Thank you for the reviews.

Sorry this took a bit.

I got into a new story and read it through.

It was awesome.

Here we go.

Chapter 37

Game Plans

"You know you could stop grinning like a mad man before we walk in there." She said with a smile.

"Hark who is talking, happy much?" he joked tickling her, right as someone pushed the door open exposing them to the entire student body and faculty.

If James was curious to see everyone's reactions to their hand holding, he had not been prepared for everyone seeing them like this, his hand was on her ribs and she was giggling and squirming but her fingers remained interlaced with his and her other hand gripping the neck of his robes. At first he hadn't noticed until a few things happened at once, the seventh year Hufflepuff dropped her books in surprise, causing a loud bang, the normal noise of the hall went silent, and Sirius could be heard catcalling into the silence like a lunatic. Lily blushed scarlet while James, a tinge of pink evident on his cheeks and neck bent to help pick up the books, making the other girl blush as his hand brushed hers.

"Sorry 'bout that." He said with an apologetic smile. He stood up still holding Lily's hand, having never let go.

"No, no it was my fault. It's uhm." And she shot a glare at Lily and then walked off.

James looked at Lily, bemused. She shrugged, and they walked to their spots at the Gryffindor table, James between Lily and Sirius and Alice seated beside of her.

"So, is this official now?" Alice said with a smirk.

"Or is this just a really clever prank?" Sirius added.

James smiled and looked at Lily waiting to hear her answer, he could practically hear his heart flying, waiting to hear her words out loud, in public, for the first time ever. She looked over at him, seeing the anticipation on his face, he was practically bouncing in his seat.

"Well?" Remus lead, amusement all over his face.

In answer Lily offered her free hand to him, he met her hand in the middle, confused as she started to shake his.

"Hi, I am Lily Evans, I am sure my boyfriend James has told you a lot about me." She said with a grin.

The entire seventh year section of the Gryffindor table leapt up, yelling, laughing, and cheering as James whipped her around on the bench and kissed her passionately right there in front of at least 1000 people.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Life had calmed down considerably since their first foray into the public of Hogwarts as a couple. Everyone seemed to settle down after going on about it for days. Although Lily did become easily the most reviled girl in the school. She was responsible for taking one of the top three bachelors off of the list and the other two looked certain to fall soon, as Remus was rarely seen without Marleen and Sirius was with Morgan alot.

James was thrilled that much was obvious as he lead his team in their last practice before the Slytherin game the next day. While Lily and James had fallen into a happy comfortable place with each other, the relationship between Gryffindor and Slytherin had reached a fever pitch. So far James had managed to keep his team safe, well, excluding Sirius who managed to put himself directly into duels several times. James however had been hexed and cursed at more times than he could count. The only plus side being that as head boy when he saw them do it he could give them detentions and take house points. Though oftentimes he chose to hex them back rather than use the more acceptable route.

Today however nothing could get to him. He was in his element, he was in the air, on the fastest broom in the world. He was quidditch captain and boyfriend of Lily Evans, again, nothing could get to him. Which was a good thing as the entire Slytherin team was sitting on the front row, effectively crashing his scheduled practice.

"Hey Potty, I'd keep my head on a swivel if I were you." James heard.

He turned his head to look at the lanky dark headed youth that was leaning unimpressively against the railing.

"Don't worry Snape, I know there are a lot of guys out after MY girlfriend, I am watching them all like a hawk, or rather, I am keeping my head on a swivel for them." He called back grinning hugely as he did a backflip and soared off.

Three hours later he could be seen throwing the quaffle at Sirius and yelling. Something that James never did, he did not yell at his team, James did not demean people, but here he was speaking to Sirius like they had never seen anyone speak to him before. And Sirius had his head hung looking like a puppy with his tail between his legs. The Slytherins we thrown over the benches laughing maniacally, the Gryffindor spectators were standing, staring openmouthed at the things James was saying. Remus was physically restraining a furious Lily Evans, Peter was standing stock still just watching in shock. His team was dumbfounded. Morgan was so angry she was shaking but her eyes were darted downward not making eye contact with her captain. Their rookie beater and seeker both had tears in their eyes and were barely seen to be breathing.

"I don't know what in the bloody hell I was even thinking. You are not and were not ready to come back on this pitch. You played like a sack of dung! Did Slytherin addle your brains so that you don't recognize what good flying is anymore? I can't believe we are going to lose tomorrow and it is my fault for taking pity on you! You are worthless. All of you lockers now!" he shouted, throwing his broom and the quaffle to the ground as his team stalked off.

Glancing around him he saw the Slytherins leaving in utter joy, all thoughts of losing now gone, he nervously watched Remus trying to keep Lily off of the pitch. He decided he needed to get out of her line of sight quickly before getting hexed. He walked briskly and came into the room just after everyone else had sat down. He looked around at the muddy, frozen faces of his team and one by one their forlorn expressions split into huge smiles.

"Worthless huh?" Sirius said good natured as James walked up and patted him on the back.

"I have to give it to you Pads, it was bloody brilliant to throw them off like that. I didn't know you could play so bad." He chuckled, the whole team laughed.

"Yeah, neither did I. I had to keep reminding myself that it was good for the long run of things. We are going to the cup. And we are going to win it." Sirius said brightly before picking Morgan up and spinning her in a circle.

"It wasn't real? It was…a trap?" came a startled voice from the entrance.

James looked around and saw an ashen faced Lily and an apologetic Remus. Pete looked like he was just starting to understand.

"Lils, I'm sorry. I know that was cold, but we have got to throw them off our game somehow." James said earnestly.

"Yeah and if the hexing and cursing didn't calm down James was going to end up dead before the match." Sirius said honestly.

"I am so glad, I thought I was going to have to break up with you for being the world's greatest prat." She said with a squeal as she ran into his arms.

He hugged her and flung her up onto his back, giving her a piggyback ride back to the castle in the midst of his team who upon leaving the lockers let their faces fall and looked distressed all over again.

oOoOoOoOoOoO

The smile that lit James' face as the score bell rang again as his shot sailed through the right hoop was infectious. The Slytherin team looked furious as the score was now 120-30 and Gryffindor was only pulling the game farther and farther out of reach. Not only were his chasers scoring like a single Sirius Black but Sirius himself had put three of the Slytherins out of the game with bludger hits. Completely fair and legal insanely hard hits.

They seemed unstoppable today, this year was theirs, no one was stopping him from holding the cup in his 7th year, not when he was captain. He watched as Bletchly the Slytherin keeper heaved the back to Macnair and they put it into play, at the same time his little, rookie, hairbrained, go for broke seeker went pelting towards the ground. James watched as he chased the fleck of Gold that was just out of his reach, the sound from the crowd was incredible. The snitch was giving good chase when James caught sight of Morgan in hot pursuit of another 10 points. She was speeding along underneath him when Goyle blasted a bludger directly at her face, knowing she couldn't have stopped in time James jumped off of his broom and landed facing her on her broom, just in time for the bludger to catch the middle of his back. He had a second to see the surprised look on her face before the pain set in and he toppled off.

oOoOoOoOoO

"He is insane. He shouldn't be allowed to play anymore! What a stupid thing to do, jump in the way of a bludger. Honestly." He heard a frantic voice say.

"Look, this is James, he saw that Morgs was going to get hurt and he wouldn't allow that, he intervened to save her. You really can't be surprised. This is James Potter he has a superhero complex." He would recognize Sirius' bark like laughter anywhere.

He opened his eyes and the bright lights of the hospital wing were the first things he saw.

"He can't save everyone." Lily hissed.

"I've told him that, you try telling him that." Remus muttered.

"That was a bloody brilliant play though, that was a great game." Sirius said.

"Did we win?"

Lily shrieked, Sirius grinned like a madman and Remus shook his head.

"Leave it to you to get a fractured vertebrae and only care about the score." Remus said with a smile.

Sirius broke in right away though.

"It was amazing, you stopped the bludger and started to fall, I raced after you and caught you, thank Merlin, and as I did Morgan shook herself out of shock long enough to score on her run and then Devon, no shit, the snitch looped under him and instead of turning and going back after it he let go of the broom with one hand held on hung from the handle and caught the bloody thing in his open hand. The kid is crazy. But it was amazing. I almost dropped you I was screaming so hard. Oh and Michael kept both Goyle and Macnair off of everyone while I got you. Which your move was brilliant. We have to find a way to use that." Sirius rambled.

'We won? We only have to beat Hufflepuff and then we are in the final? " James said in shock.

"We won. And are going to be so far ahead of points on Slytherin that we could almost let them win and we would still win the cup!" Sirius said overjoyed.

James sat up and twisted around a bit stretching his back. Wincing only a bit at the soreness. The nursemaid came rushing out to look at him. He noticed Lily blushing as Madam Pomphrey pulled the sheet off of him, exposing his bare chest. He laughed when she touched his spine and Lily clenched her jaw.

"Really I am fine, can I go? Please?"

"No flying." She said seriously.

"No flying, I don't have another practice for a week."

"No getting stunned, hexed or transfigured as that could reset the bones, for at least a month."

"Alright, no getting into fights, though you might have to tell McGonagall about the transfigurations, we are studying human transfigurations this year."

"Wait…No transfiguration…At all? For a whole month?" Peter squeaked.

The nurse nodded.

"That's right, well at least nothing that changes his spine location or shape, so don't turn him into a toad or something to get even…At least for a month. Go on Potter, have a good party and that really was a very nice thing you did for your partner, her face would have been crushed by that blow. Impressive play."

She walked away and none of the marauders had anything to say. James couldn't transform. What were they going to do?