Dangerous Game

Lily lounged out by the lake on a large plaid blanket soaking up the rare heat that was coming from the November sun. She pulled down her sun glasses so as to hide her gaze; she looked over a group of boys, about twenty feet away. Sirius was busy eying a group of girls, with Peter trying to follow his lead, though it was failing miserably. Remus with his nose buried in a book, then there was James playing with a snitch he had nicked from the old set of Quidditch equipment.

James looked over feeling eyes upon him to see a very pretty red head looking his way. Smirking, he caught the snitch for the last time, and then pocketed it in his cloak. Running a hand through his hair, he rose from his seat, making his way over to Lily.

“Shit,” Lily muttered realizing that she had been caught. During her whole seven years at Hogwarts, she had rejected James repeatedly, not because he was not good looking, it was just he was so immature. This year though, she had been forced to talk with him since they were both head boy and girl of Gryffindor, and he had changed greatly over the summer. He treated her as if she was a human being and not just something to look at, and he had physically grown up. He had grown much taller over the summer, and a lot less scrawny.

“Hello love,” James said taking a seat next to her before she would tell him to buzz off. “I caught you staring over at me from behind your glasses,” he said smugly, before adjusting to lean back on his arms looking up at the sky.

“I wasn’t looking at you,” Lily said with a roll of her eyes. Who was she kidding, she had been caught, but she had to play it off like she wasn’t. “I could have been looking at Sirius, or Remus,” Lily said.

“No you weren’t,” James said laughing a bit. “I have seen you look my way many times before, and I was by myself, so what’s your excuse for that?”

“Fine, say I was looking at you, what does it matter?” Lily asked pushing her glasses off her eyes, and placing them atop of her head.

“It matters because all the years before, you would not give me the time of day, nor even look at me,” James said looking over at her finally, to see those emerald eyes staring back, and not out of contempt like normal.

“I have to be nice to you now, since we are heads of our houses,” Lily said meeting his gaze.

“Are you sure that is the only reason?” James asked her raising an eyebrow. He was hoping that it was no, that she finally would give him a chance.

“Positive,” Lily said sitting up to stretch. Truth was, James Potter seemed to always be on her mind now, and she could have sworn she felt jealous whenever he gave another girl attention. “Now if you don’t mind, Potter, I have some work I have to do, so I am going to need this,” Lily said as she picked lightly at the blanket.

“Fine,” James said a bit disappointed, unable to hide it from his voice. He rose from his seat, noticing his friends were all watching him, but when they saw he was looking back at them, they all looked away.

Lily watched him walk off, then rose off the blanket as well to pick up her blanket. She shook it out then folded it up nicely before tucking it under arm.

“Hey Lily,” she heard a male voice call. She turned around to see Severus heading her way. Lately she had been annoyed with him. He was always hanging around with Mulciber, Malfoy, Bellatrix, and Avery. She had told him how much she disliked them, and what he was doing when he was with them, yet he did not care.

“Hello,” Lily said as he approached. They then fell into step together going towards the castle. Glancing back, Lily could see James staring after them, a scowl on his face.

“What did Potter have to say?” Severus asked, noticing she was looking over at James again, but did not mention it.

“Just talking,” Lily replied, taking her sunglasses off her head, and putting them into her side bag.

“He is such an arrogant prat,” Severus said opening the door for Lily before following in behind her.

“We all know this, you don’t have to keep repeating it,” Lily said as they headed towards the library. Many students where in the hall, and Lily could see her friends giving her nasty looks. None of them approved of her being friends with Severus, but they had known each other since they were ten.

“Severus!” A voice called out from down the hall, causing both Lily and him to turn around. It was Avery and Bellatrix leaning up against a wall. “Are you going to be there tonight?”

Severus just nodded his head yes, then turned back to Lily

“I don’t like you hanging out with them,” Lily said nonchalantly. She had told him this many times, but it never seemed to faze him.

“There is nothing wrong with them, you just don’t know them,” Severus said opening the library door for her.

“But that is just it! There is! They are evil to anyone who is not part of their group. I have seen the way they glare at me, and anyone else who is not a pure blood,” Lily said sitting down at a dusty table pulling her books out of her bag.

“And you say Potter isn’t evil to me?” Severus asked pulling out his own chair next to her looking over the books she had pulled out.

“He isn’t evil, he just isn’t nice to you,” Lily said unrolling a short curl of parchment before reaching for her quill and ink well. “He doesn’t perform dark magic, like you and your friends do.”

“Fine Lily, if that is how you want to play, then fine,” Severus said pushing back his chair in a huff, causing it to almost fall over.

“I am not playing anything Severus, I am just stating a fact.” Lily snipped back at him. Lately he had turned into a completely different person, selfish, snippy, and he always seemed to be hiding something. “What you’re leaving now? Because you can’t face the truth?”

Severus did not say a word, he instead just turned his heel, muttering to himself. He was off to find Bellatrix, and Avery.

Lily rolled her eyes, and ripped open her charms book to work on some homework due on Friday.