Chapter 4: Kisses and arguments

"Well, little did I know, that they had a bigger plan in order. Obviously I had figured out that their goal was to become animagus's at some point. The bigger plan, however, was that they wanted to do it before they left Hogwarts. I told them it was ridiculous, that the Ministry would never agree to amateurs in magic becoming Animagus's. That's when they informed me that that was the reason they needed me." Lily looked down at Harry and saw that he had taken to sucking on his thumb during the story. He did look a lot like his father. Lily just hoped he didn't end up with the same reputation for troublemaking.

"We need every book we can find!" James said as he ran from bookshelf to bookshelf. "The more information we have the faster we can set to figuring this whole thing out. If we get all the knowledge it takes we can do it in no time."

"But, James," said Sirius in a whiny voice, "how are three First Years gonna figure out one of the most difficult things to accomplish in Wizarding kind?"

"Sirius, you forgot someone," was his only response.

"I wasn't including her!" he said as he pointed to Lily. James just rolled his eyes and went to another bookshelf.

Lily, who till this time had also been going from bookshelf to bookshelf, laughed at their banter. "Another reason I shouldn't like you boys."

"What's that?" the boys said together.

"You can't count," she said just as she slammed a very large book down on the table, "there are only two of you here."

"There is another," Sirius said simply.

James smirked, "He just doesn't know it yet."

"So how do you plan to pass this off?" Lily asked as she arranged some books on a side table.

"What ever do you mean?" James asked with an innocent look on his face.

"How are you gonna convince them that you can do it?"

"Who said we were going to convince someone?"

Lily stopped and just stared from one boy to the other. "You can't think you are gonna do this without the Ministry's approval, do you?"

"Now, what makes you say that?"

Lily just gave him a look in response that said, 'don't test me, little boy' so he decided not to push her anymore.

"Lils, please. We're gonna figure this out at some point, but for right now, I just want to know if it's possible."

"Why is it so important?"

Sirius grabbed James' arm quickly before he said a word. For a second they exchanged a look, but James turned back to her as he shrugged off Sirius' hand. "I can't tell you that. I'm sworn to secrecy."

"What happened to trusting me?"

"I'm sorry, Evans, this secret is not mine to tell."

She was slightly hurt by his comment, but mostly just mad. She looked down at the heap of books: all the work she had put into this, and he wouldn't even tell her why. But Lily was all about balance and being level headed, so she took a breath and tried to talk. "Ok, well, if we are done here," and then she tried to leave.

"Wait," James said as he rushed around the table with ease, finding his way to her side. "Will you help us again tomorrow?"

Her eyes went wide. "You must be kidding?" How dare he after he had denied telling her their big secret!

"No," he said with a silly grin, which erased her bad feelings for him. "If you aren't here, who's gonna be the brains of the operation?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled, to spite herself. "I guess I have a duty to the mission."

He looked at her as she turned away, and then he did something very daring…

"He kissed me on the cheek. It was only a second, but it was glorious. I had never felt anything like it. I was 11 years old and a kiss on the cheek was an achievement. Not to mention he was the cutest boy in our year. I liked him, then, but I could never admit it. After all, he was a boy and a mean boy at that, and I couldn't put myself out there for ridicule and embarrassment. So, I held it in."

That next day she couldn't stop thinking about it. Every time she saw him she blushed and every class she had with him, she couldn't help but be nice to him. He sat next to her in potions and she actually smiled when he put down his bag. When he looked at her curiously with a silly smirk, her smile fell quickly.

She suddenly realized what she was doing. She was giving in. She was accepting that she actually liked James Potter. This was completely unacceptable. She couldn't let the boy with the biggest ego in her class know that she had a thing for him.

No, she thought, I don't have a thing for him; just a silly crush is all.

And with that thought she left. She went back to the common room after classes, and didn't think about him again. As she went to the fire to delve into homework she quickly forgot everything except for the astrological glyphs of the Uranians. She was working on memorizing Poseidon for her Astronomy test the next day when James Potter came up beside her and sat down. The couch was plenty big enough for the both of them, but for some reason he sat as close to her as possible. Lily was so glad that most of the other people were out on the grounds rather than in the common room. She did not need people seeing this.

"Lily," he began which shocked her incredibly, "are you coming or what?"

"Wow, you know I've never felt deja vous before, but I'm getting it now," she said and looked back down at her book. "It seems that every time I decide to do my homework, you decide to annoy me again."

"So are you?" he said, completely ignoring her words.

"Excuse me?" she asked confused.

"Are-you-com-ing," he enunciated, "to-the-Li-brar-y…"

She gave a nasty face with a grimace playing all over it. He had hit a nerve. "I'm trying to study you, nitwit."

"Hey, now there is no need for name calling, I just wanted—" he began but she cut in.

"No need for name calling? But it is just fine to make fun of someone because they are doing something they are supposed to do?"

He looked down at her book. "Astronomy is pointless."

"Excuse me?" Now she was very offended.

"You heard me."

"Astronomy is very important in knowing the way our universe works. Look at Galileo—"

"Git," he affirmed.

"Aristotle—"

"Old dead guy," he commented with a 'duh' face.

"Copernicus—"

"Spent his time hanging out on a turret for days on end."

She growled at him and continued, "Ptolemy—"

"Who?"

She let out a huff and then stormed upstairs with her book in hand.

"So I'll see you soon?" he yelled up the stairs. He let out a gust of air, ran his fingers through his hair and laughed as he ran out the portrait hole.

Lily, however, found nothing amusing as she sat down in her bed trying to work on her astronomy. Her mind kept wandering, though, and she couldn't concentrate. She kept thinking about how he kissed her on the cheek. Not to mention, she did feel a little guilty about not helping them when she said she would.

After she could stand it no longer, she got up out of her bed, and ran out the room…without her astronomy book.

"I was so angry with him! But I couldn't just ditch on Sirius too, no matter how weird it is to actually say that. I had promised them… plus…I wanted to prove that he didn't get to me."

She looked down, and Harry's eyes were still wide awake, but now he was chewing on his foot.

"Harry, get that thing out of your mouth." Then she reached down and pulled the slimy thing out of his teethless mouth. She got it out, but he fought for it. Just like his Daddy would do.

A/N: Sorry it has been so long, but my computer was acting stupid. Also, I've been getting into astrology a lot lately, so I wanted to bring that into my story, especially since they have to take an astronomy class. I'm not sure they take it in their first year, but I was so into it I had to write it into there. Hope you like this one! Happy reading!