Just outside the enormous front doors stood a boy with long, black hair that looked as though it had been slicked with oil instead of gel. His head was down, his long nose almost touching the parchment he held tightly in his hand.

"Snivellus…" Sirius whispered, maliciously, drawing his wand. Beside him he sensed James doing the same. As Severus Snape approached them, not knowing what he was about to run into, James and Sirius looked at each other, grinning. Behind them, Peter and Remus watched, anxiously.

"Now!" cried Sirius and with that they swung their wands over their shoulders.

"Langlock!" James yelled.

"Tarantallegra!" hollered Sirius.

Snape gagged as his tongue was abruptly glued to the roof of his mouth – he was then struck by Sirius's spell, causing his legs to give way beneath him and go wild like the tentacles of a furious octopus, as though he was doing a speeded-up war dance. The students around them turned and watched, most of them roaring with laughter at the sight of Snape. As the charm began to wear off, Snape raised his wand.

"Locomotor Mortis!" James cried.

Snape stumbled as his legs snapped together – he overbalanced and his wand left his hand, landing several feet away on the grass. He desperately dived for it, but –

"Mobilicorpus!" barked Sirius.

Halfway through his dive, Snape stopped abruptly in mid-air, hanging there like a marionette, arms waving desperately towards his wand.

"Let me down!" he yelled.

"Shut it, Snivelly!" James said. "Densaugeo!"

Snape yelled, but it never fully came out – his yellowing teeth were extending rapidly – past his bottom lip, past his chin, past his shoulders…

Everyone roared with laughter as Sirius lifted the Body Lifting Spell, causing Snape to drop to the ground, looking like a rat with teeth that now extended down to waist height.

"I'll – get – you – someday –" he mumbled through his overlarge teeth.

"Not before we get you!" James said. And with that, he flicked his wand – Snape yelled as he was hoisted into the air by the ankle, as though an invisible hand had reached from the air. Only when James got bored did he lift the spell. Snape crashed to the floor, very nearly breaking his enormous front teeth in two. Sirius raised his wand for a spell, but…

"Not AGAIN! What IS it with you, Potter?"

One of the girls that they had seen feeding the giant squid was standing several feet away with he arms crossed and a furious look on her face. Her long red hair shone in the sunlight and her bright green, almond shaped eyes surveyed James with great dislike.

"Oh, just sorting out some unfinished business," James said, flicking his wand and performing a silent Body Bind Curse, which immobilised Snape so that he toppled to the ground again, having just raised his wand for a curse. Lily's eyes flashed.

"Let him go!"

"You already know the answer," James said. "If you go out with me, I will stop."

"Why in the name of Merlin would I want to go out with YOU?" Lily screeched. "You're an arrogant, immature sod who thinks it's fun to embarrass other people in public! You think you're so cool, ruffling up your hair and showing off to girls like you did to me just now, I don't CARE if you can do spells silently, Potter – that hasn't changed a single thing! Now let him go or I'll hex you and not stop until you see reason!"

She raised her wand.

"Now now, Evans," James said. "You wouldn't like it if I was covered in boils during our wedding, would you?"

"Don't…you…DARE!" Lily yelled. "Don't you dare placate me, Potter! I wish I'd NEVER met you – now LET HIM GO!"

"Erm…" James stared around casually. "Oh look, the Snitch has escaped! I must go and catch it – excuse me!"

He began to walk away, but Lily was too quick – she slashed her wand through the air and cried,

"Impedimenta!"

James stumbled and fell to the floor, unmoving. Lily walked over to him, performed the counter curse and pulled him to his feet, then pushed him towards the immobilised Snape.

"Let him go NOW, or you'll see stars and colours that you could never imagine!" she said, threateningly. "And I DON'T mean an evening of eternal bliss with me!" she added. "You know exactly what I mean! I've got a spell in mind, Potter! Now unfreeze him and apologise!"

"Evans, you probably know that I don't like girls bossing me around," said James. "I've always said that you're not as magically skilled as –"

"EXPULSO!"

The rock next to which James was standing exploded with devastating force. James was thrown high into the air and then crashed back down to the ground – his glasses shattered with the impact and a trickle of blood oozed from his nose. Lily's expression changed – for a fraction of a second – from fury to concern, but it was immediately the same as before, as though a dragon had squeezed into Lily's robes and stuck a red wig on its head.

"Nothing to worry about…" James said. "Nothing I can't handle – Reparo."

His glasses reformed in a second and he slid them back onto his face. "Tergeo."

The blood on his face dissolved into nothingness, as though it was never there. James stood up, red with embarrassment and fury. He had no choice. He turned to Snape, performed the counter curse and then apologised for what he had done. Snape gave a small jerk of the head, then snatched up his bag and departed. Lily turned away, but in the fraction of a second her face was still visible, she looked at James and her eyes twinkled. A small flash of colour erupted in her cheeks and a small smile appeared on her mouth…

But then her face was hidden behind her curtain of hair – she rejoined her friends at the water's edge and continued to feed the squid.

"Erm, let's not mention that any more…" Sirius said, helpfully.

James nodded, grimly.

"Full moon tomorrow night," Remus said, who had settled down against a tree during the events that had just taken place. "Same regime as usual?"

"Yep," said Sirius. "But as I said, it's going to be even better this time."

"Why?" asked Peter.

"You'll see…" replied Sirius.

James wasn't listening – he was thinking about Lily's expression when she had turned away from him – it wasn't hate at all – on the contrary…

The four friends got up and walked back towards the castle. Remus, Peter and Sirius were talking about full moon, but James's head was still filled with images of the radiant glow of Lily Evans's departing expression…