Lily Evans
Friday October 1st, 1971
Now that Snape had been taken down and crowned as Snivellus due to his snot-filled defeat, one person gained the focus of the Marauders.
Lily Evans
The only problem was that, without knowing anything about her how could they prank her?
Many ideas had been tossed around: stealing her textbooks, she has friends to borrow from; dust attack, too soon to the Snivellus triumph; messing with her room, can’t get into the girl’s dorms.
“I don’t think we can prank her without knowing anything about her” Remus finally said in the common room, his heavy Charms book atop his lanky legs.
“Okay so we get to know her? Easy” Sirius shrugged
“No way she’s gonna be fine with all four of us coming up for a chat, we need to be more subtle” Remus replied.
“I see well that is a job for Gryffindor’s King of subtly once again” James rose from his seat, replacing his glasses from the sofa arm to his face.
“James maybe…” Peter began tentatively but James paid him no mind continuing to approach Lily in her oversised armchair.
James plopped down on the arm of the seat and Lily turned to stare, fire blazing in her eyes.
They were so green, like crystalline emeralds, sharp enough to cut, but dazzling all the same.
James had to clear his throat and drop his gaze to the book in her lap.
An absolutely brilliant idea popped right into James’ mind, like a present from Merlin himself.
James pulled out his wand and with a swish and a flick and a little incantation Lily’s book was flying up and out of her seat.
“Let’s do a book fight!” He made the book wizz overhead waiting for Lily to pick a book, truly James was a mastermind.
“How dare you! I was reading that you knob!” And suddenly James was losing control of the book as Lily cast her own levitation spell.
“Get your own book to battle with” James laughed, his plan working perfectly.
Then Lily thwacked the book right upside his head and James fell off the arm of the chair.
He landed on his back, glasses tossed off so he could only make out the shape of Lily tossing her long auburn hair and storming up to the girls dorm, floating book in tow.
“King of subtly huh” Sirius said kicking James leg to shake him out of the absolute shock that had just rippled through his.
“Men, I’ve been wounded! Carry the coffin at my funeral eh?” James said, dramatically clutching his heart.
“You still got what we needed though!” Peter exclaimed.
“How do you figure? I’m pretty sure he just ate the carpet not got information” Remus shook his head and Sirius finally clapped his hand and aided in lifting James to his feet.
“She hates James and loves books,” Peter smiled.
“Too right you are. To the kitchens so I can walk off this concussion and refuel for more plotting.” James declared.
James left a significant portion of his pride on that spot on the floor.
However, given how large James’ pride was, it didn't make much of a dent.
Monday October 4th, 1971
The quest to understand Lily Evans continued after a weekend of sleeping in and enjoying the last rays of the summer sun. It was now truly a Scottish fall, fire orange, ruby red, and canary yellow set the countryside ablaze with autumn.
For their next attempt Peter had suggested late Sunday night that they send in Remus, a bit scary looking with his height and his scars, but could be quiet enough to just let the other person talk and talk until they spilled all of their secrets.
Remus seemed uncomfortable at the plan but James couldn’t see it going wrong.
***
“Tonight just wait until she’s studying in the library then take one for the team, follow her in, ask for help and bam, we know Evans” Sirius said, tying a tie before tossing it at Remus and beginning on a second one.
“It’s too close to Snivellus’ prank and James’ disaster she’ll know somethings up” Remus shook his head and began walking down to breakfast
“First, disaster is a strong word. I would call it a mutual misunderstanding. Second, Snivellus’ fate was a month ago we need to strike now or she’ll think she got away with helping him”
“Lets send Peter”
The three boys swiveled to Peter, sat on his bed, nervously sweating at the idea.
“Come on Lupin she’s just a girl not a monster” Sirius shook his head.
“Not today though, it’s too soon”
“You’re being stubborn”
“No you’re being stubborn” Remus retorted, shaking a finger at Sirius.
This fight continued down to the Great Hall for breakfast, through lessons, and until they stood outside the library pushing Remus inside.
“Have fun!” Sirius said, giving him a shove.
“Go get her mate” James clapped his shoulder.
Peter didn’t say much, probably worried they’d have pushed him in instead.
“Exploding Snaps?” Sirius suggested and three quarters of the Marauders played outside of the library for an hour until they heard a familiarly quiet but tough voice coming closer to them. Surprisingly the voice was met with a reply from a higher distinctly girlish tone.
“Hide hide quick” Sirius pushed James and Peter behind a column to watch as Remus and Lily walked by.
Lily seemed to be chatting on about transfiguration and how excited she was for their next lesson, her long auburn hair swung in her ponytail, silky smooth James could imagine if you tied it in a knot it would simply unravel the moment you let go.
James cleared his throat, “let’s go back to the dorm and wait for Lupin.”
***
They played more snaps, a round or two of gobstones, chess, even did a bit of homework that was only a day overdue but Remus was still nowhere to be found.
Lily was sitting with two other girls so there were no clues to Remus’ absence.
Eventually the boys made their way to their dorm and got ready to sleep, which takes a while considering the amount of time Sirius spent in the toilet.
Curfew came and went and Lupin still wasn’t back.
Peter fell asleep and Sirius came over to James bed to chat about quidditch, pranks, basically nothing at all.
The time ticked on and James grew tired, chin falling forward, Sirius wandered to his own bed and James pulled his quilt up.
Tuesday October 5th, 1971
Bang
James sat upright in his bed and jumped out. The world was blurry but he left his glasses on the nightstand anyway.
“Lupin, took the long way back last night did you?” James watched as Remus tied his shoes, a long white cut rippled in motion as he twisted his hands; a scar that hadn’t been there as far as James could remember.
“Something like that”
The curt reply stung a bit but Remus’ temper was something of a fifth roommate so James just began to get ready for the day.
Sirius however wasn’t so keen to drop the subject.
“So what? You’ve been plotting something without us?”
“Something like that” Remus continued to button up his shirt.
“Come on Lupin were you spying on Evans for us or dungbombing the bathrooms?”
“Yeah yeah” Remus didn’t look as Sirius grew more and more agitated but James did, he could see the gears turning in his head and the fire beneath his veins.
“Black let the man breathe” James shook his head at his friend, it’s so early in the morning.
“Clearly he’s had all the breathing room he needs off by himself in the middle of the night”
“Oh piss off and mind your hair Black”
Sirius suddenly grabbed Remus' tie from the floor and whipped it at Remus.
Silence
Dead silence
And suddenly Remus jumped forward onto Sirius and they started to wrestle on the floor, not in the fun way James and Sirius did often, but like they actually wanted to hurt each other.
James ran forward. He wrenched the pair apart.
One foot on Sirius’ stomach to keep him back. His back against Remus’ chest and his arms out. Attempting to physically separate the pair all by himself.
“Merlin, can we have some tea before you two rip each other's throats out?”
“We’re done” Sirius shrugged.
And that was that. Time to eat.
***
Over breakfast, discussions of the Evans Prank began again.
“We just talked about class. She likes transfiguration and charms. Potions is her worst subject. She’s got a sister. She sits with Mary and Marlene in class.”
“Lupin, that is the most words you have spoken at once since we’ve gotten here. She must have left quite the impression” James smiled and laughed at Remus' contorted face, like he bit a lemon.
“I wanna get this over with and get to the fun part: the pranking”
“We still need more, can’t get something good out of books and sisters” Sirius shook his head. “Go talk to her again today”
“No way we could steal her books or something”
***
James sat in his classes for the next week thinking through prank after prank, he simply had to know more about Lily. Though James was coming out as a top student in his classes, he couldn’t recite one item they learnt that week. All consumed with the desire to do a really wicked, really impressive prank.
They were left with no ideas for days and days until Remus came running into the dorm one day after another study session with Lily.
“Rodents. She hates them.” He wheezed hands on his knees.
James nodded “We can work with that”