Jily prompt: A group of boys are being vulgar with Lily in the corridors and James rushes to the rescue and stops them, but Lily gets really mad at him because he interrupted a very carefully planned out prank she was planning to pull on the individuals.

Monday

Lily Evans was just leaving the Charms classroom when Luke Duncan greeted her.

"Evans! Lovely to run into you!"

Lily bid her friends goodbye. "Hey Luke. Did you want to talk to me about anything?"

"I did, actually." Luke smiled at her, casually slinging his arm over her shoulders. It made her uncomfortable.

It wasn't because she fancied someone else. But he hadn't asked for her consent, and that ticked her off. Luke Duncan was a well-known ladies man, and Lily didn't appreciate being treated like a random notch in Luke's belt.

"You see, Hogsmeade's this Saturday, and seeing as I don't have any one to go with…I was thinking you might like to go with me." He flashed her a dashing smile.

"I'm just gonna go with friends - but thanks for the invite, Luke." She smiled back at him.

Tuesday

Larry Hughes asked Lily to Hogsmeade on Tuesday at breakfast. The Ravenclaw was a very nervous bloke, who always seemed to be following Levi Connolly around.

Lily took so long to answer - she was so shocked at the proposal - that Larry blushed profusely and quickly turned around.

Wednesday

"Go to Hogsmeade with me, Evans?" Ernie Simon opened the door for her. The Slytherin was a rather nice bloke, very studious and all of that, but he simply didn't peak Lily's interest.

Ever since Duncan had asked her out, a number of blokes had decided to do the same and Lily was getting tired. So, even though Ernie didn't deserve it, she turned him down: on the pretext of staying in the castle, doing homework.

"It's alright, Lily. I'll just see you in rounds." He smiled at her.

Thursday

It was Thursday after lunch. Lily was leaving the Great Hall when she spotted Zavier Clifford, a Hufflepuff Seventh Year - Head Boy, actually.

"Hey, Clifford." She waved at him. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a bit. I'm not sure I can do rounds with you today. Mind if I change partners and do it some other time?"

"Not at all, Lily. How about you compensate me by coming to Hogsmeade as my date?"

And because she was getting rather tired, she simply said that she'd be busy and left him standing in the middle of the corridor.

Friday

By Friday afternoon, Lily was getting sick of the joke. Was this some sort of sick prank? Why on earth would so many guys be asking her out? Sure she was smart, and fairly pretty – oh, and modest as well – but what would Levi Connolly, that Ravenclaw twit, want to do with her?

"Go out with me, Evans? It's not like you'll have anything better to do, anyway."

Lily hexed him.

Saturday

It was two in the afternoon and Lily Evans discovered she quite fancied a stroll through the grounds. It was already March and way too nice of a day to be holed up in her dorms, she thought.

She looked in the mirror: her shirt was buttoned, her hair was in a plait, and everything was neat and orderly. She stepped through the portrait hole and made her way downstairs.

Just as she was leaving the castle, she heard footsteps. Usually, this wouldn't have bothered her - but it was a Hogsmeade weekend, so nearly everyone was at the village. So many guys had asked her out that she thought she would just sit out on this one, and that was what she did. Next year, she'd have plenty of time to visit Hogsmeade.

Turns out that the footsteps belonged to a pair of Ravenclaws, but not just any Ravenclaws - they belonged to none other than Connolly and Hughes, who had both asked her to Hogsmeade in the previous week.

"Evans." Levi was clearly bitter over Lily's rejection – or maybe it was the tentacles she gave him upon proposal.

"Connolly. Terribly sorry to hear Jorkins wasn't available." Lily knew she shouldn't be egging him on, but after what he'd said to her? Lily Evans was known for her rather short temper, so why should she get the fame and not reap the benefits?

"You little bitch." He spat. "Just because you've got Potter wrapped around your little finger you think you can treat the rest of us like crap? I don't know why I even bothered."

"Come on, Levi, calm down," said Larry Hughes.

"How are you defending her?" Levi exclaimed. "She turned you down too! Such a little fucking tease –"

Connolly's less-than-stellar web of insults stopped when James Potter socked his jaw.

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you."

The two Ravenclaws scampered off, leaving behind a very smug looking James Potter and a very angry Lily Evans.

"Why did you do that?" Lily smacked him repeatedly in the chest. "You stupid, moronic, idiotic, annoying twit! Do I look like I need a hero?"

"I was just trying to help! Jesus Christ. Evans, the little git just called you a- you know what!"

"I could have handled it myself, thank you very much." She was fuming. Her red hair was dishevelled and her heartbeat was faster than usual. Lily didn't know if that had to do with her close proximity to James Potter or if it had to do with the thrill of the fight. There was something about him that always riled her up.

"You weren't doing anything!"

"I was going to prank them! There was a careful, detailed plan. I hid myself so much in the library this week, I figured I should use the time for something fun. And mischief making is always rather fun."

"Lily Evans, Gryffindor Sixth Year, a prankster?" James smirked at her. "Never took you for a Marauder."

"There's plenty you don't know about me." She huffed. "And I like pranks, as long as no one's getting hurt."

"Do you still want to prank them? I mean, I don't even know what the two of you were rowing about anyway, but any prank is as good as the other, I suppose." A gleam of mischief played in James' hazel eyes. Lily felt like vomiting rainbows. Fancying James Potter was no easy task, but he made it inevitable.

"Annoying pricks, the lot of them. Constantly asking me out. The sodding gits. I just feel like punching someone." She admitted to her fellow Gryffindor.

Ignoring the jealousy, James chose the banter route. "Seems like you've got plenty of options."

"Yeah, well…" Lily added, sheepishly. "It's not like I want any of those options."

James lifted his eyebrows at her. "Oh?"

Lily smiled at him. James was rubbish at hiding his feelings. "I rather prefer Quidditch Players." She smirked. "You know, clever blokes with huge egos on top of a broom? What's there not to like?"

"What am I going to do with you?"

Lily pressed her lips to James' cheek. "Sneaky. I like that," he added.

"Oh, shut up."

And so he did. Lily loved Saturdays.