Oddest Couple

If there was ever an odd couple, it was Lily Evans and James Potter. They were complete opposites, to say the least. James played Quidditch and fooled around with girls between classes. And Lily was a prefect who spent most of her time studying. One would ask why Lily fell for James and not some other handsome bloke. What if there was someone else? What if Lily had a secret rendezvous? What if Lily was more popular with the boys than she let on? And what if there really was an odder couple than James Potter and Lily Evans?

Lily Evans headed out to the lake. It was May, just before O.W.L.s and she needed to study for her upcoming Potions exam. Of course, Potions was her best subject, but Lily was a perfectionist and had to get straight O's. She was going to help Remus with his studying. He had missed a few classes because of the full moon, and she promised to help him.

On this particular afternoon, someone else happened to be walking out on the grounds as well. James Potter was heading up to the castle to meet Sirius to make their rounds on one Severus "Snivellus" Snape.

Lily averted her eyes. She was sure that he would confront her for the tenth time that day. And sure enough...

'Oi! Evans!' James called cheerfully. 'Evans!'

'Might want to try my first name for once, Potter,' Lily said dully as she continued walking toward the lake's edge.

'Oh, c'mon, Lily,' James whined. 'You know you want to go out with me!'

Lily stopped and turned to face him. 'If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, James; I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last man on earth.'

'Actually, I do believe you said you wouldn't go out with me if it was between me and the Giant Squid,' James pointed out. 'C'mon, one date. We could go to Hogsmeade together.'

'Drop dead, James,' Lily said, rolling her eyes. 'I'm not interested.'

'But why not, my dear Lily?' James said sweetly, taking her hand and kissing it.

Lily ripped her hand away. 'You want to know why I'm not interested in a bullying, air-head like you?'

'Yes, I do,' James said, folding his arms across his chest.

Lily stepped forward until her face was inches from his. 'Because you, James Potter, are a man of shallowness and little brain-power.'

'Little brain-power?' James repeated. 'I'll have you know that I have received top marks in my classes this year.'

'Yes, but did you actually have to try?' Lily asked fiercely. 'Or did you get all of your answers from your perfect pureblood family?'

'Now, Evans,' James growled, his temper rising, 'don't you have a go at my family.'

'I'm not having a go at your family,' Lily said innocently. James smiled. She suddenly yelled, 'I'm having a go at you!'

'What?' James blurted out.

'You're just so damn full of yourself, James!' Lily shouted. 'You think everyone is in love with you when they all really hate you!'

'Name five people who hate me!' James said arrogantly.

'Me, Snape, Slughorn -'

'Wait! I thought old Sluggy was rather fond of me!' James interrupted.

'No such luck,' Lily said with a smile and turned away, heading toward the lake again.

'Evans! You've only mentioned three people who hate me!' James called after her.

Lily stopped and thought for a moment. She could just walk away and pretend she didn't hear him. But why walk away from the opportunity to deflate James' ego a bit?

Lily turned around once again and walked back toward him. 'There's my sister, Petunia and there's Bertram Aubrey.'

'Just because Sirius and I inflated his head?' James said.

'Maybe you could use the counter-curse on yourself,' Lily muttered as she walked away. 'Deflate your own head a bit.'

'See you later then, Evans!' James called.

Lily shook her head. When would he just give in? Never. James, whether Lily realised it or not, loved her, and there was no way that was going to change.

But Lily wasn't interested in James. He was too arrogant and self-centred. However, Lily was interested in one boy in her class.

'Remus!' Lily called. He was sitting under a willow tree, reading a textbook, most likely Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage.

Remus looked up from the book. 'Lily! What took you so long?' he nagged teasingly.

'James,' Lily groaned as she sat down next to Remus. She couldn't believe that someone as kind as Remus could be friends with someone as big headed as James.

Remus chuckled to himself. 'He is crazy about you, Lily, you know that, don't you?'

'Please, Remus,' Lily said, rolling her eyes. 'Why are you friends with him? All he cares about is Quidditch and how many girls fawn over him in one day.'

Remus frowned at her disapprovingly. 'Now, Lily, that's not true.'

At that very moment, James and Sirius, with Peter hobbling along behind them, passed by, waving at the girls sitting by the lake. Lily distinctly noticed James messing up his hair for what had to be the seventy-fourth time that day.

'And you were saying?' Lily said.

Remus, who had watched his friends walk by, frowned. 'Okay, they do care quite a bit about the girls,' he agreed. 'But they care about other things too, Lily. You may not see it, but they really are good people. I can always count on them to be there for me. When I transform, when I'm having trouble in a class...'

'If they're always there for you, then why aren't they helping you study for Potions?' Lily asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

'They offered,' Remus said. 'However, I want to pass my Potions O.W.L. James may be smart, but Sirius and Peter, well, let's just say they're not the sharpest tools in the shed. And, besides, who better to help me then the best in our class?'

'Why thank you, Remus,' Lily said, feeling rather good about herself. 'Well, let's see what we have here.' She looked at Remus' book, which was lying unceremoniously on the ground. 'Hmm, Amortentia,' Lily said, reading the title. 'Interesting topic.'

'Yeah,' Remus said, sounding rather embarrassed. He closed the book anxiously. 'Just a bit of light reading, you know.'

'No harm in that,' Lily said with a smile. 'But I think we had better get to studying. What should we start with?'

'Well, I'm having a bit of difficulty with the Draught of the Living Death,' Remus said, opening the book to page ten. 'I mean, I remember making it at the beginning of term, but even then it wasn't the best draft.'

'The Draught of the Living Death is easy enough to understand,' Lily said, opening her own book. There were notes all over the page. She had grown accustom to writing down anything that seemed to work better. 'You just have to pay attention to detail. And, sometimes, it does help to experiment with different ideas.'

'What have you done to your book?' Remus asked, staring in awe at her vandalised textbook.

'Just added a few revisions,' Lily said. 'You see, if you just add a clockwise turn here -'

'Where did you learn all of this?' Remus asked, pulling her textbook toward him, examining her notes eagerly.

'Well, Severus and I decided to study together, and -'

'Snivellus?!' Remus yelled.

Lily hushed him hastily. 'Yes, Snivellus,' she whispered. 'We decided to study one day and compare notes.'

'But Snivellus?' Remus pleaded. 'He's a Slytherin.'

'What's your point, Remus?' Lily asked insulted.

'My point is that he's the enemy,' Remus shot back.

'Oh, please,' Lily said, snapping her book shut. 'All of this nonsense between Slytherins and Gryffindors... What this school needs is a little inter-house unity. And it doesn't help that everyone competes for House Cup...'

'I can't believe this,' Remus muttered to himself. 'James will wet himself. You and Snape.'

Lily gave Remus a look that could kill. 'Don't you dare,' she said in a low tone that meant she would hex him into oblivion.

'Fine,' Remus huffed. 'I won't tell him.'

'Or anyone else,' Lily added.

'What do you see in him?' Remus asked curiously. 'I mean, he's just so...slimy.'

'There's more to Severus than he lets on,' Lily said. She placed her book in her bag. 'At least he doesn't go about flirting with girls all day and ruffling up his hair to make the girls like him like someone we know.'

'Lily, how can you compare James to someone like Snape?' Remus demanded. 'The only thing they have in common is that they're pureblood.'

'That's where you're wrong,' Lily said fiercely. She picked up her bag and rose to her feet. 'But at least Severus has a bit of depth. He sees the beauty on the inside of people, not just the outside.'

'Lily, you make it sound like you're in love with him,' Remus said, sounding almost sickened at the thought.

'Maybe I am,' Lily said before walking away.