Introduction: 100 Things I Hate About You

"You're a dick, Potter!" yelled a sixth year Hufflepuff as she wrapped her arms around the shoulders of her first year brother. "You've got to be seriously sick to make fun of someone for their house when they're eleven!"

"Everyone knows Slytherins are evil." smirked James Potter, an amused smirk on his face.

James Potter was one of the most popular guys in the school - he was a fifth year Gryffindor who'd become infamous through his group of misfits: The Marauders. There wasn't one person in the school who didn't know his name, and very few who didn't admire him in at least one way, even if it was through envy. It could have been for his popularity, the amount of girls who were attracted to him, his smarts, his Quidditch abilities - many of his qualities were enviable. He did, however, intimidate many. He was a bully and a joker and few people ever dared to question him. However, one of the few people who would was approaching him then, her eyes narrowed in anger.

"Put a sock in it, Potter." scowled Darcy May, a fellow fifth year Gryffindor who was well known for her sarcasm as the Quidditch Commentator. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, something many people were jealous and afraid of.

"Oh come on, May, you know you love it." winked James, running his hand through his hair as Darcy managed to push through the circle of people watching James' antics on the last day of term.

"Love what? The fact that you're a self-loving, bullying prat who needs to put down other people just to feel better about yourself?" replied Darcy, her voice cold and her words sharp. "Yeah, whatever. Stop being a prat to first years who are worth twelve of you."

"He deserves it. He's a Slytherin." replied James, shrugging his shoulders. "We all know Slytherins are evil."

"If that's true, maybe you should have been a Slytherin - it takes a truly evil person to reduce a first year to tears." replied Darcy, her eyes narrowing at him before she looked down at the first year Slytherin boy, who was shaking in the slightest and had tears swimming in his dark eyes. "What did he say to you?" she asked lightly.

"He- he told me that I'd never amount to anything. That I was worth nothing and that I should just quit school now to go and join V-Voldemort instead of wasting everyone's time pretending that I'm not the snake I really am." replied the first year, and he gave a great sob as he finished.

His sister wrapped her arms around his shoulders, tears falling down her own cheeks as she tried to soothe her brother. Darcy, who knew what it was like to try and comfort a younger sibling who'd been bullied as the middle sibling with a Ravenclaw third year brother (her other brother being a sixth year Hufflepuff), felt her heart break and anger bubble inside of her at the sight.

"Potter!" she screeched, turning back to James with anger flaring in her eyes. "You utter tosser! How dare you say that to someone just because you're prejudiced against the house they're in?! He is a Slytherin because he's cunning and resourceful and stands for all the good qualities of a Slytherin - not because he wants to go and serve some Dark Lord!"

"All Slytherins want to serve Voldemort." stated James, running his hand through his ever messy hair. "They're all slimy gits!"

"My father was a Slytherin and you and I both know the amount of good he's doing to fight against Voldemot!" replied Darcy, her eyes narrowed. "For the love of Merlin, Potter, you really do need to mature over the summer! I bloody hope we don't get back to school and you're as foul as you are now!"

"Lovely to see you too, May!" James called after Darcy, a smirk playing on his face as she walked away.

No, changing who he was would not be something he'd be doing anytime soon.

"May!" called James at King's Cross Station on September first that year, a wide grin on his face as he approached Darcy.

"Back off, Potter." hummed Darcy's seventh year brother, his hand placed on Darcy's shoulder.

"No, it's fine, Jack." waved off Darcy, her eyes narrowing very slightly at James as he approached. She folded her arms over her chest. "Come to tell me that you're not going to be a prat this year?"

"Ah, I never have been a prat, May." smirked James, running his hand through his hair. "I just thought you'd like to see me first this year because you so clearly love me."

"More like I hate you." scoffed Darcy, and her brothers both smirked at that comment.

"You don't hate me, May, you love me." said James confidently.

"That's news to me, Potter." said Darcy, shaking her head.

"What's there to hate about me?" James asked confidently, a smirk playing on his lips.

"I would tell you everything there is to hate about you, but we'd be stood here all day. Maybe I should list them for you. Yeah, I could list a hundred reasons why I hate you." nodded Darcy, her eyes twinkling.

"I'd love to see you try." said James, rolling his eyes. "Have fun trying to create a list of everything you hate about me."

"Oh, I will." said Darcy, a smirk growing on her face as she watched James strut away. "I most definitely bloody will."

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter