I sat down in the Great Hall with Mary and Dorcas and within seconds a small, bewitched note slid across the table coming to a halt right in front of me.

"That was quick." Dorcas laughed but Mary stayed silent. These notes had been coming for almost a week now and Mary had watched me ignore every single one of them. She knew this was serious business.

"It's been a few days since it happened, maybe you could open just one of them?" Mary suggested although judging from her face, it looked like she was worried she'd just interrupted a sleeping dragon. I may be annoyed but I wasn't that bad.

"No, he knew from Sirius and from seeing me for the last few years that I'm a private person but he couldn't help himself. This is just like all those times he asked me out in front of everybody all over again." I scowled down across the table to where him and Sirius were sitting. He quickly turned away but I could see Sirius still subtly keeping an eye out for him.

I maintained my stare and tore the note in half, "I was stupid for thinking otherwise, Potter doesn't change."

I was just about to tuck into a well deserved plate of Yorkshire puddings and chicken with just the right amount of gravy when I saw Dorcas and Mary exchange one of those looks.

"What?" I said, looking up quickly.

"Nothing, Lily, it's just..." Dorcas paused. Judging from her face I guessed that she was going to argue from his point of view and mentally prepared for myself, "Don't take this the wrong way, Lil, I love you it's just... sometimes you can judge things very harshly. Like, you met Potter on the train and he was slightly mean to your old... friend but from what you said later, Snape was mean back too. You hated him for six years because of that but he's not actually a bad person. He was very nice to you with that bonbons contest..."

"... And that was the only time." I finished for her before stabbing a piece of chicken with my fork, "Anyway he was a bully too, mean to Sev for years and all those random first years who got that awful Wingardium Leviosa prank. I was right to hate him, I've been a deluded idiot and I'm surprised none of you stopped him."

"Oh for gods sake, Lily," Marlene snapped suddenly, "He may have bullied Snape but Snape bullied back and he was in the Dark arts for god's sake, he called you a mudblood, it was far from one sided. And when was the last time you saw him do that dumb prank? Third year because guess what, Lil, people can change and he grew out of that, you just were stuck in the past so maybe, just maybe you should stop this sulking and get a bit of perspective."

I let my chicken fall back onto the plate, sternly glaring at her. I picked up my bag, "I'm not that hungry anymore and I have Transfiguration, wouldn't want to be late."

"You know I'm right, Lil." I heard Mary call after me but right now, I was angry and nothing was going to change that. I couldn't believe I'd been so stupid to let myself like him. I should have listened to the warning signs that I was feeling and trust my gut more. Potter hadn't changed, he was still an arrogant toe-rag. I had been an idiot but I was free now.

I didn't realise I had been power walking along until I bumped head long into Potter. My books fell out of my hands, papers going everywhere. I instantly bent down to pick them up but unfortunately, Potter being the gentlemen he was, decided to reach down and help me.

"Whoops, I didn't see you there." He said, a small, timid smile forming on his face. I rolled my eyes and continued picking up my paper, happy to see his smile vanish pretty quickly.

"Look, I'm sorry for bumping into you but Sirius said you had Transfiguration with him next and you haven't talked to me or replied to my notes so I'd figured I'd come talk in person. Sorry for the papers." He said, holding one out to me. I snatched it from him, astounded by his arrogance.

"THAT'S what you're apologising for? Not the whole announcing that I'd said yes to a date, which was a rematch to a bonbon contest and wasn't even a proper date?" I spat my words out, making sure that each word was like a little bullet, firing my anger at him. He stood there, smiling stupidly for a second so I picked up my papers and huffed away.

"Goodbye, Potter." I said, waving my hand sarcastically as I stormed off.

"No, Lily, wait please!" He pulled me back by my bag.

"Get off me!" I struggled against the prison that my bag strap had formed. It was a bad day when even you're own satchel betrayed you, "I have to get to transfigurations!" I finally managed to tear myself away, stumbling away from him.

"I'm sorry for the Quidditch thing. I'm sorry for that too. I'm sorry for all of it, please Lily I made a mistake." He pleaded, "I was excited and I know that you told Sirius to tell me that you wanted to stay low key but I just saw your face in the crowd and you had this beautiful smile on your face and I just felt like I was... riding on clouds or whatever the expression is. The point is I just felt so happy that for a second I forgot what you said and I just wanted to share how happy I felt to the world so I flew up there and just... announced it. I regretted it the moment I saw you leave, Sirius said you were annoyed and upset but I just felt so, so happy, I just... couldn't help myself. I really am sorry."

I stood completely still, surprised by his surprisingly heartfelt speech. I was almost tempted to reach out and kiss that stupid face of his until my eyes moved over to the clock. I was late.

"Oh, Potter, you idiot, I'm late!" I rushed past him, dashing down the corridors. I heard him running behind, easily keeping pace with what was my fastest sprint.

"So, Evans, does that mean you forgive me?" He called behind me.

"No, you dolt, it means I'm late and it's your fault." I said, panting as I finally got to the classroom. I burst open the door and the room fell completely silent.

"Miss Evans and..." McGonagall moved her glasses down her nose and I realised that James was towering over me, casually leaning on the door frame whilst I stood there gasping for breath from the exercise, "Mr Potter. Nice of you to join us even though I wasn't expecting you to be joining us."

"Sorry, Professor, I just..." My face grew red as I gasped for words, aware of all eyes being on me. Sirius was trying not to laugh which made it worse, "...just doing stuff." I said finally.

"I'm stuff." I heard James say confidently behind me. I turned around, astonished by his arrogance for the second time today. Laughter and a few wolf whistles erupted from behind me and my face went a bright, awful scarlet that I'm pretty sure was so red that it had only come into existence right this second.

"Nice to know, Potter." McGonagall said unfazed by this humiliating encounter, "But I hope you know that will be detentions for lateness... for the both of you."

"But... Professor..." James said in a fake shocked voice, "I'm not even in your class, I'm not late for your lesson!"

"Yes, I understand that, Mr Potter, I am familiar with my class," She continued, "But I do believe you are supposed to be in Herbology now and I'm sure Professor Sprout will be less than amused with your lateness."

"Aw, Professor, what would I do without you," James said, His crooked grin still plastered on his face.

"It's too horrible to think about." McGonagall said, turning away from us, "Now run along, Mr Potter. Miss Evans, you go and sit yourself in the middle next to Mr Augustine over there. Now class, turn to page 287 of your - "

I watched James walk away and suddenly decided on the spur of the moment that I still had things to say, so I cut in, "Professor, I'm really sorry but I dropped one of my... pieces of paper, just back there as I ran to class? I wouldn't normally do this but would it be okay if I just...erm....ran back and got it?"

I awkwardly hung in the doorway preparing myself for a lecture as she slowly turned away.

"This piece of paper, it wouldn't happen to be about something that begins with a 'J' would it?" She said making some of the class snigger.

"What? No!" I said attempting an unconvincing hand gesture to brush it off, "It begins with a P."

"For Potter?" I heard some random guy call out.

"No, no, for paper!" I called back and chaos began to erupt in the class.

"Just go and pick up your paper and be quick about, Miss Evans." McGonagall said before turning to the class, "Seventh years, this sort of behaviour is unacceptable - "

I was to busy running in the direction of the Herbology classroom to hear the rest.

It took me a little while to find James and he was almost at the door, leisurely strolling when I finally caught.

"JAMES!" I yelled, breathless from the second bit of intense exercise that week.

"Lily?" He turned around looking surprised in a good way.

"You should be glad to see me, I don't usually run after people..." I said trailing off to lean against a wall, "Can you just give a moment?"

He walked back over to me, "Did you just ditch Transfiguration? Who knew you were such a rebel at heart."

"Of course, I didn't, you idiot, I asked like a good girl." I said in between breaths, he paused until I had recovered, "I don't forgive you, yet anyway. I'm still annoyed that my life is on show as I wanted to avoid that and it makes me really uncomfortable but I'm not livid anymore. Like hypothetically if you sent one of those notes down the table, I might read it but only if it was bewitched to be invisible or something so everybody couldn't see it."

A broad grin broke out on his face, "Is that your way of saying that you WANT me to send you another little note?"

"Wow, James, you really only hear what you want to hear - " I began, frustrated but he interrupted, his smile somehow even wider.

"You called me James. Not Potter, Not self-important dolt. James."

"No... I...." I stuttered, "You're still Potter, got it?"

"No, I'm James now." He said smiling as he walked up towards Herbology, "See you later, Lily." He said emphasising my name.

"Bye POTTER..." I called after him but I couldn't help smiling. Yes, he was the most annoying person I'd ever met and I was still pretty annoyed at his arrogance and self-control with big public gestures but maybe, just maybe, I hadn't been so deluded before when I said I liked him.

My Mum once said there was a very fine line between love and hate and I could see it now more than ever. Damn Potter.

I want to dedicate this chapter to AccioFanfiction11 for all her comments and support with the work, thank you so much ❤️❤️