Mischief Managed!

2.

Slap

"Too bad, Prongs," Sirius murmured, shaking his shaggy head so his hair fell into his eyes. Impatiently he swept it away again.

James frowned, examining the Quaffle in his hands. "It doesn't matter what I do, Evans doesn't want to know me," he said glumly, throwing the Quaffle back across the compartment. Peter watched eagerly, his eyes following the flying leather ball.

Slap

Sirius shrugged. "She's prejudiced. Just like Snape hates Muggleborns, Lily hates you. But you could change her mind."

Sirius' eyes lit up and he leant forward, tossing the bright red Quaffle in his hands. Peter was looking dizzy. "It's like that book we read in Muggle Studies last year-"

James scoffed. "Like you ever read anything, Padfoot!"

Sirius conceded this fact with a smirk and a nod. "True," he admitted. "Anyway, that's beside the point. Lizzie hates Dizzy-"

"Darcy," corrected Remus, not looking up from his book.

"Darcy, whatever, Moony. Anyway, she hates him, right, but he keeps being nice and eventually she realises she was wrong and falls in love with him."

Peter gazed at James, impressed. "That sounds just like you and Lily," he said.

"That's the point," Sirius deadpanned.

Slap

James caught the Quaffle thoughtfully.

"So if I keep being nice she'll eventually have to like me?" he said hopefully.

Remus finally looked up, his smile wry. "She has to trust you first, Prongs. And believe me, after the number of times she's caught you playing pranks or bullying Snape, you're up for a rough time convincing her you've changed."

James frowned. "I don't bully. Snape deserves it."

"Another prejudice," Remus responded knowingly.

Smack

"Ouch!" Sirius complained, rubbing his nose.

James grinned.

"Teach you not to pay attention, Padfoot."

Several carriages away, Lily was raging. Her audience, made up of the Gryffindor seventh year girls, rolled their eyes. They had always known Lily to be absurdly prejudiced against James Potter, but really, shouldn't she have grown out of it by now?

He had obviously matured over the past two years – ever since the lake incident, actually – but Lily was too stubborn to see this.

The girls knew well about Lily's stubbornness too. Only Emmeline Vance, her best friend, had any influence over her whatsoever. The others had learnt it was often best to stay silent- unless they absolutely couldn't resist.

"I mean, who in their right minds would make a Marauder - a Marauder, for Merlin's sake! - Head Boy, let alonePotter?"

Emmeline shrugged. "They've always said Dumbledore is mad," she replied reasonably, earning a frown.

"Mad but brilliant," Marlene McKinnon and Isadora Wood recited in unison, smiling.

"Don't worry about it," Alice Prewett said soothingly. "You probably won't even need to see Potter very often."

"They get their own dorm, Alice," Isadora said, grinning. "I think they'll be seeing each other plenty."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily demanded, watching the four girls giggle. They were just as bad as Potter and his friends, Lily reflected dismally.