A/N- OK. Well, I decided that I didn't like the point of view the old first chapter was in, so I decided to do it over again. Bugger. By the way, this is set towards the end of 6th year.

P.S. I used some of Rowling's words in this chapter…..they aren't mine!

Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would not be writing fanfiction for it.

Lily Evans: Where to begin? She was a beautiful red-haired, green-eyed, studious girl. She was top of almost all her classes, and most everyone liked her.

James Potter: He was raven-haired, hazel-eyed, and bespectacled. All the girls fawned over him and his Marauder pals. But James Potter had been in love with Lily Evans since the age of 11.

There was one problem:

Lily Evans hated James Potter.

"Why me?" Lily Evans asked. "Why does that stupid git have to annoy me, of all people?"

"You mean why does the most popular boy in school have to be hopelessly in love with you?" Alice Prewett said, grinning. "Well gee, I don't know. How unfortunate you are."

"Oh Alice, you and I both know that he's not really in love with me; I just pose the greatest challenge."

"Whatever you say, Lils." Alice said, ruffling her short, blonde hair.

"What's going on here?" Dorcas Meadowes asked, sidling up to the two girls.

"James just asked Lily out, again."

"And she said no?"

"And she said no."

"Figures," Dorcas said, blowing her pale blonde fringe out of her light blue eyes. "You know Lily, I really think you ought to give him a chance; the poor boy's been pining after you for years."

"Please," Lily scoffed. "I'll give him a chance when he grows up."

"Hmm," Dorcas said, as the girls walked unconcernedly along. "So, Lils, why aren't you already sitting in Slughorn's classroom?"

"I got held up by Peeves." Lily answered, flipping her auburn curls over her shoulder. "Bloody idiot."

"Why aren't you rushing along at top speed then; instead of sauntering slowly there with Alice and yours truly?"

Lily shot her a skeptical look. "Because it's Slughorn."

"Oh that's right; you're his little Potion's princess, I forgot."

Lily huffed and stalked ahead of Alice and Dorcas.

The truth was that Lily Evans was Slughorn's potions princess. He always made exceptions for her if she was late to class, and invited her to fancy little dinner parties. He exclaimed over her flawless potion-making, and never missed a chance to introduce her to his old students.

Lily had assumed that she would be a couple minutes late at the most; she wouldn't have been had she not run into Alice and Dorcas, so it was with increasing anxiety that she made her way down to the dungeons.

The first thing Lily noticed when she pushed open the door was that there were cauldrons with potions already simmering in them placed at the front of the room. She was able to get a good look at them as she made her way to the table where Marlene McKinnon, her best friend, was sitting.

The potion closest to her table had a very distinct mother-of-pearl sheen, from which Lily concluded that the potion in question was Amortentia. The scents coming from it relaxed Lily greatly as she sat down; it smelled of fresh parchment, pine trees, and something strangely familiar, it was an earthy, woody scent that Lily thought vaguely she might have smelled on the Quidditch pitch.

"Miss Evans," a booming voice called. "I was beginning to worry!"

"Er… sorry Professor. I got held up by Peeves."

"No worries, no worries." Slughorn chuckled. "All that matters is that you're here now!"

"So where're the others?" Marlene asked, as soon as Slughorn was done interrogating Lily.

"Late, as usual." The latter answered.

Both girls looked up from their conversation, as the door was opened by a hysterically giggling Dorcas, followed by a blushing Alice.

"Miss Meadowes, Miss Prewett, I shall see you in my office tonight, 8 o'clock sharp, and every Tuesday after that for three weeks. Perhaps that will encourage you to be present at my class on time." Slughorn boomed.

Dorcas looked furious as she made her way over to Lily and Marlene. "That is so unfair," she hissed. "We were five seconds later than Lily, and he didn't give her a detention."

"Well, naturally. Lily here is his favorite; he would never give her a detention." Marlene replied.

Lily shushed them quickly, seeing Slughorn preparing to start the lesson.

"As you can see, I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at; just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after you've completed your N.E.W.T's. Can anyone tell me what this one is?" Slughorn indicated the cauldron closest to where the Slytherins were sitting.

Lily's hand shot up into the air quickly.

"Yes, Miss Evans?"

"That's Veritaserum, professor. Veritaserum is a colorless, odorless potion that forces the victim to tell the truth."

"Right you are, Miss Evans." Slughorn boomed jovially. "What about this one, here?" He gestured towards the one nearest the Ravenclaws.

"Yes dear?" Slughorn acknowledged Lily.

"That one is Polyjuice Potion, sir."

"Excellent, excellent." He chuckled. "And-yes?" Slughorn looked slightly bemused as Lily's hand hit the air again before anyone else's.

"It's Amortentia! Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world, but it can be recognized by its mother-of-pearl sheen, steam rising in characteristic spirals, and smell. It's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us most." Lily rattled off.

"You're quite right m'dear, quite right. I suppose you can also tell us what this one is then?"

"Felix Felicis, sir. Liquid luck."

"Yes indeed, Miss Evans. Now, we begin work. Turn to page ten in your copies of Advanced Potion-Making, and brew me some of the Draught of Living Death. Chop, chop!"

"Care to tell us why you were laughing like a crazed baboon, Dorcas?" Lily asked wryly, after Slughorn had finished his speech.

"Oh, that," Dorcas began, her eyes shining with suppressed mirth. "Well Alice dear and I were walking along, when suddenly we were met by Frank Longbottom." Lily could safely hazard a guess at where this was going.

"Then quite suddenly, Alice darling dropped all her books right on the floor," Dorcas said with glee. "And then when she was leaning over to pick them up, she promptly fell on her face, quite gracefully, I might add."

Alice groaned and buried her head in her arms. "Only because you pushed me." She grumbled into the table.

"Dorcas," Lily said sternly. "That wasn't a very nice thing to do, embarrassing Alice in front of her crush."

Lily's prefect facade lasted about another minute before she burst out laughing. "Oh, that's so funny!" she choked.

"Can you imagine his face?" Marlene said, wistfully before she cracked up too.

"Watch out, Slughorn's coming this way." Dorcas warned.

Alice immediately picked her head up off the table, and began cutting her Valerian roots. Lily was nearly finished by this point, and Dorcas was adding the powdered root of asphodel.

"Miss McKinnon, may I ask what you've been doing this class?" Slughorn's voice sounded behind the girls.

"Er…" Marlene looked guiltily into her empty cauldron.

"I guess I shall see you in detention with Miss Meadowes and Miss Prewett then. Back to work." Slughorn said dismissively.

"This isn't fair! Lily's the only one of us who hasn't got a detention from Slughorn." Alice complained loudly.

"James is going to kill me; we have Quidditch practice tonight!" Marlene said angrily, pulling at her long, blonde locks, and beginning to chop up her sophophorus bean.

"I guess that leaves Mary and me, huh?" Lily said brightly.

"No, Mary's got her last detention with Sprout, remember?"

"Oh, well, I need to get McGonagall's essay done, anyway.

Lily smiled to herself as she listened to the playful banter between her friends, not knowing that this would be one of her last truly carefree smiles, not knowing about the months of darkness ahead. And certainly not even thinking that one day soon, everything would change.