Chapter One: Twice in Trouble
Lily Evans sat straight in her chair, alert and at attention, her emerald green eyes expectantly on the front of the classroom. She had laid her quills out on the desk in a neat row, her parchment placed square on the wood surface, and spare bottles of ink ready. Just in case. Lily was always trying to be well prepared for such things as a broken quill tip or low ink supply, and by always being prepared she was known as the most OCD witch of her time. At least by the Marauders' standards.
"Hey, Evans," James Potter said as he walked past her desk, his clothes is various states of disheveled carelessness. Lily did not reply to his greeting with words, just raised an eye brow at his lack of manners and respectability. He continued back and tossed himself rather lazily into the chair of the desk directly behind her desk. Sirius Black, his best mate and second, had done the same, both practically laying back in their chairs with a lack of attention that one needed to be a part of the advanced Transfiguration class. Peter followed Remus, both of them sloppy, but far more presentable than Sirius or James. They were the Marauders, and they were the four most popular boys in school, though Peter really was just a tag-a-long who was popular by association.
"So, Evans, when are you going to give my man, James, here a chance?" Sirius asked as he tapped on Lily's shoulder. She turned and put her finger to her lips as if in deep thought.
"Um, let me think," Lily said quite slowly. She wasn't looking at James, but at Sirius. "Maybe the day that I fly a broom on purpose," Lily replied rather coldly as she rolled her eyes, and turned back toward the front of the classroom.
"Ouch, Evans, that stings," Sirius laughed as he placed his hand to his heart.
"Mr. Black, please be quiet!" The professor snapped as she headed to the board, finally silencing the rowdy bunch of Marauders.
"Yes, ma'am," Sirius said. The professor began to teach the concepts that were not completely lost on the seventh years who had decided that they wanted to take such advanced Transfiguration.
Lily was so engrossed in the professor's lecture that she failed to hear her name whispered. She felt a tap on her shoulder as she scratched her quill to the parchment, catching all of the important notes for later review. She turned, furious that she had been so rudely interrupted. James and Sirius were looking at her expectantly.
"What?" Lily snapped. Her response to the tapping was hardly louder than a harsh whisper though a few people had looked at her curiously.
"We need supplies," Sirius said quietly as he eyed her spare supplies on the smooth finished desk.
"No. Get your own," Lily retorted. She was not about to become a supplier for these rude Marauders. How dare they interrupt her note-taking?
"Come on, Evans, be a pal," James pressed as he leaned forward. He tried to give her that look that usually melted whoever he looked at like that. She wasn't impressed, nor was she swayed.
"I am not your pal," Lily quipped as she went to turn back to the notes she was taking.
"Potter, Black," snapped the professor harshly, "and Evans, you have detention."
"What?" Lily exclaimed, standing up. She knocked the spare ink bottle from the top of her desk with her hand in her haste to stand on her feet, sending the bottle crashing to the floor. It burst, spraying the floor with its intense blue ink.
"Lily Evans, sit down!" The professor barked and Lily grudgingly sat in her chair, sending waves of hate and rage through her and back towards the two Marauders sitting directly behind her.
Lily was still fuming later in Herbology. The greenhouse was quite humid, to say the least, and Lily had rolled her sleeves up neatly to keep them clean and to try to keep cool. James and Sirius had taken their seats on the work station behind hers, sitting with their backs to her back; Remus and Peter sat across from them, able to see Lily's back from their seats. Sirius' elbow hit his spade, sending it from his bench carelessly to the floor. He reached absent mindedly to pick it up off the ground where it had landed behind him, slightly aware that Lily had her back to him.
"Ooh, nice Evans! Black lace, my favorite," Sirius whispered audible only to her and the Marauders. She looked behind at him to see Sirius righting himself.
"Oh!" Lily screeched her face etched with scandal and rage. Before she realized what she was doing, she had reached back and slapped him loud enough to echo through the greenhouse, earning herself a second detention. It was so unlike her. She was head-girl after all and she had never had detention before. Now she was just two classes into the New Year and already those Marauders had gotten her saddled with two detentions. Not to mention she would have to share head-student duties with that James Potter! The year that should have been her shining year had quickly turned into her seventh year from hell.
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