"Miss Evans?"
Lily looked up from doodling on her parchment. "Sorry Professor?"
Professor McGonagall was looking down at her, glasses perched right on the edge of her nose. "I asked you a question, Miss Evans, care to answer?"
Lily bit her lip. "Er…"
She admitted she hadn't been listening to a word the stern professor had been saying, having been otherwise preoccupied with drawing various labelled diagrams of torture devices; all involving James Potter.
She quickly covered them with her hands.
Lily looked up at the teacher, blinking fast. After she'd finally gotten to bed on Saturday night, she'd been unable to sleep. On Sunday she had refused to leave the dorm and Marlene, Alice and Hestia seemed to know not to bother her this time. Still, she'd been unable to sleep all night. James Potter kept popping into her mind, carefully chipping away at her sanity. She could feel it.

"Could you repeat the question?"
"Certainly." McGonagall said, pacing back up to the blackboard. "Tell me, if a person so wished, how would they become an animagus?"
Lily breathed out; she knew this one.
"They would go to the ministry and apply-"
"Wrong."
A voice from the back interrupted. Lily turned around to see who thought they were smarter than her and found, of course, James Potter smiling back at her.
McGonagall looked at James, quite expressionless.
"And why, Potter, do you disagree with Miss Evans?"
"You didn't ask how to become a registered animagus…I mean, isn't it possible to become one under the ministry's nose? By learning the right spells and brewing the correct potions of course."
The teacher smiled slightly. "And how would you know that Potter?"
James shrugged. "Something Remus told me once." He looked over at the other boy and, ever so slightly, winked. Lily was sure she was the only person who had noticed.
Professor McGonagall had turned back to the rest of the class. "Correct, Potter." Lily gasped. "But professor!" She stuttered. "Surely, I mean…the proper way would be to-"
"Yes thank you Miss Evans, I'm sure you have the perfect instructions memorized from your textbook, but alas, I was testing you."

"Mr Potter here," She gestured to James. "Was thinking outside of the box! Just the criteria needed to perhaps become an auror after his education is completed." Lily's mouth fell open.
McGonagall clapped her hands together. "Now, shall we continue?"

Lily refused to turn around for the rest of the class, because she knew he would be there, smirking. No one got a compliment from Professor McGonagall…it was completely unheard of.
When it was time to leave, Lily speedily grabbed her books and left before anyone else had packed away. She was about to turn the corner when- "Hey! Hey Evans!"
Lily swore under her breath. Again? Really?
"What Potter?" She said irritably, not turning around or stopping.
"Sorry about that!"
Lily halted and turned around. "Sorry for what?"
"Y'know, answering that question?" He rubbed his neck.
"Don't be Potter, it was a decent answer; clearly better than mine. McGonagall seemed to think so anyway."
James seemed flabbergasted at her lack of care. Where was the shouting? The threats? The fight? Even Lily was shocked.
"Anything else?"
James slowly shook his head, screwing his eyes up in confusing.
"Right." Lily nodded. "Good." She turned and continued walking to potions.

Alice and Hestia were talking rapidly about how Amos Diggory had spoken to Hestia in Hogsmeade and, if he hadn't of been with some other girl, would of totally asked her out. Marlene was walking back with Sirius.
So once again, Lily was alone.
Potions was the only class Gryffindor had with the Slytherins, and she had hoped to have a chat with Severus, to clear the air.
No such luck.
At the beginning of class, he had sat at the front with Avery and Mulciber, leaving Lily by herself at their usual spot together.
Now, as she stared at the back of his neck, she wondered if they would ever be friends again. They had been drifting apart, but she had singlehandedly destroyed any hope of a future with Severus. Well, she thought grimly. Not all singlehandedly; James had certainly done his best to insure they wouldn't talk anymore.

Lily returned her thoughts to the brewing potion in front of her. It had turned a deep purple, and the textbook stated that she needed to stir 16 times clockwise before adding a teaspoonful of powdered mouse droppings. Then it should turn a burnt orange colour.
Lily followed the instructions word for word, yet once she was finished, her potion was the same colour as a vomit Bertie Bott bean; a sickly orange with little streaks of red. She hadn't done anything wrong as far as she could remember, but perhaps her potion hadn't turned out right because she didn't have Severus's guidance. He had almost always instructed her against the textbook's wishes, and her potions were usually perfect.

Not today.
Professor Slughorn looked into her cauldron happily.
"Not your best Lily, something on your mind dear?"
Looking over at Severus and then back, Lily shook her head.
"No professor."
He grinned again. "Well, no matter. Your potion is still magnificent."
She wanted to roll her eyes as the robust man continued to the next table. She knew it certainly wasn't magnificent. Lily looked over at Severus again, only to find him staring at her.
Their eyes connected and Lily was about to mouth something to him when a large explosion caused her to look behind.

Cackling laughter erupted from James and Sirius' mouth.
Peter was very nearly unrecognisable beneath a thick layer of magenta coloured goo, which seemed to be fizzling slightly.
The two laughing boys high-fived and in between breaths, James managed to utter a sentence.
"Brilliant Padfoot!" He looked over at Remus, who was staring disapprovingly. "Slipped a whole bag of fizzing wizbee's in there when Wormtail wasn't looking."
Remus's mouth quirked a little but he turned around again.
"Ah boys!" Slughorn boomed. "I love a good prank, I have to admit. Though I'm afraid you'll have to stay behind to clear this mess up."
Sirius nodded.

"Anton, is it?" Professor Slughorn said, pointing to Peter.
James and Sirius burst out laughing again.
"That's the one sir!"
Sirius nudged Peter's shoulder. "Alright Anton?"
Peter didn't reply, he seemed to be battling his lips, which were glued together.
Slughorn frowned. "Lupin? Take Anton here to the hospital wing please. Explain his…dilemma."
Remus nodded and got up.
Peter meanwhile, had failed to wrench his mouth open.
He stood abruptly.
The whole class began laughing and gasping for air. Even Lily let out a snigger.

His bottom, drenched in the failed potion, had burned a hole right through the chair.