Crash and Burn

They reached the pitch to find Remus and James already on their brooms.

"What are you doing here?" Calista called happily up to Remus.

"Skipping class, and you?" Remus yelled back.

"Lily's class was cancelled, and I have a spare."

The girls backed up a bit as the boys came to a speeding stop next to them.

"Fancy a game of Quidditch?" Remus asked mischievously. "Teams of two: one Keeper, one Chaser; what do you say?"

Lily opened her mouth to decline, but Calista cut in smoothly.

"We'd love to."

Glaring at her best friend, Lily mounted her broom and all four soared into the air. Once they were about thirty feet above the ground, James ran a hand through his hair and motioned for the rest to stop. Lily rolled her eyes and folded her arms, waiting for him to speak.

"So teams, how about boy on girl I - "

"Oh grow up, James," Remus said impatiently. "Not another battle of the sexes. I say we have girls and boys on the same teams."

James folded his arms. "Then I want Calista."

"Well you can't have her, 'cause she's on my team."

"Oh no you don't Remus Lupin. I don't know what you're trying to pull here,

but -"

Calista rolled her eyes at their childishness. "I'll be with James," she said resignedly, giving Remus an apologetic glance. They sped to the opposite sides of the fields, Lily and James both taking a position as keeper. This proved to be a bad idea, as the game was going nowhere with Remus and Calista against each other. They switched places and, with Lily and James going head-to-head, the game finally moved.

Lily might have been able to beat James in the art of pranking, but he slaughtered her on the Quidditch Pitch. After scoring his fifth goal on Remus, James began to circle Lily, taunting her as he went.

"Aww, poor, ickle Lily Evans failed once again! I mean, not only do you set things on fire, but you can't even play a proper game of Quidditch."

"Ouch, James, that hurt," Lily snapped back. "Just because I don't spend my whole bloody life on a broom doesn't mean I can't do things right."

"Like what?" James snorted. "I mean you're basically an idiot in your studies, you don't play sports. What else is there?"

"I can beat the Marauders at their own game, and I'm not a clone like SOME people," she said, smirking.

James gave her a blank look. "You really think doing crazy stunts and pulling a few pranks on the Slytherins is going to get you anywhere?" he retorted.

"It'll get ME somewhere," she shot back. "If I'm Head Girl, it basically paves my way into the ministry. Do you even KNOW what you want to be when you grow up?"

"You, Head Girl?" James rolled his eyes, artfully avoiding the question of his future. "Good luck with that! You need exceptional marks to be Head Girl."

"Not necessarily, you need to be a leader, have good social skills, etc."

"Please, Dumbledore would never make YOU Head Girl."

"Care to make a wager on that, Potter?"

"Damn right I do: fifty Galleons that you never make it to Head Girl."

Lily stuck out her hand and James grabbed it. As they were shaking, Remus quietly sped past them, and he and Calista began flirting at the other end of the pitch.

***

Ten minutes later, Remus and Calista were still flirting and James and Lily were still arguing. Sirius and Elizabeth, who were now finished with their classes, walked onto the Quidditch Pitch, shaking their heads.

"What a rousing game you've got there, mates," said Sirius mischievously. "Let's join in, Elizabeth."

Not noticing Elizabeth's blush, Sirius summoned two brooms from the shed. Tossing one to her, he mounted his broom and soared towards the sky.

***

The game continued promptly. Lily and James were back to being Chasers, now joined by Sirius and Elizabeth, and Remus and Calista settled at the hoops. The teams were evenly matched. James got Calista, as promised, and was joined by Elizabeth, so as to not slaughter Remus and Lily, who received Sirius.

The game was a high-speed scrimmage. James, being the selfish git he was, chose to not pass the ball to Elizabeth, his team-mate. In fact, Sirius and James did rather a head-to-head match, with occasional passes to Lily from Sirius. Being entirely fed up with the whole thing (and James), Elizabeth and Lily realised they were both starving and flew down to eat lunch.

The game did not continue for much longer. The boys noticed that Lily and Elizabeth left and remembered that their favourite meal of the day was ensuing with the Marauders absent.

Lunch was uneventful. The moment the boys sat down, they began nearly drowning in their food. The girls all sat next to them and began eating. Lily, however, wasn't hungry. She couldn't stop thinking about the bet that she and James had made.

Lily knew that she could be Head Girl, once she actually put her mind to it. Her grades needed to improve and the teachers despise all the pranks that the girls and she did (albeit the Marauders). Her record wasn't exactly the cleanest.

Lily sighed heavily. She'd be damned to pay Potter 50 galleons, and therefore would have to win this bet. She would not let James Potter tower over her. Simple, really. She'd already aced Charms. Divination and Arithmancy were a breeze, and she did well in History of Magic, provided she could stay awake long enough. The only classes that she struggled in were Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and, oh hell, Transfiguration.

Potions could be a lot easier if she paid attention in class and actually worked hard. It was just like a cooking class! Defence Against the Dark Arts wasn't too bad either. Elizabeth was very good at the subject. Maybe she should talk to her about helping or tutoring her once in a while.

Lily nearly cried with frustration. She sucked royally (no pun intended) at Transfiguration. James Potter wouldn't let her forget that.

Oh well, Lily thought to herself, I'll figure something out.

***

James Potter was sitting in his dorm, reading the latest issue of Quidditch Monthly when his dorm erupted in shambles around him. Dust from the ceiling settled on his hair and coated his gasses. Clothes were strewn everywhere and pieces of the wall where still crumbling around him. He didn't move a muscle, and slowly looked up from his magazine. He opened his mouth.

"SIRIUS!"

Down in the common room, Lily Evans, wand out and blushing to the roots of her hair, turned and ran as fast as she could up to the girls dormitory, leaving her open transfiguration book behind her.