Lily Evans felt strange. It’d been a month since the start of her seventh year and not once had she caught Potter hexing dear Severus.

No, Lily, that’s over, she told herself firmly.

Her unlikely friendship with the dark Slytherin had come to an abrupt end in her fifth year. It still hurt to think about it now. She had trusted him, looked out for him, endured many an argument, maybe even loved him a little, only to have it all spoilt by Snape’s sharp serpent tongue.

Potter was, unfortunately, Head Boy which meant that she, as Head Girl, had to spend an annoying amount of time with him. However, in this first month alone, Lily could tell there was something different about him. It was not quite maturity, but an air of wanting to improve. He paid a little more attention in lessons, ruffled his hair less, boasted and showed off less and, most importantly, treated Lily as a human being.

Where once before James had approached Lily as if she were an alien life form, now he was learning how to hold a conversation that did not begin with “Want to go out with me?” and end in a heated argument.

Sometimes, Lily thought she saw Severus lurking in the shadows when they went on their Head Boy and Girl rounds, but she put this down to pure imagination. What she did not know was that it was indeed Severus watching her and cursing himself.

“How did you find that essay for Potions?” James asked, a couple of months later. It was nearing Christmas and the old castle was freezing in the awful weather. Snow battered the castle walls as the two seventh years made their evening rounds.

“It was all right,” Lily replied breezily. “I think I might’ve found a little bit extra but only to make sure I wipe the smile off Severus’ face.” Lily’s vengeance was not lost on James.

“Still bitter?” he questioned.

“What’s it to you?” shot back Lily, but calmed herself and apologised.

“I know you won’t understand, James, but Severus and I…well, we were good friends and sometimes I miss him,” she said with a faint smile. She had no idea why she was confiding all of this to the boy who had so often got on her last nerve.

“We used to have competitions, you know, in Potions,” she continued enthusiastically, nodding in acknowledgement at a passing prefect, “to see who was the best. He put up a good fight but I think he let me win a lot of the time. He was noble like that.”

James was unable to suppress a snort at the thought of Severus Snape being considered noble. This appeared to bring Lily back to her senses, as she blinked and shook her head. Here she was confiding the intimacies of her relationship with Severus to his worst enemy. No, she must stop. Severus would hate her…

“Anyway, we’d better keep a look out for any unruly troublemakers,” Lily said, closing like a book with a loud snap.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh-” James began but Lily waved him away.

“I shouldn’t have been telling you,” she said. “It’s between me and Severus.” James let the subject drop and asked her what she wanted for Christmas. Lily looked at him in surprise.

“You weren’t thinking of getting me anything, were you?” she asked.

James blushed but covered himself with a hasty, “Just out of interest.” Lily thought for a moment.

“Not really anything in particular,” she replied.

James looked disappointed but Lily was positively glowing inside. It was so nice of him to have asked her that, especially after what she had just divulged about his worst enemy.

“What about you?” she asked making a spur of the moment decision.

“Dunno, the usual sort of stuff…Zonko’s stuff and that,” he said thoughtfully. “Although food is always much appreciated by the four of us.” He smiled fondly obviously thinking of his friends, the Marauders. Lily regarded him, a small secret smile on her face.

“Right then,” she said.

“I didn’t mean you had to get me anything,” James said quickly.

“No, I want to,” Lily said. “You really seem to have changed this year.”

She smiled as they reached the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, having apparently gone a full circle of the school. James looked surprised but smiled.

“Thanks,” he said genuinely, before the two of them went their separate ways. A dark figure in the shadows frowned and suppressed the urge to hex Potter.

Christmas morning arrived and Lily was thrilled to find a small gift from James at the bottom of her bed. Carefully unwrapping it, she discovered it was a charm bracelet with a witch’s hat, a book and a heart dangling from it.

“To the wonderful Head Girl,” Lily read from the note inside. She grinned and felt a blush creeping into her cheeks.

Deciding to go and thank him immediately, Lily got dressed and put her hair in a high pony tail. Her friend fastened the bracelet around her wrist and she bounded off to find James.

He was sitting in the common room devouring a box of Chocolate Cauldrons with the help of Sirius, Remus and Peter.

“Are you sure they’re really from her?” asked Sirius through a mouthful of chocolate.

“You mean am I sure they’re not from you pretending to be Lily this year?” asked James shrewdly. Sirius had the grace to look a bit sheepish.

“Yes, I’m sure,” James finished. “I’m a changed man, remember?” Sirius snorted.

“Oh, yeah, course,” he said sarcastically.

Lily coughed to attract attention to herself, trying to ignore the warning signals that had gone off in her head from Sirius’ response.

“Um, James, can I speak to you?” she asked feeling uncharacteristically shy. James nodded and the two retired to a table in the corner.

“Thanks for my bracelet,” she said. James grinned.

“Makes a change to not have it thrown at me this year,” he said. “I added a charm every year you gave it back to me.”

“Three years,” Lily grinned. “Ah well, if you hadn’t been such a prat…”

“Charming,” said James.

The nagging voice in her head was still going so she asked James why Sirius had replied the way he had. James looked uncomfortable.

“Dunno,” he said. “Jealousy probably.” Lily examined him with narrowed eyes.

“Seriously, Lily, there’s no real reason.” Lily sighed and decided to let it go until she found evidence to think otherwise.

The evidence came in the shape of Severus Snape on New Year’s Eve. Lily was walking along the fifth floor and heard some raised voices. Recognising one as Sirius she went to investigate.

“Still not changed your pants, I see,” Sirius cawed, his wand holding someone in the air. Lily’s insides gave a lurch. If Sirius was here then so was…

“Did no one ever tell you not to hex people in the back? Naughty boy,” sneered James.

Lily felt her heart sink into her shoes. He hadn’t changed at all, she had imagined the whole thing.

“Let him down,” she said, stepping forward, literally shaking with anger. She averted her eyes so she couldn’t see the twisted sneer of humiliation on Severus’ face.

Sirius jumped and, at a nudge from James, made sure that Severus landed on the ground.

“Are you all right?” Lily asked, careful to keep any emotion from her voice.

“Perfect,” snapped Severus, disappearing up the corridor. There was an instant silence as though someone had stopped everyone’s voices in their throats.

“Lily, he cursed Peter from behind, a nasty one too, I couldn’t just do nothing-” James began.

“I thought you’d changed,” said Lily quietly, controlling the explosion of anger within herself.

“It was me,” Sirius said. “James didn’t touch him.”

“Don’t take the blame for him!” exclaimed Lily angrily. “He lied to me, putting on this charade that he was a new man. Why didn’t I learn never to trust men?”

“I’m not like him!” yelled James. “You’ve never seen the side of him that I have!”

“Just stay away from me,” spat Lily. “You disgusting childish little boy.” She turned and stormed off, anger mixing with severe disappointment inside her.

***

It felt like aeons went by during Head patrols. Lily refused to speak to James and after days of trying to make her speak and apologising, James gave up. It was strange to not have him speaking to her, strange that she should miss him speaking to her, and stranger still that she almost wished he would ruffle his hair and ask her out. She was angry with him for treating Severus that way but if he had really started the whole thing then surely she should be mad at Severus and not James? Lily let out an audible sigh. They were on the third floor a few weeks after the incident.

“Oi, what’re you doing out of your common room?” James said, breaking the silence. The person he was talking to was none other than Severus.

“Nothing of interest to you, Potter,” he spat.

“Well, you see, it is, because I’m Head Boy and you’re breaking a rule,” James said, teeth gritted.

“Something you’ve never done,” Severus said smoothly.

“Cut it out,” Lily said sharply. “Severus Snape, unless you want points taken from your house I suggest you get back to your dormitory this instant.”

“Because you could make me,” sneered Severus, satisfied at the way Lily flinched.

“Yes, I can,” she said coldly. “Twenty points from Slytherin. Get out of my sight.”

Severus smiled a twisted smile and walked past making sure to knock James on the way, hoping it would push him to breaking point. James whipped his wand out but Lily forced his arm back down to his side and said, “If you curse him again, I’ll never forgive you.”

“But Lily, the way he treats you-”

“Never,” cut in Lily and James’ shoulders slumped in defeat. Severus made his way back to the dungeons, some hope awakened inside him.

“James,” Lily said as they reached the Gryffindor tower, “I appreciate that took a lot of will power and…” She hesitated but quickly added, “I was wondering if you wanted to come with me on the next Hogsmeade trip.”

James’ surprise showed on his face but he grinned and replied, “Of course.”

***

A few months afterwards, Severus Snape watched glumly from the opposite side of the Potions lab as Lily laughed with James Potter, her eyes betraying affection for the messy haired boy next to her. Losing her may well have been the biggest mistake of his life so far.

Lily smiled up at James as they left the Potions lab. Slipping an arm around her waist, he whispered, “I’m so glad you decided to give me a chance.”

“So am I,” Lily replied, feeling truly happy for the first time since she and Severus had gone their separate ways.

A/N: So, what did you think? Leave me a review, I love to hear from you :)