Authors Note: I regret to inform you that James doesn't feature much in this chapter. It's more of a character building for Alice, Marlene, Lily, and the others. Rest assured that next chapter will have him appear much more, and that we have to get past a bit of fluff before we run off into more plot-contributing, meaty chapters. Enjoy, and drop a line or two on your way out.

September 13

9:28 AM

Mood: Nervous

Well, can you believe it? Alice disagrees with Marlene for once! She's on my side! Today in Care of Magical Creatures, Marlene spilled the entire story about how James kidnapped me from the library to warn me about Snape's newfound dark side, and how she truly believe that he still likes me, and Alice just arched her left eyebrow and looked at her imploringly.

"Mars, really, how long is this going to go on?" She said curiously, glancing with a look of reproach at the Deoxy nearby, which was annoyingly trying to grab the paper she was using to draw it with. The Deoxy let out a few angered noises when she snatched it back, and opened it's tiny blue jaws to bite her. Marlene lazily cast a freezing charm, and Alice murmured her thanks.

"How long is what going to go on?" Marlene replied obliviously.

"You thinking that James honestly likes Lily. I mean, it's all about the chase for him, isn't it?" I felt a tiny burst of pride. Yes! Alice was on MY side! Take that, Marlene. Take that.

"I know boys, Alice. And I know when two people like each other. Or, I guess, one person likes the other and the other is oblivious." Alice's quill strokes started becoming darker and darker until the Deoxy on her paper looked more like an ink blot.

Call me crazy, but with the way she was reacting, I was beginning to wonder if they were talking about more than just James and I.

"You couldn't possibly know everything on everyone's mind at every second of the day, Marlene," she whispered bitterly. Erm, what was this all about?

"No, but I do know enough to know that James like Lily just as much as you like Frank."

Aha. There we go. The actual point of the argument. Marlene smirked in satisfaction, having gotten her point across finally. Alice blushed a deep shape of pink.

"I do not like Frank. I merely find him to be the kindest man around, not to mention the bravest. And he's not bad looking. That's all," she replied much quieter than I think she intended to.

"Yeah, Mars. Not to mention that James does NOT like me anymore. I told you that last night," I said, finally joining in on the conversation.

"Right. You're both barmy." Marlene finished the Deoxy's ear and laid her quill down with finality. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Oh, whatever. Let's just forget about all of this boy nonsense for once. Hogsmeade is tomorrow. We should have a girls night out or something," I offer helpfully, watching both of my friends grin. Marlene loves girls nights, mainly because it gives her an excuse to get dressed up and, more frighteningly, help ME get dressed up. Alice just likes them because she finds them quieter than going with a date.

Last time Alice went to Hogsmeade with a guy, it was Gideon Prewett, and it turned out to be a bit of a disaster. Don't get me wrong- we love the twins. But he was constantly getting up to go to the bathroom and his brother would come back and take his place. The two had liked Alice equally, and, being good at sharing with each other by nature, they had both pretended to be Gideon and be the one on the date with her. Sometime during the course of the meal 'Gideon' confessed to having been the one who spiked the pumpkin juice after last years Quidditch match, which Alice realized to be false. Gideon hadn't been at last years match, because he'd been hit with a bludger and was out of commission for awhile. Fabian was the only twin at the party.

When Alice realized that she was not, in fact, with Gideon, she was with Fabian, she went livid and practically tortured the truth out of him. She'd never trusted guys to begin with, but for some reason she never could totally take the date as a joke and get on with it. Hence, she's never taken a date back to Hogsmeade. I reckon she's just never liked anyone enough. Alice was the object of affection for many guys, being beautiful and smart at the same time, however she could never make herself care about them long enough to stop obviously thinking about Frank.

I unfortunately have to agree with Marlene on this one. Alice has been mad for Frank for years. But that does not mean she's right about James too. We happily hand in our drawing for the day and walk back towards the castle.

"So Lily, what are you going to wear tomorrow?" Marlene chatters excitedly.

"Uhhhh…Dunno. It's a girls night isn't it? You're not supposed to care what I wear." I looked at her pointedly, trying to avoid the heinous torture that is Marlene before a night on the town.

"But that's just the point! We need to make the boys realize that they want to take you to Hogsmeade next time. If we get you dressed well enough, they'll all turn their heads and go, 'Oh, look! There's Lily! Who's she with? Oh, thank Merlin it's not a boy! I still have a chance, better ask her quickly,' and you can be all 'La de da, I don't need a boy, la la la' and then act surprised when one asks you and then… ta da! You have a date again." She smiles evilly over her shoulder as we walk through the Entrance Hall.

I stare at the back of her head speechlessly. What is she on about?

"It's been over a year since you went on a proper date anyway," she states. I open my mouth to protest and am silenced by her next words.

"No, Hanson doesn't count. You didn't even go on a proper date. He asked you to Hogsmeade and then you bailed because of a tummy ache you and I both know you didn't have." Her eyes narrow shrewdly as she turns to look at me.

"I was nervous. What if he wanted to kiss me!" I manage, and my eyes widen at the mere prospect.

Hanson Sullivan was known by all as the nerdy kid. He was tall, sure, but he spent all day in Divination with the young Professor Trelawney, learning more about tea leaves than any ordinary boy should. And he always had his nose buried in a book, you know, when he wasn't avoiding the Prewett twins who always want to arm wrestle him.

It goes back to this Quidditch match a few years ago when we were in third year, and Hanson tried out for a spot as a beater on the Gryffindor team. Everyone laughed because he's about the least built guy in the world, but when he launched a bludger and knocked Shane Callum smack off his broom without any effort at all, people began to wonder just how much strength he was hiding under his puny robes.

People started to tease him though, in fifth year when he confessed to never having had a girlfriend before. I overheard him sobbing his eyes out at all of the mean things they said and I asked him if there was anything I could do. Naturally, he asked me out to Hogsmeade.

I'd have gone just to be nice if it hadn't been for the look on Snape's face when he'd heard- this was just before our falling out, if it had happened again, I would do it because of the look on Snape's face- and, feeling guilty, I invented a stomach ache to get out of the date. Marlene had, apparently, noticed the false illness.

"I'm sure Sullivan's a fine kisser. Not that you'd know-" Marlene begins.

"Yeah, not as well as you know," I retort icily, positive she's kissed just about everyone in Gryffindor House. She tactfully ignored me and continued her rant.

"-because you've never been on a date with him. Therefore, point is, you need to get yourself a date and live a little. It's our last year at Hogwarts and you've never done all of the things on your 'List of Things to do Before Leaving Hogwarts."

How does she knows about the list? HOW DOES SHE KNOW?

We're just outside of the head common room portrait hole now, and she smiles, whispering a quick 'Accio' and I watch in horror as a piece of parchment flutter out the window of my dorm and past the now-open portrait of the extra-armed Centaur.

Shit.

"Marlene, how in the blazes do you know about my list! I started that in third year, before we were even friends!"

Not to mention that I've continued it since. If she doesn't know yet, she will in a second.

Marlene smiled. "But that's exactly the point, darling. You wrote it during History of Magic, I sat next to you, remember? If you want something to be private, you should always disillusion the words on your parchment. I watched you the entire time."

A dawning look of horror crosses my features as she begins to unfold the parchment, written in the scrawl of a thirteen year old.

List of Things to do Before Leaving Hogwarts

A Compilation by Lily Evans

1) Find and destroy Slughorn's hideous Christmas Jumper without him knowing.

2) Eat every single food offered at the Halloween Feast in one day.

3) Convince Alice to get rid of her hand-made crochet sweater.

4) Go on a date to Hogsmeade with someone I actually like.

5) Steal a kiss from said someone beneath the mistletoe of the Three Broom Sticks.

6) Skinny dip in the Black Lake

7) Fall in love

8) Learn to dance despite my apparent lack of coordination.

9) Find at least one Secret Area all on my own.

10) Ask Remus Lupin out on a date.

11) Tell someone all of my secrets.

12) Do something for the good of the world.

13) Graduate with prospects of good in the next few years.

Marlene reads them out loud painfully slowly and scoffs at numbers eight and ten. When she is done, she says nothing, just looks at me expectantly as she folds up the parchment and taps her foot.

I groaned. "I don't really think I have to do all of those…I was young and foolish!"

Marlene makes a 'tut-tut' noise in the back of her throat and grins at me.

"You know what this means, don't you?" She says with an aura of foreboding.

"No. Absolutely not." I affirm.

"Yes, Absolutely yes. Get your arse upstairs, now. We're picking out your Hogsmeade outfit and you are darn well going to attract boys tomorrow so that later, they will come running for you to fulfill some of these wishes you had at one point."

"Exactly! At one point! I don't actually want-"

"Shhh. I don't want to hear it!" She sings victoriously and prances me up into the Head Girl Dorm.

While I'm writing this, she's picking out my outfit for tomorrow (we're on break right now) and I am getting a sinking feeling in my gut that we won't agree on clothes. Not tonight, at least. Oliver has hopped up onto my lap and is looking at me curiously. I think we both know Marlene has gone insane.

Oh no, she's making happy sounds. She must be ready for me. Got to go!

September 14

11:43 PM

Mood: Finally at peace.

Damn. Marlene picked just about the most revealing outfit in my wardrobe. It wasn't even mine. My mother is constantly sending me my sister Petunia's clothes when she outgrows them. Not because we can't afford our own, just because Petunia spends so much money on clothes that she outgrows because of her rapidly growing body. She's a good head teller than me at this point. Not to mention a good deal less caring, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyways, Marlene forced me into a black miniskirt that barely covered me and a delightfully more conservative cheetah print blouse. I cinched on my expensive black dragon-hide belt that Marlene bought me for Christmas last year and tried to ignore her sounds of delight.

If Marlene was pleased by my outfit, I wouldn't be. That was the way things worked around here. At some point, Alice entered my room, already dressed in a modest orange dress and a brown sweater. She was very season conscious.

I tried to look in the mirror to see the outfit on my body, but Alice had already dragged me into the bathroom to style my hair. From what I could see in the bathroom mirror, I didn't look as street-girl as I thought I would. Then again, the mirror was too small to see the skirt. Damn Petunia for wearing such obnoxious clothing.

Alice cast a few quick charms, muttering to herself about the state of my hair until satisfied. My red curls were blown out on the ends, sleek at first but very flowy at the tips.

I applied my makeup simply to contrast the likely loud statement of my hair and clothing combination, settling for a light mascara and liner with simple, plain lip-gloss and a vague blush.

When I emerged from the bathroom, Marlene was completely dressed in a saucy red gown that picked up her luscious blonde curls and boldly decorated eyes. She and Alice turned to look at me with identically pleased smiles.

This couldn't be good.

I glanced in the mirror, trying to convince myself that the black skirt looked hideously inappropriate. But it seemed Marlene had magically made just the right adjustments. My outfit was radiant with fun. I nodded curtly, subconsciously pulling down the hem of my skirt to try and cover more skin.

"Shall we, ladies?" Alice said with a smile, taking my hand and dragging me from the mirror. Marlene grasped her other one, and as a group of three, we climbed out of the portrait hole, and walked downstairs.

The carriage ride to Hogsmeade was rather uneventful compared to what happened at Hogsmeade. As soon as we arrived, Benjy, Fabian, and Gideon hopped out of the carriage in front of us and spun to greet us. I started to realize how Benjy and Marlene ever got together when he came running over to her, grabbed her hand, and kissed it passionately.

"Mon Ami, you are much too beautiful to be coming to Hogsmeade without your date. Don't you have a chivalrous gentlemen waiting for you somewhere?" He said with a smirk, withdrawing himself from her hand and standing up straight. Fabian and Gideon were just openly staring at Alice and I, heads lolling back and forth.

"Wow. Don't you dress up nice, Lily!" Fabian said with a flirty wink, before turning to Alice. I smiled in thanks.

"You too, Alice. Why are you both here without dates?" He continued, flicking a finger back and forth between he and Gideon, gesturing to themselves and wondering why they hadn't been asked to join us.

"That's because it's girl's night out, boys." Marlene said, raising her chin haughtily at Benjy before giggling and rejoining the crowd.

"Mhm. So, go find some other girls to drool after," Alice added, sticking her tongue out childishly. "And this time, don't pretend to be each other!" she saved for the twins before prancing off away from them, leaving two stunned red-headed twins in her wake.

I laughed and ran off after her before we both slowed in front of a tiny little cottage we always stopped at for supper, waiting for Marlene. She came quicker than we expected, lips red from sneaking a goodbye kiss from her beau.

"Marlene, you're so not allowed to kiss boys on our girls night," Alice said, opening the heavy wooden door to Kitty's Kozy Kitchen, a small hole-in-the-wall place that we go to eat so as to avoid the usual crowd of Quidditch boys at the Three Broomsticks.

Marlene pouted. "Oh, hush. Girl's night doesn't start until we enter the restaurant."

We continued to idely banter for awhile, until Kitty came over to seat us at our usual spot.

"Let me guess… French Onion Soup for you, Lily-"

Marlene scoffed. She hates French Onion Soup and the lack of kissability that comes with it.

"-a Dirigibble Plume salad for Marlene, and the Indie Bowl for Alice, with extra basmati rice?" She winked at us.

Kitty is a round, older woman, not at all like Madame Rosemerta who recently took over the Three Broomsticks, but we've been going here for so long she knows our orders by heart and always seems pleased to see us.

"You know us too well, Kitty!" Alice said, reaching to grab a sip of water.

Kitty ran off to prepare our meals, and Marlene casually reached into her pocket. My eyes narrowed when I saw what she was removing from her pocket. An old, folded up piece of parchment.

"Marlene, no-" I started to say, but it was too late. She had laid my list out across the table for Alice to see.

"So, Alice. Have you ever seen this before?" She said conversationally, leaning across the table. Alice pulled a pair of glasses from her brown snap bag and put them on before scooting closer.

"The List of Thing to do Before Leaving Hogwarts, a compilation by Lily Evans?" she read curiously, browsing the numbers on my list and pausing when she reached the third one down.

"You don't like my sweater?" She said abruptly. I raised my hands out gently, pausing to glower at Marlene in anger before trying to calm Alice.

"This was in Third Year. I have…erm… Well, I have since learned to appreciate the… uh… fine quality of your crocheting skills and decided that I… erm… I like it fine," I replied, my voice trailing off quietly.

Alice seemed a bit angry, but she appeared to count to three before responding. "It's fine. I understand. I'm not getting rid of it, though. It's a good memory. I made that when I was ten with my Nana."

That was my point, but I decided not to say so.

"Anyways, that's not why I'm showing you this, Alice," Marlene said, "I'm showing you this because we obviously need to get Lily a good boyfriend before the year is out. That way, she can fulfill all of the points on the list."

"Oh for the love of Merlin, I was thirteen when I started that thing!" I whined. They ignored me.

"So, this leaves us with a few main focal points. Unfortunately, Lily has to like the person we set her with, as that is one of the things on her list. But he also has to be attractive enough to go skinny dipping and dancing with," Mars speculated, as a steady smirk sprung up on Alice's face.

"Now, wait just a moment! I didn't say those two had to be with someone!"

She continued to ignore me. I fumed silently.

"Thus, I suggest we throw Lily a party. Just to see who she seems interested in, and who seems interested in her." Marlene concluded.

"Oh, I like that idea! You know, it'll be my birthday here in a few days. That would be the perfect time, because then Lily will owe me and she'll have to do as I say," supplied Alice.

I would have turned to yell at them had Kitty not showed up at that moment and deposited our food. Instead, I just angrily spooned helpings of French Onion Soup into my mouth and glared at them passively.

"I'll owl you details tonight. We can't talk about it in front of her, naturally."

Marlene folded up my list and handed it to me. I quickly shoved it into my black clasp bag.

"I can't believe you two." I murmured dejectedly.

"I can!" they said in unison, and happily continued on with their meal.

I grumped in the corner for awhile until Marlene said something funny and Alice spat basmati rice all over. A huge chunk of it went flying past us and landed on the back of one of the customer's heads. The man yelled and wiped at the back of his head furiously.

"What the hell do ya think yer doing-"

Alice blushed furiously. "Excuse me, I am so sorry here, let me help you." She mutter a quick 'Evanesco' and the insisted we leave the restaurant before he yelled again.

Laughing until our sides hurt, the three of us headed back towards the carriages. When we got home, I waved a content goodnight to James, who was sitting on the couch alongside Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and said the password to my dorm before settling down to write this all out.

Today was great. Even if my friends are crazy and they found out about my list, who cares? We had a great night, and I swear even James was staring at me when I walked in the door. My outfit must have been killer.

Authors Note: Well, I'm sorry if this chapter felt uneventful, but I had to introduce the List. It will play an important part, I promise. Oh, and the official plot begins next chapter! You can expect James, Quidditch, and a teeny bit of tension coming up soon. If you have thoughts, comments, questions, constructive criticism, please hit that button down there on your way out. Thanks!