Note: Some of you were concerned that my new characters wouldn't fill their roles, I tried to put them in a bit more, and if you read carefully you will be able to tell a little more about their personalities by their actions.

The next morning in the Common room, students were in all places doing their homework. James looked up just as Lily came into the room. He stood from his armchair by the fireplace, and walked over to her.

"Um, Lily?" He asked nervously. "Do you want to go with me to the Christmas ball? As friends, I mean," he added very quickly, by seeing the look of surprise on her face, "only if we don't have dates already. Just so we don't have to show up alone."

"Sure James, if the person I who I want to ask me doesn't find his confidence." Lily said puzzled. Was that his way of asking me to go with him or was he saying that I'm his backup? Go I hope he gets it. Lily continued walking by yet annoyed by James's lack of common since.

---

The buzz around the school for the next few weeks was, who was going to the ball with whom.
The time came when all the girls would talk about was what dress they were going to wear. The boys didn't care as much they were all just getting their suits. About two weeks before the ball the students were all going to Hogsmeade to pick out their evening attire. Lily and James had planed to meet up at the Three Broom Sticks after Lily had bought her dress with Dawn, Bex, and Willow. The four boys were already done getting their suits, and were in The Three Broom Sticks having a butter beer waiting for the girls to finish.

---

"So have you asked Lily to the Ball yet?" Remus asked.

"Yeah in a way, we are just becoming friends, and I really don't want to blow it. So I asked her as a friend." James said, swallowing another mouthful of butter beer.

"As friends? Come on James why didn't you just go for it?" Sirius asked shocked. "I mean you have no problems when it comes to girls!"

"I just don't want to rush it okay."

"Well I'm not taking anyone to the ball." Peter added.

"Because no one would go with you, even if you got the courage to ask them." Sirius said sarcastically.

The girls came into The Three Broom Sticks carrying hangers, with bags over their dresses, so that no one could see them yet. The girls asked the owner to hold them in the back by her office, so they wouldn't loose them, she agreed to hold them, and took them back with her. Then, they walked over, and Bex sat down on Sirius's lap. While Dawn stood by Remus, and Lily and Willow stood at the edge of the table. To be gentlemen the four stood up, and let the girls sit down while they ordered another round of butter beers to go, because they wanted to walk around the town a little. When the eight friends walked out, Sirius had his arm around Bex's shoulder while her arm was around his waist; Remus and Dawn were holding hands. Peter and Willow started talking about gossip around school, which left Lily and James to walk side-by-side making small talk. They walked around going in and out of shops as they passed, but every now and then Sirius and Bex would 'get lost' and then find the group a few minutes later. All around, everyone had a very good day in Hogsmeade. They all returned to the school after stopping by The Three Broom Sticks to pick up the girl's dresses. The eight of them returned to the common room. They all did their homework together, and they had planed to go back and talk some more, but the Remus had gotten a letter from someone saying that he had to leave. The girls were worried that something had happened, but James and Sirius reassured them that it was nothing, but they had to go to bed early because they were tired.

---

That night James, Sirius, and Peter crept down the stairs of the boy's dormitories under James's invisibility cloak. Sirius was holding a piece of parchment that had little moving dots all around it's surface, the Marauder's Map.

"Wait. Stop!" Sirius whispered loudly. "The girls are talking in the common room. Lets listen!"

"No, Remus is waiting." Peter said.

"Come on, haven't you ever wondered that girls talk about late at night?"

"For once in his life Peter is right. Sirius we told Moony we would meet him down there as soon as we can." James said walking forward.

As they walked through the common room they heard parts of the conversation the girls were having.
"Dawn you and Remus were to die for today!" Willow said overdramatically.

"Aw, Willow you and Peter were getting pretty friendly." Dawn said jumping into the conversation.

"No, if anyone was getting friendly it was Sirius and Bex over there." Lily teased.

When the three boys walked out of the common room, Sirius tried very hard to walk as slow as possible in order to listen to what else the girls were saying, he didn't hear much though. When they walked outside onto the grounds James took the cloak off. But three young men were not standing where they should have been; instead there was a great black dog, a small gray rat, and a tall brown stag. It was a rainy dark night, which made it a lot more fun for the boys. After they slid down under the Whomping Willow they ran, on all fours, up to where a great wolf stood awaiting them. The four animals ran out of the Shrieking Shack. They ran around the school, and then Hogsmeade. They were playing and fighting and slipping and sliding everywhere. By five in the morning Sirius, Peter, James, and Remus were as brown and muddy as possible. Moony went back to the Shrieking Shack. When it was safe the three animals turned into boys again, but still equally muddy and out of breathe as before. They got back under the invisibility cloak, and washed off in the boy's lavatory. When they returned to the common room one candle was still lit, and they saw Lily was curled up on the couch with her books sprawled all around her.

"You guys go on up." James said to Peter and Sirius "I'll stay here."
Peter and Sirius walked up the stairs. James grabbed a blanket from the end of the couch, and laid it over Lily. He picked up her books, and stacked them neatly on the coffee table. He reached out, and gently touched Lily's soft, warm check. He looked at her, she looked so beautiful sleeping. There was a creak of the wooden stairs, and James looked up suddenly. Bex was standing there.

"How long have you been standing there?" James asked her.

"Long enough." She said. "If you want her so badly then why not just ask her James?"

"It'll never happen, were friends."

"Who are you kidding?"

"Myself." He said, under his breath looking back down at Lily.

"Yeah, you are. She's fallen for you James."

"What did she tell you that?"

"Not in those words, but we're best friends, she doesn't have to tell me, I just know."

"But, we are just going to be friends. I don't want to rush things."

"Yeah, I've done that." She said quickly.

James looked up from Lily to Bex, "Yeah, but you know that Sirius didn't cheat on you, and never would."

"Well I know that, now."

"So he finally got you to talk to him about it."

"Yeah, well, I gave in." Bex smiled.

"I've never seen him as upset about anything."

"Hey thanks James, rub it in."

"Sorry. It was a misunderstanding; Rebecca only saw when Cammie was hitting on Sirius. He told me about it Bex, he told her to back off. But he didn't have to tell me." James smiled at Bex. "We're best friends, I already knew."

"James, you don't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to girls, if you know what I mean." Bex walked toward him, and sat down on the arm of the next chair. James gave her a puzzled look. " I'm just warning you now, for when you do ask her out, if you hurt her in any way I will be entitled to hurt you very badly."

"Bex, I've seen you on the Quidditch field, and trust me, I afraid of the pain you would cause me." He gave a small laugh.

After a minute in silence he looked down at his mud stained watch, "Hey, we better get to bed. I'll take Lily to the stairs, but I can't go any farther. So can you get her up to her bed?"

"Yeah, I'll try."

James picked up Lily and the blanket he had laid on her, and walked her up the stairs. At the bottom of the girls dorms he handed her to Bex who leaned over, and kissed James on the cheek, and said "Give that to Sirius for me." And she walked up to her dorm carrying Lily.

James walked back up to his own dorm, and began to change into his nightgown.
"Who were you talking to?" Sirius asked.

"Your girlfriend. She gave me a kiss on the cheek to give to you, but, I'll pass." James crawled into bed.

"Thanks." Sirius mumbled.