Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

This is my first attempt at a one-shot! I hope you guys like it!

"Evans!"

"Leave me ALONE, Potter!" I screeched as I tore down the corridor.

He didn't let up. "Evans, wait!"

I kept running.

"Lily, stop!" he demanded. His use of my first name halted me in my tracks. I didn't turn around to face him.

I took a deep breath to calm my aching lungs. "What do you want, Potter?" I spat, trying to keep my voice composed. I was well aware of what I sounded like, but at the moment, I didn't particularly care.

Potter walked closer. I could hear his footsteps echo around the empty corridor. It was at this moment that I realized I had no idea where I was in the castle. I had just run until I couldn't run anymore.

"Are you all right, Lily?" he asked. His voice was surprisingly tender.

That didn't mean I had to be 'tender' back.

I scoffed, "Oh, I'm just lovely." I crossed my arms over my chest, still refusing to turn around. "Why the hell do you care?" Potter didn't care about anyone but himself, the git.

He stopped a few feet behind me. "What happened?" His voice was still gentle. As if I was going to tell him what was wrong! He was Potter, for Merlin's sake!

Instead of using one of the witty remarks that usually passed through my head when Potter was near, I supplied a simple, "Nothing." But I made it as hostile as I could. Even at a time like this, I couldn't let my guard down with him.

Potter huffed. "Lily, turn around," he commanded.

I shook my head. I could feel my bottom lip trembling. I wasn't about to let him see me like this. Potter was my sworn enemy, and I would never let my enemies see me cry.

"Lily," he repeated. I heard him take another step towards me.

I shook my head again stubbornly. He sighed.

"Lily," he said softly. I took a shaky breath, but I still didn't turn around. I heard him move again, and this time he came to stand right in front of me. I kept my eyes on his feet. "Are you okay?" Potter's hand twitched in my direction as if he wanted to comfort me somehow. Yeah, right.

I laughed humorlessly.

Potter chuckled nervously. "Right, er, stupid question."

I snorted in a 'duh' kind of way.

He exhaled slowly. I felt his warm breath tickle my face. That was when I noticed how close he was to me. I tried to step back, but he followed me. "Lily," he murmured again. "Look at me."

I shook my head. I wouldn't let the tears in my eyes fall. I pushed them back as much as I could, but I kept thinking of him.

"Look at me, Lil."

"Don't call me that," I hissed. He wasn't allowed to give me any nicknames.

I could hear a smirk in his voice. "Why not, Lilykins?"

I groaned. "That either."

"Flower," he quipped. He was enjoying this. Prat.

"Potter," I warned, glaring at his shiny black school shoes.

"Lils," he deadpanned.

"Potter!" I shouted, finally meeting his gaze. I expected to see him trying to hold back laughter. Instead, he was looking down at me with sparkling hazel eyes and a small, concerned smile on his lips.

"I got you to look at me," he said quietly.

I sighed. "Git," I muttered. I couldn't muster the strength to put any contempt in my voice. I also couldn't tear my eyes away from his, no matter how much I wanted to.

Potter tilted his head to the right. "What happened?" he asked again.

My lip trembled some more. "Why ask if you already know?" I replied with a hoarse voice. I tried to act as if I didn't care, when I clearly did.

He shrugged. "Because maybe I got my story wrong," he suggested weakly.

I rolled my eyes, breaking our staring contest. "You were there, Potter. You heard what he said to me."

Potter nodded slowly. He looked like he was weighing his words. "He's a git, you know. For saying that in front of so many people."

I laughed once feebly. More tears gathered in my eyes. Stupid tears! Didn't they know not to fall in front of Potter?

He continued, "He's a tosser for even doing it at all."

I looked back up at him. The fact that he did do it was bad enough. But why on Earth did it have to be public?

I shrugged pathetically. "It's my fault though," I whispered brokenly. My voice cracked.

Potter looked angry for the first time of our conversation. "Lily, don't say that. Fenwick's the arse here, not you!"

I glanced at the wall to my right. "But if I—"

"Lily Evans," Potter interrupted me. He glared down at me. "Listen to me. Fenwick is a prick. Accept it."

I took a ragged breath and looked back down at his feet so he wouldn't see my face crumple. A tear slid down my cheek before I could stop it. Potter was silent for a moment. He placed a finger under my chin and forced me to look back at him. I stiffened slightly as he brushed the tear away with his thumb.

"I know you're hurting, Lily," he whispered gently.

I narrowed my eyes. "How would you know what I'm feeling? I doubt you've ever been dumped in front of a crowd of people. I doubt you've ever been dumped at all!"

Potter opened his mouth, but I didn't let him speak.

"You've got practically every girl at Hogwarts falling at your feet! You have no idea what it's like to be dumped like that!" I ranted, stepping away from him and starting to pace around the corridor. "You and Black, neither of you know what this is like with your stupid bimbo fan clubs following you around everywhere!"

"Yes, I do!" he interrupted somewhat indignantly.

I scoffed. "Whatever, Potter."

Potter frowned at me. "Lily, I think I know better than anyone what rejection feels like."

I glared at him. "Yeah, right. You have a new girl on your arm every other week."

"Yeah, but I've also been rejected time and time again by a girl I've been chasing for nearly six years now," he reminded me.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm just a game to you, Potter, and we both know that. I'm the only girl not worshipping the bloody ground you walk on. You figure you can get to me somehow, and then you will have had every girl in this school fancy you at some point in her life."

Potter shook his head in disbelief, walking closer to me. "You honestly have no idea, do you, Evans?" he asked dubiously.

I eyed him suspiciously and stopped pacing. "What are you talking about?" I demanded.

He was quiet for a moment. His cheeks colored light pink. "You've never been just a game to me, Lily," he admitted almost shyly. Almost. This was still Potter, and Potter was never shy.

"Really," I said. My tone clearly expressed that I didn't believe him.

Potter nodded. "Really!" he insisted.

I rolled my eyes. "Right," I scoffed.

"Merlin, Lily!" he suddenly shouted. He threw his hands up angrily. "Why don't you ever believe me when I tell you that?"

"Because, Potter!" I retorted, "You're a git! You never take anything seriously! So why on this world and Mars would I believe you?"

Potter clenched his fists and glared at me furiously. "D'you really think I'd go through the humiliation of nine hundred and forty-two damn rejections for someone who was just a prize for me to win? How dense are you, Evans?"

I flinched. I hadn't known that he counted my rejections. Then his last sentence registered. "Wait, me, dense? You're the one who can't bloody take 'no' for an answer!" I poked him roughly in the middle of his chest and stood up on my toes to make myself seem more intimidating.

"I wouldn't have to if you'd just get over yourself and see that I've changed!" he yelled back. His eyes were on fire as they stared into mine.

I shook my head repeatedly. "You haven't changed a bit, Potter. You're always going to be an—"

"—arrogant, bullying toerag," he finished for me scathingly. "Trust me, I know. That's all you'll ever let me be, Lily! And what about you, huh? You're not exactly perfect, Miss High and Mighty Head Girl!" He gestured at me wildly as he said this.

I snorted derisively. "Yeah, that's one way to win a girl over, Potter. Tell her about her flaws. You are such a prick."

"Shut up!" he shouted heatedly. His voice was so angry that I actually stopped talking and listened to him with my mouth hanging slightly open. "Open your bloody eyes, will you? Look at me! Really look at me! I'm not that idiot who hexed Snape in front of an audience for entertainment in fifth year! I'm not that kid who practically demanded that you go on a date with me in third year! I'm the bloody Head Boy, Lily! I haven't hexed anyone in weeks! I hardly pull pranks anymore! I pay attention in classes, and I do all of my homework! And you know why?" he asked furiously.

I stared up at him with wide eyes. Potter and I'd had rows before this, but they were usually over pointless things like leaving a towel on the floor in the Heads' bathroom. He had never gone off on me like that before. I was almost afraid of him because of the anger radiating off of his body.

"Why?" I asked in a small voice.

He glared at me, breathing heavily after yelling for so long. "Because of you."

I don't know what made me do it. One moment, I was gaping up at a red-faced, angry Potter, and the next, I had pulled his face to mine and kissed him roughly.

I felt him stiffen. He didn't respond, so I pulled away quickly. Before I could get very far, however, Potter captured my lips again. He pushed me up against the wall as his warm lips moved against mine. My fingers tangled through his already messy black hair. One of his hands slid down my back to rest around my waist, and the other wove into my hair.

After several long moments, we broke apart. His hazel eyes smiled down at me with a light I'd never seen in them before. I kept my arms around his neck.

"I still hate you, James," I breathed, staring up at him.

He beamed down at me. "Ditto, Lily," he whispered before bending to kiss me again.

Happy reading, loves!

- Paris