A/N: Sorry, I've had writers block and my computer stuffed up :/
A/N: Don't panic, people! This is an L/J fic, is it not? They will be together in the end. I will make sure of it!
A/N: This is mostly a 'how everyone feels about each other' chapter. But, there is a bit of the plot at the end of the chapter. I wonder if you can guess what happens next...
The Marauders were reclining in front of the fire in the Heads Common Room. It was around 9 o'clock in the evening and Remus and Peter's eyelids began to droop.
"Ahhh... I feel so t-t-tired," yawned Remus.
"So do I... perhaps we could go back to our dorm?" asked Peter. Sirius and James glanced at each other, and shook their heads in unison.
"Nah, you go ahead. We'll catch up at midnight," said James, waving his hand in a dismissal motion.
"'Kay, see you tomorrow," said Peter. "Yup, and make sure you don't miss breakfast, Padfoot. I couldn't stand the sounds your stomach was making yesterday. It sounded like your inner Snuffles was chasing his tail," said Remus before ducking out of Blank's portrait.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever Moony." said Sirius. "Smart arse," Sirius added under his breath.
"Sorry, didn't quite catch that, would you care to repeat it?" asked Remus, poking his head back into the Heads Common Room.
"Nah."
After half of the Marauders left, the other half stared into the fire, both too comfortable to say anything.
Then, James suddenly jumped up.
"Padfoot!" he cried.
"Prongs!" replied Sirius in the same manner.
"I know what I did wrong!"
"Is it about your transfiguration exam again? C'mon, mate, you've been stewing over it for the past three weeks."
"This has nothing to do with that! Although, I assume that Minnie marked me down because she doesn't want to play favorites... at least, to a Marauder. But anyway, it's to do with Lily!"
"Why are you thinking about her? You're with Eli."
"I know, but I didn't want to ruin my relationship with Eli by using the same techniques I used with Lily. So, I figured out what I did wrong, and I'm going to make sure I don't do it again!"
"So, what is it?"
"I didn't know there were different types of women. I always thought of them as men with boobs - "
Sirius snorted.
" - I tried to flirt with Lily by using a method for a rebellious girl! Doing the whole bad boy image, getting into trouble, bullying Snape... All she would do was roll her eyes at me! Although it was a real turn on for some Slytherin, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw girls, it made Lily turn off. Now, has Lily ever done a rebellious thing in her life?"
"Stayed out after curfew for a minute?" Sirius suggested. James rolled his eyes at him.
"We'll just assume for now that the most rebellious thing Lily has ever done was steal a tissue from her mum's handbag, shall we?" James didn't wait for an answer. He paced in front of Sirius.
"Anyway, I changed my method. I changed it to a fun, would-do-anything-for-you guy for Eli. It worked. And, I'm having the best relationship I ever had. I don't want it to slip away." James sighed and fell back onto the couch.
"I think I'm falling in love."
Sirius turned his head and looked into James' eyes.
"You're not kidding with me, are you?" he asked. James shook his head. With a roguish grin, Sirius tackled James.
"My little Jimmy is all grown up!" he ruffled James' already messy hair.
"Get - off!"
"Maybe I will be seeing little darling children soon!" Sirius gushed.
James blushed.
Lily listened at her door to the boys' conversation.
"I am rebellious!" she said to KayCee, who was sitting at Lily's dresser, examining her hair. KayCee raised an eyebrow and shook her head.
"Sorry, honey, but you don't strike me as the rebellious type."
Lily frowned.
"Really?"
"Really."
They listened for a few more seconds.
"Aww!" exclaimed KayCee. "He's falling in love!"
"Why does this remind me of a soap opera?"
"What's a soap opera?"
"One day, I'll show you one."
Severus walked through the corridor, his robes flying behind him and his books clutched to his chest. He bent his head low as he drowned in misery. Suddenly, his books were wrenched from his grasp and thrown onto the floor.
"Ha ha! See ya, Greasy!"
Two pairs of footsteps echoed through the corridor. There was a distant sound of a high-five and a cackle.
Severus narrowed his eyes. It was such a shame that Potter and crew had a big influence to the younger students. After all, it couldn't have been Potter and his followers. The voices were younger, and Greasy was a new one. Plus, Potter was a bloody 'Head Boy'. What a way to inflate that huge head of his. Thanks, Dumbledore, for that unneeded ego boost. As if it wasn't sick enough to see him strutting around like he was all high and mighty. Now, he can give me a detention for scowling at him! How wonderful, thought Severus bitterly.
Severus picked up his books with a huff and continued on his miserable way.
Lionel traipsed around the place with a sigh.
KayCee... She was on his mind 24/7. It didn't help his grades, nor his concentration. Every time he saw her, he tried to muster up the courage to tell her. His two other best friends knew. Everyone in Gryffindor knew. Except KayCee. She was laughing with her Ravenclaw boyfriend, Sean. How he hated Sean! Sean had everything that Lionel didn't have.
Lionel gave a deep sigh as he rested his head against the wall.
Lucius Malfoy smirked at Narcissa Black. She rolled her eyes and tossed her long, fair hair over her shoulder, before stalking off to the Girls Dorm with her friends and fraternal twin, Bellatrix Black.
"She wants me. She really does," Lucius said to his best friend Gabriel Zabini, who preferred to be called Gabe.
"Really? 'Cause I think she just gave you the finger when you weren't looking," said Gabe, who was slumped in a chair next to Lucius in the Slytherin common room. Lucius didn't answer. Lucius' eyes glazed over as he fantasized about Narcissa.
"Hello? Earth to Lucy," said Gabe, clicking his fingers in front of Lucius' face.
"I told you TO NEVER CALL ME LUCY, GABRIELLA!"
Gabe's dark cheeks flushed. A few tentative giggles sounded from the edges of the common room.
"You wanna go with me, bro?" asked Gabe, standing up. Lucius also stood up.
"Bring it, sis," sneered Lucius. Gabe shoved Lucius. Lucius shoved Gabe right back. Gabe shoved Lucius again.
"That all you got, Lucy?" he sneered. Lucius responded by shoving Gabe into the bookcase behind him. Gabe tackled Lucius and for about a minute, they rolled around the common room.
"Break it up, ladies. C'mon, these innocent first years didn't need to see your display of affection. You're supposed to wait until they're used to your... strangeness," said a voice above them. Lucius looked up as he sat on Gabe. Rodulphus Lestrange tapped his foot, his arms crossed. With a sigh, Lucius stood up, brushed himself down then held his hand out to Gabe. Gabe raised an eyebrow then pulled Lucius back down. For a minute, the two best friends glared at each other. Then, they broke into a fit of laughter. Rodulphus shook his head and walked away, with a grin on his usually surly face.
Lily was at the Library.
Eli the Elf Girl was sitting across from her, her long legs stretched out on the seat next to her.
"So... tell me about James," said Eli casually.
"We're meant to be studying."
"We are. We're studying James," Eli sighed.
"So, anyway, what is James' rank in the Wizarding society?"
"It's bad enough that you spend every second with him! Do we really have to go through this?"
"Yes! It won't be too bad. Just tell me,"
"Fine! He's a Pureblood. He comes from a rich and powerful family."
"Thank you. Now we're getting somewhere."
"I don't know much else, so you're going to have to ask him."
Eli was silent.
"Eli?" asked Lily.
"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking. And, that's OK, I have everything I need to know."
"Just that he's a Pureblood that comes from a rich and powerful family? Really?"
"Yeah. Let's just get studying on that Charms test."
"I'm telling you, Bridget, something is up with Eli."
Bridget shook her head at Lily.
"Look, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Neither do I," added KayCee.
"I'm going to find out where she's from. I mean, what was with the weird question about James?"
"She just wants to find out more about her boyfriend."
"From the girl who spent the last six years hating him?"
"Maybe she thought it was inappropriate to ask him."
Lily sighed. Why couldn't they see that Eli was acting strangely in the past few weeks? Lily had a weird feeling that something big was brewing. And it wasn't going to be good.