It was well past midnight as James crept down the stairs to the common room. He couldn't sleep. Not with the big quidditch match that was coming up the next day. He was about to sit down in one of the armchairs by the dying fire when he saw something that surprised him. Lily was curled up in a ball in the chair reading a book.

"Evans?" he asked, rather loudly. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow after recovering from her slight shock. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that Potter." She looked back down at her book, but James could tell she wasn't reading. He sat down awkwardly on another armchair.

"The other girls in my dorm were… gossiping. I thought I'd escape, and I just didn't go back up." It sounded to James like there was more to the story, but he didn't press her. She was actually talking to him. Of her own free will. And she wasn't insulting him.

"I couldn't sleep," he confessed.

"What, the great James Potter gets nervous before a quidditch game?"

"I don't—well, I—I just…"

"Its okay, Potter."

"Just don't… tell anyone…about this."

"I won't."

"Thank you. Lily." He added the last part almost as an afterthought.

"Good night. James." Lily seemed slightly flustered as she gathered up her things and ascended the girl's staircase.

"How are you feeling James?" Lily whispered as they walked down the corridor side by side.

"I'm going to be sick," James murmured, staring down at the floor. Lily gently grabbed his arm and guided him out of the way of the other students.

"Lily? W—what are you doing?" Lily pulled James into a corner, out of sight from the other students.

"James look into my eyes."

"Um…" James was hesitant but how often was Lily Evans going to ask him to stare at her. He could see something behind those beautiful eyes, something he couldn't quite recognize. Some deep emotion. James felt her breath on his cheeks, before he realized what was happening, their lips were barely a centimeter apart. His eyes closed; he tilted his head forward.

"Lily?" A voice—female—exclaimed. "What are you doing? Who is that?"

"Go," Lily whispered fiercely, pushing James around the corner back into the crowd heading towards the Great Hall. James couldn't hear what she said next, but he followed the current of students, through the doors, quickly trying to smother the larger-than-normal smile on his face. He searched down the Gryffindor table, looking for Sirius. He was sitting close to the door, talking to Remus and Peter.

"Morning Men," James said with a look on his face that suggested he was at ease.

"Where've you been?" Sirius asked, a hint of outrage in his voice.

"Flirting with the ladies," He replied, winking, though he wasn't going to tell Sirius he had almost, almost kissed Lily.