A/N: Here is the final fic for andthearrowflies' prompt challenge. The prompt was 'a lady wouldn't make little snake eyes at me'. It was hard to incorporate but I think I just got it in! I've written over 5,000 words for this challenge which was my personal aim. I've really enjoyed doing it, everyone go and give it a go! Thanks to NoSecretsHere for betaing these five fics incredibly quickly.

A Match Made in Hell

"Why do you hate me?"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Evans, I don't bloody hate you…"

She crossed her arms and frowned at me. "Then what's the issue?"

I sighed and ran my hands over my face, sighing in desperation. Of course she didn't get it. Not many people would get it. It was bloody complicated, but I hated that she was getting the wrong idea.

"The issue is that I don't like what you're doing."

"What the hell, Black? What the hell does that even mean? What am I doing that is so awful?"

I wasn't going to sit here and put myself through this. Likewise, I wasn't going to sit here and tell her what I could tell she was dying to know.

"Lily, just go figure it out. Let me know when you do, then we can talk."

Before she could reply with another angry comment I turned around and left.

I could hear her scream of frustration. Contrary to what she thought, I actually did like her. I thought she was rather great, but I just didn't think she was right for James. She was a bit of a stick in the mud, a stickler for the rules, yet she was teasing James. I could see it, even though he couldn't. He's absolutely besotted with her of course, he always has been, but they aren't right for each other. He's a rule breaker. He lives to break the rules; she lives to keep them in place. She's not a lady. A lady wouldn't string him out like this; a lady would let him have it straight. They just wouldn't work well together

She knows this; I know she does. And I also know she's not the fifth year prefect she used to be. She's relaxed about the rules now. She isn't so perfect as she used to be, which is a relief. I can tell she's changing.

But she needs to stop this thing with James, whatever it is. He can't take it. She's just taking advantage of the guy who thinks she's the whole world, not that I blame her. She doesn't want to stick around. She's probably just got bored of watching him lust after her, she's decided to give it a go. Having someone want you so badly for so long will only tempt you. It was only so long before she wanted to go out with him. But she's not in it for the long run, and he sure as hell is. He will hang on to her for as long as he can. Once he's got her he won't let her go, and she's not prepared for that.

James and I have been through too much together; I can't just sit by and watch him get his heart broken. If she carries on the way she has been, she's got to either accept she's in this for life or accept that she's going to tear the poor boy apart, and I know for sure which outcome is more likely.

The two of them have become strangely good friends in the past few months, and I didn't like that. When they started dating I knew that was the end. The closer he gets to her, the more he's going to want her. He's always going to want what he can't have.

Several days later, Lily came back to me, demanding to know what she'd done wrong. She was compassionate, and couldn't stand thinking she'd done someone wrong, upset them in some way.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked her. "It's not like you even like me, so why do you care if you've done something to upset me?"

She sighed, running her hands through her hair. That was a trait she'd picked up from James, a trait that she used to despise.

"First of all, I do like you, I just sometimes don't like what you do."

"Right, because that makes sense," I muttered.

"Secondly," she continued, ignoring me, "you might not mean a lot to me, but James does, and you mean a lot to him. So, if it matters to him, it matters to me."

That stopped me in my tracks. What was she on about? Even she had to admit that she wasn't that serious about James.

"Look, Evans, we both know that this thing between you and James isn't serious, and it's not going to last."

"What?! Is that what this is about? Oh my God, are you for real? Who do you think I am?"

Now I was really confused. "Wait, what do you mean?"

She ran her hands over her skirt, breathing deeply. "OK. It takes a lot to say this, but I really like James. I am serious about him, and I want it to last. I'm not the kind of person who's going to go out with a guy just because he's willing."

I was sort of expecting that – she made a good case. "OK, fair enough, Evans, but you have absolutely no idea how serious he is about you. He won't bloody shut up about you; he hasn't for seven tedious years. You do realise that you either stick with him forever or tear him apart after this, right?"

She looked at the ground. "Don't think I haven't thought about that, Sirius." Her voice was quiet but intense.

"Well, if you had, then you wouldn't be this involved! Just do him a favor and end it while you still can."

"No! You don't make decisions for him, or me! You cannot just dictate our relationship! You're his friend, not his conscience! Just give me a break, Black. If you think I haven't torn myself up about this at night then you don't know me, which means you are even more wrong to start telling me what I can and can't do."

She was mad. Really, seriously mad. I didn't blame her to be honest; she just didn't understand. James didn't need this. It would break him, and he was broken enough already. I felt it was my responsibility to stop her from hurting him. I think that would have been a hell of a lot easier if she'd been a thoughtless cow. The fact that she seemed to really like him and care about him made it so much harder.

Maybe I was the problem. Maybe I cared about him too much. Maybe I needed to let him do what he wanted. If he never tried it with Lily then he'd always wonder what could have happened. Maybe he needs to make this mistake to understand why it would never work. It was hard for me to take, but I could be being far too overprotective. I might just need to let him do his thing, but make sure I was there for him to help pick up the pieces.

If there was one girl who was going to hurt him, it was both good and bad that it had to be Lily. She'd never forgive herself. Where was the best friend looking out for her, warning her? She'd regret this for years, if she cared about him as much as she claimed to. But, I suppose it was good because she would let him down lightly. She would make sure he was OK. She would know whether to keep her distance or stay as a friend. I trusted her judgment, even if she was wrong in this situation.

And maybe, just maybe, Lily and James would work. God knows it would be amazing if it did. They did make a cute couple. If they didn't tear each other to pieces before things got serious, they would be perfect for each other.