A/N: I'm so glad most of you found the humor in the last chapter and saw that I was proving a point with it. My many thanks to all those who are reviewing.
Jenna Kathleen: The idea about the diary is a pretty good one. Mind if I use it?
Also, my apologies for the short chapters. I feel pretty hypocritical writing short ones when I hate to read them, but we've been moving lately and my time is short. I'll be trying to write longer ones.
This chapter is for all the Lily/James shippers out there. Just a fun little look back, so break out your time turners!
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After the Christmas holiday disaster, I began to think I needed to scrap the original plan and go to Plan B. Hermione being a Muggle was irrelevant, I just needed to find out about the two of them. And Ron was obviously going to be no help.
So I decided to find a different source, one who knew them well, but on a broader scope.
I turned to my old friend Remus.
When I showed up at his flat, he probably had some suspicions.
"Padfoot? What are you doing here?" he asked, closing the door behind us.
"What? Can't I visit an old friend?"
"No, normally, there's a catch. What is it this time?"
"Moony! I'm shocked and hurt. What makes you think such a thing?"
"I know you."
"Ok fine. You win. I just want to know about Harry and Hermione."
"What about them?" Remus asked with a puzzled look similar to Ron's. Merlin, did it have to be this difficult?
"Anything that will help me get them together," I admitted.
"Are you serious?!"
"On a daily basis, yes. Or so my birth certificate would have me believe," I said, with a smirk on my face. Ah, that one never got old.
"You know perfectly well what I meant, Sirius. What makes you think they should even be together?"
"Remus, old friend. Do you not remember our Marauder days?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Do you remember our old friend Prongs?"
"Of course I remember James. I see him every time I see Harry," he said.
"Perfect. Now, perhaps you recall his beautiful wife and the person who got them together," I said, pride in my tone.
Remus' eyes got huge. "Bloody hell, Padfoot! You want to set up Harry and Hermione!"
"Of course I do! I did a fine job with James and Lily."
My dear friend then burst into laughter right in my face.
"I fail to see what's so bloody funny," I said.
"Oh, Padfoot. Honestly, I love you like a brother, but that night was a complete catastrophe!"
"It was not! James and Lily were a happy couple after that!"
"Sure, sure. But they also spent the next week in the hospital wing. They had enough alone time to fall in love there!"
"Remus, it wasn't that bad."
"Sirius, let me remind you of what happened. I remember that James was more than happy to pine for Lily from afar. However, that was not on your agenda."
*Begin Flashback*
"Prongs, if you're a true Marauder, then you will ask Lily Evans out!" Sirius yelled from his bed to a downtrodden James.
"Padfoot, I love you like a brother, but never challenge my honor as a Marauder!" James replied as he caught the Snitch he had let out.
"Then grow a pair and ask her out!"
"I can't do that!" James sighed as he flopped onto his bed.
"Why not?"
"Because she's completely out of my league."
"I think she's good enough for you, Prongs," Peter replied, a touch of naivety in his voice.
"Not like that, Peter! I mean that I'm not good enough for her!" James snapped.
"Oh," Peter said softly and embarrassed.
"James, what makes you think that?" Remus asked.
"Oh, come on, Moony. Why would Lily love me? She practically hates me!"
"She's just playing hard to get, Prongs! Witches love to do that. She wants you to chase her," Sirius said.
"I don't know if I'd trust Cyrano's love advice, James," Remus said. "Maybe you should just talk to her. Ask her out on a romantic date."
"Spoken like the poet he is. Trust a werewolf to love moonlit nights," Sirius laughed.
Remus replied with a swift middle finger.
"Touchy, touchy!" Sirius said. "Seriously, Prongs, you're wasting your angst sitting there. At least ask her out and then get turned down before you brood anymore."
James also gave Sirius the finger.
Sirius leapt from his bed. "Well, as much as I love all my adoring fans, I believe that I am off to practice what I preach. I'll be up in the Astronomy Tower if anyone needs me. Have a good night boys," he said as he walked out the door. But before he could leave, he turned around. "James, look, I know I tease you a lot, but I care for you. If Lily Evans is who you want, then I'm willing to bet that Lily Evans is who you get."
And with that, he left. James gave an uneasy smile to Remus and Peter, wondering just what Sirius meant by that.
A week passed before James got an answer. The Yule Ball was that night and the Marauders could just see the gears turning in Sirius' head.
"Padfoot, you are going to be on your best behavior tonight, right?" Remus said, practically pleading.
"Moony, I solemnly swear!" Sirius replied, holding up his right hand.
"And …?"
"And nothing, Remus!"
Remus gave him a questioning look and walked away.
"Ok, so I lied," Sirius said to himself. "I do solemnly swear, though. That I'm up to no good!" And with that, he went in search of James.
He found him by the punch bowl, talking to the keeper from the Gryffindor team.
"James, I really need to talk to you. This is super important!" he said, pulling James away.
"Sirius, can't you see that I was talking to him?"
"Prongs, you have to see this. I just found April McHenry snogging Chad Beaumont!"
"Why do I have to see it? I don't usually like to spy on a Hufflepuff snogfest."
"Where's your sense of adventure? Come on!"
Sirius pulled James away and took him into a far corner of the entrance hall.
"Padfoot, what the hell is this about?"
"James, just do me a huge favor and stand right there, ok?"
"But -"
"No buts. Please."
"Ok, ok. Just hurry this up."
Sirius ran off to drag Lily Evans out into the hall as well. It took some convincing, but after promising that he'd leave her alone afterwards, she finally came to the hall as well.
"Ok, so, I'm sure you two are wondering why you're here!" Sirius announced to the pair. "Allow me to say what I need to say in magic." Sirius waved his wand to set off the magical firecrackers he had set up to explode and spell out "Lily E. & James P. Forever!" However, something went wrong and after the words flashed, the sparks flew in all directions, causing the dress robes of the unwilling couple to catch fire.
"Lily!" James cried as he fell on top of her in an attempt to put out the flames.
By the time the fire was put out, James and Lily were seriously burned. Luckily, Remus had come out at that time, to do damage control on whatever Sirius was planning, and was able to put out the fire with a simple charm.
James and Lily were taken immediately to the hospital wing for their burns, leaving Sirius and Remus to watch their stretchers go by.
"Sirius, what the hell were you thinking?" Remus asked.
"I wasn't," Sirius replied, hanging his head and coughing from the smoke.
"And you didn't even put the fire out."
"I panicked."
"I see that. Now, this is why I didn't think we should meddle. Let things happen in their own time, ok?"
"You're right, Moony. I should have let Prongs handle things his way. No sloppy black haired, green-eyed godchildren in my future now. Come on, let's go see if they're ok."
When they got to the hospital wing, they found Lily and James lying in a strange purple mist.
"It's to heal the burns," Madam Pomfrey replied. "And I'll thank you two to not bother them while they're resting!"
Remus and Sirius nodded slowly and headed out the door, where they were met by the Headmaster.
"Professor Dumbledore, I can explain! Well, actually I can't. My behavior was inexcusable! I could have killed my best friend. I just wanted him to be happy and I knew how much he liked Lily, but she hates him and-"
"Mr. Black!" the headmaster interrupted. "I understand why you did what you did. And I want to impress upon you how foolish it really was. You're best friend could have very well died. However, I think you're guilt just may be punishment enough for now."
"Sir, I don't know what to say."
"Say that you'll never do it again. And that you'll get an A on your next Transfiguration essay. We'll talk punishment if those grades take anymore of a dive."
"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir."
Dumbledore just gave him a knowing look and began to enter the hospital wing to see the patients. "Good night, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Black."
"Sirius, do you have any idea how lucky you are?" Remus asked.
"Moony, I am going to thank every lucky star out there tonight. I didn't kill James and I'm not getting expelled. Whew!"
"And we've learned what lesson?"
"Don't push so much. Let life happen when it's suppose to. Happy?"
"Very. Now, let's get some sleep. You're going to have a long day explaining this one to James tomorrow."
The next day, the pair went to see their friend, more than relieved to see him looking better … and smiling at Lily?
"Hey there, James! How are you feeling?" Sirius asked as he sat on the next bed.
"Better, no thanks to you," James replied.
"Yeah, I deserved that. I'm so sorry, James. Can you forgive me?"
"Well, I can if Lily can."
Remus smiled. Maybe Sirius' plan came together after all.
"Sirius, I forgive you on one condition," Lily said.
"Anything!"
"Please let me teach you the proper way to charm firecrackers. I'd rather not go through this again."
Sirius smiled and began to laugh. Lily had such a brightness in her eyes, especially when she was looking at James. Maybe his plan had worked after all. Maybe he would have those sloppy black haired, green-eyed godchildren.
A week later, they were able to celebrate a new (and female) member to the Marauders, and Sirius couldn't have been more proud.
*End flashback*
"See, Remus, it all worked out!" Sirius said.
"I guess technically it did, but please, don't put Harry or Hermione in the hospital!"
"No, I'm not going to try that plan again. But isn't there anything you can tell me about them that would help me?"
"Padfoot, please. Listen to me! Do not try this. Leave it alone. Let life happen! Remember the lesson you learned that night?"
"Moony, this is different. I need to do this for him."
"Ok, but please don't let this be the same disaster," Remus begged.
"Don't worry your tail off. It can't be! The Yule Ball has already passed," I said with a smile that obviously made him worry.
It wouldn't be long now. I had learned from previous mistakes. But this time was going to be just as perfect as the last … without the embarrassing hospital stays.
I was going to make it happen, but I was running out of time.