Hello everyone. I thought of this story the other night and wanted to put it into words. I hope everyone enjoys it, and if you do please review! I love reading reviews, good or bad, they make everything worthwhile. This story is completely AU, and I've taken a dew liberties with dates and such.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

...

"Are you sure we have to do this?"

It was late afternoon on a hot sticky July day and mountains of bills and past due notices piled around Lily. She picked up one at random and groaned as the red letters that spelled "past due" glared at her. She glanced at her boyfriend Alex, whose frown was becoming a permanent feature on his face as he sifted through notice after notice running his hand through his blonde locks. Normally Lily found this gesture endearing. Today she ignored him, trying to keep her temper under control. As she looked through all the bills, she just couldn't believe how deep he had gotten himself in.

Lily and Alex had been living together for the past year and apparently collected three years worth of debt in that amount of time. They were high school sweethearts, excited to be living on their own for the first time and went a little overboard decorating their place. The big plasma television in the living room and brand new bedroom furniture was proof. Both of them were also in college and their student loans were starting to catch up with them.

Alex chanced a glance at Lily sensing her disapproval as she flipped through page after page. Her long red hair fell over her face like a curtain; hiding the anger in the dazzling green eyes that Alex had come to love dearly. He knew she was less than happy about their financial situation but he thought he might have an idea on how to help.

It wasn't really that surprising that Alex had this much debt. He was constantly spending more money than he earned. While Lily was appreciative of the extravagant birthday and anniversary gifts he gave her, it would do neither of them any good if they didn't have a place to live. Lily had always been more careful with her money and was irked her that she was still in debt. Lily was secretly glad all of the bills were in Alex's name even though they both worked together to pay them off. She knew it would take them awhile to eradicate the debt but she wasn't prepared for the suggestion he had in order to save money.

"A roommate? I don't know Alex. I don't like the idea of some stranger living with us." Lily started remembering all the horror stories her friends had told her about their own experiences with roommates. People who didn't clean up after themselves, didn't pay their rent on time, or even worse stole items from them.

Alex sighed and put down another bill. "I know Lily. But think of the money we'll save if we split the rent with someone. It will cut down our expenses in half. If people are interested we'll have them fill out a background check and make sure they are okay. But hopefully we can get someone before the semester begins. There must be tons of people looking for a place other than the dorms to live in and hopefully we'll only have to do this for a year. We'll have the place back to ourselves in no time." He tried to sound confident in his idea, hoping Lily would go along with it.

Lily knew he was right. Part of her was angry at him for getting them so deep in debt they had to open up their home to a complete stranger. But the other part was anxious to pay off the debt so they could move past it. She didn't want to continue living their life counting every penny.

She rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. She sighed. She glanced into his sky blue eyes that were silently pleading with her. She gave in. "Okay let's do it."

...

Apparently a lot of people were looking for a new place to live. At least that seemed to be the case with Lily and Alex. Day after day they received phone calls inquiring about their room for rent. But none of their leads ever panned out. People either thought the rent was too high or didn't pass the background check.

A week later, Lily was about to suggest that they abandon the idea when Alex's phone rang. He picked it up and Lily could tell from the conversation that it was another prospective renter. She sighed. She listened in to the conversation.

"Yeah, rent is six hundred a month and it includes all utilities. No pets and we are asking everyone to fill out a background check." Alex paused, a smile starting to unfold on his face. "No, that would be fine. Okay sounds good. See you at three o'clock." Alex ended the conversation and turned to Lily. She was about to ask him about the phone call when he pressed his lips against hers, smiling. "It looks like we found someone Lils." He declared looking proud of himself.

Lily wasn't so sure. They had been down this road before. Everyone always sounded perfect over the phone. "We haven't met them yet; I wouldn't start counting the money yet."

Alex dismissed her claim. "No he sounds legit Lils. He said he lived in one of the dorms last year but he thought that it was too small. He saw our ad in the paper and wants to come by later today and check it out. He was okay with the price and background check too."

So it was a guy. Lily silenced her disappointment. She had been hoping for a female roommate. Girls tended to be cleaner and more respectful. She didn't want some fraternity brother living with them coming in at all hours of the night. Nonetheless, she got out of bed, hiding her face from Alex and started picking up clothes from the floor. Cleaning the apartment would distract her from the stranger's imminent arrival.

A couple of hours later, Lily sat on the sofa watching the minutes creep closer to three. Alex sat next to her, flipping through the channels on the TV, a nervous habit that irked Lily to no end. She was about to snap at him when the doorbell rang. Alex jumped up and went to answer the door. Lily got up and turned off the TV, taking a deep breath. She followed Alex to the front door. He gave her a brief smile before turning the knob. Lily did her best to compose a grin on her face.

The door opened and Lily found herself staring up into a pair of sparkling hazel eyes. Lily eyes went wide as she took in every detail. He was tall, even taller than Alex and his raven hair had a messy bed head look to it. But it looked strangely sexy as though someone had been passionately running their fingers through it in the heat of the moment. The stranger smiled at her then at Alex. Lily felt her fake smile relaxing into a genuine one. She saw out of the corner of her eye Alex extend his hand to the handsome stranger in front of her.

"Hi, I'm James Potter. We spoke over the phone, I just wanted to come by and check out the place for myself. It sounded perfect in the paper." He flashed both of them a brilliant smile and Lily found herself without the ability to speak. She glanced at Alex hoping he would take the lead.

He did. "Of course, come on in. Lily and I have been looking for someone to split the rent with and I figured a lot of students might be looking for something off campus." Alex led them into the living room and James walked around a bit, wandering into the kitchen as he spoke.

"Yeah I did the whole college experience thing last year. It was defiantly too small, too loud, and too expensive. Seems like all anybody wants to do is party. Not that there's anything wrong with a good party now and then." He flashed another grin. "But it gets old real fast. I need to start concentrating on my classes if I hope to make it out of here in four years." He chuckled to himself.

Alex nodded. "I know the feeling. Lily and I are both taking a ton of classes this semester so we won't be stuck here before they decide to raise the tuition again." Alex looked over at Lily, who appeared not to be listening.

Lily heard her name being spoken aloud but she was too busy concentrating on not staring at the gorgeous guy in front of her. She loved her boyfriend. She really did. Actually she had never been with any guy besides Alex and really had never found anyone else attractive. That was until now.

Lily tried to pull herself together so she wouldn't look crazy. She was practically hyperventilating. She smile tentatively at the guy in front of her and then turned to Alex. "I guess he should see what the room looks like right?" She nodded her head at Alex who in return gave her a curious look, but he turned back to James. "Um yeah, alright, so your room would be this way" Alex gestured toward James and the pair of them walked off toward the room.

Lily knew she was overreacting and she internally scolded herself. He was just a good looking guy. There were tons of good looking guys on campus. Why was he any different?

He was just another pretty face. A pretty face that would be naked in her shower. Lily groaned, shaking her head to get rid of the fantasy that had popped up in her head. Maybe if she was lucky, James wouldn't like the place and he would leave. Lily knew it was wrong to wish that, after all she and Alex needed the money, but Lily didn't want to live for an entire year hiding from her roommate.

She heard the two boy's voices growing louder as they made their way back into the living room. Lily rearranged the features on her faces to appear nonchalant. She read the look of jubilation of Alex's face and she felt her stomach sink.

Alex walked over to her. "Good news Lils. James said he'll take it." He glanced at his girlfriend and then at James. "I think this is going to work out great." Lily grinned nervously, glancing up quickly at James.

James grinned too, noticing how Lily's eyes wouldn't quite meet his but finding their green color breathtaking. But he knew she was off limits and found he was oddly grateful for that. The last thing he needed was a romance with a roommate. Things often got messy when there was that kind of living arrangement.

So it was settled then. Lily only hoped she would grow immune to her new roommates' good looks and she found herself breathing a little easier as she turned to her boyfriend. "Sounds good honey."

She only hoped it would be.

...

A month later, Lily had to admit Alex was right. Slowly but surely their mountain of debt grew smaller as did their stress from their finances. It was a nice change.

Unfortunately for Lily, her growing attraction for her new roommate was not getting smaller. James had been nothing but respectful since moving in, always making sure he respected the couple's privacy. He also appeared to be a bit of a neat freak. Lily had caught him more than once rearranging magazines and dusting off the furniture. Lily had also caught him without a shirt on during those occasions and she always felt herself blush as she averted his gaze. He never did anything to make her feel uncomfortable on purpose and felt guilty for harboring these feelings. But James was really just a nice guy and Lily tried to see him that way.

All in all, things were going smoothly, or as smoothly as Lily could have hoped given the awkward circumstances.

It was the middle of the week and Lily was walking home from the library, her arms aching from the pile of books she lugged with her. Her professors had been brutal so far this semester and Lily longed for the day she wore her cap and gown and held her diploma. She made her way to her apartment, fumbling with the key, cursing as she dropped a couple of books in the process.

Eventually, she got the door open and went inside. It was quiet and Lily sensed she was alone. She was grateful for this; she needed the silence to study. She put her books on her desk and felt a lull come over her. She glanced at the clock and decided a little afternoon nap couldn't hurt.

She made her way to her bedroom when suddenly the door to the bathroom opened and out stepped James.

In a towel. Dripping wet.

Lily wasn't tired anymore. Her senses went into overdrive as her eyes soaked in every detail. Every gorgeous detail. Lily took a step back, feeling a burning desire to run away. Or at him. She wasn't sure.

James flashed a sheepish grin. "Hey, I'm sorry Lily. I thought I was alone. Next time I'll make sure." He laughed uneasily, his abs rippling in the process. He adjusted his slipping towel, staring intently at her, waiting for a response.

Lily's brain shouted at her. Say something! Anything! She could only imagine what her face looked like right now."Uh well to be fair, you were alone. I came home early from the library. I was just going to go try to take a nap now." Would you like to join me? Lily cursed her brain for conjuring up forbidden images.

James smiled at her. "Well sweet dreams" And with that he turned away from her, heading for his room and closing the door with a thud which awakened Lily from her daydream.

What was wrong with her? Her she was, in her boyfriend's apartment, the same boyfriend who she loved more than anything. She thought back to when her friends would tease her about only being with one guy. She had ignored their arguments that it wasn't good to have only been with one guy, especially when she was in college. But now Lily was starting to wonder if her friends had been right.

Some nights when Alex had late classes, Lily had found herself in James's company. They would sit together on the sofa and chat idly about whatever was on the television. Their conversations were never too deep, but Lily was fascinated with his world views sometimes. They were so different from Alex's and Lily had to admit it made for a nice change of pace. Once or twice she and James had even gotten into a friendly argument over some topics and Lily could tell he was a passionate person. And if he was passionate about something as simple as a TV show, she could only imagine what other kind of passion he had.

Lily shook herself mentally. No, she loved Alex and that was it. He had been there for her for so long; she knew she had found her man. Lily realized she was still standing in the hallway, staring at James's door. Lily made herself turn around and go into the bedroom to take a nap. She lay there, wishing for sleep.

But she knew it would useless now.

...

James found himself lying on his bed as well thinking of his roommate. His recent encounter with Lily in the hall had been most unusual. But then again most of the time he spent with Lily was unusual. Sometimes he thought he caught Lily staring at him. Not that he minded, she had the most beautiful eyes. It just confused him. He knew she loved her boyfriend. It was evident in the way they spoke to each other and glanced at each other from across the room. Once in awhile James even felt like a third wheel when he would sit in the living room watching TV with them.

But James still thought he could detect a hint of lust during those rare times when she would actually look into his eyes. James thought his eyes must have mirrored those thoughts for he found Lily very attractive despite the fact that she was spoken for. She was a true redhead, her temper getting the best of her at times, but when she got angry that only made her more attractive. Something about her anger would make her brilliant green eyes grow brighter and James got slightly aroused just thinking about that anger being translated into the bedroom. He suspected Lily found him attractive as well and he thought that may be why she seldom looked into his eyes.

James chided himself internally. Lily had a boyfriend and as far as he could tell, she had no intention of leaving him.

And that, James thought, was a shame.

...

A couple of more weeks slipped by and before Lily knew it her birthday was upon her. She was excited; Alex always made her feel special on her birthday. And by now they had paid off enough bills so they wouldn't feel guilty about celebrating. But when Lily woke up on the morning of her birthday she found herself alone in bed with a note on the pillow next to her.

"Happy Birthday, love. I'm sorry I'm not there waking up with you, but I promise to make it up to you tonight. I made a reservation at your favorite restaurant so I'll pick you up at six tonight. I can't wait to see you. Love Alex".

Lily felt slightly disappointed but she knew her and Alex would have a wonderful time later that night. She went back to sleep dreaming of a fantastic night.

Later that night, Lily was dressed up and alone. She sat in disbelief, glancing up at the clock, and taking in the time. 6:45. She tried calling Alex's phone but got voicemail instead. She felt her anger growing with each passing second and she found herself pacing in the living room.

Just then the door opened and Lily turned around, about to release some of the pent up anger that had been building for the past forty-five minutes. But instead she was greeted by James who was home from his night class.

James took in the scene in front of him. Lily was standing there, looking as beautiful as ever in a short green dress that matched her eyes. Her eyes appeared angry and shocked. It looked like she had been expecting someone else to walk through the door. He felt tension in the air and wondered what it was about.

"Hey Lily, where are you off to?" He tried to lighten the mood but apparently had said the wrong thing for her eyes flashed in anger.

"Apparently, I'm going nowhere. Alex was supposed to be here almost an hour ago to take me out for my birthday. Not only is he not here but I can't even reach him on his phone. I haven't seen him all day." She finished her statement, seething.

James knew in that moment that Alex was an idiot. Here was this beautiful woman waiting for him to come and be with her and he was off god knows where. But deep down he felt a little bit grateful for his absence because it meant he got to spend a little more time with Lily. Despite his best attempt to steer clear of her he was still drawn to her on the rare occasions he found himself alone with her.

He moved awkwardly toward her, but thought better of it at the last minute and sat down on the sofa instead. To his surprise, she sat down next to him and even more surprising she stared straight into his eyes.

"I just can't believe Alex did this. He knows how important my birthday is to me. Why hasn't he at least called?"

James didn't know what to say. He couldn't fathom why her boyfriend would have stood her up on her birthday. He opened up his mouth to say something consoling to her when he found Lily moving closer to him. He didn't know what to make of it and half of his brain urged him to move closer. He tried again to say something but before he could get a word out he felt Lily lips against his.

Lily's mind went blank. She didn't know what she was doing but she enjoyed it all the same. Part of her knew instinctively that what she was doing was wrong, but in that moment she was so angry and so attracted to the man that sat in front of her that she wanted to block out any other thoughts. She wanted to be reckless and for once her in life she didn't care about the consequences. She groaned as she felt James respond to her kiss with an intensity she hadn't even imagined was possible and she pressed herself harder against him. This was a million times better than the fantasies that had played out in her head for the past couple of months.

At that moment James broke away, his breathing heavy but his eyes were inflamed with lust. As much as he wanted her, he didn't want to cause her anymore problems. He looked into her eyes that were pondering him. "Lily I knew you are upset but I don't want to come between you and Alex."

Lily thought about his words and the practical part of her mind knew he was right. But she found herself not caring too much right now. She took a deep breath. "You won't." And with that she leaned forward again, pressing her lips against his, silencing anymore of his protests.

James gave up, he knew the battle was lost and he tried to enjoy the victory. One of his hands tangled in her hair while the other drifted down her body. Lily moaned quietly, the fire rising inside her body rapidly. His hand slid up her thigh and Lily could feel a liquid heat rising in her stomach. She stood up suddenly, tugging on James's hand, her eyes heavy lidded.

"Take me to your room".

And James did just that.

...

AN: Please tell me what you think!