Disclaimer – I feel like a fool for including this. I don't own Harry Potter or anything else. Screw off.
A/N – Not the best I've done by a long shot, but it was all pointless fun. Review?

Distracted
-x-

He was staring at her again. Lily could feel his eyes firmly glued upon her back, observing her every movement with an insatiable scrutiny. She ignored it, flipping through the pages of her Potions textbook idly, watching them slip through her fingers and the diagrams flash by without warning. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she calmly unscrewed her inkpot and dipped her brand-new quill in the black ink, swirling it briefly.

She attempted to conjure up the Transfiguration homework, a dozen small china teacups, but only found another salamander appearing on her desktop. She sighed, knowing perfectly well that if this kept up she would fail the class.

Damn it, she thought, as a speck of ink splattered against her blouse, leaving an ugly black blemish. Rubbing at it only succeeded in smearing the ink all over the spot covering her left breast, and she therefore quickly abandoned all attempts at cleaning it with a snarl. To top it all off, he was still fixated on her actions.

About to whip around in rage and scream herself hoarse at him, she steadied her shaking hands and opened her mouth wide – when suddenly a hand clapped itself over her shoulder and Lily yelped, slapping the ink-stained hand away.

"Gee, Lily, what's gotten into you?" A loud voice said. A blonde-haired girl dropped into the seat next to her and glared at Lily as she rubbed her reddened hand.

Lily hung her head. "Sorry, Dorcas. Don't sneak up on me like that again, though."

Dorcas rolled her eyes before commenting wryly, "Potter's staring at you intensely, he has this crazed, psychotic look in his eyes. I'd watch your self in the halls, you never know when he might creep up on you."

Lily snickered before replying, "Thanks for the warning. Should I purchase a wooden stake and some garlic, or am I okay unprotected as I am?"

"A handful of silver bullets and a vile of goat blood should do the trick," Dorcas explained, her eyes sparkling mischievously, "though I'm not quite sure what the goat blood will help you with."

Lily smiled and glanced behind her shoulder. He was still gazing at her, though he appeared glassy-eyed and dazed, probably bored out of his skull.

"He really should get a girlfriend. Or at least a pillow and some lacy knickers – he needs something to take out those sexual frustrations, doesn't he?" she remarked, stretching her legs underneath the wooden table.

Dorcas snorted loudly at this, drawing some curious looks in the two girls' directions. "What, never seen a red-head before?" Dorcas said in reply to their looks, glaring.

Turning back to Lily, she shook her fringe out of her eyes and remarked coldly, "Stupid berks – staring at you as if you were something off Pluto."

Lily didn't find any particular need to explain to Dorcas that they had been staring at her, not Lily, and as a result of her outcry, they had drawn even more looks. Naturally, I had to get a complete bloody narcissist and loon for a best friend, Lily thought bitterly, though she is somewhat entertaining at times.

"What're you doing?" Dorcas chirruped, glancing none too discreetly at the thick text and stack of parchment that was spread in front of Lily.

"Potions," Lily responded, "And, no, you cannot copy off my work. Do your own homework for once."

"Liillyy..." Dorcas whined, sticking out her bottom lip, "Please, just this once? I've got a date with Malcolm and you know how testy he gets when I cancel out."

"You always have a date with Malcolm whenever we have lots of Potions work assigned."

"Nuh-uh."

"I'm not starting up with that again," Lily said, surveying her bitten and chewed nails with distaste. "Bring over your books and I might help you if you're good."

"But I have a date with Malcolm!"

Lily quirked an eyebrow at this, crossing her arms over her chest. "Really?"

Dorcas wore the hopeful look on her face for another moment before wilting in her seat. "No, we broke up again."

"You're always breaking up with Malcolm. What is this, the ninth time this month?" Lily asked. "Besides, it isn't as if Slughorn doesn't perfectly well know that you're copying off me, he just doesn't want to tell me off." She blinked. "I still don't believe he fancies me, though. That's wrong on too many levels to count."

Dorcas stuck out her tongue at Lily and said, "Well, he does, so you better use your power over him well, Lily dear."

"He doesn't FANCY ME, Dorcas!" Lily shrieked, turning very red at the thought of her having control over her stout, creepy Potions master.

"Who doesn't fancy you?" A masculine voice asked curiously, one big, tanned hand casually perching itself on the back of Lily's chair.

They jumped, both whipping out their wands and about to curse the stranger before they found a mahogany wand appearing between them, slackly held in a calloused hand. Lily scowled, knowing perfectly well who it was. There was only one person she knew who had faster reflexes then Dorcas, and his name was James Potter.

"Not exactly friendly, are we?" Potter noted dryly, his wand disappearing before their eyes as he flicked his hand and slipped it into the folds of his robes. Even though she disliked him immensely, Lily had to admit he had style.

"What'd you want, James?" Dorcas wonder aloud, pocketing her own wand and staring at him earnestly. The two of them shared an odd relationship, being friends before they could remember and being tutored by the same instructor before Hogwarts.

He shrugged. "Evans, I suppose, if we really want to get nitty-gritty about it." He thought another moment, "Actually, I was just coming over to tell you that Quidditch practice is at six in the morning, tomorrow. Gudgeon landed himself in the hospital wing – something about the Whomping Willow – so we'll need you there. You might have to play for him in the finals."

Dorcas broke out into an infectious grin. She adored Quidditch and everything about it, though she wasn't quite good enough to make it on the team, she was the favoured reserve chaser.

"Brill!" She said cheerfully, beaming at James and staring at the ground when her face began to hurt. "See you then."

He paused, adjusting his wire-rimmed specs anxiously and ruffling his hair before glancing down at Lily and hastily stopping. "Evans, d'you want to go for a walk with me?"

Lily, quite used to these pleads, opened her mouth and was about to blurt out, very happily, a negative response, before she caught Dorcas' wide-eyed look. Oh... NO! She thought furiously, averting her eyes and staring up at Potter and his huge, dizzying hazel eyes...

What was going on with her? She wondered, trying to say the simple words, but finding they didn't really want to ease themselves out of her throat. Her hand flew at her throat and she let out a muffled groan when she realised what Dorcas had done. Gesturing wildly, Lily mimed a wand being waved and snatching at Dorcas' snickering body.

"What's with her?" James said, his brow furrowed. One would think he would know what to do, being the brightest student in the school, but he was apparently perplexed by a simple trick.

Tearing at her wild curls, Lily suddenly had an idea. Couldn't Potter's wand work just as well as mine at the occasion. Frazzled, she mimicked being given a wand and she graciously accepted it, pointing at her throat with the mock-wand. Dorcas was in hysterics now, blonde hair strewn all over the place as she slumped out of her seat, shoulders shaking.

The stupid prat, Lily thought crossly, I better get that wand off him or this'll take forever. Steadying herself for a moment, she directed the most sinister look she could muster at Potter, and, with a leap, threw herself at him. Her hands skittered all over his body, and if she wasn't hearing Dorcas' impossibly loud laughter in her ears, she might've enjoyed it.

Potter was gaping at her, frozen in position as Lily awkwardly shoved her hands down his pockets, groping for a wand that didn't appear to be there. It isn't in his pockets, or his robes or even in his bloody t-shirt – where on earth does he carry the thing? She blushed violently as a thought surfaced in her mind, and she pushed it down quickly.

She skimmed his back pockets briefly, feeling up his buttocks before realising she was doing so. Then it hit her: Not his ... oh Merlin, please let me be wrong. Closing her eyes, Lily boldly thrust her hands underneath his shirt, splaying her fingers across the warm, hard muscles of his abdomen, and felt around the waistband of his trousers.

She was so preoccupied with the sensation of his soft skin against her fingers, she almost missed the stick of wood that was slipped between his hipbone and the rough material of his trousers. Grabbing it greedily, Lily brandished it proudly and waved Potter's wand around, mentally whispering a spell.

Nothing happened. No spark of her voice returning, no triumphant scream – nothing but the ragged breathing of Potter in her ear and the sight of Dorcas on the ground, flailing about and looking like an idiot. She turned, shoulders hunched as she stared fixatedly at the floor, and shoved Potter's wand wordlessly at him.

He didn't take it.

Her nerves grated enough today, not to mention she felt weird and aroused from the feel of Potter's body, she looked irritably at him, awaiting a snide comment. He looked windswept, his cheeks flushed and his clothing all mussed up. If anyone hadn't known any better, one might've thought he had been busy snogging someone earlier.

Lily most surely did not like the notion the slightest. After having intimate relations with Potter's chest, buttocks and stomach, she felt that they weren't worthy of anyone except, maybe, her. What is wrong with me? Lily thought, rubbing at her left eye, Sure, Potter's attractive – but thinking about him like that was ... disturbing.

"Lily, I'm sure you had a perfectly valid and obvious basis for just groping me," Potter said slowly, "But I'm a bit distracted here – care to point the rationale out? Though, we could always make a daily habit of it, if you'd like."

She felt like crying. Turning to Dorcas, holding Potter's wand threatingly, Lily stared down at her. Dorcas blinked and, smiling widely, explained easily, "Well, if you'd like to, you can kiss him and see what that'd do."

"What? Kiss me? Why?" Potter now looked alarmed, gesturing wildly and gawking at Lily. "When'd we start with the kissing – we aren't even friends, yet. Are we?" He looked worried that he had missed such a moment, "But, y'know, I won't object too much if you really want to kiss me. I can even snog, if you'd like."

What did I get myself into? Lily wondered, running a hand through her frizzy curls and staring at the bug-eyed Potter. This is definitely not how I planned to waste the weekend away.

Steadying herself and ignoring the shouts of horror coming from her mind, Lily calmly jerked Potter down by his tie (when'd he get so bloody tall, she thought tetchily) and pressed her lips against his. She found that his lips were rather nice, warm and soft and utterly familiar.

Dorcas waggled her tongue at her, eyes very bright, and Lily shut her eyes and knotted her fingers through his hair. At least she could make this experience as painful as possible for him – he needed some sort of punishment, didn't he? Almost jumping, she felt his arms wind around her waist and his hands travel along her spine, making her skin tingle.

He's a very good kisser, Lily admitted privately, leaning further into his body as he began to nip at her bottom lip. Yes, very, very good. Prying his lips open gently, she thrust her tongue into his mouth, wincing at the complete strangeness of the situation. She was snogging her supposed enemy in the empty Gryffindor Common Room, in front of her best friend, while a small army of salamanders pranced about their feet.

Realising a minute had passed and that her mind was oddly vague and disorientated, Lily pulled away regretfully, holding a hand to her lips.

"Well, that better have worked," she said, before breaking out into a smile when she heard her voice.

"That's nice." Dorcas said nonchalantly, though her cheeks were very flushed and her eyes intense.

"How'd you restrict the hex to specific limits?" Potter wanted to know, walking up from behind Lily and looking at Dorcas, "I've tried that a million times, but it never works on Sirius."

Lily stared at them, a sinking feeling in her stomach. What were they on about? "What're you two on about?"

No one responded.

"Did ... Potter know about the blasted curse?" Lily cried, her voice rising.

Silence.

"I, I'm very... oh Merlin," Lily suddenly burst out, face filled with horror, "I've just practically molested you, Potter, and you didn't even bother to act shocked! And I believed it all!"

Potter looked hurt. "I tried, Evans. You didn't catch on, though."

"That was pathetic, Potter. If I was in my right mind, I would've noticed the incongruity immediately!"

"No, you wouldn't have. There's a reason you're horrid at stealth."

"WHO TOLD YOU THAT!"

"Me." Dorcas squeaked out, raising her hand meekly.

Lily hid her face in her hands, suddenly hit by the complete stupidity of the circumstances. Now what am I supposed to do? Run away? Scream? Attack Potter? Attack Dorcas? Snog Potter? Lily thought, before pausing at the last idea.

She blinked.

There was something very... appealing about the proposal. She hoped that this wasn't madness making its first mark on her. But they weren't right for each other, not really, because she wasn't in love with him or anything (was she?) and even though Potter was exceedingly attractive, she found something off about him. There was something missing, something off beam about this picture (excluding the obvious).

The both of them were staring at her, though Dorcas had a slightly bitter look in her eyes. It didn't really make a great deal of sense, what was going on, but Lily almost wanted to kiss him again. After all these years of avoiding and loathing him, she found herself almost needing him. Love and hate... was there really such a grand difference between the two or had she made it that way? What if this, this was love and she was just too blind to see through its disguise?

Then he spoke.

"Evans, go out with me?"

"...If I said no?"

"I'd take at as a yes, anyway."

"... what if I said yes?"

"That's obvious, isn't it?"

"So... I've no choice, do I?"

"Not really."

"Pitiful, Potter, pitiful."

"But you love me for it, right?"

"Naturally."

She smiled.