Jily; Hogwarts: A Love Story (First in Marauder's Trilogy)

04

James was quickly and quietly changing into his robes as Sirius' snores filled the boys dormitory. However hard James tried to subside his, as Moony stated 'romantic feelings' for Evans, it was extremely difficult when he had to tutor her but nonetheless, judging how when he had tried to get her to date him, in what as moony kept reminding him 'extreme ways' he had decided to tone it down about a 100 notches. They had been studying together for the past 2 days, Evans was getting better at transfiguration and getting duller and more boring by the second. That's why today wasn't about studying, it was about having fun. James creeped out of the room and shut the door.

James knew what the stairs would do if he tried to go up them. So instead, he stood in front of the common room fire, waiting until Evans would step out of the dormitory at the time they had decided in the last transfiguration meeting. Evans came out right on time, over exaggerating the 'sneaking' part of sneaking out.

"Are you sure they won't expel us? Or we won't die?" Evans asked with a worried face.

"Merlin Evans! This isn't the first time I'm doing this and here I am, in front of you, well and alive" James said, gesturing up and down his body. "It worked out pretty well too." He added as an afterthought.

"Fine, i'll consider it. But, if I die or get expelled and you don't, you're planning my funeral and I'll do the same for you"

"Is that the first time you ever made a joke that wasn't related to potions and wasn't directed at old sluggy?" James asked sarcastically.

"Oh quit it, Potter! Aren't we supposed to be moving along?" Lily asked, clearly blushing.

They made their way out of the common room, with the fat lady thankfully asleep, without having to answer any suspicious questions. James had planned to tell her about the map, although Sirius wouldn't be very happy and as they walked to the one eyed witch he doubted his decision. After contemplating, he decided that all that Evans needed to know about was the fact that there were secret passages, not that the marauders had discovered all of them. Seemed like a solid plan.

"Now Evans, your silence up to this point has been appreciated, what I'm going to show you next however cannot be revealed to a single soul, considering I trust you there will be no unbreakable vows but" He paused for extra effect as the look on Lily's face got more skeptical by the moment. "A pinky swear!" He finally said.

"Are you kidding me Potter!? A pinky swear? Yes, why not, I don't mind that at all" Lily said as her expression changed and she was now bursting with laughter.

"Shhh Evans! Do you want to get caught even before we go out?" James said, trying hard to contain his laughter.

Lily nodded, James led her to the one eyed witch which led into the honeydukes cellar. It was a secret passageway that they had discovered in their 3rd year when Peter lost his Hogsmeade form. He turned to her and held out his pinky. Lily entangled her finger and after James found reassurance in her eyes, he let go and showed her the passageway to the cellar.

"What the —", Lily was interrupted by James shushing her before she could complete that sentence.

"It leads to honeydukes, we found it when Peter lost his hogsmeade form in the third year."

"Don't you think the honeydukes people would spot us?" Lily whispered.

"That's where my invisibility cloak comes in" James explained as he reached under his robes to take out an invisible but shimmery piece of fabric.

"Is that the—?"

"The very one." James said, remembering the first time he had said the same thing to Remus and Sirius.

He put the cloak around the both of them once they had crept down and reached the cellar. Under the cloak, they left honeydukes unnoticed and James led Lily to Zonko's joke shop so that they could gather supplies for next week when he would be forcing Evans to pull the greatest prank in hogwarts history to get the both of them in detention.

"Care to explain why we're going to zonko's?" Lily asked.

"I didn't think you would know what Zonko's is!" James remarked, acting like what he said had made total sense.

"I'm boring, not dumb." Lily retorted. "Now are you telling me or should I go back through that passageway to tell professor Dumbledore how you forced me to go to hogsmeade." Lily said, trying her best to look serious but eventually giggling

"Ok fine. We are going to gather some joke supplies to prank the entire school. The greatest prank ever in Hogwarts history that will land us, and probably the rest of the marauders in detention thus, checking off another one of the list." James explained.

"well then, by all means, let's continue." Lily replied.

At Zonko's, James and Lily bought at least one of practically every joke supply. Later they went to 3 broomsticks, where James explained the grand plan, which in the end was concluded that they would require help. They discussed the transfiguration syllabus for a while before making their way out of three broomsticks and back to the cellar with the invisibility cloak. It was around evening when they left and all the classes were over and James had begged Sirius to tell the teachers that both of them had been sick. They reached the gryffindor common rooms and quickly slipped into their beds without anyone noticing.