A/N: Whoo! My head is spinning just trying to keep up with this story. I know exactly where I’m going, but everytime I try to take the most direct route to get there, the characters go off and do something nuts.

Sorry it took so long to update – here’s a short summary to refresh your memories: Lily Evans, Alice Murphy, and Minty Greenwitch, three Gryffindor friends, have a bet on to win the affections of one Ravenclaw, Tarquin (Tark) Pendragon. Each has their own methods of winning him over – Alice is smothering him with sweets and kindness ( her fiancé Frank Longbottom is in Morocco for Auror training), Minty is using her ‘feminine wiles’ (and ensnaring Sirius Black in the process), and Lily is using James Potter to make Tark’s competitive streak emerge. James found out about the whole thing, however, and has enlisted the aid of the Gryffindor Seeker, Lucy Summers, to help him out in winning Lily’s affections for real. Sirius and Lucy had an impromptu snogging session, however, after Sirius failed to impress Minty, and Peter found out. He’s furious, because he believes that Sirius’ philandering will cause a rift in the Marauder’s friendship. Remus finds all of it hilarious, and pitches in where he can.

---

Severus Snape and Robyn Rhys-DeVries, a friend from his house, were walking across the foyer the first morning of Christmas break when they saw an odd procession. First, Lily Evans, hair as red as her face, was escorted past by Tarquin Pendragon. The Ravenclaw was talking urgently into her ear, apparently attempting to calm her down. A few moments later, Peter Pettigrew hurtled through the door, head down, and so quickly that he nearly rammed into Robyn, whom Severus pulled out of harm’s way just in time. After picking up her books, the pair started once again to cross the foyer, when Lucy Summers came strolling through the door, followed by a flushed James Potter, who was talking to her back, as he almost couldn’t keep up with her swift stride. He seemed to be begging her. Finally, Sirius Black sauntered by, arm around a dark-haired fifth-year girl whose name they didn’t know.

Robyn looked at her friend, and sighed. “Bloody Gryffindors,” she said. “Can’t they save the drama for later in the day?”

Severus merely shook his head, and they walked into the Great Hall for some much-needed coffee.

---

“Now, Lily,” Tark Pendragon said, pulling a chair for her at a table in the library, before sitting himself, “What happened? We were having a good time, and all of a sudden you were just furious. Is it because Potter kissed that girl?”

Lily groaned and buried her face on the table. Her mind was working furiously, however. She was completely sick with herself, acting the way she did when she saw Potter kiss Lucy in front of the whole school. She had to save the situation. She wasn’t completely sure of Tark’s feelings for her, but it was too late now. She had to figure out a way to use this to make him jealous. But how?

There was no help for it. Lying through her teeth had worked before now.

Lifting her head, Lily smoothed her hair back and looked at him, a small, shy smile gracing her features. “Sorry, Tark, I completely overreacted. Potter and I – well, we have a bit of a past, and he wasn’t very happy with the way things ended. He’s constantly trying to make me jealous, and I get angry when he takes a perfectly nice girl like Lucy Summers, and plays with her head just to mess with me.”

“You and Potter used to date? I never heard that!” Tark furrowed his brow. He looked adorable when he was confused, Lily thought idly. She ploughed on.

“Oh, well, anything between us was kept, very, um, quiet, you know, because we’re Heads. We didn’t want it to interfere with our duties. It was very intense; I doubt I’ll ever meet a guy who kisses like that again,” Lily said, shivering a little. She seemed to Tark to go off into a little reverie.

“You might be surprised, you know,” he said with a smile. “Now where’s that tour booklet?” As he got up to look for it, Lily grinned maniacally into her hands, and pattered her feet under the table. It was so easy. She couldn’t believe it. Boys were so dumb!

---

“Alright, Damn, Potter! It’s been about four hundred times. You can stop apologizing now. It wasn’t that bad,” Lucy Summers said, grinning, as she sunk into a cushy chair in the empty common room.

“What? I was bad! Oh, Merlin, I’m so-“ Lucy grabbed James’ hand and pulled him down into the chair next to hers.

“Potter. Shut. Up. Seriously. I don’t care that you kissed me; I just want to know why. I don’t remember this being part of the plan, when you and Lupin told me about it.”

“It wasn’t! Honestly! I just – she was there, laughing with that dumb git, and I was there, and you were there, and I just snapped inside. She just does that to me, you know? I just had to make her look at me.”

“Well, you accomplished that alright. But wouldn’t you rather she look at you without wanting to take your head off?”

“There’s a way to do that?”

Lucy laughed until tears ran down her cheeks. “Of course there’s a way to do that! How do you think people get together, and get married, and have babies, and all that rot?”

“Dumb luck? Anyway, with this bet on, I really don’t have a chance.”

“Wait. What bet? I thought you were just trying to get her to go out with you?”

He told her. The grim, angry look on Lucy’s face somehow made him feel a lot better. It was the same look she sometimes got when the other team was ahead in a Quidditch game. It always meant a win. Always.

“That lousy bint. And you told her you would let her use you for the bet?”

“Well, er, yes, but I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly at the time.”

“Alright, Potter. If she wants you as her little boy toy to make Pendragon jealous, she’s going to get you. Now, here’s what you do...”

---

The next week or so flew by rather quickly. Lily found herself spending more and more time with Tark Pendragon, as her girlfriends weren’t around, and she felt a distinct chill in the Gryffindor common room every time she stepped through the door. James gave her a dirty look every time she crossed his path, and she could have sworn Lucy Summers had tried to trip her up on her way to the dormitories one night. Sirius and Peter Pettigrew seemed to have some kind of feud going on, but would stop cold if she walked in on an argument. All in all, it was very odd.

Especially as everytime she saw James Potter, she trembled a little, thinking of that kiss. Not that she wanted him to do it again, or anything. She just wished, a little, that he would look at her like he used to do, as if she were a priceless work of art or something.

Spending so much time with Tark, however, made her realize something rather important.

She really didn’t know if she wanted to win the bet anymore, although from her vantage point it looked as though it would be a slam-dunk.

Tarquin Pendragon was easily the most boring boy alive.

It was odd, because she used to find him quite interesting. Almost overnight, however, he had completely flaked out.

Sure, he did all of the flirty things properly, and he had a really cool name, and he was so good-looking she could almost overlook his sudden lack of personality. After all, how much did that really matter anyway? Besides, she argued with herself, she only needed to get him to ask her for one date, and then she could dump him. It was the winning that counted, not the prize.

Right?

---

“We’re back, Evans! Did you be missin’ us?” Minty, followed by Alice struggling with an overlarge trunk, pushed through the portrait hole, beaming from ear to ear. Before she could receive a hug from an ecstatic Lily, though, Sirius Black pushed his way in front of her.

“Greenwitch, I’m not about to let you ruin my reputation. I’m sick of playing games with you, girl!” He grabbed her before she could punch him and kissed her, wrapping his arms around hers so that she could barely move.

When he finally let her up for air, amid cheers and catcalls from the students in the rapidly filling common room, the dazed look on her face caused a huge smirk to break out on his. Only for a moment, though, as she shook her head to clear it and pushed him aside to talk to her friends.

“Much better, Black, to be sure. Now leave me be, boy! I’ve got important matters to discuss with my ladies!” Grabbing Lily and Alice by the hand, she dragged them up the stairs to her dormitory, luggage abandoned. Sirius was completely dumbfounded, and Remus, who had walked in during the kiss, grinned and sat him down in a nearby armchair.

“Too late, pal. She’s in love with another bloke.”

---

“I’m in love, girls, so I am!” Minty, flopping onto her bed and giggling into her hands, looked a little like an actual schoolgirl, and not the predatory siren her friends knew her to be. They shared an incredulous look, and sat down on the end of her bed.

“All right then, Minty, spill. I know you told Remus when I was in the loo on the train, I could tell by his face. Who is it?” Alice looked a bit grumpy. She hated not knowing things.

“I had to tell someone, don’t you know, and I wanted to tell the two of you together. Skelly is the one. I’m going to marry that man!”

“Skelly?” Her friends said in unison, giggling. Minty looked murderous.

“Skelly, I’ll have you know, is a good old-fashioned Irish name. Skelly Finnigan is rugged, handsome, and wild. He’s the perfect man for me, for all that he’s a muggle.”

“He’s a muggle? Where did you meet a muggle? All your family’s magic!” Lily and Alice were more surprised than before, and that was hardly possible. This was Minty Greenwitch, after all, who had given the junior Gryffs seminars on the evils of having one serious boyfriend at a time, getting married. To a muggle. As far as Lily knew, Minty had never even met a muggle before.

“He’s a neighbor of me granny’s, in Edinburgh. During Hogmanay, you know, all the neighbors visit one another. He dropped in just in time to see me tryin’ to pull me granny off me mam, as they were brawlin’ again. He grabbed me waist and set me aside, sayin’ he didn’t want he would see me hurt, and clunked Granny on the head with her skillet. Once she came to, she introduced him ‘round. He’s Irish, but living in Edinburgh as he works in one of the breweries there. Once he learns the trade he’s moving back home and starting his own label – and I’m going with him. He gave me a ring ‘n all, just like herself,” she finished, nodding to Alice as she pulled a box out of her pocket with a jolly twinkling emerald ring inside.

“Minty, I…um…we….,” Lily floundered. She was completely floored. Never in her wildest imaginings did she ever expect to be giving Minty Greenwitch felicitations. Alice, however, affianced herself, knew just what to do.

“Oh, you darling, we’re so happy for you!” She leaped on Minty and gave her a huge hug, which the normally violent girl returned happily. Shaking her head, Lily joined in.

“I’m so happy I’m beside meself, to be sure. Only I’m not sure how would I tell him I’m a witch, an’ all. I guess I’ll just wait until after we’re married. It might go down easier that way.”

“He doesn’t know?” Lily said, pulling herself and Alice out of the three-way hug, once again staring at her friend in shock.

“He doesn’t, but I don’t think it really matters that much. He’ll find out soon enough, you know. Well,” she said, hopping from the bed and shaking out her clothes, “I’m off to find Pendragon. I’ve a bet to win, before this betrothed business gets around the school.” And with that, Minty left the room, leaving her friends gaping behind her.

---

“I think that Operation Cold Shoulder has been a resounding success, Potter. Are you ready for Phase Two?”

“You bet, Summers.. Evans won’t know what hit her.”

---

A/N: Skelly is an old Irish name, meaning “Storyteller”. I just liked it.

Tarquin, for those of you who are interested, is from one of my favorite books, “Gone Away Lake” by Elizabeth Enright. Lots of lovely unpronounceable Victorian names in that one. Pendragon, of course, is from King Arthur's old man, Uther (though the Pendragon Chronicles by D.J. MacHale are good, too)

As for any questions the observant of you have regarding Minty’s behavior in future canon, please rest assured that I have given the matter significant thought, and will explain my thoughts on the matter at the end of the story.

The next chapter should be the last one. Thanks to Allie (you know who you are, Alz) for helping me come up with the ending, months ago, in an email conversation, though she didn’t know that she was doing it.