The common room was noisy as it always was in the last day before the Christmas break. Students discussed how they are going to spend the holidays, what they are bought to their friends and family, or even exchanged presents as they knew they won't see each other in the next weeks.
It was like a tradition; some of the seventh years spent almost the whole night in the warm room – which felt even warmer as several shades of red and gold surrounded them.
"Moony." – Sirius started with a sigh, throwing scornful glances at the mug between his friend hands. – "I can't believe you're drinking hot chocolate. Just take a butterbeer." – He already reached out his hand to pick up a bottle, but he stopped him.
"Thanks, I'm good." – Remus said before he looked into his mug with smug smile. Lily pursed her lips to choke back a grin; she knew very well that his cup only contained pure firewhisky, which she gave him as a present earlier that night.
Sirius huffed and stayed on the floor, sitting with his back against the sofa. He emptied his own bottle before he slammed it down on the carpet with a blunt thud. "I'm bored. Let's play truth or dare."
Several people growled and rolled their eyes, knowing these games always led into getting at least one week detention per student.
Peter shifted a yawn. "I'm in, but don't send me into the Forbidden Forest again."
"That was so brave!" – A fifth year girl gasped; her name was unknown for everyone except Sirius. – "Was it really scary?"
"Well, yes." – Wormtail said proudly. – "It was."
James let out a low laugh and messed up Peter's hair, pushing his head a bit before he stood up from the chair and plopped down on the floor. "Let's play the game before Wormy starts to showing off, because that's even worse when Sirius does." – He rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the bottle.
"You're one to talk." – Lily said and took her place next to him. They exchanged a small smile whilst Remus, Peter, Marlene, Dorcas, and two younger girls also joined to the circle.
The bottle spun and stopped and it went on and on while they were drinking butterbeers and eggnogs; telling embarrassing secrets, funny stories, or doing dares which caused them to break definitely more school rules than they should. "You two are probably the worst head-girl and head-boy in Hogwarts' history." – Sirius said between laughs while the bottle was spinning around, referring to Lily and James while they didn't even bat an eye as Sirius stole McGonagall's skirt and left a poem in exchange.
They glanced at each other again before the bottle stopped. "Evans!" – Sirius almost shouted and rubbed his palms together. – "Truth or dare?"
She watched him with narrowed eyes. "Dare."
He looked at her mildly impressed and excited at the same time before he fell silent, thinking for long moments before he said easily, "Kiss James."
"No. No, I won't kiss James. Stop!" – Lily repeated several times while there was a lot of "ooohs" and "aaahs" and chuckles.
James was silent.
"Oh, come on. You chose dare." – Sirius tried to persuade her while Prongs just looked down, shaking his head with an almost invisible and definitely not an honest smile.
He looked up at her. "You don't have to."
Lily looked into his hazel eyes, only hearing Sirius voice as some distant echo. "You have to."
She sighed and leaned closer in the next moment; she could hear as the room fell silent –
but then James pulled his head away from her. "I said you don't have to."
The silence was so loud they can hear some people snoring upstairs in their dorm, several closed doors away from them. James jumped up and quickly left the room; Lily stared the place where he sat two seconds ago. There were murmurs of puzzlement and too loud sipping of drinks before the redhead girl stood up as well and climbed through the portrait hole.
James was sitting in the cold and dusty floor next to the sleeping Fat Lady with his back against the wall, fiddling with a tiny bit of creasy parchment. He quickly stood up when Lily stopped in front of her; he adjusted his glasses and ran his hand through between his jet black locks before he looked away.
"James, it was just about a kiss." – Lily said kindly, trying to calm him down as he was so obviously upset.
But she only made it worse. "Well, that's the problem. It would have been just a kiss for you."
Her lips slightly parted and examined James' face carefully while he looked everywhere but into her eyes; his fingers picking an edge of a frame on the wall. Lily couldn't help but smiling on that he always needs to fiddle with something, but her eyes widened when he suddenly turned his face back at her. "Lily, I think you know I like you."
She raised her eyebrows; her lips lifted into a small grin. "I'm pretty sure everybody knows that."
He closed his eyes and let out a short laugh, touching the wall one last time with his fist before he looked back at Lily. "If you'd ever kiss me, I want it to be because you want it. Not because Sirius said you have to, not just from a dare."
She saw as he clenched his jaw multiple times while he stared a dot somewhere in the distance above her shoulder. Lily felt her heart banging against her ribs loudly, skipping a beat every time when she opened her mouth, unable to say what she wanted to say the most.
His eyes found hers when she took a step closer, placing her palms on his chest and looking down for a long moment. "I wanted to kiss you." – She whispered after she raised her head up and before she started to close the gap between them, slowly, like she wanted to enjoy every exciting milliseconds from even the moments before their lips would touch.
His lips moved gently and slowly against hers, and Lily were sure it wasn't because he's a slow kisser in general – it was mainly from the surprise. James' hands moved on her arms and stopped on the small of her back, and he still couldn't really believe what was happening. He felt her smiling before her lips left his, and she could finally see that so familiar playful grin on his face that she loved so much.
"I hate that grin on your face."
James smile widened. "Do you now? You also said you'd choose the giant squid over me."
Lily huffed and stepped backwards, but James closed his arms around her and pulled her back, kissing her more passionately this time; and she kissed back. Stopping not even crossed her mind.