11 P.M. saw the Gryffindor common room filled with noise, sweaty bodies, and a string of seemingly endless shots.

3 A.M. told a different story. It showed a setup of tired bodies strewn on arm chairs, dull laughter echoing from the walls, a fire that refused to give up still crackling, and exhaustion. A fulfilled exhaustion - that kind that only comes about when something has been achieved.

Lily Evans, 7th year and resident Head Girl, had by rare occasion taken part in the night's festivities. She had allowed herself to indulge with her classmates. To forget about the war raging outside the castle walls. To simply be a teenager with no worries beyond the night's end.

Because this was such an unusual occasion for Lily Evans, she had perhaps gotten a bit out of hand. 3 A.M. found her slumped improperly on a couch, clutching a bottle of firewhiskey, with her head dangling off the cushions, and her feet kicked towards the ceiling.

Various friends were splayed out around her, still carrying on raucously, but she'd more or less lost her grasp on reality.

"You know what's fascinating," Lily said, kicking her legs back and forth, "is that when I move my legs like this, the whole room moves with them"

"What's really going to be fascinating is seeing if you're able to stand after this," Peter joked. "How many pints did you have?"

"No pints," Lily said after a long moment of hesitation, taking a swig from the handle of firewhiskey she was nursing. "Mostly just shots. Lots of shots. Everything's been spinning for the last few hours." As she spoke an undignified burp came out, and she lost it in a fit of laughter.

The rest of the crowd joined her. Proclamations were made about what an unbelievable sight this was, how the party had been amazing, how the night was going to go down in the history books. There was an underlying din to the conversation, though, and that was how they couldn't believe James Potter had missed the occasion.

No one knew where he'd gone. He'd left them at 10 o'clock with a confident smile and a promise that he'd be back before daybreak.

He almost didn't make it.

It was 3:45 A.M. when he walked into the Common Room, bleary eyed from lack of sleep, to find that his mates were still lounging, laughing and intoxicated.

Lily had slumped into a state of near unconsciousness, but occasionally an appropriately timed giggled would slip from her lips. James couldn't believe that she was there, let alone that she was apparently so far gone.

He approached the group and cleared his throat. "Looks like you all had quite the night."

"The night is young!" Marlene hiccupped at him. "And anyway, where have you been?"

"It doesn't matter," he shrugged her off tiredly. "But apparently it wasn't anything as interesting as this."

"James?" Lily said through a garbled voice.

"Merlin, Lils," James said, quickly crossing to wear she was curled on the couch. "You look —"

"I feel awfuuul," she said, barely able to pronounce the word she was trilling out.

"Okay," he says, crouching down next to her and taking the bottle of firewhiskey out of her hands, "okay. Let's say you get up to bed?"

She gave him a slight smile, and then reached her hand out to touch his cheek. "You're very nice," she said simply. "Very nice, and very nice looking."

He smiled back at her, and grabbed her hand from off his face. He laced his fingers through hers, and then addressed the group, "Has anyone ever seen her like this?"

"She was fine at first," Remus said. He was reclined with his eyes shut, but apparently awake. "But then Marlene talked her into taking a shot every time she missed you, and she fell apart somewhere after 2:30."

James let out a sigh, and then asked, "Do I want to know what condition Sirius is in?"

"Completely together," Remus replied. "He cut himself off around 1 o'clock. Went to bed. Said he'd take a turn on hangover duty in the morning."

"Great," James said. "That's actually great. And based on the fact that you're not opening your eyes, you are —"

"Everything's a little fuzzy, currently," he said. "Moving seems like an unnecessary activity, so I'll be here for as long as possible."

"The night is young!" Marlene repeated.

Lily squeezed James's hand, and he turned her attention to her. "Bed?" he asked her.

"Bed. Yes. Nice," Lily said with a sloppy smile.

"Alright," he said. "Can you stand?"

"Yes," she said, grasping tightly to his arm and shifting herself so that she was in a seated position. She tried standing, but then swayed in place and crashed back down onto the couch. "No."

"Alright, Lily," he said, scooping his arms around her and heaving her off the couch. "Hold tight, and try not to throw up on me."

He quickly bid the rest of the room good night, and then with solid steps he brought both his exhausted self and Lily up to his dorm.

"So you were taking shots because you missed me?" he teased her as they reached the top of the steps.

"I always miss you," she replied, tracing a finger across his chest.

James mussed her hair, and then said, "I'm honored, Lil."

He struggled to open the door to his room, and as he did so, Lily asked, "Did you, um, do your important thing?"

"My — oh! Yes. And we'll talk about it in the morning when you'll actually be coherent enough to remember it, and I'll be coherent enough to talk about it. Now," he changed topics as he brought them into the room, "we've got to be quiet because if we wake Sirius up —"

"Quiet," Lily repeated through a giggle. "I can be quiet."

"Lily, love, that's quite the opposite of being quiet," James whispers into her ear. He brings her over to his bed and places her down. "Wait here," he told her, drawing the curtains around his bed.

He walked over to his dresser to grab pajamas when Lily called after him. "James," she croaked, "it's very… dark in here."

"That'll make it easier to sleep," James said dismissively. He riffled through the drawer looking for clothes and continued, "I'm going to bring you some water and pajamas, just please be quiet."

"Come lie with me," she complained in reply.

"Soon, Lily."

"James," she whined his name again. He shut the dresser drawer softly with a Quidditch jersey and a pair of boxers in hand, and then walked back to his bed.

"Get changed, Lily," James told her, passing the clothes over. "I'm going to get you water, so just try and get comfortable."

"But James —"

He pressed a quick kiss against her lips and his face puckered in return. "I'll be right back," he promised, doing his best to ignore the scent of firewhiskey and tequila on her breath.

In the time it took for James to disappear and reappear with a glass of water, Lily had only partially managed to change into pajamas.

"Help," she told James weakly when he arrived. She looked like she was ready to cry.

"Alright," he said, "relax." James placed the water down on his nightstand and then sat down on the edge of the bed. "Arms up, Lily."

She complied to the best of her ability, and after five minutes of fumbling and bickering, Lily was dressed in an oversized Quidditch jersey and a pair of James's boxers.

James handed her the glass of water, and after quickly chugging the whole thing, Lily passed it off to him so that he could put it on the nightstand again.

"Do you need anything else?" he asked her as she cozied herself into James's arms.

"I think sleep," Lily murmured. "Sleep and for you to stay with me."

"I'm right here," he said, wrapping his arm around her tightly.

"Thank you," she replied, snuggling against his chest. "Thanks. I love you, James."

He placed a kiss against the top of her head, and before long she was asleep. Safe, cradled in James's arms. Comfortable enough until the hangover was sure to kick in in the morning.

"Is she asleep?" Sirius asked from across the room.

"Yeah," James said quietly.

"Well, in that case might I suggest you utilize a silencing charm the next time you bring your drunk girlfriend back to the room?"

James stared up at the ceiling, smiling. "I'd apologize," he said, "if she hadn't just told me that she loved me." James started to run his fingers through Lily's hair, amazed that she was dating him. Amazed that she trusted him. Amazed that she loved him.

"She won't remember it in the morning, mate," Sirius said. Still somewhere beneath his groggy voice, you could hear his happiness for James.

"It's good enough for now," he said. Followed quickly by, "Sorry for waking you up by the way."

"It's alright this once," Sirius said. "But we should both get some sleep. I have a feeling that between her and the lads we're going to have our hands full in the morning."

James sighed, but it was content. He wouldn't want to take care of any mess other than his own.