A/N- Hello again! Ok, just a quick update: you may recall in the first chapter that I said this story would be 5 chapters long. Well, it's actually changed to 6 chapters now. But don't worry; it's all finished, so it won't take any longer to update. I personally enjoyed writing this chapter, because the Marauders are always fun to write. I hope you guys enjoy it! Having said that, I'd also like to plead with you guys to review. At the moment I have a grand total of one loyal reviewer, who I am extremely appreciative of, but at the same time it's slightly sad to think only one person out there enjoys my writing. So if you can spare the time, please drop a review. Now enough of my depressing rants; on with the story!

Of Pirates and Princesses

After lunch, Lily's good mood left her. James had class once again, and none of her friends were free to come visit her. It wasn't that she needed company, but if she was honest, she just preferred having someone with her. James, sensing her sadness, smiled secretively.

"Right Lily-flower, I am off to class. Now, the same rules apply as before lunch, okay?" Lily hummed in response, the thought of spending several hours alone not appeasing her mood in the slightest.

"Oh I forgot to mention, I arranged some company for you. Since your friends couldn't make it, I decided that I could loan you some of mine for a little while." With a flourish, James opened the Portrait, revealing the grinning faces of three males.

"Oh no," Lily groaned as she yanked the blanket over her head.

"You know Prongs, for a second there I was under the impression that dear Lily-flower was not happy to see us!" Came the joyous voice of Sirius Black. A second later Lily heard a thump followed by a squeal of pain. She lowered her blanket curiously to see Peter clutching his foot in agony, glaring at a book. Lily's Transfiguration book, to be exact.

Whoops.

"You should know Lily, you'll never have a quiet moment with them around," Remus warned her, grinning slightly.

"Them? You're not staying?" Lily looked slightly horrified that it was only Peter and Sirius keeping her company for the next hour and a half. Remus looked slightly guilty.

"Err no, James and I have Transfiguration, sorry. But hey, are you feeling any better?" Remus asked. Lily nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, that chicken soup did wonders! I almost feel well enough to go to-"

"Not happening Lily" James said loudly. Lily grumbled. Sirius and Peter both sat in nearby chairs while James collected his bag.

"Guys, don't scare Lily too much alright? And Lily, do not under any circumstances give either of them chocolate." Lily started laughing before she realised James was completely serious.

"Umm ok," she said wearily. With a hearty wave, the two Marauders left, leaving Lily alone with the other two. A silence filled the room as the three looked at each other.

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

"Sooooooooo, what do you want to do?" Sirius broke the silence. Peter shrugged.

"I don't know."

"I was talking to Lily, Wormtail."

Peter blushed.

"Well I was going to work on my Charms essay…" Lily's voice trailed off at the look of disgust both boys gave her.

"Lily, I don't quite understand you" Sirius began conversationally, lounging back on his armchair, and managing to look casually handsome. Peter attempted to copy the move, but after nearly sliding onto the floor, resumed his original position. Lily meanwhile was frowning at Sirius.

"Well I'm a complex person Sirius; I wouldn't expect you to understand me."

"No no, you're quite easy to read. The thing I don't understand is how can you possibly voluntarily do an essay when number one: you are sick, and number two: it's not due for another two weeks?" Sirius propped his head on his palms and gazed at her, waiting for her to answer.

"First of all, I am not that sick. I could be in class right now if James wasn't making me stay here. And secondly, don't you find that it's easier to do your essays earlier? It leaves more time to study!" Lily, so caught up in her enthusiasm, failed to notice the horrified expressions being exchanged.

"I give up." Sirius threw his hands into the air before leaping off the couch. Peter followed suit.

"It's not that hard to understand-" Sirius cut Lily off before she could begin her 'education is a vital component of an adolescent's life' rant.

"How about we play Quidditch?" Sirius suggested loudly. Peter clapped excitedly. Lily screwed up her nose.

"What? Ew no. Besides, I'm not allowed outside remember?" Lily reminded them. Then she smacked herself on the forehead for reminding them.

"Oh right. Oh ok, let's go throw dungbombs at the Slytherins!" Peter whooped loudly.

"Sirius that's terrible! Besides, still not allowed to leave this Common Room. And I really need to stop telling you that!" Lily exclaimed. Peter's shoulders drooped.

"But then there's nothing to do!" Sirius said sadly, slumping back on the couch.

"You could always try reading" Lily suggested casually, sneaking a look at her Transfiguration book. So close….

"Reading? Like… like a story book?" Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Well I was thinking more school books, but I'm sure we could find a story book."

"What kind of stories do they have?"

"I don't know… Muggles have all kinds of stories, about Princesses and Princes, evil step mothers, Pirates, knights in shining armour-"

Peter's eyes lit up. "Tell us one with a Princess!" He exclaimed. Sirius looked at him weirdly.

"No, tell us one with a Pirate! They're the ones who drink a lot and steal treasure right?" Sirius asked excitedly. Lily stifled a laugh.

"Yeah, that's them." Noticing the sad look on Peter's face, she hurriedly made a compromise. "How about I tell you a story with Pirates and Princesses?" Both boys' faces lit up.

To Lily's complete shock, she found she was enjoying herself. Sirius and Peter proved to be a wonderful audience, even getting up to act out the fight scene between Pirates. Lily had practically forgotten about her sore throat, runny nose and her fever as she watched Sirius force Peter to 'walk the plank'. Which was really just jumping off the end of the couch.

It was near the end of the story when James and Remus walked back in. Expecting the Common Room to be a mess and Lily nearly in tears, they were amazed to find Sirius and Peter both lying on the ground facing Lily, who was explaining how the Princess (who Peter had named Lily) married the good Pirate (Sirius had dubbed him James despite Lily's protests) and the bad Pirate (whose name was still undecided; suggestions had included Voldermort, Snape, and strangely enough Sirius) went to prison, never to see the sunlight again.

"Well it serves him right," Sirius said passionately. "Imagine trying to get in the way of true love!"

James and Remus looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Oh hello boys!" Lily called cheerfully, grinning at them.

"Hey Lily, is everything alright?" James asked cautiously. All three nodded their heads.

"Lily-flower told us a story James. About Princess Lily who is kidnapped by an evil Pirate named Snape-"

"Voldermort."

"Sirius."

"- and then-"

"You forgot to tell them why she was kidnapped Padfoot!" Peter interjected.

"Oh right! Well she was kidnapped because her father had lots of money that the Pirate wanted, and-"

"As much as I'd like to hear the end of this, we have a class to get to," Remus interrupted as he looked at his watch. Sirius', Peter's, and strangely enough Lily's, faces fell.

"Now?" All three asked sadly. Remus, feeling much like the mean parent, sighed.

"Sorry." With a moan, Peter and Sirius got up from the floor.

"We'll come back and visit Lily!" Peter promised. Sirius nodded in agreement.

"And you can tell us all the other stories you know!" Lily grinned.

"I look forward to it." As soon as Peter and Sirius had left to collect their bags, James and Remus rounded on Lily with a questioning look. She shrugged.

"What?"

"You- you didn't kill them. Or shout at them." Remus said in shock.

"They're actually not that bad," Lily said nonchalantly. James grinned suddenly.

"That's great! Hey, I like your friends, now you like my friends… it's all coming together!" Lily's eyes narrowed.

"What's coming together?"

James shifted under her glare. "Umm… nothing?" He shot her an innocent grin. Her eyes narrowed further.

James coughed and changed the conversation. "So, you look a lot better!"

"I feel a lot better too. By tomorrow I'll definitely be up and about," Lily said confidently. James smiled sincerely.

"That's really great. So, what are you going to do in the meantime? Alice and Marlene should be up in two hours or so." Lily suddenly looked sheepish.

"Err well I was thinking, I might take a nap." The last part of the sentence was uttered so quietly James and Remus almost missed it.

"Aha! So you do admit you're sick and need rest!" James crowed triumphantly. Lily's eyes flashed.

"No, I just admit that I'm tired and I want to sleep!" She corrected. James continued his victory dance regardless. Remus sighed and looked pointedly at his watch.

"James? Class?" He said emphatically. James stopped his dancing.

"Ah yes. We shall return soon, fair maiden! Or actually, flushed maiden- your cheeks are a bit red," James noted worriedly, reaching to touch her forehead. His hand was only centimetres away when he realised how close they were and jumped back.

"Oh! Sorry Remus, didn't mean to whack you…. is that your tooth? Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- don't look at me like that, I apologised! Come on, let's get you to the hospital wing, I'm sure Madam Pompfrey can stick it back in…"

The two left, Remus covering his mouth with one hand. Lily was left sitting on the couch, her cheeks growing steadily darker as she realised how close James had been to her. No, that was a lie. Her cheeks were growing darker as she realised how much she'd enjoyed James being close to her.

Drat.

She was prevented from any further dissection of this new revelation by the re-appearance of Sirius and Peter, who has apparently doubled-back.

"Lily, we just wanted to arrange our next story time with you," Sirius informed her, well, seriously. Lily laughed slightly, and was about to suggest a time when a thought occurred to her.

"How did James know I was sneaking out?" She asked out loud. Peter shrugged.

"Well he accidentally caught you the first time, but since then he's been keeping a watch on the map." He said casually. Lily frowned.

"What map?"

"Our map. The-" Peter was cut off by Sirius, who elbowed him sharply and gave him a warning look.

"It's nothing. So, time and place Lily?" Sirius prompted. But Lily wasn't listening, too caught up in the burst of inspiration that had struck her. She grinned brightly at the two males before her.

"What?" Sirius asked wearily.

"I've just figured out how I'm going to get out of here. And you two are going to help me do it." Lily proclaimed.