Chapter Six: The Cat, the Mouse, and the Wardrobe

Sunday was a busy day for James. He and Marlene had called trials, with Sirius as the ref and scribe. If he hadn't known any better, James reckoned that the only reason his best mate was there was to spend time with Marlene. That, and probably the prospect of ordering around the younger kids, too.

In the end, after a long try-out that had kept him in the Quidditch pitch for the better part of the morning, he'd chosen three new people that he was satisfied with: 4th-year Harley Johnson, who had passed after outflying all of the competition, 5th-year Alex Carter, a beater who looked weedy but aimed well and packed a ferocious hit, and Charles Bonham, a 6th-year keeper that had blocked 9 out of the 10 quaffles that James had shot at him.

He spent the rest of the day working on prefect schedules with Lily and Remus, something that he found very boring indeed. He'd decided that he'd patrol three times a week, on the days that he did not have Quidditch Practice. McGonagall had told James that under no circumstances would he be patrolling alone, so he put Remus's name on two-thirds of his schedule, and Lily on the last third.

On Monday, James and the rest of the 7th years greeted their new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor first thing in the morning; she was a witch by the name of Miracula Hedith. She was in her mid-40s, figured James, and was pretty in an old-woman sort of way. She'd set them to researching and studying dragons, their first chapter of the DADA textbook. Sirius got ten points taken off from Gryffindor and a detention when he asked her what sort of dragon she busied herself with at night.

Next was potions, and they continued to brew their Veritaserum. James and Sirius found no problem with this at all, and nor did Lily; though of course, she had always been ahead of the class in that particular subject. They spent the period cutting up Sopophorous Beans and shaving off bicorn horns.

History of Magic came last, which James had no idea how he'd ended up in. He'd gotten an A in his O.W.L, but apparently Binns was so starved of students he'd even let Peter in, who'd gotten a P. James felt somewhat obligated to go to his class, even if he was totally rubbish at it. One of his favourite (only) memories with the old ghost was of him receiving a Circe chocolate-frog card from him.

Tuesday passed much like Monday, and so did the rest of the week, in that it was fairly ordinary. He was panicked slightly at the amount of work that he hadn't finished – he had an Arithmancy equation that he was supposed to be dissecting and explaining, due next Wednesday. Professor Hedith had partnered her students, and set them to draw a full-scale diagram of a dragon, mapping out its weak points (James thought privately that, with Sirius as his partner, he wouldn't get that done anytime soon). He also had a Charms essay on the Protean Charm from Professor Flitwick, so, thought James dejectedly, he knew where he'd be spending the nights at.

By mid-September, James and Lily had caught a total of ten students wandering out after-hours. He wondered how many of them were actually planning on shagging, but fortunately none of the couples had progressed that far. They hadn't caught any Slytherins, which James found quite odd, because it contradicted directly with what Professor Dumbledore had said.

James had agreed with the Headmaster, of course, in which the wannabe Death Eaters would be trying to take over the school. So far, the Slytherins had been perfectly normal – or, at least, as normal as they usually were. They were still slimy, bigotted pricks, and James and Sirius (and on occasion, Remus) relieved their stress by hexing unsuspecting 7th year Slytherins when Lily wasn't looking.

So it was on the evening of Wednesday the 21st that James found himself outside of the Head's Tower, waiting for Lily to get out so that they could begin their patrol. He ruffled his hair nervously – she had that effect on him, he was beginning to realize, but he didn't mind in the slightest.

Then the painting of the two wizards swung open, and Lily stepped out. She smiled at James and they walked together.

It took them half an hour to scout their floor, and they found nothing. Apparently, the students had caught on that James knew their exact location at all times, so they didn't bother anymore.

Tonight, though, was different. That morning, he'd left the Marauder's Map with – well, the Marauders – and he'd forgotten to take it back. James and Lily checked every classroom, every broom closet, but still they found nobody.

They rounded a corner and climbed a staircase. James cracked a joke here and there, and Lily laughed quietly beside him. He relaxed visibly as they continued to patrol – he and Lily shared the same somewhat-bawdy sense of humour that he'd gotten from years of talking to Sirius.

At that point, they were near the Astronomy Tower. It was one of the most common places in which to enjoy a fun, exciting night, and James and Lily had capitalized on that; most of the unlucky couples had been found there.

Suddenly, James held a finger to shush Lily and himself, for he had heard a voice coming from the tower.

Two voices. Awfully familiar, as well.

"I think we've found our first pair of troublemakers," murmured James, and then he grinned wickedly. "I know who they are. Let's blast the door open, should give them a good scare."

Lily agreed with a matching smirk.

They both crept up the stairs, ascending the tower quietly with their wands out, trying to hold in their sniggers. Finally, they reached the door to the parapet; Lily stepped forwards, and with a wave, shouted, "Bombarda!"

The wooden door flew open and was blasted back. James felt sorry for the poor students who'd woken up. His guilt immediately subsided as he saw the two figures yelp, ducking as the door sailed past them.

"Fucking hell, Prongs," complained Sirius, as he realized who was standing at the door frame, "Can't a bloke get some privacy?"

"The Astronomy Tower, Padfoot?" James cocked an eyebrow. "You deserved it."

Next to Sirius, Marlene was blushing profusely, and wasn't meeting James's or Lily's eyes. They were both fully clothed, noted James with relief, but he noticed that Marlene's blouse was rumpled and Sirius's hair messy. They were apparently having a right good time.

"Well, what would you have me pick?" demanded Sirius. "McGonagall's office?"

Lily snorted. "Frankly, anything but the Astronomy Tower. At least you two had the decency to not rip each other's clothes off."

James turned to Marlene, grinning widely. "Marls, sweetheart, just make sure to stay safe, all right? And get your priorities straightened out. If you miss practice because you were shagging this wanker –" James gestured at Sirius, who made noises of protest " – I'm going to have to kick you off the team."

"Hey!" said Marlene indignantly. Lily laughed at her best friend.

"Get out of here, you two," said Lily. "And five points from Gryffindor as well."

This time both Marlene and Sirius started complaining, but Lily held up her hand. "No arguing. Get to your dormitories. Marly, we're going to have to talk about this tomorrow."

Marlene looked as if smoke was about to come steaming from her ears this time, but she grabbed Sirius's hand and dragged him down the stairs.

"Way to kill the mood, Prongs!" said Sirius as he disappeared through the doorway.

James and Lily laughed again. "No detours, you two!"

"Well, that was fun," said Lily a few moments later. She pointed her wand at the blasted door and said, "Reparo!" and the door flew back to its hinges.

"We'd better get back now, we've still got a whole floor to patrol."

James sighed. "What's the rush? We can enjoy the view from here. It's only eleven, anyways."

"It's nearing twelve, actually," said Lily.

"Whatever," said James smoothly. "I rounded down."

Lily shook her head in exasperation, but she leaned against the tower's railing anyways. James copied her, taking in the view.

It was a splendid night. The half-moon appeared behind the mountains that ringed the grounds and illuminated the forest before it. James could see birds and Hippogriffs flying above the Forbidden Forest, gliding in intricate patterns that made him dizzy. Once or twice he saw a pair fly high into the air, then swoop back down and didn't return. It was mating season for them.

It was also very quiet. The lake was calm and gave no indication that anybody lived there. The castle grounds were peaceful and tranquil, and the only light coming from it was from Hagrid's Hut.

"I sometimes forget how beautiful Hogwarts can be," breathed Lily.

James glanced at her briefly, then turned back to the view. "Yeah, I guess. We should probably head back now."

Lily frowned. "But this whole sightseeing was your idea."

"I tend to have many ideas at once, love. I think it's my superior intellect."

They bickered all the way down the stairs and continued their patrol. They found no trouble, thankfully, and if Sirius and Marlene were out they didn't spot them.

Finally, half an hour later, James and Lily trudged back towards the Head's Tower, slightly exhausted. They said their goodnights to each other, and closed the doors to their rooms.

Friday dawned and passed quickly. That morning's Potions class had been uneventful, save for Peter exploding his cauldron and covering him and Remus in its contents, causing the both of them to spend their lunch in the Hospital Wing. The rest of the N.E.W.T students had Transfiguration as their final class of the week, and James welcomed it with open arms.

They'd progressed to changing cats and mice into full-size wardrobes now, something that James found quite challenging. Sirius was the first to get it, and it took James a couple more tries until the stubborn cat turned into a simple, wooden closet. They were the only ones to do it, though Marlene and Remus had managed to transfigure their mice into half-rodent, half-furniture hybrids, which McGonagall still gave half a point for.

That evening found James in his favourite squishy armchair by the fire, sitting with the Marauders. He relished in the thought that he'd be able to play Quidditch tomorrow without any nagging thoughts in the back of his mind, now that his ridiculously tall pile of homework was completely finished.

He watched and laughed as Peter played Wizard's Chess with Sirius, who was cursing loudly as his pieces were picked apart one-by-one. Chess was one of the only things that Peter was better at than the rest of the Marauders, and it boosted his self-esteem greatly.

"Knight to A-6 – wait, actually, G-6, WAIT – are you kidding me?"

"Bishop to G-4 – not you, the other one, stupid – I've got you cornered now! Checkmate, Padfoot!"

Remus grabbed the black king from Sirius's side of the chessboard and turned it around his fingers, laughing heartily. Sirius demanded a rematch, to which Peter readily agreed.

James smiled lazily. His mind wandered off to what he'd be doing next; it was ten o'clock, maybe he'd get something to bite in the kitchen… smiling inwardly, maybe he could get Lily to accompany him again, she'd loved meeting the House-elves last time...

Thinking about Lily always made his heart swoop. He'd always been friendly with her since they were in the same house, of course, but last year he felt like their relationship had crossed an invisible threshold. They were friends now, best friends – he considered her just as good as Peter and Remus and Sirius.

Ever since they started hanging around each other a bit more and James stopped asking her out for the fun of it, he'd really seen her. She was studious and ambitious, yes, but she was mischievous, and liked to play pranks, though he had yet to play one with her. But she was also immeasurably kind and thoughtful, even to complete strangers. It was those two traits, above all others, that had drawn him inexplicably to her.

And yet, as long as he'd known Lily, he still felt like he understood so little about her. Even after they'd come to a truce last year, even after they'd shown each other a side of themselves they would previously have refused to show, their friendship was delicate and uncertain, like a glass sculpture. He was terrified of doing something wrong and breaking it.

He wondered what it was like to be Remus – to always be looking out for his friends, and yet not having the courage to say anything... although he'd never said it out loud, James knew that was how he felt whenever he picked on Snape or Lily. He felt a sudden rush of affection for the werewolf; he realized how painful it must have been, to never pick sides when he and Lily were fighting.

Lily and Remus had been good friends ever since they had become prefects in 5th year, remembered James, something that he had taken advantage of once he'd developed feelings for her. Remus had been less than willing to involve himself in their complicated relationship, but James had promised him a whole month's worth of Chocolate Frogs if he talked about how smart he was, or how good he was at Quidditch, or how muscular he was –

He chuckled lightly to himself. Merlin, he'd been an immature little prat. They were good memories, fond memories, but he couldn't help but cringe at them. He had resolved long to give up on her – he was just getting his hopes up, and that wouldn't do him any good. He was just fine with them being friends.

A light tap on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned his head, and he found the very subject of his inner, most-private fantasies standing behind him, looking slightly awkward.

"All right, Evans?" said Sirius, not taking his eyes off of the chessboard. "Seen McKinnon?"

"Hullo, James," said Lily, ignoring Sirius. "Care to tutor me in Transfiguration?"

"Sure," said James, surprised. He got off from his armchair and turned his back to his friends, who catcalled and threw Chess pieces at him. He and Lily walked over to an empty table near the common-room noticeboards.

"So," began James, "why the sudden plea for help?"

"Don't be mean," chided Lily. "Just because you're the best in the year –"

"I was only joking," said James, smirking slightly. "So – same as last year, then?"

"Obviously, unless you've got something different in mind."

"Not really," said James. "D'you want to call Sirius over? Should speed things up a bit."

Lily sighed, as though he'd said something rather lame. "James, I asked you. I've been asking you since sixth year."

"I'm just saying, Sirius is probably a tad bit better than me at the moment."

She rolled her eyes, which made him wonder once again what he'd said that was wrong. "Sirius is a right arse, to be honest. He's fun, but I'd never learn anything from him."

"You don't know that, he could be way better than I am –"

"Are you done, or do you still need to convince yourself that Sirius is better?"

James blinked. It wasn't like him at all to turn down an opportunity to spend time with Lily. He'd tutored her countless times last year; how was this year any different?

"All right," he said slowly.

"Brilliant." Lily's green eyes were shining brightly. She opened her copy of Transfiguring Reality and turned to the page they were currently working on with Professor McGonagall: The Cat, the Mouse, and the Wardrobe.

"Right," said James, taking out his wand. "Well, first things first – we're going to need either a mouse or a cat. I saw a mouse near the fireplace earlier with a slice of cheese… let me see if I can – Accio Cheese!"

The cheese soared over the heads of his fellow Gryffindors, dragging the poor mouse with it as it clung determinedly and it landed on the table. He waved his wand again ("Immobulus!") and the mouse stayed still.

It was a rather fat mouse, noted James, and though he knew that it wasn't Wormtail, since he was still sat by the fire playing chess with Sirius, he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty at the thought of using one of his friends as a lab rat. He pushed down his guilt and turned to Lily.

"Cats are better, of course," he began to explain. "They're durable and flexible, and there are a lot more possibilities when you're using cats. But mice are easier, that's why McGonagall has us using them in her class."

He pointed his wand at the mouse and said, "Vera Minima Lectulo!" The mouse shifted and changed; in its place stood a small brown wardrobe about as big as his hand. James opened its doors and found the cheese tucked neatly inside.

He undid the spell and the wardrobe turned back into a frozen mouse. He gestured at Lily to try.

On her second attempt, the mouse transformed into a simple black closet with mismatched door handles. The cheese was nowhere to be found.

"Nice one," commented James. "Of course, anything with minima in it is far easier than its usual spell. But you've got the basics, so it shouldn't be as hard. And also remember – McGonagall wants us practising nonverbal spells. Reparifarge."

The wardrobe changed back into a mouse (cheese gone) and James set it on the floor, away from the table. The common room was emptying now, and the space in front of them was wide open.

"I'm going to turn it into an actual wardrobe, now," said James, and Lily nodded impatiently, her face scrunched up in concentration as to what he was doing.

He jabbed his wand at the mouse, thought, Vera Lectulo! and the mouse blurred and expanded before it stood straight up, its fur slowly browning and hardening; it stretched out, warping and shifting, and then a set of wooden doors appeared, and then its walls and its top, and then it all closed with a snap.

Once again, he undid the transformation and told Lily to try it out. She raised her wand and began her barrage of spellwork.

Lily waved and swished and even muttered the spell, but the mouse didn't budge. James waited for a few moments until he'd decided that she'd suffered enough.

"You're flourishing your wand a bit too much," said James, as Lily cursed. "It's more a straight jab."

"I have been jabbing," snarled Lily, scowling. "It's the stupid mouse that's rubbish, get me another one."

"We haven't got another one, genius," said James, rolling his eyes. "I don't actively search for rodents in my free time, in case you're wondering. Just try again."

She did, jabbing her wand straight at the mouse, but it stayed in place stubbornly. "See?"

"You've still got that Charms mentality," said James lazily. "Don't go around the problem, barge through it. You're forgetting that there are formulas and laws."

"I think I can tell if I've forgotten for myself, thanks –"

James tapped at her textbook impatiently. There, on page forty-five in a large yellow triangle, were arcane symbols and letters: the Transformation Formula.

"And also," continued James, "I think you're not visualising enough. There's so much more to it than just simply imagining a mouse turning into furniture. You have to picture the mouse's skin turning into wood, its skeleton into the doors or handles or whatever. It doesn't matter. As long as you're visualising... sort of like a moving painting or picture."

Lily thought about it for a bit. "Like a film?"

"Isn't that the thing you stick to cameras?"

"No, that's a different –" she closed her eyes and chuckled lightly to herself. "Never mind. A moving picture –"

"Painting," corrected James helpfully.

"Whatever," said Lily. "A moving painting... got it."

Lily turned her attention to the mouse. She did as James said – a mental replay of the mouse turning into the bed, and she brought her wand down in a straight flick; the mouse changed into a white wardrobe.

"I did it!" exclaimed Lily, jumping slightly. A couple of Gryffindors looked around curiously, and then Lily blushed and sat down again.

"Well, with James Potter as your teacher you were bound to get it sometime," said James, but he couldn't help but smile; her happiness was infectious. "Congratulations."

Lily beamed at him. "Thanks, you prat. I don't have to act dumb around McGonagall anymore."

She and James laughed. He thought he saw the Marauders smirking at each other over by the fire.

"I didn't think you were acting, though," said James, and he avoided her swatting hand. "Hopefully you won't top me in Transfiguration."

Lily snorted. "As if that's possible."

James gazed off, looking at nothing in particular, and yet feeling particularly lucky to actually be talking to Lily Evans. A couple of years ago, his younger self would have laughed at him.

Because he thought he didn't really fancy Evans. He just liked the way she scowled and turned her nose in that prim manner she usually showed whenever she talked to him. He just liked the way she puffed up like a blowfish whenever he teased her. He just liked the way she said, Potter, whenever he poked fun at her.

"You know," continued Lily, "You're a really good teacher, James. Maybe you should take over for McGonagall once she retires."

It was James's turn to snort. "While I appreciate the compliment, I don't think I could ever settle down as a Professor. I'm way too much of a troublemaker. There's no way I could make a bunch of hormonal teenagers take me seriously."

"Really?" asked Lily quietly. "Because people can change, you know. You've changed."

James crossed his arms. "Yeah, well…"

"It's rather nice, you know," said Lily, looking at him. "I'm glad I asked you and not Sirius."

James looked back at her. What was she saying?

"Besides, James," said Lily suddenly, after a few minutes of silence between them. "You're the Transfiguration prodigy. You're the one who should be an expert on change."

On Tuesday, Lily woke up a little later than usual, having spent most of last night studying. Figuring that it was probably 8 o'clock, she bustled about in her room, brushing her teeth and washing her hair. After deeming herself presentable, she opened her curtains, where she was immediately greeted by a fresh ray of bright sunlight – and she instantly panicked.

Reaching for her watch, she realised she had ten minutes to get to class. Her heart rose to her throat – she'd never been late, not in any of her seven years at Hogwarts, and she wasn't going to start now. Lily stuffed her textbooks into her bag and hurried out of her door, accepting that she wasn't going to be eating until lunch. Her stomach rumbled, which did not help, but she pushed down her hunger and raced out of the Tower.

James was probably already in class, which meant that she wouldn't be able to use his shortcuts. She descended the Grand Staircase, passing by the near-empty Great Hall, and just barely reached the oak doors as the bell rang.

She shut her eyes; the sound of the bell was a cruel reminder that she was late. Dragging her feet out of the doors, she made her way to Greenhouse Three for Herbology. She gave a hurried apology to Professor Sprout, who just bade her sit down, and collapsed on the only empty seat: the one next to James.

She couldn't bring herself to focus on whatever Professor Sprout was saying; it was as though her day was destined to be bad. Instead, she busied herself with her gloomy thoughts, wondering whether this would stain her record and cause her to get in trouble with McGonagall, which would lead to trouble with Dumbledore, and then the governors, and oh no, she would lose her badge, she would forever be known as the Head Girl who hadn't lasted a single month and would ultimately fail to get a job –

"Miss Evans!"

She looked up, her eyes wide. Professor Sprout was frowning at her, looking torn between disapproval and concern. She felt James's eyes on her as she squeaked out an almost inaudible, "Yes, Professor?"

"Are you ready to participate in class, or are you still going to stare off into the distance?"

"I – no…" she muttered, feeling herself get red as the class tittered. "I mean – yes, I'm ready to participate. I'm sorry, Professor."

Professor Sprout gave her one last miffy look and turned back to the class at large, this time holding a large, potted plant. Lily sank lower into her chair, trying desperately to disappear forever…

Suddenly, there was a great rumble as everyone got up, and, realising that she had zoned out yet again, she stared around. People were getting into pairs; she saw Sirius and Remus wander off to an empty table. What was going on?

"Lily?"

James's voice made her jump slightly. She turned to look at him, his hazel eyes amused and concerned. She shook her head; this was no time to get lost again.

"Yes?" she said, in what she thought was a dignified voice. James smirked.

"Well, don't just stand there, help me get this Whomping Willow over here –"

He heaved a great potted plant, the same as Professor Sprout's, and Lily hurried over to help. They both managed to set it on to their table, where he looked at her expectantly.

"What?" she said.

"We're supposed to get these things to trust us," said James, gesturing at the plant. "Professor Sprout reckons that a girl is better suited for the job. Something about the way you smell?"

"Oh," said Lily, turning to look at the plant. It was large and wilted, and it reminded her of one of those bonsai trees that Petunia had brought home. She reached a hand out tentatively to touch it, but before she could so much as brush against the leaves, the tree lashed out and struck her thumb.

Eyes watering, she pulled back her hand and sucked on her thumb, biting down so that the pain would stop. She glared angrily at the tree, but the tree remained still.

"Are you hurt?" asked James concernedly. "Let me take a look –"

But Lily shook his hand off, unwilling to accept help. She could deal with a simple cut. "I'm fine."

"All right, no need to get angry," said James uneasily, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "Why don't you sit down? I'll try to get this thing under control."

Lily shook her head stubbornly. "I told you, I'm fine. Now what're we supposed to do with these things?"

Still looking unconvinced, James explained that she had to approach it quickly, confidently – Whomping Willows were proud plants, but would yield if they managed to get intimidated. Lily squared her shoulders, and, following James's instructions, she immediately lunged for the trunk of the tree; its branches lifted in surprise, and then it wilted again, as though it had just been defeated. Satisfied, she turned back to James.

"Now what?"

"Now," said James, lifting a pair of shears, "we prune the leaves."

The rest of the lesson passed quickly. She handed in her and James's pile of pruned leaves, noticing that it was considerably smaller than the rest of her peers', but she couldn't bring herself to care. She had Ancient Runes next, and then a free period after. Resigning herself to an extra couple of hours of sleep and hunger, she shouldered her bag.

"Oi, Lily!"

James again. She sighed, not in the mood to talk with anybody. She turned around, about to tell him off, but then James said, "What's gotten into you?"

Blunt and swift. Lily, surprised, opened her mouth to retort, but James beat her to it.

"I mean, it's not like you at all to be late, or to miss breakfast," said James, a smirk growing on his lips. "I don't ever recall seeing you zone out in class, either –"

"James, if you're just going to remind me what a disorganized, messy person I am –"

"Fancy a trip to the kitchens?"

"I – what?" she stared at him in confusion. Had she heard him right? "The kitchens?"

James shrugged, lifting a hand up to his hair. "Well, you seem to have a thing for missing breakfast, so I thought – well, maybe you were hungry, and you'd accompany me to the kitchens…?"

Lily stared at him. "James, don't you have History of Magic next –?"

"It's not like Binns'll notice me skiving or anything," said James, grinning crookedly. "And I'm sure Professor Babbling will give you a pass. I've said this before, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You can't miss it!"

As if on cue, her stomach rumbled. She patted it, scolding herself mentally for being weak. "Well, I suppose – but I don't really fancy missing class..."

"What?" James looked aghast, and he pulled her by the elbow away from the students streaming out of the greenhouse. "What do you mean, you don't fancy missing class? Don't tell me you actually like Ancient Runes?"

"I'll have you know, James, that Ancient Runes is an amazing subject –"

"It's boring, that's what it is, and I dunno how you or Remus can stand it," said James, his hand travelling down her arm to clasp her palm. "I swear, Evans, it's as if you have an aversion to fun or something."

"I have fun," said Lily defensively, following James down to the route they had gone on a few weeks ago. "I mean, it's just – I separate it from school and all…"

"You're long overdue for some rule-breaking," said James firmly, as they reached the painting of the pear. "And here I was thinking you actually learned stuff when Marlene brought you along..."

The kitchens were, as always, crowded and chaotic. At first glance, she thought there was a sea of shiny bald heads with small pointed ears shuffling about, squeaking frantically, but as she took a closer look she found that they were the usual House-Elves. They cleared a path for the both of them, waving merrily and offering all sorts of food.

"As a matter of fact, I do," she said. "Kind of hard not to when you're brought there against your will."

They sat down on one of the tables, thanking the House-Elves politely. James plucked a danish from a passing House-Elf and said to her, "Maybe there's hope for you yet."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

They spent the two periods chatting with the house-elves and eating themselves silly. They skipped lunch, which she thought for the best, as the food here was heaps better than the food in the Great Hall. She had to admit, it felt fun to be free of Babbling's voice, but she couldn't help but feel scared that the professors would come looking for them. She voiced her fears to James, who chuckled.

"You're just overthinking," said James, munching on a chocolate tart. "I've done things much worse than miss class, and McGonagall still loves me."

Lily snorted.

"Say, Lily," began James in a voice very different from the one he had used before, "What do you say we do something after this?"

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Oh? And what did you have in mind?"

James scratched the back of his head. There were a few crumbs of chocolate on his chin that Lily wanted to wipe away. "I was thinking... something along the lines of Berkana in Fehu, if you catch my drift...?"

Lily stared at him, trying to ignore the way her stomach flip-flopped as she realized what he was saying. "James, that is the most pathetic pick-up line I have heard, and I'm friends with Sirius."

"Worth a shot," grinned James cheekily. "Seems that the Ancient Runes that I picked up from Remus didn't all go to waste."

She rolled her eyes at him playfully, masking her wide smile with her syllabub. "Has anyone ever told you you have the mind of a twelve-year-old?"

"If I recall correctly, you've reminded me without fail for the last six years."

"Consider yourself reminded again."

James grinned again, his hazel eyes sparkling. "I will, because I'm a nice person. A dear, if you will. An... Algiz?"

"Close enough," said Lily sniffily. "Algiz stands for elk, not deer. And stop it with the Ancient Runes, you're scaring me."

When she heard the bell ring, she convinced James to come with her, as it was Charms next. She left the kitchens in far higher spirits than she had upon entering it.

That night, in the Gryffindor common room, she found herself feeling incredibly lonely as she sat with her friends around the fire. She mostly stayed quiet, speaking only when she was spoken to, and not contributing to the conversation.

She sighed, leaning back into her sofa. Marlene and James were still in the Quidditch pitch, so maybe that was why she was feeling this way. She knew it wasn't fair to Alice – she loved her like a sister, but sometimes the girl would always forget who was around her. At the moment, Alice was chatting with Remus and Peter about who-knew-what, and Sirius was being his usual, obnoxious self by flicking paper-balls towards the heads of unsuspecting second years.

She didn't know why she was suddenly missing James. Marlene, she could understand – she was her best friend, obviously – but James? Why, in the overwhelming crowd that was the Gryffindor common room, did she suddenly desire for his company more than Marlene's?

Perhaps it was because he had gone out of his way to help her feel better. Or perhaps it was because she spent so much more time with him than either Marlene or Alice these days. Or perhaps it was because things were much less boring with him around. He always knew what to say to defuse the situation, or, if he was feeling like it, escalate it a hundredfold. Lily found herself glancing at the portrait hole, praying that either one of her friends would climb out and save her from her boredom.

Berkana in Fehu... she had to admit, that boy could get creative with his words. She snorted lightly to herself.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a book. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a short collection of tales James had given to her ages ago, before what had happened in the Lake. Smiling slightly at the thought of reading about a warlock's hairy heart, she opened the pages and sank into the stories.

Half an hour later, having thoroughly exhausted the contents of the children's book, she closed it. She glanced at the portrait hole again, wondering why James was taking so long. It was well past dinner, after all – surely, he would take pity on his team and let them eat. If he wasn't showing any time soon, then Lily might as well pack up and leave for her Tower.

She hummed absently to herself, stuffing her book back into her bag. She stared around the common room, noticing that Em and Mary had already gone up after finishing their game of Gobstones. Perhaps she should have played with them; if anything, to take her mind off of things. She was about to stand up when a sudden tap on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts.

Spinning around, she saw a messy-haired, bespectacled boy grinning down at her from behind the sofa, his scarlet Quidditch robes caked with mud and grass.

"When did you get back?" said Lily, surprised.

James jumped over the sofa and sank into the cushions, propping his feet over the desk. "Missed me, did you?"

"No," lied Lily. "I didn't see you go through the portrait hole."

He shrugged, covering the back pillows with grass. "I came back a few minutes ago. You looked busy."

Lily glanced at her heavy bag, where The Tales of Beedle the Bard was stashed safely in one of the pockets. She was strangely attached to the book. "I was reading."

"Very interesting," said James sarcastically, tossing a Quaffle up into the air that he'd procured from seemingly nowhere. "Might I ask what you were reading?"

"Just a children's book," she answered, not wanting to tell him that she had been reading something he had given her. "Is Marlene here?"

"She's probably taking a bath," said James, glancing up at the ceiling. "We had a rough practice today, Hector and Paris Salley were being quite... uncooperative."

He directed those last words towards a pair of two boys sitting not too far from them. Siblings, undoubtedly. They smiled cheekily at him and saluted mockingly.

"Hmm," said Lily absently. "And why aren't you taking a bath?"

"I don't much fancy showering in a place where Sirius was last seen, thanks," said James. "The Head Tower exists for a reason, you know."

Soon, Lily began to relax as her boredom came to an end. She didn't notice Marlene and Alice glance at her happily, nor did she notice Sirius smile at them from the boys' stairs. She didn't even notice the common room slowly empty as curfew drew near. She felt like she could talk to James about anything – his presence was so reassuring, so comfortable, she felt her inner shields go down and let him enter, and they sank into their own little world.