Hate Is A Strong Word (A Jily Fanfic)//FINISHED!

Rumors Fly Like Owls

Hello Jily fans!
I know this title is so cheesy and bad, kinda like this chapter.
I'm trying to mix it up, though, so let's see how it goes.
Disclaimer: JKR owns all

Lily
Lily was out of breath by the time she reached the manor. As a kid, she had been a relatively fast runner at her school, but she really hadn't ran since then. James had caught up to her quickly, but she had hexed him again before he could pass her. She had beat him to the manor by only a few seconds.

"You cheated!" James playfully accused her with a smile.

"Since when have you been opposed to cheating?" she asked jokingly.

"Since when have you cheated?" he countered.

"Since I competed with the king of cheaters, James Potter," she said laughing. James opened the front door and lead her into a large foyer area. A chandelier hung from the ceiling 20 feet above their heads. The floors were stone, giving the room a more natural look. Their footsteps echoed off of the walls as they walked to a hallway that branched off from the room.

As they turned onto the hallway that lead them to the living area, a few familiar voices greeted them. Sirius, Peter, Remus, Mary, and Mar stood watching them enter the room. A chorus of greetings were shouted at them. James asked everyone in the room what was up, but the first one to answer was Sirius.

"Prongs, I'm going to kill your girlfriend," he threatened. His voice was annoyed.

James' face fell into a warning look. Lily looked at James in confusion. At first, she thought he was talking about her, so she was about to tell them off like she used to, but James looked at her and shook his head. Was he dating someone? Do I care? Before Lily could question any further, a girl ran into the room with a squeal and threw herself at James.

James looked embarrassed as he tried to pry the girl off of him. When she faced Lily, she became immediately recognisable. Lily had heard of Julie Bray before. She was known as a girl who could care less about her grades, but focused her attention on guys. She was especially known for following Potter around like a puppy. Her short, sleek black hair was perfectly styled, and her makeup would have taken Lily hours to do. Julie seemed to have recognised Lily, too. Julie made a face of disgust.

"So you're Lily Evans. I've heard a lot about you from some of my friends,"  she sneered. Her voice was high pitched and had a natural flirty tone. It fit perfectly with her petite body size.

"All good things I hope," Lily said, trying to keep a friendly conversation with her. Lily had also heard of Julie being very prideful when it came to her pureblood. Lily just wanted to avoid any difficulties between the two of them.

"Ha!" she sneered, gripping James tighter. "I've heard that you're the Prefect girl who sucks up to everyone, spends more of her life with books than any friends, and ruins any fun times."

The room went silent. Even Sirius had nothing to say. James' lips parted as if he were going to say something, but he just shut his mouth. Was he going to just stand there and watch this happen? Julie is his girl. He needs to stop her! Mary and Mar took a step forward, ready to interfere.

"I've also heard," Julie continued, "that you try to get top grades in school and try be best at everything to make up for the fact that you're simply just a Mudblood."

Gasps flew around the room. Lily saw James visibly tense.

"I know that's a touchy word for some people, but it's the truth. Dirty blood is, well, a disgrace. I don't understand why James would ever have liked a girl like you over a girl like me. You'd just tarnish his family name."