Chapter 1: The Plan

The Valentine's Ball was only two days away. The Marauders were highly aware of that. They had all somehow managed to get some pretty big crushes on three particular Gryffindor girls.

James, of course, had his head full of Lily all day. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about her.

Sirius had met someone new… someone he remembered vaguely from first and second year. She used to talk to him all the time, then she just disappeared. Now he's found her again… and this time, he's got major feelings for her.

Remus had liked this one girl for quite a while now. He'd first noticed her during first year. He had often wondered why only he seemed to see her—and couldn't stop himself from secretly looking at her every now and then.

Lily Evans was, as always, annoyed by James Potter's attempts at getting a kiss from her. So what if she secretly liked him? He was still way too obnoxious to date… then why couldn't she put him in the back of her mind?

Kara Lewis had fallen hard during her first two years at Hogwarts for Sirius Black. After he had practically brushed her off for two years straight… she gave up. She thought she had let go. Now he was trying to get close to her, and all she could think was, too late… but was it?

Amy Roberts had always tried to fade into the background. She still tried, but wasn't succeeding very well, now that teachers and students alike were noticing her sit at the back of the room. She had always prided herself on becoming invisible without magic… and now, in her seventh year, she couldn't seem to be able to disappear. Now that she couldn't hide, she wished for a group of friends. She had always watched the Marauders from afar, half-way hoping she could one day have friends like they were. Was this her chance?

The ball was to be on Sunday night, and it was Friday. The Marauders were getting anxious.

"We have to find a way!" James said, almost with exasperation. He had no idea that Sirius and Remus had their own crushes.

"Well," Sirius said, "how exactly do you want to do this? There has to be some way to get—" he almost said them "—Lily to go to the dance with you, right? Some way you haven't tried yet?" He was definitely wondering if the same tactics would work for him.

Remus spoke up. "Come off it, Sirius. You and I both know that there are two other Gryffindor girls who we want to take."

James looked surprised. "Sirius? Remus? You guys have crushes?"

Sirius looked at Remus angrily. "Not exactly. Would you call how you feel about Lily a crush?"

"Yes."

Sirius sighed. There was simply no way around it. "Then, yeah, we have crushes too."

"No way. Who are they?"

"Can't tell you that," Sirius said quickly. He was afraid of Remus jumping in to say something, but he had clamped shut. "Besides," he said with a glance at Remus, "you probably don't know them. I don't even know who Remus likes."

"And I have no idea who Sirius fancies." Remus spoke up again, starting to feel safe again.

"Alright, then," James said decisively. "We have to get the three of them to go out with the three of us… but how?"

"How about a prank?" Sirius put in.

"Hmm. That could work. Now, I think I've got it…" James went on to explain to them the details.

"Perfect!" Sirius said once James had finished.

"And how do they get rid of it before it wears off?"

"They have to kiss the other one! In the case of the certain three girls… us!"

"One kiss…" Sirius said, "one kiss will return them to normal, right? And that'll be enough to get them to date us?"

"Well, once they kiss us, we can work on getting up to that point. But just to make sure that they don't… realize we did it just to get them, we have to make this school-wide."

"Fine. Whatever," Sirius was thinking about Kara.

"And then we could convince them to fall for us," James added, imagining finally kissing Lily, and taking her to the Valentine's Ball.

Remus noted the dream-like look on his friends face and found the loophole. "Well. That is if they don't hate us for it all. I mean we would be—" James shushed him, and Remus just began thinking about finally being able to talk to Amy… a luxury he hadn't been brave enough for.

As they wrote the notice and pinned it to the bulletin board at midnight, and then cast the spell, Remus couldn't help but think, This will go wrong. I don't know how, but it will.