a/n - Lots of drama, I have never written anything like this ever before... Soap Opera genre for Quidditch Fanfiction League Competition. So yeah, drama and slightly unrealistic circumstances - you could probably consider these characters AU/OOC - a fair warning, Sirius is quite OOC in this fic.

Lily Evans dug her head into her pillow, sighing deeply. When, she wondered, had her life become so complicated? First there was the whole Snape-begging-for-her-forgiveness outside Gryffindor tower a few days ago, and now James I'm-so-bloody-arrogant Potter's chasing her around the school, conjuring lilies and demonstrating his ability to make up very cheesy one-liners.

And she was helping Remus with Prefect duties. Lily never seemed to catch a break, between her personal life and her school work.

Just when she thought she had time to herself, a voice, presumably just outside the fifth-year girls' dorm, shrieked, causing Lily to swing her legs out of the side of the bed and investigate the cause.

Marlene McKinnon was red in the face, shouting down the stairs that led to the Gryffindor common room.

Lily coughed. "Marlene? Are you... okay?"

Marlene ceased her vicarious shouting, storming into the dormitory, sitting on the edge of her bed. She let her face fall into her hands, quietly sobbing. The smell of her perfume - a sweet, fruity scent - wafted towards Lily. "No. Not particularly."

Although the two girls weren't too close, Lily was a very good listener and could tell Marlene could probably use a friend right now.

"What did he do now?" Lily asked calmy.

Marlene looked up, red-faced. "How... how did you know?"

"Well, it certainly wasn't you and Alice fighting, was it? Anyways, the way Sirius looks at you sometimes..." Lily trailed off.

"Yeah, it was him," Marlene said, sighing a little hopelessly. "I don't know! Potter and I, see, we're paired together in Charms, even though I've voiced my opinion on him to Flitwick more than once. So unfortunately we're working on our homework, right, and he says, 'Is there a mirror in your robes? Cause I can see myself in them!' and I, playing along, say 'you know it,' and Sirius just completely freaks out and asks me if we're having some torrid affair when we all know Potter's just one gigantic flirt and he really does love you!"

Marlene ended her rant, panting for breath.

"They're best friends, Black and Potter," Lily says logically. "Therefore, he either has amnesia, forgetting the fact that Potter pants after anything with legs - which I quite hope isn't the case - or he really, really likes you, so much he'd get irrationally jealous of his best mate for even using a lame pick-up line on you."

Marlene snorted dubiously. "I don't know about the whole liking-me part. He's kind of been a complete jackass to me in the past few weeks."

"Yes," says Lily calmy, "but he's only a jackass to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that he likes you," Lily clarified. "He fancies you, Marlene. That's why he's so irrationally jealous."

Marlene was silent.

Lily was having a pretty fantastic day the next day when Sirius accosted her in the corridor.

"Hey, Lily, can I talk to you?" he asked, uncharacteristically serious. Lily looked shocked for a moment - he wasn't pulling some sort of joke? - before nodding.

"Alright."

"So, um, Marlene and I had a fight," he started nervously - was this really Sirius Black? In all of her sixteen years, she had seen him many things - angry, humoured, amused, annoyed, but never... nervous. What kind of effect did Marlene have on him?

Lily nodded. "I heard."

"And I realized I was being a giant prick to her... but I kinda wanted to spend more time with her and all. But she's always with James, because they're apparently 'partners' in Charms - "

"They are, I'm in OWL Charms with them."

"Yeah, but she's always spending her time with him. Godric knows why the hell she is. He's my best mate. He's great, really. Could you just, kind of, say yes next time James asks you out?"

"Black," Lily sighed, "I don't like Potter."

Sirius grinned at her roguishly. "Riiight. You must be mistaking all of that sexual tension for incompatibility. Damn, Evans, I thought you were smart."

"I don't like him. And there's no 'sexual tension'!" Lily protested.

"Calm down," Sirius motioned with his hands, "I get it. It's alright, Evans. Anyways, James is crazy about you. I know it. You know it. All of Hogwarts knows it. You like solving problems, right?"

"Only if you're talking about Arithmancy."

"Er, how about I am. Look, if you go out with James, he'll spend time with you instead of Marlene, and that means she'll spend more time with me. Next time he asks you to do his homework or whatever other lame excuse, say yes, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Lily said, shocking him with the use of his first name - she always called him Black. "But you're going to have to find James a different girlfriend. I don't like him. How about I just talk to Marlene?"

"Sure," Sirius said casually, throwing a wink over his shoulder when he walked away, "see ya, Evans. Gotta get back to planning James and your's wedding. Best man and all."

Sirius Black infuriated her.

Marlene's sulking was just becoming too much - the poor girl had resorted to studying in the corner of the common room, with James by her side. Whatever bubble her and Sirius had been dancing around had burst, and it left a bad aftereffect on Lily.

"Hey, Evans? Would you mind helping me out on this Transfiguration essay? Sometimes the brightest of them all," he gestured to himself, grinning winningly, "can't figure this out."

Lily huffed, and Potter awaited his answer, still smiling brightly.

Lily thought of Marlene, uncharacteristically quiet and upset in the corner of the common room because Sirius had an inappropriately immature temper tantrum. It would make them both happier, and it wasn't as if she had to kiss Potter, anyways...

She shook her head, ridding herself of those ridiculous thoughts. "Fine."

"You'll say yes sometime, you know... wait, fine?"

"Yes, fine." She saw Sirius approach Marlene out of the corner of her eye.

"I knew," he started, sitting down quite close to her and leaning against the back of the sofa, "you would say yes one day."

Lily rolled her eyes.

a/n - not quite sure about this one.