Chapter 3-

"… now if I remember correctly," Sirius continued, "To discover this we must journey back a few years, to the Muggle Studies camping trip in our third year-"

"-not this story again!" Remus cried out, "We've heard it too many times."

"Clearly just jealous because he wasn't there," James grinned at his friend, "Tell your story, Sirius."

"Thank you James," Sirius laughed, "Anyway, the camping trip…"

….

"I can guarantee that I know more about Narnia than you do!" Lily shouted from the front of the Muggle mini-bus they were in, they had left Hogsmede via a tiny side road early that morning, and were currently driving down a muggle motorway towards a camp site somewhere in a Scottish forest. It was late October, and so the air outside was hideously cold and sharp, not exactly ideal camping conditions, and the light was dim despite it being close to midday.

"Impossible," Marlene replied, "I've read every single book hundreds of times at my grandma's!"

"Well I've read them at home!"

"Well I'd love to know what Narnia is," Sirius said from the row behind them, "It sounds like some horrible disease to me."

"Shows how much you know, Black," Lily scoffed at him, turning back to Marlene and continuing their conversation.

"I just don't get girls sometimes," James said quietly to his best friend, "I mean, yesterday Evans was actually being civil, but now she's being a right grumpy-"

"- I urge you not to finish that sentence James," Sirius elbowed him in the ribs, and whispered in his ear, "Why don't we prank them tonight?"

"What?" James whispered back, "You mean like charm their tent or something?"

"Nah, much better than that," Sirius replied with a chortle, "This is a muggles studies trip after all."

They arrived at the campsite just as the sun was setting on the horizon, and were given tents to share between five of them. James had been camping with his parents before and so instantly set about pitching the tent. Many of the other third years were attempting to pitch theirs using magic, but to no avail, as Professor Smith was quick to confiscate wands. She was an odd looking woman, wearing an odd combination of purple harem pants and a white smock shirt with a lemon yellow bobble hat on her greying thatch of hair. She wore red winged spectacles and her eyebrows were pencilled in far too thin.

"This is a muggle studies trip, class," she proclaimed in her pompous drawl, "Therefore magic will not be permitted."

Lily was the only other student to have pitched her tent, as she too had been camping as a child. She was sharing with Marlene, Alice Prince, Siobhan O'Flaherty and Julia Smart, all Gryffindors in their year, apart from Julia, who was a dim-witted Hufflepuff who was a friend by circumstance rather than common interest. James and Sirius shared with Peter and two Ravenclaw boys, Ramses and Archimedes DeWhit. The boys cared for neither Archie nor Ramses, but again were forced to co-operate to avoid rudeness, and as Sirius said, better them than Snivellus, who was sharing a tent with his greasy Slytherin friends. By five o'clock the tents were all pitched, and Professor Smith hastened to demonstrate the art of making a campfire.

"But this is stupid, Professor," Archie said angrily as Smith lit a flint to create a spark, "Why can't the muggles just make fire, like we can?"

"The art of muggle studies is clearly lost on some people," Lily whispered sarcastically to Marlene, who giggled.

"Clearly you know less about muggles than anyone could have feared, DeWhit," Smith said in despair, "Please refrain from speaking up in future."

Archie went very red, and moved to the back of the class as Professor Smith began to put sausages on the fire to cook. She then took a frying pan and a box of eggs from her large handbag, and began to fry eggs very slowly and cautiously on it. By eleven o'clock it had become so cold that the students were forced to retreat into the comfort of their tents, and by twelve, many of them were asleep. James, Sirius and Peter however, were not. They had remained awake, playing exploding snap, while the DeWhit twins had fallen into snore-filled sleep. At twelve thirty exactly, they climbed shivering from their sleeping bags and carefully unzipped their tents, taking with them a small bag which Sirius had stolen from the campfire they had had earlier, on which they had cooked their supper. They made their way silently to the girls' tent, and began to take eggs from the bag.

"Shush!" Sirius said through stifled laughter, "On my count… three, two- AGH!"

He had just received a face full of egg himself, as Lily appeared triumphant at the entrance to her tent, with more eggs in her hand, "Next time be more subtle in your plans Black!" She shouted across the campsite, "I heard you planning on the bus!"

Sirius retaliated instantly by throwing an egg in her face, "No one eggs me without getting a face full of egg themselves!"

"Go pick on someone who cares, Black," Lily wiped the egg from her face, pulling her wand from her pyjama trousers and beginning to do the same.

"Hey!" Peter said angrily, "Professor Smith confiscated our wands! I'm telling!"

James and Sirius laughed at their friend, pulling their own wands from their trousers, "Please Peter," they said together, "Anyone with half a brain took theirs back when Smith wasn't looking." Peter went very pink, and began to make his way back to the tent, grumbling about never being included.

"Fair game, Evans," James grinned at her, "Never knew you had it in you."

"I'm far more intelligent than you give me credit for, Potter," she smirked, "And you're far less."

"Ooh, that stung, Evans," James said sarcastically, "Then again, it is late, and so you can hardly be blamed for your poor form."

"You talk like such a prick, Potter," Lily scowled at him, "You act like your better than everyone else, like because you and your idiotic friend can play Quidditch, and do a few spells that you're kings of the universe."

"Hey!" Sirius said angrily, "I've never pretended to be king of the universe! Just… you know… king of England maybe."

James laughed, but Lily groaned hideously, "You're so immature. Why can't boys learn to grow up?"

"What like your precious Snivellus?" James asked her, and it was clear he had hit a nerve for her.

"What's wrong with Severus?" She said angrily, "He's far more mature than both of you put together!"

"We've got as much as we need, but maturity is hardly the most coveted good around, Evans," Sirius said to her, "Many people like the impish charm which James and I possess."

"Go to bed," Lily said, zipping up her tent.

…

"Now I know what you must all be thinking," Sirius said quickly, "How did that meeting cause James to fall hopelessly in love with our Lilikins? Well, it was not that moment that caused the bane of our existence for the next four years – no offence Lily- but what happened next-"

…

The boys awoke the next morning to a hideously girly scream in their ears, and they knew that their plan had worked. James reached and put on his glasses, and ruffled his hair, which did not need much messing up after the night's sleep he had had.

"SOMEONES BLOODY EGGED OUR TENT!" a voice came from next to him, and Ramses DeWhit shoved his head through the tent entrance, "James, Sirius! Some bloody scoundrel's eggs our bloody tent!"

James and Sirius grinned at one another, and they got out of their sleeping bags, got dressed and went outside to reveal the horror of their tent. It was coated in a thick layer of raw egg, on top of which were the shining words,

"THE ABILITY TO MAKE FUN OF YOURSELF – A TRUE SIGN OF MATURITY."

As they looked around the campsite, they saw the Slytherins doubled over in laughter, as though taking credit for a prank which they had not committed. James caught sight of Lily's face in the crowd, and she smiled and shook her head at him. Her hair glistened in the early morning sunlight, and her green eyes were wide awake despite her lack of sleep, and she began to laugh.

…

There was a resounding 'Aww' from the guests, as Sirius finished his story, "Now that doesn't mean that Lily liked our friend James now, far from it, but when he put a smile on her pretty face, he wanted to be able to do it again, and again. That was the moment he realised that his hatred of Lily Evans was in fact love."

James had turned very red, as his new wife planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Now, if I may give the floor to my next favourite friend, no offence Wormy," Sirius grinned, "Remus, if you would?"

So... tell me what you thought of this one? I'm not sure if its as good as the last, but I enjoyed it all the same!

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