A/N: For all those who have known love, even when it was unrequited.

James

James Potter had a particular fondness for Lily Evans. To be more precise, he fancied her tremendously.

From the modest heels of her sensible black shoes to the smooth part of her soft, red hair, attraction was Lily Evans.

After a long night of avoiding homework by discovering a new game involving Exploding Snap, Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start No-Heat Fireworks, Remus's prefect badge, and copious, copious amounts of firewhiskey, James was passed out on his stomach above the covers of his unmade bed.

His hair sticking up in odd places, he was drooling slightly onto his scarlet comforter, and his feet were dangling precariously off the edge of his four-poster bed near the headboard. Somehow during the night, he had forgotten which end of the bed was the proper one for his head.

The bright light of the sun was starting to peer into the room as it rudely reminded the dorm's inhabitants that a new day was already in progress.

Because James had not closed his curtains, the irksome daylight aggravated his sleeping eyes and pestered him into waking. Growling, James pulled his comforter over his head, which felt far too heavy to lift even a centimeter.

Immersed in darkness once more, James drifted back into his subconscious, only to be reawakened by the sound of nearby groaning.

"Oh, I'm going to chuck."

James whimpered back empathetically while simultaneously throwing a pillow in Sirius's direction to get him to stop disrupting the quiet with his guttural moaning.

"Uhh."

Unfortunately, James could no longer ignore the fierce pounding of his head; it was as though someone was repeatedly clanging cymbals against his ears. Crash. Crash. Crash. Slowly, he staggered out of bed and searched the dorm for a vial of Sobering Solution.

He had no idea where his glasses were, and as a result he could see not a thing; however, though he could not glimpse the sun, its brilliant light nevertheless intensified the pain in his head.

James's fingers closed around a vial, and he eagerly tried to gulp it down.

"Stop it, Prongs. You're trying to drink Peter's rat tonic."

Upon Remus's words, James dropped the vial and rubbed his useless eyes with the back of his left hand.

"Here. Take some of this."

James opened up the vial Remus pressed into his hand and then took a large gulp. After a few seconds, his head began to feel less woozy, the searing headache subsided to a more manageable twinge, and he regained some of his motor functions. His eyesight was still pathetic, so he walked over to his bed and felt around for his glasses.

"Feeling for these?"

James accepted the glasses and shoved them onto his face. The blurry lines sharpened, and he saw the uneasy smile, soot covered nose, and bloodshot eyes of Peter.

"Never again," James vowed. "I don't care how bloody brilliant 'Rules Shot Damned' was. It's not worth it."

"You sure, Prongs?" Sirius croaked out as he took his own swig of the solution, hissing as he did so. "I thought it was one of our better games."

James frowned as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand to try to erase the stench of stale firewhiskey and potion from his mouth. "I blame you for telling us all we should."

"And can you really say you regret it? C'mon, Prongs, where's your sense of adventure?"

James opened his mouth to answer, but he became distracted by Peter gagging into a wastepaper bin.

"It's in the bin with Pete's vomit."

"Prongs."

"Talk to me again in a couple of days."

Sirius grinned. "Wicked." His lips quivered, and his expression turned sour. "Oh, damn."

Sirius rushed towards the bathroom, and within seconds, the sounds of retching filled the room.

As James regained his wits and his ability to walk in a straight line without stumbling and guffawing hysterically while doing so, he slowly began preparing for the day.

He took a long shower to wake himself up, not caring that the water might run cold for the other boys who had coerced him into getting piss drunk, and then put on his school uniform and robes before stuffing textbooks into his leather schoolbag and hoping they were the ones he needed for the day.

By the time the rest of his friends were also ready to depart, they were going to be late for Potions.

"You know, since we already aren't going to make it on time, what do you say to a quick jaunt to the kitchens?" Sirius suggested with a smirk.

The house-elves were as pleased to see them as always. James rarely saw an eagerness that could match the enthusiasm with which he was presented with a platter of eggs, potatoes, and sausages. He ate heartily, the greasy food proving to be even more beneficial to his system than any brewed concoction.

"Ugh, I can't even look at you right now," Remus groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "The thought of eating anything makes me feel nauseous."

James swallowed with a proud grin. "I pity lesser men who are inclined to nausea. I come from sturdy stock. Potter men can always eat."

"Cheers!" Sirius agreed as he toasted James.

Peter grimaced and averted his gaze. "I'm with Moony. I think I had one shot too many."

"No such thing," Sirius argued.

"Anything else, Master James?" a small house-elf asked James with wide amber eyes as she stared up at him, fidgeting with her hands over her white toga uniform.

"No thank you, Hazy."

"Everything's delicious," Sirius complimented her as he chomped on strips of bacon.

Though Remus rolled his eyes at the uncouthness, Hazy's face broke into a wide beam. "Master Sirius is as kind as he is handsome," she squeaked in an awed voice.

Sirius winked at the tiny elf as she skipped away. "Now, why would you want to be behead that, I ask you?" Sirius wondered aloud.

"Perhaps because you were incredibly pissed," Remus griped.

"Shush, Moony, you're just still a bit hammered. You'll be less of a swot in about an hour. Don't you worry your little, wolfy head, though, we'll just pretend this never happened."

James snickered and shoveled a few more forkfuls of egg into his mouth. "You know," James mused between mouthfuls. "I reckon at some point we're going to have to buckle down."

"Okay, Remus," Sirius mocked him as he took a swig of his pumpkin juice, ignoring the dirty look Remus was sending him. "What's got your knickers in a twist?"

James shrugged. "Can't my fading hangover be enough?"

Remus sighed. "I'm going to have to agree with James."

"Of course you are. Wormtail, mate, back me up."

Peter squirmed in his chair. "We did run out of Sobering Solution today."

Sirius rolled his eyes and leaned back on his chair. "You lot are determined to turn my life into an enormous bore. We can get more Sobering Solution. There's sure to be some more around here somewhere. It's nothing to fret about. At some point we'll become mature and dignified," he spat with distaste drowning his melodramatic imitation of high society. "And retire our happiness for the sake of respectability, but for now, we misbehave," he finished with a mischievous glint in his eye.

James could not help himself. He grinned.

After Remus checked his watch, the boys thanked the house-elves profusely, which led to a chorus of extremely pleased house-elves offering them more food and their service.

"Who do you reckon would win in a fight, a chimaera or a manticore?" Peter asked completely out of the blue as they reached the corridor.

"Wormtail, mate, did you accidentally swallow a bit of Babbling Solution this morning?" Sirius questioned as he took an enormous bite out of a blueberry muffin Hazy had insisted he take with him.

"No, I've just been wondering about it all morning. I mean, it would make one hell of a duel."

"Pretty evenly matched," Remus answered. "They're both classified as XXXXX by the Ministry of Magic. Impossible to train or domesticate, the both of them."

"How is it you know that?" Sirius asked, dumbfounded.

"I read," Remus answered simply. "Unlike some dunderheads," he added just loud enough for Sirius to hear.

"I read. Prongs, tell him about all the motorcycle magazines I've got."

"Alas, the collection has grown too extensive to remember the exact amount. Though, I'm fairly certain Sirius buys them for the pictures," James replied with a chuckle. "I think I'd have to pick the manticore. It croons softly as it devours its prey. Tell me that isn't ruddy brilliant."

"Remind me to get that for Snape for Christmas," Peter joked.

"Oi! That's brilliant!"

"You'd get more satisfaction out of a chimaera mutilating Snivellus. Just saying."

"Not to mention expulsion, jail time, and the possibility of Sirius's first ever kiss. Padfoot, what does it feel like when only a dementor wants to snog you?"

"Shut it, Moony. You're all daft. The chimaera has got a dragon tail," Sirius argued.

"The manticore's got a scorpion tail," James countered. "Which, mind you, causes instant death. Reckon McGonagall's part manticore?"

"The manticore is Flitwick compared to the chimaera," Sirius continued, ignoring James. "It's a vicious, blood thirsty animal."

"Oi!" interrupted Remus with a smirk. "Watch out who you're insulting!"

"Right, sorry, Moony. My sincerest apologies."

"It's quite all right, Padfoot. Let's just all agree that in a match between a chimaera and a manticore, the werewolf wins."

The boys guffawed together as they turned the corner to see Hagrid bounding down the corridor in his mammoth brown moleskin coat.

"Hello, Hagrid!" Remus greeted him warmly

"'Lo, Remus! What 'er you four doin' 'ere? Shouldn' yer be in class?"

"We're late!" Sirius answered him, sounding positively cheerful about it.

"Ahh," Hagrid understood with a nod.

"What are you doing by the dungeons?" James asked with interest.

Hagrid reached into his large coat and, after a bit of searching and a few flicks of lint, revealed a sealed potion. "I had to get some slug repellent from Slughorn. He's got all sorts of things hidden back in those cupboards of his. Thankfully, he still had stuff for the slugs. They're ruinin' me pumpkins."

"How are they coming along?" Peter asked, almost needing to lean backwards to make eye contact with Hagrid. "Will they be ready for Halloween?"

Hagrid smiled, though his teeth were barely visible underneath his bushy black beard. "O' course," he assured. "You lot should come down to me hut tomorrow after yer lessons. I'll show you 'em. Fang will be right pleased to see yer, too."

They boys grinned at each other. Despite the foul taste of his rock cakes, all four adored Hagrid. "We'll be there," promised James.

Hagrid smiled again. "Best be off," he advised. "You've got yer lessons to mind."

Sirius smirked. "Thanks, Hagrid! See you tomorrow!"

Hagrid waved to them as the rest of the Marauders bid him good bye.

They continued down the hallway until Peter suddenly stopped and ran back down the hallway. "Oi, Hagrid, who do you reckon would win in a fight, a chimaera or a manticore?" He waited anxiously for his reply, knowing that Hagrid was probably the best qualified to settle the dispute.

Hagrid chortled freely. "Why would a chimaera want to fight a manticore?" he asked. "They're both harmless."

"Oh, er, thanks, Hagrid!"

"Welcome, Peter!"

So with that definitive answer from an authority in the field, the boys continued to debate between themselves as they found their way to the dungeons.

"What about the body of a lion beating the body of a goat can you not wrap your thick skull around?"

"I dunno, maybe if you'd just appreciate the lion head, you'd see reason."

"You're mental."

"You're an idiot."

"You're both idiots," Remus teased to silence his friends. "Now, shut up, we've got to make this look convincing."

All four boys nodded and ceased their leisurely stroll through the corridor and broke out into full sprints. James, though shorter than Sirius, reached the door first and paused briefly to turn around gloat.

He waited a second too long because Sirius's swatted him in the nose with his elbow.

"Oi! Bloody hell!"

"That's what you get for being a cocky git," Sirius told him with a shrug.

James clutched his nose incredulously.

"Oh, quit giving me that look, you girl. You're not bleeding. Deal with it," Sirius told him as he pushed open the door and the four boys, breathless, rushed inside.

"Oho!"

James ruffled his hair uncomfortably as every pair of eyes in the room landed on him and his friends. To his disappointment, as soon as he saw a flash of emerald green, it was gone.

Having no such qualms about the attention, Sirius breezed past James with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "Very sorry to have kept you waiting, Professor. We really ought to invest in some watches. Pity my dear mum absolutely refuses to purchase me one until I'm of age, no matter how much I beg. It's an ongoing saga."

Slughorn's face brightened jovially. "Surely you don't mean to speak ill of the Black Family, Mr. Black!"

"Never," Sirius gasped in an appalled sounding voice.

Rolling his eyes, James stepped on his friend's foot as he dragged him over to their spots in the back right-hand corner of the room.

"Well, Mr. Black, because it was really out of your hands – " Slughorn began.

"Utterly," Sirius insisted vehemently.

"I will overlook your tardiness without punishment. At my next dinner party, Mr. Black, I'll introduce you to Quentin Fowler, one of the oldest makers of pocket watches in Britain. I'm sure he can help your plight."

"Thank you, sir," Sirius said through grounded teeth.

"Not a problem, m'boy!"

James chuckled to himself and winked in Remus's and Peter's direction.

"Oh, shut it, all of you. I just saved our bums. The least you could do is go with me to the Slug Club rubbish."

James smirked. "Not even for you, Padfoot." He snickered again as he saw the sour look on his mate's face and then turned to the front of the room to read what lovely potion he would be ruining today. As he looked, he was distracted by a red ponytail.

"Oi, Beetles for Brains," Sirius interrupted his staring. "Quit mentally undressing Evans and go grab us some powdered unicorn horn."

"You're a wanker," James told him.

"No more so than you," Sirius replied sweetly.

"And sadly for me, I share a dorm with both of you," Remus commented coolly as he turned around.

"Jealous, Moony? A bout of lonely nights lately?"

"I think that look means he's not going to dignify that with a response," James interpreted.

"Thanks for the translation."

"Not a problem."

"Oi, Pete, come here! Prongs and Moony are being mean. Let's get them in trouble."

James shook his head in annoyance and walked up to the front of the room to get some powdered unicorn horn. As he was scooping the silver powder into his vial, he took the opportunity to look at Lily without anyone noticing.

Her mouth was slightly ajar as she fussed with her cauldron, staring at its contents while she carefully stirred it counterclockwise. James noticed that a piece of red hair was falling into her eyes, and he had the strongest urge to brush it back behind her ear, the way he had so often spotted her doing.

James could feel eyes boring into his face, and he looked to his right to see the black eyes of Severus Snape, who was silently, but perfectly clearly, sending James a message to return to his seat in the back of the room.

Snape's gaze quickly flashed over to Lily, and James smirked. He would have only been happier about Lily's recent switch in Potions partners if she had chosen to pair with himself.

Staring back intently at Snape and then at the empty seat beside him, James made a show of flicking a few last bits of gold powder into his vial – merely to prove that he could – before he walked over to Sirius.

"Padfoot," he muttered darkly as he shoved the vial into his friend's hand, "I don't care if it's the chimaera or the manticore. Let's just send something after Snape. Hell, both of them will suffice."

"Mmm, now that I think about it, it lacks poetry," murmured Sirius thoughtfully as he poured the vial into his potion. "Now, if we drowned him in a tub of Sleekeazy, that would be extremely fitting."

Both boys sniggered. Sirius looked over at Peter and then turned to James. "Prongs, mate, would you mind keeping watch of my cauldron for a tick?"

James narrowed his eyes suspiciously. From years of knowing Sirius, he knew that this would not lead to something good. "What are you doing?"

Sirius shrugged casually. "Hey, don't you trust me?"

"With my life," James replied back automatically. "But, right now in this moment? No. Not even the slightest bit. I wouldn't let you borrow a bit of my spare parchment."

Sirius smirked. "Then don't worry about it and stir my potion for me." He ducked underneath the table began fiddling with something in his schoolbag.

James growled but nevertheless began stirring Sirius's potion in addition to his own. "What are you planning?" he hissed.

"Let's just say I figured out a way to get us some more Sobering Solution."

"Brilliant," replied James quickly, trying to distract Sirius. "Why don't you explain it to me, and we'll figure out some kind of plan."

Sirius shook his head. "Nope, not this time, Prongs." He fingered something black in his hand that he had pulled out of his bag.

"Sirius, what is that?"

"Improvisation."

James opened his mouth to argue further, but Sirius winked at him and then threw the black object roughly into the aisle between the tables. Immediately, a thick smoke began to fill the room. Before his vision was clouded, James saw Peter disappear with a pop.

"Bloody – oww!"

Sirius had kicked James sharply in the knee. James doubled over, and Sirius covered his friend's mouth with his hand.

"Don't say anything," Sirius warned him.

"Mhere'b Feter?" James asked against Sirius's hand.

"Wormtail," Sirius answered him pointedly as he removed his hand and, rolling his eyes, wiped it off on his robes, "is heading into Slughorn's private stores. Now, shut it. The smoke is going to fade in about another minute, and you need to act surprised."

"What are you going to tell Slughorn?"

Sirius shrugged. "Haven't thought that far ahead yet. Hopefully he believes me, yeah?"

Despite himself, James cracked a smile. He shoved Sirius's shoulder and listened for the quiet pitter-patter of rat footsteps. As the smoke began to clear, James held his breath and prayed to Merlin that Peter had moved quickly.

Fortunately, as people began to look around, Peter, returned to his normal form, was back in the classroom, though a few rows in front of where he ought to be. However, as people scrambled back to their potions, not a soul seemed to notice Peter edge back into his spot next to Remus.

"You're one lucky bastard," James muttered.

"Luck is just a lesser man's skill," Sirius returned with a wicked grin. Then, in a loud voice, he began apologizing profusely to Slughorn.

"I hope this little mishap won't affect my grade," he said. "I'd hate to be in trouble academically and have to go to some remedial lessons, seeing as my fellow Marauders and I were so looking forward to your next Slug Club meeting."

James, Remus, and Peter glared at Sirius darkly, but Sirius winked in Slughorn's direction and chuckled lightly under his breath.

Realizing that Slughorn was watching him, James forced a grin onto his face and leaned over to hiss into Sirius's ear. "I'm going to murder you in your sleep."

"Good luck flinging the bullshit without me."

James growled and whacked Sirius in the back of the head.

As the class was ending and Slughorn was eyeing everyone's work, Sirius went over to talk to Peter to see how the mission went.

Watching them whispering conspiratorially, James rolled his eyes and looked back over to the other side of the room at Lily. To his enormous surprise, she turned her head, as well, and for a brief moment, they made eye contact.

Immediately, James's hand jumped up to tug at his hair, but remembering at the last second how much she abhorred that nervous habit, James forced his hand to stop at the back of his neck. He was about to smile at her when she hastily redirected her gaze.

James let out a gust of disappointed air and busied himself with clearing away his cauldron supplies.

On their way to the Great Hall for lunch, James made a quick stop to talk to one of his fellow chasers, Hayley, about his new strategy for that night's practice. When he rejoined his friends at the Gryffindor table, he noticed that they seemed to be finishing up a very tense conversation. Remus's eyes looked wary, and Sirius seemed to be trying to persuading him with the help of Peter.

"Quit being such a swot, Moony, and live a little."

"Sirius, this isn't a matter of living large. These things are dangerous. We have no idea how the reaction will be – "

"Hey, what's going on? It looks like you're planning the demise of the Minister over here."

Sirius leaned away from the table coolly. "It's nothing important," he said as he brushed his dark fringe out of his gray eyes. "Moony here was just talking about his late night extracurricular activity last Tuesday. Apparently, people are suspecting things about his mum."

"And, uh, why he always has scratches," Peter added hastily.

"Oh," said James with a shrug. "Just say you have a badly behaved bunny. It can be your furry little problem."

Remus glared at Sirius briefly before turning his attention to James. "Uh, thanks."

"Not a problem. Aha, anymore!" James added, looking pleased with his own wit.

"Turkey sandwiches today," Peter chimed in after a moment of awkwardness. "We all know how much you love to massacre them."

James grinned and scooted into the empty seat next to Remus. "Excellent." He grabbed a sandwich and started to remove everything on it except for the turkey. "Meat and bread is really all a bloke needs in life."

Peter laughed uneasily.

James looked around and saw that Benjy Fenwick was staring intently at the Gryffindor table – at Lily. "Fenwick is such a berk. Would it kill him to keep his eyes to himself? He's practically zeroing in on his territory over there." When no one answered, James huffed in his seat. "All right, what's going on? Did someone hex off my clothes when I wasn't looking?"

"Thankfully no," Sirius replied. "Everything's fine. We were just discussing a few ideas we have for a new prank. Nothing too eventful. Anyway," continued Sirius, ignoring the suspicious looks James was still sending him, "I'll be back. I've got matters to discuss with some of the fair ladies of our noble house of Gryffindor."

James shook his head in disbelief as he turned to his left to face Remus. "What is with him today?"

"Er – I've got to go too. I, uh, later."

His mouth slightly ajar, James watched as Remus got up as well and made his way over to the other end of the table where Sirius was heading.

"What is going on today?" James asked Peter incredulously. "It's like everyone around me is completely bonkers. Tell me you still have your sanity, Pete. Uh, Pete?"

Peter, who had been intently observing the far side of the table, started in his seat. "Um, sure. That sounds like a good idea, Prongs."

"Wait. What? Are you even listening to me?"

Peter suddenly squeaked slightly and turned to face James urgently. "You have to go see Sirius."

"And you have to go see a Healer. Honestly, Peter, what's with the rush? I'll see him in about five minutes. I'm sure nothing he has to say deserves a rush."

"No, trust me, James. You need to go over there now. It's of the utmost importance."

James rolled his eyes. "Utmost importance my bum."

Peter whipped out his wand.

"You wouldn't." It was against the Marauder Code to hex each other, unless it would result in something extremely hilarious.

"Go, and we won't have to find out."

James rolled his eyes again and sighed exasperatedly. He was not the slightest bit worried about Peter's threats, but he figured if he did as he was told at least he might be able to go back to eating his lunch in peace.

Sometimes being a Marauder was bloody aggravating.

"James!" Sirius announced loudly as soon as James had reached where he was sitting next to Dorcas.

"Yes, I am here, Sirius. Now, what the ruddy hell is so important that it couldn't wait another minute? I swear to Merlin Peter looked like he was going to get attacked by a manticore if I didn't get my ass over here. Sirius?" James groaned as he realized his friend was not even listening to him but was staring off to his left at where Remus was sitting.

"Sirius!" James repeated again.

"What?"

"You wanted to talk to me?"

Muttering something inaudible to himself, Sirius flicked his gaze back to the left and then, with a confused expression, turned back to James. "Oh, right. Er, sorry, I forgot what I was going to say."

James rolled his eyes. "Bloody priceless."

Despite the fact that James continued to observe his friends sending furtive looks to each other, James's mind was relatively uncluttered as he listened to Professor McGonagall explain the theory behind switching spells.

Transfiguration was the only class in which he sat in the front row. After he and his friends uncovered the truth about Remus's lycanthropy, they knew that would have to learn as much about Transfiguration as they possibly could if they wanted to become animagi, which required that they actually paid attention.

Though they had achieved their goal the previous year, Remus had decided they ought to keep their seats. It would look too suspicious if they suddenly changed now. However, it could have been because Remus had become a prefect and wanted to stay in McGonagall's good graces.

James did not mind because he did truly enjoy Transfiguration. His only lament was that he could not see Lily.

While scribbling down some lecture notes, James knocked over his inkwell in haste. Quickly, he vanished the ink with his wand and then rolled up the sleeves to his uniform shirt to prevent any more mishaps.

"Who can explain the difference between a cross-species switching spell and a switching spell involving human transfiguration?"

James raised his hand, and McGonagall nodded in his direction.

"The cross-species switching spells are much simpler. We've already done most of them like switching a guinea fowl into a guinea pig. But, using switching spells as part of human transfiguration is much more difficult because humans have a higher degree of complexity, and so the spell has to be casted exactly right or you might end up without a nose, or something."

Professor McGonagall offered James a rare smile. "Five points to Gryffindor."

James took off his glasses, wiped them off, and put them back on just to make sure he was not dreaming.

"As Mr. Potter just stated, switching spells used in human transfiguration can be highly dangerous. However, they are also immensely useful in disguises and concealment, in case any of you plan to pursue careers as aurors. You want to be extremely exact with your wrist. Many students fail to perform the spell properly because they attempt to exert the spell with their elbow. Remember that a spell's difficultly level does not mean that it requires any overt movement; rather, more subtlety is usually the key. Observe."

Minutes later, McGonagall set them up in pairs to practice the spell, and the class ended shortly thereafter. Though he managed the spell with very little difficulty, he found himself distracted and unable to stop himself from glancing at Lily and Remus.

"She's not going to suddenly fall in love with you," Sirius murmured grumpily with a sour look at Peter. "So you can give your eyeballs some much needed rest."

"I just feel bad. She's probably beating herself up right now. I don't reckon McGonagall's ever yelled at her before."

"Well, it's a happy experience we must all endure. Besides, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I reckon Evans has got tough skin."

"Ruddy impenetrable," Peter added darkly.

James shrugged and waved his wand so that Peter and Sirius swapped ears again.

Because Transfiguration was their final class of the day and the boys wanted to take advantage of the last of the temperate weather October had to offer, they ventured to a familiar spot for lollygagging. James leaned his back against the rough bark of the tall birch tree by the vast lake. It was much too cold to swim, but the temperature was warm enough to enjoy the view. Breeze played with the back of James's hair, and he ducked his head into his robes.

"Ugh, stop brooding over Evans, you ruddy sack of dungbombs," Sirius complained loudly in James's ear as he scooted next to him against the tree. "I can't take your sulking anymore. It's causing me mental distress, you hear me?"

"I just feel bad for her."

"She'll be fine, James," Remus assured him as he skipped yet another stone into the lake, watching it bounce along the ripples of the gray water. "She seemed a bit shaken up, but it's no permanent harm done."

"I still can't believe it didn't work," Peter griped as he chucked a handful of grass he was picking down into the dirt.

"What didn't work?" James asked.

"Nothing," Sirius answered quickly. "You know, Wormtail. He's just regretting that his latest combination of Shepherd's pie and haggis wasn't as tasty as he thought it would be."

Sirius and Peter exchanged a series of glances beginning with outrage and ending with satisfaction, but James did not notice because he had risen from his seat and was walking toward the lake.

He looked out across the water and began to clear his mind. He closed his eyes and felt the slight wind rush past his ears and thought of his trip to Spain two years ago. The beaches had been so lovely in the summer.

Plop.

"Eurgh!"

James shrieked and hastily began wiping his shoulder to remove the gray and white colloid liquid that had fallen from the sky. He looked up to see a brown school owl flying above him. "You ruddy bastard!" James hollered up at it as he waved his fists around furiously. "If I ever see you again, I'll pluck you!" James growled vociferously, only to hear giggling in response.

He turned to see a few amused girls watching him, a sight that only made him more infuriated. With a huff, James tensed his shoulders and walked back to the birch tree. The sight he found there was hardly any better.

Sirius was laughing with so much gusto that tears were falling from his eyes. Peter was snorting loudly and had fallen onto the ground. Remus, at least, had the decency to try to cover his wide smirk with the back of his hand, but his blue eyes looked like they were struggling to remain in control.

"That was not funny. A ruddy bird crapped on me!"

His declaration only elicited a greater response from the boys.

"Just when I thought the afternoon was getting boring," Sirius gasped through guffaws.

James grounded his teeth together. He threw off his now tarnished robes and aimed a swift kick at Sirius's shin.

Still laughing, Sirius winced in pain and rolled over. As he did so, a silver flask, which James knew very well, slipped out of his pocket.

Muttering obscenities under his breath, James picked up the flask and crossed over to the other side of the birch tree where the girls who had giggle at him before were sitting.

James twisted the cap off the flask, damned hangovers to hell, and then took a large swig of its contents. It tasted like warm butterbeer, and James suddenly had the sensation of glowing amber liquid flooding through his veins. His eyes widened from the rush of gold, and then he saw her.

She was sitting on a blanket about twenty meters away. Her legs were tucked neatly underneath her as she cocooned herself into her dark robes. Her hair was like golden silver. As James stared at its silky texture, blowing this way and that in the breeze, he could not figure out if it was more blond or brown. The sun played tricks with the highlights, making it change constantly.

She moved slightly, and James let out a gasping gust of air. His heart ached within his chest because some heavenly Aphrodite had allowed him to see her face. He knew that he could die a happy man because he had had the honor to bear witness to such exquisite beauty, even for the briefest of moments.

For there was no way to adequately describe the fairness of her skin nor the rosy flush of her cheeks, the way she appeared as flawless as a porcelain doll but was probably so soft to the touch that James's fingers throbbed at his side.

Her eyes were like pools of blue. James wished he was closer to her because he had the unquenchable desire to see those eyes closely. Surely, they would tell him positively everything about goodness that one could possibly ever need if he could simply gaze into them but one time.

She blinked, and he watched her thick, dark eyelashes fall onto the tips of her cheeks.

James sucked in a breath and continued to watch her. He could see her straight nose leading down to the fullest lips he had ever beheld. They were ruddy pink in color and had a slight pouty quality to them. James felt every muscle tense in his body as he allowed himself to wonder for a mere second what it must feel like to kiss those lips. Surely, he would trade his life away for the opportunity to try. James swallowed, and his Adam's apple bobbed in his throat.

Her lips parted, and James staggered for he was presented with the gift of her smile. All the radiance of the stars could not hope to match its brightness.

His heart heaving to the point of madness, James gripped at his chest as he fell back against the tree.

Tears formed in his eyes as he tried in vain to recollect himself.

"Oh, James, mate, what's with you?" Sirius called. "You can't exactly blame us for laughing. It was ruddy hilarious."

Sirius ducked under a branch and walked over to where James was standing. "Oi, Prongs, are you listening to me?"

"Who is she?" James asked breathlessly.

"Who? Those birds over there? The hell if I know. They look like fourth years. Who bloody cares?"

James grabbed Sirius by his robes and shoved him roughly against the tree. "Don't talk about her like that!" he yelled.

"Oh, James! Let Sirius go! I'm sure whatever he said wasn't that bad," Remus said in a calming voice as he approached the pair.

James immediately ditched Sirius and sank down onto his knees before Remus. "Do you know who she is?" he asked urgently.

"Who?"

James clamored to his feet. "Her," he breathed.

"Uhh, I think so? Isn't that the Hufflepuff seeker? Umm, Peter? What's her name?"

Peter scratched his head. "I think her name is Tara, or something like that."

James sighed in contentment. "Tara," he sang. The word slipped from his mouth like honey. His entire body felt warm from its sound, and he hugged himself about the middle. His lips still hummed from the way it felt to say such a name aloud. "I have to go talk to her!" James announced frantically. "I've got to tell her how I feel!"

"What you feel? James, what the hell are you talking about?" Sirius asked as his foot collided with something hard. He bent down to pick it up, and his eyes widened when he realized that it was his flask. The ever-present smirk on his lips vanished, as though someone had slapped it off his lips. All the color drained from Sirius's face. "Shit!" he cursed loudly.

Panicked, Sirius looked up at James, but he was gone, sprinting over to where Tara was sitting. Sirius's jumped to his feet and held the flask up to Remus and Peter. Both boys immediately froze in trepidation.

"We've got to go get him!"

James struggled against Peter and Remus's restraining holds. "Let me go," he whined. "I have to go see her. She's waiting for me!"

Ignoring his rambling, Peter and Remus strong-armed him through the back entrance castle doors. "Sirius, do something," Peter muttered through gritted teeth as James's flailing elbow found his chest.

"James, mate, snap out of it, okay? C'mon, we had to get you out of there. You're being ridiculous."

"But I have to find out her answer!"

"You mean your impromptu proposal to stare into each other's eyes until the sun no longer lights the world? Prongs, you just met her! You don't even know what her last name is! I can't ruddy believe I'm saying this, but see reason!"

James's face broke out into a dreamy smile. "It doesn't matter what her last name is. She's going to be Tara Potter." With that, James started thrashing even harder against his captives.

"Uh," Sirius thought aloud as he scratched the back of his head. "Oh! Petrificus Totalus!"

Peter and Remus started as James stiffened in their arms and accidentally dropped him in shock. James's rigid body hit the floor with a resounding thud.

Sirius winced. "Er, sorry, mate."

Remus stepped over James's still form and wiped a bit of perspiration off of his forehead. "What are we going to do?"

The boys walked a few paces down the corridor to get out of earshot, and James was left lying on the floor, unmovable. He stared up at the high gray ceiling and after a few minutes of idly gazing, he saw a transparent figure floating by.

The ghost peered down at James, his head toppling forward as it did so, and then zoomed away.

James found the whole situation very funny. If he could have moved, he would have been laughing.

"James," Remus said carefully from his lofty position above the paralyzed boy. "If we unbind you, do you promise not to run away and listen to what we have to tell you?"

"I don't think he's in a position to answer us," Peter said.

"Right. Okay, well, James. I'm going to take the hex off. But if you try to run off again, I'm going to have to put it back on. Er, Sirius, grab his arms – just in case." Remus counted to three and then performed the countercurse.

Immediately, James tried to wriggle free from Sirius.

"I don't think he listened to us," Sirius snapped as he avoided James's attempts at head butting him.

Peter and Remus hastened over to the floor to help keep James still.

"James! James! Listen to me!" Remus yelled loudly over James's protests. "You want to see Tara again, right?"

James stopped scuffling immediately. "More than anything," he breathed.

"Good," replied Remus with a nod. "Good. Well, if you want to see her, you're going to have to be romantic about it, right?"

"Of course! She deserves it. She's the most amazing creature in existence, Remus! You should have seen the breathtaking beauty of her face up close. And when she laughs, I swear I heard woodnymphs."

"Yes, um, I'm sure that's true. Well, you want to impress her, right?"

James nodded enthusiastically, his chin practically hitting his chest with the extreme thrusting of his head.

"Then you're going to have to come with us to Gryffindor Tower."

"Why? Is Tara there?"

"No," Sirius answered, catching on. "But look at you, Prongs! You look like a right mess. I swear you've still got a bit of bird poop on your shoulder. Can't exactly win the heart of your fair lass looking like this."

"You're right!" James bemoaned. "Oh, she must think I'm an animal." He struggled to his feet. "Let's go. We have to fix this so we can woo her."

The boys practically had to sprint through the corridors to keep up with James, who zoomed by passerby without much of a thought, still mindlessly chattering on about Tara's magnificent attributes as he did so.

"Vice versa," James demanded as he pounded on the Fat Lady's portrait and tried to catch his breath.

"Excuse me," said the Fat Lady, highly affronted. "Just what do you think you're doing, young man?"

James continued to slam his fist against the oil paint. "Let me in!" he whined unapologetically. "I need to get in! I have to change. I've got to!"

"What you need to do is stand back and be more respectful. I am not a machine. I'm a human – well, it doesn't matter about semantics."

"Let me in!" James repeated, though he had backed away from the base of the portrait. "You don't understand! I've got to get inside! She can't see me like this. I have to woo her!"

The Fat Lady pursed her lips haughtily and was about to reply when Sirius galloped toward them.

He threw his hands on his thighs, and hunched over, attempting to breathe. "Vice versa," he gasped as Remus and Peter bounded around the corner behind him. "Vice versa."

As soon as James trampled up the staircases and into his dormitory, he flung open his trunk and started flinging objects in every direction in search of a suitable outfit.

By the time the rest of the boys caught up to him, James had moved on to Sirius's trunk. "Doesn't anyone own anything presentable?" James murmured as he haphazardly threw Sirius's dress robes over his shoulder. "I mean, would it kill us to have a nicely ironed dress shirt?"

"Oi, watch it!" called Peter, ducking a projectile shoe.

"James, mate," Sirius said as he cautiously took a step forward. "You need to stop. What you're feeling right now isn't real. You, uh, had an accident. You need to just calm down so we can explain things to you. You understand?"

James froze. "Got it!"

Sirius's worried face sighed in relief. "Thank Merlin!"

James tore off his uniform shirt and held up Sirius's dark blue button-down shirt up to his chest. "Do you think Tara will like this one?"

Sirius slapped himself in the face. "Okay, change tactics. Moony, you come with me to the dungeons. Maybe we can slip in and find an antidote. Pete, you stay here and watch him. Don't let him out of your sight. We'll be back soon."

Barely registering his friends' absence, James fluttered around the dorm, smoothing out his messy hair, spraying cologne, and pestering Peter for advice on his appearance.

"I don't sodding care how many buttons you unbutton, James!" Peter snapped irately after the fifth time James asked.

There was a knock on the door, and Peter looked heavenward in praise. "Oh, thank Merlin they're back."

However, it was Alec Hayes, the burly fifth year Gryffindor beater, who entered, not the absent Marauders.

"Oi, James! Just wanted to see if you were heading down to the Pitch. Practice in ten minutes, yeah?"

"He's not going," Peter interjected hastily. "He's not feeling good."

"Looks fine to me."

"Trust me. He's sick."

"Don't you know about the….uh, Toe Ragger Illness?" Peter invented.

Alec shrugged. "Sorry. Don't remember that one. Doesn't matter, though. He can't get sick. We've got a match coming up. How's he going to impress all the ladies if he doesn't practice?"

James's head shot up. "I've got to go to Quidditch practice."

"That's what I thought!" Alec congratulated himself. "See you down there, Captain!"

James grabbed his broomstick and strode over to the open door, but Peter rushed in front of it to block him.

"I'm sorry, James, but I can't let you leave this dorm. You're not yourself. You don't know what the repercussions might be. So, as long as I'm in charge, you're not going anywhere."

James sighed understandingly and nodded.

Peter's face and shoulders relaxed, and he smiled weakly.

James whipped out his wand and stunned Peter, who fell to the floor. "Sorry, mate," James said as he clapped the shoulder of his unconscious friend. "I have to impress my lady."

Moving so quickly that he accidentally bumped into someone on his way out of the common room, James hightailed it to the Quidditch Pitch.

"Is there some sort of casual Wednesday Quidditch practice rule I'm not aware of?" Hestia asked with a snort as James entered the Pitch.

James frowned. "No."

"Then why aren't you wearing your Quidditch robes?"

"I have to look good for her," James answered obviously as he rolled his eyes. "C'mon, let's practice."

Unfortunately, James had a great deal of trouble concentrating on the game. He had yet to score a single goal and had little awareness of the other six players zooming around him. James did not even want to fly. Every time he felt the wind in his hair or pulling at his shirt, he was reminded of the first time he saw Tara. He could scarcely believe that it had only been about 47 minutes ago. His heart twinged painfully as he longed to see her again.

"Oi, James, what are you doing just levitating there? Get in the game!" Alec urged him.

"Oh, Alec," James moaned as the tips of his shoes flittered above the grass. "How can I play knowing that she's out there? What if she's waiting for me? What if she's mad because I left her? I have to go back to her! I need to explain!"

Alec eyed James warily. "Uhh, James, are you sure you're – Duck!"

"What? No! Her name is Ta - "

James did not have time to finish her name because a bludger hit him promptly in the head.

"It's all my fault!"

"Relax, Alec, let's just get him on his back."

"Thank Merlin he was so near to the ground."

"What was he doing?"

"Oi, Hayley, what fell out of his pocket?"

"It's a mirror."

"Why the hell did he need a mirror to play Quidditch?"

James groaned as his heavy eyelids struggled to open. He tried to sit up, but the pounding in his head was too severe. He had the oddest sensation of déjà vu, but he could not remember why. Everything seemed like a hazy dream.

As the last of the day's sunlight breached his eyes, James blinked and saw a heavenly face. She was an angel. When he rubbed his eyes groggily and looked again, she had disappeared. "No," he moaned in devastation as he tore at the empty air in front of him. "Come back."

"I think he's delirious."

James hunched over. "Where is she?" he demanded. "I need to see her. I love her. I have to be with her."

"I think he botched up his head. We should probably take him to see Madame Pomfrey," said Hestia.

"Yeah. Somebody should probably tell Sirius, too."

With Alec's words, the mirror in Hestia's hands began to glow.

"What the – ?" Hestia began, nearly dropping the mirror in surprise. "Sirius?"

"Hello, Hestia," Sirius replied with a wink. "Come here often?"

Hestia rolled her eyes. "How are you doing this?" she asked testily.

"Is that her?" James asked, sounding as though he was in the midst of a drunken stupor as he reached for the mirror. "Can you see her eyes? They're like the ocean. I could swim in them, but I'd drown."

"James, maybe you should lay back down," Alec advised as he pulled his shoulder gently.

"Sirius, what the hell is going on?"

Sirius's image waved her words away with a hand. "Too complicated to explain."

"Where's James? Is he with you?" Remus asked, ducking into the screen.

"He's right here," Hestia replied.

"Okay. Tell Peter that we'll be there in a sec."

"What? Peter's not here."

"Where are you?" Remus demanded.

"The Quidditch Pitch."

Sirius cursed loudly. "Stay right there. I'll come get him."

Sirius guided James along as though he was a marionette with the strings cut off. He kept flailing his arms around and staggering his feet.

"C'mon, James, we've got to keep moving."

"But this isn't the way to the Hospital Wing," James pointed out defiantly. "You told Hestia we were going to the Hospital Wing."

"I lied," Sirius answered delicately.

"You shouldn't do that. Lying is wrong."

"I'll try to remember that."

"Why aren't we going there? I hurt my head."

"We can't go because you're not yourself right now, and Madame Pomfrey would probably get us kicked out if I brought you in like this."

"Well, that wouldn't be very nice of her."

James clumsily walked into a suit of armor. "Oww!" He staggered backwards and then suddenly stopped moving and folded his arms across his chest with a great pout decorating his face. "That wasn't very nice," he told the armor. "Ugh, Sirius, I don't want to be here."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "And if I had my way, I'd be snogging Eliza Boyd right now on a private beach. C'mon, let's get you under the cloak. The less people who spot you the better."

James stayed still as Sirius wrapped the cloak around them. "You're my best friend," James cooed with a dreamy smile on his face.

Sirius sighed and clapped James on the shoulder. As aggravating as the day had become, Sirius could not resist the innocence displayed on his face. "And you're mine. Now, can we please go?"

As Sirius half-dragged James through the corridors, careful as not to tread on the fabric of the invisibility cloak, he endured James's gushing about Tara.

"And when she smiles, it's like I've been hit with an arrow straight through the heart."

"How bloody apropos."

"And her hair! Padfoot, have you ever seen such pretty gold hair before? It's like butterscotch, but silver like the moon at the same time. How does hair even do that?"

"James, you've got to be quieter," hissed Sirius as he looked around vigilantly. They passed the Great Hall and wove throughout the clumps of students leaving dinner.

"But I just don't understand how hair can do such a thing," reiterated James, unable to focus on anything else.

"Prongs, she's a dirty blonde. It's not that hard to – Oh sodding piece of – "

"What?"

"James, close your eyes. Do it now."

"What? Why? Oh Merlin! There she is! Do you see her, Padfoot! Tara's over there!"

Sirius panicked and tightened his grip on James's elbow. "C'mon, James. We've got to meet Remus and Peter in the dorm."

Unfortunately, James either did not seem to hear him or simply did not care because the next second he had freed his hand from Sirius's grasp and escaped from the cloak in pursuit of the Hufflepuff girls.

"Tara!"

Overall, it took very little convincing on James's part to convince Tara to accompany him back to the Gryffindor Tower.

She was only an impressionable fourteen year-old girl, and he was a Marauder. Of course she went with him, even if he was acting a bit strangely. At least he was talking to her.

"Can I hold your hand?" James asked reverently as he peered down at little Tara with wide, hopeful eyes.

The girl blushed. "Um, sure."

James beamed resplendently and slipped his fingers between hers. "You are so beautiful."

"Oh, um, thanks, I guess."

"What's your last name?"

The more James walked with Tara, the more he realized how deeply he loved her. Her nose wrinkled a bit when she laughed, her blue eyes sparkled when she smiled, and her golden silver hair left him mystified.

It was like this girl had a direct path to his soul.

"I think you have a direct path to my soul," James whispered as they rounded the corner near the Gryffindor Tower.

Tara bit her lip as she darted her eyes away.

James's heart flipped. He loved her best when she played coy. "Vice versa."

Tara hesitated as the Fat Lady swung open to reveal the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. "Er, maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"Oi, James! Wait up!"

"Sirius!" James squealed as he turned slightly. "Tara's here!"

"I noticed." Sirius sent a meaningful glance in the girl's direction to try to get her to play along.

She seemed confused, but she nodded anyway.

"Well, James, what are you waiting for? Let's get inside!"

James aided Tara over the threshold and then tripped over his feet as he tried to get inside himself. Giggling fanatically, he entered the common room with Sirius not too far behind him.

"I'm really sorry about this!" Sirius hissed while attempting to pin James's arms behind his back. "He's not acting himself."

"I noticed," Tara replied with a nervous glance in James's direction. "My friends said this afternoon was just a dare, but then he was so nice before by the Great Hall. I thought he just wanted to snog, or something."

"Snogging!" James screeched with excitement. "I didn't think you'd let me. You want to snog? Oh, Tara, say anything, and it's yours!"

James edged his way out of Sirius's hold and threw his arm over Tara's shoulder. Before she could protest, he pulled her into a tight embrace, unable to believe his tremendous good fortune when he could smell the vanilla scent of her hair.

Blissful in the moment, James pulled away slightly so that he could lean down to kiss her when something peculiar caught his eye.

James tilted his head to the right as he saw Lily, completely disheveled with red hair flying everywhere, start running through the common room.

Something seemed to click in his head, as though a final slot had been filled to solve a puzzle, and he released Tara without bothering even to look at her. He blinked in confusion as he tried to sort out his muddled thoughts. Nothing made sense anymore, but he knew that he could not let Lily leave – not when she seemed so upset. He dashed towards the fleeing redhead.

"Lily!" he called out hoarsely. "Lily!"

"Stupefy!"

James staggered to a halt when he saw Lily fall to the ground in heap. He whipped around to see Remus holding out his raised wand. "Remus?"

"Sorry, James."

James blinked and with a flash of red light saw nothing else as he crumpled to the ground.

A/N: Slightly less confused?

The third and final chapter will explain it all.

Yours,

Molly