You wish Potter : A Jily Fanfiction

The Usual Compartment

After the welcome feast, the Marauders followed the crowds moving slowly through the castle, listening to the seventh-year prefects warn the first-years about moving staircases and Peeves the Poltergeist. "Dilligrout," James said, when they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, and it swung open. Sirius clambered through the hole in the wall, full and sleepy; Remus and James hoisted a dozy Peter through it, and they found themselves in the warm and crowded Gryffindor common room.

The four boys joined the crowd by the fire and occupied the best seats, as usual. For a while, they chatted and played with the Gobstones on the table, but everyone was exhausted, and before long, most people had made their way up to their dorms, including Peter.

Lily and two of her friends, Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadowes, were still amongst those in the common room, and they came over to join the remaining Marauders.

"Did you miss me, Mar?" Sirius teased the tallest girl.

"Since the feast?" Marlene smiled, pushing back a stray lock of golden blonde hair that had fallen from her long ponytail.

"Mhm."

"I was positively lost," she sighed, collapsing into the sofa beside him and crossing her long, tanned legs.

Lily slouched into an armchair with a heavy sigh, a box rattling in her loose grip.

"What are those?" James asked.

"Nothing, Potter."

"What are they?"

"I said nothing!"

"But now I'm curious."

"They're Badges, if you must know," Lily blushed, "for the Stop Hunting Giants out of Civilisation and Forcing them to Live in Ever More Confined Spaces Organisation."

"What a snappy name!" he deadpanned. " No, but really Evans, the badges must be bloody huge to fit all that on!"

Lily shot James a disapproving look and he shut up.

"Never heard of it," Sirius scoffed.

"Of course you haven't. I've only just started it."

"And how many members do you have?"

"Well, a couple of third-year girls seemed interested...but they didn't want a badge."

"I think it's a great idea Lil, and really wonderful that you care so much. People will catch on soon," Remus encouraged.

Lily beamed at him. "Do you really think so?"

"Well of course it is!" said James, who looked annoyed. "You're great about stuff like that, you're probably the most kind-hearted person I know," he continued more quietly, the tips of his ears turning a little red.

Lily smiled, but James still looked slightly disgruntled.

"I'll help you if you like?" he offered, pinning one of the comically large badges to his chest. "With the badges and things."

"Okay," Lily was pleasantly surprised by this offer. "For some reason...a few people might find you...persuasively charming."

"Do these few people include you, Evans?"

"You wish, Potter!"

"It will stay strictly business then."

"Couldn't care less."

James took a handful of the badges, and joined Sirius on the floor in front of the fire. Lily could see he was grinning goofily, and she felt herself smile when he caught her eye and automatically ran a hand through his messy, black hair.