Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of Rowling's ideas; they are hers, not mine. I just own the storyline.

Inflated Head

"Lily, wake up! We're taking our last O.W.L today." "Lily, we won't have enough time to study and have breakfast!" "HELLO!!!!! LILY! WAKE UP!"

"Huh… Oh. Alexis, Ugh… just give me one more minute. I'm exhausted- I went to bed at 2 in the morning, I was up studying." Alexis drew the red shades of their room and sunlight came pouring in.

"Lily," Alexis said sharply, "GET UP!" Alexis gave her a look and went back to brushing her black hair by their antique mirror.

"When did you start obsessing over the importance of time? Isn't that my job?" said Lily looking at her but squinting her eyes because of the light.

"I'll return your oh-so-special prefect job to you tomorrow, James went down to breakfast a while ago and I want to see him before he finishes eating."

"Don't worry honey, you've got time, he's got a bigger appetite than his pride."

"Why are you so against him, he's HOT, smart, AND funny, what more could you ask for?" said Alexis.

"There are a number of qualities you left out; um, let me think… pompous, arrogant, conceited, proud, big-headed, stuck-up, and haughty. Those where seven qualities that I named, and you named three, when you get up to seven please tell me. He doesn't even take prefect meetings seriously!"  Lily said sardonically. "If anything I'd say that Sirius is handsome; he's tall, blue eyes, brown hair, and isn't as big-headed as Potter."

Lily tumbled out of her four-poster bed along with her blankets. She got out of her cocoon of blankets, changed her clothes, and looked in the mirror. Her fiery red hair cascading down her milky-white shoulders went together perfectly with her almond-shaped emerald-green eyes. "Come on, you didn't hear Sarah and Giselle get up? They left ages ago," Alexis said, "and breakfast is almost over."     

Lily straightened her tall, slim figure. "Okay, let's go."

          Breakfast was almost over and there were few students left in the Great Hall. Lily walked in and ate some toast with jam. She took out her Defense Against the Dark Arts notes and began studying. As Lily predicted, James was still there and wasn't leaving anytime soon. Him, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew; his fellow marauders were anxiously awaiting to see if jinxing the pancakes that a group of first years were eating into tasting like vomit would succeed; and indeed it did, they turned green and ran out of the lunch room. The marauders laughed and continued talking amongst themselves.

"Childish" Lily muttered. Alexis stared at Lily, focusing her gray eyes from her to Lily's right, at an attempt to say something.

"What?" Lily asked.

"Pardon?" said a deeper voice. It was James; Lily realized that that was what Alexis was trying to tell her. James sat himself down right next to Lily, his hand was by his hair, scrunching it up. His mischievous eyes were dancing.

"Potter, please leave me alone."

"Good Morning, Evans. Sleep well? "

"Potter, I'm asking you for the second and last time PLEASE leave me alone. I am tired and frustrated. Do not bother me. "

"I need help with something."

"What?"

"There is a Hogsmeade trip this weekend do you want to go with me?"

"For the 87th time, yes I have been counting, NO! And quit the volumizing, it doesn't help."

 "Why not? All the girls here dream of me asking them to borrow a quill, let alone a date. And I think my hair looks quite good this way."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Why is it THIS hard to get through to you? NO, N-O. You want it in foreign languages? Non, lo, nyet, na. You are SO self- centered, arroga- I am NOT having this conversation! NO! NO WAY! Good luck on your OWL's and getting a girl, and I must say, I deeply pity her. Goodbye!"

"I completely blanked out on the test- I couldn't remember the signs of a werewolf!" said Giselle while putting her brown locks in a scrunchie. "I studied that part a few minutes before the test, why, why couldn't I remember it?"

It was a windy but sunny day on the Hogwarts grounds and Lily, Sarah, Alexis, and Giselle were on their way to sit by the beech tree at the end of the lake where Lily always insisted they sit, "because of the amazing view" as she would say.

"I just remembered something to do with the tail, but I think I did quite well, and…" Sarah went on talking, as she usually would about every second of the day that wasn't spent with her friends. Lily's mind was thinking of the burden she finally got off her shoulders, summer vacation and the view from the beech tree.  "Oh my gosh!!!" Lily awoke from her reverie. Sarah flipped her golden blonde hair, "Remus! I forgot to tell him about the Hogsmeade trip! Remus! …" Sarah ran off. Lily looked up and realized that the marauders were sitting under her tree, so she sat on the opposite side of the lake.

Alexis, Lily, and Giselle sat at the corner of the lake dipping their toes in the water and chatting. Several people laughed; Lily looked up, Snape was trying to get up, but a jinx was operating on him; he was struggling as though bound by invisible ropes.

"You-- wait," Snape panted, staring up at James with an expression of purest loathing. "You- wait…."

"I can't believe Potter would do this to Snape in public!" exclaimed Lily.

 "Wait for what?" said Sirius coolly. "What're you going to do Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?" Snape let out a stream of mixed swearwords and hexes, but his wand was ten feet away nothing happened.  

"Wash out your mouth," said James coldly. "Scourgify!" Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him.

"I've had enough with this," said Lily. She got up and ran over to where the Marauders were standing and shouted to James, "Leave him ALONE!"

James and Sirius looked around. James's free hand jumped to his untidy, jet black hair. Lily gave him a look that said "deflate your head".  

"All right, Evans?" asked James.

"Leave him alone," she repeated, "What's he done to you?"

"Well, it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…"

"You think you're funny, but you're an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone." 

"I will if you go out with me, Evans." he fluttered his hazel eyes. "Go on, go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on all Snivelly again."

Behind him, the Impediment Jinx was wearing off. Snape was beginning to inch toward his fallen wand, spitting out soapsuds as he crawled.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it were a choice between you and the giant squid," said Lily.

Sirius said something to James. Snape grabbed his wand and a moment later there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, spattering his clothes with blood. James whirled about; a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of graying underpants. People in the crowds that gathered cheered, others laughed. Sirius, James, and Wormtail roared with laughter.

"Let him down!" she exclaimed.

"Certainly," said James and he jerked his wand upward. Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes, he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, "Locomotor mortis!" and Snape leaned over once again as rigid as a board.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she shouted. She had her own wand out now.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," said James earnestly.

"Take the curse off him then!" They were standing next to each other. Lily seemed short compared to James's height.

James sighed deeply, turned to Snape and muttered the countercurse.

"There you go, you're lucky Evans was here Snivellus-"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" said Snape scornfully.

"Fine," Lily said coolly, "I won't bother in the future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus."

"Apologize to Evans!" James roared.

"I don't want you to make him apologize; you're as bad as he is…"

"What?!" yelped James. "I'd NEVER call you a—you-know-what!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can—I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK!!"

Lily turned around and headed toward the castle. She heard James call her a few times but ignored it. James ran to her and turned her around.

"Lily, I think I deserve a reward for the way I answered him, right?"

"Get away from me Potter." He grabbed her hand.

"Evans, answer me."

"Get AWAY!" she let her hand loose and slapped him across the face. "Get a grip Potter, all you're into is yourself! You're a conceited, selfish brat! I don't know how you even had the nerve to tell that to me right now. There is absolutely no point in trying to impress me anymore because I you are a huge turn off! And Newsflash! The world does NOT revolve around you!" She began walking back to the castle. Taking a quick glance behind her, James looked deeply hurt. The mischievous spark in his eye was shut off.

"Thanks for your opinion." he said. He turned around and left.

A/N: HI! This is my first fic, so please go easy! I know Lily is extremely harsh but keep on reading, it'll get better. R&R! Enjoy!! J