Chapter 1: A Plain Morning

Chapter 1: A Plain Morning

Lily Evans narrowed her eyes, her face screwed up in concentration as she carefully stirred the concoction bubbling in her cauldron. Consulting the book, she turned back to add three careful drops of a murky brown liquid to her potion.

"One…two…."

"BWAHAHAHAHA Prongs, you buffoon, we could get into trouble for that one!"

Lily jumped, shaking much more of the potion into the cauldron than was required. Seething, she whirled around to see James Potter and Sirius Black dancing around with each other like fools, their potions already finished and bottled, fighting each other with rubber wands. Rubber wands? Where did they find the time to come up with this stuff? Lily and her friends were busy working hard in classes, preparing for their impending N.E.W.T.S and the Dynamic Duo were goofing off, as usual.

Suddenly the potion began to froth and bubble unexpectedly. Alarmed, Lily looked to her best friend, Dorcas Meadows, for help. Dorcas shrugged helplessly and began backing away from the cauldron.

"Lily, my dear!" boomed Professor Slughorn. "What have we here, another brilliant concoction from my favourite Gryffindor?"

Slughorn bustled over to Lily's cauldron, his face alight with anticipation.

"Sir, actually, I don't really think I'm done with this one, let's just step away…"

Before Lily could complete the sentence, the potion suddenly exploded with the force of a tiny bomb, drenching everybody in the classroom in purple sap. Slughorn, covered in purple goo from head to toe, slowly turned to Lily, his chest swelling till he burst out.

"MS. EVANS! EXPLAIN YOURSELF! Never in my years have I seen such a mess, what were you thinking, where was your concentration? Look at the state of my classroom! Look at me! I'm completely soaked, I …"

"Sluggy! It's really quite fetching, sir, just look at that plum, it goes so well with your colouring, you're positively glowing!"

Lily groaned, turning to see James approach, beaming at Slughorn and messing up his own hair with one hand. What does he think he's doing? Actually, scratch that – I know what he thinks he's doing. He can't save me from this, he caused the mess in the first place, stupid, stupid Potter. And trying to save me now with some blind hope that it'll make me fall madly in love with him… just like him!

"Mr. Potter…" seethed Slughorn. "As much as I appreciate your valiant attempts at humour, this is not the face of an amused man!"

"But sir, it wasn't her fault, she'd never mess up normally, you know how brilliant she is..."

"Potter!" screeched Lily. "I don't need you to save me, just stay out of this!"

"But Lilybean, Sluggy here doesn't understand…"

"Prongs, mate," cautioned Sirius, looking at Slughorn's reddening face in alarm. "Let's just leave Lily and Sluggy alone, what say you Sluggy?"

"ENOUGH! DETENTION, ALL THREE OF YOU!"

"But, sir! Detention? Me? But, I- I never" stuttered Lily.

"There's a first time for everything, Ms Evans! Out, all of you, now, while I clean this mess up!" boomed Slughorn. "And you three, you three I will see tonight. My office, at eight. Sharp!"

"Briliant, Prongs, another detention is just what I need right now… can't you save your romantic rescues for a time when I don't get involved?" Sirius cuffed James around the head, and walked out with the rest of the class.

Lily, seething, began packing her bags. James, a sheepish grin on his face, approached her wearily.

"Well, look on the bright side Lilybean, this gives you an excuse to spend time with me! And then maybe we could nip out to Hogsmeade after? For a drink?"

Lily turned to the dark-haired boy with a look of disbelief on her face.

"Potter, you arrogant, thick-skinnned fool…"

"Go on, Evans, go out with me – just this once! And then I won't ask again, you'll be rid of me for good if you want!" said James earnestly.

Lily swung her bag on her shoulder and faced James, green fire blazing in her eyes.

"After what you just did? Interfering for no good reason, landing me a detention for something that was your fault in the first place?! Showing off, playing the fool with Black all the bloody time, messing up your hair because you think it makes you look that much cooler? You disgust me."

James flinched, but Lily continued unrelentingly. "I've told you before and I'll tell you again, Potter – I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last boy on the planet!"

Whirling around, Lily stalked out of the classroom, leaving a bemused and, as per routine, disappointed James behind. In a last attempt at bravado, he called out to her.

"So…. I'll see you at 8 then!"

His only response was the classroom door being slammed in his face.