The door to the Room of Requirement burst open, and three Marauders and one captive looked up, appearing supremely guilty. Thankfully, it was only Sirius, who leant back out the door and dragged Emmeline inside by the crook of her arm. Sirius pushed her forward a few steps, falling behind her to lean back on the door.

Emmeline crossed her arms, regarding the three boys and one girl. This, of all things, was not what she had suspected. In fact, Emmeline was coming to the conclusion that this did not look good at all.

"What on earth is going on here?" she demanded darkly.

James tentatively stood up. "Well, you see, Em, Padfoot here-" Remus elbowed him in the ribs hastily –' I… I mean Sirius here caught Rita… spying on Sc-Scummy and…"

James cheeks began to colour, and Sirius rolled his eyes. Stepping forward, he slung an arm around Emmeline's shoulders, bracing her gently.

"What James is trying to tell you, but is too sensitive to get the words out, is that Art Scamander was having sex with Felicity Faust – and Rita here was watching, taking photos and transcribing it for the benefit of our dear Lily."

Remus coughed, although to James' ears it sounded suspiciously like 'no tact.'

Emmeline uncrossed her arms slowly. Then she crossed them again. James watched, fascinated, as her colouring changed from white with shock to red with anger. Something in those normally gentle blue eyes suddenly didn't look so gentle.

"Art's cheating on Lily?" she finally murmured.

James looked at her, shocked. Had Emmeline sounded –triumphant? But as swiftly as James' suspicion was aroused, it was gone: one look at Emmeline's face proved her to be anything but triumphant. In fact, James decided that livid might be a more accurate description.

Her teeth were clenched painfully, as were her fists, and it was clear that Emmeline Vance wanted to punch something. Preferably, some one.

James nodded earnestly. He quickly stepped forward and guided her toward a second lounge, which had conveniently materialized adjacent to the first one. She looked like she needed to sit down.

"I know-" he gulped. "I know its an awful shock. But Em, I don't think we should tell Lily."

"We have to tell her! He's sleeping with another girl!"

Sirius perched on Emmeline's other side. "Actually, from the little James and I saw, it didn't look like much sleepingwas going on."

Slap.

Sirius flinched, massaging his cheek, as he slowly rose and backed away from Emmeline. Emmeline looked slightly horrified. "Oh, gosh," she murmured. "I'm so sorry… Sirius, do you always have to be so smug?"

"Don't turn that back on me, Vance," he retorted. "You were the one who slapped me!"

Remus silenced Sirius roughly with a hand to his mouth. "Shut up, Sirius. You're not helping."

"Em, we can't tell Lily," James implored Lily's best friend. "She's stressed enough as it is, and we all know that Art gives her enough trouble. She doesn't deserve this, too."

"But then she won't break up with that lying, cheating bastard," Emmeline growled. "Do you have any proof, Potter?"

James winced, looking mortified. "Actually, we-"

"I have proof," Rita butted in. Peter glared at her. "I've been following him for months. Do you know he's slept with fourteen different girls since he's been with Lily?" She giggled.

"Silencio."

The boys stared at Emmeline, torn between horror and appreciation. The girl looked positively murderous.

"No, you don't get to talk," she informed the captive. "You don't get to do anything except listen. What on earth possessed you to follow that – Scamander!" she screeched. "Did you think Lily would be grateful? You're sick, Rita Skeeter. Nothing more than a scheming, slimy little beetle. You're nothing! How dare you?!"

Emmeline paused for breath, nostrils flaring. At this point she appeared to recall that there were other people in the room: and they were all gaping at her. Oddly satisfied with her education of Rita, she decided to turn to them next. James flinched; Sirius blinked, Remus averted his eyes and Peter physically turned away.

"Now," Emmeline said, her voice menacingly gentle. "Is there anything else you boys were going to neglect to tell me?"

Rita was visibly quivering. "You – you're going to dowhat?!"

"Obliviate you," Emmeline replied cruelly. "Which is no less than you deserve."

Rita sniffed, wanting very much to cry. All her hard work!

James watched in disgust as their captive gave another great heaving shudder and promptly burst into tears. While he couldn't understand exactly what she was saying, he caught phrases that sounded vaguely like... no, that couldn't be right? All my plans?

James shrugged. He honestly couldn't care less. This wretched creature had been quite prepared to break Lily's heart – and she got to forget this whole incident! James would have much rather that he too was obliviated, quite frankly.

Emmeline pulled out her wand…

Rita fainted.

"Bugger," Sirius complained, sighing as he lifted her onto the lounge for the second time.

James was looking at Emmeline, unable to decide whether he was more impressed or frightened. Emmeline herself looked wretched.

"The things I do for that girl," she muttered, shaking her head.

James was rather inclined to agree.

Peter dusted his hands in a business-like manner. "Right. Well, James, you should get her up to Madam Pomfrey. Say she fell down a stair, or something."

"I'll go with you," Emmeline offered grimly.

James smiled at her gratefully, and levitated Rita in front of him. "Thanks, Em. I'll see you lot back at the common room, then," he told his friends.

Emmeline fetched her cloak from the table at the far end of the room.

"Don't forget that invisibility cloak," she reminded the boys. Surprised, they nodded.

"Lets get this over and done with."

Lily was stretched out on the lounge when the Carved Witch opened to let James in. She propped herself up on the pillows, smiling at him cheerfully.

"Hello, where have you been all day?"

James visibly blanched. "Umm… around," he replied, vaguely flapping his hand and secretly mortified that she had noticed.

Lily nodded, surprisingly satisfied with his answer. "I had the best afternoon," she told him happily. "I beat Em at chess, and then I ran into Art down at the library and we went for a walk around the lake…"

She sighed happily. James blinked.

For all that he, James Potter, could not see anything at all appealing in Scamander, it was obvious that Lily did. It was apparent that Lily saw many wonderful things in Scamander that James had neglected to notice.

James settled himself onto the lounge opposite her, regarding her thoughtfully as she regaled her afternoon adventures. Her eyes lit up as she described how Art had begun skimming rocks (showing off, James would have called it) and had hit the Giant Squid. The Squid, much to James' satisfaction, had thrown the pebble right back at him.

He laughed as she did.

Yes, James decided grimly. Scummy may not deserve Lily, but he made Lily happy, and that was all that mattered at the end of the day. James knew he'd made the right decision in not telling her.

James sat in the study later that night, resolutely going over his Transfiguration homework in an attempt to completely forget about his day. It was back to lessons for Thursday, and he was determined to find something else to focus on.

Someone coughed out in the common room – but it wasn't a cough of illness. It was a cough for attention. James stuck his messy black head out of the study doorway to find the Carved Witch waiting primly in her doorway.

"Yes?" he offered, hoping to Merlin that it wasn't Art.

James didn't know what he'd do if it was Art Scamander requesting entrance.

"Emmeline Vance requesting entry," the Carved Witch announced smoothly.

James sighed with relief. "Yes, she can come in," he murmured, stepping out into the hall and leaning against the wall, waiting to greet her.

The door swung open, and a very hesitant Emmeline entered the Head's Tower. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found that it was James, and not Lily, who had let her in.

"Hey," she murmured quietly.

The Head Boy inclined his head. "Hey Em. What's up?"

Emmeline shrugged, looking tired. "Just thought I'd see Lily. Is she still awake?"

James shrugged back, smiling slightly. "I wouldn't know –I've been studying!"

Emmeline gasped, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I don't believe you!"

Gesturing grandly toward the study door, James laughed. "Take a look!"

Rolling her eyes, Emmeline shrugged. "All right then, James Potter. Becoming studious in your old age?"

James shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets as they looked at each other awkwardly. "Well, I'd better get back to it," he murmured, jerking his head toward the stairs. "Go on up, I expect she's in her room."

James resettled himself at the desk, thinking mutinous thoughts. No. Study is good. I want to be an Auror, he countered, stubbornly.

Emmeline's footsteps once again sounded on the stairs, and moments later, she poked her head into the study. "Lily's sleeping," she muttered. "I'll just go. Good night!"

James watched her go, puzzled. There was something in Emmeline's eyes that he couldn't quite place – was it anticipation?

Girls, he thought, picking up his quill as the tower door closed. I'll never understand them.

Lily yawned. Suddenly alert, she noticed that she seemed to be lying on her bed, with a book covering her face.Bugger….

Sitting up slowly, she rubbed her eyes. The heavy cloud of sleep still clung to her brain, like a warm blanket that refused to surrender her mind to ordinary thoughts.

But hold on…. Lily thought, carefully book-marking her page, and closing the hardback with great reverence. If I was so asleep, what on earth woke me up?

She peered around her bedroom expectantly for some sort of invader: nothing.

That was odd.

Stifling a yawn, Lily stretched her legs and climbed out of bed. While she was up, she may as well clean her tee- Now what is that?

Lily blinked. Lying carelessly in the middle of her doorway was some sort of abandoned book. The cover was all tatty and torn, as if it had been much-perused. It wasn't a school book, Lily concluded, moving toward it tentatively. Much too tatty…

In fact, she couldn't help but think it looked remarkably like what Muggles call a 'scrap-book'.

Lily bent down and gently turned the book around.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

Rita's Book of Evidence.

Now what in Merlin's name could that be about?

She lifted the cover with great delicacy, and peeled back the cover-page.

And gasped.

With a soft thump, the tattered scrapbook fell to the ground.

"Prongs! Pssst! James!"

James startled awake, his head butting against the headrest. Gingerly rubbing his hair, he yawned, he sitting up and reaching for the mirror. Contrary to Lily's suspicions, James did not carry the little hand-mirror with him at all times because he was a narcissist. Rather, he found it awfully handy for communications purposes.

"What now, Padfoot?" he demanded sleepily. "It's been such a long day and can't a bloke get a little sleep without being interrupted?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and frowned. "Prongs, this is important. I just remembered – what ended up happening to the scrapbook? You destroyed it, right?"

James straightened. Hadn't that been Sirius'...? He swore.