By September first, Lily was relieved to get out of the house and back to Hogwarts. Petunia was becoming more and more distant, barely looking at her, barely speaking to her, and it was starting to hurt and get a little annoying.
Sev was understanding when she told him. If she didn't know any better, Lily would think he was almost pleased – he and Tuney had never really gotten on well. But she pushed the thought out of her head as the train approached Hogwarts.
The horseless carriages were highly interesting. Sev explained they were actually pulled by something called thestrals so they weren't really horseless. Lily didn't care - it was all still fascinating to her.
Potter still seemed to be making it his business to annoy her and make her year even more miserable than the previous one – he was doing a fair job, she had to admit: bumping into her on the train, now staring at her all through dinner – after he and his Marauders had invited her to sit with them. She really didn't have a problem with Remus, just the others.
Classes were far more difficult and fun this semester. She was really getting excited and looking forward to the next few years.
Lily wasn't sure exactly what it was that possessed her to go to Quidditch tryouts. She hadn't really developed an interest in Quidditch, unlike practically everyone else in the school. She figured it was her way of showing House spirit since she spent so much time with Sev. Alice and the other girls came too, each of them gawking over the boys trying out – including James Potter.
Watching him fly, she had to admit he was fairly good. But she would never tell him that because it would inflate his already overlarge ego. After he made the team, she was nice enough to tell him "Congratulations" – she can be the bigger person when she wants. She regretted it later when he stared at her even more, and Alice informed her that the other Marauders had been picking on him mercilessly for having a crush on her. Great, she thought, just what I need - for Potter to have another reason to annoy me.
Thankfully, Potter making the team meant he had less time to bother her. He stopped altogether for about a week when he went out with Amy Jones. Lily could never understand what girls saw in James Potter – although pointing this out to her friends was probably one of the dumbest things for her to do. Sarah and Addie just burst into giggles, while Lynn named off all the wonderful things about Potter, from his hair to his eyes to his sense of humor. Alice just gave Lily a searching look before laughing and telling the other girls that Lily was going to end up married to him.
She didn't speak to Alice for three days after that, although all the other girls found it hilarious (predictably).
The prank he pulled on Severus – turning all his robes hot pink – was taking it a little too far, in her opinion. She knew that James and Sirius hated him, and that Sev despised them, but they constantly seemed to be singling him out for one of their ridiculous pranks. Lily did feel better after slapping James Potter across the face – how many people got to say they did that? – but she wished she had just cursed him silly when he asked her why she was friends with Severus.
"That," she replied, "is absolutely none of your business."
"But you're so much better than him Evans!"
"That is a matter of your opinion, Potter, and the way I see it, I could either be friends with him or I could be friends with an insufferable arrogant idiot like you! I wonder what my choice will be?"
She stormed off, leaving Potter standing there in the Entrance Hall. Lily couldn't help but fume over what he had said for the next few days – how dare he criticize Sev, when he was the one who was always pulling pranks and hurting people? Sev was a much, much better person.
Lily stayed in and studied in the library with Severus while her friends all went to the Quidditch game. They came back full of praise about James Potter and his quickness and skill at acquiring the Snitch. Lily and Severus exchanged exasperated looks at this – the last thing either of them needed was for James Potter to think he was greater than he already thought he was.
She was happy that she managed to knock him down a peg or two shortly before Christmas break – he had been about to play yet another prank on Sev when she caught them. She hit Black from behind with the Furnunculus jinx, and before Potter could even raise his wand she had hit him with the Langlock jinx, one Severus had showed her, and left them in the hall to be found by someone else. She had enough knowledge of their pranks – and the teachers trusted her word about things like that – to know that they wouldn't be stupid enough to pin it on her.
Severus stayed over Christmas this year, thankfully. She suspected he didn't want to deal with his parents fighting, and didn't trust Potter to leave her alone when he wasn't around. Noble though that may have been of him, she hardly needed his protection. Potter learned well enough on his own not to try to get her under the mistletoe, though she didn't tell Sev – Lily knew that would make him mad and give him another reason to go after Potter.
After that, Potter left her alone for a few months. January, February, and March were all relatively peaceful for her. She still managed to be friends with Remus, but since Potter left her alone, Black and Pettigrew did as well. They didn't fully leave Sev alone, but they backed off a little.
Between her own hard work and Sev's help in Potions, her grades were higher than they had ever been. Transfiguration remained the only class she struggled in, despite the fact that she studied more for that class than for any other. Her Charms work was so impressive to Professor Flitwick that he suggested that she consider tutoring younger students next year. While it was a good idea, Lily had never really been good with teaching people, and she didn't consider it all that long before discarding the idea.
Even after Potter went back to nagging her incessantly and pranking her and Severus, she kept her grades up and ignored him.
Finally the year was over and she and Severus were sitting on the Hogwarts Express, talking animatedly about what they wanted to do in Hogsmeade next year. He wanted to see the Shrieking Shack, while she was interested in Honeydukes. They vowed to go to every store there so they could have the full experience.
Their pleasant conversation was ruined when some of Sev's other friends from Slytherin showed up – Mulciber, Avery, and Malfoy. After a few minutes, she left, uncomfortable with the way Avery was leering at her.
Lily found the girls in another compartment and joined in their conversation about summer holidays and Hogsmeade as well.
"You know Lily," Addie said slyly, "I wouldn't be surprised if James Potter asks you to Hogsmeade with him next year." Lily pretended to vomit.
"Aww, come on! What's wrong with James Potter?"
"Well, for starters he's rude, he's always picking on me and Sev-" the other girls exchanged looks at this; Lily knew none of them were very fond of Severus "-and he has such a big head!"
"Be that as it may," Lynn cut in before Lily could really get rolling about why she hated Potter, "the boy clearly fancies you. And I wouldn't say no to a day in Hogsmeade with him."
"You might not," Lily shot back, "but I certainly will. I can promise you right now that I will never, ever, go out with James bloody Potter."
A/N: So, I'm going to apologize for the bumpiness of the writing in this chapter. I was having issues thinking about what Lily would be doing this year, and I didn't want to focus to be totally on James since she still dislikes him and would be trying to ignore him, not think about him all the time like James was about her. But after this my writing should get a little smoother.
And as always - review!! I got no reviews for the first chapter, and it was very disappointing - reviews are what make me want to write and update!! So PLEASE PLEASE review! Gracias!!
