Lily lay on the couch staring at the fire. She knew she shouldn't let the Slytherins get to her, after all, their actions were beneath her, but at the same time she couldn't help but be affected by it.
The common room door opened and in stepped Remus. He walked over to the couch where Lily was laying and extended hand, holding out her book.
"I took out the graffiti. I know Madame Pince would have a cow if she found it in there," he said. Lily looked up at him and took the book.
"Thanks," she said quietly and returned to staring at the fire.
"Now don't let them get to you," Remus said. "The Slytherins are in that house for a reason. That's where all the losers, bullies, and rejects go. Especially Narcissa and her friends."
Lily looked up at him.
"Regardless of what she said, even if you were a... You know, you're still smarter, you're better looking, and you have morals... My point being even if you were what she called you you're still an all around better person than she is," Remus said.
Lily chuckled. "Thank you, Remus. That made me feel a little better."
"What are friends for," Remus said. "Besides, even Sirius, who dislikes you with passion, doesn't even condone their behavior."
Lily nodded.
"I know he's a bit of an idiot but, I think that if you and Sirius sat your differences aside then maybe you could be friends," Remus said.
"That's the last thing I need to do, throw my lot in with that pumpkin head," I said.
"Well you already have, really," Remus said. This caused Lily sit up and give him a somewhat sarcastic look of disbelief.
"Enlighten me as to how you came to that conclusion," Lily said.
"Well look our circle of friends," Remus said.
Lily shook her head. "Just because our circle of friends is the same doesn't mean we should be friends." Remus shook his head.
"The Lily I've known since first year would at least try to be civil," Remus said.
"Oh please. This has nothing to do with being civil. I see Sirius everyday. I'm around him all of the time. We can be civil Peter but... Our wires get crossed too much for either of us to get along. Besides, I don't think of Sirius as being a very good person," Lily said.
"Now I can promise you Lily that Sirius is, on some levels a good person. I mean think about it in the context of dealing with his two lousy cousins, Narcissa and Bellatrix," Remus said.
Lily had to admit to herself that Remus was right. Anytime the Black girls gave Lily a hard time Sirius had been the one to step in and stand up for her. Whether it be because somewhere deep down he actually cared a small bit for her well being or whether it be because he felt himself the only one worthy of filling her life with woe, the fact that he stood up for her at all meant something and it was noble to say the very least.
"I see your point," Lily said. "But all the same our egos are too big to fit into one space. Neither of us is stupid, neither of us is unattractive... Everyone, well almost everyone, loves us-."
"Might want to deflate your head a little bit, Lils," Remus said as Lily marveled at her own magnificence. Lily was a bit of an egotist. Of course she had every right to be, but she liked to be notified when she was getting out of hand.
"We both think we're better than the other. We clash too much. I think Sirius is a pest worse than your friend James and Sirius thinks I'm-."
"A right foul wench," Remus said.
"Exactly... In truth, I suppose neither of those things is true but... We haven't matured much since first year. I'm still a proud teachers pet and he's still a proud... A proud... What would you call him?" Lily asked.
"A proud purveyor of aids to magical mischief makers," Remus said.
"Yes," Lily said. "I'm a rule following girl. He's not and I fear we cannot coexist together."
Remus rolled his eyes.
"Well you've been doing a grand job of going at it for five years... Why stop now?" he asked.
Lily sighed. "Remus it's-."
At that moment the common room door opened and in walked the rest of their respective friends.
"One day those Slytherins will get what's coming to them. Just you wait," Veronica said.
"You're right," James said. "We're Gryffindor. We're the proud, the brave, the good looking-."
"The conceited," Remus mumbled under his breath.
"We're practically the poster children for this school," Sirius said.
"Yeah, we've got Remus and Evans here. Who in the school is smarter than them?" James asked.
"Actually Snaps gets about the same grades as me," Lily pointed out. James frowned at her.
"We can't heckle them for being jerks if you keep pointing out the good in them, Evans," James said.
"I apologize for being mildly good natured," Lily said.
Sometimes James really couldn't stand how nice Lily was, he loved her to death but sometimes he wished she wouldn't be so passive.
"Forgive and forget," she said.
"You can't take that attitude for everything, Lily," Veronica said.
"They keep coming back and treating you like you're nothing but a bucket of warm flobberworm slime. How can you stand there and take that time after time?" Dana asked.
"Because I believe people can change," Lily said.
"Of course they can change but only if they take the initiative," Sirius said. "Evans, I'm gonna be straight with you, I don't like you, but I don't like the way my family treats people either, especially muggleborns."
"I know, Black," Lily said with a sigh.
"My family hasn't changed at all since we've been around. Occasionally you get an odd ball like me or Andromeda who actually decides to stop being prejudice but the rest won't. They'll keep going until you feel like you're nothing," Sirius said.
"That won't happen," Lily said.
Sirius sighed.
"I don't make it my job to keep the Slytherins from bothering you. I do it because I know they're being wrong and cruel and I may hate you but no one deserves to take that kind of treatment," Sirius said. "Yet and still every time you let it go. You let them walk all over you like what they're doing is okay."
"I know it's not okay," Lily said defensively. "I let things go because I don't like confrontations. You saw what happened when I told of Lisa. She cursed me."
"And she cursed her way out of Hogwarts forever," Veronica said.
"But do the ends justify the means?" Lily asked.
"Yes," everyone said
"It's not like we're telling you to go up to them and pick a fight but the next time they come around treating you that way, say something. Don't stand there and take it, do something. Say something. Don't sit there and being pathetic letting everyone else stand up for you and fight your battles," Sirius said.
"I am perfectly capable of fighting my own battles," Lily said defiantly.
"Then prove it one of these days because I'm tired of doing it for you!" Sirius said. "I don't even like you!"
"Then as of the moment don't do it anymore," Lily said.
"I won't," Sirius said.
"Please, you can't help but tell your family off," Lily scoffed.
"Is that a fact?" Sirius asked.
"I should say so. I bet you wouldn't be able to restrain yourself from helping me if Narcissa and Bellatrix went to town on me again," Lily said.
"Well we'll just see about that," Sirius said.
Remus fought back his smile as he thought about the situation. Lily and Sirius could be coaxed into doing most anything if they challenged each other properly.
The gauntlet was thrown down now. Sirius to not protect Lily and for her to stand up for herself. Each of them was certainly capable of achieving both of their goals, but prior experience showed the odds to not be in favor for either of them. Lily was to sweet natured to ever actually tell someone off like she meant it (aside from Sirius of course) and Sirius couldn't help but go off on his cousins about being so terrible to other people simply because they were different.
Lily and Sirius glared hard at each other. When their eyes left each others the game had begun.
