A/N: Same as before, really. Keep reading, keep reviewing! Thanks to everyone.

I monitored James' behaviour closely over the next few weeks. He was still lively, loud and funny, but he was politer and kinder to other people. His pranks became less cruel, to the point where even I found them genuinely amusing (the best of these being the time he bewitched the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall to actually rain when the weather was bad – it took McGonagall at least an hour to put it right). He often apologised to his victims afterwards. He generally left Severus alone, as had I since the incident at the end of last year when he called me a Mudblood; and put more of his effort into his classes, actually taking notes and paying attention in lessons, and into training his team for the final Quidditch match of the season.

The result of the latter was that Gryffindor thumped Ravenclaw by a margin of over three hundred points, successfully retaining the Quidditch Cup. James ended the match with a spectacular catch, leaping upwards off his broom to snatch the Snitch after it changed direction unexpectedly and attempted to zoom back over his head. I felt my heart skip several beats as James barely managed to get back on his broom, clinging to it with one hand for a second before swinging himself back onto it and pelting towards the rest of his jubilant team.

A raucous party in the Gryffindor Common Room ensued, with James being the focus of a lot of attention. Most uncharacteristically, however, he took the praise rather modestly, and after a while, detached himself from a sizeable group of fervent admirers. He climbed on top of a table in the middle of the room and called for attention. Everyone went quiet and looked at him.

"Everyone, I'd just like to say a huge thank you to my brilliant team, who have not only managed to put up with me for a whole year, but have flown spectacularly the whole season. It's been a real pleasure, guys." He smiled at the team, clustered in a corner.

Sirius Black, who played Beater, sniffed loudly and said jokingly, "Someone pass me a tissue."

Everyone laughed. James smiled at his friend and continued, "At the end of this year, we shall be bidding farewell to our Keeper, Denison Frisby. He's been on our team for four years now, and has been a great asset. He leaves us to become reserve Keeper the Montrose Magpies."

There was a collective gasp, and much applause. Frisby had certainly kept that one quiet. He looked a little embarrassed, but very pleased. "We wish you well, mate, and… we've got a little something for you," continued James. He jumped down from the table and walked towards a corner. He picked up a bundle that had been lying there, unnoticed, and handed it to Frisby.

There were two objects. The first was a large and ornately framed team photo of the seven Gryffindor players. Underneath the photo was the inscription, "Denison Frisby – Gryffindor Keeper, 1973-1977". The second item was folded up, but when Frisby unfolded it, it fell out of its bundle and revealed itself to be his Quidditch robes. This was unusual, as the robes were usually kept for the player who filled the vacant position. I wondered how on earth James had managed to secure Frisby's uniform for him to keep.

"Just so you can remember your humble beginnings, you know, when you're playing for England and such," said James, jokingly. Frisby laughed and pulled James into a one-armed hug. The assembled students broke into applause again, and the party resumed. After chatting briefly to the rest of his team, James went to get himself another butterbeer from the drinks table. I went over too.

"Nice speech," I said, smiling. He smiled too.

"He'll be a great Keeper. He probably will play for England, you know," he replied. "Don't know how we're going to fill his gloves next year."

"Yeah, well, you're not too bad yourself. That was quite some catch earlier. You had us all a bit worried for a moment."

He smiled sheepishly. "I was lucky. It was a pretty stupid thing to try, now that I look back on it."

I was slightly surprised. "Since when have you been so sensible and responsible?" I asked, teasing him. But he just laughed.

"Ah well; I suppose I'd better go and pretend I'm interested in everyone else, too," he said, with a wink. "See you later." He turned and walked back to his team. I stood and watched him for a few seconds before I heard another familiar voice behind me.

"Lily and James, sitting in a tree…" it said in a sing-song voice. I turned and saw Emmeline standing there, grinning.

"Oh, shut up, Em. I'm just giving him a chance is all. You have to admit he's been more… sensible than usual, the last few weeks."

"I know," she replied, but she was still smirking. "Looks like he took what Remus said to heart."

I nodded, and then did a double-take. I had not told anyone about that. "How did you know?" She rolled her eyes in an exasperated fashion.

"Lils, I'm going out with Remus," she reminded me pointedly. "He told me. Anyway, he reckons that James has realised what a prat he was and wants to make it up to you. Seems pretty determined, mind."

I mulled over this for a while, before saying, "He's got a lot to make up for." Emmeline simply smiled knowingly.

I sipped my butterbeer in a dignified fashion, reflecting on how I felt about the new James Potter. If I was honest with myself, I found him charming, funny and intelligent. I even grudgingly admitted to myself that I enjoyed his company. The question, in my mind, was whether or not he could keep this up long-term. Although he seemed sincere, you could never tell with James Potter. This fact was demonstrated a moment later, when Denison Frisby swallowed a biscuit offered to him by his captain that caused his hair to turn bright blue. Completely oblivious to this, he was left wondering what everyone was laughing about for several minutes before James showed him a mirror, returned his hair to normal colour, and clapped him on the back, grinning. He caught my eye across the Common Room, and I grinned back.