I own nothing from the Harry Potter Universe

Author's Note: Insert Snape's Worst Memory here.

Because there is no way to top JKR's version

--

O God. That did not just happen, James thought to himself.

Of course you have heard about it, everyone has. Hell, you were probably there. Lily Evans had just told him off. In front of scores of people. Dozens. James glanced around at his friends; they were all shooting him similar looks of astonishment. Sirius finally grew uncomfortable with the awkwardness and suggested an impromptu game of quidditch, anything to distract James from the sudden change of events. James dully agreed to the game, the whole time Lily's passionate rant running through his head. He had just been having fun, mocking Severus Snape, the lowest of the low. After he and his friends had been released from a ridiculously effortless exam, they had ventured down to the lake, and the rest, as they say, is history.

She had been lounging by the lake, innocently talking to Marlene, not even noticing him. He had wanted to get her attention… Everyone else had thought Snape's humiliation was funny, but she had looked at him like he was a cockroach, a monster. No one, especially a girl he liked, had ever looked at him like that, like she was… disappointed in him. He dazedly retrieved his broom and forced himself to play Quidditch, if only to forgo his friends' odd looks of sympathy. No one, not even his best friends should pity him. He was James Potter, student extraordinaire and everyone's favourite guy… Right?

--

Lily numbly walked through the Forbidden Forest with Marlene. She had needed to escape the peculiar looks everyone had been shooting her, so when Mar offered to show her a nest of diricrawls that she had found the other day, Lily had leapt on the chance to escape the grounds. Of course, now that she was full of scratches and mud, she began to regret her decision. Marlene once again proclaimed that it was only a little way deeper, nothing to fear, before chatting about anything she could think of. Marlene was attempting to distract Lily from reliving her angry outburst down at the lake today, but she may as well have not even bothered; it was all Lily could think about. She had yelled at Potter for what had seemed like ages (but what had actually been two minutes) before running off in a huff. She was Lily Evans; she did not usually run off in a huff, instead favouring to avoid confrontation and blend into the background. But since Potter had waltzed into her life, she was damn near making a spectacle of herself! If he would just leave her alone…

--

James was sitting on an overstuffed chair in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for his favourite redhead to come in so he could apologize, or at least clear the air. She had left hours ago with Marlene, after the incident, and he had decided that they needed to talk. Everyone else was frantically studying for Transfiguration tomorrow so he had the room to himself. He heard the portrait swing open and saw an exhausted (and windswept) looking Lily drag herself over the threshold… Where had she been, he wondered to himself as he prepared to apologize for one of the first times in his life.

--

Lily unsuccessfully attempted to evade stumbling over her feet as she pushed the portrait open, half-asleep. If Marlene had been hoping to distract Lily by pushing her past the brink of exhaustion, she had definitely succeeded. Although she had been distracted by thoughts of her earlier tirade, Lily had had a blast in the Forest with Marlene, as per usual. It was impossible to remain unaffected when Marlene was so animated. She had almost (but not quite) forgotten her shocking social suicide, instead being fascinated by Marlene's enthusiasm for the absurdly cute diricrawls. However, now all she wanted to do was immerse herself in a steaming bath and hope her aching muscles would stop screaming for awhile. Of course, as things usually work out, fate had another plan for our exhausted protagonist.

Lily dragged herself past the fireplace; not noticing the figure sprawled out on a couch before he called out her name. Letting out a yelp, she whirled around and came face to face with James Potter. Neither one knew what to say after today's drama; Lily had been banking on him ignoring her for the rest of their natural lives… She tried to pay no attention to him and go up to her dorm, but he got up and gently held her arm. She couldn't understand why he looked so unsure. They stared at each other for a long time, eventually; James cracked and blurted out "I'm sorry."

Lily stared at him. She hadn't known what was coming, but that was beyond unexpected. She had always believed Potter thought himself above apologizing. Today was not the first time she had seen him pick on other students and he had certainly never asked forgiveness for any of his former… transgressions. She was speechless.

"Look, Lily, I was an assho—I mean, a berk, down at the lake, I don't know what came over me. I'm really sorry for putting you in that position, and… well, I guess I'm just sorry…"

Okay, maybe not his most articulate moment, but he was new to this humility thing.

"Also," he continued, "I'm sorry about asking you out in front of everyone, I know that's not what you wanted, I had been hoping for a more… tactful moment." Oh Jesus, he was blushing. He wasn't supposed to blush. Ever.

--

What did he mean, more tactful, Lily thought? Hadn't asking her out served to humiliate her in front of everyone, as if James 'Arrogant' Potter would lower himself to dating Lily Evans, resident bookworm of Hogwarts? She remained quiet.

"Please Lily, we're all leaving for the summer in a couple days, can't we… you know, just forget about this, or something? Maybe we could, I don't know, write to each other, or something. Over the summer I mean. By owl." James was hoping the earth would swallow him; he hadn't stumbled over his words in ages, perhaps ever.

By owl… God James, he thought, she must think you're a goddamn Casanova with a line like that…

"Look, Potter--" Lily started.

"James," James interjected softly.

"Potter," Lily said, more adamantly, "I apologize for whatever I did that made you abhor me so much, but this prank is over. Finite. Ended. Done. Complete. Why don't you go back to your glittery world, shove your silver spoon back in your mouth, and let me get back to my reality."

James stared at her. She really didn't get it. How could she not see that he was putting himself on the line here, for her! This wasn't a joke; he wasn't making fun of her. He wanted to get to know her!

Lily stared at his incredulous gaze; honestly, some people just took jokes to far. She didn't even know this guy, what did he have against her? They had been in the same school for five years, before today, he had barely glanced at her, let alone attempted friendship, and now he wanted to write to her?! Lily's anger was escalating.

"As scintillating as this insincere tosh is, I am going upstairs before my limbs fall off, so if you'll excuse me…" Lily tried to push past him. Obviously, her attempt was futile. He looked her in her eyes.

"Lily, what happened, you look rather… worn out," he said diplomatically.

"Hmphf! As if you even care…" She pushed past him. This time, he let her.

"I do…" He sighed, as he watched her walk away for the fourth time today.

--

Lily stormed (or attempted to, for she felt like her legs had fallen off long ago) up the girls' staircase. How dare he waltz into her life, expect her to fall madly in love with him, melt into a lovesick puddle on the floor, just in time for him to renounce his feelings and reject her publicly! Some people had a skewed sense of humour…

Drawing a bath, Lily tried to forget today's events (not to mention tomorrow's, she was not awaiting her Transfiguration exam with a sparkle in her eye and a spring in her step…). But she soon found out the hard way that forgetting about James Potter's striking chocolate brown eyes was easier said than done…

--

The few remaining days of the school year trickled by… Lily found herself ducking in and out of crannies, attempting to evade the quidditch heartthrob. This proved quite difficult for he always managed to locate her, almost as if he could track her whereabouts… Anyway, she started dragging Marlene everywhere she went in hopes of eluding her new prowler, which seemed to work adequately for she did not experience any more awkward reunions with said heartthrob for the rest of the school year. She offered a quick thank you to whatever omniscient being granted her this small victory as she boarded the Hogwarts Express.

She always experienced a severe case of nostalgia when she left for the summer because although she adored her mother and (had to) love her sister, Hogwarts was without a doubt where she belonged. She settled into her seat and prepared herself for what she hoped would be an uneventful to the point of boring train ride.

--

James let out an aggravated sigh as he attempted to block out the noise in his compartment and focus on his quidditch magazine. His friends were joking with some girls who just 'happened' to wander into their compartment. Emmeline kept trying to include him in the conversation but all he wanted to do was go and find out what compartment Lily was hiding herself in… No, he thought to himself, give her the summer, and then see what happens. Resolving himself to this course of action, he reconciled himself to a couple hours of inane conversation and exasperated looks shot between the jaded Marauders. Joyness.

--

It turned out James' summer plan was more manageable than he had first thought for Sirius was staying at his house this summer. As much as he loved his father, it did get boring sometimes, just the two of them alone in a sprawling house. Not to factor in his father's insane work schedule, usually resulting in James spending quality time with the house elves. Having someone like Sirius staying over meant constant action. The only time James allowed himself to think about Lily involved dreaming and other… bedtime activities (of course, he would never admit to anyone, most especially himself, that he was tempted to write to her a dozen times a day).

--

Lily, on the other side of the spectrum, had barely any distractions at all. She had finished her homework ages ago and now had far too much time on her hands. Her mother was always working nights at the hospital and sleeping during the day and Petunia was always busy with her friends. Their mother suggested Petunia invite Lily out with her so she could meet some new people but both teenagers knew this was asking for trouble… Yes, Lily was better off staying home. She had already read her next years' books twice before she got antsy. Only a little while longer before she returned to her home… and to James Potter. Not that she was thinking about him. Not at all.

Lily was wandering around her house one day, trying to decide if she wanted to read or go for a walk. She had just mailed another letter to Marlene, although she had precious little to report. Both girls were indolently awaiting their return to school.

Eventually, the day came that Lily had been looking forward to. Outfitted in a new uniform (her old one had become, err, a little to tight in certain… feminine areas), Lily pinned her gleaming prefect badge on her breast and boarded the train, giving her mother a sweet kiss on the cheek and her sister an awkward hug.

After returning from the prefects meeting, Lily found Marlene and they began talking as if they had been apart for only two minutes, rather than two months. The meeting had passed without any incidents, unless you count Remus Lupin sitting next to her and politely inquiring about her summer. While Lily found this rather disconcerting, she understood his motives for he had arrived to the meeting late and the only other seat left had been next Glinda Becknett, a sweet, but rather opinionated seventh year who was still rather miffed about being passed over for head girl. Anyway Lily attempted small talk with the popular sixth year but graciously declined his invitation to join his friends in their compartment. She prayed that his invite was simply out of good manners but she knew otherwise. Apparently Potter's joke was still in the works, and he had even cajoled his friend into helping. It looked like this year was going to be a bit more chaotic than Lily's first five…

--

Remus Lupin settled himself into his seat in his friends' compartment, seemingly oblivious to the looks his friend James was shooting him. Pulling out a book, he ignored the stare of expectation on Prongs' face.

"So, Moony, how was the meeti— "James started.

"She's fine, Prongs," Remus interjected, shooting his smitten friend a sly smile. "In fact," he continued, "she looks really … fit, and I think some of the other guys were noticing as well…" Although Remus was thought by many to be polite and courteous, he could tease and manipulate with the best of them.

James' eyes glared at him and made to stand up. "What do you mean by that! Why the hell were they looking at her like—"

Remus chuckled and said, "Relax! Jesus, I've never heard you get so defensive over some bird before, all I said was that she looked good!"

James settled down in his seat again, glowering at his friends' looks of amusement. They should know better than to tease him on the subject of something (or someone) he was passionate about…

Sirius clapped James on his back before steering the conversation to a more neutral topic, but all the while he was smiling at his friends possessiveness. James was a brother to him and he was happy to see he was maturing (in a perverse way, but maturing nonetheless). Before Evans had captivated him, he had screwed around with girls a lot; Sirius thought that Evans would be first-rate for his friend.

--

The train ride, the carriage ride, and the sorting passed without happenings. Lily had seen James enter the Great Hall but there seemed to be such an abnormal amount of first years practically wetting themselves that the two teenagers never came in direct contact. After a delicious supper, Lily told Marlene that she was going to go for a walk before it got to dark out. She slowly weaved her way through the crowd, but not escaping the notice of a certain handsome Gryffindor.

--

James excused himself (amidst some bawdy suggestions and catcalls from his immature friends who had definitely noticed where his notice lay). He wandered out on the grounds and immediately saw Lily down by the lake. Wow, the summer had definitely done her well. She had always been attractive, but now she was undeniably becoming a woman. She was still caught in that awkward in-between stage, but James could already see that she was to turn out to be a stunning individual. She had taken of her shoes and was wading in the shallows, observing the minnows swarming around her toes. Her hair was down (his favourite way she wore it), falling past her shoulders. Every now and then she would let out a squeal when a minnows would nibble on her toes. She was magnificent.

"Isn't the water cold?" James asked, telling himself mentally to calm down before he embarrassed himself.

"Agghh!" Lily shrieked, turning swiftly and effectively scaring the minnows away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you… I was just walking and thought you might get cold in the water, or something… So, uh, how was your summer?" Way to go James, he mentally berated himself, no wonder she is madly in love with you, what with articulacy like that.

Lily stared at him like he was from a different planet. "Uhhh… It was busy, you know, so much stuff going on," Lily lied through her teeth.

James tried to shoot her a debonair smile, but was scared he looked more like a dazed clown than a suave Romeo. What was it about this girl? As soon as she looked at him, his practiced air of 'cool' went out the window and he started acting like a first grader with a crush on his teacher!

"Um, how was your summer?" Lily returned politely, only a slight quake in her voice.

"Oh, you know, busy too, like a bee…" Oh god. I did not just say that, James thought, wanting to throw himself in the lake at the mercy of the giant squid.

"Good, good… Well, you know, I am kinda cold, plus I have to meet Marlene to go over some… stuff. So I'll just be going. Now. Up to the castle." Lily stammered.

"Great! I'll walk you up and—" James started.

"No! I mean, no, I'm fine and look, Vance is coming down here, looks like she needs to talk to you, so I'll, uh, I'll see you later." With that stellar line, Lily grabbed her shoes and ran past James without a backward glance, offering Emmeline a small wave of recognition.

James turned around and watched Lily run away, her flight kind of summed up their whole relationship (or lack thereof), he thought wistfully. He sighed and prepared himself for Emmeline's upcoming talk. She had obviously followed him out here for a reason; he just wished he wouldn't have to find out. He plastered a smile on his face.

"Hi James! How was your summer? You look great!" Emmeline bubbled energetically, twirling a blond curl about her finger.

"It was fine, thank you, yours?" he returned politely.

"It was fantastic, lots of sunbathing on the French Riviera, you know, the usual, I went—"

"That's great Em, I've gotta run. I'll see you later, maybe." With a lame wave, he marched up to the castle, contemplating Lily. Why couldn't she pursue him like Emmeline did? It would make things so much easier… Sighing, he entered the common room and sat down with his friends. He saw Lily and Marlene laughing in the corner, praying it wasn't about his less-than- urbane moves down by the lake. Sighing, he promised himself this year would be different, better, filled with time spent with a quick-witted redhead. Yeah, this year was going to be great…

--

"Ow. Ow. Ow…" Lily muttered to herself, methodically banging her head on the mahogany library table. She had only been back in school for a week and a bit, yet she was already inundated with a pile of transfiguration homework that Houdini himself would yelp at. Rather than ask Marlene for assistance or (God help her)—McGonagall, she had closeted herself in the library in hopes of a sudden inspiration. She now regretted not asking her friend for help, damning her obstinacy, hence the head banging.

"You know," a smooth masculine voice came out of nowhere, "for such a smart girl, you sure do abuse your brain a lot."

Oh Lordy. She knew that voice. Slowly raising her head, her jade eyes connected with a dazzling pair of blue ones, Sirius Black. Well, that's just great. If she didn't know better, she would swear his charismatic smile was friendly, but that was ridiculous. He had overlooked her for over five years, if he was suddenly making nice with her, he had a motive, and she just wished she knew what his angle was. Glaring at him, his ever-present third of a freaking percent on her blazed through her mind.

"Don't you have an elsewhere to be? Or a cliff to jump off?" Lily muttered, glancing down at her textbook. Well done, she thought, I'll just antagonize the populars further. Why couldn't she just ignore them?

Sirius smiled at her cheek. Yep, definitely the lucky girl for Prongs. "You know," he began "It looks like you're having trouble with the homework. I happen to know a transfiguration prodigy with a soft spot for leggy redheads…" He added an eyebrow wiggle for effect.

Lily's eyes shot up. Did he just call her leggy? He was either blind, or a liar. Or both. She hoped he would just wander off and annoy someone else if she ignored him. No such luck. She prayed he wouldn't notice her blush.

Sirius stared at the quiet girl in front of him. It was really tragic how little stock Evans put in herself. If he had called any other girl leggy, she would have soaked up the attention; this one looked as if she wished the Furor librarian would boot him out. Just as he was about to shoot out a witty remark, he heard someone say his name behind him. The two teenagers turned and saw Remus Lupin leaning against a bookshelf. Standing up, he ambled over, a wry smile gracing his well-formed features.

"Hey Padfoot," he said, " I was sent to retrieve you for a game of Quidditch, but it seems you are busy with the lovely Ms. Evans. I could come back later…"

Sirius laughed at his friend, knowing a joke when he heard one. Lily, on the other hand, wanted to sink into the floor.

Sirius tossed his longish hair out of his eyes and proclaimed, "Yeah, you should probably leave, Lils and I were just about to ravish each other and I wouldn't want it to be awkward or anything for you."

Lily stared at the two. Before she could proclaim her profound disgust, another Marauder paraded into their group. God, it's was like they wore a tracking bell, or something.

James Potter had been waiting for his friends, but he had decided to see what was holding them up. Despite their stellar marks, they were not overly fond of the library. He was about to drag them out when he noticed Lily trying to sink into her chair, a cute blush staining her cheeks.

"Evans! Hi!" James said, a little too loudly. He coughed, and tried to lower his voice to a sexy drawl. "What are you doing with these berks when you could be spending quality time with me?"

The two non-smitten Marauders shared a look of amusement.

Lily spluttered "I wasn't with them at all! Now if you'll excuse me…" She started gathering her books, wishing she didn't have so many to pick up.

Remus raised his hands to object to her leaving. "You don't have to go, Lily, you're already set up here. Sirius and I have to leave anyway, brilliant mischief to plan, tender maids to woo, you know the tune…"

Sirius interrupted, "But we were going to play Qui—"

"We'll just be off then, and leave James to help you with transfiguration." Shooting Sirius a look, Remus pulled his friend out of the library.

Lily and James stared at each other. They both started to speak at the same time, resulting in yet more awkwardness.

James took the initiative. "Yeah, Minnie's been piling on the home work lately, I just finished mine" (a lie, James had sped through his, but now wasn't the time for that), "I have some books on theory that really hel—"

"Actually, " Lily cut in, " I just finished, it's fine, really."

Lily mentally kicked herself. She may not like the boy, but he knew his transfiguration. A few minutes ago, she had been ready to ask the devil himself for help. Damn Potter's brown eyes and handsome face, he always addled her brains… Having no choice now but to collect her books, she started gathering her things.

James helped her pick up her things. She was obviously lying, but he knew her pride would not allow her to accept his help, just another thing he found entrancing about her. Staring at her, he was at a loss. He didn't want her to leave. Without thinking, he reached out and touched her arm. "Look, Lily, why don't we, I don't know, do something this afternoon? We could go to the kitchens, or play exploding snap, or something…" he trailed off.

Lily stared at his hand. Besides having a burning desire to know where the kitchens were, she had a very strong urge know him. When he looked at her like that, she could almost believe she was important to him, like she mattered. It was a nice feeling; she had never had a boyfriend before, or even a boy who was a friend, but she couldn't allow herself to be manipulated. He was James Potter. He was obviously up to something. Shaking her head out of the clouds, she looked him in the eye. Bad idea, he was looking at her like she did matter. She didn't want another fight, like down at the lake. Fearing her voice would crack, she shook her head, and prepared to go.

James –with regret– let her.

--

"So, Evans," James Potter said, smiling down at a pretty redhead as if he was an actor in a toothpaste commercial, "I was thinking. You, me, two glasses of frosty butterbeer in a cozy booth in Madame Rosmerta's, confessing our undying lust for each other followed by a romantic broomride on my brand-new Comet 360."

Lily Evans closed her eyes tightly, telling herself not to blush and that this embarrassment was not really happening. James Potter was not really beside her in CofMC, ignoring his ashwinder, in favour of asking her out. Over the past couple days, the caring James Potter she had glimpsed in the library was gone; in his place was an arrogant chauvinist intent on her wooing. As if Lily didn't have enough to deal with, with her intense workload, she now had to fear being accosted at every corner by Hogwart's favourite pretty boy and Quidditch captain. And that's not to mention the glares she was starting to receive from her female counterparts. Far from being the congenial, if a tad forgettable redhead she was accustomed to, she was now a damn near celebrity: the only girl to turn down James Potter.

Nearing her breaking point, Lily was close to slapping the overconfident teenager; past caring what professor Grubbly-Plank would say. She whirled around, forgetting the danger of turning her back on an ashwinder, but before her hand made contact with Potter's face, she let out a scream of pain; the snake had bit her.

"Ms. Evans!" Grubbly-Plank yelled, " Well, now you've done it! You must go up to the hospital wing immediately! Potter, help Ms. Evans up to Madame. Pomfrey!"

"No! I'm fine, I can walk myself…" Lily gritted out, biting the inside of her mouth to stop from crying. She tried to hobble but before she knew what was happening, Potter's arms were supporting her and she was being led away from the group of students.

"Don't worry professor, Lils couldn't be in more capable hands!" James said, receiving chuckles from his friends and a glare from Lily.

Capitulating, Lily allowed herself to be led. The pain was beginning to outweigh her abhorrence of egotistical twerps.

After a number of failed attempts at conversation on James' part and a few groans of pain on Lily's, James decided that they were going to slow and he didn't want Lily to suffer any more than necessary. Making up his mind, he swung Lily up in his arms and picked up the pace.

Letting out a yelp, Lily protested. "Potter! Put me down! You're going to drop me, and when you do, that'll be TWO injuries you inflicted on me today!"

James shot her a penetrating look. "Evans, we both know this snakebite wasn't my fault, if you spent a little more time listening to instructions and a little less time staring at me, we wouldn't be in this… intimate situation…" James trailed off teasingly. If there was one thing James knew about Lily, it was how to anger her. Whenever she got angry, her cheeks would redden, her eyes would widen, her breathing would heighten… Dammit, James thought, don't think about that right now. But he couldn't help it, holding her tighter; he couldn't stop himself from smelling her hair. Nice…

Lily stopped squirming. Did he… just smell my hair, she thought? Giving him a weird look, she was glad they were almost at the hospital wing.

James put Lily down and opened the doors to the wing. They were no students in the beds, so he found Poppy in her office. Suddenly struck with inspiration, he limped in and pasted a look of pain on his face. Seeing Madame Pomfrey with her head on her desk, he let out a cough, she must not have heard him. Coughing a little louder, Madame Pomfery jerked awake, frantically glancing around.

"Just resting my eyes Albus…" She sputtered out. Noticing it was James who stood in the doorway to her office; she let out an aggravated sigh.

"Oh, it's you, Potter. What's the matter now? I'm surprised this is the first time I've seen you this semester. Let me guess, run in with the Willow? Twisted an ankle zooming down the banisters again?" Although Madame Pomfrey's tone was stern, James saw a teasing gleam in her eye.

"Sorry Poppy, I wish it was that simple, alas, I fear that Ms. Evans and myself have been bitten by an ashwinder, professor Grubbly-Plank said we needed to be kept in the hospital wing overnight, for observation and stuff, you can't be too careful, you know." James tried to look innocent.

"Potter! Why didn't you tell me Ms. Evans was injured?" Running out of her office, Poppy started fussing over Lily.

"Now, dear, you just lie on this bunk and stay still. Potter, you get into the bed next to Ms.Evans while I get some antidote potion." Madame Pomfrey said, all in one breath.

"But Madame Pomfrey, Potter's not sic—" Lily said with a pained voice.

"Yes Poppy," James interrupted, "I'll just rest here, and hope the pain goes away. Ughhhh…" James moaned for effect.

Lily shot him a look. "Madame Pomfrey, "she started, "Potter wasn't—"

"Hush child," Madame Pomfrey intermitted, " Don't speak, and lie still."

Lily shot James an incredulous look, only to be greeted by James annoyingly sexy smirk.

Madame Pomfrey interrupted the silent argument by telling them that although ashwinder bites were not dangerous if they were treated early, the two would indeed have to remain in the hospital overnight. Giving the two teenagers some antidote (that James spit out like a pro after she left) Madame Pomfrey told them that she would be back later to check on their progress.

Lily, already feeling an improvement, decided to ignore James.

James, feeling the exact same as five minutes ago, decided to engage his favourite girl in conversation. "So, Evans," he began, adopting a lower, more mature voice, "If I didn't know better, I would swear you planned this to keep my exquisite self by your bedside all night."

Lily's resistance proved to be non-existent. "Yeah, that's it Potter," she began, " I purposefully pissed of a snake, injured myself, and somehow magically manipulated you into faking an illness so I could enjoy a few hours of your sparkling company." She threw in a glare to add effect and hide her blush.

"Well, Evans, I didn't realize your feelings ran so deep. You should have told me before and I would have tried to get your attention using more subtle moves. Oh well, at least now we will have all night to explore your deep feelings for me. Yep, Allllllllll niiiiiiiiiiiiiight… Alooooooooooone… With meeeeeeeeeeeeeee." James drew his last words out, for effect.

Dammit, Lily swore to herself. She sunk into her pillows and prepared for what could very well be the most embarrassing (and hormonal) night of her life.

--

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

James Potter shot a glance at the eye-catching ginger in the hospital bed next to him. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her mouth was in a tight line, his constant thunking of the chair next to him was annoying her, just as he knew it would. For the past hour, she had been disregarding his congenial attempts at flirtation; it had been obvious to him that drastic measures had to be taken, hence his simple, yet brilliantly devious tactic.

Thunk.

Thunk.

THUNK!

THUNK!

Lily cracked.

"WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP, YOU INSANELY ANNOYING TWEEKO!" Lily screamed, and threw a pillow at him (missing, of course, she had never been overly well hand-eye co-ordinated.)

"Miss Evans!" Madame Pomfrey stuck her head out of her office, "Will you please calm down! Mr. Potter is trying to recover!" Shooting Lily a sharp look, she retreated back to her office.

"Honestly, Lily," James said, fake pain lacing his voice, "Have you no shame?"

Lily would have deemed him worthy of an Oscar, if he hadn't thrown in a cheeky wink after his line.

She tried to take no notice of him, but he was staring at her as if they had been mid-conversation before she had so rudely (scoff!) yelled at him. Her attempt failed, for not only was James Potter difficult to miss, she was now without a pillow. James, noticing her plight, threw a glance at the nurse's office and stealthily retrieved Lily's lost cushion. Walking over to her bed, he held it out to her, but when she rose to reach for it, he craftily bent behind her and placed at the head of her bed, fluffing it as naturally as if he had been a maid in a prior life. Giving her a cute hair-ruffle, he climbed back into his bed. She decided to be the bigger person and thank him.

"No problem, Lily," he said, "Anything for my favourite girl."

She let out an aggravated groan and met his eye. "Why do you keep saying that?" She spit out, "You don't even know me!"

James smiled at her sweetly, unlike his usual magnetic smirk. "Well, Lily, if I know so little about you, why don't we change that? We have all nigh—" James' speech was cut off as three teenage boys bounded in to the hospital.

Great, Lily thought, the rest of the Marauders, that's all I need, and I can't even run away from them.

She sighed, and sunk lower in her bed.

The three boys stood beaming at the two teenagers, not saying anything. It was actually kind of creepy… Peter finally spoke up.

"Well, Prongs, we just heard about your —ahem—injury, and we decided to rush up here and make sure you were still alive."

"Yeah," Remus joined, " It was all so sudden. Why, we didn't even see the wound! Can you imagine…" he trailed off, a fake look of concern on his face, betrayed by a teasing sparkle in his eye.

"I know," James grated out, an intense look of pain marring his handsome face, "Next time, I'll try to be more careful. Luckily, I won't get lonely tonight. Evans and I are confined to our beds until tomorrow, I'm sure we will find some way to entertain ourselves."

The boys laughed. Lily glared.

"Well," Sirius said, picking up on James' desire to be alone with Lily. "We didn't mean to interrupt such an intimate tête-à-tête, so we will be off, get better soon, Prongs. You as well Lily, don't tire our poor, injured friend out with any of your madcap antics." The three boys exchanged waves while Lily contemplated throwing her pillow again; finally deciding it wasn't worth it.

"Anyways, Evans," James said, "Where were we before my caring friends came to inquire after my waning health? Oh, yes, we were getting to know each other."

"Right, Potter," Lily said, "As if I would waste any breath conversing with a cretin like you." Adding a disdaining sniff for effect, Lily stared straight ahead, anything to avoid Potter's striking figure.

"You know Lily, I do know more about you than you think. For one, I know you want to have the last word in this argument."

Shooting him an annoyed glare, she said with as much maturity as she could muster, "No I don't."

"Liar," James whispered, under his breath, a teasing tone lacing his barb.

"Idiot," Lily rejoined.

"Beautiful, but a liar nonetheless," he added, almost more to himself than to Lily.

Looking at him as if he was insane, Lily spoke up. "Now who's the liar? Berk."

James stared at her. As much as Lily wanted to seem tough and unaffected, he could see how vulnerable she really was. She was not a vain girl fishing for compliments. She was a truly insecure young woman who couldn't see what James (and many unmentioned others, he thought, jealousy pricking him) found so entrancing about her. James, apart from (perhaps selfishly so) wanting to be around her, also wanted to show her the funny, gorgeous, smart and many other flattering attributes girl she really was. But now was not the time. She would barely talk to him about ordinary likes and dislikes, let alone bare her soul to him. Deciding to keep their conversation light, he thought of some questions to ask her.

"Anyways, back to the getting to know each other topic. Let's see… What's your favourite book?" Seeing a spark of interest in her eyes, James knew this was a excellent choice of subject.

Despite her pleasurable surprise at James' astute choice of question, she was not about to capitulate so easily. "Hmpf, as if you care."

"What, Lily, scared to answer? Or do you just not read?" Bull's-eye, James thought as Lily's eyes lit up in rage.

"I do so read, you ignorant bore! I just wouldn't expect you to know any of the book's I like." God, Lily thought, that sounds harsh.

But instead of being insulted, Potter just smiled and said, "Try me."

Not wanting to be accused of fear again, and more than a little interested in the topic, she decided to co-operate. Hell, it wasn't as if she had anyone else to talk to and she was vindictively hoping to stump him.

"Fine," she said, " Well, I like Fifth Business, but my all-time favourite book is Jane Eyre." Lily shot him a look, spitefully waiting for him to draw a blank. He didn't.

"Hmmm… Well, Robertson Davies is a brilliant writer. I loved the ending with Boy and the stone. As for Jane Eyre, I was never a fan of gothic novels but I will admit that Rochester's gypsy scene is beyond genius," James rejoined, a knowing twinkle in his eye.

Lily gulped, ashamed at her malice. Fuck, she had harped about him knowing nothing about her yet she had condemned him for lack of knowledge without any substantiation.

"Oh, right," she stumbled, "That's, uh, yeah." Stop blushing, dammit, she yelled at herself.

Seeing Lily wasn't going to ask him his favourite book, he decided to tell her himself. "I was always a fan of the Russians, give me The Idiot over Bronte any day of the week."

Lily stared at him. The Idiot was on her list to read. This boy was full of surprises.

"Wow," she began, "I've heard amazing things about that book, I bought it last July, I haven't gotten around to reading it yet."

He smiled. Score one for James.

Lily returned his smile. Maybe the next —she glanced at her watch— 20 hours wouldn't be such a hell after all…

--

Lily was not sure how to approach this… intimate situation. Although the two teenagers had some common ground now, she was still nervous around the captivating boy. She was a recluse by nature, only really allowing Marlene to get close with her. Speaking of Marlene, Lily thought, classes are out shortly; perhaps she will come up soon…

James stared at Lily; her face was kind of scrunched up, like she was having a conversation with herself, it was really cute. He noticed a slight change in her attitude toward him. Though she was by no means warm towards him, he did notice a slight thawing in her personality. This encouraged him and he offered a quick thanks heavenward for his quick thinking and pseudo-illness. Just as he was about to attempt conversation again, he heard the noise of the door opening. A flushed 16-year-old girl sprinted in and threw herself on Lily's bed. Marlene was out of class.

"Are you alright?!" Marlene said, placing her hand on Lily's forehead (futile, but sweet nonetheless). "I was so worried! I know you don't like snakes, but they're not supposed to be in captivity! It wasn't its fault! You're fine now, and I think—"

Lily cut her off.

"Mar, don't worry about it! I'm fine and I harbour no resentment and/or grudge against said snake." Lily smiled at her caring friend. She knew Marlene had a soft spot for animals pulled out of their natural habitat.

"Oh, yeah, I knew you wouldn't be mad. Well, if it makes you feel better, you missed a brutal pop quiz in Astronomy, I think I—"

Again, Lily interrupted.

"Dammit! I didn't even think about my other classes! Bleeding hell, how am I going to catch up?" Lily groaned, sinking into her pillow.

"Relax, supergirl, I brought you your homework, and Sinistra said she will make up another quiz for you and Potter. Don't worry you're glossy little head, you're way ahead of the class anyway." Marlene said, and handed her a packet of notes, paper, and textbooks.

"Thanks Mar, I owe you. Anyway, did I miss anything interesting?" Lily asked.

"No," Marlene answered, "Things are pretty quiet, what with your crazy counterpart being hospitalized as well." Marlene gestured towards Potter who had been listening and smiling along with their conversation, as though he was included.

"Quiet, you," Lily said, blushing, "He's not my counterpart."

"Come, now, Lils," James interjected, "Denial is not healthy for a girl your age." Directing his gaze at the amused brunette and gesturing to Lily, he said, " Ours is a forbidden love."

The two exchanged amused stares while Lily growled, "Ughh! You two are as bad as each other!"

"Thank you," the two said together, and then laughed at the unplanned joke. They recognized an ally when they saw one; Mar wanting Lily to be happy and James wanting the same thing. James liked the way Marlene treated him like a regular guy, rather than some sort of deified Adonis. He also liked the way Lily's face genuinely lit up when she and Marlene were together.

"Anyways," Marlene said, "I came up here to see if I could bring you anything from dinner, I wouldn't want you to starve on Jell-O and ice-cream."

Lily smiled at her friend's thoughtfulness. "Yeah, I'd love whatever you bring, just no—"

"Carrots or fish" Marlene finished for her, an amused twinkle in her eye, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Anything for you, Potter?"

James grinned at their easy camaraderie. "Hmmm… I'd love some pie and as many éclairs as you can carry." The girls stared at him. "What? I'm a growing boy!"

Rolling her eyes, Marlene got up and said she'd be back later, bearing food.

After she left, James said, "She seems like a nice girl. You guys look as if you're really close."

Lily smiled at him (his heart sped up). "Yeah," she said, "Mar is fantastic." Realizing she shouldn't be so open around him, she stopped smiling and stared at her sheets. No use opening up to a guy who would forget about her in a couple days.

James noticed her instant withdrawal. Wanting to counteract whatever was going through her head, he started talking about his own friends. He told her about the many crazy pranks and mischief they had committed and before she could help herself, she was practically crying from laughing so hard.

Marlene came in with bearing food, but seeing how much fun the two were having, she quickly left, citing vast amounts of homework, but her excuse was betrayed by a devious smile on her pretty face. Thoughtfully, she had brought Lily a pair of pyjamas and a change of clothes for tomorrow. After she left, the two teenagers continued chatting until Lily noticed that it was getting late. Tomorrow was Saturday but she still wanted to get some sleep (not to mention escape the warm and fuzzy feelings she kept getting whenever James would smile at her).

Now she was faced with a problem. She couldn't get up, but she had to change into her pjs. James noticed her predicament and smiled at her, daring her. After hearing all about his bold exploits, she was absurdly filled with the want to prove her own audaciousness. Throwing self-consciousness to the wind, she wriggled out of her school uniform under the covers (boldly flashing a little skin).

Although James' face didn't show it, he was more than a little affected by Lily's performance. He was convinced that she had no idea how provocative she was being (he was dead wrong). Hoping to gain the upper hand in the situation, he also prepared himself for bed. Pulling of his tie, he unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it to the side. Doing the same with his pants, he was left with only his boxers and a smile on.

Lily instantly regretted her impetuousness. She had thought to shock him with her daring but instead she was the one covered with blushes. She tried not to look at his chest while simultaneously telling herself not to redden (without success).

James noticed her embarrassment and revelled in it. He was used to girls looking at him but Lily's stare was different… Stretching his arms above his head (making Lily's eyes widen), he settled down for what he thought would be an enjoyable night.

--

Lily gulped at the sight of James' toned muscles being stretched as he lifted his arms above his head. Having never had a boyfriend, or really, even a boy who was a friend, she was uncomfortable around boys at the best of times, let alone when a Playgirl centrefold-worthy one was practically naked, lying prone beside her.

Lily was at an impasse; she had started something of a dare war, seeing who would go farther. James had met her bet, and raised the stakes. She was unsure of what she should do. Well, that's a lie. She knew she should ignore the situation, close her eyes, and go to sleep, but she was torn over what she wanted to do. She had reflected over her life while James had been regaling her with some of his numerous exploits and she had realized there was something missing: a certain spontaneity that so many of her peers thrived on. She had always thought herself content to be alone with her books and Marlene, and she was. Content, that is. Nevertheless, she felt as though she was lacking a joie-de-vie, an impulsiveness.

Although she knew she would reprimand her impetuousness later, she quickly thought up a plan to knock this pretty boy of his high pedestal. For once, she let go of her reserve and allow herself to be a regular teenager. For once, she would gain the upper hand on James Potter.

--

Even though James' face was plastered with a confidant smile, inside, he was shaking. His dream girl was in the bed next to him wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt. Although James had had probably seen more sexy lingerie than any 16-year-old boy had the right to, Lily's present innocent dishevelment was putting the other girls' nightwear to shame. She seemed unaware of her impact on the handsome young man as she ran her fingers through her hair. She looked as though she was contemplating something when a look of satisfaction crossed her features.

James idly wondered what she was thinking as she leaned forward to place her folded clothes next to her bed. As she bent forward, her sheet slipped down, revealing her creamy leg. James sent a quick prayer upstairs, thanking whatever divine being had crafted the curvy redhead in front of him. He soaked up her dishevelment, believing she would fix the wayward coverlet. Instead, to his surprise and, … excitement, she did not. In fact, she seemed unaware that her smooth limb was even on display.

His breathing hitched as she moved the over-blanket aside, seemingly to scratch an itch, (unbeknownst to James, Lily was actually trying to see how far she could push him.)

--

Lily felt as though her insides were all on fire. She had never felt beautiful, nor had she ever felt power over someone of the opposite sex, now, James' reaction to her changed all that. Pushing all remaining feelings of self-consciousness to the side, she stole a look at James. His eyes were wide, transfixed on her legs. Still quite innocent to all of these new feelings, Lily didn't grasp her full impact until she noticed a change in the topography of James' sheets, a large bulge visible, even from her angle. Lily's eyes widened. Was he? Oh God! He was! Embarrassment flooded her senses, pushing any further thoughts of toying with the quidditch captain out of her mind.

Mumbling something akin to goodnight, she burrowed her face into her pillow and shut her eyes, telling herself she imagined 'it' and to go to sleep.

--

Jesus, get a hold of yourself, James swore inwardly. Swallowing, he tried to control his reaction (to no avail). Before he could get a grip, Lily hurriedly said goodnight and rolled over. Oh, well, he thought, at least she wasn't looking at me, she didn't notice. Repeating that mantra to himself, he tried not to look at her back. Dammit, he thought, there's no way I'm getting to sleep with such a shapely derriere facing me…

God, she's beautiful, he thought. She's not looking, maybe I could just… take care of my 'problem'.

--

Lily sighed. Just go to sleep, she said to herself, the faster you go to sleep, the faster tomorrow comes, and freedom along with it. With that encouraging thought, she tried to relax, and after many attempts, finally managed a fitful sleep.

--

James heard Lily breathing evenly. Letting out a breath he hadn't been aware he had been holding, he willed his… nether area to calm down. Every time he almost succeeded (calling on as many sickening images as he could think of), he would open his eyes and catch a glimpse of Lily's exposed legs and his 'problem' would reappear, more insistent than ever.

Believing he had no other choice other than continuing this torture (and torture, no matter how blissful, it was), he glanced at Lily to make sure she was still asleep. Oh, God, she had turned in her sleep and he could now see her round breasts being pushed up by her arm. She let out a little sleep moan and he was lost, totally and completely.

It was like he was possessed; he knew he was being stupid but the sight of sleeping Lily was addling his brain. Reaching down, he started taking care of his 'problem'. Envisioning Lily in an equally undressed but much more promiscuous position (namely on top of him), he soon found himself close to finishing. He marvelled at the impact Lily had on him. Under normal circumstances, he took ages to draw to a close but she made him feel like he was some spotty third year heavy petting for the first time behind the greenhouses. Softly murmuring her name when he came, he slouched down in his sheets and revelled in his post-orgasmic state. Heaven.

--

Lily was sleeping restlessly when she heard her name being called. Thinking herself in a dream, she sat up.

"Whassit?" She murmured, glancing at James.

Hearing her voice, James practically jumped out of his skin.

"What! Uh, nothing! Nothing! Go back to sleep!" He yelped, turning red.

Lily sent him a questioning glace. She saw him wipe of his hand on his sheet and turn over. Still being in a sleepy state, she shrugged her shoulders and fell back on her pillow, immediately going back into her dream.

--

James was bright red in the single bed beside Lily. Still berating himself for being stupid enough to moan her name when he came, he turned over and tried to get to sleep. A useless attempt, for as he was trying to even his breathing, Lily let out a moan in her sleep and he felt another flare of life in his nether regions… Great, just great… It was going to be a long night.

--