Disclaimer: I do not own anypart of Harry Potter. This story was written for pleasure not money. It all belongs to Jo. We love you Jo!
How could have over slept? He thought. By now Sirius has done something to me. James quickly checked his face in the mirror and every piece of clothing he owned. Whew. Everything is alright. He tried brushing his unruly hair, but if anything it made it messier. He sighed and rushed down the stairs. He stumbled into the common room and looked around. To his surprise no one was there. No wait, there was some one! Me! Ahh!! I'm talking to myself! He smiled. Actually there was Lily Evans, Head Girl, smartest witch of the age, and currently the girl he pined after.
Lily grimaced, rubbing her eyes with her fists. Her chestnut hair was unruly for a night spent in a deep slumber on the table. She glanced at the work in front of her and smiled wanly. At least she had gotten some of it done. Her emerald eyes flicked to the common room entrance. Her heart skipped a beat. It was the last person she had hoped to deal with that morning, James Potter.
He smiled as her eyes found him. Think straight James! It's almost Christmas! With lots of mistletoe about. He shook his head and strode over to where Lily sat. "Hey Ev-Lily." His hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his jeans. He tried to appear casual, but the voice in his mind would not leave him alone. Get her to stand up and move under the strand of mistletoe. Then kiss her. She'll fall for you. Get out! "So long night?" He mentally hit himself. Stupid question! He forced the thought out of his head. He wavered, should he sit down next to her or not?
"It's Evans to you, Potter." Lily said coolly. He was so- no, Lily, DON"T even go there. He is an arrogant, pig headed git. Get him under the mistletoe. A voice in her head whispered. Snog his brains out. She did her best to ignore the evil voice, but it was practically screaming now.
He sighed. Here he was trying to be civil...No James, don't let your temper get away with you. He closed his eyes briefly to close out the thought of Snog her senseless! Instead he chose to say, "Lily, I thought that since we had been chosen to be Head Girl and Boy, we call each other by our first names. I would prefer it. I'm not such an idiot this year, Lily. Can't you see that?" He pulled his hands out of his pockets and ran one through his hair, something he did when he was nervous.
Nervous? James Potter? How was this even possible. Lily's eyes flicked nervously from his face to the table. "Fine. But don't expect it to last. As soon as you and your idiot friends get together again, the whole lot of you will turn back to bloody evil gits." Of course, her tone belied her emotions, but she held her tongue.
He let out a huge sigh of relief he hadn't know he had been holding. He's body visibly relaxed and the little evil voice was telling him that now was the perfect time for snogging. He shook his head. "Yeah, er, have you seen the guys? They kind of disappeared." He winced. That sounded really stupid Potter. Think of something better. "So...er...what are you hoping to get for Christmas?" He winced again. Why don't you stop with the talking and just snog her?!?!?!?! "No!" He jumped, "Shoot, did I say that out loud?" Dnmit! He thought, now she'll think I'm crazy.
"Sorry, but you did." Lily said, the expression of surprise on her face clearer than she wished for it to be. "Do you feel ok?" Not that I care, she tried to convince herself. Oh, God, I DO care.
"Is that a different feeling other than hate for James Potter I hear in your voice?" Surprise also showing on his face. Now, is a GREAT time to kiss her. That annoying little voice. How he wished it would go away. It had been there for a while. Come to think of it, that voice had been there ever since he had fallen for Lily. Couldn't the voice be helpful, you know like help him talk normally to Lily? He sighed again. So how to talk to Lily. Mission One: Don't make a prat of yourself. Mission Two: Get her to either snog you or go out on a date with you. Mission Three: Tell her how you feel. Make that Mission Impossible.
"Absolutely not!" Exclaimed Lily indignantly, although a tad less convincing then she could have hoped for. "I-I have work to do." she said finally. "Like get ready for classes?" she said, pointedly mentioning how late they would both be if they didn't hurry.
"Lily dear, have you lost track of the date? It's the 21st. Classes don't again till January. And I know that your homework is done. Are you trying to avoid me? I'll leave if you want me to." His voice sounded sad. He really hoped Lily didn't hate him or want him to leave. Merlin, he was falling for her, and falling for her hard. "Come on Lils, tell me what's up?"
"I'm fine, James." Lily said, as coolly as she dared. "Why would I avoid you?" 'Cuz you're a big headed prat? Said a small voice in her head. But a handsome one! Piped another voice.
"I don't know Lils. I was hoping you could tell me." He shrugged. "Your choice really." He plopped right down next to her. He watched her. Merlin she was beautiful! You do know that there is a strand of mistletoe in the corner there. It would be lots of fun to snog Lily. He shook his head, there was that annoying little voice again. "So, are you going to tell me what you are worried about? Or is that just me?"
Lily smirked. "Exams. Work. My future. Breaking up with the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain-" Here she winced. Definitely not the best thing to speak with James of, especially when she wanted to shove him into a corner and snog his head off. "Forget that last one." she muttered hesitantly.
"Why Lils dearest?" James smiled. He liked these nicknames. Yeah sure they were a little annoying, just like that little voice in my head. "Do have anything you want to tell me? Exams, work, and all that other stuff can wait for an afternoon." His eyes locked on to hers. "Please?"
"My name is Lily." Lily said darkly. "Not dearest, not Lils, just Lily. I have nothing to speak with you about..." Her emerald eyes darted across the common room, lighting on Remus, who had just recently stumbled down the stairs, his brown hair tousled, dark eyes disoriented.
"Okay, Lily, if that's what you want." His eyes saw Remus and he raised his hand in greeting. "Hello Remmy old boy! Care to join me and Lils-oops sorry Lily in our conversation?" He winked at Lily. "So, where were we? Ah yes, kiss me?" He smiled, "Just a joke, Lily." How I wish it wasn't.
Her mouth dropped open in astonished, and rather exaggerated, disgust. "Don't bother, Remus." she said lightly. "I was just leaving." It seemed as though Remus had only just heard her, and noticed James. His bleak eyes stumbled over the pair before coming dangerously close to closing as he sank into an armchair, mumbling rather incoherently.
He jumped up, not quite sure why. "No!" He took a few deep breathes to get his heart to calm down. "Stay Lily, please?" He pleaded, his eyes giving off that puppy-dog look.
Meanwhile Sirius had just been able to stumble down the stairs. He noticed Lily, James, and Remus and rambled over to them. He came over in time to here James say please. "Jamiesy-boy, what's going on?" His voice was slightly slurred and his eyes were unfocused. "Are you going to finally tell Lily about your deep dark secret? The one that involves her?"
James blushed bright red. "I--err--umm..." He couldn't quite talk correctly, so instead he accused Sirius. "You were drinking last night. Bad boy, bad dog!"
"Did you just call him a dog?" Lily asked hesitantly. For years she had had suspicions about where the three went on full moons, but had never been able to voice or prove them. "I think-" Remus started his voice blurry, his eyes unfocused. "I think that I shall-" He flopped back into the chair, fast asleep.
"Ahh look at that, old Remmy fell-fell-fell..."Sirius's eyes were beginning to droop and he fell onto a sofa right next to Remus and was asleep in moments.
"Err, yeah...why do you ask?" James was shifting from one foot to the other, looking nervous, his hand running through his hair again. Great, just great. What am I supposed to do, if she asks about full moons? Tell her James. Tell her where you go on full moons and tell her that you're in love with her and then ask to snog her. And this is my reasonable side? James asked himself. He sat back down next to Lily. "Ask away. Anything you want to know."
"Then tell me." Lily said, almost nervously. Not yet. She told herself. There will be plenty of time to snog later. What later? Asked another, more practical voice. Snog him now and get on with it. "Where do you go on full moons?" she asked carefully. "I am not stupid. There is something, well, strange, about all of you just before full moon."
"Err yeah. Well, umm, I really shouldn't be telling you this. It's Remus's secret. But, umm, you know he's an umm..." James lowered his voice, "A werewolf. And well we, that is, Me, Sirius and Peter, have figured out a way to be with him on full moons. You see we became illegal Animagus. We even have nicknames for ourselves. I'm Prongs, Sirius is Padfoot, Peter is Wormtail, and Remus is Moony." He hung his head. It was kind of nice to get that off his chest, but there was that one little problem of him in love with Lily. "You want to know something else?" He asked, praying for what he didn't know.
"You're WHAT?" Lily exclaimed, as loudly as she could without being heard in the dormitories. "What, Potter? What else is there? Have you discovered the secret of eternal life, as well? Or wait the secret of the perfect marriage, which truly is the most unlikely event to ever happen."
He winced. It hurt when Lily yelled at him. "No Lily, I don't know the secret to eternal life or anything that extreme. And oh yeah, the perfect marriage, well for me it wouldn't be perfect unless you were the Mrs. Potter." There he had said it; his love for her had finally been said aloud. "Lily I want to know the truth, how do you fell about me?"
Her emerald eyes flickered nervously. Telling people about such things as love, or even just liking, was not her strong suit. "I-I-" She broke off, stammering. "Yes." she breathed finally. "I think, well, I don't know, but perhaps-" Rambling, observed the cool corner of her brain.
His own head snapped up. "You mean that?" He asked quietly, ignoring the enormously happy part of his brain that was shouting, Lily likes me! Lily might even LOVE ME!!!!! "Err, can I ask you a question? A really personal one?"
"That depends on the question." Lily said lightly. James likes me! He might even love me!
"Err, umm." He stumbled; this was harder than he thought it would be. "Can we ahh, move over to that corner over there?" He pointed to where the mistletoe was hanging. Please say yes, please say yes! His mind was chanting. Please, please, please!!
"The corner...?" Lily said vaguely, then realized what he spoke of. "Oh!" Her heart fluttered. "Um, well, I suppose. I mean, we really-"
His heart sank. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought...." He trailed off. Great just when had finally admitted his feelings for Lily, she goes and rips out his heart and stomps on it.
"I, I mean I will." she stammered. "Won't we, um, wake up them?" She pointed at Sirius and Remus, both of whom snored loudly, draped over one another.
His heart started beating faster. "Them?" He asked. "They won't wake up unless a few dungbombs exploded. He rose and held out a hand to Lily. "And besides everyone else has gone home for the Holidays. We're alone." He smiled; this was going to be fun.
She took the hand nervously. Never in her life had she been so nervous as now. The first time she had ridden a broom? Not even close. Her first O.W.L. examination? Never. And now this...
He saw her hesitation. He pulled her over to the corner and whispered in her ear. "I'm not going to hurt you." Right before his lips were on hers, just barely brushing each other.
Lily barely had time to gasp as she felt his lips on hers. Hmmm... said a sensible voice in her head. Not bad, not bad at all. She kissed back, more confident now, more demanding, more- possessive.
Oh so she wanted to play this game then? Well he could match her. He locked his lips on hers running his tongue along her bottom lip, asking entry. Not forcing just asking. His hands found their way into his hair and he began running his hand through the brilliant red colored locks.
She parted her mouth slightly, teasing. He had to earn it first. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through the soft darkness of his hair.
"Lily" He groaned into her month. Why this? He slipped his tongue into her month, teasing her back. One of his hands running up and down over her back. Who really needed food when this was just as filling? His tongue pulled out of her mouth, but he left his partly open. Slow down. There was that annoying voice again, but since whenever did he listen to it?
Her hands explored his back as well, lightly touching, curious. She drew a ragged breath, the burning in her stomach never ceasing.
"We're being naughty." He whispered as he pulled back. "We need to slow down. Although...." He never took his hands off her body. He wanted her, he craved her, he was going crazy without her. What to do? What to do? GoAway!! "Lily...." His breathing was uneven, his heart beating faster then normal.
"I know, I know." She stepped back, releasing her hold on him. "Just, just slow down, OK?" Not the best answer it seemed, though it was the only one she could think of.
"Lily, I never told you this but I'm in love with you. I want to hold you and kiss you and be there for you. I can see you in my life a few years from now." He paused and took a deep breath. "Would you be my girlfriend? Please?" His eyes locked with hers and he moved out from underneath the mistletoe.
"Of course." Lily said breathlessly. After all, what more was there to say?
"Thanks." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back over to the couch. "You know, Sirius wasn't the only one drinking last ni-ni-night." He said as he sat down. "I was too, sorry." With her sitting next to him he leaned his head onto her lap and fell asleep, just like his best friends.
Lily sighed, stroking his head absently with one hand. What now? Ok, so she had snogged James Potter. Oh, he was a delightful kisser. But what could she do now?
Unknowingly he snuggled closer, wanting to feel her warmth. He opened one eye, blearily. "Sleep is good. You should try..." His eye dropped closed again and he fell asleep.
She leaned against him comfortably. Perhaps- well, perhaps it would all turn out all right in the end. Loving James, marrying him, perhaps, living to a ripe old age...
A/N: This was written by me and a friend over AIM. I know it goes back and forth between James and Lily but it does make sense right? Anyway I have one favor to ask of you.
R
E
V
I
E
W
PLEASE!!!!!
Akasha