"Could it be that you're more scared than you let on Evans?"
"No," she said defiantly as she rocked back and forth, her toes hooked on the bottom step of the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitory.
"Then what are you doing back down here? I thought you were going to bed early tonight, get rested up before the History of Magic midterm tomorrow?"
"I was but I couldn't sleep," she said shaking her long red hair out of her face and looking distractedly at the fire. "It was err. .too hot in my dorm."
"Right," he said sceptically, "You sure you're not shook up over the chapter on ancient history of black magik and dark wizard lore?" He asked. "That may or may not be why I'm still up," he said sheepishly.
"Alright," she admitted as she picked at the wallpaper nervously and cast an anxious look behind her. "I might have found it a little bit disturbing."
The fire was casting long shadows around the Common Room and she worried that at any moment a ghoul or demon could float out menacingly from the dark corners of the room. She hopped down off the step to move closer to James' spot in front of the fire. She hazarded a look at his face and found his eyes staring at her searchingly. His face was softened in the glow of the firelight and he was subconsciously fumbling with his dog eared history text.
"Why would you come down here if you were scared?" he mused, licking his lips thoughtfully. "I'd have curled up in bed and squeezed my eyes shut, not ventured off into the dark," he laughed as she sat down beside him on the couch.
She felt her cheeks go warm and turned to stare off at the portrait hole before answering. She couldn't tell him where she had really been going. If she told him that she'd been thinking of climbing the spiral staircase that lead up to the boys' dormitories so she could find him, he would probably take it the wrong way. She wasn't sure he would understand her irrational compulsion to venture up to his dorm where it felt familiar and safe and where she had spent so much time yelling from the doorway, or chattering incessantly on his bed or rifling through his things to try and find whatever stolen belonging he had hidden away from her this time. No, now that she was here sitting with him, she realized that she most definitely could not tell him that without it resulting in some ridiculous antics on his part.
"I was going to sneak down to the kitchens," she lied, rubbing her nose self consciously. "I thought a glass of milk would help me sleep."
"You were going to go down there by yourself?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes," she said indignantly.
"Wow, Gryffindor courage, I guess," he laughed. "Well c'mon, I'll go with you, just let me get my cloak and map."
She tip toed up the spiral staircase, following closely behind him, moving slowly in the dark. He swung open the door to the boys' dormitory and held it open for her as she passed into the room, treading carefully as she knew what kind of things were left on the boys' floor - stray dungbombs, forgotten socks, and empty bottles of butterbeer. She sat tentatively on James' bed as he eased open his trunk to retrieve his cloak. She started at the sound of Peter's low, rumbling snore.
"Easy Evans!" came James' voice in the dark. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry," she muttered and stifled a giggle as she realized that his shadowy form had jumped higher than she had. She heard the trunk close with a thud and she bounced to her feet.
"C'mon," he whispered brushing past her briskly.
They padded quietly across the common room and James consulted his map briefly before pushing through the portrait hole. Lily stumbled out after him and caught herself just as she was about to skid across the floor.
"Graceful," he smirked at her, his eyes glinting behind his glasses.
"Oh shut up scaredy, you're jumpier than I am in the dark," she grinned at him.
"Am not!" he contested, looking affronted.
"Ickle Jamesie is afwaid of the dark," she teased, "I heard your stomach rumbling earlier, yet you wouldn't have gone down to the kitchens unless I was going too."
"Would so. I walk around the castle at night on my own ALL THE TIME."
"Yeah, sure thing macho man, you better get that cloak out before Filch comes round the corner," she said nodding at the open map.
"What?!" he hissed and threw the cloak over the both of them.
"Just kidding, Filch is down on the third floor."
"I hate you."
"Yeah, yeah, now which way to the kitchens?"
"I thought you knew," he whispered looking at her in surprise.
"No fool, you're the one holding the map, remember?"
"Yeah I caught that, but I also recall you saying that you were heading down to the kitchens by yourself. How did you expect to get there if you've no idea where it is?"
"I have some idea. . ." she trailed off, rubbing her nose again.
"Rubbing that nose isn't going to stop it from growing you liar."
"Er. ."
"Pinocchio. C'mon Evans, try to keep up," he grinned while snapping his fingers.
She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms.
"I keep up just fine, I was just floundering under all your accusations," she said through gritted teeth as she flicked her eyes downward. "Of course I know the kitchens are beneath the Great Hall."
He stared at her in disbelief before gesticulating wildly causing the cloak to rise up and reveal their trainers.
"You just peeked at the map!" he hissed.
"I did no such thing." She said with dignity as she tossed her long red hair. "C'mon lets get going, I'm starving."
"Fine but I'm going to find out what you were really up to, sneaking around the common room at night. . ."
"Pshh, as if you should talk, Merlin knows what you Sirius, Peter and Remus get up to when you're running around the grounds."
"That's business Evans," he said testily. He did not want her to even think about following them when there was a full moon out.
They were so caught up with arguing that they failed to pay attention to the map. If they had been looking at the map, they would have noticed a tiny dot bobbing toward them, clearly labelled Mrs Norris.
They rounded the corner of the corridor, bickering in hushed voices, to come face to face with the sly feline. They both stopped talking at once, Lily gasped as James took a harried step backward. The cat's lamp like eyes seemed to be staring right at them and she had stopped dead in her tracks.
"Can she s-"
"Shhh," James breathed in her ear.
The cat moved one paw in front of the other and took a step toward them threateningly. Lily stepped back into James who braced her at the elbows to keep her from tripping over him.
"Don't move."
Mrs. Norris slinked toward them slowly, inclining her head questioningly before twisting abruptly and streaking the opposite way down the corridor, mewling for her master.
James tugged at her hand and at once the two raced back toward Gryffindor tower, the invisibility cloak flapping around them. They whipped past creaking suits of armour and the thud of their feet startled many people in their portraits. Finally, the dozing fat lady was in sight. They skidded to a halt in front of her.
"Boomslang Skin!" Lily blurted out.
"Go on then," the fat lady mumbled sleepily.
They tumbled through the portrait hole breathing heavily. Lily disentangled her hand from James' and heaved a sigh of relief.
"I. . .have never been. . . so scared. . .of a cat!" Lily panted, hands on her hips.
"Me neither," James responded, doubled over.
"So much for being match fit for Quidditch," Lily giggled as she regarded James struggling for breath.
"Yeah, well I had to pull you along didn't I?" he retorted.
Lily snickered and shook her head as they turned to walk toward the dormitories.
"Know what Evans?"
"What?" she asked, trying her best to look disgruntled.
"I think we just bonded."
"No way," she contested, but her lips twitched in a tell-tale way.
"Yes we did, look, you're even smiling."
"No I'm not, I'm having a facial spasm."
"Oh bugger off," he grinned and gave her a shove. "Get to bed!" he said as she started up the stairs. "And hey!"
She looked back at him expectantly.
"I know you'll dream about me," he winked.
"You're horrible, Potter," she grunted as she climbed the stairs.
"You love it," he called after her with a smile.
She flapped her hand at him in goodbye and continued up the staircase.
He was wrong she didn't dream about him that night- she didn't have to, she was thinking about him until she fell asleep.
A/N: So I wasn't too sure how to end this baby but hopefully it turned alright for you all ;) R&R?