The Time Before

January 30

"WAKE UP, BITCH!" Marlene shouted as she belly-flopped on top of Lily Evans in the early hours of the morning. 

"What the actual hell, Marls?" Lily groaned as she struggled to push the blonde off of her. "Damn your quidditch body!"

"Maybe, if you did things other than read-"

"Don't beat down my reading habits," Lily countered. "Just because you're illiterate-"

"I'll have you know Jane Austen books hold my heart," Marlene said with an offended gasp. She had yet to move. Her and Lily's bodies were perpendicular, meaning Marlene's muscular and lean body was laying across Lily's stomach and only her stomach. 

"Only reading Pride and Prejudice doesn't count. There have to have been more of her books you've read," Lily rolled her eyes. She appeared to have given up on moving Marlene, knowing there was no point. 

"I've read the other ones!" Marlene gasped, offended. 

"That's nice. Now get off of me, Marls!" Lily groaned. "My toes are numb."

The blonde rolled her eyes before moving to sit next to her best friend. 

"So . . ." she smirked. "Do you like Potter? You've been hanging out with him without screaming since we returned."

Ever since returning from Christmas break, Lily, as promised, attempted to be friends with James. In turn, he had agreed to stop asking her out. It worked out wonderfully if they were being honest.

Lily got to see a side of James she didn't think existed. The side of James that was secretly the biggest dork to ever walk this Earth. He was funny and showed true compassion.

In turn, James learned Lily is not the goody-two-shoes everyone thought her to be. She was a mischievous little minx. As it turns out, she was the one that hexed his hair green last year. She pulled other pranks but blamed them on him. 

"He wanted to apologize for being a prat," Lily mumbled into her blankets as she snuggled back into the warmth of her bed. "We're trying to be friends."

"You just made that boy's year, you know?" Marlene snorted. 

"Day. The expression is 'you just made my day'. However, in this case, you'd say, 'you just made his day'." Lily grumbled. 

"I said what I said," Marlene stated. "But thanks for the grammar lesson."

"I'm going back to sleep," Lily declared. 

"I'm not moving," Marlene grinned as she got under Lily's blankets. 

"No!' Lily whined. "You're a blanket hog!"

"And you're a bed hog!"

"Fuck off!"

***

"Padfoot," James hissed. "Padfoot!"

"What?" Sirius asked without opening his eyes. 

"I need your help," he whispered again. 

Sirius opened a single silver eye to see James's face inches away from his. 

"What the bloody hell?" Sirius shouted as he jumped back in freight. 

"I need your help," James repeated. 

"Will you two shut up!" Remus groaned from his bed. "It's two in the bloody morning and I need my sleep!"

"Yay! We're all up!"James grinned as Peter sat up. "I need your help!"

"Can't this wait till morning?" Peter groaned, rubbing his eyes.