Here is chapter 3! I originally had envisioned this story as being only a few chapters long, but while I was writing this chapter something just clicked so you can expect at least seven more chapters after this one. Enjoy and review; it would make my day!

I didn't see him for days after that incident, though to my sixteen-year-old mind it seemed like a torturous eternity. I didn't know if Filch was keeping him prisoner somewhere, or if he was busy with Marauder business, or even (and this thought was most present in my head those days) if, just as he had seemingly taken an interest in me overnight, he had grown suddenly tired of me.

It wasn't unheard of; the Marauders took up new projects in the blink of an eye and discarded them just as quickly. James Potter started an Anti-Slytherin Defense League; Peter vowed a crusade against cats and Sirius (in an attempt to be ironic, but which came off as stubborn and contrary) started a feline adoption service to find owners for all the homeless cats of Hogwarts. They were spectacular in their determination, but when James found out that a castle-wide poll had determined Slytherins to be the greatest lovers of cats, his claims that Slytherins were cruel and heartless petered out. Sirius lost his resolve in caring for cats after Filch adopted one only to have it tail the Marauders through the castle, and Peter fell in love with a particularly loud Siamese and named him Crackers. All of this in the space of a week. So, given the company he partook in, it was no big leap for me to believe that Remus would do similarly.

The thought plagued me all throughout Transfiguration that Tuesday so that McGonagall kept me after class and gave me extra homework – a foot of parchment on how to properly remove the feathers from your peacock-turned-frog. I was the last one out of class, just late enough to bump into three unusually early Marauders.

"I was under the impression that the Marauders never showed up for class." I said, feeling surprisingly at ease around them, despite the fact that Remus had never introduced us (me being his secret girlfriend, after all).

"We make an occasional visit, every now and again. Just to keep up appearances." Sirius smirked as they made their way to their seats. It struck me how perfect this moment was; any girl at Hogwarts would give up their wand arm just for the opportunity to be in their presence. Spectacularly, I had even managed not to make a fool of myself – yet. I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to ask about Remus, but that would be going against the only rule Remus had asked of me. I struggled to make up my mind. Not saying anything and walking out right now would feel like a complete waste. Besides, any casual fan had the right to ask where Remus was. On the other hand, there was always the possibility that they would read too much into any casual question I asked. The Marauders were a passionate group of guys; what if they decided to take an interest in me if I pried too deeply into their group? I stood on tenterhooks, watching the back of their perfect heads for any hint that they knew who I was.

"She's watching us," Peter whispered loudly to his mates, and I blushed deep crimson when I realized what I must look like to them.

"She's just another crazy fan; blow her a kiss and she'll run after it," Sirius said, leaning his chair back on its hind legs. He craned his neck back and watched me, upside down. "What's the matter, love? Need directions?"

"I just-"

"Cut it out, Padfoot. The girl's in shock." James snuck a foot under Sirius' chair and kicked gently, just enough to send him off balance. James stood up and walked over to me, courteously holding out an arm. Behind him, Sirius was glaring daggers at me. "Can I walk you to your next class?"

"Th-that would be lovely." I snuck my hand into the crook of James' arm and we walked out of the classroom, almost running over the Head Girl, Lily Evans, who seemed quite taken aback.

"Potter! …And friend," She looked me over carefully, then back to James. "Is this…?"

"Oh, no, it's not what you think!" He said, quickly extracting himself from my side. "Not that, you wouldn't make a wonderful girlfriend," he added hastily, looking to me. All the smarmy charm from just moments ago vanished rapidly into thin air. "I'm just escorting this lovely young lady to her next class over at…erm…"

"Greenhouse Six." I whispered.

"…Greenhouse Six." He shuffled aside to let Lily Evans into the classroom, adding weakly, "Just doing my duty – Head Boy, you know…"

He watched her go inside, looking so forlorn I could have sworn he was breaking apart. I nudged him, gently.

"I should go," I said, glancing at my watch. He turned back to me, confused. "You don't need to walk me – I know my way."

He seemed torn, glancing back at the door quickly. "I offered to escort you, madam, and I will." He offered up his arm once again, dapper as ever. "Shall we?"

We plodded along in silence – torturously unbearable for me, but there was a pleasant little smile on James' face which suggested that he was enjoying himself. That was the way of the Marauder; achingly perfect every single minute of every day.

But it was all a lie. After all, I knew Remus wasn't like that; it was just a front he put up to deal with the fans. And I had just seen James fall to pieces in front of Lily Evans, but the second she was gone he snapped back to perfection. I guess they all had their own way of dealing with the stress of being perfect. James fixated his attention on the one person who refused to accept his charade and Remus secretly scoped the castle for someone who he could connect with on a personal level. I've since learned that Sirius made it a rule to date only muggles, girl or boy – it didn't matter, as long as they were a muggle – and Peter, despite his bumbling appearance, managed to charm his way into half the female population's collective pants. They each had a way of dealing with the fact that they didn't have to perfect, or clever, or pureblooded, or the oddball, but at the same time they refused to drop their Marauder personas. It seemed like an awful lot of work, really, and what was the point of it all?

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. I meant the whole Marauder business in general, but walking me to class was odd, too. It was not unlike him to go after lost, confused, or otherwise helpless students, but it seemed odd for him to be doing something like this for me. After all, I was just another love-struck groupie, as far as he knew.

"Doing what?" He glanced at his watch (which I thought odd, at the time, him having a watch) and walked us just a little faster. I knew he was anxious to get back to Lily and Greenhouse Six was a long ways away.

"Walking me out here, you don't even know who I am."

"I know who you are," he replied, casually. "I know who everybody is; it's my job to know."

"Because you're Head Boy?"

"Exactly. I have to be on top of the students – know what they're doing, what they're planning." He led us down a deserted corridor that led opposite the way to the doors but that – thanks to Remus' extensive training - I knew contained a secret passageway. I pretended otherwise, though, pulling back. "Trust me," he smiled, tugging me along a little more forcefully.

"You know those amazing after-hours parties the students throw every holiday and Quidditch match?" He continued, after a time. "Who do you think organizes those?"

"That's you?" I gaped.

"Well, Lily and I..." He pulled aside a tapestry and beckoned me in. "And our prefects."

"But...why? That isn't official school sanctioned business is it?" I thought of Dumbledore, up in his office plotting Halloween parties for the upperclassmen, and giggled. James, who had just put his hand on the small of my back to guide me through the passageway, stiffened.

"No, but it's good to give the students a little something to keep them going. All work and no play...etcetera." We emerged just outside the Great Hall and James poked his head around the corner. "Coast is clear." We continued, arm in arm, and he ran a hand through his hair. "Besides, we need to make sure no one gets up to anything too dangerous."

I snorted. Having a marauder caution people against danger was the most unlikely thing I'd ever heard of. "So the Marauders are now safety-patrol men?"

"No, it's nothing like that." He grinned. "It may not seem like it but we're all about keeping Hogwarts safe. It's a dangerous world out there and we'd like to keep this castle safe from harm."

I knew that was true enough. We walked along in silence for another few minutes and I wondered again if he knew about Remus and I. He said it was his job to know all about his students. Surely he knew that Remus snuck out every night to see someone and, if he was keeping such close tabs on the students that were under his charge, then he would know that I was also sneaking out to see someone. He didn't mention it, though, and I figured he wasn't as perfect as he let on.

We came closer and closer to the Greenhouses and I wondered how bad it would be if I asked. It was just a simple question; surely anyone would wonder where the fourth marauder was? And really, would it be a terrible thing for James to know that Remus was dating? Why did they insist on never dating anyway?

"James?" I asked, before I lost all of my nerve. "Why don't any of the marauders ever date?"

We walked along in silence for a few minutes and I began to wonder if he had even heard me. I was about to just let it go when he started speaking, so quiet I didn't hear him at first.

"The four of us are a family," he said, somehow managing to look thoughtful and unconcerned at the same time. "We don't need anyone else; we're complete just the way we are."

"But, you must have liked someone the whole time you were here?" I insisted, remembering how just minutes ago he had fallen apart in the presence of Lily Evans.

"Of course we have." James said, stiffening slightly, but smiling, nonetheless, "Peter's fallen in love at least twice a year since our third year, and Sirius was completely head-over-heels for some bird last year, but...it wouldn't be worth losing our friendship over some girl."

There it was. He didn't want to break up the family. Somehow, he reasoned, a girl would come between them and break them apart. Well, I wasn't anybody to say that it wouldn't. After all, wasn't the time Remus spent with me, just time taken away from the Marauders? James was madly in love with Evans, but he stayed away from her for the good of the Marauders. For Remus to date would be considered selfish by his friends, but what kind of teenaged boy wouldn't be interested in dating? Remus, especially, needed a distraction every now and again. He wasn't built to take the constant strain of being famous; he needed someone to share mundane moments with and, for some miraculous reason, he had decided to share them with me. I decided that I was going to try my best not to disappoint him.

"Here we are," James said, as we came to a halt. I turned to face him, to thank him, but he was looking past me. I followed his gaze to see a couple of students, blatantly staring at us through the grimy windows of Greenhouse Six.

"Sorry about that," I said, turning back to him. He checked his watch again, and realized how late it was.

"Well, there's no way I'm making it to Transfiguration today," he sighed.

I tried my best to look grateful and sorry, but he smiled kindly down on me, tilting my chin up and looking me in the eyes.

"Let's give them an eyeful," he said, smirking as he nodded towards the Greenhouse. I recognized something familiar in his stare and suddenly my hand was to his lips. I was too stunned to say anything, but before I knew it he had brought my hand down away from his face.

"There," he said, waving me away as he headed back toward the castle. "That should keep you in the spotlight for a minute or two."

"What?" I asked, confused. This was as unlike James Potter as I had ever known.

"You want to be popular, don't you?" He stood in place, still facing away from me. "That'll keep you out of the books and free from homework until January, at least."

"I don't understand," I said, not caring that by now the whole class had their noses pressed up to the windows of the greenhouse.

James turned back to look at me, his stare now cold and distant. "I know who you are," he said. "You like gossip and you like fame, and if there's a way for you to profit from one then I'm sure you'll do anything to get to the other." He glanced at the crowd that had gathered and then back to the castle. "You're a Hufflepuff, right? Unafraid of toil?" He slunk closer to me, whispering in my ear. "But what if there was an easier way to get what you want?"

Suddenly, his lips were on mine and I stood in shock. Behind us, I heard the collective gasp of the sixth year Herbology students, and it registered in my head that James Potter had his lips on mine even though only seconds ago he had been saying the most hurtful things.

I regained my senses then and pushed him away, roughly. "Just what do you think you're doing?" I shouted, my mind racing. James Potter did not date girls. He did not flirt with girls, he did not hold hands with girls, and he did not kiss girls. And yet, he had just kissed me. I had half a mind to slap him, but he smirked devilishly, that same Marauder look in his eyes that I had seen in Remus'.

"You've got what you wanted," he said. "A Marauder's kiss?" He turned away and started back to the castle. "Now stay away from him."