Bloody. James. Potter.
I couldn't concentrate a bit in class because he was standing in the seat right behind me. See, usually, my amazing friends help me with this. Alice stays to my right, to my left there's Frank Longbottom and Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadows stay in the row behind me.
Unfortunately, last week Marlene and Dorcas got sick. Yep, both of them. They're dorm mates so one of them got the other one sick too. And that meant that there was a clear row behind my seat today in the Charms classroom. James and his friends came late as usual, but the row was still clear. It was as if the universe hated me and planted a big sign on that desk that said RESERVED TO JAMES POTTER AND HIS BLOODY ANNOYING FRIENDS!
Anyways, there were no other available seats for them so James, Sirius, Remus and Peter sat right in the row behind me. They didn't bother me, though. I guess that's something you'd expect James Potter to do. But he didn't. Actually, he didn't even acknowledge me. Then, why does that bother me? That's how he acted ever since this year started, like I didn't exist. I felt grateful that he stopped bugging me and asking me out every second but now I kind of feel frustrated. Has he finally decided I'm not good enough for him? Well, that's just something incredibly self-centered of me to say. After I rejected him for 6 years he had to become tired and give up eventually, right? That's what I hoped for since he first started asking me out: that he would get tired of it sooner or later.
Anyways, I couldn't concentrate on Flitwick's lesson was because James Potter changed his bloody cologne. The smell is driving me nuts! And not in a bad way, that's the outrageous thing!
I've been obsessed with that smell. His cologne is so musky and… manly. It's the kind of smell that makes you go weak in your knees and makes your head get dizzy. I suspected it was Amortentia so I was quite careful to see if other girls seemed to be crazy about his cologne, but they all acted normal. They were attracted to him but they usually were, so that was nothing unusual.
My point is that after almost a week of observing Potter I started to notice a lot of things about him. Like the dimple he has in his left cheek that you can see when he laughs, or the way he jerks his head up quickly instead of pushing his glasses up when they slide down his nose, or how he chews at his bottom lip when he's thinking about something. I started to notice a lot of things about him that I shouldn't have. Things that make James Potter … cute.
"I've gone bonkers," I muttered, shaking my head. I had been wandering aimlessly around the castle wanting to find a place where I could study. The library was unusually full and the constant sound of scribbling or paper shuffling seemed to annoy me, the common room was full of noisy first years and in my dorm Alice had proclaimed Make Over Time so I got out of there as fast as I could and that left me with no place to study.
Suddenly I had an idea. It was too late for any team to have practice so the Quidditch field must be free. As I got closer to the field I thought about how I would get in. Surely the stands were closed but with just some luck I could get in through the locker rooms. Of course, that would leave me to study on the actual field but I didn't mind. I liked lying in the grass with a book in my hand. I used to read like that in my yard back home all the time. Or in the park with Sev…
I tried the door that led to the locker rooms, and sure enough it was unlocked. A broom was propped on the wall but I didn't give it much thought. Someone must have left it there. I stepped into the locker room and tried to see where the door to the field was, since I had never been in the locker rooms and I had no idea how to find my way out.
I shrieked as a locker door behind me was slammed. James Potter was leaning on the wall half naked. Sweet Merlin! He had probably just taken a shower as his hair was wet and instead of standing straight up as it usually did it was stuck to his forehead. A pair of muggle jeans hung loosely on his hips and his school shirt and tie were in his hand.
"Fancy seeing you here, Evans," he said, cocking eyebrow.
"I… um." Get a grip Lily! His abs are not distracting! He's not distracting! He's not hot! "I was just going to go on the Quidditch field to study."
"That's the best excuse you can come up with for coming to see me naked?" he said and winked.
I was just thinking for a good comeback when his wink caught me off guard. I used to think his wink was so infuriating but now I found it unbelievably hot. I'm going mad! I'm going mad! James Potter is not hot! I focused on chanting that in my head and didn't notice I still didn't give Potter an answer.
"Nargles got your tongue, eh?" he asked and started putting his shirt on.
"Cat," I said automatically and he regarded me with raised eyebrows. "Muggles say cat," I explained. "Cat got your tongue…"
What a stupid thing to say! I just told him the muggle equivalent of a wizard expression when he clearly knew it. I'm being an idiot. And I am having a conversation with myself and I'm just standing and staring at him like a total moron and now he is looking at me like I am crazy. Well, I guess I am.
"Is there something wrong with you?" he asked. "We've been chatting for," he looked at his wrist, "approximately two minutes and you haven't called me an arrogant toe rag. You're also unusually quiet."
"I think I am sick," I told him.
"Hmmm… How do you feel?" he asked, his brows furrowing a bit. Was he concerned?
"Like I've just ran a marathon," I answered truthfully. Why on earth did you say that, Lily? "And there's a weird sensation in my stomach." Lily Evans! Your mouth is no longer connected to your brain. Abort the mission. I repeat: Abort the mission! "And my head is dizzy." Just shut up, Lily! "And I feel cold and warm at the same time," I finished and the corners of his mouth shot upwards for a fraction of a second but I caught the movement. He was trying to hide his grin. He was laughing at me.
"That sounds concerning," he said and took a step closer to me, putting his hand on my forehead. "Do you have a fever?...no, it doesn't seem like it," he declared. Then, his hand cupped the back of my neck. "Maybe you have stiff muscles in your neck," he said, his thumb lightly stroking my jawline. "No… That's not it. Let me just check one more thing," he murmured, his warm hazel eyes boring into mine.
His eyes fluttered closed and I felt the slightest brush of his lips against mine but that's all it took to send shivers all throughout my body and I sighed at his touch. I closed the distance between us again and we were kissing. His lips were so soft against mine and my hands roamed to the back of his neck where my fingers ruffled his hair slightly.
"That's it," he said breaking the kiss. "You have Obsessive James Disorder," he smirked. He was right though. I had Obsessive James disorder and there was only one cure.
"Arrogant toe rag," I said smiling back at him and leaned in to kiss him again.