Disclaimer: I don't own anything (with the exception of Tanya). Jo Jo Rowling does. We love you Jo Jo!

Chapter 2: Nightmares, Detention and the Marauder's Map

All his friends laughed heartily as the music halted and Lily ran from the room. James finally realized what he'd said. He searched for her and finally found her on the fourth floor.

"Lily, I'm sorry!" There was still no response, just muffled sobs. "I'm sorry… I'm a horrible person. I don't care what you call me. Call me anything. I deserve it. You deserve more than I can offer. I'm really sorry and understand if you never want to speak with me again." Before Lily could turn around and tell him that he was wrong, he'd left. James ran all the way back to Hogwarts.

"Back so soon?"

"Fairy Lights," James muttered the password, fighting back tears. The fat lady swung aside and he ran up to his dormitory. He didn't feel like talking to anyone so he pulled back the covers and fell into an unsettling sleep.

"Come on! Walk to mummy." Lily gestured to a little boy

"Let me try," James said, standing up. Without a word spoken to the messy-haired toddler, he took his first steps toward his father.

"Why does it always work for you?" Lily whined. BANG!

"Lily! Take him to the next room! It's Voldemort!" James screamed, referring to the cloaked man.

Then, suddenly, James woke up. He felt drained. He thought about the dream. Or was it a dream? It seemed so real. He checked his watch. It was 6:30, perfect time to hit the showers. Walking down to the showers, he felt guilty of what he did to Lily.

James arrived back at seven and already, the common room was buzzing. He lumbered up the stairs to get dressed for another day. Today was a day of complete misery without Lily. His dormitory was deserted so after he dressed, he lay on his bed as uncomforting thoughts of the dream and it's consequences flooded his mind. He fell asleep and woke up at 8:30 to find Lily curled up beside him, shivering. He covered her up and lay beside her as those thoughts of the dream were washed away. By quarter to nine, James woke Lily up in time for classes. She looked surprised to find herself in James's dorm but was comforted by the thought that no one else was there. They walked to classes together, hand in hand, surprising everyone who thought it could never happen again. Sirius has missed the entire thing because he was faking sick so that he wouldn't have to take his History of Magic quiz.

"You, my boy, have a bad immune system! Always getting sick! That's the third time in the past two weeks!" Sirius just moaned and groaned. He had a nice nap until seven, and then told Madame Pompfrey he was much better and that he should be leaving. He felt proud of himself to be coming out of the infirmary just before supper. He came into the Great Hall only to see that James was charming Lily Evans with a witty joke. He sat down, pretending not to notice. He then began a conversation with Remus.

"Care for some mischief tonight, Remus?"

"Most definitely. I crave the adrenaline of almost getting detention.

"Well, tonight, my friend, detention won't be a problem of ours." Sirius reached inside his cloak and pulled out a piece of parchment.

"The Marauder's Map!" Lupin gasped.

"Finished and ready to go! Watch this, I demand you to open at once or else consequences will be issued!" The parchment then revealed a very rude comment one would never dare to poison their paper with.

"Brilliant!"

"Yes, I know! All I need you guys to do is sign it as the Messer,"

"Alright, but first I want to know how it works,"

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Sirius said. The map revealed a very detailed map of Hogwarts.

"Wow! Who did the drawing?"

"Miss Lillian Potter… I mean Evans,"

"And the animations?"

"Jamesypoo,"

"And the students?"

"Peter, and I did the folding of the map and ungrateful remarks. What I need you to do is to make it so that it changes every year."

"It's a challenge but if you give it to me tomorrow night, I can have it ready by the next morning,"

"Alright. James, Peter, we're going marauding tonight. I'll meet all of you, including Lily, at the Astronomy Tower. Remus, you get the marauder's map because you don't have an invisibility cloak." Everyone nodded. At midnight, everyone met where they were supposed to. James stood in the sill of the window as Remus and Sirius pretended to fight. Peter was busy studying and Lily was laughing at the two idiots fighting. Remus pushed Sirius who bumped into James. He became off balance and fell out the window, landing in the lake. Remus came down, second later, on a broom to save him. He left the broom levitating and dove into the lake. Lily was in tears when Remus brought James back up to the tower. She switched robes with him so that he could warm up a little. After James calmed down, they went back to their dorms. Breakfast was quiet the next morning. An owl came swooping down and dropped a small package in James's lap. He stared at it curiously, then quickly opened it. His glasses and a note were all he found. The note said:

"Next time you go for a late night swim,

Be sure your glasses are safely secured!"

James looked around at the staff table and saw Albus Dumbledore wink at him. James smiled to himself and put on his glasses. Lily glanced over at him and saw his new found glasses.

"You found them? Great!" James grinned at Lily and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?"

"Can't a guy rain affection upon his beautiful girlfriend without getting scowled at?" After the sun set, James had decided upon writing a letter to his parents.

"Dear mum and dad,

Sorry that you haven't heard from me lately. I've been extremely busy. When I come back in two months, I have so much to tell you!

Love,

James"

James sent off the letter with his owl and Sirius came in. He began to put on his pajamas.

"I really don't know what you see in Lily anyway. I mean, she's nice and all but you could be going out with Jamie West!"

"You don't get it, Black. Every time she talk to me I have to pick pieces of myself off the floor."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Want to go traipsing around the school, like some serious marauding, just me and you?"

"Okay, let's wait until midnight, alright?" Sirius nodded and set a silent alarm for 11:30. Then he fell asleep quickly, leaving James awake. Making sure he was sleeping, James picked up his broom and flew over to the girls' dormitory. Lily took a quick peek to see if anyone was watching, then got on the broom. Checking his watch every now and then, James took Lily everywhere! Over the forbidden forest, through the Quidditch rings and above the lake. Almost too soon, it was 11:00 and they both had to get back. Lily and James kissed goodnight and went their separate ways. Lily hopped, skipped and jumped all around her dorm while the other girls slept. She couldn't wait until the dance at the end of the year that would take place in four days. Even though school wasn't over for two months, Professor Dumbledore liked to get things over and done with. Lily though this was hilarious. She lay on her bed as sweet dreams entered her body and surged through her veins like a warm breeze. She awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and ready for another day. She skipped down the stairs in her robes and her books under her arm. She saw Sirius sitting on the couch looking gravely sick with his black shag of hair falling in front of his eyes.

"Oh my! Are you alright, Sirius?"

'Yes, yes, fine. It's all my fault," he muttered to himself.

"I'm sure it's not your fault Tell me what happened while we head up to Divination."

"You won't be cross with me?"

"Of course not! Now get your books," As they walked up the numerous steps to Divination, the distressed marauder told Lily everything.

"So your telling me that somebody doesn't like me and then they threatened to rip up the marauder's map if you didn't take James out during the night so he could get caught and be in detention and not come to the dance. Now James is serving detention, that Filch issued, in a locked room?" Sirius nodded, shyly. They were both silent and then Lily burst out laughing. He looked puzzled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm sorry but that is the most hilarious story I have ever heard! James is going to the dance,"

'How? What… Lily! You are a true marauder!" They laughed all the way up to class and figured out a plan to get James out of his prison.

James sat in an empty room with nothing but a quill and two rolls of parchment. He couldn't charm the room or the paper or anything because he was disarmed from his wand earlier. Sirius had better have a good explanation for landing him in detention and missing his moment with Lily. At the next moment, a howler flew in. James, thinking it was his parents, opened it obediently.

"Hello James," a strange voice boomed. James hadn't a clue who it was but they were just speaking nonsense. The babble made him sleepy until his eyes drooped and he fell asleep.