Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything of JK Rowling's.

A/N: This is my first fanfic since I deleted my only other attempt at a fanfic (it was a pathetic attempt) so please give me constructive criticism and feedback but don't flame. Thanks.

A Stag & A Doe in a Castle

You Like WHO?!

"Hey, Lils!" cried Alice Prewett as she spotted Lily Evans on the platform, weaving her way over.

"Alice!" grinned Lily, letting go of her trunk and hugging her best friend. "Let's go get a compartment, the prefect meeting won't happen 'til the trains started – and half an hour into the ride at that."

Alice followed Lily onto the scarlet train, and they peeped through doors, finally finding an empty compartment near the middle of the train. They heaved their luggage onto the racks and sat down.

"So, how'd the Longbottom trip go?" asked Lily, and just as Alice was getting started on her meeting her boyfriend Frank's parents, the compartment door slid open, and Dorcas Meadowes came in.

"Hey Dor!" chorused the two girls.

"Hey, Alice, Lils," smiled Dorcas. "Marly not here then?"

Alice shook her head. "Not yet," she said, "but Marly was never one for punctuality – she'll probably turn up just as the train leaves."

Dorcas plonked down beside Alice. "Oh, Al, how'd the thing with the Longbottoms go?"

"Good – Mrs. Longbottom isn't actually that scary, just formidable." Alice spun a strand of chestnut brown hair around her index finger, a dreamy smile on her face.

The train whistle sounded, and true to Alice's prediction, Marlene McKinnon flung open the door of their compartment, face red.

"Hey Marly," smiled Alice, before poking Dorcas and mouthing 'I told you'.

"Hey girls! How was your summer?" she asked, flopping down beside Lily. "Oh, Lils, prefect again, I see."

Lily fingered her badge. "Yeah. Summer wasn't bad – at least while I was staying with Alice. Petunia was a nightmare."

The other three gave her sympathetic looks – they knew about the Petunia situation.

"Well, you all know I met the Longbottoms…," said Alice.

"Ooh yes, tell us how that went!" squealed Marlene.

"Oh, you know, Frank introduced me, Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom assessed me and approved – I think, from their faces, their eyes smiled too – we got along, I stayed for a week and went home."

"Really? That's as boring as my summer!" exclaimed Dorcas. "Sheer boredom."

"Hah, too bad, Dor, I was in France all summer. There were so many hot boys – but none of them took the ticket." Marlene grinned.

Lily leaned back and rolled her eyes, before glancing at her watch a little into Marly's description of France.

"Sorry, girls, gotta go!" She headed out and along the corridor to the Prefect's carriage, where two Ravenclaw prefects and two Hufflepuff prefects sat around. Minutes after Lily, the other Gryffindor prefect came in.

"Hey, Lily," he smiled.

"Hello, Remus," she replied as Lucius Malfoy walked in, followed by the other Slytherin prefect.

"My, my," sneered Malfoy. "Ickle little mudblood's prefect. How unsuitable."

Lily's eyes flashed, but she remained tight-lipped. A minute later, the two Heads came in, and the meeting began.

~ASAADINC~

"Hey, girls, can I tell you something?" asked Marlene.

"Mmm," came Lily's voice as she tore her eyes from the window. After the prefect meeting, she'd come back to her friends and had only left for a patrol with Remus once – she was planning on staying in the compartment for the rest for the trip.

"Go on," urged Dorcas, while Alice simply nodded, a smile gracing her friendly face.

"Well, I, I…" Marlene trailed off, and the other girls exchanged shocked glances. Marlene was never at a loss for words.

"What is it, Marls, you can tell us," encouraged Lily.

"IlikeSiriusBlack," she mumbled.

"What?!" cried Lily.

"I like Sirius Black," said Marlene a bit more clearly, just as the compartment door opened to reveal James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew – aka the Marauders. Marlene blushed a deep crimson and tried to slide down in her seat, desperately wishing to be invisible.

"Well, well, McKinnon. What was that about liking me? Why don't we go out, I quite fancy you too," smirked Sirius, flicking his long black tresses away from his handsome face.

"Oh, alright Black. Now buzz off." Marlene blushed deeper but gave a small smile.

"Oh no, you can't get rid of us that easy. Prongs has something to say." Sirius' smirk grew as James shoved him out of the way.

"Hey, Evans dearest, why don't you go out with me, then?" he asked, a smirk a little smaller on his face.

Lily tore her eyes away from the window again – she'd gone back to looking out it when the Marauders came. They were flashing in anger, the nice, gentle emerald hardened and her cheeks slowly flushing to be as red as her hair.

"WHEN WILL YOU LEARN TO TAKE NO AS AN ANSWER? GET LOST POTTER, I'D RATHER GO OUT WITH THE GIANT SQUID – AND DO NOT CALL ME EVANS DEAREST EVER AGAIN! CLEAR?" she shouted.

"Oh, very well, darling, but I'm not giving up," smirked James and he and other Marauders left.

"YOU'D DO BETTER TO – AND DO NOT CALL ME DARLING!" Lily yelled after him, still furious. "That, that, that arrogant toerag! Why can't he leave me alone?!"

"Lily, calm down," said Dorcas. "Potter's not a bad boy – good at quidditch, incredibly good looking, I mean, can't you see how good a boy you're turning down?"

"So, I should go out with Potter just for those two reasons, even though I hate him and he's an arrogant, cocky, bullying... well, toerag?!" exclaimed Lily in outrage, and with a huff she plonked back down onto her seat and stared out the window, refusing to talk for the rest of the journey.