A/N: Hello! So this is my first, dare I say, attempt at fan fiction- so please review! If you don't like it- be brutal. If you do- then be even more brutal! Evidently I do not own Harry Potter- and if you thought I did, well, this story may not be the best place for you. I hope you enjoy, and please, please, please review.

The Art of Changing Minds- Chapter 1

"Evans!" I cringed. I knew that voice. I also knew that it was one I was not hoping to hear during the first ten minutes of stepping onto the Hogwarts Express. Keep your head down, and find Alice. You never know, he might not follow you this time. "Evans, slow down!" Fat chance. "Merlin Evans. The pace you're going at, you would have thought you didn't want to see me"

I turned around only to be faced by the oh so familiar smirk of the biggest twat on this planet. James Bloody Potter. "You're looking as stunning as ever Lils." He said as he continued to grin down at me.

"What do you want Potter?" I asked, knowing full well what his little expedition was about, but hoping that by giving him the satisfaction of me being confused, he would disappear rather soon.

"Just wanted to say hello to my beautiful flower." I rolled my eyes and tried to escape only to realise that he had trapped me against the side of the train. He was leaning over me with his arms deadlocked on either side. Merlin knows what this must have looked like to any innocent first year who happened to walk past us in the corridor. He chuckled at my attempt to escape.

"Where are the rest of you?" I asked irritated, not that I particularly wanted to see Sirius Black or Peter Pettigrew. This however did not imply that I didn't want to see Remus. In fact- I would have quite liked to be saved by him at this point.

"What do you mean? Do you think that I can't do anything on my own?" He asked somewhat indignantly as he feigned offence.

"That's exactly what I think Potter." I replied as he laughed at me. "Where there is a Potter, there is a Black. Now please budge over so I can get some peace and quiet."

He laughed again and I sighed as I realised that I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"No, I don't think I will budge over." He smirked at me as he whipped out a cigarette. I glared at him. "At least not before I've asked you a question"

I groaned, "Please don't Potter. You know the answer is no."

"I haven't asked anything yet!" he said, pouting like a little boy who had just been denied a chocolate fudge sundae. "I could have asked you if you had eaten toast for breakfast!"

"Were you going to?" I asked with eyebrows raised.

"No- but…"

"Exactly." I interrupted him. "Now if you don't mind. I'm going to find someone who I actually enjoy spending time with."

"Like me, Evans?" Oh merlin not him too.

"No Sirius. You are not a 'someone' who I particularly enjoy spending time with." I said, irritated.

"No, that's James." He replied. Ugh. They always did this. Confuse me until I reached my breaking point.

"I DO NOT ENJOY SPENDING TIME WITH EITHER YOU OR POTTER!" I yelled, causing massive grins to creep up onto both James and Sirius' faces.

"Are you sure about that Love? Because from where I'm standing it sure looks like you're enjoying spending time with Prongs." Sirius said smirking. His smirk which most girls fell for was slightly more malicious than Potter's. I looked at where I was standing in relation to James. Ah. We did look slightly dodgy…

I took a deep breath and glared at him. "You know full well Sirius Black that I am very capable of hexing you right here and now, if you suggest one more time, that I was getting off with Potter."

"Who's getting off with Potter?" I heard another familiar, yet more welcome, voice call. "He can't have finally moved on from Lily." I made eye contact with him before he laughed and said. "Oh hi Lily!"

"Remus." I said cheerfully and went to hug him, only to discover that I was still being blocked by Potter.

"How come Moony gets a hug and I don't?" James complained loudly.

I looked up at him with my best puppy dog eyes "Please?" I grinned when he let me go.

"Prongs!" Sirius yelled huffily.

I quickly gave Remus a hug and took the opportunity to sprint down the carriage. I laughed as I heard Sirius chastise James for falling for my 'tricks'. Merlin that prick. Eventually I found a carriage and grinned as I spotted the mousey brown hair of my best friend, Alice Milne, inside.

"Alice!" I yelled as I thrust the door open and jumped into my best friend's arms.

"Lily!" She yelled back at me.

"Yeah great to see you too Lily." Teresa, my other (less) best friend said smiling at me.

"Sorry Resa." I apologised as I gave her a hug too. Before we could discuss basically anything about how our holidays were, the carriage door burst open to reveal Dorcas Meadows (one of my roommates) and a very put out Marlene McKinnon.

"I am so confused right now." Marlene said as she collapsed into the seat next to me. "Help me Lils or I think I might die." She was a tad dramatic…

"What may I do you for?" I asked happily.

"I have absolutely no idea who the Gryffindor Quidditch captain is and it's really stressing me out."

"You didn't get it then?" Teresa asked her manipulatively. It was no secret Teresa didn't like Marlene. It was a mutual hatred.

"No, Trees. I didn't get it." She said as she glared at her for a second before continuing. "And I don't know who did. Out of the Seventh years it can't be Liam Tuffley, because he's a prick and everyone knows he was only on the team last year because his brother was captain, it can't be Tom or Mark because I was just in their carriage and they both thought it was me. So that's all of the seventh years, and out of the sixth years there's only me and Potter so it must be him but I was just with them lot and he wasn't bragging about it so I don't know who the hell it could be." She finally took a breath.

"Calm down Marlene." I said in attempt to calm the befuzzled girl. "It's Potter."

"Potter? How do you know?" She asked as she finally sat up.

"His badge was pinned on the inside of his shirt collar." I said as I shrugged.

Alice raised her eyebrows. "How do you know what was on the inside of James' shirt Lily?" She asked inquisitively. I looked around, everyone was staring at me and then I realised what that must have sounded like.

"Merlin- Not like that!" I said disgusted. "Why would you even think that? I could see the shape of the badge through his collar." I shuddered at the thought.

Marlene laughed before turning serious again in order to mentally prepare herself for what she thought needed to be heard, "Those sexist bastards. The only reason Tuffley didn't pick me as captain was because the only thing he thought I was good for was cooking!" Teresa rolled her eyes as Marlene headed into another rant about how women were treated as inferiors at Hogwarts. Don't get me wrong, I loved Marlene, she was just a tad boisterous… If you didn't agree with her you were doomed. Despite her hatred for teenage boys, practically the entire male population of Hogwarts was in love with her as she, to put it simply, was an actual goddess.

By the time Marlene had finished her rant, I had completely zoned out and was only brought back to life when I saw a flash of a pointy nose and some greasy hair walk past our door. For the love of Merlin's baggy y-fronts. He is the last person I need to see. There was a knock on the door. Shit.

"Lily?" The slimy boy asked as he poked his stupid nose around the corner. Alice and Marlene stood up to guard me.

"I'm sorry Severus, you have no bloody right to talk to Lily." Alice said furiously. I had almost never seen her this cross.

"Lily, I was wondering if I could walk you to the prefect's meeting." He continued, ignoring Alice completely.

"You prick! She is an independent woman! She does not need to be walked anywhere. Especially by you." Marlene started.

"Marlene. It's fine." I said quietly, even though it most definitely was not fine. "Resa will come." I said this because she was probably the one of my friends who was most likely to not hex Snape into oblivion- even though I think that I would have been okay with that.

When I finally had managed to persuade Marlene and Lily to let me go, I dragged Teresa out of the carriage and let Snape talk.

"Lily, I'm sorry." He said.

"You've said." I replied bluntly.

"You know I never would have said something like that if it hadn't been for Potter!" He exclaimed.

"And there it is, Snape." I said stiffly.

"And there what is?" He asked longingly. I refused to call him by his first name.

"The reason I won't forgive you. You have to blame Potter. You can't admit it was your own fault." I exclaimed.

"Potter's a swine!" he said resentfully.

"It's not about Potter!" I said angrily. "There's no doubt that Potter's an arrogant bastard." Snape looked up at me hopefully, "But this is about you. And how you called me a… a… I can't even say it!" Snape tried to speak up but I wouldn't let him. "I gave you thousands of chances to break up with your disgusting death eater friends, heck I even stopped seeing my friends for you! But you didn't take them. Even now- you can't take responsibility. How could I not see it before?"

I paused.

"And that is why I will never forgive you." And I glared past his eyes choosing to look straight through him.

"Tell that to her." Snape muttered under his breath pointing his head to Teresa, who was hovering a few feet behind us. "She's the one getting it on with Lestrange." And with that he spun on his feet and scuttled back to the other end of the carriage, leaving me to stare gobsmacked at Resa.