Disclaimer: However well I may know her work, I am unfortunately not JK Rowling, and therefore do not own anything from the world of Harry Potter. The storyline I owe to another favourite author by the name of Jane Austen - see if you can spot some famous quotes!

A/N: This is a new story idea I had: an L/J fic based on a very famous love story by Jane Austen that I hope should be very obvious… This opening chap is short, mainly because I just needed to set the scene, but I hope you enjoy, and I promise that following chapters will be longer. Please review!

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single young wizard in possession of good looks must be in want of a girlfriend."

The three girls on the seat opposite gave the brunette matching looks of fond indulgence as they opened their Chocolate Frogs. The brunette, however, was undeterred.

"My mother says it all the time. Sort of. I mean, I'm paraphrasing slightly; she tends to go on about money and marriage. But the central tenet still applies."

"And your mother's crazy ramblings are relevant, how, Abby?" asked Mary Macdonald, the petite brunette with the long, soft curls that sat closest to the compartment door.

Abigail Macmillan let out a loud and dramatic sigh, spreading her arms wide.

"I sometimes wonder why I bother, when not one of you pays attention!"

The blonde and the red-head, who had been occupied comparing their Chocolate Frog cards, looked up at their despairing companion.

"Sorry, Abby," said Marlene, the blonde, her blue eyes displaying genuine concern and apology, "We're listening now: please do elaborate."

Lily, the red-head, sighed, meeting the small brunette's eyes, and the pair shared a look of weary resignation tinged with humour.

"As I was saying: ladies, we are now sixth years, and will be turning seventeen this year, and as such, we need to be attempting to change our boyfriendless status. There are plenty of attractive single wizards that would be appropriate, and now is the time to make our moves."

"Now?" Lily asked, her green eyes filled with mirth, "Why now?"

"Because next year, as you fine well know Miss Prefect, will be N.E.W.T. year, and I won't be able to convince you that anything else is worth your time and effort. It needs to be an ingrained habit by then."

"That's actually pretty well reasoned," Mary laughed.

"God, Mary, shoot me in the back, why don't you," Lily shot back at her small, brunette friend, who stuck her tongue out in reply.

"Mary, Lily, please," the blonde said in a gentle though slightly pained fashion, "Let Abby finish."

"Sorry, Marlene," Lily said, putting her hand on her blonde friend's arm, and giving her a reassuring smile.

"Anyway," Abby continued blithely, obviously getting into her rhythm now and rather enjoying herself, "I've decided that, this year, we are going to be more sociable. You know what they say: 'to be fond of dancing is a certain step towards falling in love'."

Lily raised one eyebrow.

"I'm fairly certain that it's just your mother that says that, Abby," she said with a teasing grin.

"Possibly," Abby admitted, "But that doesn't make it any less true."

Lily sighed, but her argument was born more out of fun than real opposition to her determined friend's ludicrous idea: Abby would as likely forget this plan before they even arrived at Hogwarts, based on her track record. It was just fun to needle her friend.

"So," Abby continued boldly, sweeping her long brown hair over one shoulder, "Our first target is this evening's Welcome Back party in the common room."

Lily perked up. She always enjoyed the party that the Gryffindors threw on the first night back at Hogwarts. It was so nice to catch up with everyone, and dance a bit, and have a few Butterbeers without worrying about certain individuals having laced it with either apparently hilarious hexes or Firewhisky, as often ended up the case at Gryffindor parties.

"And, having personally witnessed the summer-ification of some of the Gryffindor chaps, I have a good idea who I'm going to try and catch for you all," Abby continued gleefully.

"No way," Mary said flatly, "I don't need any help in getting a man, thanks, Mother Abigail,"

Lily's voice was pained, "I really don't either, Abby."

Marlene was left trapped between wanting to agree with her two more outspoken friends, and wanting to appease the apparently insane Abby.

"Well, that's fine," Abby carried on, not giving Marlene a chance to really try and object, "Because it's you that I've got a real plan for anyway, Marls."

Marlene turned a little green.

"Gosh, Abby, I mean, thanks, but -"

"I bumped into him on the platform, and boy, he's bulked up and sprouted a few inches over the summer. Your type too - all nice, and quiet, and studious…"

Lily couldn't help but be intrigued on her stunned-into-silence friend's behalf.

"Who, Abby?"

"Remus Lupin," Abby said with a triumphant smile.

Lily considered it. She knew Remus reasonably well from patrolling last year: they didn't move in the same circles at all, with Remus being part of a much cooler and more exclusive group than Lily and her friends, but he seemed a nice guy, with a surprising dry wit. She supposed he and Marlene could be a good combination, although, naturally defensive of her tooth-achingly sweet friend, she would remain unconvinced until she saw how well he looked out for her.

Marlene, though, on the mention of Remus' name, went white, then scarlet. The other girls immediately noticed this odd reaction from their reserved friend, and leaned in closer.

"Now, what do we have here?" Mary asked evilly as Marlene desperately tried to avoid meeting anyone else's gaze.

"I think our darling Marlene has a crush," Lily teased, her green eyes sparkling with fun.

"I am GOOD!" Abby cried, thumping her fist down on her thigh in victory.

"Please, don't… I don't… I mean, I'd rather not…" Marlene stammered, very distressed but unable to properly chastise her friends.

"Don't worry," Lily said warmly to the shy blonde, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close, "I won't let them embarrass you, Marls. I promise."

"Thanks, Lily," Marlene said gratefully, as Abby and Mary made noises of indignant objection.

"Hey, don't go promising anything yet, Lily," Mary said darkly, "Remember that your dearest darling Potter is in that group. We'd rather have an un-exploded common room, you know."

Lily rolled her eyes at her small friend.

"Just because I think he's an arrogant, conceited git doesn't mean I can't be perfectly civil to him for Marlene's romance's sake, you know," she said primly.

"Hey," Marlene objected weakly to her further involvement.

"I know," Abby agreed, completely misunderstanding Marlene's point, "There's no way she'll manage it. He might be James Potter - Quidditch hero, prankster, pant-droppingly handsome and clever to boot - who spent all of last year desperately trying to pin her down for a date, but Lily is absolutely blind to all of that. All she sees is a slug."

"That's harsh," Lily played along, setting the girls to giggling once more, "I'd much rather date the slug."

Further down the train, four boys sat in an identical compartment. They were engrossed in a rather intense game of Exploding Snap that had already singed off Peter Pettigrew's eyebrows, leaving him appearing permanently surprised.

James Potter played his final card, and lifted his hands in the air in celebration.

"Bow down before Prongs, king of the cards!" he exclaimed, before quickly curling up to avoid the barrage of Bertie Bott's that his friends suddenly sent flying towards him.

"Not the vomit flavour! Anything but vomit!" he shouted from his defensive position, whilst his friends continued to pelt him with sweets.

At that moment, the door to the compartment opened, and a fourth year boy appeared in the doorway. The boys halted their abuse of James, and looked up at the boy in a slightly intimidating fashion.

"Um, sorry, but can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

"Look, Adrian is it?" James said with a sigh as he sat up and dusted the Beans off of his robes, "There's a compartment a few doors down with some fourth year Gryffindors in it. With the additional information that Peter, here, has an abhorrent intestinal disorder that results in rather rancid clouds of scent following him everywhere he goes, it would seem that you'd be much better off there."

Adrian's eyebrows rose sharply, and he nodded quickly before squeaking his thanks, and disappearing back out of the compartment.

"Nice one, James," Sirius barked with laughter.

"Well, who'd have wanted to share with a spotty fourth year? And Adrian Morts is a complete square, too," James said with a self-satisfied grin.

Sirius and James shared a smug smile, but Remus sighed loudly as his friends' attitude.

"We were fourth years too, once," he started.

"Yeah, but better looking," Sirius injected with a snigger.

"And," Remus continued with a frown at his tall, dark-haired friend, "To be perfectly honest it's no wonder certain people go around calling you an 'arrogant toerag' if that's the way you act around anyone that's your inferior."

James' laugh died, and his eyes narrowed at his sandy-haired friend. 'Arrogant toerag'. Those words had rattled around his head all summer, ever since that incident beside the lake after the O.W.L.'s last year. Even with everything that had happened that summer, he'd had plenty of time to stew over those words, and the red-head who'd said them.

"Well, certain people can go drink the Draught of Living Death, for all I care," he stated, an undercurrent of anger in his deep voice.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his bespectacled friend, looking completely unconvinced.

"Yeah, right, mate. The minute she was asleep you'd be off to play Prince Charming."

"Ooh, I remember that one from Muggle Studies," Peter beamed, his chest puffing with pride.

Sirius and James completely ignored Peter's input, as per usual, and James threw Sirius a glare.

"I would not. I'm over her."

Sirius shared a disbelieving look with Remus.

"Yeah, yeah, Prongs. Sorry, but you can't fool your mates."

James slouched back into his seat moodily.

"I'm not fooling anybody. She was just a bit of skirt that I only wanted because I couldn't have it. I've got better looking girls to chase this year."

Remus leaned towards his friend, seriously.

"You're right," he said, and both James and Sirius looked to him in mistrust and confusion, "You're absolutely right. You really aren't fooling anybody."

Sirius burst into laughter, and Peter quickly added his giggles to the cacophony. But James looked unamused.

"Just wait," he said darkly, "You'll see."

Lily sat beside Marlene, and opposite Abby and Mary. The four were laughing merrily at Nearly Headless Nick, who was trying to put the first years off their dinner.

"Poor little first years," Marlene lamented, caught between enjoying the fun and feeling sorry for the young witches and wizards.

"This is nothing - they've still got to encounter Peeves," Lily pointed out with a wide smile. The other girls giggled their agreement, and went back to answering questions from the first years about the professors.

Lily reached over towards the large dish of treacle tart, feeling like she could squeeze one more piece in before her uniform burst open in front of the entire school. As she did, her gaze happened to move up, and she froze.

Further down the Gryffindor table, James and Sirius had been busy Transfiguring the Mississippi mud pie on the Slytherin table into actual mud pie, and were trying to keep their mirth under wraps as the Slytherins spat out bites of their dessert

"Good work, Prongs," Sirius laughed, slapping James across the back, "Avery looks about as confused as he did during the Divination O.W.L."

"That's because he didn't take Divination," Peter piped up helpfully. Sirius paused for a moment, looking over at the Slytherin boy, who seemed to be taking his time considering what was now in his mouth.

"God, he really is an idiot, isn't he?

James chuckled, and reached out for a last chocolate eclair. As he did, his eyes, for some reason, happened to flicker up, and he froze.

Green eyes met hazel across the length of the table, and sparks of electricity seemed to shoot between the two Gryffindors. The girl he didn't want to think about. The boy she didn't want to see.

She tilted up her chin, challenging him. He blew her a kiss, his eyes narrowed in silent sarcasm. Then both of them looked away, returning to their respective conversations.

Round six had begun.