James stepped under the warm spray of the shower and rested the back of head against the wall. He was exhausted. He was a month in his sixth year at Hogwarts and had just faced his first test as new Quidditch Captain. It was a Saturday and he had spent the whole day with Quidditch try outs to complete his team. They had needed a new chaser as well as a new beater. Sadly, Gryffindor house was not filled with superb players at the moment. Still, Quidditch was very popular and a lot of Gryffindors had seized the opportunity to be part of the Quidditch team. It had taken James hours to weed out all of the incompetent players so he could concentrate on the promising ones. In the end, he had both found his new chaser and his new beater: Amy Smith, a fourth year girl, and Eric Jackson, a stocky third year boy. Both were not great, but it would have to do. If they trained well enough, they would still be a force to be reckoned with. After all, both Sirius and him played on the Quidditch team and they were actually good players.

Sirius entered the showers in the moment and chose the stall opposite of James.

'Well, that was a bloody nightmare,' he growled as he stepped into the water. 'I am not too happy with Smith, but Jackson seems to be a good beater. I think I can work with him. He is still young though, so he needs a lot of training.'

James made a dismissive sound. He really was not in the mood to discuss the Quidditch team at the moment. It just was too much for one day.

Sirius just chuckled as his lack of a reply.

'Right, I forgot that you are a grumpy git when you are showering,' he said amused. 'However, I am in talkative mood, so you will just have to suck it up. Did you notice that group of Ravenclaws watching the try outs? One of them was bloody fit. The blonde bird with the mass of curls. I don't remember her name. I don't mind them spying on us if they bring birds like this.'

James furrowed his brows, thinking about Sirius's comment. He had not noticed any Ravenclaws in the stands, but he had been busy organizing the event, while Sirius had had more time to enjoy himself. The only Ravenclaw girl with blonde curls he knew was Amber Marchbanks. Had she been watching the try outs?

'Do you mean Amber Marchbanks?' he asked Sirius.

'Marchbanks, right. That's the name,' said Sirius happily. 'I am telling you mate, she is fit. As far as I knew she is also single. Maybe I should try my luck with her.'

James had run into Amber on multiple times during the last few weeks. She had smiled at him and they had shared a few light conversations, but he did not really know her. However, combined with the fact that she had showed up for the try outs an idea started to form in his head. Was she interested in him? Of course, it could just be a coincidence that he kept meeting her, but his gut told him that this was not the case. Maybe he should ask Amber out. He did not fancy her, but he had to admit that she was very good looking. Also, she seemed to have a rather pleasant and laid back personality. She would be fun to be around, which was quite a contrast to Evans.

'Back off her, Padfoot,' he said to Sirius.

'And why should I do that?' asked Sirius. James could hear the smirk in his voice. He still had his eyes closed, but he could imagine the intrigued look on his best mate's face. 'What do you care about Marchbanks?'

'I am planning to ask her out myself,' said James calmly. 'I think she likes me.'

'Indeed?' asked Sirius. 'And why do you think so?'

James briefly told him about his past encounters with Amber.

'Well, this sounds very promising,' said Sirius. 'Whenever a bird goes out of her way to be with you, she is a safe bet. This is great news, Prongs! Finally you are paying attention to another bird than Evans and she is even fit.'

'Can we please not talk about Evans?' said James, annoyed. 'I am trying to get her out of my life, remember?'

'Yeah, yeah,' said Sirius dismissively. 'I have noticed the lack of shouting matches between the two of you. She still is a stick in a mud, but things are getting better.'

'I think she suspects some kind of elaborate prank,' said James darkly. 'She thinks that I have been asking her out just to annoy her, remember? Now she probably thinks that I am trying to confuse her, before coming up with a new way to show my undying love. Completely messed up.'

'You should not think about whatever she is thinking,' said Sirius. 'What birds think is almost never important. Also, you wanted to move on, remember? So, just focus on shagging Marchbanks and everything will be fine.'

James made a sceptical noise in his throat. He highly doubted that it would be so easy.

'Well, I am off,' said Sirius. 'You should get a move on. Dinner will start soon.'

Sirius left the shower stalls. James heard him rummage around in the locker room before leaving. He was glad to be alone. He needed some time to think and Sirius tended to distract him. Lily Evans was still running around in his brain. His changed behaviour had had little impact on their relationship. They had less contact now as he was avoiding her as much as possible. So far she did not seem to miss him. He had toyed with the thought of asking Marlene whether Evans had noticed his altered behaviour, but had decided against it. He loved her as a sister, but Marlene had a big mouth and he absolutely did not want Lily to know that he was thinking about her. The only conversations Lily and he had had all term were caused by her suspicion of the Marauders. She had approached them on multiple occasions while there studying in the common room and had asked to see what they were working on. She had suspected it to be some prank, but they had only reviewed Peter's potion essay. She probably was more suspicious than usual, because the Marauders had not pulled a single prank in this school year. Still, it galled James that she expected the worst of them. It felt like being convicted without any proof or a trial. However, he had to admit that his past behaviour indicated a certain level of suspicion. His reputation as a prankster had been useful in the past, but at the moment James felt weighed down by it. This was partly the reason why he had objected to every suggested prank this year. The other part was the promise to his father. He had even refrained from hexing Snape, even though the boy had been asking for it at more than one occasion. Instead, he had treated him with ignorance and disdain, fitting to his role as a stuck up pure-blood. Fortunately, he had enough experience with this kind of wizard to play the role convincingly. To his surprise, it had been rather easy. Maybe he was more similar to other more snobbish pure-bloods than he thought. James pushed the uncomfortable thought aside. He had other thinks to worry about. Despite his reluctance to actually pull a prank, he was missing the excitement. The monthly strolls with Remus helped, but he was itching for some good old-fashioned Marauder prank. Maybe something rather harmless. James decided to talk it through with the others. They would have to be careful not be caught, but otherwise it sounded like a good idea. Just because he was playing the role of a responsible pure-blood heir, did not mean that he could not have any fun.

James turned off the shower after scrubbing himself clean and got dressed. He was hungry and was longingly thinking of dinner. He would worry about his Quidditch team, the pranks, Lily Evans and Amber tomorrow. Today he would only eat a sizable dinner and then go to bed. Tomorrow was Sunday and he would have time to do his homework then. He grabbed his broom and exited the locker rooms. It was a clear night and already rather cold. The stars were shining down brightly, illuminating the stretches of grass leading to Hogwarts. James paused for a moment and looked up to the sky while fumbling in his pocket for a cigarette. Just as he had found the package a voice sounded to his left.

'James?'

James jumped, startled, his right hand reaching for his wand, dropping the cigarette in the process. He wheeled around and came face to face with Amber Marchbanks.

'Sorry, I did not mean to startle you,' she said sheepishly.

'It's okay,' said James, relaxing slightly. His heart was still beating very fast, but he put is wand back into his pocket. 'What are you doing here?'

'I just wanted to tell you that I am impressed with your team,' she said, smiling slightly. 'Ravenclaw will have to get a move on to beat you.'

'Indeed?' said James. He knew that this was not the reason she had stuck around for close to an hour after the try outs had ended. She could have just told him at another point in time. After all, this was hardly critical information. James knew what was going on here. He was not as good with witches as Sirius was, but he could read the signs. Amber was not here to talk about Quidditch, she was here because she was interested in him. That confirmed his suspicions about her. His ego swelled a bit. After getting shut down by Evans again and again getting desired by a fit bird felt very, very good. Maybe Amber was exactly the girl he needed to get over his infatuation with the red-headed prefect.

'Well, thank you. We will see how well the new performs in the first match. We will need some time to get used to each other and to work out the best way to play. Say, do you play Quidditch? As far as I can remember, we have never played against each other?'

'I am reserve seeker for the Ravenclaw team,' said Amber. She look both proud and disappointed with the fact.

'Ah,' said James. The current Ravenclaw seeker, Gerard Oliver, was a very good player and had held the position for four years now. Amber probably was not good enough to take the spot for herself. 'Is Oliver hogging the position?'

'Yeah,' she said. 'Oliver is a great player and he had played every Quidditch match in the last four years. I don't think that I will get a chance this year.'

'That's a bummer,' said James. He could not imagine being a reserve player for such a long time. He would never be able to stand it. Fortunately, he was the best chaser in the school, so this could never happen to him. 'Maybe you should try a different position. Chaser for example.'

'Maybe I will,' she said. 'Our try outs are next week, so there still is time. I have never played chaser before, though. It is quite different to playing seeker.'

'Not different, better,' said James, smirking slightly. He bent down and picked up his fallen cigarette. 'Do you want a fag?'

'No thanks,' said Amber. 'I am trying to quit.'

'Yeah, me too,' said James, putting the cigarette into his mouth and sucking slightly on it. It ignited immediately. James usually preferred Muggle cigarettes, but magical ones like this did not require a lighter. He took a drag and exhaled the blue smoke into the night. 'It is not going too well, though.'

'I see,' said Amber, smiling at him. 'I never thought that you smoked. You have a reputation as a Quidditch fanatic. Smoking lowers your endurance, you know.'

'I picked it up from my best mate and now I am hooked,' said James. 'Fortunately, I only smoke one or two fags per day. This way, I still have more than enough endurance. In Quidditch and in other activities.'

'You don't say?' she said coyly. 'Well, maybe you should show these other activities to me if you ever have the chance.'

James smiled. This was going brilliantly. She was definitely interested in him. He just had to close the deal.

'Amber,' he said, looking into her blue eyes. 'There's Hogsmeade weekend coming up in two weeks. Would you like to go with me?'

'Yes,' she said smiling widely. 'I would like that very much. But don't you are dragging me into that blasted tea shop. I am not that kind of girl.'

'I figured as much,' said James, chuckling. 'But I still do not know what kind of girl you are.'

'Wouldn't you like to know?' she asked. 'Well, I suppose you will find out during the date. Or maybe at some point afterwards.'

'I suppose I will,' said James grinning. This was almost too easy. 'Let's head to dinner. It's getting cold and I am hungry.'

'Sure,' said Amber and they started walking towards the castle. 'This is your first year as Quidditch captain, is it not?'

'Yeah,' said James. 'Our old captain graduated last year. Apparently, she told McGonagall to pick me, before leaving the school. Still, I was unsure whether they would give the position to me. After all, my record is not exactly clean. Fortunately, McGonagall has a soft spot for me and likes the Quidditch trophies in her office. Sirius was actually disappointed that he did not get the position himself.'

'Black wanted to become captain?' asked Amber. 'I never would have expected that. Why would someone like him want extra responsibility? From what I know he is only interested in playing pranks and chasing skirts.'

'And Quidditch,' added James smiling. 'I think it wounded his ego that I got captain even though I am a trouble maker like him. I do not think he really wants the position. He barely pays attention to our Quidditch training. How is he supposed to organize the bloody things?'

'Do you like being captain so far?'

'Well, it is a bit early to tell. It is a lot of work, but I really like the idea of properly forming the team following my ideas. I think we can be spectacular. But you should ask me again after the first match. Losing as captain will certainly sting more.'

'Well, there is an obvious solution for this,' said Amber. 'Don't lose'

James laughed quietly.

'Yeah, that would work,' he said. He was done with his cigarette, so he threw it to the ground and vanished it. 'But enough talking about me. Tell me something about yourself. You are a pure-blood, right? I think your parents work at the Ministry.'

'Oh yes,' said Amber. James saw a flicker of something in her eyes. Was it sadness? But why would she be sad about her parents? It made no sense unless something horrible had happened to them. James hoped that he did not upset her with his question. Fortunately, Amber did not seem upset. The strange look on her face was gone in a heartbeat and she was smiling slightly as well.

'My parents both work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I think that's how they know your father. My father became an auror when your father still was leading the department.'

'Ah,' said James. Of course. A lot of people knew his father from his days in the department. He had been retired for more than ten years by now, but still his name carried a lot of weight in the Ministry. 'Yeah, that's possibly it. Is your father doing field duty? It is a very dangerous time to be an auror, isn't it?'

'Oh no,' said Amber looking horrified at the thought. 'No, he is leading the sub department dealing with fraud. He fortunately is not involved in the struggle against this maniac.'

'I hope they catch him soon,' said James. 'This is getting out of hand. My father is quite worried himself. He said that Voldemort might be bigger than Grindlewald.'

Amber shuddered as he said the name.

'Let's talk about something else,' she said. 'All this talk about dark wizards freaks me out.'

James cursed himself for making her uncomfortable. He was trying to get to know her, not trying to scare her.

'All right,' he said lightly. 'Which team do you think is going to win the national Quidditch championship this year?'

'Puddlemore United, of course,' she said with bright eyes. 'They have Roberts and Jones, the two best chasers in the league.'

'Roberts and Jones are brilliant,' agreed James. 'Still, I think the Appleby Arrows have a shot as well. Milliband is a great seeker and they have a fabulous keeper as well.'

'Please, the arrows will never make it,' she said good-naturedly. 'They have the skills, but they don't have the nerves. The lost against the cannons last weekend. No proper team loses against them.'

'They simply were unlucky,' said James. 'Half of their chasers were injured and Milliband's broom got damaged by a Bludger he did not spot. On any other day, the arrows would destroy the cannons.'

'Well, we will see, but I am willing to bet that it will be Puddlemore,' said Amber.

'Has no one ever told you that it is dangerous to wager with a Marauder?' said James, smiling.

'Oh, yes,' she said. 'But people tell a lot of rubbish about the four of you. Not everything of it can be true.'

'You would be surprised,' said James mysteriously. She was right of course. People believed the most ridiculous things about them. It was truly ironic that no one in school suspected them to be illegal animagie which tried to tame a werewolf once a month. Sometimes the truth was racier than any rumour.

In the meantime they had reached the castle and entered the great hall. Amber bid him goodbye and walked to the Ravenclaw table. James walked over to his friends and sat down beside Sirius. Marlene and the other sixth year Gryffindor girls sat next to them. This was odd. Normally the girls kept their distance, probably due to Evan's great dislike of the Marauders. Tonight however, she did not seem to mind as she calmly set with her friends not even glaring at Sirius. James was late. The rest of friends were already hungrily tugging into desert. He saw Sirius demolish a handful of chocolate éclairs as he helped himself to some steak and vegetables.

'What kept you?' asked Remus. 'Sirius was here ages ago.'

'Long shower,' said James, not willing to discuss Amber with the girls so close.

'Yeah,' said Sirius after swallowing down the last éclair. 'That and Marchbanks lusting after you.'

James glared at him and kicked him under the table. Sirius just grinning, obviously enjoying embarrassing his best mate.

'Marchbanks?' asked Peter. 'Amber Marchbanks, the seventh year Ravenclaw? What did she want?'

'James, I imagine,' said Sirius dryly and James kicked him again.

'Shut it, will you?' hissed James, but it was too late now.

'Well, this seems like good new,' said Remus. 'She is very pretty.'

'What did she say exactly?' asked Marlene with a grin on her face. James stifled a groan. Marlene had always enjoyed taking the mickey out of his love life. This was going to be a field day for her.

'Never you mind,' said James. 'What happened to our deal? I do not meddle in your love affairs and you ignore mine.'

'I don't plan to meddle, I just want to find out what's going on,' she said. 'And you have meddled in my love life countless time, so suck it up and spill.'

'Alright, alright,' said James. 'We talked, alright? She came to take a look at the Quidditch try outs and cornered me after I left the locker rooms. I realized that she was interested and asked her on a date. That's all, so you lot can bugger off now.'

'How did you know she was interested?' asked Peter. 'She could merely have watched the try outs to spy on our team.'

'A girl does not wait for a boy for close to an hour without wanting to shag him,' said Sirius, rolling his eyes. 'Well, James, this went better than I expected. Congratulations. Marchbanks seems to be easy. It will not take long for you to get into her knickers.'

'She is not easy,' said Mary. 'If I remember correctly, she had a steady boyfriend for the last 3 years. I think his names was Markus Knight. He graduated last year and I heard that they had broken up.'

'Oh, she is on the rebound then,' said Sirius gleefully. 'That's even better. Birds on the rebound are easy to shag and they usually break up with you a few weeks in anyway, so you don't have to do it yourself. You hit the jackpot here, James. And she is quite fit. I would not mind giving her a try myself.'

'You are disgusting, Black,' said Lily. 'No self-respecting woman will ever touch you.'

'Fortunately, all a small percentage of birds have self-respect,' replied Sirius with a wide grin. 'And I am not interested in them. They are too hard to shag.'

'Sweet Merlin,' said Marlene. 'Lily is right, you are a bell end.'

'I am only telling the truth,' said Sirius. 'As I have said before: There are birds you shag and birds you date. I am not interested in dating, so I'm only interested in slags. If you want a relationship, you will have to find another bloke.'

'Well, at least you are honest,' said Lily. 'But I still think your and Potter's behaviour is despicable.'

'Excuse me?' asked James incredulously. 'I did not say anything. What despicable think have I done today?'

'You and Black are one of a kind,' said Lily, rolling her eyes. 'And you are leading Amber along. You use her broken heart to get into her knickers, even though you are not interested in her.'

'What makes you so sure it is me who is using anybody?' asked James. He was hurt at Lily's accusation, but he refrained from getting into a proper argument with her. After all, they were in the great hall and he had no desire to discuss his relationship with Amber with the whole school. 'Amber showed interests in me and I simply responded. Maybe Sirius is right and she is merely using me as a rebound.'

'And you would love that, wouldn't you?' said Lily sharply. She looked furious and James had no idea why. He had anticipated her to be overjoyed at the thought of him having a girlfriend. After all, he would no longer bother her if he was busy with another girl. Apparently, he had been wrong. Bitterness welled up in him. Of course, he would always be the villain in her eyes. He wondered briefly why he had wasted so much time with a girl who obviously loathed him. 'Easy sex and no obligations, just as you like it.'

'I was not aware that you knew about my preferences in bed,' he said coolly. 'Believe about my intentions whatever you want, I am taking Amber out to a date. Maybe a relationship will grow out of it, maybe just a couple of shags and maybe nothing. We will see. Pass the salt, Peter.'

Fortunately, Evans refrained from continuing their argument. She only threw him one more contemptuous look and struck up a conversation with Marlene. James dug into his steak while the conversation carried on around them. The spat between Lily and him had told everybody that James budding relationship with Amber was a closed topic. Unfortunately, Sirius used the opportunity to move to another painful subject.

'So, Mckinnon,' he said. 'Have you considered my offer? It is about time you realized that your boyfriend is a bloody git and moved on to a proper bloke.'

James kicked Sirius again, but his best mate ignored him. The bloody git knew that James did not approve of his advances and still was trying to rile out Marlene. He ought to punch him in the face.

'Still not interested, Black,' replied Marlene. 'Why the sudden interest? Have you run out of slags to shag and are finally giving proper girls a try?'

'My dear, I will never run out slags,' said Sirius with a smirk on his face. 'After all, I am Sirius Black and every girl is a slag for me.'

'You are an arse Black,' said Mary. 'You are lucky you are handsome and popular. Otherwise, no girl would every fall for you.'

'I will considered myself lucky then,' said Sirius. 'Well, Mckinnon, if you ever change your mind, all you have to do is ask.'

'Great,' said Marlene sarcastically. 'Lily, what is going on with Luke and you?'

James interest peaked at the unfamiliar name. Who were they talking about and what was the bloke doing with Evans?

'Oh,' said Lily and blushed slightly. James had always considered her especially pretty when she was blushing. Today he pushed the thought aside. He was still angry with her. 'We exchanged letters during the summer and he asked to be his date for Hogsmeade yesterday.'

'What did you say?' asked Alice.

'I said yes,' said Lily and for a moment she looked directly at James, probably trying to gauge his reaction. James arranged his face into an impassive mask and stared right back. He was not going to show his real emotions to Evans. A sinking feeling had taken over his body, but it hurt less then he would have expected. Maybe he was slowly getting over Evans. He hoped so. It was about time. Still, he found it interesting that Evans seemed to care about his reaction. He was not sure what it meant, though.

'He is cute and we have always gotten along, so why not give it try?' she continued.

'Which Luke are we talking about?' asked Remus. 'Luke Palmer, the Ravenclaw prefect?'

'Naturally,' said Marlene. 'There is no other Luke in our year.'

'Luke Palmer?' said Sirius, scoffing. 'That wanker? Really Evans I knew that your taste in boys is questionable, but that is a new low even for you.'

'I am glad, you don't like him,' said Lily. 'Otherwise I would have to reconsider my choice. And he is not a wanker.'

'Oh please, he gave me a week of detention after catching my snogging some witch after hours at the end of last year,' said Sirius. 'How is that fair? He only punished me that harshly, because he is jealous. Also, he has stupid hair.'

'Black, do you happened to remember, who you were snogging in that cupboard?' asked Mary with a smile on her face.

'No, why?'

'It was Sarah Blair, his ex-girlfriend', said Mary, rolling her eyes at Sirius's bad memory. 'They had broken up only a week before. Of course he was pissed than he caught her snogging a miscreant like you.'

'Right,' said Sirius. 'Yeah, I remember now. Well, it is not my fault that Blair decided she would prefer a proper man. That's no reason to abuse one's prefect privilege. Palmer was out of line, I am telling you.'

'As if you would not abuse your power, if you were a prefect,' said Lily scornfully. 'You would use your powers to get yourself and your band of mates out of trouble.'

'Of course I would,' said Sirius. 'I would be quite a wanker if I would not help my friends.'

James smiled as he took another bite of steak. Sirius could be an annoying git sometimes, but it was always amusing to watch him piss off Evans. James tried to recall what Luke Palmer looked like, but no clear image formed in his head. He could not remember ever having met the prefect, even though he had been caught out of bounds by nearly every prefect in the castle.

'Shove off, Black,' said Lily. 'We are trying to have a private conversation here.'

'If you want privacy, you should not talk about this in the great hall,' Sirius pointed out. The girls ignored him.

'Anyway, I am glad you are going out with Luke,' said Alice. 'I am not sure whether he really is your type, but time will tell, I suppose.'

'What do you mean?' asked Lily. 'Luke and I have a lot in common.'

'Yeah, I know,' said Alice. 'He is studious and responsible and very polite, but maybe you need someone with a different personality. Someone more fun-loving. You study all the time Lily, you should remember to have fun.'

James felt a smile slip on his face. Bless Alice. She had realized two years ago that Lily and he would make a great couple and she has been dropping more or less subtle hints to Lily since then. He was not sure whether Lily understood what Alice was trying to tell her, because so far she had never ever considered her friend's advice, but James was grateful nevertheless.

'I think, I will have lots of fun with Luke, don't worry,' said Lily. 'Where is Frank? He was here only a few moments ago?'

'He went to the Hufflepuff table to chat with Simon,' said Alice and pointed at the other table. James saw their dorm mate chat animatedly with his childhood friend Simon Roberts. It was not uncommon for Frank to spend time with the Hufflepuffs.

James lost interest in the girl's conversation and struck up a conversation with the Marauders.

'What are our plans for tomorrow night?' he asked them after causing a quick 'Muffilato' to prevent eavesdropping. Contrary to Sirius's advice to the girls, the great hall was actually a decent place to have a private conversation as long as you took certain precautions. 'It is our special date.'

'Same procedure as every month,' said Sirius. 'I am looking forward to it. The year has been bleeding boring so far. Being in mortal danger shakes up the monotony, don't you think so?'

'This is not a joke,' said Remus. 'You could die or get bitten.'

'We know Remus,' said James. He knew that Remus worried a lot about what could happen during their full moon strolls. If something happened to one of them his friend would never forgive himself. They owed it to Remus to be careful. 'We will be careful. Everything will be fine. By now the wolf is not as wild as it used to be.'

He could tell by the guarded look on Remus's face that he was not really convinced. Still, his friend managed a small smile and nodded.

'Well, where do we want do go?' asked Sirius. 'We have seen most of the forest by now.'

'I don't care as long as we avoid the acromantulas,' said Peter shuddering. 'We were way too close last time.'

'I agree,' said James. He had never liked spiders and the acromantulas were vicious beasts. When they had stumbled into their nests they had been hard pressed to escape alive. He was fine with never seeing one again in his life. 'We should also try to avoid the centaurs. They can tell that we are not real animals and they don't like intruders.'

'How about we take a look at the mountains?' asked Sirius. 'We have never been there before.'

'Sure,' said James. 'We have to be careful though. I am not sure how well I can manage heights as a stag.'

'We are not going to climb to the top James,' said Peter. 'I think if we poke around the foothills, we will be fine. They should be deserted during the night as well. I think it is a good idea.'

'It is settled then,' said Sirius. 'The mountains it its. We should really toast this fine decision gentlemen.'

Sirius raised his goblet of pumpkin juice and motioned to them. James rolled his eyes at his best mate's antics, but brought up his goblet as well. Peter and Remus joined in and the four goblet bumped against each other in mid-air. As he drank James felt happiness rise in him. The next full moon would be great! His eyes strayed to Evans and the other girls. They were not paying any attention to the marauders. In this moment he found it hard to care about her boyfriend. Especially because he caught Amber looking at him just a moment later. James grinned to himself. Life was good.