Marlene grinned, taking his light jab in stride. She loved the banter she could strike up with James. He was the only boy she knew she could tease and flirt with and not have him think she was leading him on. Marlene was tired of men, but she loved hanging round with James.
She watched his face carefully as he talked about being Head Boy. She knew perfectly well what had happened with Lily, having heard the whole story from the redhead herself. She wasn't surprised to learn that they had finally kissed, but she was bewildered by the way both of them were acting. "I know you're bothered about Lily," she said slowly. "But you know, neither of you are going to get very far if one doesn't try and talk to the other. And I can tell you now that Lily isn't going to be the one to make the first move."
She stepped closer to him, lowering her voice. "Go talk to her. Do that confident thing you do. You know, it really does turn her on." She grinned suddenly, and winked.
"As for the brill plan, I've drawn you a helpful little diagram." She reached into her bag and pulled out a bit of parchment. "Did it during History of Magic, to keep from falling asleep. I get the most amazing ideas in that class!"