"Potter."
"Evans."
Her eyes were narrowed into a glare. "You disgust me."
He smirked, shoving away his Potions essay. "So I've heard."
Lily pursed her lips and adjusted her skirt. "I'm being perfectly serious."
"So am I. How could I not hear how much you dislike me? You make it a point to tell me every evening between the end of quidditch practice and the time I go to bed. But it's okay. Nothing I can't handle. I've already accepted the fact that you insult me because you love me."
"I'm quite certain that I'm not daft enough to date a conceited toerag like you. I have taste."
"No, you don't, Evans."
Lily cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, don't I?" she challenged.
"Of course not. If you had taste, you'd have already jumped my bones."
The girl in question sputtered. "Why would I- No way in- Who do you think I-"
"Aww, look, Evans; You've gotten so excited thinking about it that you can't talk."
"Potter, the day I shag you is the day that the Black Lake turns purple."
"I can make that happen, if you'd like. Not that I'd even sleep with you- you're probably hiding a man's body underneath all those cloaks."
Their voices, once mixing with their classmates' in the common room, now rose above them. Their fellow students had grown accustomed to the arguments between the two of them and most had learned the hard way that clearing out of the immediate area was the only proven way to assure their safety.
"Oi, mate. Let's get out of here," Sirius whispered to Peter at a nearby table. "It looks as though it's going to be a repeat of last night."
As the Gryffindors hastily made their way to their dormitories, the words uttered by Lily and James grew harsher.
"I can't believe you would even think about me thinking about you as anything more than a no-good playboy."
"I'm not a playboy- last I was aware you were the one with too many boyfriends to count."
"You don't know how glad I am that you've never been one of them." There had been too many to count these past few years, each one worse than the last.
"Evans, let me assure you that I am more glad than you are."
"Not possible, James. NO ONE in the entire universe could possibly be more happy than I am at this moment."
"You're right. Except for ME, of course."
Lily's face grew more and more red, until at last it had become the same shade as her fiery hair. Not that James noticed her delicate colouring, or anything. Her ugly personality was too distracting.
"Merlin, Evans. When are you going to stop being such a brat?" She wasn't really a brat. How could she be? She was so generous, and smart, and kind to the younger students...
"I'll stop being a brat when you stop thinking you're the greatest thing since the invention of the wand."
James sat down, dead silent for a moment. Lily sat on the couch, not too close to him, but just close enough to show him that she recognized that their fight of the night was over, though she was unsure why at the moment. Just when the argument was getting good, too.
"I have to say, Evans. That was a good one."
"Oh. Thanks, I guess." Not that it meant anything, coming from him. She could have come up with a better insult.
He laughed softly, as if to himself. "I didn't know you had it in you."
"Yes, well." Lily did not know how to respond. Being complimented had not been a part of her plan.
The pair sat in the common room for minutes. Not a sound was made, other than the crackling coming from the fireplace and heavy rain hitting the window pain. James shifted awkwardly.
"You never did tell me what exactly I did to disgust you tonight."
"Oh, yes." Lily inspected her cuticles, attempting- but not succeeding- to act as though she had forgotten. "Well, I suppose I just needed a reason to fight with you."
A/N: Oh, Lily. Insulting someone just because you wanted to fight? Gotta love that girl. Hope you enjoyed this. Please review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.