Here is part two! I'm sorry it's so long in coming, but with the release of HBP, I stopped writing as I waited to see whether my poor story would stand the test of canon, or if I would have to change things. And as it turned out, I'm fine, since the only realOOC detail at this point is that James was technically a Chaser, not a Seeker. But since I can't really change that part of my story . . . hey, he could have done both, like Ginny, right? okay.

Note: This section and a good chunk of the last are Remus' memories. This part correspondes through the end of Watching the Seeker. But we get to see James through Remus' eyes. Can't say when part 3 will be up, as i'm a busy high school senior now and don't have as much time to write as I'd like. BUt I can safely say that this story is turning out to be much longer than I first thought. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I think, comparing this to HBP, it is easy to tell that the authors are quite different. JKR is a literary genius. I'm just having fun.

—Eleven-year-old Remus stood, white-faced, with the group of the other scared first years, waiting to be Sorted.

"Black, Sirius," called Professor McGonagall, and a tall black-haired boy nodded determinedly before walking up to the stool. After a pause, the worn old hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" There was scattered applause, punctuated with frantic whispering.

Remus turned, confused to a blonde girl beside him. "Why are they whispering?" he asked her softly.

"Practically Sirius' whole family has been in Slytherin for centuries," she whispered back. "His cousin Andromeda was Sorted into Ravenclaw when she was here, and I think they disowned her. Now Sirius has been Sorted into Gryffindor, of all Houses. He's finished, for sure!"Remus whistled softly. Even as detached from the wizarding world as his childhood had been, he knew there was no love lost between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

He waited nervously as more and more first years were sorted. The red-headed Lily Evans, who had apparently encountered some trouble on the train, though Remus hadn't seen it, was Sorted into Gryffindor. She glared at the Slytherin table before taking her place beside Sirius.

The blonde girl, Alice, was Sorted into Hufflepuff. A girl and boy were Sorted into Ravenclaw, and another boy went to Slytherin.

"Lupin, Remus," was called, and Remus, shaking, sat on the stool and waited as the hat slipped over his eyes.

Well, well, what have we here? Oh, my. The Hat sounded shocked. I haven't seen one of your kind in all my years at Hogwarts. Remus' heart sunk. He'd made it this far, hadn't he? Was it all about to be over now?

Please don't send me away! he thought frantically. I can fit in here, I can!

The Hat seemed to chuckle. Yes, indeed, I have no doubt that you not only can, but you will. But it will be a struggle for you, Mr. Lupin.

I know that, he thought defensively. I don't care. I will become a wizard! I will proveeveryone wrong!

You are very brave, to face this struggle with such determination. And with your mind and kindness, I can think of no better place for you than –

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat shouted. Remus breathed a sigh of relief. He'd made it this far. He'd passed his first test.

Two other boys were Sorted into Gryffindor that night. A short, quiet boy named Peter, and a laughing, rather arrogant boy named James.—

—Remus saw the three boys exchange high fives just after a mess of things he didn't want to think about had come splashing down onto his head. The Great Hall was full of laughter. Trying not to cry, he fled, nearly taking several wrongs turns as he tried to remember the way to his dorm.

Why pick on him? He hadn't done a thing to those boys!

He choked out the password, ignoring the Fat Lady's concerned questions. He pounded up the stairs, slammed the door to his dorm, and took a few deep breaths. Despite what the Hat had said, the whole idea had been ridiculous. Why had he dared to hope he could fit in at Hogwarts like a normal student? He yanked the sticky robes off over his head, wishing he knew some spell to clean off his hair and face.

"Here, Remus, let us help. It is Remus, right?" said a voice. He spun around. The boy with the glasses – James, that was it – was standing in the doorway, the other two boys just behind him.

"I think you've done enough," Remus told him, determined to remain impassive.

"Hey, we didn't mean for the prank to hit you," the tall boy said, coming into the room. Remus thought his name was Sirius, if he was remembering correctly. And the other boy was Peter.

"Sure," Remus said, turning away from them to rummage in his trunk for another robe.

"We didn't!" James insisted. "It was for Lucius Malfoy; he's always the first one out of the Great Hall. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time!"

"Why should we prank you, anyway?" Sirius asked.

"Why should you prank him?" Remus asked, pulling the new robe over his sticky head and grimacing.

"He's a Slytherin," Sirius said, as if it was obvious.

Remus glared at him. "From what I've heard, so's the rest of your family. And you could easily have landed there yourself!"

Sirius' eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'll have you know –" he started, but Remus cut him off.

"Forget it; I don't care. I'm just going to finish cleaning up."

"Let me help." James pointed his wand at Remus and muttered something. The gunk disappeared from his face and hair. "Look, we're not going to put up with people pranking us and giving us a hard time just because we're first years."

Remus crossed his arms. "And that's a reason to prank people just because they're Slytherins?"

"No, of course not," Peter said quietly, speaking for the first time. "But Lucius Malfoy cursed Lily Evans and called her a Mudblood on the train yesterday, just because she's Muggle born. We want him and all the other Slytherins to know that they can't insult students like that, and we'll be the ones to help anyone they do treat that way, first years or no."

Remus considered that for a moment. So that's what had happened. Well, he admired Lily's spirit, certainly. As for James and the others, maybe they weren't so bad. Arrogant, perhaps, but noble nonetheless. He supposed he could give them a chance. "Are you serious pranksters?" he asked, arms crossed. "Or are you the kind who blow it all the time like you did this morning? You know, you're not going to get very far if your pranks keep going off on the wrong people, just because you haven't enough sense to appoint a lookout and establish a signal. Otherwise, you might as well go back to fake spiders in the ice cubes or the squirting chewing gum package. Kid stuff."

James and Sirius just stared. But Peter smiled. "We stopped doing those when we were seven. We've been pranking people since I met these two six years ago, and this is our first prank that's ever gone askew."

For a moment, the room was silent. Then Remus did something no one expected. He grinned. "To tell you the truth, I'm upset with myself because I didn't see it coming. It was a wonderful prank; I just wish I'd been on the other end of it."

"Wait." Sirius found his voice. "You prank, too?"

"Since I was five. When you live out in the country, apart from anyone, with no siblings, you turn to playing tricks on your parents or go mad." He shrugged. "I chose the tricks." The room erupted into laughter.—

—"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall shouted for the third time in the past ten minutes. "I don't care how anxious you are to see the Quidditch tryout results, I assure you, for the ninth time this hour that they will not have changed by the time this class is over. If I have to remind you once more, you will be in detention! Now, get back to work!"

"I've already Transfigured my pincushion, Professor!" James whined.

"Then Transfigure it back or help another student or find something productive to do that will not distract the rest of the students nor myself!" James banged his head on the desk repeatedly. He packed his things in his bag, willing time to pass quickly. An excruciating two minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, class was dismissed, and James was, to no one's surprise, out the door first.

He flew down the corridors as fast as he could. His second year at Hogwarts had just started, and he'd finally been able to try out for the open position of Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He didn't think there had been too much serious competition, but he'd made a few mistakes, and that fourth year Brownings had looked pretty good, too.

He gasped out the password and stumbled inside, dashing over to the bulletin board.

"Quidditch results . . . Quidditch results . . . thanks for trying, blah, blah, blah . . . Chasers, don't care, Beater, still don't care . . . Seeker – James PotterYES!" He punched the air with great enthusiasm. He was the Seeker! He'd really made it! After having to wait a full year, he'd made it! He could hardly wait to start!

"Hmmm," Sirius said upon the arrival of the other three boys, who hadn't even bothered trying to catch up. "I think Jamsie's had some sort of triumph, boys. What say you? What could it possibly be?"

"Maybe Lily Evans paid him some attention in the halls?" Peter asked, teasing James about his year-long crush on the fiery red-head who paid him no attention at all.

"Maybe Snape's been sent to Durmstrang?" was Remus' suggestion.

"Maybe he made the Quidditch team," Peter supposed. The three boys looked at each other.

"Naw!" they said together. James glared.

"First off," he started, coming over to them, "don't call me Jamsie. Second, I'll have you know that Lily Evans told me to watch where I was going when I bumped into her in the hall just now."

"Oh, now that's progress," Peter said seriously. James shot him a look that only succeeded in making Peter laugh.

"And thirdly, I beat out Brownings for the Seeker position that was rightfully mine a year ago."

"Good job, James," Remus said, clapping him on the back. Just then the portrait hole opened and Lily Evans came in with her two friends, Jen and Chrissy.

"Hey, Lily," James said, striding over to her with a swagger. "Guess who Gryffindor's new Seeker is?"

"Couldn't possibly be you, could it?" she asked sarcastically.

"As a matter of fact, it is. So, you'll be rooting for me, naturally." She frowned at him.

"I'll be rooting for Gryffindor," she said, emphasizing the House name. She turned and headed for her dorm.

"Aren't you gonna wish me luck?" he demanded, following her as far as he could. James had found out last year, with Sirius, that boys couldn't enter the girls' dorms. She turned back to him.

"Why should I?" she asked coolly. "You seem extremely sure of yourself. Why should you need luck?" She continued up the staircase, her two friends following her.

"She's impressed," James told his friends.

"James, James, James." Remus shook his head sadly. "You just don't get it, do you?"—

—Remus was exhausted. He always was after a full moon. He'd been released from the Hospital Wing by Madam Pomfrey and sent back to his dorm to sleep. Everyone else would be in class, and he wanted nothing more than to collapse on his bed. But under the exhaustion, he was also worried. Peter, James, and Sirius were getting suspicious, and he didn't know how much longer they'd be convinced with his sick mother story. After two years of use, it was wearing thin.

Oh, how he wished he could tell them! But they'd desert him in a moment if they knew. The wizarding world did not accept werewolves. They couldn't separate the twelve nights of the full moon from the other 353 days of the year.

He stumbled into the Common Room, blind to everything except the stairway ahead of him. Climbing the stairs took all the energy he could muster, and the leg he'd scratched up last night, though healed, screamed in protest. He pushed open the door to his dorm and collapsed onto his four-poster with a sigh.

"Welcome back, Remus," said a voice as the door shut.

"Colloportus," said another voice.

"Silencio," said a third. Remus sat straight up, looking around wildly. James, Sirius, and Peter came to sit on his bed with him.

"How's your mother?" James asked with concern, but there was an underlying tone Remus couldn't identify in his current state.

"Oh, uh . . better. She's . . doing better."

"It's a shame she's sick so often," Sirius stated. "It's good of you to go see her."

"But doesn't she mind that her son is missing so much school every month?" Peter questioned. Remus swallowed.

"Well, she-she knows I'm a – good student, so . . ." His voice trailed off feebly.

"Remus," James said firmly. "Why are you lying to us?" There it was. His chance.

"I-I'm not," he protested, but his tone lacked conviction.

"You are," Peter said.

"You've always been a rotten liar, Rem," Sirius said.

"What - what are you doing out of class?" Remus asked, trying to change the subject. It didn't work.

"Today is Saturday." James voice was soft and unreadable. "The full moon was on a Friday this month." Remus closed his eyes. It was over.

Painfully, each word costing him, he asked, "When did you find out?"

"It wasn't so much finding out as figuring out," Sirius said.

"We put everything together last night," Peter told him.

"Why, Remus?" James asked harshly. "Why lie? You must have known it wouldn't work. Your mother can't be sick every month for seven years without people figuring it out!" Remus nodded. The anger and pain of last night boiled up inside him, giving him a sudden burst of wild energy.

"I know." He darted forward, off his bed, and knelt by his trunk. Opening it, he began to throw his things into it recklessly. "You're right; it was foolish. I should have known it wouldn't work. You don't have to worry. I'm packing. I'm leaving. I won't bother you anymore." His speech became frantic, his voice hinging on hysterical.

"What are you talking about?" James asked, watching him, a little afraid at his uncharacteristic outburst.

"No one wants to share their school with a werewolf!" he shouted, shaking violently. He dropped the book he was holding and it clattered noisily to the floor. The tears came and he couldn't stop them. "No one – wants to associate with – a – monster!" he choked out viciously between sobs. He drew his knees to his chest and buried his face in them. He should have known. It was hopeless. He was surprised it had lasted for two years, and they were two years he'd never forget. He'd been foolish to hope; blindly optimistic to dream for one second –

Three pairs of arms encircled him. "Don't!" he cried viciously, throwing them off with a last burst of anguished energy. But they would not be deterred. The energy his anger had given him was spent, and his exhaustion was back. He allowed them to support him, because he didn't know how much longer he could support himself.

"You are not a monster," someone said from over his head. Remus raised his head, slowly. It couldn't be – they weren't –

"Do you really think so little of us, Remus?" Sirius asked him. "We're your friends, aren't we?"

"My parents had to move to an estate in the countryside after it happened," he started haltingly. "For fear of what might happen if it got out. I never – dared – to dream I'd get a chance to live a normal life. But my mother never lost hope. She wrote to Dumbledore; they worked it out. But now – "

"Now you have three friends who know, and who are going to help you," Peter said.

"W-what?"

"We're going to help you," James repeated. "We decided last night. I read some extra stuff for my transfiguration essay about Animagi. I read about how people can learn to become one." Remus gasped.

"That's right, Remus. We're going to do it. We're going to learn to become Animagi," Sirius said.

"And in the meantime, we'll come up with some better stories for you," Peter said. "Because you really are a rotten liar."

"But that's really dangerous!" Remus protested. "Animagus transformations can go horribly wrong if not done properly!"

"Then it's a good thing we're going to do it properly, isn't it?" Peter asked.

"Look, I don't mean to sound rude, but you're not that great at Transfiguration, Peter."

"No. I'm not. But James and Sirius are the cleverest wizards in second year and they'll help me."

"We'll do it." James was determined. "If it takes all our years at Hogwarts, we'll do it! And now, you should get some sleep, Remus. You look exhausted."

And in that moment, Remus dared to hope.—

—Remus, Sirius, and Peter were on their feet, screaming at the top of their lungs along with all the other Gryffindors as James plunged toward the ground, the Ravenclaw Seeker on his heels. His face was a mask of fierce determination, and he tuned everything else out of his mind as he flew ever closer to the small golden ball, not even flinching when a Bludger missed him by inches. The ground was coming up fast, but James wasn't worried. He lay a little closer to his broom handle, putting on an extra burst of speed. But it wasn't going to be enough, he was too close to the ground —

And then – just inches from the ground, his arm stretched as far out in front of him as possible, his fingers closed around the Snitch and he pulled his broom up sharp and fast to keep from colliding with the pitch. The entire stadium was silent for a fraction of a second –

– then exploded in sound.

"Gryffindor wins! Potter has captured the Snitch! Gryffindor wins, 210 to 170!" All the Gryffindors were on their feet, cheering with all their might! James flew higher and higher in laps around the stadium, Snitch held high, his face shining with happiness.

Remus jumped up and down with excitement, looking around at all his fellows doing the same.

Except one. Lily Evans was sitting three rows behind him. She was bent over some parchment, scribbling furiously. As Remus watched, she glanced up at James before turning her attention to her paper once more.

Unbelievable! Remus thought. He nudged Sirius.

"Sirius!" he shouted over the still screaming crowd. "Sirius!" When he finally got Sirius' attention, he jerked a thumb back at Lily. "Look at Evans!" Sirius turned, as did Peter.

"Disgusting!" Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Can't even come to a Quidditch game without bringing her homework!"

Shaking their heads, the three of them turned back to James, who flew as if it was the best day of his life. —

—"And it was right there in front of me and I knew if I let my attention waver for one minute, I'd lose it! And with Ravenclaw so far ahead, I couldn't let myself lose it, so I just kept reaching and reaching and at the last moment —" Someone sighed, cutting James off from his fifth retelling of his winning catch.

The four boys turned to see Lily Evans standing behind them.

"Ah, Lily, come to hear my–"

"I have heard your story no less than five times since the game was over, Potter," she said. "And I was at the game, you know."

"Oh, so you saw me win the match?" he asked smugly. She glared.

"I realize that I was only introduced to the sport of Quidditch a year and a half ago, but somehow I was under the impression that it was a team sport. I was certainly not aware that one person could win a game by himself."

"Yes, well, now you know."

"You are disgusting!" she shouted. "For goodness sake, it was one Quidditch match! You are so full of yourself!"

"With reason," Sirius put in. Lily glared at him.

"Is there something you want, Lily?" Remus asked, trying to head off an argument.

"Yes. I would appreciate it if you would move your conversation elsewhere as your chatter is very distracting to those of us who are trying to work."

"Oh, lighten up!" Sirius said. "You're the only one who's trying to work, and it's our Common Room, too, and we'll chatter wherever we darn well please!" Lily glared at him again, lips pursed.

"Fine," she said finally, in a tone the made it clear she was trying to keep her temper. "I shall go work in the library, then, where I will be guaranteed some peace and quiet!" Tossing her red hair over her shoulder, she stalked out of the portrait hole, book and parchment in hand.

"She really needs to relax," Sirius said, grabbing a chocolate frogs from the pile of sweets in the middle of the rug. "It's Friday night, for goodness sake! Here's a second year who can't even go to a Quidditch match without books in tow!"

"What?" James asked, confused. Sirius stopped midchew, apparently suddenly aware that he'd said something he probably shouldn't have. Remus decided to break it to him gently.

"She was doing her homework during the match," he said softly.

James' face fell. "But . . . she saw my catch . . . right?"

"Don't think so, James," Peter said regretfully. —

—James grew over the summer. Thirteen years old, he no longer looked like a kid whose limbs were too long for his body. He was slim, but nicely so, and Quidditch had toned his muscles. Not that the Marauders, as they were now being called, noticed, but many others did. Mainly, the female population of Hogwarts.

The Marauders walked down one of the corridors, chattering excitedly about their latest prank on 'Snivellus' Snape, their rival Slytherin since first year. They'd wasted no time to get started their third year at Hogwarts.

Classes over for the week, they decided to head for the beech tree by the lake, to enjoy the September sunshine.

"I mean, did you see his face?" James asked the other boys, laughing. "It was priceless! He was so–" Someone behind them giggled. Puzzled, James looked over his shoulder. A group of Hufflepuff girls about his age was standing behind them in the corridor.

"Hi, James," one said, waving and blushing. He exchanged bewildered looks with the Marauders.

"Um. . ." he swallowed. "Hello." The girls dissolved into giggles again, and James made a hasty retreat.

It didn't stop. His success on the Quidditch field had earned him a fan club. Everywhere he went, he had girls following him, slipping him notes, asking him for dates. The marriage proposals and semi-stalking made him a bit uncomfortable, but he had to admit he kind of liked having people hang on his every movement. Sure, he couldn't carry on a normal conversation with any of them, but all he had to do was smile in their direction and they'd go crazy.

All, that was, except one. Lily Evans, the one girl he wanted to pay attention to him, seemed oblivious to his charm. In fact, she seemed disgusted by it.

The first Hogsmeade weekend was announced for the end of October, and James was determined to go with Lily. He'd turned down scores of girls that he barely knew just so he could go with her. All he had to do was ask her. Then she'd see that he really was a great guy and she'd fall for him just like all the others.

One night in the Common Room, his opportunity came. She was sitting alone in a corner, absorbed in one of her books. Getting up, he ran a hand through his hair and swaggered over to her.

"You, Lily, have got to be the luckiest girl in Hogwarts." She glanced up at him, one eyebrow raised. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Oh, really? And, to what do I owe this newfound luck?"

He smirked. "Out of all the girls in Hogwarts, I have picked you to accompany me to Hogsmeade next weekend." He expected her to be grateful. After all, anyone else would have been. But Lily was far from grateful.

"What makes you think I'd want to be seen with you in Hogsmeade? Or anywhere else, for that matter?" Now it was James who was in disbelief.

"Lily, any other girl would die for this chance," he informed her. This was the wrong choice of words. She stood up very abruptly and leaned over the table.

"Then go ask one of them." James thought she was being highly unreasonable.

"Now, Lily –"

"Potter, get this straight. While you and every other female are apparently under the impression that you are God's gift to Hogwarts, this is an opinion I do not share. And a word of advice for you. I am not any other girl. When you want something from me, you ask. Who do you think you are that you can just order me to do something and expect me to not only go along with it, but to be grateful? Am I supposed to get down on my knees and thank you? Forget it!"

"Are you . . . saying no?" James was incredulous, not to mention his pride was stinging.

"I realize it's a hard concept for you to grasp," she said coldly, her emerald eyes frosted over.

"You can't do that!"

"I just did," she responded, glaring at him, disgusted. Then she picked up her books and left the Common Room, James staring after her, trying to figure out what had just happened.—

—"What do you have there, Peter?" Sirius asked. The four boys were on the train to Hogwarts to begin their fourth year.

Peter held up an oddly shaped piece of smoky glass, about the size of his palm. "This summer my parents and I took a vacation to the Caribbean. While we were there, this storm came up really quickly. We watched it over the water from our cabin. Then, suddenly, well, it was terrifying!"

"What?" Remus asked, eager to hear more.

"Lightning! It struck the beach not twenty meters away. It was the loudest sound I've ever heard in my life! Like an explosion or something! The whole house lit up with this fiery red light, and you could just feel the power of it in the air!"

"Did your hair stand on end?" asked James, who had heard such things.

"Yeah, it did! Well, after the storm was over, I went down to see the beach where it had struck. It was still smoking! But it was really wicked! The lightning had fused the sand into this glass. There was one really big piece of it, and then there were these smaller ones. So I picked one up to carry with me."

"Wicked."—

—"Okay, spill. Which of you three got it?"

The four fifteen-year-old's were sitting eating ice cream in front of Fortescue's ice ream parlor. Their fifth year at Hogwarts started in one week. In their four years at school, they'd created quite a name for themselves and were held in awe by the rest of the school. James was easily the top student of their year, except for Charms. He'd landed himself in detention many times, though, not that he really cared. He was still Seeker of the Quidditch team, but his situation with Lily Evans had, if anything, gotten steadily worse. During school, he asked her out at least once a week. She always turned him down. They loathed each other; Lily for reasons James didn't understand, and James for not understanding why she didn't fawn over him. Although, it did seem as if wherever James was, Lily wasn't far behind. Of course, they did share most of the same classes, and it wasn't as if she paid any attention to him. She just sat in her corner, writing, all the time.

Sirius had become the local heartthrob of the school and had a bigger fan club than James because he actually dated his fans. His situation at home continued to grow more serious, especially when his brother Regulus and cousin Narcissa had both been Sorted into Slytherin. His mother constantly reminded him of his failings, and Sirius was about ready to leave for good.

Remus was one of the top students through dedication and hard work. He was the only one of the four for whom Lily Evans had even a little respect, though no one was sure about Peter, since she didn't interact with him much. His problem, obviously hadn't gone away, but James, Sirius, and Peter were convinced they were close to achieving Animagi status. And they made all the excuses now for why Remus was gone every month.

Peter was the ever loyal friend, middling in all his classes, always trying his best, but never quite making the cut. It wasn't that he wasn't smart; he just wasn't good with remembering all the facts and figures. But he was always ready to listen to his friends and try to help them out. It was he who had spoken the question.

"Hm?"

"We are the only four Gryffindor fifth year boys. I certainly didn't get named Prefect, so which one of you did? Someone had to. I'm guessing either James or Remus–"

"Hey!" Sirius cut in. "How do you know it wasn't me?"

"Was it?" James asked, smirking.

"No, but–"

"Well, then?" Peter said. "So, who's got it?"

Remus sighed. "That'd be me. Though I don't know why."

"It's obvious," Sirius told him, spooning ice cream into his mouth. "Jamsie spends too much time in detention with me."

"Who's Prefect for the girls?" James asked. Remus nodded in the direction of James' back.

"Probably Lily." James turned, a bit too eager. Lily was walking out of next door Flourish and Blotts, talking animatedly with her friend Jen Prewitt.

"Hey, Evans!" James shouted. "Evans!" The redhead caught sight of him and rolled her eyes. She was close enough that it would have been hard to turn around, so she kept walking.

"Hello, Remus," she said politely. "How was your summer?" She pointedly ignored James, which angered him to no end.

"Fine, Lily, for the most part. And yours?"

She shrugged. "My sister was horrid, as usual, but other than that, it was fine. Did you get named Prefect?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah. Dad was really pleased. I must admit I'm looking forward to it. Well, it was nice bumping into you. I'll see you in a week."

"See you." She smiled at him and started walking away, but James wouldn't let her.

"Excuse me, Evans!" he shouted, getting up and blocking her way. She pursed her lips in an all-too-familiar manner, her politeness gone.

"Potter. What do you want?"

"Would it be so hard to go out with me once?" he asked. Remus and the other Marauders groaned.

"Yes, it would," she replied. "Good day." She turned again and walked quickly away.

"Someday you'll see!" he yelled after her. "Someday you'll marry me, Lily Evans, you hear?" She stopped in her tracks and whirled to face him, eyes sparking dangerously.

"Oh, really? I'll have you know it's illegal to force someone to marry against her will."

"Ouch," Sirius whispered, wincing.

"Always has a comeback, doesn't she?" Peter said in an undertone.

"Willingly, Evans. You will." She laughed, which was probably the most infuriating thing she could have done.

"Potter, you would have to do a lot of growing up if that day were ever to happen, something I highly doubt. Now, if you don't mind, my father is waiting for me. Good. Day."

He growled and ran a hand through his hair, glaring at her retreating back. "I don't get it," he muttered, flopping down in his seat. "Any other girl would die if I paid half as much attention to them as I do to Evans. Why won't she see that?"

"I think she does, James. I think that might be part of the problem."

"I wish I knew what her problem was. I mean, it's me, after all!" Remus sighed.—

—Remus sat under the beech tree, their beech tree. James and Sirius and Peter were who knew where, spending every free minute they had studying Animagi transformations. The full moon of November was in two weeks, eleven days, to be exact. As he sat watching the sun go down, the moon rose, seeming to laugh at him. You can't fight me, it seemed to say. He wished, for the millionth time in his life that he could find a cure for lycanthropy and be rid of it all.

He sighed deeply and leaned against the trunk, closing his eyes. The bushes nearby rustled, startling him. A huge black dog came lumbering across the grass toward where he sat.

"Hey, boy," Remus called softly, and the dog trotted over to him. Remus scratched behind his ears. "Whose dog are you, hm? Did you run away from someone in the village?" As he sat talking, the dog shook its head to rid itself of the hair that had fallen into its eyes, reminding Remus so strongly of Sirius that he laughed out loud.

A twig snapped in the forest nearby. Suddenly wary, Remus stood, his hand still resting lightly on the dog's head. "Who's there?" he called. Peering into the trees, he saw movement, then–

A magnificent white stag stepped from the shadows. Remus froze, hardly daring to breathe as the stunning creature moved slowly toward him, completely unafraid. It came right up to him and nudged his hand with its muzzle. Then it straightened into a pose so carelessly arrogant that Remus couldn't have mistaken it under any circumstances. He gasped.

He mouthed soundlessly for a moment, his eyes holding the hazel ones of the creature in front of him. "James?" he finally managed to whisper, awestruck. The stag bowed its head deeply. Remus' eyes darted to the dog still standing by his side. It jumped onto its hind legs and puts its paws on his shoulders.

The dog licked Remus' face once. "Sirius?" he asked, a smile starting to form. The dog barked. "But where is–" His voice was cut off as a grey rat scurried across his feet. He jumped backward and Sirius went down on all fours again, allowing the rat to climb onto his back. The rat tilted its head and looked curiously up at Remus, who was grinning now. "Peter. You . . you did it. You three actually did it," he said, stunned. They transformed smoothly and sat next to him on the grass. He felt almost like crying.

"Course we did," James said. "We promised we would."

Take that! Remus thought triumphantly up at the half moon, whose smile seemed to droop for that moment.—

—"Right," James said, seething, watching Lily storm away. "Right–" There was another burst of light, and suddenly Snape was upside down again. "Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?"

Remus could no longer pretend to be reading. James was furious, and he certainly looked as if he'd do what he was threatening. His wand was poised and ready. It was time to step in.

"James," Remus said, his voice harsh. He stood and crossed to him, placing one hand and James' wand arm."That's enough." He held James' gaze for a moment or two, then James snapped his arm down.

"Fine," he told Remus. He waved his wand once and Snape came crashing to the ground. "As for you," he said, addressing Snape who was now scrambling to his feet. "Go back to your dark little friends and your dark little arts." They stood glaring at each other, looking at each other with equal expressions of loathing. Then Snape turned on his heel and marched away. James watched him go, but let him retreat.

James sighed and ran a hand partway through his hair, then stopped as Lily's words echoed through his mind.

"Let's go," Peter said quietly.

"You and Padfoot go ahead," Remus said. "I want to talk to Prongs for a minute." They separated, Remus leading James down by the lake as the crowd that had been watching the events unfold dispersed.

They walked in silence for a few moments. Remus waited for James to speak first. Finally, he did.

"Why did you stop me?" he asked. Remus had been prepared for the question.

"Because, James. There are lines we don't cross." James smiled wryly.

"And I was approaching one, is that it?"

"No," Remus stated simply. When James looked at him in question, he continued. "You were already past it." James sighed and glared out over the lake.

"It's Snape."

Remus shrugged. "Still, I don't think that was all of it." James gave a dry chuckle that held no humor.

"You mean Evans." It wasn't a question.

"I do."

James put his hands in his pockets. "She's out of line," he said finally. Remus shrugged again, squinting up at the sky.

"Okay. But that doesn't mean–"

"It's Snape, Moony!" James cut Remus off, but Remus wouldn't be deterred.

"If it stops being harmless, then it stops being worth it, and you know that. We don't hurt people, James. Not like that. Even if it is Snape." That was all he had to say, so he turned and headed back up to the castle. After a moment's hesitation, James followed.

There was silence again. James knew Remus was right, and he hated it. "We should go back inside," Remus said finally. "Transfiguration tomorrow."

"I don't need to study for that one," James said. "Moony?" They stopped walking. "Thanks."

"It's what I'm here for, Prongs." He smiled.—

—"The Marauders' Map!" James said triumphantly. Another year at Hogwarts had begun. Ever since they'd managed to become Animagi, their latest project had been the Marauders' Map, a thorough map of Hogwarts, showing not only every secret passage they had discovered and how to open it, but also every person in the castle. That had been the hardest part, bewitching the map to not be fooled by invisibility cloaks, Animagus forms, or even Polyjuice Potions. But it was late November of their sixth year, and it was done now, and labeled with their nicknames, ready to be hidden for a new generation of troublemakers to find and use.

"Time to test it one last time," Remus said, pulling out his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Black ink swirled from the tip of his wand spreading across the parchment. Another nice quality was that nothing but the password would show the map. Any other revealing spells would insult the reader. The map could be wiped clean when not in use, and their final addition today would be that any true mischief maker would know the password as soon as he touched the map. Their legacy would keep here in the castle, forever!

They laid the final spell, and with a "Mischief managed!" they wiped it clear. Ceremoniously, Remus presented it to Peter.

"All right, Wormtail. You know what to do. We'll make the diversion. It is up to you to hide it far away from prying eyes, somewhere where it may later be discovered to aid the trouble makers of the future!" Peter nodded ceremoniously, grabbed the Invisibility Cloak, and was off. By setting off a number of Stink Pellets and Dung Bombs just outside the Great Hall on either side, effectively trapping all the students eating lunch inside, as well as Filch and the other teachers, they gave Peter enough time to hide the Map. Of course, they landed in detention too, but they were used to that by now.

"Where do you think he'll hide it?" Sirius asked as they walked back to the Common Room after being told off by McGonagall.

"Dunno," James said. "But I'm glad I didn't draw the short straw on having to find a place! But I have complete confidence in Peter. He'll find a good spot."

When they got back to their dorm, Peter was waiting for them. "It is done," he said.

"Where'd you put it?" Sirius asked. Peter grinned.

"The perfect place."

"Where?"

"In the one place where only a true mischief maker will ever find it."

"Where?"

"Filch's 'Confiscated' drawer!" There was silence, then laughter.—

—It had forced them to grow up. Until that night, they'd been young and foolish and immature. They hadn't realized yet that they had to be responsible. That night, though, they learned.

Sirius changed the most. He developed humility that had been nonexistent before. He'd been reckless because he'd been angry. A cruel letter from his mother and a provocation from Snape was all he had needed to push him over the line. No one regretted that angry decision more than he, and it showed. Sirius grew up.

Remus changed, as well. He had more courage now to stand up to his friends. Before, he'd been afraid that it wasn't his place, but now, when they were out of line, he told them so. Remus hadn't needed much in the way of growing up, but now that someone besides his friends knew his secret, he gained all he needed. Snape had been sworn to secrecy, but that didn't stop him from looking triumphant whenever he caught Remus' eye. In time, Remus learned to hold his head high and look him right back. Remus grew up.

Peter changed, too. His voice carried more weight, for the other three saw an inner strength they hadn't noticed before. It wasn't extraordinarily strong, but it was stronger than anything Peter had shown before. Peter seemed more confidant, too, as if he'd come to terms with something inside himself. He still held fears, but he was learning to overcome them. Peter grew up.

Then there was James. The realization of what had almost happened ended his childish recklessness. He accepted the responsibility he had ignored up until then. James changed. He took school and such much more seriously. The threat of a dark wizard was growing, James knew, and that made life more serious, less of a game. James grew up.

"Will you go out with me?" It was a question that was years old. It had at first been a game, then a challenge, but now it was more. He wanted her to say yes. But she wouldn't.

"No," she said wearily, sounding exhausted. "Please, Potter, the answer is no. It's not going to change. Stop asking." She didn't even look up from her homework as she said it. She just kept writing. But this time, because he had grown up a little, he wasn't going to just leave, as he always had before.

"Why?" he whispered. She looked up at him, startled by the question. They were alone in the Common Room. Sirius was in detention, Peter was in the library, and Remus was in the dorm room. James didn't know where Lily's friends were.

"Why?" she repeated.

"Yes, Lily. I want to know why. I want to know why you always turn me down. I want to know why the answer won't change." She looked at him. He was serious.

"The truth?" she asked.

"Yes."

"All right." She stood and walked around the table to stand in front of him, arms crossed. She nodded her head resolutely, as if steeling herself for an unpleasant task. "The truth, Potter. You are the embodiment of everything I despise. Going out with you would mean going against all my principles, against everything I stand for. That's why."

She turned to go back to her work, but he stopped her again. "The embodiment of everything you despise?" He said it quietly, but couldn't mask the indignation in his voice. "Just what do you mean?"

She turned regretful eyes back to his face. "Just what I said, Potter. You possess all the qualities I can't stand. You are prideful, arrogant, vain, and a show-off. You are lazy and irresponsible. You think of yourself and what you want before anything else. You're selfish." She stopped and looked at him. He was angry, but he was holding onto his silence. She continued. "You walk around Hogwarts with the attitude that you are the best that ever could be, that everyone takes a spot behind you. You have an exaggerated idea of your own importance and you can't take criticism. You're too proud and conceited to admit when you're wrong. You sweep through life as if it's a game you want to win, taking whatever benefits you, without a thought for anyone else. You don't take things seriously the way you should and you goof off all the time. You're immature and childish and reckless. You have a horrible temper."

He stared out the window, not trusting himself to look at her, biting his tongue to keep himself from yelling. She paused for a moment, then went on. "I could forgive all those things, I think. Maybe. You have . . . reason to be arrogant, I can't deny that. What everyone says is true. You're clever and intelligent, yes. You're handsome; I'd be blind to say you weren't. You're talented; you succeed in everything you do. You're funny; most of your pranks make me laugh, I admit it." He let out a breath and looked her way, preparing himself for the 'but' he knew was coming. "I can't deny any of those things. But there's something else I can't deny. And it's the worst. And it's the one I can't forgive." She hesitated. "You're a bully, James."

His head snapped up, anger flaring once more. "What?" he gasped, shocked. "I–"

"You are! You hex people because you can; you seek out fights with those who are younger and weaker than you because you know you can win! And you know it will look good when you do. But it doesn't, James. Not to me. I cannot forgive someone who finds pleasure in hurting others! I can't! And agreeing to go out with you would be saying that those things are okay, and they're not. The truth is . . . in a lot of ways . . . you're worse than the Slytherins you claim to be teaching a lesson to." That was the worst blow yet.

"That's not true!" he yelled. "I don't do half the–"

"At least they're honest about what they are. At least they don't hide it and pretend to be something else. At least they are what they are through and through. You're supposed to be better than that." He looked thoroughly stung, standing there. She almost felt sorry for him. But she wasn't done yet, and there was one more thing she had to say, if she was going to be honest, thoroughly honest. "Besides these things, there's something else. If all the others were to disappear, this one would still force me to say no. You don't really want to go out with me because you want to go out with me. You want to so you can say that you did. So you can achieve another victory. I'm no more than a challenge to you, a prize you want to win. You don't really care about me. I know that. That's why I say no. And I'm going to keep saying no. Because . . . I know eventually . . . you're only going to hurt me." He looked away, his face covered in pain he didn't want her to see. She sighed. You asked for the truth and I told it. I'm sorry if what I said hurt you. But you're sixteen years old, James. In a year and a half, you'll be out of school, and life won't be a game anymore. It's time you heard these things. You need to hear them."

She crossed around the table and sat down again. Picking up her quill, she turned back to her work. After a moment, when he was still standing there, she said, not looking at him, "My answer changes when you do, and not a moment before, if then. You say these things aren't true, well . . . I need you to prove that. I hope my judgment about you is wrong, but unfortunately, I don't think it is. I would like nothing more than to be proven wrong someday. But that's not up to me."

He left.—

—He left the Common Room as calmly as he could, heading for his dorm. When he was sufficiently out of Lily's sight, he kicked the wall as hard as he could, trying to relieve some of his frustration. But he succeeded only in hurting his toes.

How dare she say those things! Didn't she know anything? Well, it was obvious she didn't know the first thing about James!

But as mad as he was and as much as he wanted to dismiss her words as nonsense, there was a tiny, unbiased part of him that knew she had spoken the truth. It was one of the first conversations they'd had in which they hadn't really shouted at each other. She'd sounded almost . . . regretful.

But her words hurt! They hurt far more than her usual run of insults. Because she'd obviously meant these. The more his anger melted out of him, the more his head filled with despair. Did she actually think that? Did she actually think he was immature and selfish and . . . a bully? More importantly, was he? He'd certainly never thought so before, but . . . looking back now, after the events of the last month, he was able to admit – forced to, really – that his behavior in the past was far from praiseworthy.

He knew he had changed. But how did he show her that?

And, before he could, it seemed he had to find out how much of what she'd said was true. And that meant talking to one person. Remus.

"Remus?" he asked softly, pushing open to door to their dorm. Remus was crouched over a piece of parchment on the desk. He looked up as James entered and quietly closed the door behind him.

"What is it, James?" Remus had never seen James like this. He looked utterly crestfallen and he walked without the arrogant swagger he usually had. Remus hated to say it, but James looked like a defeated man.

James sat very carefully on his bed, steeling himself for what was to come. He knew he had to take whatever Remus told him in stride. "Am I arrogant?"

Remus' brow furrowed in a frown. "What?"

"Am I? Be honest. You're a good judge of character, Remus. I know you'll tell me the truth. Am I arrogant?"

Remus bit his lip. He could tell already; this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. "Yeah, James. You are. Not without reason–"

"No," James sighed. "Don't give me any justifications. So I'm arrogant. And . . . and childish and immature? Reckless?"

Remus shook his head. "Not anymore," he answered. "You . . . you used to be. Before. We all were."

"You weren't." Remus started to protest, but James cut him off with an angry wave of his hand. "You weren't, Remus, and you know it. Last year? With Snape? You stopped me."

"I waited too long, though. I should have stepped in earlier, but I admit, I almost enjoyed it. That wasn't immature?" James smiled without humor. He stood up suddenly and started pacing, restlessly.

"And . . . am I . . . a bully? Worse than the Slytherins?" Remus stood up, too, laying a hand on James' shoulder.

"James, what's wrong? Why are you asking –"

"Don't avoid my questions, Remus. Am I a bully? Give it to me straight. Am I?" Remus looked straight into James' eyes, not wanting to answer. "Remus!"

"You . . . you can be," he said slowly. "Not always, but . . . but sometimes." James sat down as abruptly as he had stood up. He nodded, more to himself than anyone else, and began to mutter.

"Of course. Of course! She does think that, because it's all true. Of course it is; how could it not be? I am arrogant and childish and immature and selfish–"

"No." Remus spoke softly and James jumped a little because he had forgotten that James was in the room.

"What –"

"Don't ever say that, James. You have your faults, true enough, but you are not selfish. I don't know what's happened to make you think so, but you could never be selfish." When James snorted and looked away, Remus knelt next to the bed. "Look at me, James." He did. "When I came to Hogwarts, I woke up every day expecting to hear that it was my last, that someone had found out and I had to leave. And then you did. And I was so afraid you'd all turn against me. Because of what I am. But you didn't. In fact, you did the opposite. You protected me. You helped me. You spent so much time and energy doing those things . . . if that isn't selfless, I don't know what is. And last month, you saved my neck, right along with Sirius'. Whatever else you've been told, you are my best friend, even if you are arrogant sometimes." James smiled weakly.

"Thanks, Moony."

"Don't worry about it. And now, I have to go talk to someone." And Remus stood up and left, to go and find Lily Evans. —

—She'd watched him leave with mixed feelings. He was taking what she'd told him in an . . . almost mature fashion. She'd expected him to yell and rage, but he hadn't. Well, not really. She felt bad. He'd obviously been upset. But he had wanted the truth. She'd been brutally honest. She meant everything. So why did she feel like crying?

For a moment, it had been almost as if he had changed. Just by asking. But that wasn't enough proof. But she'd gotten a glimpse of what he might be like if he'd stop acting like the Lord of Everything and really started to care about someone other than himself. And that was a person she'd be interested in getting to know. But only if James brought him out in the open.

She sighed and turned back to her work. But before she'd been able to write more than a few more words on the Euphoria Potion Essay she was working on for Professor Slughorn, another person announced himself by asking her a question.

"What on earth did you say to him, Lily Evans?" She looked up to see Remus standing beside her.

She sighed. "Why? Has he been raging about me to you?"

"No. In fact, he didn't even say it was about you. I just knew."

She looked puzzled. "He didn't? What did he –"

"Can I sit down, Lily?"

"Yeah," she said, moving a stack of spell books and spare parchment to make room for him. "How did you know it was me?" Remus laughed.

"Lily, you are the only person who can get him worked into a frenzy. Snape can't even do that. So what did you say to him?" Lily turned on the bench to look at him, crossing her arms. She was silent for a moment.

"Let me ask you this – what did he say to you?" she finally said. Remus shrugged.

"Not much. But if I tell you, will it change how you answer me?"

She looked at him, a bit taken aback. "I – no."

Remus sighed and nodded. "Okay, then," he said. "He asked me if he was arrogant."

"He – he what?" She couldn't believe it.

"He asked me if he was arrogant. Then he asked if he was immature, childish, reckless, a bully, and selfish."

"Why . . . why would he do that?"

"Ask me?" Remus shrugged. "I don't know. He said he trusted my judgement." Lily looked away for a moment, thinking. Then her eyes flickered back to him.

"And . . . what did you say?"

"That he is arrogant, he used to be immature and childish and reckless, that he can, at times be a bully, and that he is not selfish. What did you tell him?"

Lily looked at her hands. "He asked me to go out with him, again. And I said no, again. He then . . . he asked me why. So . . . I told him." She looked back to Remus. "I told him the truth, Remus, about why I wouldn't go out with him. I meant everything I said."

"I have no doubt that you did," Remus said, "but . . . there's things about James you don't know, Lily. He's not . . ." Remus stopped, trying to think of the best way to word this. "He's hardly aware of most of it. Being arrogant. He can't help it."

Lily snorted. "Of course he can, Remus!"

"No, Lily. He can't. It's . . . subconscious." Lily looked skeptical. Remus sighed. "Suppose that, from the day you were born, everyone told you that you were a duck."

"What?"

"If everyone, your whole life, told you that you were a duck, you'd have no reason to believe you were anything but a duck. You would think that you were."

"I suppose . . ." she answered slowly. "But what does that –"

"So then, if, after twelve years of believing yourself a duck, someone came along and said, 'Lily, you're not a duck, you're a girl,' how would you react?"

Trying not to dwell on the strangeness of the conversation, Lily answered, "I suppose . . . I'd think they were crazy."

"Exactly."

"But what does this have to do with James, Remus?"

"James is an only child born to only children. His parents and grandparents lavish attention on him because there isn't anyone else for them to lavish attention on. As a child, anything James wanted, he got, for the most part. His parents and grandparents treated him as if he was magnificent because he was their pride and joy. Then he comes to school and he's unknown for maybe 10 hours. Then suddenly, he's being called one of the greatest pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen. He's top of all his classes; he's charming and smart, and everyone thinks he's great. Then he becomes, at twelve, one of the youngest and best Seekers the Gryffindor Quidditch team has ever had, so he's a house hero for that on top of everything else. Everyone is in . . .awe of him, almost."

"And? What's the point of all this, Remus?"

"Don't you see?" There was an almost desperate quality in Remus' voice. "He acts as if he's that much better, that much more special than everyone around him because he's always been treated as if he were! And then there's you."

"I'm the one who told him he wasn't a duck," Lily said, slowly coming around to Remus' point.

"Yeah. You told him he wasn't a duck. And he didn't know what to make of you. You were the one person who wasn't impressed by him, except the Slytherins, who he's been taught his whole life don't matter. He didn't know what to do with you, so he just tried harder to impress you because that's all he knew." Lily nodded slowly.

"I think I understand. But that's not all that bothers me."

"I know. But he isn't childish and reckless anymore. Something happened, and I can't tell you what it is, but we've grown up. We were forced to."

Lily nodded, thinking. She'd noticed the change. "Yes," she said. "I can see that."

"As for the rest, well, yes he can be a bully, and that's a real problem. It's his major weakness, his worst fault. I'm not trying to defend him, or pretend that it isn't wrong, but he hates the Dark Arts and the people who practice them. And since he can't be out there fighting Voldemort, he takes it out on the people he's been taught become Voldemort's supporters. He hates feeling helpless, and no, it's not right, but he's only sixteen. He's still learning. Besides," he added, looking her in the eye, "I never tried to stop him, and you haven't counted that against me."

"You're right; I never did. But it has to change, Remus." Remus got up, sighing and crossed the room. Lily followed. "It has to. Please understand, Remus. This is important to me because I know what it's like to be bullied." Remus turned and looked at her. She forced herself to go on. "My sister used to be my best friend, but then I came here, and I started studying this, and things changed. Suddenly, she hated me. She never spoke to me except to criticize, she accused me of . . . awful things. And when my father died this past summer . . ." She looked away, tears in her eyes. "The things she said hurt. She knew it. She meant them to hurt. I can't abide a bully. Any kind of bully."

Remus stood there, unsure of what to say. He hadn't known any of that, but of course that was why she seemed to hate James, if she saw her sister in the things he did. "That's perfectly fair, Lily," he finally said. "What James does is wrong. But that's only one side of him. It's as if there are two of him – the one the school knows and the one we know. He really is a wonderful person. He's kind and generous and incredibly loyal. He's the best friend I could ask for. And far from being selfish, he's one of the most selfless people I know. You don't know what he's done for me, what he's given up. You don't see that side of him, but it's there, I promise you it is."

He was pleading with her, and she knew it. And it hurt to say what came next: "That may be true, Remus, but if he won't show that side to anyone, it might as well not exist. I'm sorry, but I can't just trust what you say. I have to see it. He has to show me."

Remus nodded, wishing she could see, but knowing why she didn't. He smiled sadly and turned to go back up to his room.

"I told him I hoped I was wrong," she called after him. He looked back over his shoulder. "For what it's worth. I told him I hoped I was wrong."

"But that you didn't think you were?" he finished. She flinched at the hardness in his voice, and felt a little ashamed because she had said that.

"That it wasn't up to me," she said quietly. "I know we all have faults, Remus. And the James you told me about tonight . . . well, I think I could really like him. I think I could be his friend. I'd really like to meet him some day, but it isn't up to me. But for my part . . . I'll keep watching."

"I suppose that's really all I can ask for," Remus said quietly. "Goodnight, Lily."

"Goodnight." —

—"James Potter."

It was their seventh year at Hogwarts. The New Year had just begun, and Christmas break would end in two days. The Marauders were sitting together on a couch in the Gryffindor Common Room. Remus felt sometimes as if they hardly ever saw James anymore, what with his promotion to Head Boy. He'd hardly been able to believe it when he had gotten the letter that summer. Sirius had been convinced it was all a joke, but they'd gotten to Hogwarts and discovered it wasn't. James had been made Head Boy.

The first thing he'd done was apologize to Remus. "I don't know why it was me and not you, Moony." But Remus had stopped the flow of apologies.

"James, it's fine. I don't want it, anyway. It . . . suits you." And he had meant it.

The Marauders hadn't been the only ones to be surprised. Lily Evans, who had been made Head Girl, could hardly believe what Dumbledore had done to her. Determined to make the best of it, and keeping in mind the conversation she'd had with Remus, she tried to get along with James. But he seemed incapable of changing how he acted around her. Remus despaired of the two of them ever figuring things out. He just wanted them to be friends.

But it was that Head Girl that was crossing the Common Room to them now, piece of paper clutched in her hand.

"Yes, Evans?" James answered.

"Did you mean this?" she asked, holding up the piece of paper. Remus thought he recognized James' scrawl on the paper.

"Mean . . . what, Evans?" Was it Remus' imagination, or had he heard the slightest hint of panic in James' response? He'd thought James had looked distracted the past few days; maybe this would have some answers.

"Mean what you said in this note, James. The one that was slipped under my door this morning. Did you mean what you said?"

"Now, what did I say? You'll have to be a little more specific." Now Remus was sure of it. This wasn't James' normal way of having fun with Evans; he was stalling for time.

Lily glared at him. "All of it, James, but especially this bit: 'You dared me to prove that I cared about something besides myself. Well, I do. There is something – someone – that I care about more than myself. You.'Did you mean that?"

Finally! Remus thought. Maybe now they'll be able to get past this silly ritual they're both obsessing over.

James swallowed visibly. "I can't think why I would even write something like that, Evans, let alone mean it. You must have me confused with someone else." Before Remus could warn James that this probably wasn't the best approach, Lily had stepped forward, lips white with fury, and slapped James hard across the cheek. Remus closed his eyes and sighed. Or . . . not.

"You are a coward and a hypocrite," she said, her voice shaking. "You tricked me, James. You tricked me into thinking that maybe things could be different, that maybe you were starting to grow up. But I guess I was wrong." She left then, and Remus could almost hear the words hanging in the air.

So did you, Remus.—

—"I just want to know what's going on, Remus!"

"Sirius, no. Don't you understand? Whatever's going on, James is trying to fix it. I want him to fix it. I want this thing between him and Lily to stop. It's gone on for six and a half years; isn't that enough?"

It was a few days later, term had started, and the seventh years were, once again, weighed down with homework. James had promised to join Remus, Sirius, and Peter as soon as he could, but while they were waiting, the conversation took a turn that had become all too familiar in the past few days. Sirius and Peter wanted to know what was going on. They were itching to get James to spill the details about Sunday morning, and, to be honest, so was Remus. But he was determined not to get in the way of whatever was happening. He just had a feeling that if Sirius and Peter and he got started, James would back down from changing so Lily could see. That's what Remus kept telling himself, but there was more to it than that. He also felt partly responsible for Sunday morning. He had promised Lily that James had a wonderful personality, but in the year since that conversation, he wasn't sure Lily had ever seen it.

"But—"

"No."

"Hey," James said, plopping down on the carpet beside them.

"Hey, James," Remus said, opening his transfiguration book.

"James–" Sirius started. Remus shot him a look packed with warning. "Have you finished your Potions essay yet?" he finished, dejected.

"Mostly. I need another two inches still."

The talk turned to homework for a few minutes. After listening carefully to make sure Sirius and Peter weren't going to breech the subject, Remus focused on his reading. He heard snatches of the rest of the conversation, then, "Let's lay off Snape for a while, okay, guys?"

Remus looked up very suddenly from his book. "What?"

"What?"

"What?" Sirius and Peter echoed him.

"Well, Snape's probably had a rough Christmas. I just think we should leave him alone for a while. And while we're at it, let's stop hexing the Slytherins without a good reason."

The other Marauders seemed to be at a loss for words. "But," Sirius started, sounding totally bewildered, "We have a good reason. They're Slytherins."

James took a deep breath. "That's not good enough, Padfoot. Not really. Besides, I don't know about you, but I've got enough homework to keep me busy until late summer, at least. Plus there's studying and all my Head duties. If you want to plan pranks on the Slytherins without any reason but to cause trouble, you'll have to do it without me. But, if they really deserve it, I'll be the first to jump in and help," he promised.

So. Something had happened after all. James glanced toward Lily, and Remus smiled. Maybe now . . . —

—That Saturday, Lily approached James in the Common Room and, without saying anything, handed him an envelope marked James Potter, Confidential. She smiled at James, glanced fleetingly at Remus, and left. Remus smiled, too. He didn't know what had happened, but he had the feeling that things were looking up.—