"C'mon, Evans, it's Friday, you have plenty of time to do your homework tomorrow!" Sirius Black shouted from the other corner of the Gryffindor Common Room.
Lily looked at their group of four, unimpressed. They never understood that she liked to finish her work just right after classes to relax over the weekend while they're struggling with their schoolwork.
"Yeah, Lily, you should come and play with us." Peter said with a shaky voice. Lily could feel his excitement.
"Thank you for your invitation, but I still have three paragraphs for my Transfiguration essay and I want to write it tonight." She said while playing with the laces of her dark green hoodie. Remus Lupin gave her an understanding smile.
She turned the page of one of the books scattered on the table in front of her, but the shadows thrown by the fire and the poor light of the room made it really hard to read. Her eyes were really tired and suddenly joining the four boys was more appealing. But she already refused them and she was too proud to admit that maybe she changed her mind.
"Are you afraid of our little game of truth or dare, Evans?" Sirius asked with a devilish smirk.
"Yeah, I bet her patronus is a little frightened rabbit!" James laughed.
"Sirius, James…" Remus warned them.
Lily closed her books with a powerful sound and arranged all her papers on the table with a flick of her wand. It was hard to concentrate with their cheap remarks and the voices of the other gryffindors in the background. She stood up and stretched before she started walking in their direction, determined, but careful enough to not disturb or hit the other students.
The boys were sitting in a circle with a bottle and a pile of different sweets in the middle.
She studied their appearance for a moment, while deciding where was the best place to sit. Remus was a wearing a grey simple t-shirt with faded jeans and had a worried expression on his face when he saw her near them. Peter seemed happy about Lily's decision to join them, and his white blouse had a dark spot of chocolate in the middle.
James and Sirius exchanged knowing looks between them and then they focused their attention on Lily. Their plan worked, as always. Both of them were still wearing their school uniforms, but the ties were missing and their shirts were unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up.
"Here are the rules, Evans: it's the basic game of truth or dare, but if you refuse, you drink." Sirius said after Lily sat down in front of him and James, between Remus and Peter.
"Also you drink if the one who asked you something isn't satisfied with your answer or if anyone in this circle knows the actual truth and says you're lying."
James added, looking at her through his glasses. In his eyes Lily could see the unspoken challenge.
"You know, Lily, you don't have to play... I mean…" Remus whispered, putting his hand over Lily's and she squeezed it back, reassuring him that this won't be a problem for her. Remus was always so kind and protective, trying to keep the other three out of trouble. She really loved having conversations with him about everything and her friendship with Remus was one of the strongest she ever had. Remus was always there for her and for the boys.
Lily picked a chocolate frog from the stack of sweets and started unwrapping it.
"By the way, Potter, my patronus isn't a rabbit, it's a doe." She threw James a knowing look.
" A doe?" James Potter was dumbstruck for a moment, and the boys looked in complete surprise at the witch between them. Sirius seemed amused by her remark and Remus couldn't hide his smile.
"Do you have problems with deers?" Lily asked in a soft voice, not trying to hide her smirk before eating the chocolate frog.
"No… I don't have any problems… with deers." James said, struggling to find his words.
"I find deers really interesting, Lily." Peter said, picking a red and white jelly.
"Yeah, Peter, they have four legs and nice fur and my father likes to hunt them. Let's start playing!" Sirius said, pointing to the open bottle of alcohol. Remus dragged the sweets and the bottle near her and handed Sirius an empty bottle of butterbeer.
Sirius put the bottle down in the center of their circle and spun it with a lazy movement of his right hand. It stopped soon, pointing to Lily and on the other end was Sirius. His smile became wider and Lily was sure he drank something before, more than the others. They all emanated a faint smell of alcohol.
"Did you guys drink something after dinner?" she asked, rising an eyebrow.
"My deer, Lily Evans, I ask the questions now. Truth or dare?"
"Yes, Lily, they did. They aren't really drunk but they are far more enthusiastic than they should actually be." Remus interrupted him.
"Truth." she simply responded. Her eyes focused on the simple silver ring in Sirius' left ear. The boy seemed to know where her attention was because he started playing with it while thinking for his next move.
"So, Evans, are you a virgin?" Sirius smirked, just before Remus' elbow hit him below his ribs. Lily didn't seem affected by the inappropriate question, but James was turning a nice shade of pink. "Ouch, Moony, it hurts." He complained, but the look on his friend's face was enough to change his mind. "Okay, fine, another question, Evans: Do you have a crush on anybody in this room?"
Lily sighed, while looking to the people in the room: two groups of fourth and fifth year, they were too young. In the far dark corner was a couple, a brunette and a blond guy, talking and holding hands. She didn't know their names. On a couch, a boy named Andrew fell asleep with his sixth year potion books opened in his lap.
Through the entrance, two boys from their year appeared. Lily saw them in her Potions and Herbology classes.
"Yes." she answered and then put her fingers on the cold empty bottle and spun it.
After five or six spins, it stopped between Peter and James, but James didn't even want to listen to Peter's question or dare and he grabbed the bottle by its neck and drank almost a quarter. Peter opened his mouth to say something, but Remus was quicker.
"He chooses to drink and you don't have the right to ask him anything. These are the rules of our game, Peter."
"Basically this way you escape a dare, before hearing it, but it's killing all the fun. Don't do it, Evans." Sirius said.
James' gesture sent a silent message to the boys and they seemed to understand it as the game continued. Lily noticed that they prefered dares over truth and after a few rounds: Sirius was shirtless, James turned Remus' t-shirt a bright shade of pink (Remus didn't complain) and Peter asked his crush, a girl from the sixth year, out.
When Lily asked Sirius about Marlene, he refused and drank another quarter of that bottle. She tried again, asking about his love life, but he drank again.
"That's my business, not yours." he simply said.
The bottle was almost empty and they were tired and drunk. It was past midnight and they were the only ones in the common room.
"For the final round, you must accept the dare with no escape. " Sirius said looking at James, before spinning the bottle. It stopped, pointing again to Lily, with Sirius on the other side.
"I dare you to kiss James." He said, smiling, because this was his secret dare for James since the game started.
"Sirius, I refuse." James replied.
"You can't. It's not your dare." Sirius was studying Lily's blank expression. He was wondering if the alcohol was messing with her head. She didn't drink much but was enough to make a beginner sick, but something told him that Lily Evans wasn't a beginner with drinks and she also wasn't a beginner at playing games either.
"Scarred, Potter?" she asked, tugging her long auburn hair behind her ears. "Maybe, your patronus is a rabbit, not mine." She moved closer to James, ignoring Remus' look. Remus knew that she always did only what she wanted, but he was still worried about the result of this night.
"You wish." James replied looking straight into her bright green eyes. He cupped her face and brushed his lips against her.
She responded almost immediately, surprising him and their kiss became more passionate and hungry. Her soft lips tasted of chocolate and liquor. He teased tentatively with his tongue and she opened her mouth in a small moan.
The time almost stopped. They forgot about the three boys watching them, about the silly game, about their tired bodies and their lack of sleep. It was just the heat emanated by their bodies. Their hearts racing. Her hands playing with his hair. His hands on her waist. The world could crumble and they couldn't care less because in the end it was just the two of them.
James and Lily.
The stag and the doe.