I'm so sorry for the late update! I had a super busy week with school and this chapter just sort of got away from me. I hope you enjoy it, I really wanted to try and get it right before I posted, and like I said just didn't have a lot of time.

James was always up earlier than the rest of the Marauders, being an early riser by nature. And so, he was the first one to make it down into the common room the Tuesday after the first party of the year, bag swung casually over his shoulder as he stretched his arms out over his head. He made his way past Lily, who was scribbling at an essay on one of the tables. It took little time for James to snatch it out of her hands.

"Getting a head start on that potions essay already Evans?"

He glanced at the title, ignoring her spluttered protests.

"Charms? Lily Evans, finishing an assignment the day of?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's none of your business."

James scoffed, and she grabbed her essay back from him. He shrugged, moving towards the common room door before a new posting on the notice board caught his eye.

"Yes!" James exclaimed.

"What's up?" Peter asked, making his way down with Sirius yawning right behind him.

"First Hogsmeade weekend's up." He replied, glancing back at his two best friends, Remus joining them in that hurried fashion of his whenever he found himself running late.

"Oh, excellent. I need to restock on Zonko's products." Sirius said.

"They added a new bookstore I heard." Remus responded enthusiastically.

Sirius gave him a thumbs down to which James and Peter laughed. Remus just shook his head.

"Whatever, Peter will come with me, right?"

"Yeah, I'll check it out." Peter said.

"Go ahead. Prongs and I have better things to do with our time, right?"

He glanced at James whose eyes were glued to Lily, her quill tip between her teeth and her brow scrunched in that way she did whenever she was thinking particularly hard about something.

"Prongs." Sirius said, snapping his fingers in front of James' face.

"Yeah, of course."

Sirius glanced between him and Lily with a pitying look before speaking up.

"You've got to let that go Prongsy I heard she was out late last night if you know what I mean?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, turning his attention to Sirius.

"Well, my sources tell me that she and that Ravenclaw George something or other were inseparable all weekend, no wonder she didn't have time to get Flitwick's essay done."

James clenched his jaw at this new revelation, taking off with a huff as Remus and Sirius shared a knowing look before following him. He was in the same sour mood for the rest of the morning. He stared darkly at the eggs on his plate, not bothering to eat any of them, and shot a hex at a third year who crossed in front of him on the way to transfiguration. Sirius tried his best to cheer him up, but only managed to make Peter laugh until he was bent over with a stitch in his side, James not even shooting him a grin. He shrugged, clapping Peter on the back to relieve him of his laughter by replacing it with pain, heading into the transfiguration classroom with Remus for the first class since the full moon wiped him out.

"Potter, what is your answer?"

"Huh, what?"

James looked up for the first time that day, having been thinking only of stupid George Fisher and the best way to turn his head into a pumpkin. This meant that he hadn't heard when McGonogall had asked him a question about the lesson, noticing his distinct lack of focus.

"I asked you why a wizard would need to transform their appearance. While you've been focused on whatever fascinating plan you and Mr. Black are certainly concocting the rest of your classmates have been learning about the art of transfiguration, perhaps you've heard of it?"

James heard Lily snicker in the background and his ears turned bright pink. There were quite a few Ravenclaws in NEWT transfiguration, and James wondered if that George kid was sitting next to her in his stupid blue and bronze robes whispering about James and his foolish ideas.

"Yeah, I reckon I have, and in answer to your question, a wizard would serve himself much better in changing someone else's appearance rather than his own."

"That is all well and good Mr. Potter, but not the question I asked you."

"And yet I can provide you with a far better example than I could an answer in words."

With that James stood up, pulling the school wand he'd borrowed from his pocket and turning to the back of the classroom.

"Crinus Muto"

The spell was cast perfectly, and with a wand more suited to him James might have achieved his goal of dying Lily Evans' entire head of dark red hair a sickly green color. However, using the school rental as he waited for his dad to get a free day to go with him to buy a replacement, he only managed to charm her eyebrows.

"Ugh!" Lily shouted, immediately examining her soiled brows while McGonogall shook her head, turning to James who gave her a not-so-innocent look.

"Flawless technique Mr. Potter, and yet you still manage to disappoint me. Had you not so carelessly broken your wand perhaps you could have achieved a stronger result, then again without practiced precision a wand really wouldn't help you. 10 points from Gryffindor and I will see you in detention this evening. Crinus Muto."

With a flick of her wand Lily Evans' brows were back to their normal shade, and James was left with an even more sour expression across his face, while she and her friends giggled even more behind him. He huffed and rolled his eyes, not seeming fazed at all by his detention, and fell back into his own head for the remainder of the class. When McGonogall finally dismissed them, he made to leave as quickly as he'd come, his stomach growling with his lack of breakfast from earlier, but was stopped by McGonogall's voice once again.

"Oh, Potter." He turned around, gesturing to his friends to keep going, approaching McGonogall's desk.

"Yes, Professor?"

"I have received a letter from your father about purchasing you a new wand. He will be coming tomorrow afternoon, and you will be using Professor Dumbledore's private floo network to get to and from Diagon Alley." He nodded, taking the slip with the password to Dumbledore's office written on it in thin, slanted handwriting.

"Mr. Potter?" He turned back around. "I trust you will be using your remaining free time to brush up on your spell work. I was under the impression that you were an Outstanding transfiguration student. Please don't prove me wrong."

"Yes Professor."

James left without another word, nearly running into Sirius who was waiting in the hall for him alongside Remus and Peter.

"What did she want?" Sirius asked.

"Just giving me a pass to leave the castle tomorrow to get my wand with Dad." He said.

"Oh, alright. Detention tonight?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"You've really got to get this thing out of your head mate. It's not like you and Evans are even friends let alone dating."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Padfoot." James said, a tightness in his voice betraying his frustration and even slight anger. "I think I'm going to head to the library before charms, check my essay over."

"Prongs, come on Prongs!" James left without glancing back, his jaw set in a deeper scowl than before, his previous hunger long forgotten.

His feet carried him out to the castle grounds and down the hill to Hagrid's hut. He bit his lip before knocking on the door, not used to seeking advice from the man who was more Remus' friend than his own.

"Comin'"

A man about twice as tall as a normal man and three times as wide opened the door. Even with his own rather tall stature, James only came up to the middle of his stomach.

Hagrid beamed at the unexpected visitor, saying: "James Potter, didn't expect to see you here. Is Remus with ya?" He said, looking behind him as if hoping to catch sight of the skinny, young boy who had become quite close with Hagrid over the years.

"No actually, I'm here on my own."

If possible, Hagrid looked even more thrilled at that.

"Well, come on in. I just put on a cup o' tea."

James nodded, allowing whatever force had drawn him to Hagrid's to draw him further into the hut. He politely refused Hagrid's offer of rock cakes, having had enough experience with his cooking back when they met him with Remus in the first year. But he did drink his tea gulping down two whole cups almost immediately, barely allowing the thing to cool. He felt the familiar buzz of caffeine race through his veins as he reinvigorated the normally overwhelming energy that so often filled his body.

"You alrigh' there James? You've harly said a word since you came in. Not that I mind the company, been thinking of getting a pet or someat to look after."

"Yeah, Remus said you were looking into dragons." James replied with a slight smirk, absentmindedly looking around the small but cozy shack which Hagrid called home.

"Ah so he does listen to my ramblings, then? Yeah, well, I'll be hard pressed to find one, them being strictly illegal an' all, maybe something simpler for a new pet, eh?"

It was difficult for James to imagine adding another living creature to the already tiny living space, but James figured he had the benefit of having grown up on a large estate, so Hagrid might not mind it as much as he would.

"Yeah, like a dog." He responded, knowing that they came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, though knowing Hagrid he'd probably opt for larger out of fear of crushing a tiny one.

"Now there's an idea." He replied, beaming, but noticing that James was still not focused on him in the slightest. "So, I doubt you're visiting for my superior tea making skills. What brings you down here?"

"Just been stuck in my head today, thinking about things. I didn't want to go to lunch, wasn't hungry." He replied.

"Not more trouble I hope." Hagrid said.

James pulled out his most recent detention slip in response, causing Hagrid to shake his head and chuckle.

"I don't suppose you'll ever be able to keep yerself out o' it."

"I don't foresee it." James smiled, perking up a little bit before settling on a question he'd been considering a lot lately. "Hagrid, have you ever thought about…settling down?"

Hagrid chuckled. "I don't know about those odds Mr. Potter."

"No, I'm sure anyone would be lucky to…"

"Don't worry about it." Hagrid replied good-naturedly. "The truth is I'm happy where I'm at, being gamekeeper an' all. An' sure, if the righ' person came along, it would be nice to have some company now and again, besides the occasional visit. But Hogwarts is my home and you kids, Dumbledore, the rest of the professors, are my family. There's nothing wrong with choosing more 'an one person to settle down with, nothin' at all."

James nodded, not liking that answer in the slightest. He thought of Lily having two perfect little kids with green eyes just like hers with anyone other than him, and it made his blood boil. How could this George kid have gotten so lucky? Did he even know what he had?

Unfortunately, James didn't have much time to stew on it, the bell calling him back for his charms lesson and so his lunchtime visit with Hagrid to a close. He thanked him for the tea, vaguely promising to visit more often, and made his way back towards the castle, feeling more miserable than ever.

Charms went largely the same way as transfiguration, although James was able to avoid receiving a detention from Flitwick, and he found himself drifting through dinner, picking at his roast chicken before heading to detention that evening. Unsurprisingly, McGonogall had him doing extra transfiguration work, and he was actually quite pleased with his progress by the end of the impromptu lesson, but still couldn't shake the gloom that had pervaded throughout his person since he receive the news about Lily Evans' new relationship.

It wasn't until the next morning that James finally broke out of his funk, with the help of one Fleamont Potter. The man responsible for this change in demeanor arrived at the school at 10 o'clock sharp that Saturday to pick up his son only to immediately notice the difference in James from the confident, boisterous boy he had sent to Hogwarts just a couple of weeks prior. They met in Dumbledore's office, an unpleasant sensation in James' stomach at the memory of the last time he'd been there. Dumbledore exchanged pleasantries with Mr. Potter, leading them to the fireplace where they flooed to Diagon Alley. As they walked towards Ollivander's, Fleamont found himself desperately trying to engage his uncharacteristically quiet son in some form of conversation.

"First things first then, get you a new wand, and make sure and mind it this time son. I know we're blessed, but it doesn't mean you can go being careless with something so important. A wizard's wand is special, not something you go around replacing every week."

"I know Dad." James replied, in an even more sour mood at having received a second lecture in as many days.

It was a weekday during the school year, so it was far less busy than James was used to, only a handful of adult wizards out doing their shopping, some holding hands with young children who had not yet entered Hogwarts.

"You've gotten taller." Fleamont said, noting his son having substantially superseded his father's own height.

"Have I?" James replied, staring at his feet as they kept moving towards Ollivander's at the end of the row of many shops throughout the area.

"Quidditch tryouts stressing you out?" He asked, seeming to suspect that this was not what was weighing on his son's mind.

"Not really. We just need a new beater this year." James said.

"Right."

James pulled ahead using his long legs to his advantage, opening the door to the shop with a jingle of the bell. Ollivander was already at his desk, measuring some new wood, likely for his most recent masterpiece. The Potters had always gone to Ollivander's back from the early centuries of the shop's opening, and their families went back almost as far as records existed of the both of them.

"Garrick" Fleamont said, walking in just behind his son.

"Fleamont old friend what brings you in?"

He gestured at James who had fallen back a bit and grinned at Ollivander sheepishly.

"Ah I had a feeling I'd be seeing you again Mr. Potter."

He gave him a stern look over top of his glasses which was betrayed by the glimmer of mischief in his eye.

"Come for another, eh?"

"Yes sir, I um...well."

"No need to explain. Wand damage, though unfortunate, is as old as the practice itself, particularly with our more adventurous users"

He shot a pointed look at Fleamont who avoided eye contact.

"Come now Mr. Potter let's see what we can do."

He brought James forward and James went through the process of trying wand after wand as he did five years before. He finally came across another mahogany one with a dragon heart string as well, the only difference being an 11" wand replacing his old 12" one. He waved it and felt a similar connection, but not quite the same. If he could explain it the shorter length made him feel closer to it, and he ran his fingers along the smoothness of the new wood, not a blemish or smudge to be seen. He wondered if maybe it was time to move on to a new wand, older more mature, and if maybe his mother's old belief in fate and everything happening for a reason had proven itself true once more.

"You like it?" Ollivander asked.

James nodded. "It's perfect." He said.

And with that Fleamont handed over the five galleons for his son's brand new wand. Although James' mood was significantly lifted having received a replacement for his old wand, and a very suitable one at that, he still had a cloud in his eyes that was not missed by his father, who knew him all too well. As they walked towards the Leaky Cauldron again to grab a bite to eat Fleamont finally addressed the elephant that had been in the room the entire day.

"Son, is everything alright at school? Really, you aren't yourself today."

"It's not a big deal." James said, shrugging.

He kicked a rock in his path as he walked down the street next to his father.

"Sixth year's a lot tougher, isn't it?"

Fleamont asked, kicking his own rock as he walked next to his son. James tried not to smile. His dad was always able to get through to him, but he wasn't sure he felt like talking about what had been bothering him just yet. It was silly after all.

"Yeah, I guess." He said, choosing to avoid his father's line of questioning altogether.

"So, it's not school and it's not quidditch, I didn't realize you had room for anything else in that mind of yours."

They both kicked another rock, Fleamont's going just a tiny bit farther, while James' nearly hit a woman leaving a store, leading to a stern glare shot in their direction, to which the two men just laughed. Feeling slightly more at ease James decided he might as well discuss it with someone, and who would better understand it than his father?

"It's just that girl I told you about." He said, not elaborating further.

"Did she say no again?" Fleamont asked.

"No." James said, even more puzzled that this wasn't what was bothering him.

"Did she say yes to someone else?" He asked next.

"How'd you know?" James asked, looking amazed that his father had cracked it so quickly.

"The look of lost love is one I know all too well my son. You see it a lot in boys your age but you're young. You'll bounce back." He said.

"Not from her" James answered, stopping at the Cauldron Entrance while his father tapped the bricks outside to allow them to enter the pub.

"They all say that too." James didn't look convinced. "The important thing to remember is that you've got the advantage." He said.

"How's that? She hates my guts remember?" James said, taking a seat in a booth across from his father who ordered them two butterbeers and a hearty meal of beef stew with two generous slices of bread.

"Yeah maybe. But you never want to be the first love. First loves come and go at your age but if you want to build something that lasts you have to have a little experience first." He said.

James shrugged, taking a sip of his butterbeer.

"Well, I've got plenty of that." He said, with a half smile.

"I'm sure you do." Fleamont replied with a knowing smirk, ruffling James' hair to great protest.

As the waitress brought their food and Fleamont began to dig in, James paused again.

"You really think I can still win her over?"

Fleamont stopped, taking James' hand in his.

"You've just got to be patient and remember what I told you. She needs to know you as you are, and James Potter you are a good boy, and a talented wizard. Show her that, not this cocky persona that your mother and I keep getting letters about."

James blushed crimson at that. "They write you letters?"

"Your head of house seems to believe you have potential. I think she's hoping that your mother and I can get through to you and maybe Sirius too. You will try and stay out of trouble this year, won't you?"

"I'll do my best." James replied, not meaning a word of it.

His father seemed to understand the subtext, but was satisfied to take James at his word, knowing that a little lack of maturity at that age wasn't the worst thing for a kid. Considering the advanced level of maturity James' two best friends had been forced to take on, Fleamont was glad his son was able to remain so carefree while also being so on top of his studies. Sure, he got into a little trouble, but Fleamont couldn't be prouder of the boy slowly but surely becoming a man before him. After lunch it was time for James to return to school, much to his father's chagrin, but Dumbledore had told him he would open the floo network to Hogwarts at 12:00 and keep it open until only 12:05, so the two of them didn't have much time to consider alternate methods of travel. He gave James a tight hug before throwing the powder in the fireplace at the leaky cauldron.

James shot his father a grateful smile before walking into the green fire and saying loudly: "Headmaster's office-Hogwarts!" And with a flash of green fire, James had disappeared.

He returned to Hogwarts with a new spring in his step given his dad's most recent advice about Lily, shooting her a cocky smile when he passed her in the hall. She shrugged, making a clear arc around him and Sirius as she moved back towards the common room. They were heading to the kitchens to grab a quick snack before dinner.

"You got over that quick." Sirius said, jerking his head in Lily's direction, silently asking James what had changed his mind so drastically.

They hadn't talked much since James stormed off to go visit Hagrid, having come into the room late after his detention and gone straight to bed, leaving with his father before Sirius was awake the next morning. They'd had charms class of course, and dinner, but James had still been stuck in his head and Sirius knew better than to push him when he was in one of his sour moods.

"Oh that? Well, I figure someone's got to be her forever right? Not just a bump in the road, and that might as well be me."

"Yeah, sure Prongs." He said.

"So, Hogsmeade plans for next week? Double date as usual?"

"I was actually thinking of going solo this time." Sirius said, shifting his feet a little nervously after James had just pulled himself out of his most recent fog.

"You're joking? And leave me in the dust?" James said, a slight hurt overtaking his voice.

"Marlene wanted a little private time is all." Sirius said, running a hand through his hair nervously.

"It's not a big deal."

"Right. Of course. I'll just hang out with Moony then..." James said, trailing off.

"Just for a little while. We can still go as a group and everything. Come on Prongsy give me this one?"

"I already said it's fine." James said, putting on a fake smile to which Sirius grinned back.

"Knew you wouldn't let me down." He said, patting James on the back. "Come on, let's go find Moony before he drags Wormtail too far down with his study habits. We haven't even pulled our first prank of the year." James nodded, following Sirius, trying to not let the heavy feeling in his chest weigh him down any longer.

They found Remus, not surprisingly, studying in the common room with Peter beside him asking him a question every now and then, which Remus answered patiently.

"Oi Moony still going to that library thing next weekend?" James asked.

"Bookstore and yes Prongs you're welcome to join us while Sirius gets on with his snogging." Remus replied, apparently already aware as to the reason for James' sudden change of heart.

"I guess I'll check it out." He said, pulling out his own work to the frustrated groans of Sirius for falling into "Moony's study trap."

The next week of classes passed in a blur, the number of assignments keeping all of the sixth year students with their noses to the grindstone, only the light of the first Hogsmeade weekend to keep them pushing forward. Finally, it was time to go. The weekend began, as many of those weekends did, with Sirius scolding Peter about something or other. On this occasion, the scolding was coming from Sirius' inability to commit exact birthdates to memory.

"It's your birthday Wormy? How could you not remind us?" Sirius asked, as the group made their way with the other students down the path towards Hogsmeade.

"I didn't think it was a big deal." He replied.

"It's the biggest deal in the world. We're celebrating you becoming a man Wormtail! How is that not a big deal?"

"To be fair Sirius, James and I were going to write your name on the gift we got him." Remus piped up.

"You both knew?"

James' eyes widened.

"Yeah, of course we BOTH knew" He glanced at Remus, who rolled his eyes.

"I reminded him last week, and I knew you would turn it into a big thing, so I figured I'd wait until it was too late for you to…" Remus trailed off as Sirius immediately lost interest, having caught sight of Marlene and Lily walking just ahead of them.

He approached them quickly throwing one arm each around the both of them.

"McKinnon and Evans in the flesh. You want to come to a little get-together we're throwing for Wormtail tonight?"

"We just had a party Pads." Remus said, seeming to be finishing his earlier thought.

"There's no limit on parties Moony!" He scolded, glancing at Marlene who had remained with his arm around her while Lily had already skirted away.

"I might be interested. Where's this party going to be Black?"

"The Gryffindor common room."

"So, we can't really avoid it either way."

"I suppose not. After all I'm planning on cracking that pesky staircase rule any day now." He whispered in her ear suggestively.

"Lily!" A shout interrupted their flirting.

The group glanced over to see a boy in Ravenclaw robes with a gleaming prefect badge stuck to the front, and a head full of nicely combed, wavy blonde hair. He had warm, brown eyes with an intelligent gleam behind them, unlike the duller look that plagued Peter's own baby browns.

"George, how are you?" Lily asked, pulling George in for a hug as James stood at the back of the group furiously popping his knuckles and biting his lip. Of course, Lily had dated people before, so had James for that matter. Everyone had kind of been dating off and on since at least fourth year, and people as popular and good-looking as James and Lily were going to be strong candidates. But those relationships had never lasted longer than a month for Lily, a week for James. Not that it mattered, they'd only gotten together last weekend, so this was just another footnote. James' father was right, he just had to wait for the inevitable breakup that would certainly come as it always did. He had nothing to worry about. Sure, he was nearly as tall as James, but only just, and so James chocked that up as a win for him. There was no doubt though that George was handsome, which James hadn't expected.

He hadn't really noticed him at the party, being too caught up with his own efforts to impress Lily to notice who she'd been talking to. And sure, he'd seen him around, the boy being a prefect after all, but he didn't make it his business to keep track of the prefects other than his best friend of course and a certain red head who held the female badge in his own house. Besides, being prefect wasn't that impressive. He hadn't made head boy, after all, which was a far more impressive accomplishment. It had gone to a Hufflepuff this year, Eric Diggory, James remembered.

"I'm good," George replied. He glanced at Marlene and the marauders before turning back to Lily, "If you wouldn't mind taking a little break I was just wondering if we could have some time to ourselves, maybe take a walk?"

"Of course, George, I told you I'd meet you here, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did, but if you'd rather spend time with them, we can do that too. I don't have a preference."

Lily glanced at James who was snickering a bit with Sirius, likely something about George's demeanor, before turning back to George all the more determined.

"A walk would be lovely." She said, taking his hand before stalking off, leaving James and the rest of the group behind. Sirius and Marlene quickly followed their lead, making their way together towards Honeydukes, leaving James to stew in his misery with only Peter and Remus for company.

After browsing through the miniscule quidditch section of the new bookstore James quickly felt his body aching to see what Lily was up to with that pretty boy. And sure, they were likely to break up soon enough, but it couldn't hurt for him to hurry that along, could it? He glanced at Remus, who was checking out some books on advanced magic, and Peter who was wandering around the aisles, not really looking at anything. They wouldn't miss him for a few minutes, he thought. Without a second thought he reached into his pocket, pulling out his trusty cloak, throwing it around his shoulders and making his way out of the shop before he could second guess himself.

"Lily, maybe we shouldn't be walking so close to the most haunted building in all of Britain." George spoke up nervously, wiping some sweat from his hand onto his robes before reaching cautiously for Lily's. She took it gladly, swinging their arms back and forth as they walked past the Shrieking Shack which Lily knew to be about as haunted as her mother's sewing room, that is to say not at all. Remus had given her the gist of what his transformations entailed, leaving off the nighttime wanderings of him and the Marauders of course. But George didn't know that, and she couldn't exactly tell him, so she tried to put his mind at ease.

"Oh, come on George you don't really believe in all those old wives' tales, do you?"
"Wives' tales?"

"Must be a muggle expres…"

She was cut off when a branch cracked behind them.

"What was that?" George asked, immediately pulling out his wand.

Lily smiled.

"Relax, we're next to the woods. It was just a squirrel or something."

"Right, I'm being silly." He seemed to consider letting go of her hand but thought better of it.

Next, they heard a clear scoff. Lily looked up suspiciously, a cold fury shot in the direction of the suspected culprit. She began to talk again when George was hit in the back of the head by a small rock, enough to make him jump out of his skin. He then fell to the ground as if he was being tickled all over.

"Lily! Help!"

"George, relax it's just a tickling charm." Lily said laughing as she pulled out her own wand.

"Finite."

George stood up, shaking before a loud flapping noise set him off. He immediately took flight, leaving Lily behind.

"It's angry!" He screamed as he ran off.

Lily looked up and quickly noticed a flock of birds making their way into the forest beside the village. This time a loud snicker came from the other tree, a snicker that Lily knew all too well. She walked in the direction of it, noting the slight imprints in the mud next to the shack heading back towards the village. She followed the footprints, a dark fury in her eyes, as she noticed just ahead of her the door to the Three Broomsticks open seemingly of its own accord.

"Potter!" She shouted, as she slammed the door to the pub open, noting his messy head next to Sirius who was sitting all cozied up on a couch in the center of the pub with Marlene practically on his lap.

James turned towards Lily at the sound of his name, his face breaking into a wide grin.

"Oh, hey Evans! Come and join us!" He said.

"What on Earth do you think you're doing?" She said.

"Whatever do you mean?" He said, trying to play innocent.

Lily gave him a stern look and he messed up his hair a little more in the back, deciding it would be easier to just be straight with her.

"Oh, come on he was asking for it." He said.

"What, just because he took me out?" She asked, a fury in her voice.

"You can do so much better than him Evans." James replied, Sirius and Marlene breaking apart a bit, noticing the tension between their two best friends.

"Oh yeah, like who?" Lily asked.

"Well, I was thinking, me." James replied easily, not noticing Sirius shake his head behind him, albeit chuckling at his friend's antics.

Lily scoffed.

"Come on Evans it's clear to me that there's something here" He gestured between them. "Why don't we stop kidding ourselves and just admit it?"

James raised an eyebrow. Lily reached out for a mug of butterbeer and threw it in James' face.

"That clear enough for you?"

She stalked off.

"No!" James shouted after her smiling as Peter showed up seemingly out of nowhere and brought him a towel. He wiped the butterbeer off his face, turning back to Sirius, Marlene saying a hasty goodbye in order to follow Lily out the door, shooting James a livid glare on the way.

"Not your best work mate." Sirius said, to which James shrugged, ordering a fresh butterbeer to warm up from the chilly fall air outside. Meanwhile, he ruefully slid Sirius two sickles.

On the way back from Hogsmeade Sirius and James took the passageway, getting some drinks from Rosmerta once again. She scolded them a bit for overdoing it, but when they explained it was Peter's birthday, she just shook her head and handed it over, for a price of course, not that James and Sirius were lacking in that department. They made their way back to Gryffindor tower where Remus was already shooing away the people from other houses trying to get in on the Marauder's most recent rager.

"Whatever happened to the more the merrier Moony?" Sirius asked, approaching the Fat Lady's portrait with James next to him.

James laughed, before making his way into the portrait hole, his bag of goodies swung over his shoulder.

"This party's for Peter, Sirius. I hardly think it's fair to make him play bouncer once again, besides if we make this a weekly thing we're bound to get caught sooner or later. Better keep it in house for now."

Sirius rolled his eyes, a couple of beautiful Ravenclaw fifth years approaching the portrait hole.

"We heard you were throwing another party." They said, giggling as Sirius flipped some hair out of his eyes, shoving a large box of butterbeer at Remus who staggered under the unexpected weight.

"Indeed, we are."

Remus cleared his throat.

"But unfortunately, it's a private party tonight. Moony over there's being a spoilsport, but if you'd like to come by later, we might be able to work something out."

He whispered this last part, but Remus was putting his foot down.

"Sirius. Not tonight, I mean it." Sirius rolled his eyes, but let it go this time.

"You heard him ladies, my hands are tied." They both shot Remus rather dirty looks before heading back towards Ravenclaw tower, Sirius watching them go, turning to Remus with a look of great suffering.

"You're killing me tonight Moony."

"You said last time you missed having me Padfoot, this is what having me looks like."

"Can't argue with that. Good to have you back Moony," he glanced at the ghost of the retreating Ravenclaw girls, "I guess."

He made his way into Gryffindor tower with Remus behind him.

The party was in full swing, and for once, Peter was actually the center of attention. Everyone kept patting him on the back, passing him drinks, and insisting on putting him up on their shoulders. He laughed, flirted and danced with quite a few Gryffindor girls; other houses having been barred from this particular event. Still, for Peter, getting girls in his own house to give him the time of day with Sirius and James in the room took quite a bit of restraint on their part, so much so that James found himself moving around the room keeping an eye out for a certain redhead who was off the market, just so he might distract himself from ruining this night for his friend. He spotted the next best thing, Marlene with her lips locked on Sirius', though James was far too drunk for tact at this point.

"Oi Marlene, you seen Evans?" He asked, earning a slap on the leg from Sirius who shifted away from James.

In between kisses Marlene did answer, saying: "I think she was in the library."

James nodded, running a hand through his hair, going for optimum mess before he left the party behind, a new determination in his step. He went upstairs and grabbed his map and cloak and another bottle of butterbeer. Tipsy and furious he was prepared to go to the library and hit precious prefect George Fisher with the most powerful hexes in his arsenal. He snuck quietly through the corridors, narrowly avoiding Peeves by taking a passageway behind a tapestry on the fourth floor.

Finally, he arrived at the library, making his way through the empty rows of books towards the back where he saw…Lily Evans laughing with her new boyfriend George and having a wonderful time. He was just about to shove a dungbomb in George's pocket when he heard him say to her: "You're beautiful," and heard a noise which he had never heard from Lily Evans before, a shy and flirtatious giggle. None of the other boys had elicited that from her, and James certainly never had. He looked at the two of them, having a wonderful evening, and for the first time in his life James heard his father's voice in his head, and decided to listen. As much as it pained him, he bit his lip and turned around, making his way back to the common room and his best mate's birthday party. But not before turning back one more time to knock George's ink into his lap with a quick wave of his wand. He couldn't let him get off scot-free after all, and he could tell Lily seemed suspicious as she helped mop up his robes, but it was a start.