Disclaimer: I own nothing.

----------------------------------------------------

Chapter Two

----------------------------------------------------

"Coach, she's just a kid for Merlin's sake! Besides the fact that she's a girl!"

"James, she's seventeen and she's good. It doesn't matter that she's a female. They're allowed on the team." Manning replied stubbornly as he marched back to his office, James following behind him.

They had left the rest of the team with Lily in the middle of the quidditch pitch. They were standing around awkwardly.

"Seventeen? Is the girl even out of Hogwarts yet?"

"Of course she is. Lily just graduated." Manning reached his office door and walked in. James scowled deeper at Manning's reply and followed after.

"Sir, I respect you and your decisions, you know that, but I don't think-"

"If you respect me and my decisions, James, you'll respect this one as well." He said walking over to his desk and sitting down. He began reading through a stack of papers. James sat down in a chair across from him.

He was silent for a moment. "You know, I heard the Wigtown Wanderers have a pretty good chaser that's about to retire. Maybe we could get him to reconsider and join this team-"

"James, the girl's staying."

"We're going to lose every game we play this year."

"No, we won't."

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Aw, come on, James. Stop being a moody prick. I think she'll be alright. You heard Manning on the pitch. That Lily girl was the captain of the Gryffindor team for three years and has an average of scoring fourteen goals in under four minutes. That's just about as good as our average's!" Edwin stated, stuffing his practice clothes in the dirty clothes bin.

The dirty clothes in the said bin mysteriously were cleaned after everyone had left the locker room. Whether it was charm or house elves, no one knew. Anyways, they were neatly folded, pressed and cleaned, sitting on the bench next to each players locker.

James only grumbled.

"Did you know her average is actually the best out of all the professional women players in Europe? I think she's even the youngest professional player on the European continent. With some practice, she'll be right with us." Edwin continued. James only stuffed his practice clothes in the dirty clothes bin with more force than necessary.

"She's pretty nice too, you know?" Edwin said hesitantly as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"I bet she is."

"Hey, don't get all shirty with me, James. If I remember correctly, you were saying what a lovely fan she was just a few days ago."

"Yeah, that was before I found that she wasn't a fan, but instead, our new chaser."

Edwin began walking towards the exit of the locker room. "I really don't understand why she's got under your skin so much."

"She's a girl. A seventeen year old girl, Edwin. You can't expect much out of her. Unexperienced, just starting out. She's going to be this team's downfall. Not mention, our chances of winning the European Cup team will become, oh, I don't know, zero?"

"James, you were once a young, unexperienced player, just like her. Now, you weren't a girl like her, but still." James threw a clothes article from the dirty clothes bin at Edwin. Edwin laughed and threw the clothes article back in the bin. "What I'm trying to say is, give her a chance."

Edwin strolled out of the locker room, leaving James by himself. He began grumbling again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Just as James exited the locker rooms, ready to head over to The Three Broomstick's and join Sirius and Remus for a bottle of firewhiskey, he about ran into the "unexperienced" girl Lily herself.

"Oh, so sorry." She apologize, tugging at her purse, a unfolded letter in her hand. "I must have gotten sidetracked-. . .oh, it's you. The bloke who went raving mad when Manning introduced me to the team earlier."

James sighed tiredly and shifted his feet, a hand wrapped tightly around his bag strap that hung off his shoulder. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that."

"No need to apologize. I know you just think I'm some inexperienced kid who doesn't know a lick about quidditch." She said, starting to walk again. She was heading towards the exit.

James was slightly taken back by the girl's forwardness, but didn't show it. He began walking towards the exit also. "I suppose I do."

"I expected someone would. Wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the team thought I was too. Of course, I am inexperienced. With playing on an professional quidditch team, that is. I know how to play quidditch. I know how to play well."

James snorted. "There's a big difference between professional quidditch and the game you call quidditch at Hogwarts."

Lily glanced at James behind her in a cool way. "I know. I wouldn't be here if I didn't." She turned right and started down the long, dark corridor that led to the exit gates. James also turned.

He laughed mockingly,"Don't act like you know what you're doing, because you don't. This is an entirely different setting here, kid."

Abruptly, Lily stopped at James' comment. She was rigid for a few seconds as James slowed to a stop just behind her. "Kid" whipped around to face James,"Let's get one thing straight, my fellow chaser," She said, her eyes narrowed,"I am not a kid and I am not afraid of you. Just because I'm a girl and hardly out of Hogwarts doesn't mean I'll let you walk all over me. Because I won't. I joined this team for one reason, and one reason only. To play quidditch. I didn't come here to be insulted by some-"

Lily paused for a moment, peering into James' face with a look of irritation,". . .know-it-all bloke who thinks he's Merlin's gift to quidditch!" With that, Lily spun around and stormed to the exit gate. There was faint sound of the roar of reporters as she opened the gate. Then there was the sound of the gate clinking shut.

James stood for a while, staring at the spot previously occupied by Lily. What just happened? Had he just been told off by some little girl? He began to fume silently. Suddenly, his dislike for this new chaser grew.

"Bloody hot-headed girl. So sensitive." He muttered in the empty corridor before also storming to the exit gate.

-----------------------------------------------------------

He gulped down more firewhiskey. "Can you believe the little wench? Where does she get the idea of telling me off like that?" James asked setting his mug down with a dull thump.

Sirius Black snorted with amusement, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm liking this girl already. How old's she anyways?"

"Oh, I haven't even gotten to that." James muttered darkly, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. He glanced around The Three Broomsticks. It was fairly full that evening. He could see a few suspicious looking reporters scatter around the pub. James slouched over slightly.

He turned back to Sirius and Remus. Their other friend Peter had a job at the Ministry of Magic in the Official Gobstones Club and wouldn't be off for another thirty minutes. His job was located in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Unfortunately, he only sat at a desk by his boss' office and answered owl's most of the day. He'd get up to get his boss a cup of coffee (or perhaps a cup of firewhiskey) every once and a while. Peter seemed to be fairly happy with his job, yet he did complain about some rather rude howlers he'd have to open every once and a while.

James glanced around again and self-conciously leaned over the table again. He had to be carefully what he said in public. He'd never know when a reporter might be listening into his conversations. "She's only seventeen! Just got out Hogwarts. Now do see why I'm so annoyed with Manning decision to pick her? She's unexperienced-"

"You were just as inexperienced when you joined the team, weren't you, James?" Remus asked.

"Well, sure I was, but come on. I was nineteen. I'd taken a few years to adjust to being in the real world before just joining up with a professional quidditch team-"

"Oh, come off it, James. You tried out for professional quidditch teams as soon as you set foot outside Hogwarts. Just admit it. The only reason you don't like this Lily girl is because she got on a professional team at a younger age than you did. You're just jealous." Sirius said, smirking.

"I am not jealous of her!" James sputtered haughtily. "What's to be jealous of? My average is better than hers, I'm older, more experienced, and can definitely handle being on the quidditch pitch. Her, though, she'd probably get knocked off her broom in an instant. She's so damn puny, I wouldn't be a surprise."

"You're jealous, James." Sirius repeated. He turned his head slightly to Remus,"I'm right, aren't I, Remus? He's just jealous because a girl got on a quidditch team before he could."

Remus nodded thoughtfully. "I agree with Sirius. You're definitely jealous of her." He continued as James sputtered indignantly,"It's quite childish of you, James, really. You're acting like a little boy who's just been beat by a little girl."

"You two are loonies, know that? The day I'm jealous of that kid is the day I become a supporter of all this prejudice against muggleborn's garbage." He said, looking over his shoulder at a suspicious looking old man a few tables away. He was writing something out on a writing pad with a quill. James sighed and stood up,"Look, I'm going to go back to my flat. See you two later."

As he walked towards the exit, James felt many eyes on him.

------------------------------------------------------------

A week later, the team met up for their usual practice. There was some anxiousness in the air seeing as it was Lily's first practice with the team.

James sighed loudly again and leaned harder against his Nimbus 500. "Where's the bloody kid at?"

Lily was five minutes late.

"She's probably just doing some. . .pre-practice exercise or something." Stanley muttered. A few snickers were heard. James either didn't find what Stanley said funny or ignored him.

Manning's appeared on the pitch. He squinted at the grounded team as he walked towards them. "What are you all doing just standing there? Shouldn't you be practicing by now?"

"Oh, well, your perfect little princess chaser decided not to show up to practice on time." James said immediately, his eyes trained on the sky above them. He all of a sudden got on his broomstick and began to hover. "Come on, let's just start practice."

"Shouldn't we wait for-"

"No. Miss Priss can join us when she's ready."

---------------------------------------------------------

Another five minutes passed before "Miss Priss" joined the team. She looked slightly confused as she maneuvered towards James and Edwin who were passing the quaffle back and forth to each other as they sped around the pitch. Edwin noticed her first and slowed to a stop. James, after noticing Edwin stopping, glanced behind him to see Lily. He rolled his eyes and turned back around.

"Has practice already started?" Her question was directed to Edwin, it seemed.

"Yeah, it started-"

"It started ten minutes ago, Evans. Care to explain why you're late?" James cut in.

"No, I don't care to explain. Why should I explain to you anyways?"

"Because I'm the team captain." James said in voice tinged with smugness.

Lily was silent. It seemed she had bitten her tongue from letting a retort escape her mouth, now knowing he was the team captain.

"Well?" James asked.

"Well what?"

Edwin's head went back in forth between the two. Stanley and Carl, who were quite close, stopped what they were doing and watched the scene unfolding.

"Why are you late?" James asked between gritted teeth after a few seconds.

"Because I was informed practice started at 2:00. Not 1:50." She replied cooly.

"We set the starting time earlier; Stanley had busy to attend and it would interfere with practice."

"No one bothered to inform me of this." Lily was obviously trying to blame James. "No one" was obviously James.

"Well, maybe you should read the notice board in Manning's office."

"James, there isn't a notice board in Manning's office." Edwin pointed out.

James gave Edwin a Look. "Well, I'll get one to put in there!" He turned back to Lily. "We have a policy for lateness, Evans. Thirty laps 'round the pitch."

Lily gave him a disbelieving look,"That's not fair! My lateness was only a misunderstanding!"

"No excuses either." James said, smugness tinging his voice again. "Besides, thirty laps shouldn't be anything to you, should they? You are, after all, the youngest professional quidditch player around, aren't you?"

A withering look was sent in James' direction. "Thirty laps is nothing. I just don't find them fair."

"Don't give me an attitude."

Anyone watching could see Lily's eyes blaze now. She leaned over abruptly and quickly swiped the quaffle under James' left arm. Lily glanced at the nearest goal post before turning her gaze back at James. He was watching her with narrowed eyes.

Her arm all of sudden came up and it flung the quaffle with a huge amount of force. It went speeding to the goal post. The quaffle flew straight threw the hoop and landed on the ground below, Carl not bothering to catch it.

"I'll stop giving you an attitude when you stop acting like my father."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"You have to admit that was one good throw, James."

"I could throw better."

Carl shook his head,"I didn't even get a chance to see it go through the hoop! That had to be one of the fastest damn throws I've seen in a while."

James scoffed and slammed his locker shut with more force than necessary. "She was just riled up by what I said to her. That's the only reason she was able to throw that fast."

Edwin looked uncertain about that. "I dunno, James."

"Listen, I know all of you think this Lily Evans kid's pretty good and all," James stated the rest of the team,"But believe me. She won't last a month here." He leaned over to pick up his bag. James slung it over his shoulder and dropped his practice clothes into the dirty clothes bin.

He began towards the exit just as Morris entered the locker room. Morris turned left to head over to head down the aisle with his locker. James thought he heard him mutter something about "since when was there a door here in the middle of the locker aisle?" but thought he'd just misunderstood him.

That is, until he heard a shrill scream and a deeper yelp of surprise. . .

James hastily strode back into the locker room only to find Morris and the rest of the team standing outside a door. The door was an unfamiliar to James. He never remembered a door in front of the aisle of lockers to his left. . .

"What's going on?" He asked. Morris had a taken back expression on his face. He pointed towards the door. "I was heading to my locker like usual after practice and found this door here. Well, I walked in and-. . ."

"And what?" Zackary asked.

"I saw. . .someone in there."

"Is someone having locker room nightmare's in their sleep?" Stanley joked. The team snickered, but was shushed after given a Look by Morris. "Oh, shut it!" He was red in the face now.

"Who'd you see, Morris?" James asked, peering at the door in interest. He took a step towards it. Morris stepped in front of him,"I wouldn't go in there, James. It's not a good idea-"

"I heard someone scream." He continued, stepping around Morris.

"Yeah, I did too. Didn't know your scream was so feminine, Morris." James heard Zackary mutter with amusement just as he grabbed hold of the doorknob and cautiously began to open the door.

It was steamy down the aisle of lockers behind the door. Of course, it was steamy everywhere in the locker room with the showers and all. James closed the door and finally took off his glasses because they were fogging up so badly. Not that that helped much. He was blind without his glasses. Not literally, but pretty close to literally.

He squinted as he saw someone about ten feet away. They seemed to be turned away from him, wearing something white. And- were they wearing a red hat or was that red hair- Oh. Merlin. James stumbled backwards a bit, hands blindly searching for the doorknob as his stared at the fuzzy figure in front of him.

"Oh, for God's sake," He hissed in a low, yet dazed voice,"Where's the bloody doorknob?" He stumbled further back until his leg knocked into a bench embedded into the floor next to the row of locker. "Oh bloody hell-" James began quite loudly then bit his lip, holding his leg. He hoped they hadn't heard him. . .

But "they" had.

"What the- You perverts! That's the second person I've found in here! Get out, get out!"

James got out, believe him.

---------------------------------------------------------

". . .So, did you see her?"

"Sirius!"

"What? I was just wondering. . ."

James was silent for a moment before pushing his glasses higher on his nose as he slouched over on a couch at his flat later that day. "For your information, my glasses got all foggy and I had to take them off."

"Oh. Bummer."

"Like I'd want to see that girl naked- besides, Evans wasn't even naked-. . ." James trailed off suddenly.

"I thought you said you couldn't see anything, James?" Sirius said, leaning forward slyly.

"I couldn't! I could- er, see the white of her towel though. . ." He grabbed a magazine off his coffee table and began to read it. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Sirius!" He stated before Sirius could say anything else.

Sirius only smirked before leaning back into the couch opposite James'. "So Manning's gave her half of the men's locker room?"

"Yes." James muttered moodily. "See what the little twit's done? We've even lost half our locker room to her!"

---------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note: Hmmm. . .James doesn't seem to be too happy about the new Tutshill Tornadoes chaser, does he? Hmmm. . .good thing we have another 28 or so chapters to change that. . .LoL.

"The New Professor" is currently being beta'd, but it'll be up very soon, promise. I'll be adding a few more things to the "Player's One and Two Page" on my website after a while if anyone wants to check that out. They'll be added later tonight though. I also have a new poll up on my website (well, the poll's probably a few days old, but still, LoL). And FINALLY, I have also added a link on my website that takes you to my two new forums, Wacky for Harry Potter! and Lily and James.

Wacky for Harry Potter! is a forum for anyone who wants to discuss anything and everything about Harry Potter. Lily and James, surprise, surprise, is made just for people who are craving a little James/Lily discussion. So. . .er, whatever. LoL. If you want to check any of that out, go right ahead.

Toodle,

Eye Heart Music