To love or to hate -- archive!

CHAPTER 1 – MUSINGS

Lily sat by her window at home. She looked out at the sky which had started lighting up. Colors of pink, violet, orange and red streaked across the sky as if a large multicolored paintbrush had run over it. Patches of clouds streaked diagonally. A strong gust of wind threw itself on her face flinging back her rich red hair to reveal her lily white face to the open sky. It was this skin that had gotten her her name. Lily Evans. It was 5 am on September 1st. She would be leaving for the station to platform 9 in 3 hours. All by herself. She felt a pang of sorrow as she thought about her parents. She wished they would be there to send her off as they did last year. Her parents had gone out shopping…and never returned. She had got an owl from the ministry of magic explaining that her parent were killed with 300 others in the shopping mall by a wizard who calls himself Lord Voldemort. The last month had been dreadful to her as she heard her sister telling their relatives that their parents had been murdered in the massive killing at the mall and their bodies had never been found. She was not even able to seek comfort in her sister.



Petunia was 4 years older to her and hated the sight of her, moreover after she had gotten admission into Hogwarts. Petunia refused to accompany her to the station and wanted to disassociate herself from Lily. She had told Lily to stay at Hogwarts as much as possible. Petunia said that she could not bear to be in that house as her parents had given Lily the house. Though lily had had no objection to it, Petunia decided to move into the summer house that had passed on to her hands. The house was half empty as they had spent the last week separating Petunia's and Lily's stuff. She did not know what she was going to do in the summer holidays. She had spent this entire holidays mourning and never once stepping out of the house or contacting her friends. The steady breeze pushed her hair further away from her face. Its cool touch seemed to rejuvenate her and give her new strength and courage. She felt that her parents would have wanted her to do something in life and not mope around like what she was doing now. She was entering her fourth year, one year before her OWLs. She would become an auror, the new group which had been established to fight against this Voldemort fellow who was gaining more and more followers to toorture muggles and muggleborns, and she would fight against him. This would definitely be a tribute to her parents' memory, her parents who were so proud to find out that Lily was a witch. They seemed to be telling her to face the world with confidence and courage. She would do it.

*~*

Lily was nervous as she got into a cab her sister had arranged for her. She had never gone alone to school and the whole experience was new for her.

"Contact me only under emergency," Said Petunia, thrusting a piece of scribbled paper into Lily's hand.

"I am 18 years old now and so I am your legal guardian till you turn 18... I am going to the summer house to live as u know. After all I have a life to live too. And you need to sign a few papers regarding the inheritance and then you can leave for the station."

Lily's hands shook as she read through and signed a couple of papers. She handed it wordlessly to Petunia who was looking at her strangely. At the doorstep, Petunia surprised Lily by giving her a stiff peck on the cheek.

"Lily," she said, "you are my only sister and I loved u in my own way." She said quietly in her ear and ushered her out of the house and handed the keys to her.

Wrapped in her own thoughts she did not realize that they had reached the station.

*~*

"Hey Lily! There you are! How come you did not reply to even one of my owls in the holidays?"

"Lilieeeeeeeee!! So nice to see you! How were your holidays?"

"Evans, nice to see you!" Lily turned at the mention of her surname. She found herself looking into the handsome face of Sirius Black. She gave him a small smile and turned back to her friends. Erica Jones was a muggleborns like her but Alice Longburn and Monica Kipper were pure bloods. She had met them and Sirius Black, James Potter and Remus Lupin during her first ride in the Hogwarts Express. They had all shared a cabin and had all become good friends. Except Potter. He is another complication in my life, thought Lily sighing inwardly. She knew that she had to tell her friends the truth.

*~*

He had been alright in their first year and they had been good friends. They had had a lot of fun in each other's company and he was really funny. He and Sirius were the most amusing of the lot. Remus was the good boy, but often joined in the fun. But then he became obnoxious in their second year. Especially after he was chosen as the chaser on the Gryffindor team. He was very good academically and prided himself on being an all-rounder. He started boasting about himself all the time. He had become arrogant. How it came about I don't know, thought Lily, but then one day in the common room she was yelling at James and telling him what exactly she thought about him – his arrogance, self-praise, ego and most of all his satisfaction in toorturing others, especially Slytherins. Lily sighed as she tried to remember what had set her off like that, and since then he and I have always been on last name terms and along with him all his friends too with the exception of Remus.

CHAPTER 2 – THE WHEELS GO ROUND AND ROUND…



"Oh Lily! I am so sorry!" said Monica hugging her tightly.



"Lily…u are always welcome at my house."



"Mine too…"



"Mine three…"



Alice and Erica also hugged Lily. Lily felt her eyes welling up again but she took in a deep breadth as she knew she must be brave and avenge her parents' death. It was only fair to her parents and to the families who had lost their relatives in this manner. Before she could say anything she heard the compartment door open.



"Hi Alice, Erica, Monica…Evans!" said Sirius nodding his head at each one of them in turn, "Mind if we sit here? Everywhere else is full and I don't want to spend the entire ride sitting with either Bellatrix and Narcissa Black or with gossip queen Rita Skeeter." Sirius had already moved in by the time he had finished. Lily glared at the door knowing very well who would walk in. for Sirius and potter were inseparable. She noticed Monica's eyes light up when she saw Sirius walk in and wondered why. James walked in after him scowling at the back of Sirius' head. His hands flew to his head as he noticed girls sitting inside and grinned attractively at them. Sirius gave him a lopsided grin and sat down near the window. Remus and Peter followed them and politely enquired after the girls.



"Hi Alice! How were the holidays?"



"Fine as usual James!"



"And u Erica?"



"My sister got married so the holidays were a little hectic…"



"Marriage huh? Met any boys?" asked James slyly for he knew what a flirt Erica was.



"Yup! There was this guy named George who was quite handsome…"

"Better than me?" asked James winking at her. Erica just laughed as she knew that James and Sirius loved to flirt, as they knew that they were very handsome and loads of girls were crazy about them. He then turned to Lily who was sitting next to her.



"Evans."



"Potter." There was a tensed silence between the two of them as they sat glaring at each other. Beside them James could hear Sirius and Monica talking.



"I had a lot of fun at James' place…"



"Funny. I would have thought that being one day with Potter would be a torture considering having to listen to his supposed greatness in Quidditch and about his non-existent looks and popularity not to mention 1001 ways to torture the Slytherins by James I-think-I-am-the-best Potter…" said Lily smirking.



"Oh Really? And were your holidays any better than that?" asked James put off. Lily's eyes clouded over. James went on apparently having noticed nothing, "So apparently there were 3 unfortunate people spending… or should I say wasting their time with Lily I-will-not-break-rules-and-will-be-nice-to-my-enemies-and-am -jealous-of-James-Potter Evans?"



"You think I am jealous of you?" shrieked Lily, "For your information mister I would not want to mess with my hair just because I think it looks 'cool'. I would not want to go around hexing people just so that it will impress other people. I would not want to thrust my goal scoring tactics on other people till they want to scream. And most of all I would not want to be insensitive to other people's feelings."



There was a silence in the carriage and Lily realized that she had been screaming. All eyes were on her. James had a dazed look on his face as he remained silent. Lily muttered an apology for shouting and sat down with her arms folded and looking at the floor. James did not say anything and the others thought it was a wise move.



Did she really think all those things of him? True she had said those things so many times before but he had never taken her seriously. He had gotten angry with her when she had said all those things about him. He had thought that she was a goody-goody, who was a teachers pet with a large attitude problem. She had never said it in that tone with that amount of intensity. He saw that the others were looking between him and Lily as if waiting for him to speak. He heard Lily's outburst replay in his mind again. He knew that he was attractive to girls and loved to see them go crazy about him. He was aware that girls would do anything to be paid some attention by James Potter. Except Evans, thought James. He looked at her sitting across him with her red had blowing due to the wind coming in from the train. She actually looks cute, he thought. He felt all eyes on him and looked away from her guiltily. Before he could make up his mind as to what to say, the compartment door burst open and they all looked up [with the exception of Lily] to see a greasy haired, hook nosed Slytherin followed by a gang of fellow-Slytherins.



"All that screaming of course had to be from Evans here." Sneered Snape looking at the back of Lily's downcast head. The Gryffindors scowled at the sight of the others behind him.



"Evans here got a problem?" asked Bellatrix Black in a voice of mock concern.



"Oh Dear Yes! What do I do? I am a mudblood!" replied her sister Narcissa imitating Lily's sweet voice and making it sound so nasty. James jumped up with his hand on his wand and Sirius followed suit. Lily looked up at Narcissa with blazing eyes.



"Say that once more and…" threatened Sirius snarling at her.



"Look who it is Bella… it is our dear cousin, Sirius."



"A disgrace to the name of Black. He might as well been a mudblood."



Monica jumped up behind Sirius glaring at the Slytherins.

"Back off Bella."



"Do not even mention that we are related… it is disgusting to be even standing with you in the same room," Growled Sirius.

"Take your slimy friends and leave Snivellus…" said James in a deep angry voice. Peter was crouching behind Sirius and Remus stood up to avert a fight that looked like it might break out anytime. Snape ignored him and turned to look at Lily who was also standing glowering at the lot.



"The mudblood's muggle parents died right?" scorned Snape loud enough for everyone to hear. James turned around puzzled and saw a flash of hurt flicker across lily's eyes. There was a flash of light and Snape hit the wall of the train and fell unconscious. Bellatrix ran towards him to help him up. Narcissa turned to face James whose black eyes were filled with anger she had never seen there before. She thought it was wise to help Bellatrix get Snape back into their compartment.



Before she turned she said, "You might have won now Potter. But just because we lost the battle does not mean we lost the war. The war will be fought, and will be won… by us." The door slid shut behind her. Sirius looked thoughtfully after her while James turned his gaze on Lily.



"What did Snape mean by that Evans?" He asked her. She looked up and saw the concern in his eyes. She took her seat and the others followed suite. The boys were looking expectantly at her. She sighed and narrated the whole thing for the second time that day.



*~*



"I am sorry Evans."



"Me too," Squeaked Peter.



James cleared his throat. Now he knew why she had got so upset when he mentioned her family. She did not have any.



"Listen Evans…I did not know about this… I … am sorry too…"



"What are you going to do in the holidays?" Asked Remus.



"Dunno…stay at Hogwarts I guess…"



"And for the summer?"



"I might mostly go to Monica's place or Erica's or Alice's. But I don't want to be too much of a burden on them either."



Silence followed this statement as none, not even Lily's best friend Monica, knew what to say. Monica and Lily had known each other even before they came to Hogwarts as they had been studying in the same school and were best friends there too. James found himself feeling sorry for her. Lily looked up and saw him looking at her in a strange way.



"Listen you lot. I don't want anybody feeling sorry for me or taking pity on me. My parents would have wanted me to live a respectable life without mourning and moping around and that is what I am going to do. This is an opportunity for me to get stronger. Don't start treating me like a poor little orphan girl. Alright!"



James understood that Lily meant exactly what she said and actually found himself respecting her for that.

CHAPTER 3 – FOURTH YEAR GOES BY



Not much of action or romance took place during the fourth year of their school. Things were pretty much the normal school life. The marauders were as usual the entertainers and got their back at the Slytherins once to many times. James and Sirius found themselves more popular than ever and enjoyed the attention they were getting from the girls. This made James more arrogant than ever and their pranks started increasing, each one more intense and complicated than the other, bringing humiliation to the Slytherins and laughs to the other houses. Their pranks were more successful due to the marauder's map which they had formed that year after a long amount of research.



Lily did not approve of their pranks as they harassed the Slytherins at all the opportunities they got. She thought that they were played out of bigotry. She did not understand the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. She was taking school more seriously than before, though she had her own amount of fun. She read more and more in the papers about the growing power of Voldemort.



People were beginning to get scared to even say his name and the newspapers and magazines started referring to him as You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. His ideas of depleting the world of muggleborns and making fun of the muggles taking advantage of magic seemed to be appealing to many, especially the Slytherins. His followers started to call themselves the Death Eaters and most of their identity was unknown. They left their mark above all killings. It came to be referred as the Dark Mark and it was a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. Lily had her mind set on becoming an auror more and more as she read about these killings.



The Slytherins seemed to idolize him and they started to target all the muggleborns to make fun of them. The marauders, especially James and Sirius were infuriated by this and their pranks became more humiliating. The Slytherins swore to take revenge. The fellow Gryffindors and the various 'fans' of the marauders started teaming up with the marauders against the Slytherins. Sirius had a personal grudge against the Slytherins as he hated his family for being so narrow-minded. The moment his family found out that he was in Gryffindor, they lost all hopes for him and shunned him to one side. He wanted to get back at his family for all the times they had mocked at him and Gryffindors. The rivalry, Sirius guessed, had been going on between the two houses for generations.



One such prank pulled by the Marauders during the end of the year feast brought out laughs from all the students and the staff, except even Lily who refused to comment on it when asked further. Sirius sneaked into the school kitchens and told the school elves to pour a potion into the food kept for the Slytherins and handed them a bottle. It was a Confudous Potion. During dinner –



"Just wait…"whispered Sirius to Monica who was sitting next to him and grinning. He had told her what the marauders had done and she was looking forward to it. She knew that Lily did not like them playing tricks. Though she also agreed with lily that their tricks were mainly acts of bullying the Slytherins, this one seemed to be promising. Lily saw the marauders grinning from ear to ear and knew that they were up to something. The whole of Gryffindor house knew that and they were waiting with bated breath. She frowned at Monica who was also grinning next to Sirius.



"Why is it taking so long?" whispered Erica impatiently to James.



"Let them finish eating…the potion is not so strong." Replied Remus. Curiosity overtook her and she said,



"What is this trick about?"

"Only the true supporters will know about it. Others will just have to wait and watch." said James. Lily stuck her tongue out childishly at him and sulked throughout dinner. Being across the table from her he noticed it and suppressed an urge to grin back at her.



She looks so cute, thought James, What did I just think??? No way!!! She is so insufferable. She thinks that I am arrogant. She just cant stand all the attention that I am getting from the girls. Just because I get dates every other week and she does not she says that I am a major flirt who can't get into a serious relationship. And I have not seen her with a date at all this entire year… in spite of the fact that she looks cute when she is angry…



His thoughts were cut short by a whistle from the Slytherin table. All heads from the other tables turned towards them. Rudolphus Lestrange was standing on his chair.



"Go Britain Go! Go Britain Go!!! England for the Cup!!!! Ireland is going down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" HE started clapping his hands and cheering for England thinking he was witnessing the world cup.



Bellatrix got up and walked over to Narcissa and whispered something in her ear. They both got up on the table and started tap dancing in sync. Snape stood up from his place and started singing the Hogwarts coir. He was joined by Matt Crabbe and David Goyle. Their voices were not even in tune. Bellatrix and Narcissa started tap dancing to the choir. By this time the Gryffindors could not contain their laughter. Lily was also laughing. She could not help herself as they were hilarious. Lucius Malfoy started cheering for Ireland against Britain and he and Lestrange were cheering even louder to drown each other out. More Slytherins had joined in the coir and in the cheers. Two girls whose names James did not know had started opera singing.



James could not stop laughing this time and most of the people were rolling over in the ground. He surfaced to catch his breath and to his surprise saw that Lily was laughing. The last time she had laughed to one of their jokes was in their 3rd year when he had made Snape sing a ballad about Professor Dumbledore in the middle of their history of magic class. After that she had said that they targeted on humiliating the Slytherins and when he had started hexing them in the corridors she said that it was becoming more of a battle. He stared at her without even realizing what he was doing. He thought she looked very pretty when she was laughing. She looked up at him and said, "James, this is the best prank you marauders have come up with… and I am so glad u came up with this before the year ended. We all do need this laugh after the tension of exams. I wish you would come up with more generalized tricks like this rather than bullying the Slytherins in the middle of the corridor just because you can."



James was smiling back at her admiring the way her emerald green eyes sparkled. Funny, I never noticed this before, thought James. She had actually smiled at him and called him James. He was still reeling from the shock when he heard the school coir being finished with a loud, off-note mourning tone. He again burst out laughing. He joined the others, his thoughts of the previous moments forgotten.



The teachers on the table were wiping their tears of laughter and no teacher made a move to stop them. Dumbledore was smiling at the whole hall with pleasure.



Sirius and Monica were clutching each other trying to support themselves on each other. Each time they caught their breath the sounds from the Slytherin tables set them off again. They laughed so much that Monica got a stitch in her stomach. She held on to her stomach willing herself to stop laughing. She took in huge gulps of air and supported herself against Sirius' chest which was vibrating as he himself was laughing. He put an arm around her unknowingly and she started laughing as Sirius' laughter was infectious. Monica suddenly became aware of the fact that Sirius was holding her. She looked up at him to find out whether he had noticed it or not. He was looking the other way but his arm seemed to circle around her more tightly. Sirius suddenly became aware of what he was doing and looked down at her face. He lost himself in her deep black eyes. His sapphire eyes held the gaze and a magical feeling seemed to arise within both of them. He lifted his other hand and pushed back her wavy black hair behind her ears. She felt a tingling feeling pass through her. What would have happened after that nobody knew for James slapped him on his back still laughing. Sirius let go of Monica guiltily. She blushed and looked around hoping that no one had noticed it. She noticed a few girls throwing her deadly glares and felt really uncomfortable.



"Sirius mate wasn't that the best we ever did?"



"Bloody hell it was!"



Once the teachers had stopped laughing and restored the Slytherins back to their old form, Dumbledore stood up to make the end of the year speech.



"We have reached another end to this year. I see that some of our students have given us all a reason to laugh amidst all the tension going around due to the rise of a certain wizard namely Lord Voldemort. Before I go on to talk about that, I must congratulate the people who have provided us with an entertainment to remember this year by –"



All heads turned to the Marauders who were grinning in triumph. The Slytherins glared at James who cheekily gave them thumbs-up. Sirius got up and said – "the credit also goes to the Slytherins who co-operated…" The hall burst out laughing as Dumbledore cleared his throat for silence. All heads turned towards him once more.



"I would also like you to note that the rise of this wizard is a danger to all of us sitting here. At times of danger like this all I advise is co-operation and unity. I wish u all happy and safe holidays and I hope to see you next year."



*~*



They all got into the train. Sirius and James were the first few to get in behind Lily and her friends. They got into a cabin and closed the door behind them while James and Remus ushered Sirius into the opposite compartment. Sirius gave the girl's cabin a reproachful look before sitting down. He seemed off mood for some time.



"Sirius, mate, what happened? Why are you so quiet?" asked James.



"Forget it man!" he replied looking at the door once more.



"Sirius Black!" said James sternly.



"Alright! It is… umm … well …"



"It is Monica isn't it?" asked Remus from his side grinning at him. Sirius blushed but did not deny it.



"Is it true? You and … MONICA?" asked James, almost screaming with surprise.



"Shhh… keep it down…" James folded his hands and looked at Sirius asking for an explanation.



"Well… I kind of…"



"Kind of?" asked Remus smiling at Sirius with raised eyebrows.



"All right! I like Monica okay… just forget about it…"



"Whoa! Usually it is girls who go bonkers about our Sirius here, now Sirius actually likes someone and we should just forget it?" asked James now grinning. Sirius blushed once more.



"How did you know?" asked Sirius to Remus.



"I saw what happened at the end of the year feat." Sirius blushed once again.



"What happened?" asked James, his curiosity aroused.



"Our mate Sirius here was found sharing a hug with Monica when we were all busy laughing at the Slytherins." smirked Remus.



"We were not exactly 'sharing a hug' as you put it. We both were laughing really hard and as I was sitting next to her she held on to me for support."



"That still doesn't explain the way you were looking at her after you guiltily broke off."



"Okay… I like her. But how do I know if she likes me too?"



"Simple… You ask her." Sirius gave James a look.



The door of the compartment slid open as Monica poked her head in.



"Hi everybody, hi Sirius." James noticed her cheeks flush as she said Sirius' name.



"Hi Monica. What is the matter?"



"Oh! Umm… I was wondering…Lily… I mean … I was…wondering…if…umm…you people wanted to join us…in our cabin…"



"Sure!" replied Sirius instantly. The others stared at him and Monica blushed. They all got up and followed her into their cabin. Sirius looked happy and so did Monica. They sat down next to each other ignoring the looks they got from their friends.



They all started talking and did not notice the time go by. Even Lily seemed a little friendly towards James. James noticed it and felt a weird feeling of joy inside him which he could not reason with. It was probably because she approved of his prank the day before as it was not personal and mean. They reached the station before they knew it.



"Time sure flies fast when you are having fun!"



"That is the power of the marauders." grinned James.



"Don't take that comment of mine too much to heart Potter!" retorted Lily a little bit irritated.



"Where are you going to stay Lily?" asked Remus when they were getting down.



"I have a house which my parents have given me so I will go there and stay for a few days and then I will go over to stay with Monica."



They all said their goodbyes and went their own ways. Little did they know that they were going to be meeting much sooner than they expected to.

CHAPTER 4 – INVITATIONS AND SURPRISES



James was sitting in his room of the Potter Mansion. He was writing a letter to Sirius as he knew how much Sirius hated his house and welcomed his mails happily.



Hi Sirius,

How are you? Ok listen I have a reason to get you out of your house. Dad has been able to pull some strings and has got 3 tickets for the Quidditch world cup between England and Ireland. But dad did not notice that 1 ticket admits 2 people so I have tickets for 3 more people. Obviously you were going to be in. it is near full moon so Remus said he could not come and Peter is with his grandparents in Alaska. So I still have tickets for 2 more people. Any ideas?

PS- reply soon as dad needs to make the plans as we have to be there by next week.

You Fellow Marauder and Best friend

James P



He read the letter through and sent it with his owl, Rowan. He got a reply within 2 days.



Hi James,

Thanks a lot for your invitation. I really needed to get out of this house. Do you believe that my family actually thinks that this Voldemort guy is doing the right thing? And they are as usual making snide comments about Slytherins being better than Gryffindors. My sneak of a brother Regulus told my parents about the tricks we played on the Slytherins and they have not talked to me ever since. So I guess it is okay if I come over. I have 2 more people whom we can ask. I will not tell you now, you see for yourself when they arrive. I have already informed them. Will arrive day after tomorrow. The other 2 will come on the same day but in the afternoon.

Your fellow marauder and best friend

Sirius



James scribbled a quick reply and sent it back. He was looking forward to seeing who the other two invitees were. He wondered for a moment about who Sirius was most likely to call and hit upon a dead end. I will just have to wait and see, he thought.



*~*



Lily had arrived at Monica's house. She greeted Mr. and Mrs. Kipper and Monica showed her up to her room. She answered to all their questions politely and retired to her room. She had gone home and arranged the house well as it was half empty after petunia had separated her things and left. She was reminded strongly of her parents there and vowed to revenge their death. She left for Monica's house as soon as she had finished cleaning up. Monica told her that there was something she needed to tell her. Monica entered the room at that time.



"Hi Lily! How are you doing?"



"Fine Mon. What did you want to tell me?"



"Oh that…" Lily was surprised to find Monica blushing.



"Umm… I … well… had a letter from… from… Sirius."



"Sirius Black?"



"How many Sirius do we know?"



"Ok so?"



"Well… you are my best friend… and… I just have to tell u… I like Sirius!!!" Gushed out Monica not able to contain it any longer.



"What?"



"Yes…" and Monica told her all that happened.



"This is the important thing you wanted to tell me?"



"Not exactly…" said Monica looking at her feet. Lily looked at her questioningly.



"Sirius… well he said that he had 2 extra tickets to the Quidditch World Cup and he invited me there… and well as you were staying with me he asked if you would come along too… and I kind of told him you would without asking you … because I so badly wanted to go and I couldn't if you didn't want to… and…"



"Whoa! Slow down Monica… it is ok…"



"Really! Great, we have to meet him …umm…at a certain place… by tomorrow afternoon."



"How are we getting to…umm…this place?"



"Dad works in the ministry so he said he could get us a one way portkey."



"Sure then Mon… I'm all game…"



*~*



"Hey man Sirius! Nice to see you!"



"Hi James, it is a relief to be seeing a fellow Gryffindor."



"Hello Sirius. How are you?"



"Fine Mrs. Potter."



"How are things at home?"



"The same as usual," said Sirius rolling his eyes and coming in. Mrs. Potter nodded sympathetically and went inside. James took Sirius to his room.



"So tell me. Who all did you invite?"



"they will be here soon. You can see for yourself soon."



"I am beginning to have second thoughts about trusting you."



"You won't once you see who I have invited. Besides I have to tell you what happened at home."



"What?"



"Well, Narcissa and Bellatrix came home and complained to my parents about the tricks we played on the Slytherins last year. They were helped by my dear brother. And my parents yelled at me about how good Slytherins are and how the Gryffindor influence is on me. They said that they were ashamed of me and all that. They refused to talk to me after that. Thankfully your letter came. I informed my parents that I was coming and my mother actually said that she wished I would never come back. So I packed all my clothes and left through the fireplace in front of all of them. I made a grand exit… but now I have no place to go."



"Stupid git! You can stay here with me." Sirius grinned and pulled James into a brotherly hug.



"Did you know that they all think that this Voldemort is doing the right thing by wanting to eliminate all the muggleborns and muggles? They also think that the world belongs to the purebloods."



"Really?"



"They said that Slytherin is the purest house as it contains all the purebloods but that is not true for Snape is not a pureblood and I am not in Slytherin. When I pointed this out they all started insulting Gryffindor so much that I just walked out right in front of them."



"You really must be having a hard time there!"



"Not anymore." Grinned Sirius. He glanced at his watch.



"They will be here in anytime!" he said and for some reason he seemed eager.



"How are they coming?"



"Sh…umm... they said they would come by a portkey and arrive at the garden."



*~*



Sirius and James were waiting in the big garden of the Potter Mansion. Sirius seemed to be restless but refused to give away who was coming. James was also curious to know it. A sudden gust of wind signified their arrival. James turned to see who had come. He could only see Monica and thought to himself, I should have known. Monica stepped aside to reveal Lily Evans. James stopped in his tracks and stared at her as if he could not believe his eyes.



Lily stood there stunned holding a dirty shoe in her hand.



"POTTER!" she spluttered gaping at him.



"EVANS!" he screamed throwing a dirty look at the grinning Sirius. Monica on the other hand was looking ashamed and refused to meet Lily's eyes. They both stood there glaring at each other. They started talking at the same time without taking their eyes off each other.



"Evans! Here? What were you thinking Sirius?"



"Potter? You never told me potter would be there!"

They were so busy yelling at each other indirectly that they did not notice their friends. Sirius signaled to Monica to slip away with him. They both left their friends yelling at each other and Sirius took her the pond in the garden.



"Do you think they will be ok?" asked Monica flanking worriedly behind her.



"They will sort it out. They didn't even miss us… besides I think we have to sort out some things ourselves," said Sirius gazing into her eyes meaningfully. She blushed and looked down at her feet. Sirius lifted her face to look at his with his fingers.



"I have never done this before… and I don't know how to say it… but…"



"Don't say it Sirius. I know…"



"You do?"



"Yes."



"And what do you say?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eye as he already knew the answer. She looked at him so shyly and so adorably that he pulled her into a passionate kiss.



*~*



James and Lily had stopped yelling to take some breath. They noticed their friends missing only then.



"Where do you think we lost them?"



"Somewhere around the beginning I guess."



They silently looked at each other.



"What do you think they are doing?" asked James mischievously.



"Want to see?" Lily had a cheeky look in her eyes.



They thought they spotted two figures at a distance and James took Lily through another way so that they wouldn't be spotted. All their hostility was forgotten in their curiosity. James and lily hid behind a tree to look at them from a distance. They were just in time to see them break apart from their kiss and Sirius was saying something to which Monica blushed.



"Wow! I didn't expect that!" whispered Lily from behind James.



"Shhh!" snapped James trying to hear what they were speaking but they were too soft to hear from that distance. Lily leaned forward and James almost lost his balance and clutched onto a branch to prevent him from falling. Sirius and Monica turned as they heard some noise. James and lily ducked behind the tree just in time.



"What are you doing?" whispered James angrily to Lily.



"I also wanted to hear! After all, my best friend is there too!" she whispered back. He turned his head to face her and started to say something angrily. His words died on his lips as he became aware of how close they were. She seemed to notice it too and moved back a little. He just stared at her. She also felt slightly uncomfortable and shifted her position a little due to which she twisted her ankle a little. She let out a gasp of pain.



"What happened?" asked James, forgetting to lower his voice in confusion.



"Shhh… I think I have twisted my ankle."



By this time Sirius and Monica had heard a noise and had come to investigate. They arrived to find James take a look at Lily's ankle.



"What are you two doing here? I thought we left you both there screaming at each other."



"You should talk Sirius!" retorted James forgetting all about Lily and standing up to face his friend, "You left me shouting there just to snog Monica." Sirius grinned proudly and Monica looked at her feet blushing. Lily almost got up and stood on one foot. She frowned at Monica as she tried to balance herself on one leg.



"You did not tell me that Potter was going to be here!"



"You obviously did not her me back there Evans. You are in My house."



"What? This big palace-like place is your house?" In her surprise she forgot completely about her bad ankle and put her foot down. She let out a small squeal of pain as she clung on to James for support. He helped her up. He put an arm around her waist, pausing a little nervously to think of what she might say. But she was too much in need of support to protest, though she frowned slightly. They both turned to find James and Monica whispering something to each other, looking at them pointedly and sniggering. Lily felt her face grow hot and she was angry with Monica.



"I have twisted my ankle!" she announced to the two of them. Sirius nodded knowingly.



"Really mate! We were hiding behind that tree and she moved back a little and twisted her ankle." Replied James finally realizing what they meant.



"You never told us what you were actually doing behind that tree." asked Monica significantly.



"We actually came to spy on you!" replied Lily hotly.



"Hey no tension Evans! We will go inside and fix that ankle of yours. But then, accused until proven guilty."



"That is innocent until proven guilty." Spat out James, struggling to support lily as lily had also moved to protest and had lost her balance.



"Yes mate, but still…" said Sirius looking pointedly at the two of them in each others' arms. He grinned at James' fury and left towards the mansion with his arms around Monica. Lily looked helplessly angry at them as she also made her way slowly towards the house supported by James.



*~*



Lily was sitting in the living room of the Potter Mansion. Mrs. Potter had set her leg right with a simple spell and had given her a potion to make her feel better. James and Sirius had gone to get the girls rooms ready for them. Monica was sitting next to Lily who was refusing to talk to her.



"C'mon Lil'. James is not that bad!" Lily glared at her.



"Hey, besides you seemed quite comfortable with him back then."



"No I did not. Me and Potter is never going to happen so you can kiss those dreams goodbye," she snapped. Monica smiled knowingly.



"Take that smile off your face. I hate Potter and it will always remain that way." Monica did not say anything but just turned away and shook her head disbelievingly.



*~*



"James, what is the deal with you and Evans?"



"What do you mean?" he asked a little too quickly for it to be a comment of innocence.



"You know what you mean. You were looking at her strangely while helping her up, you know."



"I was not. It was probably because I was trying hard to hold her up."



"Stop lying to your best friend."



"Sirius, you are my best mate but I will club you on the head if you mention the possibility of me and Evans once more. It will never happen. She hates me."



"But do you like her?"



"No way!" he replied. The conversation ended there but Sirius noticed that James was doing a lot of thinking.

CHAPTER 5 - BEFORE THE WORLD CUP

James showed Lily up to her room. She seemed delighted at the size of the room. She thanked him generously and said that she thought he was not bad after all. He felt a familiar but cannot-reason-with pleasure that he had been feeling lately when Lily was around. He shook off the feeling and left the room to give her some time to freshen up.

*~*

Potter sure is nice at times. Like today when he forgot all that I had yelled at him and helped me here and decided to take me to the world cup. No hard feelings, he had said. He does look cute when he is up to something. Oh MY God!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did I just say that potter looked cute???????????????? No I take that back! Potter may seem nice but no way… I just thought that because of Sirius and Monica heavily hinting that we both might be a pair. Potter is a prat and no one can change that.., she thought as she tried to convince herself of the fact.

*~*

The 4 of them were sitting in James' room as it was the biggest room among the four of theirs. James was telling them the plan to leave.

"As dad works in the ministry we have special access from home. Dad got an authorization for a portkey. So we will all be leaving after lunch tomorrow and be back in about 5 days. The match is 3 days from when we go there. But we need to settle down in the campsite a little and all that – Sirius listen here!" James snapped at Sirius who had been nuzzling Monica and not paying any notice to what James was saying.

"Sorry mate got carried away!" replied Sirius grinning sheepishly.

"Alright!" said James tolling his eyes at Sirius.

"Do you know who all we will be meeting there?" asked Lily.

"My family will definitely be there. Boy, won't they be mad to see me with another family when they are right there." Sirius had told them what had happened during the holidays.

"Narcissa and Bellatrix will be there?"

"Yes Mon."

"Oh!" she sounded a little worried. Sirius noticed that and kissed her on the forehead, "Don't fret sweetie, they can't do anything to you, not while I am around. And since you seem down I think we should go somewhere private and cheer up." He said wiggling his eyebrows at her. She laughed as he pulled her out of the door.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room once they had left. James cleared his throat to say something first.

"They really make a cute pair don't they?" said lily looking at the door after them. James was taken aback as he did not expect her to speak first.

"Yes. He really does like her a lot. Strange for Sirius though. He has never liked anyone this much before."

"Monica likes him a lot too. She has always liked him and I am glad to see her dream come true." James kept quiet. He was looking at her, at the way she looked when she spoke dreamily of things. She turned her eyes to face his and his heart started beating just a little faster. She was sitting on the edge of his bed near the window so her hair was being blown all over her face. Her emerald eyes just lit up against her lily white skin. He did not know what to do because he was not thinking straight. He was just admiring the way she looked and how her pink dress complimented everything about her. One strand of her hair was troubling her eye and she was struggling to get it off. James without really thinking what he was doing leaned across and brushed it off her face. Reality hit him when lily looked up at him confused. He jumped up from there.

"Oh! Lily… I … umm… have to go now… sorry… about… what…umm … see you later…" mumbling this he just left the room as soon as possible. Lily also got up and went to her own room, staring after James.

*~*

Lily was sitting in her room with a book in hand but not actually reading it.

Why am I feeling so strange? I love reading books, especially classics. Then why am I not able to read this book? She looked at the book she was holding – Pride and Prejudice. One of her all time favorite classics. Somehow she did not feel like reading it now. I keep on thinking about Potter since this morning. What is it that is so different from the normal times at school? I mean he still is the same proud, arrogant, loves-to-boast-about-himself, girls-love-me, I-am-the-best, I-can-hex-anyone, bully Potter. Then why do I feel that something has changed? He has not behaved even one bit arrogantly since I came. Oh for gods sake you came only this morning and there was really no chance at all for him to boast Lily, she told herself, then is it just the strangeness of being with him other than at school? I guess that is it. It just feels different to be with him in the holidays. She convinced herself of this fact and went back to her book. But she could not ignore the nagging feeling that told her that the matter was something else.

*~*

James was zooming through the air on his broomstick thinking furiously as he cut through the air. Why did I do that? Why am I admiring her recently? She hates me. And I have always been irritated by her. We have always been on the touchy edge. I guess it feels odd that now we are actually able to have a decent conversation without it ending in an argument. But still that doesn't explain why I had to go and push her hair off her face. Do I like her? Am I beginning to fancy Evans? It can't be. It will never work out. No way. There must be some other explanation. James abandoned his thought track and zoomed downwards willing himself to forget it.

*~*

Monica pushed Sirius away from her and sat down in the flower garden.

"You look really pretty in the midst of all these flowers Mon." She just blushed and looked up at him.

"You don't look so bad yourself." She teased.

"Really?" he asked flopping down beside her grinning widely.

"Don't do that!" groaned Monica.

"What? I am not even touching you!" he replied astonished.

"Don't grin like that! Every time you do that I just want to cuddle you like a teddy bear." She moaned looking at him. He grinned even wider. She groaned and gave in pulling him into a kiss. When they came apart –

"I have never known anyone have so much power over me as you have had in the past 1 week Mon. It is always girls who fall for me and I take it for granted but for the first time I have fallen helpless to a girl. And that is you." He whispered her ear. She blushed and tried to get up. He pulled her down and grinned suggestively at her. They kissed again.

"Likewise Sirius, you are so adorable and cute and unpredictable and mischievous and I love your pranks …"

"You mean you don't think they are like bullying other people? Like Lily does."

"Not all of them. I mean hexing the Slytherins when you pass them in the corridor just because you don't like them or because you can do it is so not cool. This is the same thing Lily and I have against James too."

"You want me to give up hexing the Slytherins all together to be with you? That is impossible. The rivalry has set in and they are doing their share back. It is just that they are not so quick or clever. But they will be from this year especially my family. They will be against me and James. We cannot help it. Though taking them unawares is very funny. Though I will stop that if you don't want me to do it." He added hastily. He looked so reproachfully at her. Like a puppy dog, thought Monica.

"Forget it!" she said.

"What?"

"Forget it. Lily can have a grudge against it but she does not know or understand the history between Slytherin and Gryffindor or your family status. She can bear a grudge against James if she wants to. Though James might not take to it as lightly as he used to I guess."

"Why not?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

"Noticed what?"

"Oh my god you boys are so clueless."

"About what?" asked Sirius sitting up straight.

"Did you notice the way he looked at her when he was helping her up because of his bad ankle?"

"No… I was looking at you that time."

"Sirius… be serious."

"I am Sirius, seriously." Monica rolled her eyes at his bad joke.

"Well I think we both need to watch out for our friends from now on… look like they are experiencing the first peeks of romance."

"James and Lily? No way!"

"We will just have to wait and see."

"Until then I don't think we should waste more time over someone else's romance when we have our own to tend to."

*~*

They were all assembled in the living room, ready to leave for the campsite. They each had a small bag with them with just the necessities for 5 days. Mr. Potter was giving them information.

"While I am taking you people, you are under my responsibility and if anything happens to you, I am answerable to your parents. As you all very well know this wizard Voldemort, better known as You-now-Who now is striking at all public places. The world cup gathering is an ideal place for him with so many different people around. So I want the four of you to stick together at all times. Never go anywhere alone. Stick in pairs at least. And don't wander of far away from the campsite. Understood all of you?"

They all nodded their heads. Lily was feeling slightly nervous because of the extra security. She looked up as Mrs. Potter came in with a basket of food and a lampshade. Mr. Potter turned the lampshade into a portkey and at the count of three they all touched it. They were off to the world cup.

CHAPTER 6 – AT THE CAMPSITE

Lily went into her tent and looked around. She was amazed at how something so small from outside actually was so big from inside with 2 different rooms and a kitchen with a fully furnished living room. She went and kept her bag in her room. The boys and Mr. Potter were in the adjacent tent. She lay down on the soft bed relaxing a little and listening peacefully to the babble of voices from outside. She lay there for sometime, thinking of nothing in particular.

"Lily! What are you doing inside there? Come on outside, let us explore a bit and meet our school mates." said Monica coming into her room. Monica looked excited and Lily caught on to the excitement and went outside with her.

There were a lot of little tents propped up around them. They spotted Sirius and James waving at them and walked towards them. They seemed really excited about something.

"Hey guys what's up?" asked Monica giving Sirius a little kiss on the cheek.

"James and I here… umm… jinxed the site map a little so that…" Sirius rolled out the map to show them. It was not an ordinary map now as it not only showed the entire place but also the people and where they were moving. The people even had name tags attached to them so they would know who was going where.

"That is really great! How did you do that?" asked Lily.

"Well… you know… it is simple. But I suppose it is because I am a genius. I don't know if you will be able to understand it for it can get very complicated for people who are not so brainy…"

"Shut it potter." scowled Lily.

"What's the matter Evans? You jealous?"

"C'mon James, lay off her! We are on a holiday!" said Monica seeing that an argument was coming up.

"It is ok Mon…" replied Sirius who had always thought that the James-Lily arguments were worth seeing. Monica punched him lightly on the arm and turned to James.

"So how does this thing work?"

"It is simple. Sirius and I have put a charm on it so that we can see who is going where. In that way we will always know where each other are and can get in touch soon. Also if there is any danger, like the Slytherins, we can always know." Sirius suddenly grinned mysteriously. James recognized that grin and raised his eyebrows questioningly. Sirius leaned forward and whispered something in James' ear. James' face lit up and broke into a mischievous grin. HE whispered something back to Sirius for which he nodded his head vigorously. Lily was looking suspiciously at the two of them.

"What is it?" asked Monica.

"Just some marauder stuff we are planning for next year."

"And Sirius here gave me a wonderful idea. Watch out for some action in our fifth year."

"It is the OWLs year Potter. We all will be studying. You are actually going to joke around in our fifth year?"

"Take it easy Evans." said Sirius rolling his eyes. To James' surprise Lily grinned back at him.

"As long as it is not cruel and bullying…"

"Aww… Evans…" started James.

"She is right mate."

"What?" James turned in surprise to face Sirius.

"I'm tied down mate. I will have to watch my step now." said Sirius pointing his head towards Monica who kissed his cheek.

"Sirius… mate… it does not do good to be that smitten with someone." he said shaking his head in disbelief.

"I like it though!" said Sirius as he kissed Monica.

"But we are going ahead with this plan right?"

"Absolutely." said Sirius grinning cheekily.

*~*

"There they come!" muttered Sirius checking the map. They had explored the campsite and found a secluded corner where they had decided to hang out.

"What happened?" asked Monica looking up at him from her place in his arms.

"My family has arrived."

"You mean the Slytherins?" asked James pronouncing the last word with distaste.

"I am the only Gryffindor in my family!"

"I don't understand this Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalry." said Lily looking between James and Sirius confused.

"That is because you have not been brought up in the magic world like us. Even though I went to a muggle school with you till I got my letter, I was brought up in the magic atmosphere."

"The rivalry goes a long way back…" Sirius told Lily the story of the Hogwarts founders and how Salazar Slytherin left the others as he wanted to eliminate all the half bloods form the school.

"So every single person who enters Slytherin has a dislike for half bloods. Gryffindors are the bravest of all the four houses and so they stand up for themselves."

"You mean there is like a prejudice between the 2 houses?"

"Evans, you have studied in Hogwarts for 4 years and you still don't get it!"

"I have never understood it Sirius."

"I don't know if you can call it prejudice… maybe it is. My family is so prejudiced that they will cut me off because I am Gryffindor."

"It is because of this prejudice that you want to jinx each other every time you pass in the corridors or make comments which will goad them into a duel?"

"Well… the fact that they are jerks…and will stoop to do anything for revenge…"

Lily kept quiet for sometime. She did not know all this before, even after 4 years of studying in Hogwarts. She had never seen this point of view at all. This threw a whole new light to the whole matter. She was so preoccupied with it that she did not notice a certain handsome, raven haired boy staring at her.

But this did not escape the notice of Sirius and Monica. Monica nudged Sirius and looked pointedly towards James who was looking at Lily with an odd expression on his face. Sirius held back a small smile.

"Hey James! What are we doing tonight?" he asked in an unnecessarily loud voice. James jerked back to reality and looked confused at being thrown this question suddenly.

"Umm… I don't know. Dad was … he was saying something about a gathering around a campfire… you know…"

Sirius nodded, smiling knowingly at him. He was confused as to why Sirius was smiling like that. His eyes darted back to Lily and then looked back at Sirius. This time the amusement in his eyes was unmistakable. James found himself blushing slightly and looking away. There was a silence due to which Lily looked up. She looked questioningly at Monica who looked at Sirius and back at her. She understood that they wanted to be alone together and got up.

"Where are you going?" asked James. Lily looked pointedly at Sirius and Monica. He did not understand at all. Sirius and Monica looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"What?" he asked thoroughly confused.

"Do you mind?" replied Sirius looking pointedly at Monica. James still did not understand.

"Boys can be so clueless!" remarked Lily. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the bushes. He followed her without knowing where he was going.

After they were well out of the hearing range of Sirius and Monica Lily turned to face James.

"Didn't you see that they wanted to be alone for sometime?"

"What..? Oh… umm…" he did not know what to say. He was still reeling from what Sirius had wordlessly suggested. Lily shook her head in desperation.

"So do you want to look at those temporary shops?" she asked him.

"What..? Ya… sure!"

They walked towards the tents where the shops were set up. James was telling Lily stories of his childhood with Sirius and she was laughing at the humor in them.

"… and since then Sirius has never eaten every flavor beans." She was laughing vigorously at the entire narration when they heard a familiar sneering voice behind them.

"Look who it is… a Marauder and a Mudblood." James turned around and found himself facing Rudolphus Lestrange accompanied by Snape and the Black sisters. His arm tightened in his pocket as he gripped his wand.

"Potter and Evans? Never thought I would see the day…" James glared at Snape threateningly and he felt Lily stiffen next to him. Snape took advantage of his silence and continued, "But of course… Lord Voldemort is out to get mudbloods like her and if you want to be safe I think you should…"

"One more word snivellus…" he said in a low threatening voice. The Slytherins did not pay any heed to him and turned to face Lily who was standing next to James and glaring at them.

"So you managed to charm Potter? Bad choice I must say." Said Bellatrix looking between the two of them and smiling wickedly.

"James and I are not going out." replied Lily angrily.

"Sure mudblood." snorted Bellatrix disbelievingly.

"You will have to say that to save his skin you know… with the Dark Lord out there killing Mudbloods… and those who stick up for them." said Rudolphus.

James whipped out his wand and pointed it at him.

"Say that again Lestrange." He threatened.

"Potter… don't. You are not allowed to use magic outside school. Don't do it." He thought for a moment and lowered his wand not taking his eyes off Rudolphus. Snape smirked at the exchange.

"A marauder and a Mudblood. It has got a ring to it."

James forgot about everything and leapt at Snape. What would have happened if Lily had not held him back is up to one's own guess.

"James, don't. It is not worth it… If they want to behave like losers let them be… James, don't…" She glared at the Slytherins who smirked at them in triumph and went on their own way. James watched them go with a feeling of helpless anger. Lily loosened her hold on him. He felt her relax a bit.

"How can you stand it Lily? I mean… they called you a…a…you know…wait a minute…" his expression cleared as something new hit him, "you just called me James?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"And you just called me Lily." She said quietly to herself, looking away, and "Don't think much of it Potter." She said looking back at him, "When it doesn't change the fact that you are a prat…" James opened his mouth to reply hotly.

"You ok mate? I was seeing the map and saw snivellus and his lousy friends talking to you." James turned to Sirius and Monica.

"What happened?"

"The Slytherins called her a…a…"

"No!"

"Yes!" said Lily sounding angry and hurt. James looked sideways at her and his anger increased at her hurt expression.

"Forget it Potter." she said seeing him look at her. Her tone sounded final and he thought it was wise not to say anything. He sighed. He saw Sirius look at him sharply.

"You girls go ahead and check out the shops. I want to talk to James." Monica nodded understandingly at him and she steered Lily away.

"What is it Sirius?"

"I think you know what it is about."

James looked down at the ground and started walking towards the woods which were attached to the campsite. Sirius walked beside him.

"Tell me James."

"What do you want me to tell you?"

"James. You can never lie to me. I knew you too well for that." James looked embarrassed.

"Sirius…"

"You fancy her, don't you?"

"I don't know mate…"

"James." said Sirius sternly.

"I surrender. I fancy Evans." replied James giving a lopsided grin.

"I knew it!"

"But she hates me!" groaned James.

"Probably she nurses a secret crush…" said Sirius mockingly. But James took it seriously.

"Yea… that could be it… who can resist the charms of James Potter and Sirius Black…"

They winked at each other and walked out of the woods.

Once they had left a dark figure emerged from behind a tree.

"So Potter fancies the mudblood, huh? Interesting…" said Bellatrix under her breath.

*~*

"Hey look at this! It's so cool!" squealed Lily picking up a pair of sunglasses which had knobs on the sides so that you could zoom in an out. This was the first time she was seeing these things as at home she was not exposed to it and they were banned in school.

"How much is it?" asked James to the vendor popping up beside her from nowhere. Beside Lily, Sirius and Monica were having a hushed conversation.

"What happened Sirius?"

"Yup! We were right!"

"You mean I was right."

"Whatever."

"Hey, don't look so grouchy…"

They looked up before Lily and James got too suspicious and pretended to be interested in a flower which when squeezed would yell out supports for the England team. James was just paying for 4 of the sunglasses and handed them out to the other three. Monica thanked him.

"Really potter, you need not have don't this."

"Lily…it is great. Thanks James."

"Thank you Potter but I will pay you…"

"It is a gift. This whole world cup trip is on me and no one is spending a single knut." he replied quickly smiling his famous lopsided grin at her. She smiled back sweetly as she could not resist returning such a happy smile. He bought a few shout out flags and posters and they left to their tents to get ready for the big campfire night.

CHAPTER 8 – BACK TO SCHOOL



The four of them continued staying at the Potter mansion as Monica's parents were on a secret Mission which they did not want to tell them. The Hogwarts letters came there and Lily found herself made a Prefect. Mrs. Potter baked a huge cake in her honor and they had a party. Mr. Potter took them to Diagon Ally and dropped them off at the station. Lily hugged Mrs. Potter goodbye and thanked her for the great time and for having given her a place to stay.



"Hey Lily!"



"Hey Erica! How were the holidays?" she exclaimed.



"Oh my god! You are a prefect!" she said eyeing the badge on her robes.



"Yes!!!" she squealed.



"Why did you not write to me at all?" she accused Lily. Lily looked uncomfortable. She had not written to Erica because she did not want Erica to know she had been with the Potters, especially James.



"And Monica did not reply to my letters at all! What is it with the 2 of you?" Monica came up beside Lily.



"Hey Erica."



"Hey Monica." She said coldly. Monica realized what Erica was angry about and looked ashamed.



"I am sorry Erica, I really am!"



"And your explanation is?"



"I will tell you once we find a compartment."

Meanwhile Remus and Peter had met up with James and Sirius and they were exchanging notes. Remus had been made a prefect too. They left in 2 different groups and went into different compartments.



*~*



"What was up with you and James in the holidays?" asked Remus once he had come back from his rounds.



"A lot of things happened." said Sirius grinning.



"I guessed. Sorry I couldn't make it James… you see it was nearing full moon and…"



"It is not your fault mate."



"So who else did you invite?"



"3 guesses who." said Sirius grinning.



"He invited his girlfriend and get this – Evans!"



"Who? Monica and Lily?"



"Yup!" said Sirius with triumph.



"What happened between our dear James and Lily?" asked Remus interested and was surprised to see James blush.



"Well… Monica and I got together, James fancies Lily and…"



"Wait a minute! JAMES FANCIES LILY???" Remus looked at James, his eyes wide with disbelief and surprise. James grinned and started narrating the events of the entire holidays.



*~*



"Hi Mon! How was the hols with Lily?"



"Did you know Sirius invited me and Lily to the world cup as James had 2 extra tickets?"



"What? You went to see the world cup finals? For free!! Lucky pigs!"



"Sirius would not have invited us if he were not eager to go out with Monica."



"Really Monica? You and Sirius?" Monica gave a triumphant grin.



"It finally happened, Erica. And it feels so great."



"Good for you! But how could you stand being around in the presence of both James and Lily?"



"It wasn't so bad…"



"What do you mean? Lily and James can't stand each other.



"Actually Lily couldn't stand and he had to hold her up."



"Shut up Monica. I twisted my ankle!"



"Whatever Lil'."



"Stop talking in riddles and tell me what happened." Lily sulked in the corner as Monica told them all what had happened.



*~*



"Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. James had 3 extra tickets for the world cup. He couldn't call me and peter so he called you and asked you to invite 2 more people. You invited Monica and Lily. But Lily and James did not know that the other was going to be there. They started yelling as soon as they spotted each other which …"



*~*

"…which gave me and Sirius enough time to kiss and get together. Then Sirius and I heard a noise in the bushes and when we went to see, James and Lily were cozy behind some bushes. And then Lily gave an excuse that she had twisted her ankle and James was just helping her…"



*~*



"… Then you people left for the world cup where you and Lily ran into the Slytherins…"



*~*



"…after the world cup, you four again ran into the Slytherins who were threatening you…"



*~*



"… later Monica got an owl from her parents saying that they had to go on a secret mission and would James' parents mind taking them in for a few days…"



*~*



"And we spent rest of the holidays at the Potter Mansion."



*~*



"Wow! You guys had great holidays!!! After all you got to spend time with the girls you liked…"



"Remus… do I find that tone a little wistful?"



"No Sirius…"



"Remus!" said James sternly.



"Fine! I give up! I have never been able to lie to you both…"



"Who is it?" they both asked in unison.



"Umm…" Remus mumbled something which they could not hear.



"Speak up Lupin!" said James sternly.



"Forget it James! It is never going to happen."



"Never say never."



"I don't want to talk about it ok."



"But Remus…"



"I said No, Sirius."



They all recognized that tone of Remus and did not ask him anything more about it. But both James and Sirius promised to themselves to find out who it was that Remus liked.
~~~

CHAPTER 9 – IN THE COMMON ROOM AND AFTER



The OWL year started with the usual lecture of 'you have to work hard this year' and 'you don't have time to relax and joke around any more' from all their teachers. They were piled with lots of homework and it gave them less time to enjoy. Remus and Lily were taking it more seriously than the others.



*~*



"I cannot go on anymore! Seriously! It has been 2 days since I even spoke to Monica!" groaned Sirius as he set down his quill.



"Come on Sirius… just the conclusion and we will be done."



"No! this is killing me!"



"You think it is killing you? Mate, it is near full moon and I am as tired as anyone can get."



"I am sorry Remus, I dint realize that." Remus looked tired and sad. James noticed this.



"Sirius, can I talk to you for a second?"



"Sure James." James pulled Sirius away from his friends into a corner of the common room.



"Mate, I am worried about Remus. I think his condition is making him feel really left out and sad."



"I know… I noticed it too. This might be why he doesn't want to tell anyone who he likes."



"Good point. We have to do something about it."



"Yes. But what?"



"I don't – wait a minute… we were writing the essay on werewolves right now, weren't we?"



"What exactly..?"



"Werewolves do not hurt fellow werewolves or other animals as they hurt human beings."



"I am thoroughly confused now."



"I was thinking… he might feel better if he knew that he had friends to back him up and to be with him during his difficult times. And as humans we can't do that… but we can do that as animals."



"You mean… we become animals?" asked Sirius scratching his head and thinking that James had seriously gone mad.



"Animagus." Sirius' face broke into a huge grin as he took in the full meaning of what James said.



"Wicked. I like that." James grinned back. They were heading back to their friends when they were stopped by Monica.



"Hi Sirius!" she said sounding as tired as he felt.



"Monica!" he exclaimed happily and kissed her hard. James slipped away quietly during that time. He looked over to where Lily was sitting with Erica. Alice was sitting beside Frank Longbottom who seemed to be explaining something to her. But by the looks of it she was not interested in what he was explaining as much as she was in looking at him. Frank noticed that she was staring at him and blushed red. James had known about Frank's crush on Alice for a long time and was glad that Alice was finally reciprocating.



Everyone has their luck, except me, he thought looking at Lily with longing. She was twirling her long red hair with her index finger and stifled a yawn. She looked up and rubbed her eyes. She leaned against the couch and closed her eyes. Her hair frames her face in an adorable way that made James want to caress it immediately. He looked at Remus finishing his essay looking wretched. I guess that makes two of us, he sighed.



*~*



"I missed you Mon!" groaned Sirius as he pulled her down on the floor next to him.



"I've missed you too Sirius. You can't believe how much of a torture it is to be so near and yet unable to snog you."



"I know Mon, I know!" they stayed in the content of each others arms for a while without speaking.



"Monica?"



"Mmm..?" she said against his chest.



"Do you know something?"



"What?" she asked not moving.



"I love you."



She pulled back stunned. Her black eyes sought Sirius' blue ones. She could not believe what she had just heard. He held her tenderly and met her gaze fully.



"What?" she repeated once she had found her voice. Sirius leaned forward till their faces were just inches away from each other. Her heart started racing madly.



"I love you, Monica" he repeated. She felt tingly all over as she gazed deeply into Sirius' eyes. He seemed to mean exactly what he was saying. As she looked into his sparkling blue eyes, she knew that she had no doubts.



"I love you too." She whispered before kissing him.



*~*



The marauders along with Lily and her friends were coming out of Potions.



"Hey, tomorrow is Hogsmeade weekend! I completely forgot in all this study rush…"



"I remember James. But this time you guys will have to go ahead without me and Monica. I have something special planned for her." Monica blushed sweetly.



"I have detention with professor McGonagall this weekend as I dint finish yesterday's homework so I cant make it either." said Peter in his usually shrill voice.



"Oh and I am going on a date with Amos so sorry guys, I can't come with you either."



"Amos?" asked Remus.



"Amos Diggory."



"Oh!" he sighed, "I want to do some research in the library tomorrow. So count me out too James."



"Come on Remus! You have been working yourself out to much lately. You need a break."



"I am fine James, really. You go ahead." James continued to frown at Remus who looked away.



"So I guess it is just you and me Evans." He said hoping not to sound too enthusiastic.



*~*



"Hi Lily!" he said as she came down the stairs wearing an emerald green dress which brought out the color of her eyes. God she looks gorgeous, he thought as she approached him.



"Hey James!" They left towards Hogsmeade.



"When is the next Quidditch match?"



"Next week. Between Gryffindor and Slytherin… we are hoping to squash them."



"Have you been practicing enough for that?"



"I don't need to practice… I am a natural at goal scoring. Like I was saying at the world cup…"



"Forget I ever asked Potter." said Lily. James grinned down at her and ran his hands though his hair. She caught herself staring at it and actually thinking he looked handsome. James saw her looking at him out of the corner of his eye. Yess!!!



"So where do you want to go first Lily?" he asked her, making his voice more mature and deep. She was taken aback and she looked away guiltily.



"I…umm…a…" she stammered.



"How about Zonko's? I have been wanting to go there for long." Without waiting for a reply he dragged her inside the shop. They went through an array of tricks and jokes and James was telling Lily what device they used to play which trick on whom. She found the stories amusing and for once did not lecture him. James found a couple of things he wanted to buy. As he made his way to the counter he saw Snape approaching him. He did not want to upset Lily on their sort-of-unasked-unofficial-date.



"Why don't you wait outside for me Evans? It is a bit crowded in here." She seemed thankful for a reason to leave and waited against a tree outside the shop. His eyes followed her without being able to help it.



"Buying tricks potter?" said a familiar nasty voice from next to him.



"Snivellus."



"On a date Potter? Not the most romantic place."



"Shut your trap Snivelly and mind your own business." James Paid for his items and turned to face Snape.



"We will flatten you in the next Quidditch match Snivelly and let us see where you can keep your face after that."



"That reminds me Potter. Does your girlfriend know that you like her?" James looked at Snape startled. Snape smirked evilly. James realized what he was getting at. He clenched his fist around the tiny ball he was holding. A black sticky liquid came out if it and splashed onto Snape. James did not foresee it but started laughing at the sight of Snape covered in a multicolored sticky liquid. Several other onlookers laughed too. Snape pulled out his wand and cleaned himself. James walked away towards Lily.



"Potter that was…" she started to comment on what had just happened. She shut her mouth as soon as she saw Snape standing behind James. James followed her eyes to a fuming Snape.



"Did you tell her yet Potter?" he asked in a sickly smooth voice indicating to Lily. James' eyes narrowed as he realized what he was referring to.



"Shut it Snape." He said in a low, threatening voice.



"Tell me what?" asked Lily confused.



"Finally remembered my name did you? Did he not tell you?" he said turning to Lily.



"What?"



"Severus get away." Shouted James pulling out his wand.



"Shut up James. I want to know what he is talking about." Said Lily grabbing him from the back and pulling his wand away from him.



"You don't need to know Lily."



"Why not? Are you scared that the mudblood will say no?"



"What are you talking about?" asked Lily slightly apprehensive.



"I don't believe potter did not tell you this…"



"Lily forget it okay. You don't have to know now."



"Shut up James. I want to know."



"…Potter likes you." Said Snape triumphantly looking at Lily. Lily thought that she did not hear him properly.



"What?"



"Potter Likes you." Repeated Snape. James slapped his hand against his forehead and took in a deep breath.



"Meet you at the castle Potter." mocked Snape looking in between the staring Lily and the angry James.



"I will get you for this Snivelly."



"Oh no potter! I was about to bargain this little secret of yours for the Quidditch match. But now I have an even better bargain." Snape continued after an evil pause, "You have the Quidditch match on one hand and your girlfriend's safety in the other. And you have to choose. Soon and fast." James caught hold of Snape's collar.



"Don't you dare!" Snape pulled free of James' grip looking smug.



"Choose Potter."



"If you touch one hair on her head…" he said in a low voice. Snape looked at him square in the eye and knew that he had won. He caste a mocking glance at Lily.



"Choose." Saying this Snape walked away leaving both Lily and James staring after him.



"James?" said Lily quietly from behind him. James realized that he had to answer to Lily. He walked towards Lily and ran his hand nervously through his hair. She looked at him with her eyes full of unasked questions. He groaned and hit his hand against the tree.



"Lily…" he started but trailed off as he did not know what to say.



"Is it true?" she asked quietly after a long pause between them. He met her gaze and knew that he could not bring himself to lie to her face about this.



"Yes." He said quietly. She clasped her hands to her mouth, dropping James' wand onto the ground. James picked it up and stuffed it into his robes. He looked back at the confused Lily waiting for her to reply. Her mind was racing and she did not know what to say. She looked up at James who was watching her and waiting for her to reply. She opened her mouth once or twice to say something but closed it as she did not know the right thing to say.



"Lily..? Are you ok?" he asked when she did not say anything for 5 whole minutes. She did not trust herself to speak and just nodded. In mutual understanding both of them walked towards the castle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~