Note:

*James plops down in front of you, his grin wider than necessary*

"Sooo... how’s it going?" he asks, pulling a crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket and casually sketching what might be an abstract Hippogriff. Somewhere in the distance, a cauldron explodes, but James seems to treat it as the background music of his life.

...

Okay, Phil, you can do this, I reassured myself silently, staring at the brick wall - a barrier through which Lily had just vanished. We were at a Muggle train station, and it seemed absurd that the Muggles remained oblivious to our passage through the wall.
Determined not to keep Lily waiting, I set off with my suitcase in tow. Approaching the wall, I squinted, bracing for a collision that never came. Instead, I passed through without incident, feeling as though I had walked through a cold mist.

Indeed, strange...

On the other side, Lily awaited with her luggage trolley, her owl Snow-White chirping briefly.
Lily, with more to manage, seemed stressed, her urgency palpable.
Unlike Lily, who had more to manage, I only had one suitcase, which seemed to be why Lily was stressed. She wanted to store her luggage promptly, even though the Hogwarts Express would not depart for another hour.
»See, you survived,« Lily laughed as she started moving again, her stress apparent in her quick movements. The large red locomotive that should have captured my admiration was overlooked in my haste to follow my friend.

The platform buzzed with excitement, parents and children milling about, particularly the eager first-years. I navigated through the crowd, my focus on Lily, who had reached the luggage check-in. Only after stowing her bags did she finally relax. »Now, let's find a large compartment, and then we're done!« she exclaimed, moving swiftly once more. Walking alongside the locomotive, its massive size became apparent as people began taking their seats inside.
Lily led the way into the Hogwarts Express, stating, »The girls and I always sit at the front; maybe someone's already there.«
I took it all in, excited to experience what I should have since my eleventh birthday. I was overjoyed, and it was not long before Lily found a compartment.
»Dorcas!«
A girl with brown curls and darker skin jumped up. »Lily!« They embraced warmly, and I was nearly crushed as my name was shouted in my ear.
»Oh, it's been so boring. I've been here for an hour,« Dorcas complained, »My little brother Benjamin is starting at Hogwarts this year, and it was utter chaos at home...«
I noticed Dorcas was wearing her shirt incorrectly. When I pointed it out, she shrugged, noting we would soon change into our uniforms anyway.
»Helloooo!« sang another voice. Mare stood in the doorway, grinning widely. We greeted her, and soon after, Alice arrived, oddly with flushed cheeks.

Yes, much is strange today.

Alice hastily shut the door behind her, sliding to the floor. Dorcas crouched in front of her, but Alice explained, »I know, bad greeting, but I just bumped into Frank and accidentally told him I find him attractive-IN FRONT of his friends. Please, kill me...«
To Alice's dismay, we all laughed. I knew she fancied a Hufflepuff since fourth year but had not realised it was this serious.
»Well, I love being greeted with love drama,« Mare commented, peering out the window by the door. »Is Longbottom still nearby?«
»Shh!« hissed Alice, »Not so loud!«
»It's okay, Al, but why don't you stand up and calmly tell us what happened?« Dorcas asked soothingly.
Alice shook her head. »He was just down the corridor when I was looking for you guys. I literally ran into him, and he helped me up. His hands held me by my shoulders, and I looked into his handsome eyes. I meant to thank him, but I blurted out how beautiful his eyes were, then I kept stuttering. I ended up telling him I find him completely handsome! Oh, I'm so, so dumb. He was embarrassed, and his friends were grinning. I fled, found you guys, and now please, just kill me. I cannot live with this shame...«
Dorcas, always the optimist, exclaimed, »Why would we kill you? That's fantastic!« She received a lethal glare.
»Why is that fantastic?!« Alice's head fell to her knees, but Dorcas lifted her onto the bench. »Maybe now something will finally happen between you two.«
»He'll probably think I'm weird and crazy for running away...«
I suppressed a smile, wishing I could have seen Alice flee from Frank Longbottom.
»Not true!« Lily joined in, sitting next to me with her gaze on Alice.
»Only time will tell,« I said, earning a reproachful look from Lily.
»I mean, he won't find you strange. Maybe even cute, if that's the right word?« Mare nodded vigorously, »Yes, he'll see it as cute. Guys appreciate honest compliments.«
»Really...?« Alice sounded utterly unconvinced.
»Yes, you'll see,« Dorcas assured her. »But let's change the subject. We're heading into sixth year, girls!« She exclaimed with a cheer. We all laughed, and shortly thereafter, the Hogwarts Express began its journey.

The wide green landscape passed by as I gazed out from my window seat. The girls chatted about their summer adventures, the conversation never dwindling. Mare shared tales of a trip to Italy, Alice spoke of a large family gathering, and Dorcas recounted the morning's chaos in detail. We soon changed into our uniforms, Lily proudly displaying her prefect badge and speculating about the other Gryffindor prefect.
Without warning, the compartment door was flung open. Mare startled with a small yelp.
»Black!« Dorcas gasped, clutching her rapidly beating heart. »What are you doing here?!«
Sirius Black stood nonchalantly in place, his white shirt unbuttoned a bit too much, clearly on purpose. Of course, he was not alone; all the Marauders were present. Pettigrew stood behind Black, while Potter and Remus flanked the doorway.
»We thought we'd pay the ladies a visit. Is this not obvious?« Black asked.
Lily saw it differently. »No. Hasn't anyone taught you not to barge in without knocking?« Sirius grinned, unfazed. »Scaring you was just too much fun. And that scream, Macdonald, was that you?« he teased, looking at Mare. »I had no idea you could hit such high octaves, impressive. I wonder if you can get them higher and under what circumstances, activities.«
Our jaws nearly hit the floor at his remark. Potter started to chuckle, Pettigrew looked shocked but amused, and Remus regarded his friend with a light-hearted gaze before his eyes met mine. His stare was intense.

Again strange...

His gaze lingered too long until Lily's voice snapped me back to reality - a reality where Sirius Black was a jerk and the four idiots had grown even dumber over the summer.
»You're disgusting and obscene, Black!« Lily stood, striding to the door. Mare seemed perturbed, Alice just shocked.
»I can live with that, Evans!« Sirius countered.
Lily crossed her arms, standing firm.
»You know, Evans, your eyes sparkle beautifully when you're angry,« James Potter interjected.
Lily's head whipped towards him, her jaw clenched.
»Yeah, that's exactly what I meant, they really glow,« Potter leaned down slightly to better inspect her eyes, but Lily was on the verge of exploding. »One step closer and I'll punch you square in the face, Potter.« Her voice was ice cold.
Potter raised his hands in feigned innocence, grinning. Black, on the other hand, looked as if he was about to piss himself.
»That's enough. You're annoying!« Dorcas interjected, positioning herself beside Lily. »Say what you want then leave.«
»Our dear Remus is a prefect and was just on his way to the meeting. So we thought we'd pick up Evans, say hello to everyone. Specifically Phil, since it's her first time going to Hogwarts. Hello, Phil.« Grey eyes met mine, and the rest of the Marauders looked on as well.
»Hello...?« I managed, clearly perplexed. Mare and Alice gave me warning looks not to engage with Black.
»Well, you've greeted Phil, now get going,« demanded Dorcas, removing Black's hand from the door frame. I felt Remus's gaze on me again briefly until Lily addressed him. »You're really a prefect?« she asked, receiving a nod.
»Indeed,« Remus replied proudly.
Lily sighed, »Let's go to the meeting...«
With that, the redhead squeezed past the boys. She and Remus disappeared, and the other Marauders bid farewell. I was briefly astonished they actually left us alone. Quickly, Dorcas closed the compartment door, and then I had to explain why the Marauders knew I was travelling to Hogwarts this year. I recounted our day in Diagon Alley, shedding light on why Potter had complimented Lily.
After my story, the girls continued to grumble about the boys, but soon decided it was not worth the fuss. Lily returned after an hour, and eventually, we reached Hogsmeade station

Remus' POV:

»Ow!« I exclaimed, clutching my shoulder. Glancing down, I saw Lily beside me, her expression sharp as she pinned the blame for our encounter in her compartment on me.
»What was that for? I did absolutely nothing back there,« I defended myself, truthfully, as only Padfoot and Prongs had spoken.
»It's enough that you were there and how you stared at Phil! What was that look even about?!«
Apparently, having eyes was now a crime. Yes, I had looked at Phil, but what was the issue? I simply found her intriguing ever since the first day I heard about her existence.
»What look?« I feigned ignorance, a smile playing on my lips.
Lily groaned. »That arrogance doesn't suit you, Remus, or should I say Lupin?« Her stern look was unwavering, but Lily's protective instinct for Phil was well-known.
»Is it forbidden to look at her?« I raised an eyebrow, maintaining eye contact as Lily's eyes narrowed.
»For you and your friends, yes,« she declared, »Phil is too nice and sees something good in you lot. So yes, I don't want you corrupting her, even you, Remus. You've been decent for the last three or four years, but since last year, you've been getting worse. If any of you idiots come anywhere near Phil in a certain way, I'll tear off your heads - and something else. As a hint, it's between your legs. And tell Black to especially stay away from my friends!«

Quite a statement, I must admit.

With those words from Lily, we reached the compartment where the meeting was held. Without waiting for a response, she was gone. I stood there for a moment as the Hogwarts Express thundered across the tracks.
Lily's words echoed in my mind. Of course, I could not tell her that I found Phil interesting because she was like me. Nor could I reveal that Padfoot and Prongs had gone to her compartment because Sirius needed a distraction from the incident over the summer. Thrown out of his home and now living with the Potters, Sirius had been deeply affected, the dispute with his family so severe that he had even been disowned.
I could not tell Lily that. Nor could I admit that Prongs also wanted to see Lily because he liked her.
Though Lily accused me of arrogance and becoming like my friends, it was an exaggeration, but no offense taken. Her threats would not deter me; I would continue to talk to Phil.
With that thought, I entered the compartment, and the meeting proceeded. Afterward, I returned to the Marauders. Soon, we reached Hogsmeade.

In the Great Hall, the routines unfolded as they did every year. This year, we had, once again, a new professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts. After dinner, we headed to our dormitory. Our sixth year at Hogwarts had just begun.