This chapter sets up the scene for the next one, and for the rest of the story. I can't tell you any more though, so I guess you'll just have to read it!!

Chapter 2

"Cheer up Remus. It went fine. You only had that one little slip up when the unicorn tried to kick you. You did better than me. At least your unicorn didn't try to eat you!!"

Remus cracked a smile. Sirius always tried to cheer him up, and surprisingly, it usually worked. Not that Remus was a gloomy person by nature, but he was under a lot of stress from his studies, not to mention his monthly problem.

Unexpectedly, the exam had gone better than planned, considering unicorns somehow knew he was different from normal wizards. Somehow this unicorn trusted him—at least more than his last unicorn had.

"Remus, snap out of it!!" That was James. Remus looked around to see his three friends waiting for him at the dungeon door. "Oh. Right. Potions." He had forgotten that they had early potions today. The four Marauders hurried down the dungeon steps, nearly smashing into Lily Evans on their way down.

"Honestly, will you four never grow up? And wipe that grin off your face," she said to James, who had been staring at her with a boyish grin. Lily turned and walked into the Potions classroom with the rest of her friends.

Remus sighed and followed them in, James, Sirius, and Peter trailing behind him. Professor Slughorn was up at the front of the classroom, stirring some blue, bubbling liquid inside an enormous cauldron.

"Now now, settle down everyone," he called as the rest of the class drifted to their seats. "Now, can anyone tell me, judging from the colour and smell, what potion this might be?"

Only two people raised their hands. Lily Evans and Severus Snape. Professor Slughorn chuckled and looked at Snape. "Yes Severus?"

"Snivellus," whispered Sirius.

If Snape had noticed he pretended not to and spoke directly to the professor.

"Judging from the colour and aroma, it's either a Love Potion, a Binding Potion, or a Swelling Solution."

Slughorn nodded happily, but turned as Lily kept her hand in the air.

"Yes Miss Evans?"

"Professor, it's a Binding Potion. If you watch the size of the bubbles and the way they pop you can tell that it is definitely not a Swelling Solution or a Love Potion."

Slughorn laughed jovially. "Excellent Miss Evans!! 10 points to Gryffindor!!"

Snape looked utterly put out at having the head of Slytherin house give points to a Gryffindor, but he said nothing.

Slughorn looked around the classroom. "Now, I want everyone to come and take a flask of the Binding Potion and go back to your seats. Today I'm going to teach you how to separate a potion into the ingredients it's made out of."

As James past Lily Remus heard him whisper, "Nice job Evans. Didn't know you had that kind of smarts up there in that pretty little head of yours." He was too far away to make out her answer, but he was fairly sure it went along the lines of "You can be such an idiot sometimes."

Well? Was it good? Was it bad? Let me know!!