"Go out with me, Lils," said James Potter.

"No! I will never, in a million years, go out with you!" exclaimed Lily angrily.

"I'll wait," said James.

Lily sighed and walked away. Merlin, that boy was annoying! He made fun of Severus and still expected her to go out with him? She'd rather go out with Sev, who was beginning to hang out with Dark wizards like that Avery character. Even still, they were best friends.

"Hey, little flower! If I don't levitate Snivellus so everyone can see underneath his robes, will you go out with me?" Lily heard James call.

"No! And stop calling me 'Lils' and 'little flower!'"

"Fine, Evans," said James. To Lily's horror, Sev was beginning to rise into the air. He tried to get out his wand, but Lily noticed that James was holding it.

"JAMES! You foul, dirty, insolent DISGRACE! Put Severus down and give him his wand back!"

"If I do, will you go out with me?" James begged.

"FINE! Just put Severus down!"

James's nervous look vanished and a grateful smile appeared as he let Severus down.

Lily ran toward Sev and hugged him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," said Sev, and put his head on her shoulder. Lily felt content. Severus was her best friend, and she loved him, but she would gladly go out with him only if he stopped hanging out with people who were... well, evil.

"Would you go out with me?" asked Sev.

"Of course I would. But you need to stop hanging out with those other Slytherin guys. They're evil, Sev. Why do you like them?"

'Um... they treat me nicely?" replied Severus, as if guessing the correct answer.

"And I don't?"

"Yes, you do," said Severus. He was now staring into her eyes.

Sev's grey eyes were uncertain, as if he didn't like Lily as much as he liked his Dark friends. It was as if he was scared she wouldn't love him, even if he didn't love her, as if he was jealous. But did he? Lily kissed Sev's lips. His eyes opened wider with surprise. But then he laid his head on her shoulder again, as if he was relaxed.

Lily's head was on top of his, and she decided to keep talking. "Really, Sev, tell me. Why do you like them so much? You can be with me."

"No, I can't, you're a Gryffindor. I'm a Slytherin."

"Sev, come on. Just because I'm in a different House?"

"You're going out with James Potter," said Severus, as if that was a good excuse.

"This will be our first time, Sev. And I only agreed to do it to save you from humiliation. You, Sev. I don't care about James. He's an idiot. I care about you."

"I can survive without you," said Severus.

"You can? Fine then. Don't ever try to speak to me again," said Lily, and huffed away, towards James (who was watching, but not hearing, the whole thing).

"So he hates you? Or do you hate him?" asked James.

"It doesn't matter to you," said Lily, upset.

"Yes, it does. I need to know if you'll keep going out with me."

"Shut up, you... ugh, just shut up!"

"If you kiss me, I'll shut up," said James.

"No way!" cried Lily.

"Why?"

"Because you're obnoxious, mean, and you're pretty ugly, too! I mean, can't you do something with your hair? It keeps staying all crazy like that!"

"Nope, I've tried. Am I really mean?"

"Yes! You levitated Sev, just because you could!"

"Sev? And I did it because Snivellus is a greasy git."

"I mean Severus," said Lily, embarrassed. "And he's not greasy! Maybe he can't do anything with his hair, just like you can't!"

"And he's ugly! His nose is shaped like a banana! And he's pretty much in love with you! We can't have that, can we?"

"He is not ugly! And so what if he's in love with me? I don't care."

"So you're the one who hates him. Okay," said James.

"I don't hate him! If you must know, he just said he couldn't hang out with me and he didn't need me!" cried Lily.

"I need you," said James, acting lovestruck.

"No, you don't! And I don't need you! I don't need anyone!" Lily was almost crying. She ran off into the school, trying not to think about Sev or James.

"Hey, what about our date?" called James.

"FORGET IT!" shouted Lily, sobbing.

When she reached Gryffindor tower, she hurried to the girls' dormitory and cried herself to sleep, unsuccessfully trying not to think about Sev.