Anything for Love

"Now, Lily, you're sure they don't mind you staying for the rest of the summer?"

Lily sighed. "Yes, mum, I'm sure. The Rullick's manor is huge."

"Alright, Lily, I just wanted to be sure."

Lily smiled, excited about what lay ahead of her. She was going to a pool party at her friend Suzie Rullick's house, then she was to stay there for the remainder of the summer holidays. Like Lily, Suzie was pretty and popular. However, unlike her friend, she was wizard born and lived in a huge manor just outside of Surrey. In honor of going into their last and final year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she was throwing a huge bash for all of her magical friends.

"Which, unfortunately, includes James Potter," thought Lily bitterly. The boy seemed to live to annoy her. Ever since they had met in their first year there had been a rivalry between them. They never stopped pulling evil pranks on each other, or badmouthing in the halls. Lily Evans and James Potter were mortal enemies.

Until last year.

During their sixth year, James had developed a crush on the red-haired girl with gleaming emerald eyes. Lily had been totally and completely disgusted when James asked her out for the first time.

The feeling remained every time thereafter.

She couldn't stand him. He was rude, mean, and pompous. He was always acting like he was better than everyone else, which he most certainly wasn't. James loved to annoy Lily, and then later lament about her constant refusals.

"If he wasn't such an ass, he'd be almost charming," Lily thought dryly.

Lily was jolted awake from her thoughts of James Potter by her mother's voice.

"We're here, Lily. Do you want me to help you bring your things in, or will you be alright?"

"I can handle it, Mum. See you at Christmas!"

"'Bye, dear!"

Lily got out of the car and opened the back. She pulled out her bag for staying at Suzie's as well as her Hogwarts trunk. She then proceeded to walk up the long and winding path to the Rullick's front door.

She was spared, however by her three best friends running out of the house to help her.

"Lily!" called Trixie "Do you need help with your stuff?"

"Let me get that for you, Lil," offered Gemma.

"Oh, Lily, I love that shirt!" cried Suzie.

Lily laughed at all the commotion her friends were making over her, and replied,

"Thanks, Gem, and it's all right Trix, I've got everything. Do you really like it Suz? My mum bought it for me as a birthday gift, I think it's a great color!"

They chatted until reaching the front door.

"We'll bring your stuff upstairs and then put our bathing suits on," said Suzie.

"And you might want to wear something that isn't revealing, since the almighty git has already arrived."

Lily groaned at the idea of James Potter goggling her in a bikini.

Unfortunately, that was all she had brought.

She proceeded to go upstairs and change. Once in her bikini, she wrapped a towel tightly around herself and muttered into the mirror, "I won't let James Potter get the best of me, I just won't!"

Her friends all laughed when she came down the stairs and Gemma said, "Oh Lily I pity you...James isn't going to be able to take his eyes off you the whole party, you do know that?"

"Don't remind me," muttered Lily dismally.

Lily, Trixie, Gemma and Suzie walked out onto the patio in front of the pool. The Rullick's courtyard was immensely huge, and their pool was positively gigantic. Lily rolled her eyes as a tall boy with slick black hair attempted to flip into the pool.

"Yah!" he yelled as he barely missed the edge.

"That was weak, Padfoot!"

"Let's see you do better, Moony!"

"Ah, then, you will!" said a boy with sandy brown hair and gray eyes.

He launched himself off the diving board and flipped gracefully into the water.

"Show off," muttered the first boy.

"Hey Sirius! You need to start taking diving lessons from Remus, here." joked Trixie.

"Eh, shut your piehole Trixie! Moony's nothing but a over-confident git," yelled Sirius.

"Speaking of gits..." said Lily as she saw a handsome boy with dark tousled hair and chocolate brown eyes approaching.

"Hey, Evans! Mind taking off that towel for me?"

"See, I would, Potter," she said with a definite sneer, "But I doubt you're worthy of seeing what's under it!"

Lily and her friends exchanged high fives.

"Well then, I suppose you won't be swimming all day," said James matter-of -factly.

Lily reddened, as this particular obstacle hadn't occurred to her.

"Maybe you'll just have to keep your eyes closed," she replied loftily.

"Or maybe not," retorted James as he lunged to snatch her towel away from her body.

"Poor, pathetic, perverted male," said Lily in a fake coddling voice. Then she laughed and dropped her towel.

James had to struggle to keep his jaw from dropping. He didn't even try, however, to keep his eyes on Lily's face. They immediately dropped a few inches lower.

Lily rolled her eyes at James's immature behavior, and walked over to the diving board, where she proceeded to do a perfect swan dive into the pool.

James cannonballed off the side to join her, and pretty soon all eight of them were in the pool together.

"Who else is coming?" asked Lily.

"Well, we're expecting the Tassius's and of course Lara and Ryleigh, and I think Bernard and Kyle as well," she said. "They won't be arriving 'till tomorrow though, since they live much farther away,"

"So we'll have to keep ourselves busy until then," said Gemma excitedly.

"Yeah, let's play a game or something," suggested Peter Pettigrew, the fourth and final Marauder. He was more of a follower though, and wasn't nearly as good looking as his friends.

"Chicken fight!" squealed Suzie, who had a crush on Sirius.

"Oooh, let's! We'll pick our teams, Girl's pick first!"

"Go on, Suzie, you're the host..."

"Sirius!" she said, and Sirius positively beamed.

James looked at Lily devilishly, and suddenly she got a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Oh, no..."

"Lily!" he said triumphantly.

"No. No, no, no. I won't." Lily said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Come on, Lils, don't ruin it for the rest of us," whined Trixie.

"I suppose..." said Lily, whose face was now bright red with anger.

James looked ever so pleased with himself.

Gemma chose Remus, leaving Trixie to partner up with Peter.

Five minutes and a lot of arguing later, Gemma was seated happily on Remus's shoulders, Suzie was positively glowing on top of Sirius, Trixie seemed pleased seated on Peter, and Lily looked murderous straddling James's neck.

"LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!" shouted Sirius.

"CHARGE!" yelled James.

Atop him, Lily rolled her eyes yet again.

They immediately headed for Sirius and Suzie, who barely dodged Lily's blow.

Remus and Gemma suddenly blocked their path, and Lily swatted in vain at her friend, who reached to tickle her. Lily laughed and her grip on James's shoulders slipped, causing her to fall off of his back.

James scrambled and caught her just before he hit the water.

By coincidence, one hand had landed on her left breast, and the other square on her rear end.