Rose instinctively knew who that was and what that meant. She gasped and covered her dropped jaw in shock. She had known Lily since the day that had stepped into the Great Hall for the first time and from that moment on she was always there for her. And when she had been there for her in the past, it usually involved comforting her after a wicked comment from the Potter boy or such as this afternoon, helping Lily get him back. She looked back on the afternoon and a small grin played across her gentle features.
It was nothing that had been planned. It was not meant to be an act of retaliation or revenge but it had nicely become an opportunity for Lily to show just how much she hated James. It had begun in the same place where Lily and Rose had first met, in the Great Hall. Breakfast was being served before the biggest Quidditch match of the season, Slytherin versus Gryffindor. The room was busting with noise, everyone thrilled about the match. The talk of the morning was of course involving the ever popular James Potter.
The Gryffindor seeker was most likely the most sought after boy at Hogwarts and the thought of seeing him sweat on the Quidditch field was making many girls sweat at breakfast. Lily and Rose were probably the only ones not tripping over their cloaks when he walked by. Just as Lily and Rose rolled their eyes at a nearby girl's comment on "James' favorite ink color", the infamous boy walked by. He flashed a sparkling smile at the girls and their gasps echoed through the Great Hall. He continued to smile until he set eyes on Lily, who was glaring at him with the eyes of a demon. The smile instantly disappeared and he continued walking with a set scowl, dragging his broom behind him. His mood suddenly improved as he saw Snape bent over a scroll of Potions reading.
"Morning Snape. May I ask how your morning has been thus far?"
"Bugger off Potter. I'm busy."
"Oh Snapey Poo, you break my heart. Is your Potions reading really more important than moi? I think not."
With those last words, he snapped up the parchment and threw it behind his back.
"Potter! That is mine! Return it now!"
"Which hand Snape?"
"Give it to me!"
"I would say it is in the same hand as my broom. Gasp!"
He then jumped on the broom with the scroll tangling around his neck. As he flew up to the sky set ceiling, the room became silent. All had their eyes on James once again. The only one who moved was Lily, who stood yelling obscenities at James.
"James Potter get down here this instant before I come up there after to you."
"Really Evans? I highly doubt you are capable of even climbing a broom much less reaching this height. If you can reach me then I shall replace the snake's homework."
"Is that a challenge?"
"You bet your green eyes it is."
Before Lily could contemplate how James knew what color eyes she had, she grabbed a Gryffindor's broom and slowly boarded it. And before the Gryffindor could speak a word in protest, she was uncontrollably flying towards James, who now rested near the Slytherin colors that flew like a giant flag from the Great Hall's left wall. Somehow Lily managed to skid to a stop near the green and silver flag and see James' laughing face. Lily quickly regained her composure and glared at Potter before looking below to see the Hogwarts students the size of ants.
"So can I, I please have his homework back?"
"Um no. The only reason I got you up here was to confess my undying love for you."
Lily had no idea what to say and the witty comebacks were nowhere to be found. All that appeared was a look of complete shock. Suddenly James let out an obnoxious burst of laughter.
"Relax Evans. Loving you would be worse than loving little Snape down there. You didn't actually think I was serious did you?"
"Of course not!"
James gave a smirk and moved closer to her so as to place a hand lightly on her thigh.
"I think you wanted it to be true. I think you, like every other girl in this school, have a thing for me but you are holding it in as your deepest darkest secret."
These last words came out as a whisper in her ear and Lily was appalled by what she was hearing. The only thing she could possibly think of doing was something that did not require any words. She drew back her arm, making her hand into a fist. Before James could let out another degrading remark, her fist hit him hard in the eye, wiping his lousy smirk from his arrogant face. He stumbled back on his broom and an audible gasp was heard from all below. The face she saw was one turning black and blue around the eye from the punch and red around all his other features from anger.
"Evans! You are going to pay big time for this! Right here, right now. A duel! The two of us. We will finally see who is better than the other. I guarantee that I will have the last laugh here."
He suddenly flew to the other wall of the Great Hall and turned to face her. The look on his face was one that made Lily reconsider what she had just done. Maybe that punch was a mistake. But she had no choice but to do this. It was time for her to show James and the rest of Hogwarts who was really on top of this long lasting feud. Maybe this would finally put this constant battle to an end. Before she could think of the consequences she heard a spell come from James' mouth and was only able to dodge it before it bounced off the wall. Her anger suddenly flared. This was war.
"Furnunculus!"
The spell soared towards James and he quickly spoke the shielding spell. Lily had an evil smirk at the idea of him receiving that spell directly in the chest and waking up the next morning with boils all over his body. He wouldn't be quite as desirable then.
He was about to speak the Tarantallegra spell, which would have caused her to be dancing on her on broom, when someone below shouted "Stupefy!" James and Lily both looked at one another, not knowing who it was directed at. They then looked down and Lily saw James roughly receive the spell, stunning him while still remaining on his broom. Lily then took her opportunity and shouted the spell that would end it all. The Jelly-Legs Jinx hit the already stunned James and what happened next seemed to go in slow motion.
Lily watched as he looked up at her with an oddly placed grin that seemed to give off an impressed expression. He continued to smile as he slowly fell sideways off his broom and landed hard on the Ravenclaw table. It appeared as if the teachers had seen him falling and created a softer surface on the table for him to land on, so Lily felt all pride and no guilt. After everyone saw him land, hundreds of heads in unison looked up at Lily who had a victorious smile across her face. She was preparing to lower herself to the floor of the Great Hall when her leg was caught behind the other. Before she could save her dignity, she was swinging her arms wildly in the air. Her upper half was suddenly over the broom and she fell off the blasted stick onto the hard floor. She lay there unconscious, unaware of the gathering group around her, which happened to contain a quite conscious James bent beside her.
Rose looked back at the incident and realized that James had indeed gotten the last laugh but she would never tell this to Lily, fearing that her own head would get bitten off by the already outraged Perfect.
"So what are you going to do?"
"Well I have no choice but to do it. I'll have to face him someday, right? Miss Pomfrey should be healing me momentarily and I will be able to go back to the common room. Oh, the thought of our common room when I get there is just terrifying!"
"Don't you worry Lily. I'll back you up as always."
"Yeah I know."
Rose got up from the end of the twin bed and walked towards the door. She was just about to exit when Lily asked her something she had been wondering all afternoon.
"Hey Rose, how did the Quidditch match go?"
"Well we lost because Potter couldn't see the Snitch since one of his eyes was sealed shut after that black eye you gave him. The Slytherins are now in the lead for the House Cup. I'll see you in the common room."
With those last words, she exited and Lily smacked herself in the forehead thinking that James had indeed gotten the last laugh. The entire Gryffindor tower would be furious at her for more than one reason. She just knew that she would be accosted the next day by a bunch of girls who were angrier about James' pretty face getting messed up than about them losing the match. She fell back on her pillow, only hoping that she could just close her eyes and redo the entire day. But alas, it would never happen. It a short time she would be forced to face her enemy, apologize, and get on a broom with him. The short thought caused the tears to well up in her eyes once again.
In Gryffindor Common Room…
"There she is!"
The boys on the couch turned towards the portrait hole to see Rose walk in and stroll over to a 5th year girl by the name of Carol.
"Sirius! Please! We are looking for Lily, not Rose."
"I'm sorry Prongs, it's just, well… have you seen that girl? Look at her!"
Even though they had seen Rose everyday, all four boys turned in unison to look at the girl. Sirius was right in every sense. She was gorgeous. As she stood amongst her friends, her shoulder length blonde hair swayed when she talked. Her long limbs looked even longer when set off by the shadows of the fire. Whenever she turned towards the fireplace and left her friends, the flames danced in her golden eyes. All of the boys believed her to be extremely good looking but Sirius saw her differently.
"The only reason you think she is special is because she and Lily are the only girls that you have not conquered at this school."
"That's not true. There are a few girls in Hufflepuff that were just to ugly to conquer. No, she's different. There's something about her. Something I can't quite put my finger on. And if that was true I would be attracted to Lily but I'm leaving her just for you Prongs!"
"Shut up!"