"Evans, wait…!" James Potter called after the hurrying figure down a deserted corridor of the castle. Much to his surprise, the girl spun round, her green eyes flashing with a blazing hatred as they landed upon her pursuer. Surprised at her moment of mercy, James struggled to find words, words to comfort her, to apologise, but anything that presented itself to him seemed inadequate and hollow.
"You've lost me my best friend, Potter. Don't go thinking you're innocent. Why couldn't you just leave him alone, for Merlin's sake? You drove him to this!"
"Evans, he's not worth it! Snape calls every one of your birth the same word," James paused, shuddering in contemplation and disgust, "you're no different! He's going the same way as all his little Death Eater friends, and you're kidding yourself if you think you can blame this on me."
Lily's hard green eyes softened, and James thought he saw her upper lip quiver momentarily as she saw the truth in his words. She turned her back, and in a thick voice mumbled –
"Go."
"Evans-" James persisted, but –
"I said go!"
James knew she'd hate to be seen in her moment of weakness, worst of all in front of him, the main object of her dislike, so he paused for a moment and turned on his heel, heading for the Gryffindor Common Room.
Although the events of the day had been disturbing to say the least, and it hurt James to see Lily hurting like this, he could not help but feel slightly more positive as he clambered through the portrait hole. Perhaps – just perhaps – Lily Evans was learning not to hate him.