Author's Very Long Note: Yay, I hit the 10 review mark! (I shouldn't be this happy about this, but I am. I'm also posting a new LxJ story, set after their graduation. You know you want to read it.) There were quite a few questions about the dream, and it will continue, though not in this chapter. It will be back in chapter five. I also had a question about the hex in chapter one. My inspiration from that came from season 3 of 24, where they're fighting the Cordilla virus. (Symptoms include bloody noses.) I wasn't thinking of Snape's worst memory in any way, and Lily had to retaliate somehow... Yeah, I got a lot of positive feedback, and I'm glad you all think I'm doing such a great job. (Even if I'm not so sure.) Thanks again. Read and Review, and find out who wins the bet.

Very Original Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

.s.c.

The test took place the next morning, and after it was over, James went back to his troublemaking duties as a Marauder, as well as his not-getting-caught-duties as Head Boy. The target of the first prank of the year would be a certain redhead and her new 'boyfriend.' All four of the Marauders had agreed that if Lily and Gilderoy weren't going out yet, they soon would be. Therefore, James's first priority in the world of pranks was to sabotage this little meeting, and therefore ruin Lily's chances of any relationship with Lockhart. And then there was the date to consider. Even with all the studying he had done, Potter still wasn't feeling too confident about his test grade. After all, Defense Against the Dark Arts wasn't Transfiguration. There wasn't any way he was going to win this bet. And not winning meant not going on the date with Lily.

So, now he had to find a way to keep her single. And she couldn't find out it was him doing this to her – whatever this was. James had enlisted the Marauders' help in coming up with the prank, but none of them wanted anything to do with its actual execution. Lily Evans, as Potter knew all too well, could be quite a scary person when she was angry. But then, she was also really, really hot when she was incensed. The actual plan was Sirius's prank-playing genius, and the Head Boy was more and more convinced that it would work. He almost felt guilty about ruining the redhead's chances with Gilderoy – it was obvious that she liked him. But that was exactly the problem. She couldn't fall in love with someone else. It would break his heart into so many shards he'd never find them all to piece back together. So this prank was just a necessary defense. It really wasn't that bad when you looked at it like that…

Lily, on the other hand, was not worried about any of these things; she was certain she had won the bet – she knew the answer to every question on the test. There was no way she would have to go out with James Potter. After all, he wasn't all that good at Defense Against the Dark Arts. Well, he was good – he just wasn't an 'O' student. And even with all the studying that he had done, there was no way he could possibly beat her. And in a round-about way, Lily was right.

In any case, Lily spent her weekend in preparation for her tutoring session with Gilderoy, checking out books from the library, practicing transfiguring mice into matchbooks and lamps into letters. Transfiguration certainly wasn't her best subject, but then, it was Gilderoy Lockhart. You didn't just pass up a chance to spend time with him. And he was everything Potter wasn't. He was respectful. Wholesome. Kind. Serious. Mature. Smart. Good-looking. And Lily certainly wasn't going to pass all of that up because she was being hassled by a certain obnoxious, bullying toerag. No, Gilderoy Lockhart was exactly what she needed. Once she had him, all her recent nightmares involving Potter would stop, and she'd be truly happy. (Or so Lily Evans thought.) Hence, she was putting herself through rigorous preparation for this one study session. And she found herself focusing on Gilderoy more and more often. But maybe that was just that she was trying to forget James Potter and everything that he made her feel, and want to feel.

Meanwhile, Gilderoy Lockhart was obsessing over this one study session with Lily Evans. She was, without doubt, one of the most attractive girls in the school, and Gilderoy was feeling quite blessed to be able to associate with her. And possibly go out with her. She was everything he looked for in a girl – Smart, kind, passionate… She was perfect for him, and he was perfect for her, he knew. He had spent quite a bit of time reviewing. He wanted to seem as if he could do something when he was working with Lily. He didn't want her to think he was stupid or anything. Hence, both Lily and Gilderoy spent the weekend studying and working.

The other houses were also up to some mischief. With the latest attack of Lord Voldemort, the Slytherins marched confidently through the halls, smirking and talking down to anyone and everyone who might put up with it. And some of them – the ones more loyal to the Dark Lord's cause – were planning other, more sinister things.

This select group of Slytherins was composed only of the oldest, most loyal bloodlines – Black, Snape, Lestrange, etc. This group had openly praised Voldemort in the past, but their support had never gone further than that, at least, not at Hogwarts. This year was different, though. The Dark Lord's power had grown, and even the Daily Prophet had begun referring to him as 'You know who' or 'He-who-must-not-be-named.' The Slytherins were clearly enjoying their new power, and it was evident in the first years' fear of the house. The other sixth and seventh-years were more or less indifferent, but if this plan succeeded, then they wouldn't be. And every Mudblood in the school would be far too frightened to ever return. It would be a strike in the name of the Dark Lord, and it would bring the fear to inside Hogwarts, where everyone thought they were safe. They weren't. Even Albus Dumbledore couldn't save the world.

.s.c.

It wasn't long before the next Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The whole class was waiting anxiously for the tests to be returned, just to see who would win the bet between Lily and James. Of course, both Head Boy and Girl were pretending like they didn't care. In reality, both were anxious about the outcome. James, as usual, was sitting among the Marauders, near the back of the classroom, sharing jokes and laughs as the professor did his best to ignore them. Lily, as usual, was sitting at the very front of the classroom, doing her best to pay attention to the lesson. Today, however, even the Head Girl was having difficulty concentrating on what Professor Fendere was saying about dementors and how to protect oneself against one.

Squirming anxiously in her seat, Lily glanced down at her wristwatch. The Professor had said that she would hand back the tests at the end of the class. That was only ten minutes away. Lily could endure ten minutes of this variety of torture.

Nonetheless, it was the longest ten minutes of her life. Finally, when the Professor reached for the stack of papers that were the tests, the whole class seemed to sigh audibly along with her. At the back of the class, James Potter was nervously wringing his hands, and shooting glances at the professor as she moved across the room, placing papers in front of students. He was beginning to remember everything that might have gone wrong. Maybe his essay wasn't quite up to par, or he had forgotten how to recognize a vampire. Then there was the question about the use of Transfiguration in self-defense. No, that was absurd. Of course he got that question right; he knew the answer from personal experience. Not that anyone here besides Sirius, Peter, and Remus knew that. If they had, it would have only been a matter of time before he was shipped off to Azkaban.

James was called from his little daydream by Professor Fendere. "Mr. Potter, this is excellent work. Much above your usual standard. I expect more of this kind of thing in the future." As the Seeker looked up, slightly confused, he met the professor's eyes. She was smiling, a rare occurrence for her. James nodded as she handed him a paper, and he flipped it over, staring with disbelief at the grade. And then, his face broke into a nice-sized grin. Lily would have to get a perfect score in order to beat him at this. And then he remembered that Lily's grades were always perfect. She got mad if she got anything less than 98 on a quiz or test. Knowing this, he slumped into his chair, just in time for Lily to turn around and watch him in this helpless, crestfallen state. Well, that was what it seemed like to her.

Obviously, even Potter thought that his grade wasn't good enough to win. That was good enough for Lily. Mentally, she was already celebrating, a smile on her face. Potter would have to leave her alone now – without the date he had sworn he would get. Lily was already happy as the professor made her way back up the aisles towards the front of the classroom. Without a word, the professor deposited the last test on the edge of her desk. Lily flipped it over immediately, her smile widening at the sight of her grade. There was no way that Potter could beat a grade like that. He simply wasn't intelligent enough. Still, she had to be completely certain, and she wanted the satisfaction of rubbing this in his face before he started ignoring her, trying to forget about her. If he could. Certainly he had tried before.

For once in her life, Lily Marie Evans was dead wrong.

As the class was dismissed, the rest of the Marauders moved on while James silently waited for Lily to gather her things. It was the last class of the day for him, and the pain of waiting had been excruciating. This, however, was the climax. Would he win or lose? Finally, the Head Girl walked towards him, green eyes alert, red hair swinging around her shoulders. "Evans," he said politely, falling into stride beside her as she walked out the door of the classroom. "I wanted to ask you what you got on the test."

"What did you get?" Lily retorted, avoiding the question. Now that he seemed so cool and collected about it, she was feeling slightly nervous. Besides, she didn't want him to lie to her about the grade, just to get this stupid date. Well, even that kind of cheating was below him. She pulled her test out of her bag in the same instant he shoved his in front of her nose. Two 99's, marked in red, side by side. Lily's jaw dropped, and she found herself gawking at James's hawk-like features, a pleased expression on his face, his cocky grin returning to his face. Realizing that she was staring, Evans pulled her gaze away from his face, back towards the tests. "So… What now? Who wins?"

James's breath increased as he met her gorgeous green eyes, wanting to pull her into his arms. Ever since she had been civil to him in the common room the week before, he was finding himself staring at her more than usual. The tie was certainly a surprise. He hadn't expected to win – instead, he was thinking of forgetting her right then and there. But had he lost, he would have kissed her first. However, he would have a chance. He just had to make certain that he would get this date, no questions asked. "Well…" His mind searched desperately for a solution that would allow him this victory. "We could go to Hogsmeade next weekend. And after that – after it's all over, I'll forget about you. You'll never have to worry about me again." He offered her a smile, identical to the one she had fallen in love with in the common room the previous Thursday.

"Okay," Lily replied quietly, wondering if she regretted asking what she had of James. Potter. Not James. He didn't deserve a first name to begin with, and she wouldn't call him by one. Her heart melted again as he flashed that gorgeous smile at her – the gentle one that made him look capable, not cocky. Forcing a nod, Lily took the hand he offered her. He was making this purely a business transaction, when in reality, it was anything but that. It was a game, and she had misplayed this hand. It was all because of that damned smile of his. If only he was different. If only he was more like… Gilderoy. If he wasn't such a jerk, Potter might have made a good friend, maybe even a good boyfriend. No, no, no. James Potter was an obnoxious, bullying prick who deserved to crawl into a hole and die. Lily couldn't fathom why she was suddenly feeling this way. First the dream, and now she was looking at him, blushing as she stared into his eyes… James Potter would probably make the worst boyfriend ever. He'd probably cheat on her. He'd lie. He'd be the opposite of devotion. Hell, he probably wouldn't even like her anymore once he could have her. Which was why Lily would never let him have her. Never.

.s.c.

Many of those who had met Lily Evans would have considered it a miracle that James Potter had managed to stay in the common room when the Head Girl had ordered everyone out. But then, most of the students at Hogwarts didn't have invisibility cloaks. So, Potter had arrived plenty of time in advance of Lily's little tutoring session with Gilderoy, concealed by the cloak. He took his seat by the window, away from where they would probably sit to do their 'studying.' He was there for fifteen minutes before Lily walked in, her arms laden with books, the top three buttons of her shirt unbuttoned, as opposed to the usual two.

Almost as soon as Lily had finished setting the books down on the table and pulling a few different objects out of her bag, Gilderoy walked in, doing his best to look charming. Well, even Potter had to admit, that was one thing he was good at. After all, he was the one who got to be 'alone' with Evans. Well, he thought he was alone with her. Trying to subdue his jealousy, the Seeker pulled his wand out of his pocket, preparing himself to do this. It still struck him as cruel, and if he was caught, the consequences would undoubtedly be quite horrible. Smothering these unfamiliar, regretful emotions, James watched Gilderoy sit down beside Lily, murmuring a greeting to her. As if watching this wasn't torture enough for the Seeker, he was forced to see Gilderoy scoot closer to Evans, the way she returned his grin. It was downright painful.

James's thoughts were interrupted by Lily's voice. "I'm so glad you're here. What did you want to start with? Anything you had particular trouble with?" She smiled at him, staring into the blond boy's gorgeous blue eyes. She was so lucky that he had asked her to help him out, and she was certain that he would get the help that he needed. And maybe – just maybe, this would eventually lead to something more than a tutoring session. Gilderoy was the kind of guy who could make her forget about Potter. The kind of guy she needed.

"Yeah, last class, with the tortoise shells. I couldn't get mine to do anything. Do you?" He smiled as Lily leaned closer to him, noting that her shirt was unbuttoned more than she usually would have condoned for any student – let alone herself. Well, if that was any indication of how she felt, then the blond was in luck. He wasn't actually all that bad in transfiguration. He could get by. It was just that it was so much easier to hear someone say that they didn't have time to tutor you then it was to hear that they didn't want to go out with you. But from the look of things, Gilderoy would be achieving his true goals.

Lily blushed slightly as he moved closer, pulling the tortoise shell out of her bag to practice on. "Yeah. The trick is the pronunciation. A lot of people too much emphasis on the first syllable and that messes it up. Cah-SEL-la," She said, putting the proper emphasis on the second syllable. Perhaps she had put a bit too much, but the emphasis correct.

Gilderoy nodded, showing that he understood. "I see. Cah-SEL-la," he repeated, flashing Lily yet another smile.

"Right!" Lily answered enthusiastically, making him repeat it a few more times. "Now why don't we try it for real, now?" She nodded towards the tortoise shell. If everything went right, it would transform into a jewelry box.

Gilderoy nodded eagerly. "Right." He pulled his wand out of his robes, holding it ready. "The moment of truth." He grinned at Lily before turning his mind back to the task at hand: turning this tortoise shell into a jewelry box. "Casella." He waved his wand at the tortoise shell.

At the same time, on the other side of the room, a very invisible James Potter muttered the counter-spell, and waved his own wand. Needless to say, the tortoise shell didn't change in the least. It was still simply that – a plain old tortoise shell. No jewelry box, no Lily Evans in pure amazement of his magical abilities. James smirked across the room at the crestfallen look on Gilderoy's face. That smirk was soon wiped right off his face.

"Aww…" Gilderoy continued. "I thought I had it."

"So did I," Lily answered, frowning. She paused, listening for a second. She thought she had heard more than one voice across the room. That would have explained quite a few things. She wouldn't have been surprised if someone (someone being James Potter) had tried to sabotage her social life with a stupid prank or something of that nature. "That's okay, though. It's usually harder on the real thing. Give it another try." He did. Nothing happened, but Lily was fairly certain she hadn't heard the voice this time. Maybe he just really sucked at Transfiguration. Well, that was why she was tutoring Gilderoy, wasn't it? Well, supposedly, that was why he had asked her. "Hmm… This is odd. I was certain it'd change." She tried the spell herself, and once again, nothing happened. "This is really weird. I had it perfectly in class today." The Head Girl tried the spell once more before looking it up in her textbook. "See, we're doing everything perfectly." She tried the spell once more. "Casella!"

James's smirk disappeared as Lily's eyes narrowed. He could tell she was getting mad, and was watching Gilderoy eagerly for the blond's reaction. Lily was inspecting her wand, trying the spell again, and cursing at the world. It was apparent to Gilderoy that she couldn't do it, and frankly, he was wondering if she was really the great witch everyone said she was.

James nearly jumped from his chair as Lily rose from the couch, shooting a death-glare in his direction. Her wand was raised, and she seemed to be following his movements around the room. Potter knew that he had to get out of there immediately; his life depended on it. Unfortunately, as he turned, he felt her grab the back of the invisibility cloak, pulling it off of him. He reappeared, and turned quickly, looking for an opportunity to defend himself.

He was never given that chance. "POTTER!" Lily was clearly infuriated, and James was smarter than to stay and get beat up. Unfortunately, she didn't give him a chance to escape. Slap. Her hand collided with his cheek, where it was bound to leave a red mark from the sheer force of the blow. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" Slap. James was never given the chance to argue – not that he would have. However, Evans' tirade made any contention impossible. "How dare you?" Slap. "What were you thinking?" Slap. "You complete--" Slap. "--And utter--" Slap. "Asshole!" Without giving Potter any time for further argument, Lily drove her knee into his crotch. In her mind, this would (hopefully) prevent James Potter from contributing any more to the demise of the human race. He groaned, his eyes shut from the pain, and collapsed onto the furry carpet of the Gryffindor Common Room, his head spinning.

Gilderoy laid a hand on Lily's shoulder from behind upon seeing James collapse. Even if the Head Boy was every bit the prick Lily said he was, he still deserved the opportunity to reproduce someday. "Come on, Lily. Calm down."

Lily calmed down – however slowly – and went to gather her things from the common room. She and Gilderoy could continue their lesson in the library or something. Maybe they could find an empty classroom. "Potter, I swear. I don't know what makes you think you'll ever have a chance." As an extra measure of torture, she grabbed Gilderoy's hand as they left the common room. Seeing this action, James shut his eyes tightly, angry at himself for trying to do this. Lily and Lockhart. They were the perfect couple; even James could see that. What had made him think that they might ever be together. Maybe seven years was long enough. But if that was true, why was he on the verge of tears? When the Seeker swallowed the knot in his throat and opened his eyes, the couple, thankfully, was gone.

They had been replaced by a curious Sirius Black. "Prongs, why are you on the floor?"

"I just got my ass kicked by Lily Evans," James replied quietly, forcing a grin through his new outlook on the girl. He was done with her, forever.

Sirius winced, grinning back. "They always told me true love was painful. That's why I don't get myself muddled in it."

"I've been smitten for seven years. You'd think that'd be enough." Potter paused, thinking. "Maybe it is. She's right, Padfoot. I never had a chance." He forced himself off the floor, sighing. Why else did his conversations with Lily seem to end with him getting beat up? People didn't beat up other people if they were friends, if they had a chance, if they didn't hate each other. So obviously, Lily hated him. It was the only logical conclusion. And here he was, having wasted seven years of his life on her.

Sirius interrupted once more. "Hey, mate. You've got a chance. Lots of girls think you're the hottest guy at school…" He noted the curious look James had shot his way. "Don't ask how I know that. Anyways, you can't give up just yet. She's bound to come around eventually. Besides, watching you chase after her is the amusement that keeps you going."

"I don't fucking care if it keeps you going, Black!" James wasn't exactly in the mood for jokes, after considering everything that was going on in his over-inflated head. Things would be better if they were apart. And to think he had been wrong about her all these years… He sighed, hoping Sirius wouldn't take offense. The seeker lowered his voice before continuing, "I'm done with her. After Saturday, I'm gonna find myself a different girl."

.s.c.

A/N: Review for me and you'll get another chapter. dangles chapter five And if you don't, I'll make Lily kiss Gilderoy! Consider yourselves warned.