Comeuppance

Comeuppance

By Jadeite42

AN: I don't own anything but my fuzzy red hoodie...gimme a break and don't sue. Oh yeah, and flames will be read, considered, and promptly thrown together for a weenie roast.

Lily's eyes snapped open as her forehead hit the open textbook. "Fantastic," she muttered, straightening in her chair. "Biggest quiz ever and I can't even stay awake."

A vivid blue book flapped closer. "Do you want me to sing, dearie? It might increase your focus..." A few pages fluttered helpfully as an off-key humming began to emerge from the spine.

"No!" Lily slapped the book shut. The crooning halted abruptly and a distinct "Well, I never!" could be heard clearly in the quiet library. Madam Pince looked up sharply from her desk, glaring across her domain for they who dared to break the silence.

Lily gingerly lifted her hand from the book, and the cover flipped open again. "I'm sorry...it's just..." How do you tell your assignment book that it cannot carry a tune? "I'm really tired. I probably should just go back to the common room."

"Put it off today and you'll regret it tomorrow!"

"I know, I know," She stood up and began neatly packing texts into her messenger bag. "But if I don't sleep today, I won't be able to remember anything tomorrow."

"Well...you're probably right, dear. Sleep is what's best for young growing minds and bodies! My aunt Sophie used to say..."

Lily never got to hear what infamous aunt Sophie used to say. The chatty book went into the bag with the rest of her supplies. Lily swung it to her shoulder, more than ready now for a hot bath and comfortable bed. She half-stumbled towards the immense wooden doors, nodding a good-night to Madam Pince as she passed.

The hallway was cool, and Lily felt her body reviving the tiniest bit as she pushed the creaky doors shut behind her. She stood for a moment in the middle of the corridor, quite enjoying the peaceful lull that enveloped Hogwarts during supper. Miles below her, people were eating, laughing, bickering about Quiddich, feverishly speeding through homework, or sneaking off to make up and make out. Lily shuddered. It was all right for some people - the whole "community" thing - but she, for one, preferred to be alone. Less noise, more thinking. More time to plan, to dream, and to study.

To study. Her shoulders sagged as worry returned. I'm gonna fail that quiz. But what could she do? She'd been over the material a thousand times. It just wasn't sticking, and reading it a thousand and one times wasn't going to make a difference.

Shrugging her bag higher onto her shoulder, she turned and started down the hallway. The early-winter moon sent crazy shadows across her path, and she silently counted the steps it took to cross each one. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. I'm going to fail. I'm going to fail. I'm going to -

"Hey, watch where you're going, Evans! You almost killed me!"

"Sorry," she mumbled, trying to steer around the body that stood in front of her.

"Sorry?" Oh, no. Of all the people to run into... "You sure don't look sorry, Evans."

"I am. Excuse me, Potter."

"Oh, not so fast!" He stepped sideways, blocking her escape route. She swallowed a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes, staring anywhere but at him.

"I don't have time for this."

"On the contrary, Your Royal Weird-ness. The way you were walking, you seemed to have all the time in the world."

"Have you been spying on me?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't say spying."

"What would you say?"

"I'd say you've got quite an inflated head to talk to me like that." His tone was cool, superior. With the moonlight shining behind him, his supposedly handsome features were cast in shadows. Lily almost backed up in disgust. How could anyone revere this boy? He was cruel, rude, completely lacking in respect - and the most popular, sought-after male in the entire school. Well, that didn't bother her. Someone needed to take him down a peg. It might as well be her.

"You're no better than me, Potter!"

"I beg to differ. One," he held up his index finger. "I have a life. Two," another finger. "It does not include you. I think that automatically places me way above you in the ladder of life."

"Eloquent, but completely untrue. For example, your life does include me, or you wouldn't be standing here, keeping me from going to bed!"

"Going to bed, were you?" His emerald eyes glittered in the dark, and Lily suddenly felt as though she'd said something wrong. "Not going to eat dinner?"

"It's not a crime!" Why did she feel so defensive?

"Didn't say it was."

"Why aren't you at dinner?"

"I was. I left. Don't change the subject."

"I'm not!" There was a pause, and Lily quickly realized how he'd trapped her. His shoulders were shaking with silent laughter, and a smirk was spreading over his features. She exhaled, staying as calm as possible. "What's the subject, Potter?"

"Not as smart as you seem in class." That smirk again. "Pity."

"You're not this confident in Charms."

His face fell ever-so-slightly. "A lot you know, Evans! I could charm circles around you!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Prove it!"

"Fine!" He strode a few steps down the hallway, pulling his wand out of his robe.

"Fine." She did the same, giving hers a few practice flicks. She glanced over her shoulder to where he was performing exaggerated stretches. "Just hexes, remember. I wouldn't want to permanently damage you. Your fan club would kill me!"

He rolled his eyes. "Get ready for a rude awakening, Evans."

"I highly doubt your ability to give me more than a sore finger. Incarceratus!"

She had to laugh. He looked so silly lying there on the floor, unable to break the ropes that bound him. His eyes narrowed with surprise and anger. "You cheated! Diffindo!" The bindings fell off of him as though they had been cut in two, and he quickly sprang up from the ground.

"Since when do you make the rules?"

"Since now. Tarantallegra!"

"Protego!" Lily threw up a shield and crouched behind it, sending the hex into the rafters. So, that was the way he wanted to play, was it? No problem. He was just standing there, alert, following the rules of wizard dueling. Far too cocky still, Lily thought. She took a second more to calm her mind, then suddenly straightened. "Expelliarmus! Petrificus Totalus! Wingardium Leviosa!"

"Wh-what--" was all he managed to get out before he found himself floating, motionless, six feet above the ground. Lily felt a grin spread across her face and sauntered closer.

"Beat by a few first-year charms! Potter, I must say, I'm not impressed. I really expected more from you."

The only reply available to him was to glare, and he did so.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear." There was only the quiet drip drip of an old castle. "Who did you say was better than you at charms?"

Glare. Lily shrugged, nonchalant, and picked up her messenger bag. "Well, Potter, if you're not going to cooperate, I certainly don't see any need to. See you around." She took measured steps, counting the seconds. After ten, she turned around. "Oh, and Potter? Don't spy on me."

After turning the corner, she stopped again and took out her wand. Carefully, she pointed the tip back towards James, and whispered "Finite Incantatum." A loud thump, followed by a pained grunt let her know that he was earthbound and mobile again. She smiled, satisfied, and continued on her way to the Gryffindor common room.

Finis