DISCLAIMER: I own no-one, no-where, nothing and…erm...oh stuff it, J.K. Rowling owns it all, and still refuses to share...
Envy : Green
Prologue
"Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies"
-Tom Marvolo Riddle.
Lily smirked wryly and ran a well manicured hand through her long, silky, dark red hair as she surveyed the large group of people around her.
They thought that she, the Head Girl, the most popular girl in Hogwarts, probably the smartest, too, didn't know that it was they, her so-called 'friends', who had started that nasty rumour that had been buzzing through the castle for the past few days.
Lily knew she had no real friends. Oh, sure, she had people who sat around her, who admired her and felt honoured that she felt them worthy of her presence, but once those initial feelings had passed, the jealousy burned within them.
She had been told, and perhaps it were true, she could not remember properly, that she was the most attractive woman to walk the halls of Hogwarts since Narcissia Black had left some five years prior.
The male population of Hogwarts knew this, oh yes, they most certainly couldn't deny it.
When the rumours went around, the males-in-question were never intent on denying them, the rumours the type that would curl Lily's mothers hair at the very mention of.
Only one boy had ever publicly denied any physical involvement with Lily Evans.
James Potter.
The man who had proclaimed love for her on more occasions than can be counted on both hands and feet. The only person in the world whom Lily believed actually cared about her, not her standing on the social ladder or her looks or her…whatever else.
She believed this for a number of reasons.
The first being the fact that James himself was the most popular boy in school, along with his little clique the 'Marauders'. After many years she had finally convinced herself of that.
Another being, Lily had not always been the beautiful young woman she was today. She would openly admit that, modesty shelved, she had been plain, and now she was gorgeous. A lot of people only took notice of her after the summer between 3rd and 4th year when she had really grown up, however, James had shown interest long before that.
He never said anything when she went out with other boys, a reason Lily used on herself to explain that he didn't really like her, rather he liked the thrill of the chase.
But she didn't miss the looks. The looks that she had convinced herself figments of her imagination. The look of disapointment that he wore whenever she held someone else's hand. The look of concern if ever she was sick. And the way that he looked at her when he thought nobody was looking, when they were in class, at meals, in the Griffindor common room or in the library.
The way he talked to her when they were alone, working out Head business or sorting out Prefect rosters. How she could tell him anything and she had the distinct impression that he felt the same way.
Like if she was looking dejected or upset, he would ask her what was wrong. And she would tell him of the latest story, him pretending to be completely unaware of its existence, before he asked the question that he asked every time that it happened: "Is it true?" It was never an accusatory thing. It was a conformation that he be allowed to bag out the person to whom the story was linked, or who Lily confided she suspected started it.
The little things that Lily told herself weren't real. The little things her conscience told her were staring her in the face.
The little things she had suddenly become brutally aware of.
A/N: this story is going to be considerably darker than my other one, and less humourus though I can't help but add a few jokes or random punch lines in here and there. I'll try and get the actual chapter 1 up as soon as its written, and it will have a lot more dialogue. I write mainly in dialogue for stories like this, and there will not be much description of characters unless the colour of their eyes is crucial to the story or some rubbish like that.
Please review and tell me what you think, try not to make the criticisms too harsh.
Ashi