Summary: He needs someone to show him the ropes of being grown up and mature. She's just bored. Also, she needs help with Sixth Year Transfiguration. Put them together and what do you get? A fake-dating couple that takes Hogwarts by storm.

[Eventual James/OC; starts Sixth Year; AUish; Romance/Friendship/Humour]

Ratings: T, for now.

Disclaimer: JKR owns HP & co. This disclaimer is applicable to all future chapters.


Foreword:

This story starts with a note. Consider this some form of foreword. (Or should I call it a warning?) We all know that Jily is super popular, so why am I bothering to write a James/OC story?

As much as canon is perfect with James, Lily and their legendary love story, I personally think the Marauders' Era can be explored a lot more with an OC. Lily is too... Involved with other things, hmm?

Also, I'm tired of stories where the OC has special powers, is brilliant at academics or is a star Quidditch player. Let's have an ordinary OC whose only job is to take on whatever happens and deal with them realistically.

Usually the OC knows everything about the Marauders, is sometimes even a part of the group, aiding and abetting them. But that's not how JKR portrayed the Marauders in her stories. They were pretty exclusive and were also secretive about it. So this OC will literally be clueless about Remus' furry problem and so on.

The few James/OC stories that are there on this site – well, they all predominantly feature a bitchy Lily. Why can't we have a canon!Lily who just doesn't end up with James? She'll have her occasional moments of bitchiness, but then, so do we all. So we'll have a... Nice!Lily.

And finally, though this story is written in first person, it's NOT an SI/OC fic. I just think first person will be a fun perspective to narrate through. It gives a chance to bring in pithy remarks and witty comments.

Hopefully, there won't be any other long notes in this story. Thanks for reading.

xx


PLAYING PRETEND

CHAPTER 1


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I'm in the library, trying to get myself to start the Transfiguration essay, when James Potter throws himself into the chair across me.

"You all right, there?" I ask him, as he puts his head on the table and groans noisily. I can already guess what has happened. Again. It's one of those things in life which just doesn't change, ever.

"Lily said no again," he wails. Had this not been a daily occurrence, I might have felt sorry for the black haired boy sitting in front of me. Right now, though, I feel sorry for Lily, for having to put up with this immature boy.

"Have you ever thought of what you're doing wrong? I mean, surely it is insanity if you keep trying the same action and expect different results each time?" I ask him, wishing I had started my essay earlier. With James here, it'll now be impossible to get my work done.

"What do you mean?" he asks, raising his head from the table. His eyes are wide, like the thought has never struck him before. I hold back a sigh.

"You keep badgering Lily, asking her out all the time. You never give her a break. Have you thought of just spending time with her as a friend, trying to get to know her? Without annoying her?"

"I know plenty about her," he protests. "I know her favourite food, her favourite colour, her birthday - "

I cut him off, saying, "Yeah, by stalking her. By creeping her out. You could have tried to find out all that about her normally."

"Huh, normally, huh?" he whispers, once again lost in thought.

I crack open my Transfiguration textbook, and try to see if I can paraphrase portions of it for my yet-to-started essay. McGonagall might be a nice person, but she is a very strict teacher, who expects her NEWT students to be of a certain calibre. I'd scraped in with an 'E' on my OWLs. Transfiguration is not my forte, and the Sixth Year syllabus feels crazy.

I get so immersed in writing my newly thought out essay that it's when my quill snaps, thereby startling James, that I realise he is still there. He looks at me like a puppy who has been kicked.

I sigh and put my quill aside, taking out scrap parchment to wipe the ink off my fingers. It won't do to give McG smudged pieces of writing.

"You know what? I think you should see other girls, spread your wings a little. They can give you advice, show you what you're doing wrong. And may be if Lily sees what she's missing, she might be more inclined to say yes to you."

As I tell him all that, I pour sand onto my parchment, trying to dry the ink quickly. When you can't go for content, you go for presentation.

"Sarah! You're an absolute genius!" he cries, as I look at him with suspicion. I collect the sand back into its box and roll up my now-started essay, trying not to wince at that look in his eye.

That gleaming look he has is the same as the one he sports when he sits with his three best friends, plotting something or the other. I'm pretty sure those four are behind most of the 'accidents' which occur in Hogwarts, especially those which happen to the Slytherins.

"James?" I ask, with trepidation. That look does not bode well.

"I can fake-date you! You can tell me all that I'm doing wrong, just like you did right now, and I can learn how to be a proper boyfriend. I can stay away from Lily for a few months, learn how to be a better, normal person and you can guide me through all that! And you're the only girl from our year that Lily is close to, so you can tell me how to be better for her!"

I look at him like he's bonkers, because he definitely is. With a hare-brained scheme like that, I'm surprised Prefect Evans hasn't hexed his balls off already.

"You're barmy, if you think that'll even work! And - "

Madam Pince makes her presence known by screeching at the two of us to maintain silence. I honestly do not see what her problem is, seeing as the library is nearly empty.

When I stand after dumping my books into my bag unceremoniously, taking care to not crumple my essay, I'm surprised to find James standing next to me, pulling out my chair. He takes my bag from my hands and effortlessly slings it across his shoulders.

That's when I notice that he doesn't have a bag of his own.

"Where's your books bag?" I ask him, keeping my voice low, just in case Pince is lurking around.

He shrugs and answers, "I'm so smart, I don't need books."

He smiles after that, and there's a dimple on his left cheek when he does that. I roll my eyes at him, used to his weird sense of humour. Because that's what this is. To the untrained ear, this might sound like arrogance, but after five years of being a housemate and a classmate, I know it isn't.

The minute we're out of the library, he asks, "So? What do you think of my plan? Want to be my fake-girlfriend who is actually my coach?"

I pause to furrow my eyebrows and give him a sardonic look, which is lost on him. So I continue walking, with him placing his left hand on the small of my back, guiding me. It feels nice to have someone do that.

"I think your plan is stupid," I tell him honestly.

"That doesn't matter. Do you want to be my tutor-slash-fake-girlfriend?"

I almost groan. I haven't been in a relationship before, and I certainly don't want my first one to be a sham.

"What do I get out of this?" I ask him, narrowing my eyes.

"Think of it as service to humankind," he pleads, looking adorably at me with his eyes wide and doe-like. I try not to smile, in vain.

"Ha! You're smiling!" he crows delightedly, like a small kid. "Does that mean you'll do it?"

We're near the entrance to the Great Hall now, so I stop walking to look at him, to truly take him in. He too stops, and steps closer, a bit too close, in fact. He moves his hand to move his glasses upward, to stop them from slipping off.

I take in everything, his mussed up hair, his displaced tie, his shirt which is open at the neck, his height - everything. He could have any girl in Hogwarts, though everyone by now knew to stay away from him, due to his relentless and well-publicised pursuit of Lily.

It's the look of hope in his eyes and the absolute sincerity his face radiates that makes the decision for me.

"I'll do it," I say, feeling like a creature from a different universe. I don't know what I've agreed to, but it'll be fun, right?

I'll be able to learn a lot about the psyche of boys, and may be even help Lily and James to get together. That would be an epic love story, if there ever was one. And maybe, just maybe, I could get James to look through my Transfiguration work, and give me pointers?

"Thank you so much, Sarah! I always knew I could count on you!" he gushes, hugging me tightly. The action takes me by surprise and knocks the wind out of me.

"Merlin, I didn't know you were a hugger," I mutter, which only makes him laugh. He still hasn't let go of me, though.

"James, you can stop hugging me now," I tell him. He smells like cinnamon and musk. It's such an odd combination, but works together perfectly.

"Right," he says, as he draws away. Am I crazy for missing that body heat, even if it's just for a second?

"Right, so what do we do now?" he asks, bringing me out of my thoughts of hugs and such. I really do miss my mum's hugs.

"Well, usually the guy first asks the girl out, so maybe you could ask me later tonight? Not that I'm against girls asking the guy out first – it's just that here, in Hogwarts, the guy asks the girl out."

James looks like he's making notes mentally, so I grin and try to make him not take this so seriously. There's no point in doing anything in life if you can't see the fun in it.

"Hey, don't look so serious. I'm not giving you instructions to brew Felix Felicis."

He bloody smirks at me, no longer looking sombre, and says, "I'm not Sirius, I'm James."

I come so close to banging my head on the nearby wall. James and Sirius used to make these jokes all the time in First Year, back when all of us had just started calling each other by our first names. I thought they'd have grown out of it by now, but clearly, they haven't. Or at least, James hasn't.

So I roll my eyes and shake my head and am about to make some pithy remark, when I realise this: Aren't his best friends supposed to know if he likes a girl?

"Talking about Sirius, are you going to tell your mates about this thing? Like the truth?" I ask him, bluntly. There's no point in using subtlety with Gryffindors, it's often lost upon us.

"Oh, fuck, I know Remus won't approve. Sirius, I don't know, he'll think it's a laugh... Peter might let the secret out, though."

I quirk an eyebrow at him, and he shakes his head and wrings his hands.

"We'll keep this a secret?" he asks finally.

"Fine," I say, because I had expected him to let at least Sirius in on this. Everyone knows that those two are like conjoined twins on most days.

"That means you can't tell Alice, either. Or Marlene," he warns, his voice dropping.

Is he actually trying to intimidate me? The prat!

"Alice isn't really in a state to listen to all this, she's besotted with Frank," I tell him. I'd lost my best friend to Longbottom, a Seventh Year, over the summer. Merlin knows for how long she's been fancying him.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Apparently they both have liked each other for three years now?" he asks.

I nod my head, with an amused smile. "They're crazy about each other."

"So I'll ask you in the common room tonight?"

"Yeah, but before that, remember to mention to your friends that you're thinking of asking someone else out. And remember to smile at me during dinner, that should set the scene perfectly, so that no one will suspect anything."

"Fine. So I'll ask you to Hogsmeade, in front of Lily."

"No. Don't do it in front of Lily on purpose. It'll come across as you being desperate. Just call me a little to the corner when we girls are talking and ask me quietly. Marlene's ears are sharp, so she'll be able to pick on it easily enough."

We resume walking, James still carrying my bag, when he says, "Did I tell you thanks?"

He kisses me on the cheek, and I smile at him. I can feel my face flushing, but I hope he doesn't notice it. Is it normal to blush if an attractive guy pecks you?

We enter the Great Hall, and I don't get a chance to respond. He escorts me to the empty seat next to Alice, just like a gentleman, placing my bag next to me, before sauntering off to sit next to his mates.

Alice hasn't noticed anything, seeing as she's staring lovingly into Longbottom's eyes. Give me a break. But Marlene has, and she waggles her eyebrows at me.

I pretend not to notice her.


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James Potter is apparently an over-achiever. As soon as dinner is over, he's on my side, picking up my bag and courteously refusing my attempts to get it back.

It's so out of the ordinary that even Alice notices this. I just know that there's going to be an impromptu gossip session tonight between the two of us – no, make that three. Marlene looks super interested, being the gossip-monger that she is. Lily looks on disapprovingly.

James and I walk a little in front of them, but we say absolutely nothing to each other. At the portrait hole, he hands me my bag, and I mutter a thanks to him.

"What's the password again?" he asks, and I raise one eyebrow when I hear that. Are the others around? Is he playing at something?

Lily pushes herself to the front, taking charge as usual, and tells the Fat Lady the password. I guess that's why she became Prefect, not me.

I've wanted to be a Hogwarts Prefect ever since I heard how my parents had met – they had both been assigned to patrol the corridors together. I was seven when I first heard the story, and I thought it was the most romantic thing ever.

I guess a small part of me still wishes I could be a Prefect, you know? Last year, I was pretty jealous of Lily Evans, but then seeing her carry out her duties made me realise that I'll never be able to match up to that level of dedication. I have a tendency to slack.

I'm brought out of my musings when a voice asks me, "Hey, you all right?"

I find that we're in the common room now. James is touching my elbow, looking at me in concern.

"Yes, of course, why?"

"You look like you spaced out for a minute."

I give him a wry smile, as the gears in my head start churning. Damn, this boy is pretty good at reading people, or at least, at reading me. I don't understand how he can't read Lily, then. I mean, she's an open book.

"So, I was wondering if I could talk to you? In private?" he says, a little loudly.

I turn around to glance at Alice and Marlene. They're both watching with avid interest.

"Now?" I ask him, playing along.

"Yes," he says, pulling me by my arm towards the large lampshade in the corner of the room. We haven't even gotten a chance to sit down yet, and he wants to do this already?

He positions me such that I'm against the wall and he's facing me. Marlene gives me a thumbs up sign, and I try not to scoff. I search for Lily, but I can't find her. This was supposed to be for her benefit, after all.

"I'm going to ask you out now," he states.

"Act a little nervous," I tell him quietly.

I can see that James' mates have all entered the room. And they're all staring at the two of us. It feels like someone is shining a giant spotlight on the two of us.

"And also, your friends are here," I add, still whispering. Can the others lip-read me? It certainly looks like Marlene is trying to do that from that armchair that both she and Alice have squished into.

He runs his hands through his hair. So that's what he thinks his nervous tell is. Interesting.

"Umm, right. I told them that I'm getting over Lily by trying out with other girls. They all seemed happy, to be honest."

"James, stop delaying it. Marlene looks suspicious."

"Right. Sarah Davies. Would you like to spend some time with me at Hogsmeade this Saturday?" he asks, a little too loudly.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I can see Marlene's eyes pop out. I try not to snigger at it. Marlene is such an adorable dork, really. I should see if I can set her up with Fabian Prewett. Everyone knows she's been pining for him since her Second Year. And being one of her best friends, I am subjected to her daily lectures about Prewett's hotness.

Why is it my crushes never last for long? I think the longest I've ever fancied someone is for eleven months. I guess the boys at Hogwarts just don't do it for me.

James is looking at me with panic clearly written in his eyes, probably because I haven't answered him yet. He runs his hand through his hair once again.

A part of me wonders how it would be if I say no. But obviously, I'm not a Slytherin, because I can't ever stab someone in the back, even if it's about something as trivial as fake-dating.

"It's a date," I tell him, smiling.

It's more like I'm smiling for the benefit of our silent spectators, whose reactions are pretty funny to watch. It looks like the gossip session just got confirmed. Brilliant.

James moves away a little, and I can now go back upstairs. I whisper as I pass by, hoping I'm clear enough. "Meet me here at 5:30 AM tomorrow."

I stress on the 'AM' part, not wanting to give room for any confusion. It's at moments like these that I feel I've inherited my mother's Ravenclaw brain.

He briefly nods, and I loudly say, "Goodnight!"

I hurry over to Alice and Marlene, and we rush upstairs. Or rather, they rush upstairs and pull me along, despite my being unwilling. It looks like they can't wait to get the gossip session started.

Just bloody brilliant.


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AN: Reviews are love. :)