A sudden corruption in the corridor made Lily pause on her way to lunch. She could only guess what was happening as she forced her way through the quickly gathering crowd. Slytherins, maybe. Most likely it was the marauders. Lily's temper rose before she even saw the victim currently being surrounded.
Unsurprisingly, a young boy was in the centre of the improvised circle. His shoes had been kicked off in a hurry because his toenails were growing at an extremely fast rate, causing pain and discomfort to the fifth year. Unable to walk (or move, for that matter, due to a body binding spell) Lily immediately dispersed the crowd to spare the student some embarrassment.
"Marlene, would you take him to the hospital wing for me?" Lily asked her reliable friend quickly. With a nod, the girl countered the body bind curse and toenail hex before levitating the boy away. Knowing immediately who she'd find as the culprit, Lily had almost nothing to say to the Gryffindor mischief makers, who were standing together in a line.
"I honestly expected better from you four," Lily spat, eyeing off Remus and Peter in particular. Remus refused to meet her eyes and Peter merely looked intimidated. He was the weak link in the group, cowering behind Sirius, and everyone knew it.
"I thought we'd surpassed all of your expectations, Evans," James quipped. Lily glared at him, noticing his hands were inside his pockets. She knew that one would be holding on to his wand; the other would be fondling the snitch he stole and was so proud of. At least they weren't running through his hair – Lily had learnt to notice the small victories.
"Even with a prefect amongst you, you still have total disregard for the rules, Potter," Lily replied as calmly as she could. To her satisfaction, Remus turned a light shade of pink.
"Said prefect was originally a marauder," Sirius exclaimed joyfully. "Nothing will change his origins!"
"I really couldn't care less about anyone's origins," Lily snapped. "But I do care about the students at this school, who always seem to bear the brunt of whatever Potter plans to ease his boredom!"
"Maybe I wasn't bored," James said easily, studying his fingernails carefully, as though the entire conversation with Lily was a waste of his time.
Lily almost cried out in frustration. James bloody Potter attacking an innocent fifth year was hardly unnatural or unordinary, but Lily was at her wits end with the group. What makes them think they're above the school rules?
"Bloody hell, Potter! How would you like to be hexed every day, purely for entertainment?"
Potter had that cocky grin on his face that Lily despised. He loved getting a rise out of her. "I dunno, Evans. Depends on who hexed me!"
"By me," Lily said furiously. James threw his head back in laughter, Sirius joining in. Peter chuckled a bit, though he didn't know what was funny. Remus stayed quiet and looked at his toes, pretending to ignore their antics.
"You wouldn't hex me, Evans!" James chuckled. Lily's eyebrow twitched.
"Wouldn't I?"
Withdrawing her wand from her robes, Lily suddenly felt her arm being wrenched back. "Lily, no!" Mary MacDonald cried. "He's not worth it!"
Lily hadn't realised Mary was still with her. "He seems to think he is though, Mary, and that's the problem. I think it's time to return his big head to its natural size," Lily growled, trying to raise her wand arm. Mary determinedly held it down.
James was holding up his hands in a sign of surrender. His fear was covered by a weak grin. "Now now, Evans," James chuckled nervously. "You don't want to do anything you'll regret."
"You'd be getting a taste of your own medicine, Potter. Hardly something I'd regret."
Sirius certainly wasn't laughing anymore. "Prongs, I think it's best we leave," he suggested nonchalantly, pretending to act casual about the sudden turn of events. Things escalated so quickly between the two!
James nodded his agreement; Lily had never made any attempt to attack him before.
"Best watch your back, Potter," Lily advised menacingly, Mary still holding onto her arm for good measure. "You never know who's around the corner."
"Is that a threat?" James demanded. "Evans, are you actually threatening me?"
"Take it as a warning, Potter. I might be a bit bored one day, you know, and be in need of some entertainment. It's okay to hex other people for enjoyment, isn't it, James?" she asked sweetly. Her use of his first name shocked James, but alerted him to her manipulations. Lily only used it when she was deliberately getting his attention. "After what you've shown everyone today, you certainly seem to think so. Who knows, maybe Sirius will be the one to suffer. Maybe even Peter! You just never know who I'll pick."
Murmurs were suddenly heard, and Lily was reminded of her fellow students watching their encounter. She had thought she had sufficiently dispersed the crowd, but apparently her argument with James brought them back. No matter; she would deal with them once she'd finished with James, but she wasn't done yet.
"Does that sound familiar, James? Are you afraid of being at the receiving end of my wand? Do you fear for your friends' safety? Are you going to avoid me for a couple days, in the hopes of me not choosing you to hex?" Lily's green eyes were burning into James' hazel ones. "Are you scared of what might happen to you, should you come within my wands' range?"
Lily didn't need an answer. She knew that James understood she was explaining what he put the other students through every day. Lily was a real threat to James, just as James was a threat to most of the school. He only just realised how he must be making them feel, and Lily knew it.
"Perspective is important James, but you just don't seem to have any. Somehow, I don't think it's something your popularity can get you," she finished. Turning to glare at the students who were bravely standing around to watch, some started scattering, but not all. "All of you, off to lunch! You've got your entertainment for the day."
Slowly, the students disappeared. Lily didn't move until they had all gone, Mary at her side defensively, supporting her best friend.
A scandalous whisper interrupted Lily's glaring parade. She couldn't help but turn to listen in. "Staying here might mean Lily-bean's hair erupting into flame, and we all know she's fiery enough," Sirius said with a hand covering his mouth. James nodded his agreement once more.
"Just so you know, Evans," James said as he backed away slowly, the marauders guiding his path. "That fifth year was about to attack a fourth year. Poetic justice, don't you think? Me getting him before he could attack someone else?"
Lily glared. "Your so-called heroism doesn't excuse your actions, Potter!" she yelled at his retreating figure. "Remember: watch your back!"
But somehow, Lily wasn't quite as angry as she was before.