If Only

By: Katie Melchior

Disclaimer: All J.K. Rowling's work. We just need to know a little more about Harry's parents…

Lily Evans walked out of the Gryffindor Common Room, enraged at her secret crush, James Potter. How dare he! She thought to herself as she remembered with agony and affection the events of the past few hours. Him and Sirius! They have the weirdest ideas! Like they run around with a werewolf! Like I'm supposed to believe that they're unregistered animagi! I'm disgusted! She started to wander around the school. "Where am I supposed to go?" she asked herself out loud. "Ah, yes…Head Girl duties…" she remembered she had to patrol the hallways. But why isn't James doing the same thing? Asked a voice in the back of her head, Because…because…he's sick…

Yes, Lily had forgotten that detail. James Potter was sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room with a high fever, and Madame Pompfrey had only given him a potion to reduce his vomiting. He wasn't in the hospital wing only because it was totally full, and Madam Pompfrey was too busy worrying about the sick students that she didn't bother making more beds. If only he could just get better…

As she reached the end of the Gryffindor territory, she heard a voice behind her.

"Miss Evans?" said the voice silkily from the end of the corridor.

"Who's there?" she replied, half scared out of her wits, "You have entered the Gryffindor part of the hallway, and it's past all year's curfew. I suggest you go back to bed."

"I'm a seventh year," said the voice coolly from the back of the corridor, although now, it didn't seem quite as distant.

As Lily turned around, she saw absolutely nothing. "I'm warning you…" she said, as she tried to contain her fear.

"Nobody will get hurt if you answer a few questions for me…"

"Alright…but nothing too personal…"

"What's your name?"

"Lillian Evans."

"Do you have a sibling?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"Her name is Petunia Evans…"

"What year are you at Hogwarts?"

"Must I answer that?"

"It will explain what you are doing out past midnight in the middle of an empty corridor."

"I'm a seventh year, and I'm Head Girl."

"And the Head Boy is?"

"Remus Lupin."

"Here, drink this." A bottle appeared in mid-air. The voice had a stuffy nose, and sniffed.

"Why?" inquired Lily, being careful as to not swallow a poison.

"It's vital if you want to stay alive."

"Is it poison?" she asked, grabbing the bottle and examining it carefully.

"No," said the voice shortly, "but it will tell me some things I need to know…now drink it…before I change my mind about you," now, the voice coughed.

Lily pulled off the cork and drank thoroughly. It tasted oddly like pumpkin juice. She drank the entire vial. The minute she swallowed, she felt extremely gullible.

"Now…" said the voice silkily, "was that so hard?"

"No," said Lily quickly, not realizing that she had said this.

"Who's your secret crush?" asked the voice.

"Ja…I can't tell you!" she said quickly, now realizing she must have swallowed versitaserum.

"TELL ME IMMEDIATELY!"

"Fine! My secret crush is…is…"

"Tell me! It won't hurt to know…" he coaxed her, and sniffed his nose again.

"All right! Stop pestering me! My secret crush is…is…James Potter!" she clapped a hand over her mouth as though uttering a terrible swearword.

"Hmmm…I believe I can compensate for that…" all of a sudden, the voice suddenly became a man. A man with untidy black hair, and glasses.

James Potter.

Lily had just told her crush she liked him. She almost fainted, and started to fall on her back, but he caught her.

"So…you like me, do you Evans?" asked James, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Yes, I do, Potter. And I had no idea it was you, or I wouldn't be so stupid to tell you."

"Evans, you knew it was me. If it hadn't been for the verisatserum, I wouldn't be keeping you in this position."

"You bloody…"

"Did I just hear Miss Goody-Goody Two Shoes utter one of the foulest swearwords?" asked James, as a grin spread across his face.

"Yes!" she said, now, standing up on her own.

"Evans! Stop it…I…I'm sorry that you have to feel this way…"

She narrowed her eyes, "No you're not!"

"Fine, so I'm not, but since we're all into secret telling…wanna know my deepest secret?"

"All right then…" she turned around to face him.

He looked at his feet, "Your, my secret crush also, Lily."

There was silence for what seemed like hours.

"You…you do? I mean…I…I am?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe you just said that."

"Well, Lily, I believe that there's only one thing left to do."

"And that would be?"

"You're smart, figure it out."

"Hmmm…is that to kiss?"

"Right you are, and have you ever kissed someone before?"

"That's a very personal question."

"Well, I believe I'm now currently your boyfriend."

"You are not! Since when did you make that up?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

"Well, we just confessed our undying love for each other, now do you declare me your boyfriend?"

"Sure, why not."

"Fine them, have you ever kissed anyone before, my girlfriend."

"I'm not sure I should answer that."

"Well then, if we're not going to be honest with each other, then I guess we're not meant to be," said James, carefully putting his hands on her waist.

"No, I've never kissed anyone before," she said, putting her hands around his neck.

They stared at each other with affection and curiousness. Then, James felt the soft and tender warmth of Lily's lips.

James broke the silence. "You know, for a first-timer, this is pretty good," he said through mouth.

Lily giggled, and pulled away. "Thanks."

"I guess this means we're officially together."

"I guess so."

He reached out his hand. "May I lead you back to your dormitory, Miss Evans?"

She giggled, "You may, Mr. Potter," she laced his hands through his, and they quietly walked back to the dormitories.

"YOU WHAT?" asked Sirius in the boy's dormitories later that night.

"Shhh…you'll wake Remus…" said James.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT! YOU ASKED LILLIAN EVANS TO BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND! WAKE ME UP; I'M HAVING A TERRIBLE NIGHTMARE!"

"Whatssamatter?" asked Remus groggily.

"JAMES ASKED OUT LILY!" chanted Sirius loudly, now lying flat on his bed.

"WHAT?" asked Remus, sitting bolt upright and staring at his friends.

"Will you two shut up? If you don't, the entire dormitory will wake up!"

Sirius grinned, "The more the merrier."

"You'll lose me my Head Boyship, Sirius!"

Sirius wrinkled his nose, "What are you going to do? Put me in detention?"

"That was precisely my idea; you can serve it in Defense Against the Dark Arts with your favorite teacher."

Sirius snorted, "You'll have to do better than that, Remus. I'm going to the girl's dormitories, and you're coming with me!" he said, and he dragged James out of the room, pajamas and all.

They watched the slowly extinguishing fire in the Gryffindor Common Room. It shone light onto a stone staircase that stood beside it a few feet.

"I don't know about this, Sirius…" started James, but it was too late, Sirius had started up the stone staircase and James followed. In a matter of minutes, an alarm called, and the staircase turned into a spiral slide. Sirius slid; face down on the slide, and James slid clumsily down after him.

Lily and another Gryffindor girl slid gracefully down in their nightgowns. Lily grew wide-eyed as she saw James sitting at the bottom of the steps. "What the ruddy hell where you trying to do?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

"We were…we were…" Sirius stuttered.

"I had to talk to you," James finished.

"Well I'm right here!" she glared at Sirius.

"I'll a…I'll leave you two lovebirds alone…" said Sirius, and he retreated to his dormitory.

"So why," Lily said, "would you want to come up to my dormitory in the middle of the night?"

"I honestly don't know, it was Sirius' idea," James said, and Lily signaled her friend to leave.

"Well, I'm off to bed…"

"Not without a goodnight kiss your not!"

"If only…"

"If only what?"

"If only, I don't know…"

"No, I want to know!" James exclaimed.

"Well I won't tell you unless you kiss me…"

"Alright then…"

For the second time in his life, he felt the soft, tender touch of Lily's lips.

"What did you say 'if only' meant?" he asked her, pulling away after a while.

"If only I could be with you forever."

"There may come a time that we will marry each other, but now isn't," he said, swiftly kissing her again.

"I know, but the dream is still there," she said, with a loving smile on her face.