Not a Chance

Chapter One~ One Girl

James Potter strode confidently down a winding corridor in Hogwarts, for once, devoid of the rest of his companions. The other Marauders were eating dinner in the Great Hall, but James, for perhaps the first time in his life, wasn't hungry. His mind was pre-occupied solely with one girl- Lily Evans.

A group of girls passed by him, giggling when he smiled flirtatiously at them. In truth, James only flirted with all the other girls to try to get a reaction out of Lily. Not that he ever got one. Indeed, the only sort of reaction Lily seemed to get by him was a bad temper. James sighed and unknowingly ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up more than it already was. He could have his pick of all the girls in school, except for the one he wanted. In his mind, it was completely unfair that Lily despised him. It wasn't his fault he had good looks and that people were just naturally drawn to him.

Abruptly, James realized that he had been standing in the same spot for quiet some time, glaring at a suit of armor. He was surprised it hadn't reached up and struck him with the blunt end of its sword, yet. It had been known to happen in the past. James cringed as he remembered the last time he had been scolded by a suit of armor. " It was in this corridor," he realized, looking around. " I was badgering Lily and then some stupid suit of armor clanked up and told me something about only scoundrels would hound a lady, so on and so forth. And by the time I managed to get away, Lily was gone." James shook his head in disgust. It was certainly the last time he would even glance at Lily in front of a rusted old knight.

Noises interrupted his reverie, jerking him back to the present. Hundreds of chattering voices filled the formerly silent passageways; students clustered together made their way back to their common rooms. Dinner was over. James crept behind particularly large stone statue- a mermaid admiring herself in a mirror. He didn't really want to be spotted by his informal fan club, full of girls who were dying to catch his attention. There was only one girl's attention he wanted, and that was Lily's.

James searched the crowd with narrowed eyes. As he was a star seeker, he quickly spotted who he was looking for, and tried to catch Sirius's eye. Luckily, Sirius turned towards him just then, got James's silent message, and elbowed Remus, who was walking beside him. James watched the milling students disperse, until only Sirius, Remus, and Peter remained. Only then he felt it was safe enough to emerge from his hiding place.

" Whatcha doing back there, Prongs?" Sirius asked, amused. " Hiding from Evans, because of what happened this afternoon?"

James grimaced and fought to keep the red from rising to his cheeks. " If anything, I think it's Snivellus who wants to hide from her." James shook his head, then said, " I still can't believe that slimy git called her a mudblood. She saved his skin, she did, and all he could do-"

" Oh, lay off him, James," Remus interrupted. " You know she was right."

Sirius's face darkened, and Peter made a squeak, as if amazed at Remus's bravery to say such a thing. " What d'you mean, Moony?" James asked, startled. At the very least, he ad expected to have his friends on his side.

" I'm not saying Snape doesn't deserve it," Remus said hastily. " All I'm saying is that he really wasn't doing anything to us right then, when you-"

" I don't believe this!" James exploded. " Are you telling me that you don't mind him calling you names, and acting like he's better than the rest of us? Are you saying that you don't care how many times he's humiliated us, made fun of us, and gotten us in trouble?" James demanded.

" N-No!" Remus blinked. " I just meant that-"

" Break it up, you two," Sirius growled. " Here comes Snivellus, speak of the devil."

Severus Snape- or, Snivellus, as the Marauders had donned him- was rounding the corner, nose pressed into a thick, heavy black book. He looked so engrossed that he didn't realize who was standing nearby; Sirius held out his foot and Snape stumbled over it, book falling from his hands. He had barely regained his balance when Sirius shoved him down.

" What're you doing here? Slithering around like the snake you are, Snivellus?" Sirius said coldly. He stooped over and picked up the fallen book, smirking as he riffled through its pages. A lock of midnight black hair fell into his eyes, creating a look that was enough to make any girl swoon. James grudgingly admitted that he would never be able to get that look, but it didn't matter- he attracted enough attention as it was.

Snape glared. " Give that back," he hissed, reaching for his wand.

But James was a step ahead of him. He already had his wand drawn, and as soon as he saw what Snape was up to, he pointed it his face and muttered, " Engorgio!"

Snape's beady eyes widened in alarm; his nose, already large, had swelled to the size of a small watermelon. Sirius laughed loudly with James, covering up Peter's squeals- which were supposedly laughter. Even Remus could not resist chuckling. Sirius finished looking through the book, then threw it at Snape.

Barely contained laughter danced in Remus's eyes. He said, " Go on, Snape. You've got your book back. Go, before I take some points from your house."

Snape snarled a fowl reply, spun on his heel, and started to sulk back the way he had come, but Sirius's gaze was riveted to the floor, where a tiny slip of parchment had fallen from the book. " Oy!" he called out gleefully, picking up the scribbled note. " Snivellus forgot something!"

Apparently, these words had a profound effect on Snape. He swivelled around and when he saw what was clutched in Sirius's hand, panicked, and made a desperate grab for it. " Looks like it's something important, too," Sirius remarked, holding the note high above Snape's head. He opened it, read the first line or so, then threw it to James. " Think you'd better have a look at it, Prongs," he snarled.

Snape was now perfectly devoid of color. Sirius picked him up by the scruff of his collar to keep him from running off. James quickly scanned the crumpled piece of parchment, brow lowering ominously as he read. Peter jumped up by him, craning his neck. " What's it say?" he whined, poking James. " What's it say, Prongs?"

But James could hardly hear a word he said. All he could see was the words in front of him.

Lily,

I know you think I'm nothing but a slimy git who isn't worthy of your time, but I wanted to say thank you for helping me today. It means a lot to me that you'd help me out, even though we haven't exactly been on the best of terms. I'm sorry for calling you a mudblood. ( Here there was a bunch of crossed out lines that James couldn't decipher.) Will you meet me tonight, on the top of the Astronomy Tower?

Severus

James felt his blood start to boil. He tightly clenched the note in his hand, eyes blazing. " Thank you, Padfoot," he snapped. " I think I can take it from here."

Sirius nodded, then deposited Snape on the ground. James tossed the mutilated note to him, and he showed it to Remus and Peter. Remus's eyebrow raised speculatively, and Peter looked thunderstruck. James advanced on Snape, whose eyes were flitting around, as if looking for an escape path. But there was none. Snape gulped and raised his wand, hand trembling.

" So... Got a thing for Evans, have you? You better keep you dirty hands off of her," James said smoothly, withdrawing his own wand as well. Behind him, he heard similar noises of wands being raised, but he said, " No. I want to deal with him. Alone."

" You sure?" Sirius asked, steadily regarding Snape with a face that spoke of deep loathing.

" Positive," James reassured him, never taking his eyes off of Snape. " I want to be the one to teach the stinking slime ball a lesson."

" As if you could, Potter." Snape smirked. " And as for that mudblood, Evans, I would choose a pox ridden whore before her."

James's glared menacingly. " I doubt even a whore would take you, Snivellus. Even if you paid her a thousand Galleons," he retorted. " Take what you said back."

Snape's lip curled. " I think not, Potter. Struck a nerve, have I? Perhaps you're jealous... After all, the mudblood did stick up for me, while flatly refusing you in the process."

James's temper broke. " You're gonna regret that, you rotten, filthy, b-"

" What are you all doing down here?" a firm, loud voice broke him off. And then Lily Evans herself crossed the hallway, a scowl marring her face and emerald eyes flashing. And then, of course, James forgot about everything else on the planet.

Lily's fiery red hair was pulled back in a hasty ponytail, and loose strands of it kept falling out, framing her heart-shaped face. Her large, almond eyes were narrowed with suspicion. Her full, pink mouth was pursed in a straight line. " I thought you, Remus," she said, " had enough sense not to go picking fights. Apparently, I was wrong."

Remus reddened and murmured an apology. Then, satisfied, Lily faced Sirius, who looked not at all abashed. At her unwavering stare, he finally growled a half-hearted apology, then looked away.

Next, the most amazing thing happened. Lily Evans looked at James Potter, who could feel himself melting on the floor into one big puddle. He was positive he must look like an idiot, with " I like Lily Evans " written across his forehead. And, even though her gaze was a disapproving, stern one, James would have gladly traded all his money in the world for her to keep on looking at him like that. He shoved his wand into his pocket, managing to look slightly ashamed. " E-Evans," he stuttered. " What're you doing here?"

Lily snorted. " Finding you four," she told him, waving her hand vaguely. " It's nearly lights out, and since I am a Prefect..."

James's heart sunk. For one fleeting, wonderful moment, he had thought that Lily might have actually been looking for him, because she wanted to see him... Naturally, he had been proved wrong. Lily Evans was a Prefect; he, a Marauder. Lily Evans was a smart, studious kind of girl; he, an easy-going, adventure craving guy. It would never work out between them anyway. Besides, she detested him about as much as he detested Snape.

" Typical of you, James," she said, frowning. " Do you really think that you're above the rest of us? You have to be in by lights out, too, you know-" All of a sudden, Lily cut off, then pointed behind James. " Watch out!" she shrieked.

But it was too late. Snape's curse had hit James in the back of his head, and he felt as if a thousand bulls had just finished stampeding over him. The world went black for a minute, and he heard a funny buzzing noise. He was dimly aware that he was lying on the cold stone floor, but he couldn't summon the energy to stand up and hex Snape back. He was also blissfully aware that Lily was sitting by him, feeling his head for injury. " It's not too bad," she said, her voice softer than he had ever heard it. " Nothing that Madame Pomfrey can't fix." Apparently, Sirius had made a move to do something along the same lines to Snape, because Lily told him in a firm tone to leave him be, and to help her carry James up to the Hospital Wing.

Peter and Remus came closer, surveying James's almost unconscious form. " We'll head back to the common room," Remus said, his voice distant sounding. " That way Madame Pomfrey won't get too suspicious."

Lily nodded curtly, then slung one of James's arms around her shoulders, while Sirius took the other. A few times, Lily giggled, though James had no idea why, and even Sirius's chest rumbled with suppressed laughter. Slowly, they made their way up to the Hospital Wing, struggling up winding staircases and down dark corridors. " What'd Snape do to make James mad this time, Sirius?" Lily asked curiously.

Sirius grinned. " I think he should be the one to tell you," he said.

Lily shook her head. " If it's another line along the ' It's more of a fact that he exists '..."

Sirius laughed. " It's not," he assured her. " Although it is a factor, I think."

They were there. Madame Phillis Pomfrey hustled forward, clucking her tongue in disapproval. " And what happened here?" she asked, indicating for Sirius and Lily to deposit James on a bed.

" He fell, Madame Pomfrey," Lily said earnestly. It wasn't exactly a lie, either. After all, James had fallen- just not on account of his own clumsiness.

" I see... I suppose that's how he's got a patch of hair missing in the back of his head?" Madame Pomfrey said speculatively.

James jerked awake, sitting up, panting. He lifted a hand to touch the back of his head, which was sticky with blood- and also bald. " No," he gasped, horror struck. No wonder Lily and Sirius had been so buoyant. James had lost his hair! He fell back onto the pillows with a muffled groan.

Lily smirked. " Of all things to wake him up," she mused, but explained aloud to Madame Pomfrey, " We had to blast off some of is hair to examine to wound."

Sirius and James were equally surprised. This was Lily Evans, school prefect and top mark student- telling a downright lie? It was too weird to even think about the possibility. Madame Pomfrey instructed Lily to use the cloth and water filled basin on the bedside table to clean off the wound, while she got some bandages and such. Lily dipped the rag in the water, squeezed it, then gently began to rub the bald spot on James's head.

" Thanks, Li-Evans," James stumbled, smiling. To his complete and utter astonishment, she smiled back. He turned anxiously to Sirius, ignoring the pain throbbing in his head. " You reckon... She will be able to grow my hair back, won't she? When I get my hands on Snivellus..."

Sirius chuckled good naturedly. " You better hope she can grow it back, mate," he teased. " It'll throw your whole mussed up hair image. I can't think of any girl who wants to date a guy with a bald patch."

Lily bit her lower lip to keep from bursting out into fits of laughter at James's absolutely terrified expression. Madame Pomfrey re-entered the room at that minute, shooing Sirius and Lily to the side. " Madame Pomfrey, you will be able to grow my hair back, won't you?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Madame Pomfrey made an impatient noise in her throat, then replied, " Of course I can. Now turn your head so I can get to healing it." She glanced over her shoulder at Sirius and Lily, who stood, hovering, nearby. " As for you two," she barked, " I suggest you go back to your dormitories. Mr. Potter can manage very well now without your assistance."

Sirius protested, but Lily dragged him out, and James was left all alone with nothing but a bandage wrapped around his head, a glass of pain killing remedy beside him, and his thoughts, which, as usual, were fixed on one girl, and one girl only- Lily Evans.