A/N: Well, here's a new fic…before you ask, no, I haven't abandoned my Hunger Games story. I'm just going through a tiny bit of writer's block on that one, and this is what my mind came up with. (: So, I'm thinking, if I continue this, it'll be a series of one-shots, probably scattered through all the HP generations, and completely unrelated except for the theme of, well, awkwardness (: This first one is Marauder's era, with James and Lily (because who doesn't love them?). Hope you enjoy it and please don't forget to review! xx

AWKWARDNESS

Chapter 1

It was a typical Tuesday night in the Gryffindor common room. The fire was flickering brightly, quills were hurriedly scratching across parchment, and Sirius Black was snogging the life out of some poor naïve fifth year girl who had no idea of his reputation.

His best mate, James Potter, inched his way down the boys' dormitory staircase, peering discreetly around the common room, looking for a certain Lily Evans. Not finding her, he surveyed the common room in a rather depressed manner. All his friends were paired up-Sirius and his fifth year, which was no surprise. Remus and a pretty girl named Georgie Parker sat in a corner, supposedly studying for Potions (but most likely not, considering the loud laughter bursting from their corner every so often-how entertaining could the Draught of Living Death be?) Even Peter was talking to a girl-she was a first year, granted, but a girl nonetheless.

James watched the scene, his expression becoming glummer and glummer as Remus and Georgie Parker abandoned all pretense of homework and followed Sirius's example. Then he caught sight of a flash of red out of the corner of his eye and immediately perked up.

Lily Evans walked down the girls' dormitory staircase, not even giving James a glance. James wilted with disappointment, although it was probably better that she hadn't noticed him. If she had, then the yelling would have certainly commenced and then the whole house's peaceful Tuesday would have been destroyed.

After Lily sat down on a couch beside the fire with a book, James practically leapt down the stairs and bounded over to Sirius. "Hey, Padfoot!" he shouted, pulling him away from the fifth year. Sirius looked up from the girl, in an irritated manner.

"What do you want, Prongs? I'm busy, can't it wait?"

"No, I've got to talk to you," insisted James.

Sirius rolled his eyes and returned to snogging the girl.

"It involves a prank," James hissed, and immediately Sirius pulled away from the girl, disentangling himself from her.

"I'll be back in a bit," Sirius told the girl, and he and James gathered the rest of the Marauders and found a slightly deserted bit of the common room to plan in.

~OoO~

Grinning quite madly after planning their prank, the four Marauders returned to the fray of the common room. "On my signal, Padfoot," James reminded Sirius.

"Got it," replied Sirius, and he went back to his fifth year, who sat waiting for him quite faithfully (which was a favor he would most likely not be returning.) Remus and Peter returned to their respective positions, and readied themselves for their prank.

Meanwhile, James slid onto the other end of the couch that Lily occupied. Slowly, he began inching towards her. She, buried in her book, didn't notice, and he grinned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Once James was about a foot away from Lily, he turned to where Sirius and the girl were. Sirius faced him, looking at him over the girl's shoulder, and James not-so-subtly gave the signal of a wink.

At that, Sirius jumped up, shouting, "GAH! THE GRIM! I SEE THE GRIM!" He pointed at nothing, and sprinted out of the common room, still blabbering about how his death was imminent because he had spotted the Grim.

Remus quickly jumped up and screamed like a little girl, effectively sending the whole of the common room into tumultuous chaos. "I SEE IT TOO!" he hollered, and before long the entire common room had cleared out in an effort to avoid the terrifying Grim.

Well, the whole common room except for a certain sly messy-headed, glasses-clad boy, and a girl with fire-colored hair so absorbed in her book that she was encased in her own world.

All of a sudden, Lily glanced up and noticed, at last, that the common room was empty. Then she noticed James, her worst enemy, seated beside her…very close beside her. She shot him her very best death glare, warily putting down her book. "What do you want, Potter?"

He simply scooted closer. Waggling his eyebrows with glee, he grinned madly. In a tone of complete and utter euphoria, he said, "Well, isn't this… awkward?"