A/N: This is my first fanfic, so I really hope you like it. No matter what you think of it though please review it. It would really make me happy.
Disclaimer: Everything you recognise from the books belongs to the brilliant J.K Rowling.
Mudblood
Lily Evans was walking quite calmly up to the castle, but her insides were screaming. Her head seemed to be echoing the insult thrown upon her by the person who was supposed to be her best friend, Severus Snape.
"Mudblood"
She bumped into a first year nearly knocking her down without even saying sorry.
"Mudblood"
She was standing outside the Astronomy tower, problem was the Gryffindor Tower was on the other side of the castle.
"Mudblood"
She was standing in front of the Fat Lady, her "dirty" blood was thundering against her temples. She couldn't for the life of her remember the password.
"Mudblood"
"Excuse me?! What did you say?" Replied the Fat Lady sounding very offended indeed.
Lily looked shocked, fighting very hard not to let the tears that had gathered in her eyes fall down her face. In her distress she had said the one word her brain seemed to know at the moment.
The fat lady was giving her a lesson in setting a good example as a prefect.
"Oh! Just shut up already! The password is Felicis." A familiar voice came to the rescue of one very lost Lily Evans.
This left the portrait no choice but to open. But she wasn't going to let them go that easily.
The raven haired male the voice belonged to was walking into the common room, but lily just stood there with the same shocked expression, her face had been featuring for the last five minutes.
"She said that horrible word you know mr. Potter."
"I know." He said gravely helping Lily, who seemed to have problems with moving her feet.
"And I really don't think you should let her go this easily. After all she is a prefect and should really try to set an example for the younger students."
"I said SHUT UP!" He shouted, his temper getting the better of him, as the portrait shut close behind them. He had managed to get Lily in by almost carrying her trough the portrait hole.
A couple of first years looked up from their books, startled by the outburst from the four year older boy (and one of the most popular students in the entire school, not to mention a marauder)
"Get lost." He said, coming off harsher than he intended seeing as all the first years dropped ther books to the floor and ran for the portrait hole.
Lily didn't even comment on his poor example. She just walked over to heir favourite chair by the fire and looked into the flames seemingly oblivious to whatever was going on around her.
James went over to her.
"Lily?"
"For once in your life can you just leave me alone, Potter?" Her voice could probably freeze water. But James Potter was sorted into Gryffindor for a reason. He sat down in front of her and forced her to look him in the eye.
"Lily, I know I'm not your favourite person, but you're gonna need to talk to someone. And seeing that all your friends are out there completely oblivious to the fact that you're in here hurting like hell." Or off with the Slytherins being a loathsome jerk who put you here in the first place, he thought, but he didn't mention it as he knew Lily would never open up to him if he did. "The way I see it you've got two options. One: I can go and get your friends. Though this would be the sensible choice, I'm guessing you won't take it because you're simply too damn proud to admit to anyone that you're hurting. Two: You can talk to me and we'll pretend it never happened."
"What if I just want to be alone?" She was forcing the words out. She hated having to talk when there was a big lump in her throat. All she really wanted was to sit in her chair with the fire in front of her and her thoughts. It was bad enough as it was without Potter in the mix.
"Well I can't force you to talk, but I can tell you that it is the healthiest thing to do."
"And what makes you the expert, you're nothing but a bigheaded jerk!!" She didn't mind the lump in her throat. Potter was starting to annoy her, and when Lily was annoyed at someone she became very dangerous.
James seemed to sense the danger because instead of raising his voice as well, he spoke quite calmly.
"Yes, I know I am. But I know a few things about friendship. And if you remember a while back there was a period where I wasn't talking with Sirius, so I know a bit about getting hurt by your friends too."
With this he walked calmly over to the other side of the Common room and sat down in his usual chair around a table where the marauders used to plan their pranks.
The Room was silent for several minutes. But for Lily it was filled with the words of her traitorous friend.
"You're a witch"
"Mudblood"
"We'll get the letter, you and me."
"Mudblood"
"Does it matter being Muggle-born?"
"No. It doesn't make any difference."
"Good."
"Mudblood"
You're not going to end up in Azkaban, you're too- "
"Mudblood"
"- thought we were supposed to be friends? Best friends?"
"Mudblood"
"Mudblood"
"Mudblood"
"Mudblood"
"Mudblood"
"Mudblood"
"Mudblood"
She couldn't take it anymore.
"He said it didn't matter." If it wasn't for the silence her voice would hardly been heard.
"What?" James was standing up again. Walking calmly over to the coach beside the chair she was sitting in.
"He told me that being Muggle-born didn't matter."
James was torn, he didn't know what to say. Severus Snape was his worst enemy and the reason Lily was sitting there with that hurt look upon her face. No one hurt Lily Evans, she was the toughest girl Hogwarts had ever seen, he was sure of that. But saying all of this to her seemed wrong. Somehow he didn't think the reason Lily was talking to him was to hear what a jerk her former best friend was. That was the sort of thing you would say to someone who had broken up with their boyfriend. A brake between friends went beyond superficial insults. So he settled for shutting up and letting her continue to say whatever she needed to say.
"I should have known it would end this way. He never pretended that he didn't want to be a Death Eater, because that is what he wants to do. Pure the veins of the wizard world." Her disgust was written all over her face. Then it relaxed and she looked hurt again. "I pretended he didn't know what he was getting himself into, that he was confused. When all along he just hated me."
James had to speak at this point.
"Listen Lily, you know I'm not best friends with Snape. But I know one thing about him he has never hated you." It cost him something to say this, because he really didn't want her to forgive Snivellus, but he couldn't stand to see her hurt.
"I know." She said, but it didn't seem to cheer her up. "He just hated everyone of my birth. We pretended for years that there was nothing wrong with our friendship. He pretended that I wasn't a 'mudblood' and I pretended that he wasn't a Voldemort supporter."
James was impressed and a tad bit surprised that she was one of those few people who dared speak the dark lord's name. The marauders had of course tried to get people to call him by his real name for years, without much success. Not even Wormtail was convinced by their arguments. But when she looked up at him, it was still with that terrible hurt look in her eyes. When he decided he didn't know what to say he just put one of his hands gently on her wrist to show her that he cared.
"It was just too hard." At this point she started sobbing and he moved over so he could hold her. She didn't protest, normally she would have hexed him into the next century if he as much as touched her, but there was nothing normal about this situation.
"He was the one who…who told me that…that I was a…a witch. And we…we were there for each other. Kind of like…like you and…and Sirius. I just….just didn't want to loose…loose him."
At this point she didn't care to hold anything back. He hold her tight as she cried over the loss of the one person who knew her best. Neither of them knew or cared how long it took her before she could talk again. She sat up a little to show that it wasn't necessary for him to hold her anymore. So he went over to the couch, not wanting to offend her by staying to close.
"He chose his side long ago, it's about time he got to know the price. I'm not going to pretend that it's ok anymore" she said firmly. And though the girl in front of him was puffy eyed and blushed after all the crying, James couldn't help but to admire her look of determination on her face.
"That's my girl." He said with a smile.
"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm never going to be your girl Potter?" She was smirking back at him. It wasn't an insult and it wasn't taken, she was just telling him in her own way that she was going to be okay.
As the sky outside grew darker the Gryffindor common room filled up, and Lily went up to the 5th year girls' dormitory. She came down again a few minutes after her friend Mary had joined her. She was walking quite determinately over to the portrait hole. When Mary came down after her, she told the marauders that Snape was camped outside and wouldn't go away before he had talked to Lily.
James was really worried about her for a while, but then he remembered the look of determination on her face and relaxed.
"So Prongs, what happened with you and Evans earlier today?" Wormtail looked excited.
"What?"
"Oh, come on Prongs! The two of you were up here completely alone for hours, are you seriously telling us that nothing happened?" Moony was talking this time.
"Ha, you must be nuts! You know how Evans is like, she sat with her nose in a book the whole time. Looking very pretty I might add." The others looked disappointed, but Sirius had a knowing look upon his face. He seemed to realise though that it had to be something special if James didn't tell the other marauders, and didn't say a thing.
After a few moments Lily came back into the common room. Not looking thrilled, but not crushed either.
"What are you doing up so late?" She asked when she saw all the marauders around their table.
"Nothing Evans." They said simultaneously. (It was a reflex.)
"And I'm supposed to believe that?"
"Hey, at least we're not the ones who go outside the common room, roaming the halls in the middle of the night." James said in the voice he only used when he tried to get under Lily's skin.
"Oh! Just go to bed Potter!" Lily was getting irritated and everyone knew that was when you backed down.
"Ok, ok see you in the morning Evans."
Things were back to normal at Hogwarts. Except that for the next few weeks Severus Snape seemed to be sporting a new hair colour, pink with turquoise stripes.
A/N: Sorry about the lack of romantic fluff, but they really didn't get together before 7th year. Hope you liked it.
