Chapter 3: Gryffindor versus Slytherin

"Evans, Lily!"

Lily walked up to the stool, her face pale and her legs trembling as the whole school had their eyes on her. She apprehensively placed the Sorting Hat on her head –

"GRYFFINDOR!"

As she made her way toward the cheering Gryffindors but turned back to Severus with a diminutive, sad smile on her face.

After they reached the S's, she watched intently.

"Snape, Severus!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

As walked to the other end of the room, she felt rather miserable because they weren't in the same house. After the excellent feast, she walked towards the Slytherin table to find Severus.

"Hey, Sev," she said they were about to leave to their separate dormitories, "we'll still be best friends, right? I mean, we're not in the same house and everything-"

She bit her lip.

"Of course we will!" said Severus. "I mean, we'll still have some classes together, I think…"

A reassured smile crept up Lily's lips. Without warning, she flung her arms around him.

"I knew you would say it didn't matter!"

A little taken aback, Severus' color rose. Luckily, she didn't notice.

"Well, see you tomorrow, I guess."

Severus nodded.

"Oh, and Sev?"

"Yeah?"

"You- you won't leave me, will you? I mean, we'll always be friends, right?"

A little jaded, but happy all the same because she was there with him, Severus nodded.

"Always."

Lily woke up to the sound of loud cheering. She sat up woozily.

"Geez, guys, what's going on?"

"I'm just getting ready for the Quidditch match," said Marlene. Lily laughed softly to herself and shook her head. She knew that Marlene had a crush on the Gryffindor Keeper Mark McKinnon.

"You should be, too," Yolanda told Lily. "I expect Potter will expect you to – encourage – him…"

"I'm not giving Potter any sort of encouragement," said Lily.

"I really think he likes you, Lils," said Mary, "he's so persistent…and he's been stalking you for the last five or six years…and he's so handsome…"

"Why don't you date him then?" Lily called as she started walking down the stairs to the Common Room, leaving Mary looking very puzzled.

Laughing at Mary's reaction, she walked into the Common Room.

"Hi, Remus!" she said. He was sitting on the couch by the fireplace with a piece of parchment in his hands.

"Hello, Lily."

"What happened to you arm?"

She scrutinized a scratch mark on his right forearm.

"Nothing!" he said brusquely, pulling his arm away.

"It looks bad – d'you want me to run down to the Hospital Wing and get you an ice pack or something-"

"It's fine…really, Lily-"

"Okay, if you say so!" she said, climbing through the portrait hole.

There was a slight pause. Then-

"How come she talks to you, Moony?" James Potter said, pulling off his Invisibility Cloak. "It's not like you make an effort with her-"

"That's because I don't act like a git around her," said Remus smoothly.

James gaped.

"So she thinks I'm a git?"

"Yes, but that's only because you act like one when she's around. You have to just be yourself, I'm telling you, she'll like you better-"

"Rise and shine, Prongs!" Sirius said, walking drowsily into the Common Room.

"Padfoot!" said James cantankerously. "Moony was just giving me girl advice! Mind you, Moony, how come you haven't got a girlfriend yet?"

Remus shrugged.

"If this is about Evans, mate, all you gotta do is stop making a fool out of yourself when she's around," said Sirius slickly.

James looked incredulously from Remus to Sirius.

"Have you guys been practicing this speech while I was asleep? Because if you were, I don't give a-"

"Hey, chill, mate!" said Sirius in his usual slick voice. "We haven't been having late-night practices about what-to-say-to-Prongs-about-Evans-"

"And even if we were, take our advice," said Remus. "Try not to be so much of a show-off in front of Evans, and I promise, she'll pay more attention to you."

"And anyway, you have a match to get ready for, mate! Go show Evans who the real James Potter is!"

A little annoyed that his friends were ganging up on him, James followed the two of them to the Great Hall for breakfast.

XXXXX

"…Slytherin in possession! Jugson passes to Nott, who dodges a Bludger- there's Gryffindor Keeper McKinnon- Nice save, Gryffindor!"

A loud cheer erupted from the Gryffindor stands. It was the middle of the game.

James was watching Wilkes, the Slytherin seeker. He squinted his eyes for the snitch- WHOOSH!

There was a flicker of golden light and James sped after the Snitch like lightning, and stretched his arm out…

"Potter caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

James flew back to the ground to meet his friends and admirers who were waving and cheering loudly…

Lily couldn't help but feel a bit impressed at how fast Potter had caught the Snitch. She, of course, had only come to the match because all of her friends had decided to accompany Marlene. She looked at Potter, surrounded by his admirers. She noticed that he wasn't messing up his hair like usual- but of course, there was no need- he had just got off his broomstick and his hair was messy enough anyways.

PS: I know the end was really sucky but please review anyways!!!