"Things are going well, I assume."
A smile crept to James' lips.
"Yes, Sirius. Things are going well."
James ruffled his hair. He let out a yawn, and lifted his hands over his head, stretching.
"Wait."
James kept walking.
"You've slept together, haven't you." Sirius asked.
James paused, and looked back at his friend.
"You have!" Sirius ran to catch up. "How…how was it?"
Although the Black had a gruesome reputation, he had never slept with a girl. No one at Hogwarts interested him enough, and Sirius did not want to form unnecessary relationships for nothing. He knew what it felt like when relationships fell apart. It nearly killed him.
James smiled. "It was amazing. I love her. She loves me. She loves me enough to give herself to me completely. Sirius, she is the most beautiful woman I've ever met. She is kind, courageous, generous, and oblivious to it all. I…I…now that I know what we could be occupying our time with, now that I know how I can express exactly what I am feeling without exhausting my vocabulary, I find that it is the only thing I want to do. Coincidentally, it is the only thing I am forbidden to do."
The pair walked in silence through the corridor.
"It's easy to tell, you know, now that I know for sure. Your touches linger. Your kisses are more sensuous, and yet…they aren't. It's as if you don't need the physical relationship, your love goes deeper. You don't need to prove it with ardent kisses."
James laughed. "I'm glad it looks calm on the surface. Every time I see her I hold back. My hands naturally gravitate towards her hips. My lips crave her kiss. My desires are never ending. If only we didn't have to keep up this pretense of chastity and virtue."
"I would be happy to switch shifts with Lily. All you have to do is ask."
"Don't tempt me padfoot."