Lily

Storming off into the garden, Lily headed towards the bar where a large group of James' relatives were mingling in the snow sipping on brightly coloured drinks. Breathing out a large puff of wispy condensation, Lily slumped into a barstool.

"Firewhisky please," She mumbled, she needed something strong.

"Get it yourself," Said a flustered looking bartender.

"Sorry?" Lily asked looking confused.

"I said get it yourself," the bartender repeated and Lily blinked slightly shocked at how blunt he was being.

"Oh…o-ok…" Lily said, still rather shocked at how rude he was being and slid off of the barstool, slipping behind the counter and helping herself to a Firewhisky.

"Hey kid, you couldn't get this guy a drink could you?" He whispered to her when she was done, "I'm up to my ears!"
"Oh…ok sure…" Lily said feeling rather uneasy. Luckily the wizard in question ordered a Flaming Cerulean and after spurting fire into the drink from the tip of her wand she was done.

"You know what? You're good…well at least good enough to look after the bar whilst I go on my break for a bit," the bartender smirked, "Have fun! And do good; my reputation's at steak."
"Wait what?" Lily asked looking bewildered as she watched in horror as he skipped over the counter and ran into the house in search of food.

"I don't know how to mix drinks!" she called after him but it was too late. How was she supposed to know wizard drinks when she was muggleborn? She hadn't even heard of butterbeer until she had gone on that first trip to Hogsmede which had shocked her friends to a point beyond belief.

This is officially the worst party I've ever been to…

"One Dragon's Tongue, two Wandtastics, a Firewhisky and a Snitch, please love," Said a rather plump and slightly elderly witch.

Come again…?

"Oh Merlin," Just as she found the Snitch cordial on a rather dusty shelf, James Potter appeared sitting smugly on a bar stool in front of her.

"Evans what are you doing behind the bar?" He asked looking rather amused.

"Your bloody bartender tricked me into doing his job and I'm still angry with you," Lily said sternly before leaning over the bar, "What's erm…what's in a Snitch?"

"Whoa who ordered that? Expensive taste."

"That woman over-why am I even talking to you?" Lily said, turning her back on him.

"Because you realise that I'm not the mean and nasty git you think I am?" Lily decided not to answer that one.

"Its acromantula venom mixed with Snitch cordial which is like a lemony mixture and a dash of lime juice," James sighed.

"Right," Lily said, concentrating as she poured everything that James listed into long thin glass that curled here and there like a piece of lab equipment.

"Need any help?"
"Not from you," Lily snapped as she gave a false smile to the witch and handed her her drink.

"I think you do."
"Well you're wrong."
"Well then you can make the others by yourself then," James smirked, "Oh and when you're done make me a Phoenix Fatale. It's very easy. It's basically phoenix tears and apple and raspberry cordial mixed with a little Firewhisky and stirred with a heated wand of thirty degrees until it turns into a liquid that varies between red and gold. Oh and you have to stir it the right amount or else it will curdle and-"
"Just get behind the bar, Potter."

Rose

Rose sat alone in the corner of the hall, in her stained ball gown, watching solemn faced as couples continued to spin on the now somewhat sticky floor after their little incident. In her hands she held what looked like a bowlful of punch the glass was so big. She didn't really know what to do with herself now that she finally had to come to terms with the fact that she'd never be with James; she just had to find a way to get over him. Sighing, she watched as Quinn and Matt gently pressed their lips together as they swayed slowly on the dance floor.

This is officially the worst party I've ever been to…

"Enjoying yourself?" came an unpleasantly familiar voice and Rose turned to face Eli looming over her with a drink in his hand.

"No," she replied bluntly.

"Why is that?" He asked plainly.

"Why do you think?" Rose spat, standing up and heading into the deserted kitchen but to her dismay Eli followed her.

What the hell does he want?

"I thought you'd be having fun after having James stuck to you like a leech all night," Eli said bluntly.
"But he hasn't has he?" Rose said miserably, "He's been pretending to so that you'd leave him alone and wouldn't go after the girl he really wanted."
"Well that worked out well didn't it?" Eli smirked and Rose lost her patience.

"Do you know something?" Rose said, whirling around and advancing towards him, "You are the most annoying, miserable git I have ever met and it's your fault I'm as miserable as you are!"
"What?" Eli yelled flabbergasted, "What did I do? And what do you mean by 'miserable'?"

"If it wasn't for you, James would never have done what he did!" Rose yelled, "And come off it, no one's naturally that nasty; something's bothering you and I want to know what it is!"
"You really want to know?" Eli asked, his eyes suddenly smouldering.

"Try me."
"Fine," Eli said, slamming his glass down on the kitchen counter, his dark hair falling into his eyes, "All I hear all the time is James, James, James! My parents talk about him, his parents go on about him, and as soon as I spoke to Lily it was all about James. And then there's you. 'Oh James is so good at this…' 'James is so good at that…'.What about me? I've tried all my life to be as good as James but even when I exceed at what he's done it still doesn't compare! And do you know what's funny? I don't want any of it! I don't want to be the world's greatest auror or the most amazing seeker! The only thing that I do want that he has, but ironically that he doesn't want…is you."

"…I'm sorry, what?"
"Are you really going to make me say it again?" Eli said quietly, almost pleadingly.

"I…don't understand…" Rose said stupidly.

"I met you long before James fished you out of that river," Eli said solemn faced, "You just didn't find me interesting enough to remember. You still don't; you said it yourself earlier this evening that you remained clueless as to anything I've ever done. No I met you long before. I lived on the same street as you and I never plucked up the courage to talk to you. When I finally did it was too late; you had met my brilliant cousin."

Why don't I remember any of this?

"I tried everything to make myself more interesting, more like him to make you want me instead but it still didn't work. I hated James because of it. And then we went to Hogwarts and James met Lily and I hoped you'd give up. I couldn't understand why you wouldn't even when it was obvious that he liked someone else…but then you could have said the same about me."
This is too unreal…

"And then you left Hogwarts and just left me there...and to be quite honest that felt like utter crap. So much so that I had to leave for Durmstrang, somewhere completely different where nothing would remind me of you. Strangely enough though everything still does…" Eli stopped then, lifting his eyes to meet hers and he smiled softly. It was weird to see him smile without anything nasty or menacing about it.

"I always dreaded I'd never be able to tell you any of this," He said quietly, "It's quite refreshing really."

"Well…that was…not what I expected at all," Rose said quietly.

"It still doesn't change anything though does it?" Eli said sadly, "You still want James…there's nothing I can do about it, even now when he's hurt you."

"I…James just…wait, hang on a minute!" Rose said suddenly, "If you liked me then why were you so mean to me earlier? Why did you make little sarcastic remarks and rub the fact that James had run off with Lily in my face?"

"Why do you think?"
"It's not one of those schoolboy things is it?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow, "Like how boys pull girls hair or push them over when they like them."
"Not…exactly," Eli said looking a little embarrassed, "Let me explain…"
Rose braced herself for the worst.

Authors note: OK I hope you like this sub-couple, I hadn't originally intended it to turn out like this until I was trying to think of a reason why Eli was out to get James so much and I had already brought Rose into it. The fact that Eli liked her before she turned into a 'Barbie doll' for James also let me give Rose another layer which I liked cos it explained why prim and proper Eli liked someone who was apparently as annoying as Rose. Anyways I hope you liked it XD The next chapter will have some more of Lily and James behind the bar and bits form Eli's POV :P As always PLEASE