A/N: Once again, thank you to all my lovely reviewers. This chapter is mostly the back-story of Felicity and Lily's 'relationship'. Hope this'll clear things up for you, cause lately you've been pretty much left in the dark as to why all the girls in Hogwarts hates darling little Lily.

Disclaimer: Only own whoever I make up and the plot.

Italics – Flashback

Chapter 4: Consequences

When the bell rang, it seemed as if everybody couldn't make it out of the classroom fast enough. All that is, except for a certain Lily Evans.

James lingered back as he played with the idea of walking with her to her next lesson, but when Sirius pulled on his arm urging him to go, he could do nothing but glance adoringly back once more and leave.

When she was finally left alone, Lily buried her head in her hands, breathing deeply whilst struggling not to cry. Again. With a half hearted sigh; she rubbed viciously at her eyes, angrily dashing away the beginnings of tears. She didn't bother to get up from her chair, only slumped over the desk. Her eyes drifted shut when-

"Aw. Is widdle Evans cwying?"

Lily spun around, biting her lip when she saw Felicity lounging in the door archway, Diana a little bit behind her.

"Go away."

Felicity smiled maliciously. "Or what?"

Lily's hand reached out for her wand, gasping softly as someone whipped it out of her reach. Felicity held the wand behind her back, leaning forward so her face was in the redhead's.

"Don't try anything with me, Evans." As if happy with that for the moment, Felicity sat in the chair next to Lily, moving close.

The sickeningly sweet scent of Felicity's perfume made Lily gag, trying in vain to gulp in the fresh oxygen needed. However, because of the proximity of the blonde, a cloud of perfume encircled the pair, making it impossible for anyone with noses to breathe. How Diana survived being around this poison clad girl she didn't know.

"What the-" cough "-hell have I-" cough "-done to you?"

"You were born," Diana hissed, advancing menacingly.

Felicity leaned back, smile twisting into a smirk as she contemplated the still coughing girl in front of her. "Oh, where do I start?"

Drawing up some hidden well of courage, Lily looked the blonde witch in the eye. "The beginning, and while you're at it, remember the parts when you were a bitch to me."

A sharp slap stung on Lily's cheek, the imprint red and angry. The fuming Felicity was now standing, her chair clattering to the floor, forgotten in the heat of the moment. Hatred shone clear and pure in both of the witches' eyes, fire roaring in both emerald and sapphire.

Lily and Felicity's temper were well-matched, but Felicity had backup in form of Diana. Lily would never be able to survive with two against one; two insanely driven, sadistic, hormonal teenage girls.

In almost no time at all, Lily backed down. She couldn't stand up to the Queen of Hogwarts. She wouldn't even try. She was disgusted at herself.

Her mind kept yelling at her to tell Felicity exactly what she thought of her, but her heart wasn't up to it. Her spirit exhausted, her temper blown out. Her well of courage – which was disappointing in any situation – finished.

"You remember this, Mudblood," Felicity hissed. "You will never be one of us. Never be one of the girls. Cause you know what?"

Here she paused, taking sadistic pleasure at the way Lily was cringing, cowering. Like all true predators, Felicity O'Connor enjoyed seeing her prey tremble as she played with it.

"You look like one of those muggles. You have no friends, which is so intensely sad I laugh at you. And obviously, you are so poor you can't even afford clothes which fit, let alone are fashionable."

Lily's lip started to tremble, clutching at the red cardigan her mother had so lovingly hand knitted for her. Her parents had never been rich, and Lily and Petunia had to do without most of the time. Also, the fees for sending her to Hogwarts were eating them out of house and home, a fact that Petunia never hesitated to shove in her younger sister's face.

"And you have the nerve to ask what you ever did to me. Don't you remember, Lily? Fourth year? By the lake?"

Unwillingly, Lily was flung back into the memory she had tried so hard to bury.

"Lily, Lily, Lily!"

A smiling witch turned around, a blonde whirlwind banging into her, both of them flying to the ground with an "Oof!".

"Feli, get off me!" Lily giggled as Felicity stuck a pose.

Felicity had always been the popular one, the pretty one, the funny one, the outgoing one. It was amazing that she had wanted to be friends with her. Lily Evans, shy, rather plain when standing next to Felicity, and timid around people she didn't know.

Lily and Felicity. One name never without the other. Inseparable. Best friends till the end.

She closed her eyes and turned away, but that voice was still in her ear. Still making her remember.

"Oh, c'mon, Lily. I'm sure you can remember that day," Felicity purred into her ear. "I'm sure you remember what you did to me."

Felicity sat up, blue eyes glittering. "Lils, you have no idea what I just did."

The redhead giggled in shared mischief. "Felicity, what did you do to Professor Slughorn this time?"

Felicity pouted. "Nothing."

Lily looked on disbelievingly. She hadn't known Felicity for this long for nothing. "Feli."

The blonde smiled wickedly, her mouth was open and she was about to reply when Professor McGonagall strode across the grounds and stood over the girls, blue eyes cold and strict.

"Felicity O'Connor," her voice thundered. "What is the cause for this?"

Felicity and Lily shared a look. Felicity looked up at the house mistress, her blue eyes confused. "For what, Professor?"

McGonagall scoffed. "Don't play innocent with me, Miss O'Connor. I know it was you who attempted to poison Professor Parkinson."

Felicity paled. "I would do no such thing."

Still disbelieving, McGonagall hauled the blonde to her feet. "All the puzzle pieces make sense now. Do you know what could have happened, you insolent whelp? Professor Parkinson could have died because of you, and all for a Saturday night detention. Really, Miss O'Connor. I hadn't had you pegged as the vindictive type."

And with that the Gryffindor house mistress dragged of Felicity, the latter turning around and glaring at her supposed best friend.

"It's all your fault," she screamed back at the dumbfounded Lily, blue eyes furious. "If only you had shut that mouth, goody-two-shoes Evans. You promised you wouldn't tell! I hate you, you backstabber! Betrayer! Traitor!"

"I didn't tell," Lily choked out. "It wasn't me."

"Well, maybe my memory of that day was a little different. I could have been expelled because of you." Felicity's eyes narrowed in unbridled loathing. "You knew what Hogwarts was to me. My life could have been taken away from me. But you don't know what it's like; having a life, do you, Lily?"

"Felicity, I thought we were friends. Friends understand. I didn't tell. You have to believe me!"

Felicity scoffed. "Stop lying to yourself, Lily. I was never your friend."

Felicity flounced out the room, Diana hot on her heels after sending a hard kick to Lily's side.

The redhead doubled over in pain, tears falling freely.

Today was not her day. Today was so definitely not her day.

A/N: I probably won't be updating for a while, ad school has just started for me again. We broke for the Chinese New Year holidays, so updates won't be as prompt.

Sorry if it's confusing. The whole Felicity/Lily thing is turning out to be a potentially very interesting sub-plot.

((Hands out chocolate fondant to reviewers))