She wasn't at all surprised at how smooth his lips were. Despite all of his time flying on his broom, you would have thought that they would have been chapped, but she always saw him with that damn lip balm. It really was quite distracting how he would take the stick out and glide it over his lips mid conversation.
She also wasn't surprised at how soft his hair was. She often jealously watched as he would continually run a hand through it. It used to irk her, thinking that he did it to draw attention to himself, like a pompous prat, but over the last several months, she started realizing that it was more of a nervous tick than anything else. Now, when she saw him with his hand in his hair, it started a fire in her belly.
She wasn't surprised at the tender way in which he held her head with his calloused hand. He was gentle with her, the same way he handled the Quaffle. He had a passion in him, but he treated things that were special to him with reverence. Like they were holy.
What did surprise Lily Evans was how she ended up here, in a closet off the Gryffindor common room, pressed between the wall and James Potter, having the best snog of her life.
If anyone would have told Lily a year ago that she would be in this situation, she would have bet galleons that they were off their rocker. She hated James Potter. Especially after the events by the lake at the end of fifth year. James had, at that point, solidified in Lily's mind that he was a self righteous ass with a bloated ego. She was well done with him.
Throughout this past year, however, something changed. Well, actually, James changed. He came back from the summer hols with a renewed sense of self. Gone were the days of recklessly hexing those who crossed him. He started tutoring younger years in Transfiguration. There was a humility about him that never seemed to have existed before. He was still a fun loving Marauder, prone to the occasional prank with his mates, but things were more subdued. And Lily started finding James dead sexy.
They started slowly becoming friends. Now that Severus wasn't monopolizing her time, Lily was forming closer attachments with the girls in her year in Gryffindor house. That then led to including the sixth year Gryffindor boys, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.
By the end of sixth year, lily was well on her way to fancying the pants off James Potter. And of course this would coincide with James seemingly moving on from his infatuation with Lily Evans. Lily was starting to get used to her pining heart, which made the cupboard experience all the more surprising.
Exams were over and everyone was enjoying the last few days of summer term before returning home for the holidays. The Gryffindor sixth years were all gathered around the table in the corner of the common room when Marlene McKinnon sat up straight with a brilliant idea. They could play the Muggle game Seven Minutes in Heaven, only to ensure fair play, they would spell the closet next to them to lock the couple in and only open once seven full minutes of snogging was completed.
Much to their chagrin, Peter Pettigrew and Mary McDonald exited the closet first after a long twenty-three minutes. Pete's eyes were glazed over and Mary's face was flushed. Apparently, neither wanted to make the first move and the first sixteen minutes were spent apologizing to each other. After that, Marlene and Sirius went next and the door promptly opened after 7 minutes to emit a very rumpled and satisfied looking pair.
As Lily waited for the empty Butterbeer bottle to stop spinning, she was praying to all that is right and just in this world for the bottle to land on her and James. And then it did. And she felt like all the wind was knocked from her body. Her chance had come. She simultaneously felt like dancing a jib and vomiting.
She and James closed the door of the cupboard and heard the loud click of the lock. It wasn't a very large cupboard, but James seemed to be going out of his way to make sure that no part of him touched any part of her. His hand flew to his hair and he audibly swallowed before saying, "We don't have to do this. I'm sure we can figured a way out of this."
Lily's heart deflated and she embarrassingly felt her eyes begin to sting. He really, truly didn't want her anymore. He confirmed what she'd been increasingly fearing as term progressed. "You don't want to kiss me?" she blurted quietly. She couldn't stop herself, like her mouth had a mind of it's own.
Again, James' hand went to his hair and he nervously chuckled. Shaking his head slightly and rubbing the back of his neck, James stated, "Um, well, you see...quite the opposite really. I've wanted to kiss you since I saw you on the platform at King's Cross after Christmas hols in 3rd year, when you were wearing that green sweater..." he trailed off.
They were both looking at their feet, unable to make eye contact, but Lily's head snapped up at James' admission. "I don't understand. This is your chance. Wouldn't you want to jump at the opportunity?" Her forehead crinkled in confusion, but her heart was beginning to beat a little quicker.
James was now shuffling his feat. He really was adorable when he was nervous, Lily thought. He cleared his throat and hesitantly looked up into Lily's eyes. "If you ever decide to kiss me, I want it to be because you actually want to and not because you were forced to by some bloody game. I want it to mean something to you, because it would mean the world to me."
With that, Lily summoned all the Gryffindor courage within her and closed the short distance to James. She looked up into his face and whispered, "What if I really want to now?" And she lifted up on her toes and gently placed her lips on the edge of James' mouth. It was barely a kiss, but Lily hoped that it conveyed to James that he had her if he really did want her.
James stood stock still, looking down at Lily with widened eyes. Lily would have thought he looked comical if not for her nerves beginning to overtake her. Finally, just as Lily was about to step away, James reached out a hand and gently cupped Lily's cheek before moving it around to tangle in her red locks. He searched her eyes before wetting his lips with his tongue and leaning in to place them on Lily's.
In that moment, it seemed as though all was right and nothing else mattered. James' lips began to slide over hers in a painstakingly slow manner, as though he were afraid that by moving any faster would break the spell they were under. Lily's hands lightly touched James chest before sliding up to his shoulders. Before she knew it, they were combing through his silky hair. James had one hand still clutching Lily's hair and the other began to tentatively rub circles on her hip with his thumb.
Lily thought that she could stay here forever and be perfectly content, but then James opened his mouth and his tongue brushed lily's bottom lip before gently nipping it with his teeth. Lily about nearly lost all control of her faculties at that point but still had enough sense to open her mouth and meet the tip of James' tongue with her own.
From that point, it seemed like any restraint James was holding onto vanished and the hand on her hip tightened its grip, he closed the little space still between them, and walked Lily back until she felt the wall behind her. James tongue started stroking her own as Lily wrapped her arms around James' neck, holding him in place. Without realizing, she allowed a small moan to escape from the back of her throat. James' kisses became more heated and his hands more adventurous.
They were so wrapped up in each other, that they both failed to hear the click of the lock opening the door. They were so lost in the feel of each other, that they failed to see the ray of light wash over them. And it wasn't until Sirius' wolf whistle and Marlene's, "it's about bloody time," that they realized that their seven minutes in heaven were over.
James reluctantly pulled slightly away from Lily, but his arms remained wrapped around her waist. He placed his forehead on Lily's and was breathing hard. His nose gently nestled hers and with a small smile on his lips asked, "Evans, go out with me?"