazing shot that nails ol' Prongsie here strait in the gut, knocking him off of his broom and into some poor old witch's Whomping Willow." Sirius reenacted the fall with exaggerated accuracy while James winced.

"Poor boy got beat up so badly, he was limping for a week. Kind of embarrassing really. I couldn't take him anywhere in public. This sweet witch at Flourish and Blotts thought he was crippled. We would have gotten free ink out of her, she felt so bad, but James had to go and be all defensive."

The stories continued for the rest of the ride. Lily had to admit that some of them were pretty amusing. At times she found herself physically having to restrain herself from laughing. Once she let a snort slip and found the four boys all looking at her. But she covered it up quickly with a cough in order to maintain her dignity.

When the train arrived at Hogwarts, Lily found a carriage with some of her friends, leaving the Marauders to sit together.

"Well, Prongs, mate, could've gone worse. She could have turned you into a frog." Sirius patted his friend on the shoulder.

James shook his head and climbed into the carriage.