Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns this universe. I'm just playing in her sandbox. Thanks to my beta, Katie!
"Tell me."
"No!"
"Tell me, please."
"Mind your own business!"
Lily and Alice were sitting in front of the hearth in their common room late one night eating Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and pretending to work on Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. Alice had hinted at dinner that she had a secret crush, and the other seventh year Gryffindor girls had been merciless about trying to tease the information out of her.
Lily had taken a less direct approach, waiting for the rest of the girls to go to bed before starting her campaign for more information. Lily knew that Alice could be shy, but that she was far more likely to share her secrets to one person than four.
"I'll eat an entire handful of Every Flavor Beans at once if you tell me." Lily scooped up ten or fifteen of the candies and held them near her mouth.
"Well..." Alice grinned. "Okay. But first, the beans."
Dutifully, Lily tipped back her head and dumped the beans in.
"No fair just swallowing, you have to chew!"
Lily groaned through her mouthful of candy, but chewed it up and swallowed with a gasp.
"Dreadful. Marmalade and black pepper were not meant to be eaten together." She shuddered. "Now, Fetescue, spill your guts."
Alice's ears turned pink, and she stared at her scrap of parchment. "Promise not to laugh."
"Cross my heart."
"You can't tell Marlene, either. Or Emmeline. They'll take the mickey out of me."
Lily huffed and rolled over to face her friend. "I promise, okay? Spit it out!"
"Ihaveacrushonfranklongbottom."
"Excuse me? Was that English?"
"I have a crush on Frank Longbottom," Alice repeated. She spoke slower the second time, but she still mumbled her way through it.
"Alice! That's fantastic, Frank's a good bloke. Not like those Marauders he rooms with."
"He doesn't even know I'm alive." Alice threw her hands up dramatically, then realized she had spoken a bit louder than was appropriate for the peaceful common room. A few fourth years glanced up in curiosity, but quickly got back to their books. Across the room, however, near the staircase that led to the boys' dormitories, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin looked up from their game of Exploding Snap.
"Shhhhh!" She waved her hands even more hysterically as the boys put away their cards and exchanged devious smirks. "Merlin, Lily, they heard you say Marauders."
"How could they have?" Lily lowered her voice further, just in case. "I was whispering, and they're all the way across the room!"
"Some kind of trouble-making sixth sense, or something," Alice moaned. She warily watched them approach. "Hi, boys."
"Evening, Alice. Lily." Remus nodded politely.
"Where are the rest of your cohorts?" Alice asked, glancing around the common room. "It's rare that the four of you aren't together."
"Aren't you a bit more interested in Frank?" Peter grinned as Alice let out a little gasp of shock.
"Wormtail, be nice," Remus warned. He smiled apologetically at Alice. "Don't worry, Frank doesn't know."
She slumped. "Of course not. How could he? He'd have to know I exist first."
"Oh, he knows you exist," Peter chuckled. Remus gave him another warning glare and Peter bit his lips to stop from snickering.
"What are you two up to?" Lily looked from one guilty face to the other with increasing suspicion. "And where are James and Black?"
"James, you say?" Remus said casually. "You mean Potter, of course."
Lily flushed. She had started calling him by his first name privately, mostly because it made him more compliant when it came down to studying and coordinating on patrols. He always got a little dreamy eyed when Lily said his name, and she wasn't above using that to her advantage. James didn't need to know that her stomach usually fluttered at the sound of his voice, whether he was explaining their Transfiguration homework or droning through their agenda for the latest prefect meeting.
Somehow, in spite of herself, Lily was beginning to develop feelings for James Potter. She wasn't yet sure what kind of feelings they were, but they were definitely different than the general indifference she had maintained for years.
She cleared her throat. "James, Potter, whichever," she said airily, hoping that the boys bought her dismissive tone. She knew from the look in Alice's eyes that she hadn't fooled her friend. She'd have to do damage control later.
"Prongs is upstairs working on his Quidditch training schedule, putting the finishing touches on before Sunday's practice," Remus said, still smirking. "As for Padfoot...well, it probably isn't a good idea for me to tell the Head Girl just what kind of rule breaking he's getting up to at the moment."
"Let's just say that Sirius likes to put the Astronomy Tower to good use before the weather gets too cold," Peter added.
"Shouldn't you have better control over your cronies, Remus?" Lily asked disapprovingly.
He shrugged helplessly. "I know better than to try. But we didn't come over here to talk about Padfoot's sexual exploits."
He turned back to Alice. "I happen to know for a fact that Frank will not be going to Hogsmeade tomorrow."
Alice stared blankly at him. "And...?"
"He will not be going to Hogsmeade because he heard through the grapevine that a certain seventh year Gryffindor girl would be going with Paul Prentiss of Ravenclaw, and he simply could not bear to watch."
"Paul? He might of mentioned something in DADA the other day..." She blushed prettily.
"Well, good old Frank thinks he's missed his chance, and the rest of us are sick of hearing his belly aching," Peter said. "Any chance you could put him out of his misery?"
"Hang on," Lily interrupted. "What are you two up to? What's in this for you?"
"The happiness of two of our fellow Gryffindors, of course," Remus responded immediately. "And Pete's right, Frank has really been a stick in the mud lately."
"This wouldn't have anything to do with Quidditch sabotage, would it?" Lily pressed. "I don't suppose you or your friend Potter have given any thought to the fact that Paul Prentiss is the Ravenclaw Seeker, or that a romantic rivalry might put him off his game?"
"I'm hurt you would jump to such a…a specious conclusion." Peter sniffed and looked at Remus, feigning horror. "Here we are, going out of our way to help out a friend—"
"Two friends!" Remus put in.
"And all you can do is accuse us of looking out for own self-interests. Shocking."
"Ladies, enjoy your evening," Remus said with a nod. "Come on, Wormtail. Let's see if Prongs is still up."
Once the two boys were safely up the staircase, Lily turned to Alice. "Paul? You didn't say anything about Paul!"
"It didn't seem relevant." Alice turned a darker shade of pink. "I didn't think it was like a date, he just invited me to come with him and some of his mates. Jennifer Jones will be there! We get on well, and I thought I could, I don't know, branch out a bit?"
She buried her face in her hands and groaned. "Now I've ruined things with Frank."
Lily patted her on the back. "You never know. It isn't a good idea to put too much stock into what that lot says, even Remus. Even if it is true that Frank isn't going to Hogsmeade tomorrow, it could just as easily be because he has too much work to do. Isn't he president of the Defense Against the Dark Arts League this year?"
Alice smiled weakly. "You're right, of course. Practical Lily, always finding the answers."
Lily scoffed. "Nonsense. I'm just not as close to the situation. Besides, even if it is true that Frank is jealous of Paul, you aren't necessarily sunk yet. Use it to your advantage! Nothing wrong with a little good, old-fashioned jealousy."
"A little late night scheming by the fire, eh, Evans?" Sirius Black strolled into the common room, which by that time almost deserted. His scarlet and gold striped tie was hanging loosely around his neck, and his shirttails had come untucked.
"I won't ask where you've been," Lily said sternly, "because I'd rather not go docking my own house points."
"Knew you weren't beyond favoritism." He smiled and threw himself onto the love seat right next to where the girls were sitting. "Having two Heads in Gryffindor house really is a lark, especially when one of them is a Marauder. Although, I've been meaning to talk to you about that, Lilykins."
"Talk to me about what?"
"You've bewitched Prongs. He's become practically...responsible."
"I haven't done anything. Maybe James has just come to understand what it means to actually have responsibilities, instead of treating life like one giant party."
"James," Sirius paused a bit, drawing out the name with a mischievous grin, "has come to realize that the only way into your stubborn heart is through pretending to be respectable."
Now it was Lily's turn to flush. "Get off it, Black. If you don't mind, Alice and I are having a private conversation."
"I think I do mind, now you mention it." Sirius propped his feet up on the arms of the love seat and settled in. "So...what's the gossip?"
"Is it true that Frank isn't going to Hogsmeade tomorrow because of me and Paul Prentiss?" The words flooded out of Alice's mouth, and she looked surprised after she had said it, as though she couldn't quite believe she'd had the nerve.
Sirius's eyes twinkled. "Cat's out of the bag, is it? Poor Frank, he's been pining for years. Almost as long as dear Prongs."
Lily ignored the jab. "I suppose it would be nice to have a male perspective. I was just telling Alice that maybe a bit of jealousy would help move the situation along. What do you think?"
"I think that if you asked Frank to choose between dueling with a dragon and asking a girl on a date, he'd choose the dragon."
"I can't ask him out!" Alice gasped, horrified. "I'd die of embarrassment."
Lily sighed. "It appears we are at an impasse. I still think you should go to Hogsmeade with Paul and the Ravenclaws, enjoy yourself, and let Frank eat his heart out. Maybe it'll be just the kick he needs."
"Speaking of the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year," Sirius interrupted. "I assume you will be making your way into town at some point, Miss Evans?"
"Yes," Lily said suspiciously. "Of course. Why?"
"Just making sure. You've been looking a little peaked lately, and we can't have you off your game. You need to take care of yourself." He yawned and stretched. "Well, ladies, it's been lovely, but I need my beauty sleep."
The girls watched him leave, stripping off his tie and unbuttoning his dress shirt as he went. Alice laughed and shook her head.
"You have to hand it to him, the boy is devilishly handsome." Alice stared after Sirius as he climbed the stairs to the seventh year dormitory.
"Devilish being the key word."
One thing was for certain, Lily thought to herself as she cuddled under her covers that night, soaking in the heat from her hot water bottle. The Marauders were up to something.
:o:o:o:o:o:
Everyone was buzzing with excitement over the year's first Hogsmeade weekend. Lily, Marlene, and Emmeline were planning on going into town together, as Alice and Mary had made other plans. It was a typical Saturday morning at Hogwarts, except that students made their way down to the breakfast table particularly early in order to beat the rush into town.
"It's a bit depressing, really," Marlene said. She poked at her toad-in-the-hole and sighed. "No more Hogsmeade weekends after this year. This is the last first Hogsmeade weekend."
"Once we've graduated, we can go to Hogsmeade whenever we like," Emmeline pointed out. "Besides, there'll be so much more freedom. What's the loss of one small perk when you're gaining your whole life?"
"That's the spirit," Lily said, shoveling oatmeal into her mouth.
"Did anyone ever tell you that you look absolutely ravishing when you talk with your mouth full, Evans?" Sirius sat down next to her and leaned back, really taking her in. "I feel as though I should frame this moment forever. The little flecks of oatmeal on your chin. Your pink cheeks. The evil look in your eye."
"Can we help you, Black?" Marlene snapped. Lily hurriedly wiped her chin and pushed away her breakfast.
"Now that you mention it..." He smiled at her and waggled his eyebrows. "You and me, McKinnon. The Hog's Head. The first firewhisky is on me."
"In your dreams," she scoffed, although she couldn't quite hide her smile.
"Ah, well." He shrugged. "Can't blame a bloke for trying. I assume you lovely ladies will be flying solo today? No lucky boys tagging along and begging for scraps?"
"However will we manage?" Lily scooped up her bag and adjusted her Head Girl badge. "Come on, girls. I want to get to Zonko's before the crowds."
As the three girls left the Great Hall, they passed a small knot of Slytherins. Lily didn't notice Snape among them, staring after her longingly. James, however, making his entrance to the hall just ask the girls left, saw everything.
"I think its time we do a little more research into what our dear friend Severus Snape has been up to, don't you?" He sat down in Lily's recently vacated seat and scowled in Snape's direction.
"I thought you wanted to start reeling in Evans today?" Sirius asked, speaking around a mouthful of eggs and toast.
"Tell me, do you chew your food or just inhale it?" James wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"If you think I'm bad, you should see the way Lily treats her oatmeal. You won't sleep for a week."
"Lily already keeps me up at night, for completely different reasons."
"So why not work out all that pent up frustration with some other bird? You know, she was telling Fetescue last night that she should go ahead and date Prentiss to make Frank jealous? Turnabout is fair play."
"She was? Excellent. Make sure to tell Frank later, will you? Get him good and worked up about it. A love triangle is just what the Ravenclaw Quidditch team needs."
"You're missing the point, Prongs."
"No, I'm choosing to ignore your point because it is, in the simplest of terms, bullocks."
"But James—"
"Look, I'm not going to go fool around with some other girl just to make Lily jealous. I'm biding my time. I'm doing this the right way. And today, I'm going to spy on Snape."
Sirius shook his head. "Take the cloak."
:o:o:o:o:o:
Tracking Snape and his friends from Slytherin through Hogsmeade was child's play. James didn't even really need his invisibility cloak, although he felt safer with it on. He didn't want to find himself in another situation like the incident on the Hogwarts Express, especially because this time it would be five on one and there would be no one to come in and break up the fight.
Slytherins weren't afraid to curse first and ask questions later.
It wasn't just because Snape was interested in Lily that he bothered James so much, although that certainly didn't help. He had tried to explain it to his parents one Christmas, after they had received multiple owls from Professor McGonagall informing them of his more underhanded exploits.
"He just gets under my skin," he had protested after a particularly stern talking to. "He's an underhanded and slimy git, and he's a Slytherin!"
"Not all Slytherins are bad people, James," his father had said sternly. "I work with several former Slytherins at the Department of Mysteries, all of them upstanding citizens and excellent, if a bit ambitious, witches and wizards. And just for your information, it is just as easy for a Gryffindor to turn bad as a Slytherin."
James hadn't bought into the argument, especially since he had grown up hearing about scuffles with Slytherins his father had had in his own schoolboy days. But he kept his mouth shut and his eye on Snape. Looking back, much of their rivalry was motivated by petty jealousy. Later though, as they began to grow up, James observed a pattern of disturbing, dark behavior.
It wasn't just Snape, although he did show a perverse pleasure in causing pain. It was the entire group of Slytherins in James's year. The lot of them hero worshiped Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who most people, including the reporters at the Daily Prophet, feared to even mention directly.
At the end of the summer, when he had found the list of names in his father's office, his suspicions had been confirmed. There were Death Eaters in Hogwarts...or at the very least, aspiring Death Eaters. Naturally, James, as an aspiring Auror, felt that he was duty bound to stop them.
After trailing them all over, however, James was starting to regret his decision. So far, they had visited Zonko's, the Post Office, and Honeydukes, purchasing nothing more than ordinary trinkets and snacks that any other Hogwarts student might select.
The entire outing might have been a gigantic waste of time, except for two useful bits of information he managed to glean. At Zonko's he was able to get close enough to the small band of Slytherins to overhear their conversation.
"It's Halloween." It was Tom Avery's voice, James was nearly sure of it.
"That seems unnecessarily risky. The entire school will be up past curfew, not to mention the annual festivities." Snape's cold and calculating voice broke in.
"If that's what He wants, then that's what shall be," the only girl in the group, Victoria Amundson, said. Her voice was distinctive in that it was high and girlish, much too child-like for a seventeen-year-old young woman.
"It won't do us any good to get caught this early in the year, especially not considering the task set to us." Snape again.
The group stood huddled between two rows of shelves stuffed to overflowing with joke products. The layout of the shop allowed them to have a private conversation without looking too out of place. Unfortunately, it also prevented James from getting too close without giving himself away, even with the protection his cloak provided. He lost track of the conversation when a gaggle of third year girls, clearly enjoying their first trip to Hogsmeade, wandered too close to his hiding place.
By the time the girls left, the conversation had passed, and James was left to ponder the tantalizingly vague piece of information he had overheard. He didn't have much time to mull it over, however, as the Slytherins were off to their next destination: Honeydukes.
The first thing that he noticed when he walked into the door, apart from the usual overpowering aromas of sugary sweet treats, was that Lily and her friends were lounging around the taste testing counter.
"Things seem to be going well with you and James," Emmeline was saying when he approached. At the sound of his name, James made the split second decision to change targets. He would put his head together with the other Marauders to discuss what the Slytherins were up to later.
Lily shrugged uncomfortably. "He's been loads better this year. Seems to be taking everything seriously, and we even study together at least once a week."
"He's definitely still got a thing for you," Marlene said. James felt his heart speed up. What would she say?
"Eh, maybe," Lily answered. She wasn't making eye contact with the other girls. Surely that was significant. "I prefer to think he's grown out of it. We're just friends."
"Come on, Lily, it's just us," Marlene wheedled. "No one here is going to judge you."
James scooted a little closer and accidentally knocked over a few boxes of cockroach clusters. The girls jumped and craned their necks, looking for the intruder. After a few moments of searching, they relaxed again, satisfied for the moment that their conversation was private.
"I don't know," Lily said quietly. "I suppose I don't find him so annoying anymore. And he's really been helpful. And of course he's funny and charming. And handsome." She added the last almost as an afterthought.
"And he smells like leather and the outdoors," Emmeline added dreamily.
"And he's heaven on a broomstick," Marlene added, swooning a bit for effect.
James thought his cheeks would break from smiling. Why hadn't he thought of this earlier? Brilliant idea.
"All right, I hereby adjourn this meeting of the James Potter Fan Club," Lily snapped. The tone in her voice brought James crashing back down to earth. "Just because he's decided to grow up doesn't mean that I'm in love with him, okay? In fact, the very thought of being in love with James Potter makes me sick to my stomach."
The other girls wisely let the subject drop.
After that, his heart wasn't in his investigation anymore. He drifted back toward the group of Slytherins he had been following, who were about to leave the store with their bags of sweets, his mind still fixed on Lily and her harsh words. He had thought that they were making progress. She had certainly sounded like she was attracted to him at the very least. Why would she get so snappish all of the sudden?
Women, he decided, were hopelessly difficult.
A/N: I can't help it, I just love writing Marauder banter. :) Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing, I love hearing from you!