Lily Evans

The first day of classes at Hogwarts; Sirius didn't think he'd ever get over the excitment that churned in his belly as McGonagall strode down the Gryffindor table, handing out schedules. Not that he let on, of course; it was his and James's apparent apathy towards classes that incensed the rest of the school when they did so well.

"Schedules already, McGonagall?" he moaned loudly as she handed him his timetable.

"Yes, Black, and do make sure you look over yours carefully." McGonagall narrowed her eyes behind her glasses at him and the rest of the Marauders, who were sniggering and chuckling beside him. "You have my class first today, and I want to make sure you know about it in case something else comes up." And with that she moved on.

"Does she really think we'd curse Willigrins's toupee again?" Remus muttered as he scanned his timetable.

"I can't believe she bames us for taking an opportunity like that," chuckled Sirius, tossing his schedule aside carelessly. "I mean, he left it on his desk in a room full of hungry Gryffindors he takes delight in failing...it was justice."

"She doubts our creativity is all," James added, flipping a grape into his mouth. "She'll come around soon enough."

Neither Remus nor Peter replied,they wer eengrossed in figuring out their timetables. James gave an exaggerated sigh and shook his head at Sirius, who glanced mournfully at the two of them.

"Ug, double History of Magic right before lunch; I'll be starving the whole time!" Groaned Peter, who set to securing second helpings of the oatmeal in preperation of such a miserable prospect.

"You're lucky it's not Potions, then," Remus said, watching Peter shovel oatmeal into his mouth with an only slightly disgusted expression on his face. James and Sirius smirked at each other.

"Lucky for Professor Willigrins, eh Sirius?"

"Very lucky indeed."

The foursome were sitting in a block right in the middle of the Gryffindor table, a sort of nucleus of all that surrounded them in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. It was early yet; empty seats dotted the Hall and stragglers were still stumbling from their dormitories. Everyone was busy perusing their timetables, remarking to their neighbors and friends how good or bad their classes were that day. Seeing most people thus occupied, Sirius finally picked up his own schedule.

First, Transfiguration. Sirius thought absently that he had yet to open his book, and wondered if Remus had memorized it yet. Then was the double History of Magic Peter was so worried about...maybe they could hide a chocolate frog in Binns's book and see if he does anything when it hops through him. Then lunch, and lastly: double Charms. With Hufflepuffs. Ick.

"McGonagall's got a quiz all ready for us, I'll bet," Remus said bitterly as he stuffed his schedule into his bag and continued eating. "First day of classes, honestly."

"She acts like O.W.Ls are tomorrow or something," added Peter through a mouthful of cheese.

Sirius sighed and set to drowning his pancakes in syrup, Remus and Peter's ensuing conversation about O.W.Ls droning in the background.

"The classes we signed up for this year are supposed to be the ones we're most interested in, as we'll have O.W.Ls in them in fifth year," Remus was telling Peter.

"Oh I know," Peter was saying. "But I just picked the classes you all picked cause you guys could help me out." There was a pause. "You will help me out, won't you?"

"Of course Peter," Remus said.

"We're not about to leave you hanging, mate, you ought to know that by now." Sirius said, then he turned to James. "Merlin knows how often we've pulled old Pettigrew through, eh James?" But James staring oddly at the hall that led to the Gryffindor Tower.

"James?" Sirius said again. But there was no response. Sirius glanced at Remus, who looked confused.

"Did some one Impede him or somthing?" he asked, and Sirius could see the semi-closed expression in his eyes that meant he was trying to think of a spell they wouldn't have noticed but would have made James behave like this.

"James?" Peter said quietly, looking nervous. If someone was casting silent spells around, would they aim for him next? Sirius scowled and looked where James was looking; where Nearly-Headless Nick was showing a group of first years his partial decapitation. Sirius was befuddled; hadn't they seen that act a hundred times? James couldn't be so engrossed in that.

"What are you looking at?" he asked impatiently.

"Who...who's tha...who's that?" James muttered as Nearly-Headless Nick rolled his eyes at the squeals of the first years, some of which scattered and crashed into a group of Gryffindo girls just coming to breakfast.

"It's Nick, you idiot," Sirius replied, scowling still. "Are you sick or something James?"

"Um, I don't think he is," Remus replied. He was smiling and trying not to smile and looking slightly confused all at the same time.

"Well, what do you think then?" said Sirius irritably.

"I think James is looking at those girls over there."

"Girls?" asked Peter with a twinge of mingle shock and curiosity in his voice. But niether Sirius nor Remus answered him, and James, apparently, was in no condition to do so.

"Girls! Geesh, James, you'd better stick to Quidditch," Sirius replied. That was nonsense, James didn't stare at girls! Girls were wierd and annoying; they laughed loudly and were always talking and never could keep a secret. James didn't stare at girls.

"I don't think I've ever seen her before," James mumbled, gazing down the length of the table where the Gryffindor girls had settled in.

"Her? Her who?" Now Sirius was really annoyed. Because James was staring at girls.

"That girl..."

"Which one? Damnit James, what are you talking about?"

The four of them were peering down the length of the table, trying to discern the meaning of their only clue so far.

"I see Emma and Samantha and...I think her name's Claudia but I'm not sure..." Peter was saying. He had a knack for knowing almost everybody's name, but none of these got any sort of response from the unblinking James.

"What color hair does she have?" Remus asked in the rational way he always did, as he scanned the chattering group filling up their plates.

"Red hair." James said in a firm, loud tone that caught them off guard. Sirius scowled at James increduously and Peter giggled.

"Oh, I see her." Remus sat back and stirred his eggs up musingly. Sirius stood up and looked hard.

Well, she wasn't hard to spot.

Between the girls Peter had said were called Emma and Samantha sat a girl with hair that rivaled the red of the Gryffindor banner hanging behind them. She was chatting and giggling like any of the rest of them, until she took her timetable from McGonagall. Sirius saw her smile simperingly up at the Head of House, who smiled in an equally sickening fashion in return. Probably an apple-polishing prat, Sirius thought with a scowl. The girl looked carefully at her timetable, then folded it neatly and stuffed it into her bag, which she then seemed to check to make sure she had all the right books.

"She looks like a boffin to me," he said in a dissmissive vice as he sat back down again.

"Wonder who she is..." said James dreamily, and Sirius made a face.

"Who cares?"

"I think it begains with an L," Peter said, thinking hard.

"Lily Evans," said Remus. Sirius and Peter looked at him, surprised; James whipped around, looking even more so.

"Lily Evans..." he said thoughtfully.

"How do you know that?"

"Some people, Sirius," Remus replied, "listen in class." Sirius looked blankly at him and Remus sighed. "Lily is excellent in Charms; she always knows exactly what Flitwick's talking about and masters everything much quicker then everyone else." There was but the slightest hint of annoyance in Remus's voice.

"Charms? Do we have that today?" James dove into his bag, digging for his schedule.

"Great; James's you've picked Charm-er." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Useless class, that; I wonder why anyone would need to know half of what Flitwick babbles about, and what kind of idiot is actually good at that stuff."

"You're good at Charms, Sirius," Peter pointed out.

"I'm good at everything."

"Excellent! Last block." James had found his schedule, oblivious. "Where does she sit, Remus?"

Remus smirked.

"Front of the class."

"I knew it! She's nothing but a prat," Sirius grinned triumphantly; Marauders had no time for prats who sat in the front of the class.

"Lily's not a prat," James said in what Sirius realised, to his horror, was a defensive voice.

"How do you know? You didn't even know who she was a minute ago," he said sharply, before smirking and flicking a bit of toast at James. "You know what James? I think you fancy Lily as a girlfriend."

"Oh yeah, right, Sirius," James muttered, stuffing his timetable away. "I just realised I'd never seen her around before, that's all." Remus was smirking again. "What you smiling for, Remus?"

" 'Cause I think Sirius is right."

"You two are nuts. I'm going to class; coming Peter?" James stood up and shouldered his bag, running a hand through his hair in defience of Remus's smirk.

"Yeah, alright." Peter leapt to his feet and slung his bag over his shoulder.

Sirius felt like a fist was squeezing his stomach as he saw Peter follow James along the length of the table, and James walk a little more slowly past the stupid, giggling, chattering, pratty girls.

"This ought to be an interesting Charms lesson, eh Sirius?" Remus said with a grin. But Sirius didn't match it with his own. Remus didn't notice; he only chuckled as James tripped going up the stairs because he was looking backward at Lily Evans. "You can almost see the arrow sticking out of him."

"James isn't in love, Remus," Sirius spat.

"Maybe not," conceded Remus, though he still was smiling that smile of his when he was convinced of something.