A/N: And here's chapter five! I'm amazed at the responses I've gotten for this story, it's made me so happy! They're even better than the first time around, words cannot express how great it is that people are enjoying this. It's brilliant!

So far, daily updates are going well, I go back to work soon but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to have a chapter a day up :)

now, onto review responses:

quirky-as-alice: glad you liked it :) the first detentions of the Marauders are a momentous occasion in my opinion :D thanks for you reviewing and reading, it means alot. hope you enjoy this chapter too.

VampireWithGoldenEyes: Thank you, it's such a relief the readers not only like the plot, but the way I've written it too. I was a little worried about that tbh. Christina is a mouthful, I must admit, and paired with Coddlesworth makes it even harder haha, but I love the name, and it just fit her perfectly. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you like this chapter too.

Fairywolf: Thank you! Wow, that's amazing that I could make you think that, I'm so happy :D. Well, I always thought of Sirius being a cheeky old chap, so I just had to put it in. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I think you've reviewed the most out of all my readers, thank you! Hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!

BloodMoonRising: Yay! I'm glad you liked it! I know, I love reading Marauder-era stories, especially ones that charter all seven years of Hogwarts. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you continue to enjoy the story :)

splatteredpaint: Wowza! That was a long review, and defo my favourite so far :D Like I said, I was worried about my style of writing, and it makes me so happy to hear you like it. The plot aswell, I'm really glad you like the idea, it's so hard to write a Marauder story that isn't too cliched, there's things I've wanted to put in, but at the last minute I've though 'no, that's just silly!' I know, I hope the chapters aren't too long, as I don't want people to lose interest, but there's just so much to write haha. My heart just swelled when you said I was a talented author, writing is my major passion in life! Thank you! Of course you can use the quote in your profile, I'm stunned you'd want to to be honest! Thank you! I hope you stick with the story and continue to enjoy it :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Marauders, or Lily, or Hogwarts, or anything to do with the wonderful world J.K Rowling has created for us. I'm simply a huge fan, especially of the Marauders :)


The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years

Chapter Five

Flying, Halloween, and Monsters

The first few weeks of term were all about getting to know one another, settling into classes and homework, and of course, finding out which rivalries would last, and which were simply a clash of personalities.

James was sure he and Snape were destined to be a lasting rivalry. Whenever the pair passed each other in the halls, Snape always seemed to be smirking smugly, as if he knew something James didn't. Of course, it only worsened if Lily was around; Snape seemed to be under the impression it would anger James to be see the two talking.

Well, he was right, but he wasn't going to admit that anytime soon.

Something about the slimy git screamed darkness. The way he moved, talked, the way his beady eyes glinted, James couldn't shake the feeling the boy was trouble. And the people he hung around with, they were just as bad. Looking down anyone and everyone around them, stalking arrogantly through the halls; James even heard the older students were particularly fond of hexing the younger students. James often thought with a wry smile, they'd be meeting their match if they even dared to try it with him.

Sirius seemed to think along the same lines as James did. He too despised the Slytherins, and Snape, though James also thought he needed something to distance himself from that house, and mocking Snape whenever they saw him seemed to be that way to go about it. James had no problems with that.

Remus and Peter mostly kept out of it. Remus would often frown when James and Sirius took the mick out Snape's hair or robes, which were rather shabby, but no one could miss the hint of amusement in his eyes, even if he didn't want to openly show it. Peter generally didn't join in, be he would clap excitedly or bounce on his heels whenever James and Sirius would hassle Snape. James assumed he still wasn't over the incident on the train, and didn't want to openly aggravate the Slytherins.

That, in James' opinion, was his main reason for annoying that particular house. He may have only known Peter for awhile, but hexing him on his first day was unforgivable. He'd make sure they'd pay; no one hexed his mates and got away with it.

A few weeks into term, a class came up that James had been looking forward to the most. Flying class. Though first years weren't allowed to try out for the house teams until second year, James was itching to get into the skies and show off his skills on a broom. He was a pretty damn good flyer, if truth be told.

The Gryffindors were once again paired with the Slytherins. James reckoned the reason the two houses were put together so much was to try and encourage some sort of friendship. Fat chance.

"Now, I want you all to place your right hand above the broom," Madam Hooch, a short, young Professor with spiky brown hair and yellow, hawk like eyes was standing between the row of Gryffindors on the left of her, and the row of Slytherins on the right, "And say UP!"

James, who had done this a million times before, stuck out his right hand, glanced up the row to where Lily had done the same, and said very clearly, "UP!"

The broom immediately jumped to his hand, as did Sirius' on his left. Remus' hovered for a moment, then fell back to the ground with a soft thump, and Peter's didn't move at all.

"Easy," James remarked casually, glancing back up at Lily. Her broom had done a strange sort of wiggle, but hadn't left the ground. Next to her, Holly was holding her broom and urging Lily on. On Lily's right, Christina and Bridget were positively howling with laughter; it seemed Bridget's broom had decided to zip across the grass and catch Karen Fisher's legs off guard, causing her to fall right onto her backside.

James looked over to the Slytherin line. Much to his amusement, and Snape's anger, Snape's broom hadn't moved an inch. Gareth Mulciber and Evan Rosier were currently arguing over whose broom had moved first, while a few Slytherin girls were still trying to get their brooms up.

After several minutes of trying, Madam Hooch informed the class they were now going to try and fly. She showed them how to mount their brooms, positively beaming when she informed the class that James had it perfectly right. Of course, James couldn't help the slightly cocky grin he felt when he was informed this, but then again, who wouldn't? Luckily, Lily seemed not to have noticed, and was taking pointers from Holly, who like James, had been flying since she'd started walking.

"When I blow my whistle," Madam Hooch stood a little way away from the students, "I want you ti kick off from the ground, nice and hard, hover for a few moments, then touch back down by leaning forwards slightly".

Beside him, Sirius looked ready to burst.

"Watch this," He muttered, slyly pulling his wand out of his pocket and pointing it at Snape, "Found this spell the other night when Remus made us go to the library," he muttered something James couldn't quite hear, then pocketed his wand with a triumphant grin.

"Ready, three – two – one –" Hooch blew her whistle, and the students mounted their brooms.

The class immediately burst into fits of laughter. Snape, it seemed, was having a bit of trouble with his broom. Every time he tried to climb onto it, it would move a little further away. This lasted for a few moments, until the charm Sirius had clearly put on, ran out.

"Wish – that – could've – lasted – longer –" the dark haired boy said between laughs. James merely shook his head, doubled up with mirth. Even Remus was laughing, though he seemed to be trying desperately not to.

"Who tampered with the broom!?" Madam Hooch stormed over to Snape and picked up the broomstick, "I know it was one of you, that charm was obviously cast by a first year, it didn't last long enough," he yellow eyes were narrowed.

No one owned up to the broom incident, though everyone had a pretty good idea who it was. In the end, Madam Hooch simply took twenty points from each house, and told the two houses she would be speaking with their heads of houses. James and Sirius weren't worried; McGonagall was already becoming predictable with her punishments.

The four boys were heading to the Great Hall for dinner that evening, when James was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see four girls, one of whom looked extremely annoyed.

"I know it was you," she hissed, her arms folded and one shoe tapping the ground in annoyance, "Can't you just leave him alone?"

James glanced at Sirius, who shrugged, smirking. Beside Lily, Holly rolled her eyes.

"I did nothing, Lily," James said as innocently as possible. Well, it was true. Sirius had cast the charm; James just hadn't bothered to stop him.

"I don't know what your problem is, Potter," Lily took a step closer, and James recoiled a little, "But if you don't leave him alone I'm going to make you regret it!"

The red head turned on her heel and stormed off, closely followed by the rest of the girls.

James watched her leave, torn between annoyance that she'd immediately thought it was him and not Sirius, and slight sadness that once again, he'd gotten onto her bad side.

He snapped out of his reverie by the sound of Sirius speaking.

"Dinner, anyone? – OW!"

Remus walked past a smirking James, having just smacked Sirius upside the head. Really, someone had to do it.

~**~

September passed in a haze of cloudy weather and confusing classes. The first years slowly began to get used to the many spells, potions, magical plants and in the case of History of Magic, extensive note taking required in their subjects. The students seemed to be fitting in well, settling into their own group of friends and realising their strengths and weaknesses. Lily found that Charms and Potions were her best subjects; however she seemed to be doing well in everything, and even managed to resist the stupor most students fell into during Professor Binns's endless drones about magical history. Chris, Bridget and Peter seemed to excel best in Herbology, whilst Remus and Holly were quickly becoming some of the top students in Defence against the Dark Arts. James and Sirius, to Lily's utter infuriation, seemed to be doing extremely well in just about every subject. Despite their liking for getting into trouble, and the fact that they'd already lost fifty points for various immature pranks on their fellow students, James and Sirius, along with the rest of their group of friends seemed to be well liked by the teachers. Madam Hooch, though still annoyed by the first lesson, quickly proclaimed James to be a natural when it came to flying, and wouldn't be surprised if he ended up on the team next year.

As the morning of the 31st of October dawned cold and grey, the first years prepared themselves for their first Halloween at Hogwarts. As a special treat, the classes had been cancelled thanks to some persuasion by Jonny and his fellow prefects, citing that in light of the recent disappearances that had plagued the Wizarding world, the kids deserved a little cheering up. Although those who had disappeared had been Muggles, the ever present threat of You Know Who hung over the students like a suffocating black cloud.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter decided to spend the day exploring the castle and the grounds, before heading back for the annual feast. They'd spent a lot of time just getting used to the classes, and not nearly enough time getting to see everything within the magnificent castle.

"I dont think I'll ever remember all of these," groaned Peter as James and Sirius pulled him out of the third vanishing step he'd fallen into that week. After muttering his thanks, the four friends resumed their exploration of the castle.

"What're you doing?" James frowned at Sirius, who had pulled out a small sheet of parchment and was scribbling away at it. One thing about Sirius that James had learnt, was that if he only picked up a quill when absolutely necessary.

Sirius glanced up from the parchment, and jerked his head behind him, "Writing down where that trick step was, figured we could pull a couple of tricks next time we see a Slytherin there," the dark haired boy winked at James, and returned to his parchment. James nodded eagerly and fell into step beside Sirius.

James glanced out of one of the windows near the north tower, overlooking a large stretch of grass just before the Forbidden Forest. He stopped.

"Whoa, what?" asked Sirius, as James pulled him by the collar of his jumper back to the window.

"Isn't that you're cousin?"asked James, pointing to a small gaggle of students heading towards the forbidden forest.

"Yeah," Sirius's eyes narrowed, "That's definitely Cissy," he confirmed, seeing the unmistakeable swagger of his dear cousin, "And Lucius is there too," he added spying the tall blond head of Lucius Malfoy bobbing towards the forest.

James and Sirius glanced at each other, both wearing identical smirks, both with a strange glint in their eyes.

"You thinking what I'm thinking Mr Black?" asked James.

"Oh I believe I do Mr Potter, let's go," grinned Sirius.

~**~

"Cissy, hurry up!"

"I am," hissed Narcissa, her silvery blonde hair fanning out behind her and blue eyes flashing indignantly. She sped up to join Lucius and their companions.

"Did Rodolphus tell you exactly what time to meet him?" asked Narcissa, pushing a strand of raven black hair from her dark eyes.

"Yes, now quiet! That oaf Hagrid is always out in these woods," snapped Rabastan, a thick set boy with raven hair and piercing green eyes. The three Slytherin's hurried deeper into the shadowy forest, the only sound made was the occasional snap of a trodden on twig, or the screech of some unknown creature.

~**~

"Why do you think they're in here?" asked James, pushing through the scrub as quietly as possible. Sirius glanced back, and shrugged, "No idea, although I'm hoping they'll come across a dragon or something".

"A dragon!" squeaked Peter, glancing wildly around.

"Of course not, Sirius, stop scaring Peter!" chastised Remus. Though he was often very quiet, and tended not to join in with the other three so much, Remus Lupin was slowly coming out of his shell. In fact, James and Sirius had both vowed to get him to get a detention all on his own, instead of the four he'd already served because James and Sirius decided pranking Slytherins was far better than schoolwork and inter-house co-operation.

Sirius chuckled, ignored Remus and continued forward. The four friends continued on their path, until they spotted a small group of people just ahead.

"There they are," hissed James, dragging Sirius behind a tree. The four students inched as close as they could, until they were able to hear what was being said.

"Wow Rodolphus...it's amazing," gasped Narcissa, her eyes bright with awe. From where James was standing, he could see a tall, dark haired boy showing the Slytherin's something on his forearm, a smug grin upon his face.

"You have no idea what this means, I'm practically royalty! The Lestrange name will command fear, as well as respect from now on".

"Oh Rodolphus, that's wonderful," cooed Narcissa, gazing at the taller boy with a sickly twinkle in her eye. Sirius feigned vomiting, and James had to stuff his fist in his mouth to stifle his laughter when they saw Lucius Malfoy scowl and step a little closer to Narcissa.

"I can't stay long," the boy named Rodolphus continued, "I just wanted to show you all, I have to go".

The group of Slytherin's nodded, and whispered their goodbyes, before turning, and disappearing back into the trees. James and the others waited until Rodolphus had disappeared, before stepping out from behind the tree.

"What the hell was all that about?" asked James, scratching the back of his neck.

"No idea," shrugged Sirius, "But I know him, he's always round my place, Bellatrix, my other cousin, she absolutely loves him," he said sarcastically. James snorted, and started walking back.

"You know, this place isn't that bad," mused Sirius, as the four made their way through the trees, "I mean, my dad told me there's werewolves and everything in here!"

Remus stiffened, and bit his lip, trying desperately not to catch anyone's eye.

"Werewolves," squeaked Peter, his eyes widening in fear.

"Relax Pete, it's not a full moon," replied James lazily, "There's nothing to..." he stopped. Sirius, who had been glancing around, walked straight into him.

"What the....James why did you....?" Sirius stopped also, his eyes widening.

"What? What is it!?" cried Peter, jumping behind James and Sirius.

"You see that," whispered James. Sirius nodded, and glanced at Remus, who was slowly backing away.

In the clearing before them, a large group of half-men, half horse creatures stood, unknowing of the four eleven year olds gaping in their direction. James glanced at Sirius, and jerked his head back. Sirius nodded, and the four friends began slowly backing away. Just when they thought they were in the clear, poor little Peter tripped backwards on a fallen tree branch, and cried out.

The centaur's heads snapped towards the boys, and scowled.

"Who goes there!" called one of the centaurs in a deep, booming voice. In the darkness of the forest, it was hard to make out who the intruders were.

James pulled Peter to his feet, and cried out, as an arrow zipped right past his ear.

"RUN!"

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter raced through the forest, stumbling and tripping over roots and fallen branches, none of them looking back until they were safely out of the forest.

~**~

Tumbling into the common room and gasping for breath, the four white faced friends collapsed into their favourite armchairs, clutching their sides, and rubbing sore legs.

"Can - can you believe...that just...happened!" gasped James, wheezing in and out.

"I...know..." panted Sirius, "It...was...brilliant!"

Remus's eyes widened incredulously, "What do you...mean....brilliant!"

Sirius struggled to catch his breath, his eyes alight with excitement, "We just....escaped...an....attack! That...was...amazing!"

James let out a small chuckle, then began to shake with laughter. Sirius let out a bark like laugh, and began positively howling.

"This...isn't....funny!" protested Remus. He glared at Peter, who began to giggle nervously.

"Oh come on....Remus," James said, his breathing starting to return to normal, "You can't say...you didn't enjoy...that".

Sirius wiped tears from his eyes, and clapped James on the back, "I can't believe...we didn't get....caught!"

"I know," grinned James, rubbing the stitch in his side.

They turned their gazes to the portrait hole, where Lily, Holly, Chris and Bridget had returned from a wander in the school grounds, and were chatting happily amongst themselves. Lily glanced over at boys, noting their red faces and tired expressions, but most of all, three grinning faces and one slightly annoyed expression.

"What's up with you four?" called Holly, frowning. The four girls crossed the room to where the boys were sitting, all adopting looks of utter bemusement.

"Been on a run?" asked Chris, flopping into a seat beside Remus.

"You could say that," beamed Sirius, before he and James burst into fits of laughter. Lily and Holly rolled their eyes, and pulled Chris back to their feet.

"Come on, the feast will be starting shortly, let's go and get ready," started Lily, who was glaring at James and Sirius. No doubt they'd been getting into some sort of trouble.

The four girls headed back towards their dormitories, frowning as they heard another roar of laughter.

"Idiots," both Lily and Holly muttered in unison.

~**~

The Great Hall looked spectacular as James, Sirius, Remus and Peter entered for the annual Halloween feast. The normal candles that usually hung several feet above the heads of the student's, were replaced with giant pumpkins carved with evil looking faces, and casting an orange glow throughout the hall. The normally clear plates were already laden with various brightly coloured treats, sweets and deserts. Sticky puddings lathered with custard tantalized and beckoned, cakes towered high above even the seventh year's heads, and various bowls of sweets could be seen every few feet.

James felt his mouth water at the sight of it all, and could only imagine how Sirius was feeling right now. By the looks of it, he'd died and gone to heaven.

The house banners hung proudly above their respective tables, as well as orange and black streamers draped throughout the hall. The ceiling above was a stormy grey, and the occasional rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Even Peeves the Poltergeist seemed to be in the Halloween spirit, the odd little man had spent the entire day roaming the corridors wearing nothing more than a sheet and a pumpkin shoved onto his head.

As fate would have it, James and his friends actually ended up sitting next Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris. After Dumbledore gave his annual speech about the traditions of Halloween, the students began to dig in, and the chatter in the hall reached a tremendous level.

"This is amazing," grinned Lily, pulling several different sweets towards her, "I've never really celebrated Halloween before".

"Well it is our holiday, isn't it, gotta do it in style," laughed Chris.

James glanced over to where Lily was sitting, feeling a strange pull in his chest once again. In the candle light, her red hair had a golden sheen to it, her emerald green eyes sparkling beautifully. James had no idea why he liked looking at Lily Evans, and if truth be told, he didn't even know why. Girls were annoying and stuffy and prissy and...and...

Lily glanced up, and met his eyes for a moment. James saw a flicker of something unknown in her eyes, before she assumed the usual glare she held only for him.

Girls were confusing.

"What are you staring at Potter," she snapped. Holly, Bridget and Chris fell silent, glancing at James, who was going slightly red.

"Is it a crime to look at people now Evans," retorted Sirius. He was becoming quite sick of the hostility towards his best friend, and was at a loss as to why Lily was like this. James was brilliant, in his opinion.

"This is none of your business Black, I suggest you keep out of it," hissed Lily, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Sirius let out a bark like laugh, "Actually, it has everything to do with me. You see, when somebody gives my best mate grief, it becomes my business".

Lily looked quite taken aback with Sirius's remark, and merely mouthed wordlessly. Sirius sat back, a proud grin on his face. James, however, merely groaned. He had a feeling Sirius had just made things alot worse.

"Fine," replied Lily coolly, "If James needs you to stick up for him, that's fair enough. But when you four are picking on Severus for no reason, I want you to remember that he is my mate, and that I will stick up for him!"

Lily jumped to her feet, and stormed from the hall, cursing under her breath. Chris, Bridget and Holly glanced at each other, then followed suit, both Holly and Bridget staring daggers at Sirius as they passed. Chris merely shot a longing look at her unfinished meal, and sighed.

Sirius looked at Remus and Peter, who were both shaking their heads, to James, who looked downright depressed.

"What!? I'm sick of it! Sick of her defending Snivellus and having a go at James all of the time. It's not fair!"

"You're so tactless Sirius," muttered Remus. Sirius glared at his friends, and a silence fell between the four of them for the first time since they had arrived at Hogwarts.

~**~

"Can you believe him!?"

Lily paced back and forth in their dormitory, shaking her fists, her eyes wild with fury, "He thinks it's perfectly acceptable to bully Sev, but when I say something to Potter I'm the bad one! The nerve!"

Holly, Bridget and Chris glanced worriedly at each other.

"We know Lils, but he does have a point," reasoned Holly.

Lily spun on her heel to face her friend, "What do you mean he has a point!"

Holly seemed to shrink back a little, however her face remained defiant.

"Well, James hasn't actually done anything to Sni...uhh...Snape, and you are pretty hard on him sometimes".

Lily mumbled something incoherent, and resumed her pacing.

"So what am I supposed to do, let Potter get away with it!? He's a bully Holly, plain and simple!"

"No," said Chris quietly, "But Snape can look after himself, and you could at least try tolerating James. He really isn't that bad".

Lily rolled her eyes, and flopped down on her bed, "Whatever, but if he gives me reason to be angry, I'll be angry".

Holly, Bridget and Chris smiled at each, and shook their heads.

"You're a strange one Lily Evans, you know that?"chuckled Bridget. Lily picked up her pillow, and threw it at Chris. The four girls giggled, and began a rather rough pillow fight, which was interrupted by two girls Lily knew to be second years. The four Gryffindor first years stopped their pillow fight and looked quizzically at one another.

"Umm, Lily Evans?" one of the girls asked, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear.

"Yes?" asked Lily, pushing her dishevelled red hair out of her face and stepping towards the girls.

"James Potter wants to speak to you," she replied, before turning on her heel and hurrying back out of the dormitory.

Lily glanced at Chris, Bridget and Holly, who all shrugged, and began picking up their pillows. Lily dropped hers, and headed out of the common room.

James waited nervously at the bottom of the girl's stairs, his hand running through his hair every so often. It was a habit he'd picked up from his father, especially when he was nervous. He spotted Lily, and attempted a smile. At least this time it didn't come out as a smirk.

"Listen Potter, if you've come here just to have a go at me, you might as well - "

"I didn't," James cut her off, "I came to apologise. Sirius shouldn't have said those things...and I...well I shouldn't be such an idiot...it's just Snive...Snape gets to me, dunno why, but I'm sorry. I know he's a good mate of yours...," he trailed off, looking slightly sheepish.

Lily stood, slightly amazed that James Potter was apologising her. He didn't seem the type to apologise much. She studied him for a moment, deciding whether or not he was being sincere.

"I...uhh...well...alright," she sighed, "Apology accepted".

James's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it! It couldn't be this easy. This girl had disliked him from day one, and now...now she was standing here accepting his apology! She must like him after all, he mused.

"Uhh...well....great! Yeah, that's great," he grinned nervously. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two.

"Well...I'm gonna get to bed now. Night Po - James". Lily smiled, and ran back up to her dormitory. James felt a large grin spread across his face, and he couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Night...Lily".

~*~

The next morning, James practically floated down to the great hall, an unwavering grin on his face. Remus had on more than one occasion praised James for taking the mature road and apologising, whilst Sirius had defiantly told James he was an idiot, and that Lily didn't deserve to be apologised to. Peter, as usual, went with the majority, but mostly kept out of it.

Lily had called him James, Lily had smiled at him, Lily had accepted his apology! He didn't care that he shouldn't be so happy that one person, a girl, no less, was now sort of his friend, it was just brilliant. Sirius couldn't seem to understand why he was so happy, but as long as he was happy, Black didn't seem to mind.

As they entered the hall, James spotted Lily and her friends chatting away. He grinned, waiting for her to turn and greet him happily...but it never came. She didn't even look up, or acknowledge that fact that they had just entered the hall. He was pretty sure Christina had seen them, surely she would have told Lily?

Sirius noticed this, and clapped James on the shoulder, turning his attention to Lily too.

"Don't worry about it, mate. Just forget about her".

"Yes Potter, just forget about her, she wouldn't want to associate with the likes of you," sneered a slimy sounding voice. James whipped around, and saw Snape smiling smugly. He glanced at Lily, who was too busy reading the Daily Prophet to realise what was going on.

"Shove off Snivellus, before I do something I'll regret," hissed James, his fists clenching. He really couldn't stand the snivelling little boy. Something about him just infuriated him to no ends.

Snape chuckled, and flicked his greasy, raven black hair from his eyes.

"She'll never be friends with you, Potter," he spat, "Why would she when she's got me, you filthy blood-traitor". He turned on his heel, and stalked off out of the hall.

James only half heard Remus's protests as he stormed from the hall. He only half registered Sirius's cheering, and Lily crying 'What's going on?!'

He spotted Snape near the bottom of the stairs, and whipped out his wand, thinking of the first spell he could think of.

"DENSAUGEO!"

James flicked his wand and screamed a spell he remembered reading about in one of his text books. Snape cried out, and felt a strange tingling in his mouth. He glanced down, and saw his slightly yellowing front teeth growing rapidly past his lower lip.

"POTTER!"

James whipped around, his face a picture of anger. He watched Lily run past him, and force Snape to show her the effects of the curse. Sirius, Remus, Peter, Holly, Bridget and Chris appeared from the hall too, the girls running over to Lily to see what was wrong.

"Sev, show me what's wrong," pleaded Lily. Snape lowered his hand, and showed a pair of rapidly growing teeth, that were now well past his chin.

Sirius and Peter roared with laughter at the sight, and even Remus's mouth twitched at the corners a little as he fought a smile. Holly clapped her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter, Chris turned away, and huge grin on her face, and Bridget was only just managing to keep a straight face.

Lily looked simply mutinous.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR!" she screamed, rounding on James, "YOU AROGANT, INSUFERABLE...BULLY!"

James ignored her for the first time since he'd met her. He could hear the blood pounding in his ears, and could have sworn everything turned red for a moment.

Lily turned back to Snape, and helped him up the staircase towards the hospital wing. Holly. Bridget and Chris waited until they were out of earshot, before bursting into fits of laughter.

"Oh...oh that...was...brilliant!" gasped Chris between chuckles. Holly and Bridget nodded, wiping tears from their eyes. Sirius was positively howling, clutching the wall to keep himself upright. Peter was clapping his hands wildly, his eyes wide with admiration towards James. Even Remus allowed himself a small chuckle.

James started to feel his anger dissipate, and started chuckling.

"Serves him right, bloody idiot," he grinned.

Sirius stumbled towards James, wrapping his arm around his shoulders, "Mate, you are my new hero!"

~*~

Lily watched nervously as Madam Pomfrey began tending to Severus's 'injuries'. By the time they had gotten to the hospital wing his front teeth had grown almost to his waist. Madam Pomfrey managed to fix Severus almost instantly, and didn't ask too many questions as to how he received such a large pair of front teeth, sensing his embarrassment by the incident.

Lily was positively fuming. She had really thought Potter was sincere in his apology, but she was obviously wrong. Potter was so spoilt and up himself he didn't know how to be civil, unless it was towards one of his little minions. How Holly was related to such a horrible person was beyond her, and she truly felt sorry for her friend.

Severus remained in the hospital wing for several days, Madam Pomfrey insisting that he needed rest. Lily visited him every day, and knew he was only staying there because he was embarrassed by the whole situation. This only made Lily despise Potter more.

"How are you feeling Sev?" she asked the morning he was due to leave the hospital wing. Severus shrugged, his face seeming to hold a permanent scowl.

"I made sure Potter was punished for this, I reported him to Professor McGonagall and he's been given detention for a week," she continued almost proudly. Severus again ignored her, and Lily began to feel frustrated.

"Sev why are you ignoring me? I'm not the one who hex's you or calls you names, I'm your friend!" she cried in frustration.

Severus sighed, "Why can't you be in Slytherin," he mumbled.

Lily bit her lip, and gently placed her hand atop his, "I'm sorry Sev, but I guess it means we're just a little different, we're still going to be friends though," she added with a smile.

Severus nodded and attempted a smile of his own.

"Now come on, you've missed enough school as it is," joked Lily, and the two friends left the hospital wings and made their way back down to the great hall.

~*~

Remus hurriedly packed his overnight back, glancing towards the door every so often. Today was the fourth of November, and according to the lunar calendar, he had an appointment in the Shrieking Shack to uphold. The Shrieking Shack was a large, rather dilapidated looking building just on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. The building had been built specifically so Remus would have somewhere safe to transform once the full moon appeared.

He jumped when he heard voices growing closer, and tried to act aloof as James, Sirius and Peter wandered into their dormitory.

"Hey Remus, we missed you down at dinner. Sirius managed to float an entire jug of pumpkin juice over to the Slytherin table and dumped it all over that Evan Rosier's head," James started, excitedly. He stopped, however, when he saw Remus holding a bag of clothes and various other possessions, then frowned, "Where are you going?"

Remus sighed, and once again readied himself to lie, trying to keep his face as impassive as possible.

"Mum isn't feeling very good, dad says she's taken a little turn for the worse, I'm going to see her for a few days," he lied.

The three boys glanced at each other worriedly.

"It's nothing serious, is it?" James asked in concern.

Remus chewed his lip, and decided he might as well make it seem so.

"A little, but I'm sure she'll get better. It's a strange illness".

The three boys nodded apologetically, and offered to help him pack the rest of his bag. Remus felt awful that he couldn't tell them his secret. They were the first real friends he'd ever had, but he wasn't going to risk losing them because of his problem, even though a nagging little voice in the back of his head told him he should just be honest with them.

"Thanks guys," called Remus, pretending to head off to Dumbledore's office. His three friends bade goodbye and returned to the common room after walking him out. Remus doubled back and quickly headed towards the hospital wing to begin what promised to be a long, painfully lonely night as a monster.


Like it? Loathe it? I'm a little worried about this chapter, actually, I don't think it's worked as well as I thought it would. Let me know, though :)