Disclaimer: I don't own anything; J. K. Rowling does.

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"You really know what you're talking about, don't you?"

"What can I say, I've always been a genius when it comes to marauding."

I smiled slightly at James as we sent some rules-breakers to bed, after more one night of arduous patrolling. He smiled as well and we kept walking through the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"You are so full of yourself, James Potter," I told him only half heartily as we rounded another corner.

"What can I do?" he said. I shook my head and hurried my step, the warm Gryffindor common room already in my thoughts.

"Finally!" I said as both of us entered the portrait hole, after the Fat Lady had tried to hold us out saying it was too late for us to be out there. Only when we remembered her we were Heads did she let us in.

"She was exceptionally nasty today," James said, stealing a glance at the now closed door, where the Fat Lady was now not visible.

"You bet," I told him, "Anyway, I'm going to sleep. I'm dead tired."

James smiled and walked close to me until the stairs. There, we stopped. "Well… good night," I said, turning to leave.

He, however, caught my arm. I turned curiously to him; he smiled.

Then, no reason at all for it, he leaned down and kissed me. I was frozen for a moment, not knowing what to do, but then remembered who I was, who he was, where exactly we were and what exactly we were doing. Freeing my arm from his grasp, I pushed him away.

"What are you doing?!" I asked, making my best scandalized face. "You can't just kiss me!"

"Why not?" he asked me, "I like you, and you can't pretend not to feel something for me anymore!"

"Well, I'll have you know that I-" I started, but he interrupted me.

"That you what? That you hate me?" he asked me with a slightly sarcastic face, "You don't hate me, not anymore at least."

I was paralysed, confused for some seconds. Then, I sniggered. "I hate you," I told him.

He shook his head. "You don't hate me."

"I do!"

"Why? Give me your reasons for hating me," he defied.

I didn't say anything, having all the reasons for hating him suddenly fled for my mind. He seemed to know that as he gave a step back. "Like I thought; you don't hate me because I don't give you reasons for it. Good night, Lily," James said, and then he left the common room and went up to his dormitory.

I stood there, looking bemused for several moments, before I followed his example and went up to bed.

(…)

I spent hours, even days thinking about what Potter said. I tried to avoid being alone with him- because he might try and kiss me again- but every time I saw him the question was more alive than ever in my mind. Why did I hate him?

The answer came to me some days later, in a muggle-studies class; we were talking about muggles' religion, and suddenly I understood. The reasons why I hated James Potter so much.

"You're quiet," James said to me during a patrol later that week.

I turned to him and stared for a while before I spoke. "I have your answer," I told him, and he looked bemused.

"What?"

"Why I hate you. I now know why."

James looked amused. "Okay. Let's hear it."

"Do you know what the seven deadly sins are?"

"Wha-" he started, but I cut him off.

"Following the Latin initials of each one, a mnemonic was created; SALIGIA, which joins Superbia, Avaritia, Luxuria, Invidia, Gula, Ira and Acedia." I informed him.

"Really, what has that to do-?"

"Superbia means pride," I continued, "Avaritia means greed, Luxuria means lust, Invidia means envy, Gula means gluttony, Ira means wrath and Acedia means sloth."

"I still do not understand," he said, making me stop and look back at him with an exasperated look.

"You're a Marauder, and you quite brag about it: Pride."

"That's rubbish!"

"You're always saying you were made for bigger things: Greed."

"What's wrong with wanting t-"

"You chase me like I'm a goddess on earth: Lust."

"I fancy you Lily, it's different!"

"You were always picking on Severus because we were friends: Wrath and Envy."

"What? Are yo-"

"When you're with Black in front of a food table, you disrespect everyone else: Gluttony."

"Now that's just pathetic!"

"And," I said, ignoring him again, "lastly, you never study, and you try to make the less effort possible: sloth."

He gave me an unbelievable look, "That's ridiculous, Lily. Really."

"No, it is not! You're the living example of a sinner!" I told him.

He snorted, "You can't be serious! Grow up, will you?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're the one who needs growing up," I said, then looking at an invisible clock on my wrist, "Look at the time!" I said, "I think it's time for me to get going."

"You'll see! I'll prove you that you have no real reason to hate me!" he said.

"I'm waiting earnestly," I told him sarcastically, before turning and hurrying to the common room.

(…)

During the next two weeks, James seemed to be avoiding me like the plague. Not that I was complaining, of course. I wouldn't complain about getting rid of him. He also seemed to spend more time in the library that he used to do; I found it strange, but I tried to keep my distance from him.

"Lily, what's this that you wrote here?" Mary asked me as we were in the library one late afternoon finishing some essays, "Are you sure you spelled it right?"

I looked at where she was pointing, "I think so, yeah," I answered.

"Are you sure? I mean, are you one hundred per cent sure this is how the Latin name for wrath is written?"

I looked again at it, and tried to remember. However, all my knowledge about the seven deadly sins seemed to have vanished after I spoke to James. "Maybe we should check," she said, sensing my distress, "I'll go get the book."

"No, kept doing your work, I'll go," I told her as I stood up.

"Alright," she said, as I walked away to the muggle studies section. There I stopped to look through the bookshelves, walking sideways as I read the books' names.

"Oh, sorry," I said, as I bumped into someone. Looking at the person, my heart skipped a beat. James Potter.

"Lily," he said, and then wandered away without adding anything else. For some reason, I felt quite hollow at that, as if his words were essential to me.

Sighing, I picked the book and turned, ready to join Mary again.

His voice, however, made me stop. "Wait."

I turned and stared at him. "Yes?"

"I've been meaning to talk to you," he said, as he took a book out of his bag.

"About?"

"After you told me that about the seven deadly sins, I've found the subject rather interesting," he said.

"Really?"

"Yes. Did you know that, beside the seven sins, there are the seven holy virtues?" he asked.

I was thrown completely off hock. "Yeah, but what-"

"Accordingly to this book," he said, cutting me off and opening the book on his hands, "They are chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, forgiveness, kindness and humility, and they are the opposed of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride."

I arched an eyebrow. "And?"

"You're wrong, I don't eat that much, at least when compared to Sirius: Temperance," he started. I simply looked at his curiously, "I never cared much to achieve anything too big, and I'm always there to help when someone needs: charity and kindness; contrary to what you think, I do study: diligence; I've forgiven every nasty thing you've said to me even when I didn't deserve it: forgiveness-"

"James-" I started, a hopeless look on my face, but he didn't let me.

"I never bragged about being a rich pureblood, because that doesn't really matter to me: humility," He said, "I'm no saint Lily, but I'm not the monster you paint me."

I looked down, suddenly realising something, "You forgot lust and chastity."

He shrugged. "In that, I suppose you were right. I fancy you, what am I supposed to do?"

I was still looking at my feet, and heard, more than saw, him dropping his things. Next thing I knew, his feet were in my line of vision.

Taking a deep breath, I looked up at him. "Now tell me, do you still think you hate me?" he asked me, and his face was so close to mine, his lips so palpable, his smell so nice that I found myself without reaction.

Then he smiled and, just like some days ago, he leaned down and kissed. And, this time, I kissed him back and didn't really want to let go.

"You perverts! What are you doing in my library? Dirtying my books! Get out! GET OUT!"

James and I laughed as he took my hand, picked his things on the way and started running out of the library, away from the still shrieking Madam Pince.

"But Mary's in there, waiting for me!" I told him.

He turned his face so I could see his grin. "She'll live."

I only laughed again as we kept running, not really knowing where to.

Maybe, just maybe, I didn't really hate him after all.

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Author's note: a kind of big one shot, but well… I had to write it.

So, if you have come until here, review, please!

Thanks, and Happy New Year everyone!

Hannah