Oops, sorry, forgot to say that this takes place 5th year. It's a bit of an extension off of one of the scenes in DH during Snape's memories.

Also, based on canon, Freya has been changed to Mary.

"Okay, what do we do now?"

Lily slammed her knife into the hinkley root. "I don't know. Read the procedure, Potter," she snapped. She couldn't believe she'd gotten stuck with him! Why did she have to be late, why did Potter have to be late, and why did Lupin have to be absent? The one time she was late!

"If you don't know what we're doing now, how come you're cutting that?" he asked smugly.

She yanked up her chopping board and dumped the diced roots into the simmering potion. It wasn't even worth answering him. She couldn't help but glance over at Severus. James Potter was so close to driving her crazy that she was almost willing to swallow her pride and apologize to Severus for their argument earlier. Maybe she shouldn't have been so judgmental toward Mulciber and Avery. Her friend was pointedly ignoring her, pretending to be absorbed in brewing his potion. But the slight back and forth shifting of his head, and her knowledge that Sev could probably concoct this potion in his sleep, told her he was watching her.

"Should I add this now?" James held up a vial of iguana urine.

"Potter, I am not a walking procedure! If you want to know what to do next, read!" James Potter fancies you. Severus's words kept springing around in her brain, making her temper even shorter. Well he certainly doesn't act like it, she thought.

He glanced down at the book. "Where are we?"

She growled in frustration and grabbed the vial to snatch it from him. But he gripped the top as he grinned at her. "Go out with me?"

She glared at him and tugged, but he didn't let go. Fine, she'd just move on, or pretend to until he gave up the vial. They let go at the same time. Lily gasped and grabbed for the vial as it plunged to the floor. She missed and it shattered. As she jerked her head up to glare at James, her head collided with something, hard.

Potter yowled and jerked back, his hand flying to his nose, his eyes scrunching as if he were about to cry. He knocked the desk onto the cauldron.

"Potter!" she shrieked as their cauldron wobbled precariously. Not thinking, she reached out and steadied it. Her shriek turned to a cry of pain as the cauldron blazed under her hand. She yanked her hand to her chest, her eyes tearing as she glared at Potter who glared back as blood poured from his nose, over his lips, and down his chin.

"Miss Evans, is everything alright?" blustered Professor Slughorn as he hurried over to their station.

Lily pulled her throbbing hand from her chest. Her right palm and fingers were bright red and already beginning to blister. "I should be okay," she said tightly, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears.

"No, no, go on ahead and see Poppy," protested her teacher.

"But Professor, my potion—,"

Slughorn glanced briefly at the potion. It was almost done. Only two ingredients left. "Full marks," he said without hesitation. "Now go ahead and get your hand fixed up. You better go too, Mr. Potter."

"No, it's okay, I'll—."

Slughorn wagged his head. "No, no, if you get blood in the potion, you'll ruin it."

Lily grabbed up her quill and book in her left hand and thrust them into her bag before she stormed from the room, her temples thudding as she swore never to be late to a class again. She was NEVER going to work with Potter again, even if it meant she had to take a below Acceptable mark.

She was barely five steps from the potions classroom, when Potter was beside her. "I'm sorry, Evans," he said.

Lily blinked. He almost sounded sincere. But that was impossible. She strode on, ignoring him, ignoring the frantic fluttering her chest. She did not like James Potter. He had saved Sev, but was Sev right? Was he just doing it to save his own neck and those of his friends? But as much as Potter bullied Severus, Lily had an odd feeling that Potter had been concerned for her friend's safety. No, no, she protested, no he was just trying to save himself and his friends. I do not like, and I will never like, James Potter. I do not like James Potter. I hate the way he smirks like he knows exactly what you're thinking, I hate that obnoxious way he makes his hair messier than it is, I hate how he got better marks on his Transfiguration essay without even studying.

"Is your hand okay?" he tried again.

"What do you think?" she spat. "I burned it!"

"Hey, you nearly broke my nose!" he retorted defensively, blood flicking from his lips as he spoke. Her face wrinkled in disgust as she brushed a droplet from her hand. He at least had enough decency to blush.

"Because you were playing around! When are you going to grow up and stop acting like everything's a game, Potter?"

"Can I just say sorry?" he demanded. "What is it with you? You're always so critical!"

"NO I'M NOT! I'M JUST TIRED OF YOUR SORRIES! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" She stomped off. She realized that her cheeks were wet. It's just my hand hurting, she told herself.

It wasn't until Madam Pomfrey was gently swabbing anti-blistering potion over Lily's hand that Lily realized James Potter had never apologized directly to her. It had always been, "sorry you were in the way" or "sorry you were too dumb to mind your own business" or "it's not my fault." Never just a plain, I'm sorry. That's why it had sounded so sincere. And he'd never asked about the damages he'd caused. James Potter is a git, she thought, but it sounded more like a reminder, a habit, than a conviction.

When she emerged from the hospital wing, Severus was waiting for her.

"Hey Sev."

"Hello Lily. Is your hand going to be okay?" he asked, nodding at her bandage.

"Yeah, if I stay away from Potter." She immediately regretted the last part of her comment as a triumph flickered over Severus's face before it settled back into the relaxed expression he wore around her. What was that about?

His lips twitched for a moment in indecision and then he said slowly, "I'm sorry about earlier."

"Yeah, me too. I'm not trying to tell you what to do or anything, but just be careful, okay?" she said, pleadingly. "I don't want you to get into any trouble Sev."

His lips quirked in what would have been a smile on someone else. "I'll be careful, Lily."

"You want to go get some homework done in the library before dinner?" she asked.

"Sure."

When Lily sat down to dinner, Marlene and Aura were already there.

"How's your hand?" asked Aura.

Lily grinned. "Fine. I didn't burn it that badly."

"That's okay, I'll still pummel Potter in practice tonight anyway," Marlene said cheerfully. "I think Mark'll let me borrow his beater's bat."

Carlotta and Mary joined them. As dinner began, Lily felt there was something odd, like something was missing.

"Is it just me, or is it too quiet?" asked Mary.

"It's too quiet," replied Carlotta.

"Yeah, it's the Marauders," added Marlene.

"Huh?" asked Lily.

Marlene jerked her head to the right and they all turned to look. Remus Lupin sat by himself, looking incredibly pale. Beneath his sandy hair, his forehead was creased as if he were scowling at his food. A few seats up from him sat Potter. He kept looking back and forth between Lupin and Black, who sat a few seats up from Potter. Pettigrew was nowhere to be seen.

"That's weird. Have they ever not sat together?" mused Aura, resting her chin in her palm and tapping her fingers against her upper lip as if prepared to wrack her brain to remember if there ever was a time.

"No, I don't think so," said Carlotta, who probably didn't really have to think about it all that much. She'd had a crush on Sirius Black since second year and somehow always managed to notice where he was sitting.

"Something must've happened," mused Mary.

"I think something did," whispered Marlene, drawing all of their attention back to her as they huddled closer to hear. "James was pretty agitated at practice last night. He completely missed the ball twice and he got hit by a bludger he should've seen."

Lily swallowed uneasily. She wondered if this had anything to do with what Severus had mentioned about the other night. She wanted to tell her friends, but she didn't know the whole story and there was no point in spreading rumors. Besides, Severus had told her he wasn't supposed to talk about it.

She thought back to potions. Now that she thought about it, Black should've saved a seat for Potter; they always saved seats for one another. That was why she'd never had to partner with Potter in potions before. Something was wrong. What had happened the other night?

Severus seemed like he wanted to tell her something. He kept insisting that Lupin was a werewolf. And now it seemed like he was sure of his convictions. Like he was no longer trying to convince her of a theory but a fact.