A/N: Hey everyone! I am so happy that people like this story so far. It always cheers me up to see that number. I'm doing this in class right now, so I can't really take the time to say too much, plus I think you want to know what happens to Lily!

Chapter Five: Oblitherating, Deals, and A Joke In-Between

For the fifth time in three minutes, James sighed and checked his watch. It had been half an hour since Lily had walked into the bathroom. He had grown bored with his book long ago, he was hungry, and because of that he was feeling cranky. Casting his book aside, James stood to his feet and pounded his fist on the door.

"EVANS!" he shouted. "EVANS! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE NOW!"

No reply.

"COME ON, IT CAN'T BE THAT BAD!"

Still nothing. Students passing by were beginning to stare at him.

"JUST DO YOUR DAMN BUSINESS, IT ISNT THAT HARD!" James turned around and saw and saw group of third year girls looking at him curiously. "What do you want?" he snapped. "Put your eyes back into your head and clear off!" The girls started and looked at him fearfully, not needing to be told again to keep moving. James sighed and turned around in time to hear an annoyed voice behind the bathroom door.

"That was really rude, Potter! I would never have told younger kids to clear off. You really need to work on that!" James rolled his eyes.

"It's also really rude to leave me standing out here for half and hour! Would you just pull down the pants and get it over with? We have something called classes you know, which happen to start in about fifteen minutes, and I HAVEN'T EATEN YET!" he roared. Lily finally emerged from the bathroom, and placed her hands on her hips.

"Do you think with your stomach or something? You should have just grabbed something to go like I told you," she said furiously. James scowled at her and angrily smacked her hands away from her waist.

"How many times do I have to tell you to quit doing that? When have you ever seen a sixteen year old boy stand like that? Or any boy, for that matter?"

"Marcus Thimble," she said automatically.

"Well, he doesn't count," James said exasperatedly. "He went to the Yule Ball with Oscar Weston and that pretty much cleared things up. From what I hear they're thinking of buying a flat together once they graduate." Lily's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah, rumor has it that they want to adopt a kid and…look, that isn't the point, Evans!" he said, getting back on track. "What took you so long in there? I thought you said you only had to take a piss." Lily blushed a bit and studied at her shoes.

"I did," she mumbled.

"So what took so long?" he demanded again. "You should have just been in and out. Unzip, do your business, zip and you're done!" Lily snapped her head up, her eyes blazing in fury. For once, James could see why people didn't like to get him upset; even he was beginning to lean away from her when he took a look at the anger reflecting in his eyes.

"Look," she said in a dangerously low voice. "It's not just 'in and out', Potter. I spent about fifteen minutes trying to convince myself to go, and another fifteen washing my hands. So modify my damn memory before it's etched in there forever!" James chuckled softly and began to walk towards the Great Hall.

"Well, well, well," he said gleefully. "I guess you've seen it all now, eh Evans? I suppose the others will be just attacking you with details when we get back in out bodies." Lily threw him a revolted look and halted him by grabbing his arm.

"That's disgusting!" she cried. "And for your information, I didn't look, Potter. I closed my eyes. I'm not perverted, unlike some particular person standing right next to me. Now, for the last time, modify my memory, dammit!"

"Alright, alright! Okay, how did the spell go again?"

"It's very simple, Potter. All you have to say, is Obliviate. Got that?"

"Oblitherate, got it."

"No! Not oblitherate, you idiot! Obliviate!" James smirked at her and twirled his wand in his fingers idly.

"Impatience gets you no where, Evans," he said. "I suggest you be nice to me before I accidentally erase too much." Lily closed her eyes for a moment and counted to ten, praying for an ounce of patience that she needed desperately. When she opened them, she grit her teeth firmly together and glared at James.

"Okay," she said slowly. "Repeat after me, Potter. O—"

"O," he repeated.

"-Bliv-"

"Bliv."

"-iate."

"Iate."

"Obliviate."

"Oblitherate," he said. Lily threw her hands up in frustration and stormed into the Great Hall, with James grinning like a maniac as he followed her.

"You are impossible!" she raged. "You know what? Forget it, just forget it! Knowing you, you'll end up giving me amnesia for life. So I'll just modify your memory every time you…go and everything will be great."

"Wait," protested James as he hitched the bag over his shoulder. "Why do I have to have my memory modified and you don't?"

"You know what?" Lily said, just slightly frantic. "I can't deal with this right now. I can't deal with you right now. So I am going to go about my school day like everything is completely normal. I am going act like you don't exist!" She turned on her heel sharply and began to walk briskly to class. Much to her disgust, James was by her side in a flash.

"'Fraid you can't," he said, unsympathetically. "I think it's a bit late for that, don't you think? I mean, you in my body, me in yours…that is just the antithesis of normal."

"I'm ignoring you," Lily said in a testy voice, not stopping once.

"You know," James continued, fingering the long strand of hair that was falling in his face. "This hair is ridiculously long and it's constantly getting in my way. I think I should cut it, don't you? I'm thinking chin length. I'm sure it would be quite fetching." Lily faltered slightly in step, but she still didn't halt.

"You're bluffing," she said, turning to look at him. She sounded much more confident then she felt. Deep down, she knew that James Potter never bluffed. James raised an eyebrow at her.

"Am I?" he said, slightly amused. "Want to try me? 'Cause if you do I'm sure I could show up tomorrow with a shorter style. I'm rather fond of the James Potter look. I hear it's in this season." Stopping right before they entered the classroom, Lily whirled around and pointed a finger at him.

"Don't you dare," she threatened quietly. "Touch a strand on that head, Potter. If you do, I'll cut your hair so short that hair on your arms will be considered a flowing mane." James shrugged carelessly as he pushed passed her.

"Go ahead and try," he said nonchalantly. "You'll be lucky if you can even get that far. It always grows back."

"Then I'll just gel it down so it matches Malfoy's," she shot back. James laughed as he slid into his seat.

"You're welcome to have a go," he replied. "If you can get two strands to even lay in the same direction, I'll personally award you with the Order of Merlin, First Class." Lily opened her mouth to say something back, but the professor entered the classroom. She scowled at James when he threw her a triumphant look and pulled out her notes begrudgingly while mentally calling James every terrible name she could think of.

X

X

Later that evening Lily sank into a chair in the Common Room, completely worn out. An hour ago, she had tried to prevent James from going to the bathroom by putting a full body bind on him. It would have worked as well, if McGonagall hadn't come up to them. James had put on an impeccable act and imitated her to say that Lily was trying to make him have an accident. In result, Lily had gotten ten points taken away from Gryffindor. With McGonagall standing nearby making sure she hadn't tried anything else, she had no choice but to watch James walked into the girls bathroom ("I go proudly where no man has gone before," he had said). She nervously waited for him to come out and when he did, he said the one thing she would not have expected: "How come you get a couch?" Lily had tried to modify his memory, but James had said loudly, "Potter, if try to modify my memory, I'll kill you. You'll end up erasing everything!" McGonagall had overheard and ordered them to stay away from each other for the rest of the evening.

Although she would never admit this aloud, being James was not easy. Whenever she walked to her next class, she couldn't help notice groups of girls giggle as she passed them by; no matter what she would do to get them go away, they still thought James Potter was the greatest. In addition to the Chelsea problem that had occurred that morning, two more had followed. James had not been a help either.

"You're James Potter now," he had chuckled. "Deal with it. Merlin knows I need a break." That had been something Lily would have said if she had been back in her own body.

But she wasn't.

And for that reason, she was in a bad mood. A very bad mood.

It only got worse when James bounded down the stairs and plopped beside her in a nearby couch. Lily glanced up at him and scowled slightly, letting out a huge sigh.

"Why are you down here?" she asked. "You're supposed to be doing homework."

"I finished," James said simply. Lily looked at the clock, then back at him, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not.

"You can't have," she said. "We just got back up here an hour ago. It usually takes me at least two." James laughed and leaned back into the chair, grabbing a blanket and covering himself with it.

"Just another thing I'm better at than you. Remind me to add that to the list." Lily rolled her eyes and pulled out her textbooks. I should have expected an answer like that, she though sourly. I set myself up for that one.

She was just about to get out her homework when she felt an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey James," said a girlish voice. Lily rolled her eyes and turned to face Valerie Thompson who was flirtatiously running her fingers through her hair. James's eyebrows shot up and he lay down on the couch, making himself more comfortable.

"This should be interesting," he said softly.

"Who are you?" Lily asked rudely, ignoring his comment. If Valerie had been the first person to come up to her, maybe she would have had more patience. But she wasn't, and Lily abandoned all attempts to be nice long ago. "I'm trying to do some homework here, so if you would be so kind as to make it quick, I would appreciate it." Valerie looked a bit startled, but continued to smile at her.

"I just wanted to say hi," she said. Lily turned back to her text book.

"Hi," she grunted. "Now go away." Valerie threw her head back and laughed loudly, much harder than necessary. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw James wince and rotate his finger a few times in his ear.

"Oh James, you are such a kidder! Listen, I was thinking about our date this Friday." Lily's head snapped up from her book and her eyes widened in horror.

"Our what?" she asked disbelievingly.

"She said that you had a date Evans," James cut in, smirking at her widely. "You know, that's when two people go out to dinner, perhaps have kiss or two." Lily shot him a dirty look before looking back at Valerie.

"Exactly," said Valerie, smiling at him. "Listen James," she said, turning back to Lily. "I had an idea. Since I'm your girlfriend now I thought we should make Friday nights a regular thing. You know, we do something each week." This time, it was James's turn to be startled. He lost his relaxed composure and sat up on the couch, shock consuming his face.

"My what?" he cried. "Since when?" Valerie frowned at him and moved closer to Lily.

"Look, Lily," she said defensively. "I know you may be a bit jealous, but James and I agreed to be committed to each other last week. So I suggest you get over it, and soon." Lily's face mirrored James's expression.

"Jealous?" she choked out at the same time James demanded, "Commitment? When did I say that?"

"Look, Vanessa," began Lily. Valerie pouted.

"Valerie!"

"Whatever. You're supposed to be the biggest gossip in school, so spread this around, okay? Lily Evans will never, ever be jealous of anyone that has any romantic involvement with James Potter…I mean me," she added quickly. "Nor will she be jealous of anyone who even talks to him…me. Alright? Do you have all of that? Do you need to take notes?"

"And James Potter does not have a girlfriend," James added strongly. "He is a free man of his own will and shall never be tied down. Clear?" Valerie looked at Lily for a moment with a hurt expression.

"Fine, Friday night is off then," she said quietly, getting up. "If that's how you feel, consider yourself dumped." At her statement, James sputtered angrily.

"But we were never going out!" he protested. But Valerie was too upset to notice his slip up and when she turned to him, her pain on her face was replaced with anger.

"And you," she said angrily. "This is your entire fault. If you like him that much, then stop acting like you hate him and put yourself out of your misery." Without another word she turned on her heel and ran up the stairs, slamming her door so loud that everyone in the common room jumped. Lily and James stared after her in complete silence for a second before turning back to each other.

"Why is everything my fault?" Lily asked indignantly. "You know, if you don't keep your mouth shut when I have to deal with one of your groupies, the whole female population is going to hate me."

"You think you have problems," scoffed James. "Everyone is going to think I have a damn girlfriend now!"

"Oh, what shall we do," Lily said dryly.

"I'm serious!" said James. "This could turn out to be a real problem for me. With the mouth Veronica—or whatever her name is—has, she probably told everyone that I was taken, which will make the girls think that I'm not available, which will bring down my status. Not to mention, she'll now tell everyone that she dumped me." James snorted and rolled his eyes. "As if I could ever get dumped. This could ruin a reputation that I spent years working on."

"Oh Potter, that is so sweet," Lily cooed, smiling at him. James looked at her with a bewildered look. "You actually thought I cared. I'm touched, really." James scowled at her and slouched deep into the chair.

"Oh ha, ha, ha," he said sourly. Lily grinned and turned back to her homework.

"Where are Sirius, Remus, and Peter?" she asked. "Shouldn't they be here?"

"Sirius is on a date with some Ravenclaw," replied James. "Remus is on a date with Heather. He's gone out with her a few times. I think he wants to ask her to be his girlfriend."

"That's so sweet," cooed Lily. James grimaced at the sound of his voice sounding so high pitched and girly.

"Whatever," he said. "And Peter…well I don't know where he is. Don't really care either. You do know what this means don't you?"

"What?" Lily asked, paying more attention to her homework than she was to him.

"It means that you…as me, James Potter, are the only one of the Marauders who doesn't have a date tonight. Instead, you are sitting here, doing homework. Do you know what this looks like?"

"God forbid that people see James Potter actually caring about his schoolwork than he does about girls," Lily said sarcastically. "I think the world may be over. Now leave me alone and let me finish this!" James pouted and grabbed a book (Great Chasers Through the Ages of Quidditch by Thomas Prewett) from the table. His expression soon softened when he lost himself in the pages. Lily sighed in relief, finally able to concentrate on her homework. It was now eight-thirty and she hadn't written down a word. If she wanted to finish before eleven, she had to get a move on.

Lily had just begun to write about the cause and effects of the Bog Wars when she felt yet another tap on her shoulder.

"What now?" she demanded irritably. She turned her head and saw a very bewildered Brian Monaghan holding many scrolls in his arms.

"What's up with you, Potter?" he asked. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Oh nothing," she said pleasantly. "It's not like I'm in my sixth year with essays to write, exams to study for. And don't even think that I have tons of homework that I'm trying to finish." Brian smiled at her sarcasm and sat down next to her.

"Sorry," he said. "But it'll only take a few minutes, I swear." Lily looked at him for a moment before setting her quill down.

"What is it?" she sighed.

"I just want to make sure you remembered the changes."

"What changes?"

"You know," Brian said slowly, eyeing her carefully. "The Quidditch practice." Lily's eyes widened bewilderedly. She hadn't thought of that. She had forgotten that James played Quidditch. "You do remember, don't you?" Lily moved her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.

"Of course he does," James cut in smoothly. "James is just feeling a bit…scattered. Do go on." Brian looked at him curiously for a moment before turning back to Lily.

"Right," he continued. "Anyway, don't forget James. The practices are tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday from six to eight, okay? I'm also thinking about adding another practice right before the game on Saturday, but I'll let you know when I make up my mind. Is that alright?" Lily was still speechless and just stared at him. "So, I'll see you tomorrow, Potter. Make sure you get some sleep tonight so you're well rested. I wouldn't want my best chaser falling asleep on his broom." He gave her a pat on the back and then went to talk to a few of the other players. Lily stared after him in shock for a second before regaining her voice back.

"I have to play Quidditch?" she asked incredulously. "There's no way I'm doing that, Potter, so you can just forget it!"

"Oh yes you are," James countered, going back to his book.

"I'm afraid of heights!"

"No better time to face your fear," he said happily. "Look, you aren't going to win this one so you can just drop it right now."

"But…" Lily said, casting around for an excuse. "But…I'll make a complete fool of you at the practice," she finished. She was certain this would bother James for sure. Unfortunately she was wrong.

"Well," said James. "I'll be there watching making sure you won't do anything too humiliating. Besides, better to make a fool of me at the practice than the game." Lily's eyes widened.

"G-game?" she choked out. "There's a game?"

"Yep," James replied cheerfully. "Against Ravenclaw. And you'd better do well because we're tied for the Quidditch Cup, which means you'll have to score a bunch of points. They've got William Baker and Jessica Barns on their team, and they're pretty good. So basically, if you miss any points, you'll probably end up being booed off the pitch or something." He took a side glance at Lily, who was looking considerably pale. "Not to add any pressure or anything," he added, smirking slightly.

"Oh, thanks for your concern," she said sourly. James just grinned and picked up his book, leaving Lily to go back to her homework. She was about to continue writing about the Bog wars again when she felt yet another tap on her shoulder for the third time that evening.

"I don't know why I even try," Lily said out loud to herself, throwing down her quill. She looked up and saw Peter looking down at her curiously.

"Hey," he said. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm just trying to get some stuff done and I keep getting interrupted. What's up?" Peter threw himself into a chair and leaned back.

"Nothing really," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Just been wandering round the school."

"Doing what?" Lily murmured absentmindedly. She was only half listening because she was paying more attention to her homework than she was to him. Peter shrugged again.

"You know," he said. "Just stuff." James peeked over the top of his book, grinning at Peter.

"You've been up in the Astronomy Tower with that Lesley chick again, haven't you?" he asked cheekily. "Peter, you sly dog." Peter looked startled, and his cheeks were beginning to color.

"How do you know about that, Lily?" he asked James. Then he turned to the real Lily, and said, "James, did you tell her?" Lily didn't answer. She was currently absorbed in her assignment and had forgotten to reply to her new name. "James!" Peter said again.

"Hmm?" Lily started and looked up at him. "What was that, Peter?"

"I said, did you…" But Lily had already looked down again and was scribbling furiously on her parchment. "Oh, forget it," Peter said tiredly. He rose heavily to his feet and headed to the stairs. "I'm going to bed." James watched him walk to the dorm before turning to Lily.

"You know," he told her. "You really need to pay more attention to people who are talking to you."

"Mhhm…"

"And also, you probably shouldn't snap at people so much. You know, like the way you did to Remus this afternoon."

"That's great…"

"If you keep it up, I might end up with no friends."

"Glad to hear it."

"And Derek Thomas cancelled your date." Lily's head snapped up, her eyes wide with attention.

"He what?" she asked, alarmed. James rolled his eyes at her and grinned. Lily didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed at his little joke. She decided on the latter and glowered at him. "Not funny, Potter."

"I thought so," he chuckled. "I certainly got your attention, didn't I?" Lily just narrowed her eyes at him and started on her Charms homework. For the next hour she worked in silence while James read his book. By 9:15 she was almost finished when James interrupted her relaxed state, shutting his book with a sharp snap.

"I'm bored," he said in a monotonous tone. "And hungry."

"Good for you," Lily said irritably. She was still looking down at her book, her brow furrowed with concentration.

"Do you have anything to eat?"

"No," she said through gritted teeth.

"How about something to drink?"

"No, Potter!"

"Alright then, I'll just go down to the kitchens and—"

"Are you crazy? You'll probably get me caught and landed in detention. No."

"Please?"

"Are you deaf?" Lily snapped at him. "I said no! Now stop acting like such a baby and leave me alone!" James huffed angrily and slouched into the couch, pouting and scowling like a give year old.

"Fine," he grumbled. "You're so boring. Out of all the bodies I had to get stuck in had to be one of the person who doesn't have a life." Lily rolled her eyes and went back to her work, ignoring James's angry muttering. A while later, she finally shut her books with a sigh and leaned back in her chair.

"Finished," she said, relieved. "I feel like that took for ever."

"It's only ten o'clock," stated James.

"I know," she answered. "But it feels much later. I'm going to sleep in a few minutes."

"That reminds me," James began. "How're we going to—" But before he could finish, Parker came over and sat down. James immediately stopped talking, not want to create any suspicious vibes.

"Hey Lil," Parker said to him cheerfully.

"Hi," Lily and James answered in unison. James gave Lily a look.

"She was talking to me, Potter," he said, trying to remind her who she was at the moment.

"Oh," Lily mumbled. "Right, I knew that." Parker gave them strange looks before turning back to James.

"Anyway," she said slowly. "Lily, Kate's looking for her T-shirt. She said you borrowed it a few days ago and she wants to wear it to bed. Do you know where it is?"

James's eyebrows rose a bit, but before he answered, Lily said, "It's in my top drawer, under the pink tank top." Parker threw her a suspicious look and folded her arms.

"How do you know?" she said curiously. "James, have you been in the dorms again while we weren't there?"

"That was one time!" James said defensively without thinking. "And I wouldn't have gone in if Sirius hadn't told me my boxers were there, which they weren't." Parker turned to him, her expression now showing complete confusion.

"Lily since when do you own boxers? And why—" She cut off abruptly and just stared at them, trying to figure out what was going on. Lily and James looked at each other quickly while they tried to come up with a logical reason. "Never mind," Parker said, holding up her hands. "I really don't want to know. Look, Lily," She turned to James. "You might want to come up and find the top for Kate. She's scared she'll catch a chill if she doesn't get a shirt on soon." James's eyebrows rose further than last and a grin started to spread across his face. "I'll look where James said to," she threw Lily a skeptical look. "And I'll be sure to tell Kate to make sure nothing's wrong with it." She turned on her heel to leave and started up the stairs. Halfway up, she turned around and said, "Oh and Lily? You might want to come up and claim the shower now, because a lot of us are taking them tonight instead of tomorrow morning. You'll get stuck last if you don't hurry." She hurried up to the dorm and shut the door softly behind her. After a moment James rose to his feet, faking an enormous yawn.

"Well," he said with a chuckle. "Getting quite late don't you think? I think I'll turn in now. G'night Evans." He made a move towards the stairs, but before he could even set his foot down, he felt a sharp tug on his sweater.

"Sit," Lily commanded stonily. She didn't wait for him to do so, and instead jerked him back on the couch. She crossed her arms and fixed him with a menacing glare. "I know what you're up to," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"You are if you don't know the answer to that," James replied casually.

"What exactly were you planning on doing?" Lily demanded, ignoring his comment.

"Going to sleep," he said innocently. "Perhaps take a shower."

"Yeah right," scoffed Lily. "You just want to want to watch everyone change, you pervert." James just shrugged.

"Hey, I'm a boy," he said unabashedly. "At least, usually I am. If there's a golden opportunity to watch girls run around in towels and not get in trouble for it, I'm going to take it." Lily pulled a face.

"Not if I can help it," she said firmly. "While you are in my body, Potter, you will not go into the girls' dorm without me. You especially will not sleep in there. Who knows what you would do alone with a girl's body." James gasped loudly, feigning shock.

"Are you saying that you don't trust me?"

"I'm saying that you're just a hormone driven sixteen-year-old boy who cares only for a woman's body and none for the personality." James opened his mouth indignantly and started to answer back, but then seemed to rethink what she said and closed it.

"Actually, that's quite accurate. Okay, so where will we sleep?" Lily raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"We?" she repeated disbelievingly. "What we? I don't know about any 'we', but you will be sleeping down here on the couch, and I will be sleeping in your dorm."

"But that's not fair!" cried James. "You get a soft bed while I get this overstuffed piece of cloth with a scrap of wool for warmth."

"Potter, you would be sleeping on a large sofa made of fine velvet with the giant Gryffindor blanket that's half an inch thick and almost big enough to cover our entire year."

"But what if I get cold?" James said stubbornly. "It could come off."

"If you weren't so hopeless in charms," Lily began dryly. "I would suggest using an engorgement spell, but you'd probably blow it up instead." James glared at her, but said nothing about it because he knew she was right.

"Fine," he said, crossing his arms. "That may be true, but how do I know you won't be trying to catch an eyeful or two?" Lily threw him a glare.

"Potter, I sincerely hope that you aren't insinuating that I would ever try to get an 'eyeful', as you call it, of…" She looked disdainfully down at the body that she was stuck in and gave a shudder. "This." James shrugged and smirked at her, ignoring her insult.

"I don't know," he said skeptically. "So many girls would jump at this opportunity. How do I know you aren't lying?"

"Point one," Lily answered, wrinkling her nose. "If I ever did what I think you think I'm going to do, I would be scarred for life and death. Point two; you are an egotistical, self centered ass."

"Those are both beside the point at hand," James continued, stretching out on the couch lazily. "You'd better make yourself comfy, Evans."

"And why is that?"

"Because you will be sleeping down here right along with me," he stated calmly.

"No way!" cried Lily.

"Way," James replied, a smirk beginning to spread on his face.

"No!" she said again.

"Hey, it's only fair."

"Haven't you ever heard the saying 'life's not fair'!" she screeched.

"Look," he reasoned. "Either we both sleep down here, or you sleep in my dorm and I sleep in yours. Take your pick." Lily glared at him. While she was extremely reluctant to agree, she knew that James would never miss the chance to watch her roommates changing.

"Alright," she said irritably. "Fine. I'll sleep down here, too. Are you happy now?" James shook his head.

"Not really," he said disappointedly. "I was hoping I would be able to sleep in the girls' dorm. Boy, the things I would tell Sirius." Lily rolled her eyes gave him a disgusted look.

"Boys," she muttered. "Speaking of night time duties, how are we going to take showers?" James smirked and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Lily said, "Shut up, Potter. I'm in no mood for you're perverted cheek." James closed his mouth, but the smirk remained on his face.

"How about this," he said. "We shower in swimsuits." Lily began to protest, out of complete habit, but then stopped. Actually, she thought. That's not a bad idea.

"Fine," she agreed. "But I expect you to keep the swimsuit on. Is that clear, Potter?" James gave her a disgusted look.

"Look Evans," he said. "I may be a hormonal driven sixteen-year-old boy, but I have morals. You can trust me." Lily gazed at him for a moment, trying to make sure that he was serious. But there was not one trace of a smirk, or any sarcasm in his voice. To her surprise, James was being sincere.

"Alright, deal." They shook hands as a sign of their agreement. "Okay," Lily said. "I might as well go take one now. I'll back down in about fifteen minutes."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," James called up to her jokingly.

"Well that leaves plenty of choices, doesn't it?" she joked back. James laughed and went back to his book.

Lily made her way into the boys' dorm room, chuckling softly. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. Did I just have a friendly moment with Potter? she thought bewilderedly. She sighed and shook her head, walking into the bathroom. What is the world coming to?

A/N: It took me the longest time to write this because even though I know what I want to happen, I had to get there. And let me tell, Writer's Block is a bad thing. A very bad thing. The next chapter will be much more interesting, I promise. Let's just say that Lily becomes a bit more sympathetic towards the male gender…

Until next time,

Spirit