At last, the OWLs were upon them.

The first exam was Muggle Studies. As the Marauders were coming out, Sirius looked visibly disappointed. "I hoped there would be a question on motorbikes in it."

James and Remus determinedly did not look at each other.

That evening, they had Astronomy in the topmost tower of the buildings. The second day had both History of Magic and Divination.

"Failed in both of 'em," said James while coming out.

Alice, who was looking slightly hysterical, said, "Yes, I failed in both too."

The next day was Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures, so the Marauders had a free day. The fourth day was Potions and Herbology.

The fifth day had Defense Against the Dark Arts.

James finished writing comfortably before time. After reading through his answers once, he started doodling the letters 'L.E.' on a spare bit of parchment.

Finally Professor Flitwick called, "Quills down, everyone. That means you too, Stebbins. Accio!"

As a hundred parchments flew towards the tiny teacher, he was knocked over. Everyone laughed and a few people in the front of the classroom hauled him up.

"Thank you, thank you. You are free to go."

James stood beside his seat to wait for Sirius. Lily, Alice, Marlene and Mary went past his desk, laughing and chatting.

The Marauders left the hall together, laughing about Question 10, which had been about werewolves. They went and sat down under their beech tree. Remus took out his Transfiguration book to study. James produced a struggling Snitch from his pocket.

Sirius stared at it. "Where'd you get it from?"

"Nicked it," said James casually. He let the Snitch fly away from him, but always grabbed it at the last moment. Peter watched him in awe, applauding every time James made a particularly good catch.

"Put that away, will you," said Sirius at last. "Before Wormtail wets himself with excitement."

Peter went red with embarrassment, but James grinned and stuffed the Snitch back into his pocket, saying, "If it bothers you."

"I'm bored," said Sirius. "Wish it was full moon."

"You might," said Remus darkly. "But we've still got Transfiguration; if you're bored you could test me." Remus held out his book.

Sirius snorted. "I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all."

Suddenly James spotted Snape getting on to his feet from behind some bushes, stowing his exam paper into his bag.

"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," said James quietly.

Sirius turned and saw him. "Excellent. Snivellus."

"All right, Snivellus?" asked James loudly. Almost as if he had been expecting it, Snape plunged his hand into his robes to bring out his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" cried James, causing Snape's wand to fly away and fall to the ground.

People all around were turning to watch, amused, obviously on the Marauder's side. James turned to look at the girls by the fountain, messing his hair, hoping that Lily was watching him.

Snape dived towards his fallen wand, but Sirius said, "Impedimenta!" and Snape was knocked to the ground.

"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" asked James.

"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment. There will be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word," said Sirius viciously.

People all around laughed, James and Peter included, but Remus didn't.

Snape glared up at James with a look of purest loathing. "You—wait. You—wait."

"Wait for what?" said Sirius coolly. "What'll you do, wipe your nose on us?"

As the watching students laughed again, Snape let out a stream of curses and swear words, but with his wand so far away, nothing happened.

"Wash out you mouth," said James coldly. "Scourgify!" Pink soap bubbles appeared in Snape's mouth, choking and gagging him.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

James and Sirius turned around; James' free hand immediately jumped to his hair.

"All right, Evans?" said James, his voive suddenly deeper and more mature..

"Leave him alone," repeated Lily, looking at James with great dislike. "What's he done to you?"

"Well..." said James, appearing to deliberate on the point. "It's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean..."

The onlookers and James, Sirius and Peter roared with laughter, but Remus, still apparently intent on his book, did not, and neither did Lily.

"You think you're funny," said Lily coldly. "But you're nothing but an arrogant, bullying toerag. Leave him alone."

"I will if you go out with me," said James quickly. "Go on, go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was the choice between you and the Giant Squid," said Lily quellingly.

"Bad luck, Prongs," said Sirius briskly. He turned to Snape and yelled a warning, but too late; Snape slashed his wand and a gash appeared on James' cheek, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled around and a flash of light later, Snape was hanging by his ankle in the air. The crowd cheered.

"Let him down!" said Lily.

"Certainly," said James, and Snape crumpled in a heap to the ground.

Snape tried to get up with his wand, but Sirius said, "Petrificus Totalus!" and Snape keeled over, rigid as a board.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" shouted Lily. She had her wand in her hand now. Sirius and James eyed it wearily.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," said James earnestly.

"Take the curse off him, then!"

James sighed deeply and muttered the counter-curse. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus—"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" shouted Snape.

Lily blinked. Every person watching the scene saw the hurt flash acroos her face. James suddenly felt furious with Snape.

"Fine," said Lily coolly. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash my pants if I were you, Snivellus."

"APOLOGIZE TO EVANS!" James roared at Snape, raising his wand threateningly.

"I don't want you to make him apologize!" shouted Lily. "You're as bad as he is!"

"What?" cried James, hardly able to believe his ears. "I'd never call you a...You Know What!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can, I'm surprised your broom can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK!"

Lily turned on her heel and stormed off.

"Evans!" called James. "Hey, EVANS!"

But Lily did not turn.

"What is it with her?" asked James, trying, and failing to look as if it was a throwaway question of no real importance to him.

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you are a bit conceited, mate," said Sirius.

"Right," said James, who looked furious now. "Right—"

There was another flash of light, and Snape was hanging in the air again.

"Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?" asked James.

"James!" Remus rushed to him and seized his wrist. "That's quite enough! Let him down."

James looked at Remus in disbelief. But there was an unexpectedly determined and angry look on his face. "Let him down this instant."

Grumbling, James did as Remus told him. Remus grabbed his arm and Sirius' and pulled them back towards the castle. "Peter, come on!"

The crowd parted to let them pass.

--------------------

James, Sirius and Peter had never seen Remus like what he was when they had returned to the dorm.

"Why do you do it, Prongs, Padfoot? Does it give some sort of false sense of power to humiliate a fellow student in front of everyone? I know everyone around was cheering for you, but inside each of them know how cruel you two are! You saw Lily's reaction, James..."

"He called Evans a Mudblood," muttered James.

"That's only because you had pushed him to his breaking point. He hadn't done anything to you. He had his right on the ground as much as you have. Just because you two are James Potter and Sirius Black, cleverest and most popular students in the school doesn't mean that you've got to bully someone who is not as popular—"

"Decidedly unpopular, you mean," said Sirius, but Remus gave him such a glare that he fell silent, looking abashed.

"Aren't you two ashamed of yourself?" asked Remus quietly.

Both James and Sirius did look ashamed just then.

"Yeah, I suppose..." mumbled James.

"I know it'll be too much to hope that you'll apologise to Sanpe—"

"We couldn't!" cried James and Sirius together, identical looks of horror on their faces.

"I'm not asking you to," said Remus quellingly. "But I hope I'll never see you two behaving like this again."

There was a silence.

"But he's going to be a Death Eater, Moony," said Sirius.

"Then fight him when he is and you're part of the Order of the Phoenix! I am not saying that he is a very good person, but currently, all of us are students. Equals, ok?"

"You're right, Moony," said Sirius, after a pause, and James nodded.

"I don't like to see you behave like that because I know my best friends are a lot better than Snape."

James and Sirius smiled at this typical Remus ending to a lecture.

James leaned forward and hugged Remus. "Prefect," he said affectionately.

"I didn't say this just because I'm a Prefect, Prongs—" began Remus.

"Just joking, old boy," said Sirius, smacking Remus on the back, also affectionately.

Remus smiled at last.

---------------------

Remus, Sirius, and Peter had gone back to the common room after dinner; James stayed back to have a word with Frank Longbottom.

When he reached their floor, he saw Snape standing outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, knocking. After a while, Mary came out. "What do you want?" she asked rudely.

"I just want to talk to Lily once—could you call her, please?"

"She doesn't want to talk to you," said Mary, crossing her arms.

"I'll—I'll sleep here then, so that I can see her when she comes out next morning!"

Mary glared at him, and went back into the common room. Then Lily came out. James edged out closer quietly.

"I'm sorry," said Snape.

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sorry!"

"Save your breath. I only came here because Mary said you were threatening to sleep here."

"I was! I would have! Listen, I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just—"

"Slipped out?" There was no pity in Lily's voice. "It's too late. I've been making excuses for you for years. None of my friends understand why I even talk to you! You and your precious little Death Eater friends! You see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be. You can't wait to join You Know Who, can you?"

Snape opened his mouth and closed it.

"I can't pretend any longer. You've chosen your path, I've chosen mine."

"No—listen, I didn't mean—"

"To call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood. Why should I be different?"

Lily glared at Snape contemptuously, and disappeared through the hole.

Snape looked after her dejectedly, and then made his way slowly towards the stairs.

James hurried into the common room and caught up with Lily.

"Glad you got there in the end," he said.

Lily whirled around to look at him. "Just shut up, Potter!"

"C'mon, I just—"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! After you've lost me my best friend, the least you can do is LEAVE ME ALONE!" screamed Lily, her voice trembling.

"I lost you your best friend?" asked James incredulously. "What did I do? I didn't make him call you that!"

"You g-goaded him!" cried Lily, and James was startled to see tears in her green eyes. "You provoked him! He wouldn't have said it if you weren't such a bullying, arrogant git. I hate you! I HATE YOU!"

Lily turned and rushed up the stairs into her dormitory.

James stared after her, shocked and more hurt than he would have cared to admit. He noticed the people in the common room watching him.

"Good night, Moony, Padfoot," he said and walked up the stairs too.

Sirius and Remus were lounging beside the fire, Peter already having gone up.

The only Gryffindor 5th year girl left in the room, Marlene, went to sit beside Sirius. Recently she had not hidden her feelings for him.

"Horrible, this business, isn't it?" she said.

Something passed through Sirius' handsome features. "Why don't you go up with your beloved Evans to the dorm? That's all you girls can do anyway, scream and cry and create scenes! Can't you spare us?"

Marlene was momentarily stunned into silence. She had never in her life yelled and created a scene as far as she could remember. But if she expected Sirius to take back his words, she was disappointed.

Sirius turned his attention back to a book of Advanced Charms that he had been reading. With a rather miserable expression, Marlene got up and disappeared up the stairs. Remus snatched the book from Sirius' hand and glared at him.

"What do you want, Sirius? To be branded as a womanizer—a heartbreaker? Marlene didn't do anything to you. What did you hurt her for?"

"What about when Evans hurt James then?" said Sirius resentfully. "You don't call her a heartbreaker!"

There was a silence during which Remus looked searchingly at his friend's face.

"That's why you're doing this, isn't it?" he asked slowly. "To get back at Lily through her best friend?"

Sirius thrust his hands into his pockets and stared into the fire.

"That's something only you can think of, Padfoot," said Remus, and Sirius looked up to see that he was smiling. Sirius smiled back.