Disclaimer:I'm only doing this once. FANfiction.. self-explanitory.

Chapter 2:
The Feast

I groaned and dragged my feet behind Potter and Remus. I wouldn't have minded just walking with Remus, but Potter just had to be there to screw everything up.

As always.

When we finally got to the Prefect compartment, it was apparent that they had been waiting for us to get there for quite awhile.

"What took you so long!" One of the fifth-year Slytherin prefects asked with a smirk. "We've been waiting for you for an hour!"

"Never mind," I said quickly, "but congratulations on becoming prefects! You are to lead your houses and help keep order."

"Becoming a prefect is a big responsibility", James said. "But in reward, you will get a separate bathroom and lounge. I assume you all know where they are?"

There was a general murmur of assent. The prefect bathroom and lounge location was well-known around the school, spread by, it's generally assumed, the four Marauders.

"kay, good. The password is-" he checked in an envelope in a stack that was labeled 'BR&L'-"chocolate frog." All right, let's give out the passwords. "Hufflepuff?"

A boy with blonde hair and watery blue eyes stepped forward.

"Ravenclaw?"

A tall brunette with glasses raised her hand hesitantly.

The next one he eyed with distaste, but overcame it when he saw the look on my face. "Slytherin?"

There was silence.

Severus Snape, batlike as always, stepped in and out of the compartment, pausing only long enough to grab the envelope and mutter, "I never thought I'd see the day when you would be a Head, Potter."

By this time, I was noticing how much James really had grown up. Last year, he would not so much as touched the Slytherin envelope. I've never understood how he could be so prejudiced against the Slytherins. I mean, there are some that are really nasty, like Snape, but that doesn't mean that they all are, or that any of them are stupid.

James

I glanced at her in between giving out the passwords. I've never understood why she hates me so much, when she's so nice to everyone else. Even Snape. How she can tolerate him, with his constant stream of "mudblood", "filth", "don't deserve a place at this ancient school" and general bad-temperedness and rudeness towards her in general. Him and his Dark Arts. I've never been able to tolerate the Dark Arts at all. Any mention of them and my wand is out and I'm in battle mode. I guess that's partly why she hates me.

An hour later, Lily and James were back in the compartment with their friends. There was only one problem.

"WHAT! HOW CAN THERE NOT BE ENOUGH SEATS!"

Even with Rose (who, Lily guessed, had hooked up with Sirius over the summer)sitting on Sirius's lap, there was only one empty seat left. Remus, with excellent foresight, had saved his seat with the book he was reading.

James, with reflexes born of five years on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, sat down, pulling Lily onto his lap and holding her there with an arm around her waist.

"Come on, Lils, we all fit now!"

Everyone in the compartment whose name was not Lily Evans or James Potter watched this display with amusement.

"Fine, Potter, but you owe me."

"Anything for you, my darling."

By this time, Lily was already getting fed up with his attempts, and he hadn't even asked her out yet.

"Lily, will you-"

"NO, Potter! for the hundred-and-twelfth time, NO!"

She tried to get up from his lap, but found his arms holding her there tight. With a resigned sigh, she surrendered. For the remainder of the trip, talking and laughing with her friends, Sirius, and Remus, she even snuggled into him a little before falling asleep with her head on his chest.

The Feast

Lily, James, Rose, Sirius, Violet, and Remus entered the Great Hall together. Finding seats, they sat down and started talking.

"Have you heard from Peter?" Remus asked Sirius and James. "I owled him at the beginning and end of the summer, but he never replied."

"We flooed over to visit once when we were bored," James said after swallowing an emormous emount of steak-and-kidney pie, "but his mum said something about an odd burn on his arm that was getting checked out at St Mungo's..."

Over where the girls were sitting, another sort of conversation was taking place. "Come on, Lil, tell us what's up! You swear on your sister that you hate James Potter, then you agree to sit on his lap the entire ride here! I don't want to hear any BS about how much of a big-headed git he is, because you know it isn't true. He's Head Boy, for God's sake!" Rose, always prone to making big speeches when she knows something's up.

"All right, he's not as bad as he used to be. But he's STILL a big-headed git! He's still a Marauder. And you know his reputation, he hasn't had a serious girlfriend since the summer before fourth year! And he broke up with her as soon as they entered the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast! And-"

"Lily, you're babling." Vi, always the peacemaker. "You know he broke up with that particular girlfriend when he saw you glaring at him. You have to admit he's changed since fifth year. There's no way that boy that nearly took off Snape's pants by the lake could have made Head Boy. Or helped you with your luggage, for that matter."

"Yeah, Lils, I'll make a bet with you" Rose said, her eyes gleaming. "If you say yes to James the next time he asks you out, and you don't have a good time, I'll give you..." she rummaged in her pockets, "10 galleons. But if you do, you have to give me 5 galleons, and... kiss him at the end of the date. Are we on?"

Lily thought about it. The liklihood that she was going to have a good time on a date with- ugh- James Potter was not very high. But then again, if she did, she didn't want to have to give up 5 galleons, and she really didn't want to kiss- ugh- James Potter.

"All right, I'll do it," Lily said, surprising everyone, including herself. "I'll go on one bloody date with James-bloody-Potter, and I'll prove to you that I do not like him. But I doubt he'll ask me out again." she finished.

"Why?" Rose and Violet asked simultaneously.

"Because." She pointed to where the Marauders were sitting. James appeared to be flirting with a sixth-year Ravenclaw girl. Then, the girl punched him in the nose so hard, they heard bone crack.

"Ouch..."