Foes Come Fourth
The fighting has become incessant. There are students from three years below theirs' and students from three years above theirs', yet all anyone walking down the castle corridors can talk about, are the infamous rows between Lily Evans and James Potter.
The first time it happens, Severus is a witness. Lily and Severus are walking back from their potioneering session. They'd begun meeting often in an unused classroom on the second floor to practice brewing some advanced potions. Slughorn had been more than happy to provide them with the necessary paraphernalia.
Severus hasn't even noticed them lounging on a windowsill overlooking the Quidditch pitch, until Lily excuses herself to talk them. He doesn't understand what on earth could make her approach them herself. Perhaps she has to deliver a message, or borrow a book from Lupin. His train of thought is broken by the her shouting -
"What, in the name of Merlin, makes you think" - Lily starts of slowly and then fires words at the speed of light - "that you can change the password to the common room, and keep everyone waiting outside?"
Potter stands up unperturbed by her hollering. He pretends to look thoughtful. "Well, of the top of head, I think my irresistible charm and my smooth conversation skills made me think that I can, in fact, convince the Fat Lady to change the password to the common room and keep everyone waiting outside." His arrogant smirk never fails to surface.
"You are such a bloody prat!"
"Oh, Evans is swearing, interesting.."
"You Berk, no one could get in or out of there for hours!"
"Aw, Lily flower, did I keep you from your books?" The nerve of him, he pouts at her.
"Potter. McGonagall and Dumbledore almost left a meeting with the Minister of Magic, to fix the mayhem you had managed to create."
"They didn't actually leave, did they?" He then grins at Black "Otherwise I'm gonna start thinking I'm more important than the Minister of Magic himself."
Lily is clenching her fists. A crowd of ten to fifteen students has gathered around them. Masses are quick to pick sides, and Severus is hardly ever their favorite. He decides he'll step in if any wands are drawn out, for now, Lily can handle Potter.
"Why would you do something so imbecile, Potter?" It's obvious Lily is using all of her energy in keeping her voice low.
"Blimey, Why would I answer you Evans?"
"Because I'm asking you!" Lily is all wound up now
"Are you a Professor?" Potter retorts
"No but..."
"Are you the Head girl?" He cuts in again.
"What?"
"Are you a prefect?"
"Have you lost it?"
"Well if you can't take any points, I'd best be off."
"Potter" - The warning is crystal clear in her voice.
His back is already turned when he responds "You should get back to the common room too Evans, you don't want to be locked out again."
"Fuck you, you great blighter!" Lily shrieks, before lunging at Potter and tackling him to the floor.
Black bursts out laughing, while the rest of the audience gasps. Severus himself is a bit bewildered, he has never seen anyone rouse such a reaction out of her. He cannot help but notice how pretty she looks, smashing the face of his nemesis - her hair all frazzled, and her cheeks red with fury.
The five words, and the five seconds that she smacks him while he is lying flat on the ground, are all it takes for everyone to conclude that James Potter brings the worst out of Lily Evans.
That's the first of the many rows to come.
Severus witnesses only few of them and hears about the rest. Some of the encounters end harmlessly, with just a few hexes and jinxes shooting out of Lily's wand, others have her resorting to physical means and using various objects as projectile weaponry. Potter only defends himself, he probably knows he can never match her in a duel. When she is kicking and throwing punches at him, he simply waits for someone to pull her off him, hitting a girl would afterall tarnish his reputation. The spectators always know better than to intervene.
Potter never holds back in a verbal exchange though, he knows how to hit a nerve with her. He can get her blood boiling by simply running his fingers through his stupid hair.
The teachers have begun to get exasperated of their squabbles, but Severus is happy to hear her complain about Potter all day. He knows the boy is absolutely reckless and pathetically conceited.
"It's not just that he is a bullying toerag, he takes pleasure in other's misery. I'm not suggesting that he is a sadist, but he is no Fairy God Mother either. He is so pompous, you know? I wish God had blessed me so generously with such natural abilities. When does he even study? Do you think he bribes the Professors for better grades? Mar told me his family is extremely wealthy. No. That's low, even for Potter. Maybe his luck is just really good, that arse. Remus keeps praising him, but I don't see it - there isn't a microscopic bit of humility or kindness underneath that hubristic persona. And every time, every time his fingers creep towards his hair, I swear, I want to pull my own hair out. He thinks he is a Quidditch prodigy, though I'm sure Gryffindor has had better chasers. It doesn't help, that they haven't lost a single match since he's made the team. But if someone doesn't deflate his fat bloated head soon enough, it's going to explode some day." Lily has often repeated this uninterrupted monologue, but it's music to his ears. This deepened enemity might just be one of the best developments of Severus' time at Hogwarts.
He recalls the first time Lily had frowned at Potter with distaste. It had been towards the end of their first year. Lily had been trying for days and she still couldn't manage to transfigure cutlery into rodents. Her academic ego was rather bruised. Potter had seen her struggle in class. He marched into the Great Hall, at dinner one day, and transfigured Lily's goblet into a rat, just as she was about to drink her pumpkin juice. "Ah Bollocks Evans, looks like you don't know how to do everything, after all" - He had smirked at her, and she just helplessly glared at him. She vowed to prove him wrong. The next day, she had levitated Potter's spectacles and sent them flying out of the window. His friends hadn't helped him retrieve them either.
Since then, their encounters have come to a point where they merely look at each other and then either banter, or argue, or shout.
The last chip on Severus' shoulder is dusted off when Nott randomly states that they needn't bother with Evans, the fool Potter is enough to keep the mudblood on her toes. The fourth year Slytherin boys spend their time tormenting the younger muggleborn students who definitely do not show any promise. It is appalling how they are allowed to be considered equivalent to those from magical families, in spite of their limited knowledge about the wizarding world. Severus is happy to join his mates whenever he can. It's a good testing ground to try all the new spells he comes across. Malfoy gives them tips on being discrete. It's important to identify and obliviate the students most likely to run off to Professors. It's better to target students that lie in the outskirts, as they don't attract any attention. Lastly, they must strike the students, regardless of their blood status, who are most likely to be convinced of their propaganda. All three requirements strike off Lily's name from the hit list, and with that everything is in place.
It's an uncharacteristically sunny afternoon in January. Severus is on his way to the Great Lake for some peace and quiet, when he overhears her name. His head whizzes to the left where he sees the Marauders sprawled on the grass against the castle wall. Severus moves closer and hides himself just enough so that he can still see them. He uses the voice enhancing spell, which is turning out to be extremely handy.
"Blimey James, why would you want to get Lily a present?" Lupin says
"Well it is her birthday, isn't it?
"Yes, but what does that have to do with you? You hate her."
"I don't hate her!" Potter exclaims.
"Then why are you always taking the Mickey out of her, mate?" It's Pettigrew
"Because that's what we do. I don't like her, but I don't despise her either. I mean I am justified, aren't I? When we fight, she often amuses me. She just isn't any fun otherwise."
"Lily is plenty fun if you come to know her James." Lupin admonishes.
"Merlin's right foot, she is hilarious. She always has me rolling on the floor when she attacks you. It's like watching a kitten scratch and claw at an elephant." Black sniggers.
"True. For a fifteen year old bloke, I have more scars than I have love bites." Potter pretends to lament.
"Almost fifteen" Pettigrew corrects.
"And you have no love bites" Black adds.
Potter smacks them both on their heads.
"You not hating her, is still not reason enough to give her a birthday gift", Lupin points out.
"I gave Bellatrix a gift for her birthday. I definitely dislike her more than I dislike Evans. Though I'm unsure which one of them scares me more - "Potter trails off.
"You gave Bella a carefully selected box of all the horribly flavoured Bertie Bott's beans, including the ear wax ones" Black guffaws. "That too, because your Aunt Pheona insisted you be nice to your extended family."
"Those are all minor and superfluous details" Potter mumbles.
"Be as that may be, it still doesn't explain why you would want to buy Evans a birthday present. It's understandable if Remus, or even Sirius, does it, but..." Peter starts rambling, and frustration flushes over Potter's face.
"I dont know, alright? I saw an emerald pendant last week in Hogsmeade and the first thing that crossed my mind was the colour of her eyes. I thought she might like it. I don't see what the big deal is about being nice to someone for their birthday".
Potter's words disturb Severus, but not as much as Black's next question does.
"Last week, when you went to Hogsmeade on a date with that fit bird from Ravenclaw, you were thinking about Evans' eyes?"
They are all looking at him incredulously.
"How do you even know the colour of Evans' eyes?" Pettigrew asks dumbfounded.
"What?"
They are all quiet, still staring.
"It's nothing extraordinary. I spend half my day, literally, standing in her face, arguing with her, and the green jumps out in contrast to her skin."
"Her skin?" Black is almost choking on his words now.
Severus doesn't have the stomach to hear the rest of this conversation. Why does Potter want to be nice to be Lily? They are suppose to hate each other, and nothing else. There is no implicit understanding or camaraderie between them. After all, the fighting is incessant.