"James Potter!" I screeched, throwing on a random Gryffindor sweater and pulling on some sneakers to hide my colourful socks, a blush slowly seeping onto my cheeks. "I have two questions, one: how on earth did you get up here" I said holding one finger in the air, "two! what could possibly be important enough that you had to break into my room, while I was changing just to tell me!"
Oh, sorry Lily" He said, his cheeks burning slightly. Did James Potter just blush? I mean I knew he had matured mentally but maybe this time I really had been to quick to judge. He probably didn't mean to come in while I was changing.. "I didn't mean to come in while you were changing, I'm so sorry, I just..." he stuttered and trailed off. "Cute socks Lils" he smirked.
"ARGH" I fumed, "You are incorrigible!". I take back that thing about maturing..
"Look, Lil-" He started,
"It's Lily, get it Li-ly!" I corrected. The less times he used that nickname, the less butterflies erupted in my stomach. I took this point in time to scramble back onto my bed. I kicked off my shoes revealing my odd, brightly coloured socks, oh well he'd seen them anyway.
"Right. Lily. Well, I came up here to..." I tried to listen, I really did. He's just so, well.. gorgeous. I mean, here I am on my bed and he's awkwardly standing there talking his perfectly sculpted mouth off and all I can think about is other things I'd rather that mouth be doing. Not that he'd ever know that. He was wearing this t-shirt that just showcased his rippling toned chest. "...and yeah, so what do you think?" He finished what he was saying.
Shit. I heard none of that...
"Umm," I tried to think of an excuse, cursing my pale skin for its quick to blush motions. I looked up at James who took a few steps towards my bed and sat down on the end of it, smirking.
"It's okay Lils," Cue butterflies. "I stopped speaking when I noticed you ogling me. Would you like me to come closer," He said slowly, crawling up towards me. I shuffled back until I hit the wall, he just kept getting closer! "Perhaps you'd like to take a picture, they last longer." He whispered right below my right ear lobe.
That's when I saw something new.
"James.." I started, it came out as a whisper though. I cleared my throat. "James, what's this?" I said, placing my hand on the right side of his face, ignoring the sigh he emitted at my touch or the electricity I felt from touching his face. I turned his face towards my bed in an effort to get a better look at the small area of black ink on his neck just below his ear.
"Lily," he growled as I moved my hand up his hair around his ear to get a better look. "Please stop this. You hate me, I can't do this!" James growled in continuance.
I hit him slightly exclaiming, "I don't hate you, you great prat!"
"Funny way of showing it.." he muttered.
"James Potter," I said, momentarily forgetting about the black on his neck. "If I hated you, you'd be back down in the common room nursing the side affects of some very well aimed hexes. Are you? No, you're actually on my bed. Now shut up for five seconds while I look at something. Can you do that?" James just stared at me, his amber eyes wide and nodded.
Once again I grabbed his face, then I saw what it was. I moved my hand away quickly as if what I'd seen had burned. I placed a hand on the back of my left shoulder. Shit.
"You have a stag tattoo? A stag, inked into your skin. Why?" I asked quietly staring him directly in the eye. Then it clicked. "Prongs. You're Prongs! You are an animagus!" He nodded, not meeting my eyes. "All for Remus?" I whispered incredulously.
That got his attention.
"You know?" He squeaked in a very un-James-like voice.
"James, Remus and I were on prefect duty together in fifth year. He missed patrol once a month. I put two and two together. He knows I know. I just feel so terrible that I can't do more to help him. It must be so horrible. But you! You run around once a month with a werewolf!" I screeched. "What if you died! Did you think of that James? What would your parents think? What would happen to Remus? What would I do? James, I think it's.." I tried to continue but James stuck out his hand and clasped it over my mouth.
"You just said, If I died, what would you do? Why would you care if I died? I thought you hated" I pulled a face, "Well didn't like me!" He trailed off.
Now or never Lily.
"For fuck's sake James. I don't hate you, I don't even dislike you. I mean I did but I don't know, you came back this year and you were kind and caring and not to mention completely fucking gorgeous and you stopped asking me out! What I am trying to say is, you're like chocolate... Definitely not good for my health but so damn irresistible and I can't help it! I don't even think I got to stop off at the point of liking you and just went and fell. Boy oh boy did I fall hard! WHY HAVEN'T YOU STOPPED ME YET?" I rambled. After a few moments, I looked down and suddenly became exceedingly interested in my bed cover. "I guess you have moved on then." I whispered, wishing myself not to cry.
One of James' Quidditch calloused hands darted out and tilted my chin upwards as to make me look at him. His dark eyes burning through his thick framed glasses, there was something in those pools of hazel with the unique flecks of gold and green within. Something almost pleading me too see. It was more than just lust. He loved me and I could see it in his eyes.
That's enough confirmation for me.
I heard him chuckle.
"Did I say that out loud?" I blushed profusely.
"Yes, but I was hoping you'd say something along those lines." He laughed.
I launched myself across my bed and into his awaiting arms and pressed my lips firmly against his. After an extended period (I lost track of time as soon as James walked into my room) and a few heated snogging sessions later I was lying draped across James' chest, the very same chest that I had been admiring only moments before and staring at that little stag tattoo once again.
"What made you notice the stag in the first place?" James asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
"Do you remember before the Christmas break, when we learnt about patronuses?" James nodded. I sat up and reached for the hem of my shirt as I continued, "Well, I thought about how important patronus forms were and" I paused as I pulled my shirt above my head. James took a sharp inhale and interrupted.
"So, before I get told off for coming in here while you change and now you're sitting here in your bra? Don't think I'm complaining though. Most definitely not." He chuckled. I hit him lightly before continuing.
"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted..." I shot James a look, "I also wanted to do something that would piss off my parents." I slowly turned around so my back was facing James. I moved my hair out of the way of my left shoulder revealing a small tattoo.
"Your.." James tried. "Your patronus is a doe?" He managed, his voice full of surprise. "and you have a tattoo!" He laughed.
I laughed at his silly antics, rolled back over and kissed him on the nose.
"I love you James. Very much." I said slowly.
"I love you Lily, more than you know." James replied wrapping his arms around me and stroking my hair.
I started falling asleep, curled up against that beautiful boy man that used to annoy me to no end. I felt his chest move as he chuckled. I could feel the words as he spoke.
"Hey, I almost forgot." He said.
I sat up, looking at him curiously.
"Go out with me Evans?" James laughed and winked.
"Most definitely." I laughed kissing him firmly before returning to my spot curled up next to him.
Listening to the rhythm of his heart beat and the rise and fall in his chest I fell asleep entirely comfortable.
Only to be woken up later on that evening when my very surprised dorm mates got back from Hogsmeade to find me, Lily Evans curled up asleep next to James Potter both of us with our tattoos facing outward.
I couldn't bring myself to care.