James Potter eyed Lily Evans moodily. For the past five—count 'em—five years he had been trying to get this girl's attention. He didn't get it. What was wrong with him? Better yet, what was wrong with her? Here he was, star Quidditch player, smart, handsome, adored, and wanted by all the girls except for her. Why couldn't she see that he was crazy about her? He did everything he could to grab her attention, and each time he was shot down, he grew even moodier. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed: Snivellus was approaching Lily, his Lily, with a grin on his greasy little face. She flashed him a smile back, and that was when James' temper snapped. Flicking his wand and muttering under his breath, he shot a hex towards Snape that had him falling flat on his face and banging his head on the table on his way down. James chuckled and called out, "Hey Snivellus you big git! Why don't you watch where you're going next time! And Evans, must you be so desperate? I can understand if you won't go out with me, but must you stoop to types like him?"
Students around them joined in his laughter, and Sirius thumped him happily on the back in amusement. Remus, however, just groaned and stuck his head in his hands. James' smile grew even broader as Snape picked himself off the floor and rushed away, holding a hand to the gash on his forehead.
His smile faded though, when he saw Lily Evans striding towards him, a cold look on her face. "James Potter", she hissed, "What is wrong with you? You know what your problem is? You are a spoiled, self-indulged little boy who fancies himself a man! Walking around all bloody day, thinking you're better than everybody else, basking in the empty worship given you. You're nothing but an arrogant bully, someone who gets off on humiliating and hurting other people, especially when he doesn't get his way. Well guess what Potter? The world doesn't revolve around you, and life will go on when you die! You think anyone here actually likes you? The only people that give a rat's ass about you are your four little friends, and what an admirable lot they are! I don't know what the Sorting Hat thought, putting you lot in Gryffindor, the house of the brave and the noble! Where's the bravery in hexing defenseless people and being as much of a bastard as you can? Where's the nobility in being so caught up with yourself you can't see past your own over-exaggerated worth? Answer me you worm!"
James blinked at the end of her tirade, staring at her in all her fury. Realizing that she indeed expected an answer, and in front of the crowd that had gathered, James gulped. If he avoided answering her question, everyone would know it was because he was too scared to respond. But what was the answer there? "Lily, I, I don't know what you're going on about! I mean, Snivellus, he…What I mean to say is that that slimy Slytherin deserves what I give him! I mean come on he's such a git!" he finally managed lamely.
Lily's eyes grew colder. " Oh really. Well I think you're even worse. It's four of you against one, every time you guys square off. How did he deserve what you just did to him? He was unarmed and unprepared you sneak and if that doesn't make you worse than a Slytherin I don't know what does! If you tally up everything between you all, you and your little thugs have done more to him and worse than he's ever done to you. From the first day of Hogwarts on you've been despicable for little to no reason, because you like picking on him. Don't even try to deny it!" she hissed, as James stuttered, "I'm there for most of the little tricks you do to him to try and show off to me you idiot! I know what you do!"
James, for once, couldn't think of anything to say. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously, trying to find a way to respond that didn't make him look so awful. He wasn't a coward, was he? He wasn't all the things she said he was…and yet…why was everyone in the crowd refusing to meet his eye? Why were there people nodding at what Evans was saying? He tried to laugh it off frantically, and turned to Sirius for help.
His best friend noticed his plight and drawled, "Well now Evans, that's not quite fair to poor Remus over here. He never, ever, has any fun with us. He always stands there like a good little Prefect, refusing to join the fray, so to speak. And besides, Snivellus is more than capable of defending himself. You know better than to think he just tosses a few harmless hexes our way, Evans. Oh no, your dear little Snape can shoot off a nasty hex himself, eh?"
Evans laughed, but it was the most brittle laugh James had ever heard. "Ah Sirius. The one who's only really friends with the babbling buffoon over there who can't fight his own battles because it means he gets to share the limelight. Everyone knows you profit from James' reputation Sirius, and that you're really nothing but an angry, hate-filled boy. Even James how dark and mean you are, though he wouldn't admit it. And yes, I know all about what Severus can do. But that still does not excuse you lot ganging up on him as you do. Remember those times when you and the megalomaniac next to you would beat up on him at the same time, simply because he'd been, as you put it, so silly as to bump into you? Oh yes, you remember. How fair was that? Two on one, and it would've been four if Peter wasn't such a cowardly that he could only stand there and cheer, too scared to get hurt himself. In fact, all Peter does is wait until you've finished with him, and then dear Peter kicks him as he's already down, don't you Peter?" Peter, who'd been hiding a little behind Remus looked away from Lily quickly and scooted away even farther, a blush adding color to his pasty skin. "And you Remus" Lily continued in a quieter voice, "You're the worst out of them all, I think".
"M-me? How do you mean Lily?" Remus asked haltingly.
"You are a Prefect, someone who is supposed to look out for the best interests of everyone in the school, not just his buddies. You know better! Unlike Peter, you don't stay out of the fights because you're afraid of fighting, but because you're an even worse sort of coward. You know what happens is wrong but you do nothing to stop it. Maybe a few feeble protests here and there, but you let it happen every time, because you're too much of a coward to put a real stop to it. In a way you fear James and Sirius, don't you? You're too scared of losing them to stop them from acting so dreadfully. You're the worst Remus, and one day you'll hate yourself for what you didn't do", she finished softly.
Remus was staring at his hands, looking thoroughly ashamed. His face had gone deathly white, and he refused to meet anyone's eye. Everyone else in the crowd was staring at Lily now, realizing that James Potter and his gang of friends had received the telling off they had all been wanting to give them for so long. Lily stared at each of the boys disdainfully, her gaze finally ending with James, who swallowed hard and shrank as much as he could. "There will come a day James Potter, when you find yourself alone and unloved, abandoned by your groupies and the cowards you call friends. You will be left with nothing but your memories to keep you company, and then you will relive every single awful thing you've ever done, you bully. And you won't be able to run away from the truth then, oh no you won't. I can't wait for that day to come for you. I'm warning you James Potter, don't you ever hurt Severus again, or even think about winning my affections. I swear to Merlin that I'll hex your inflated head down to its proper size and curse you until you scream. You are nothing to me, and I couldn't care whether you lived or died, so long as you leave me in peace. I hope you're paying attention to all I'm saying, because I won't repeat myself, not for you." With those last, painful words, Lily Evans flipped her flaming red hair over her shoulder and marched away through the crowd that parted for her in awe. James stared after her in despair, and his friends said nothing to him; they were too stunned by what she had said to them. James himself felt as though she'd slapped him in the face, and despite the excuses he kept trying to make to her accusations he knew deep down the she was most likely right, about all of them. He felt his heart sink as he realized that his actions of the past five years—many of them spent trying to win the girl who'd just broken him—had only secured her hatred for him. Lily Evans would never be his now and he knew it was all his fault.