Lily had been diligently reading for two hours, having finished her other book and moved on to a different one of the same theme, (Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets the girl, they live happily ever after). When Lily had finished that one, she huffed and thought to herself "Wow, I sure didn't see that coming" while fishing for another book in her rucksack, she had brought a few books along just in case, and that case seemed just as she was already on the seventh chapter of the second book.
Lily realised it was nearing nightfall when she was straining her eyes to read her book. She blinked and looked around the library, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim lighting of the area, when she saw Madam Pince at her desk, outright glaring at her, it was as though she was trying to shout at Lily and tell her to leave. Lily was never one to disobey a teacher, "A cranky one, at that" Lily thought somewhat moodily as she stood and put all the books that were formerly guarding her from unwanted social interaction (or a certain Gryffindor head boy) away, shoved her book into the back pocket of her jeans and hoisted her rucksack over her shoulder only after grabbing her wand from said bag and walked away and out the library.
Lily reached the Gryffindor common room portrait, yawning and stretching, those three hours in the library hadn't properly hit her until just then, her bones were painstakingly stiff having sat in the same position most of the time in there, she smiled at the thought of rushing up the girls dormitory staircase and flopping onto her bed to sleep away her lidded eyes and tired demeanor. She had been offered the Heads dorms for that year when she became head girl, but she decided it wouldn't be the same without her friends with her, so she vouched to stay in the seventh year girls dorms.
"Ut catuli leonis" Lily whispered and climbed through the portrait hole while the Fat Lady smiled down at her fondly.
Upon entering the common room, she noticed there was next to no-one there, except- she sighed irritably, Potter, she'd recognize that messy head of hair any where. Fortunately, he was sitting toward the fire, his glasses reflecting the flames that licked the fireplace, seemingly contemplating, what, or who, Lily didn't know, she convinced herself that she didn't want to know and willed herself to walk quietly across the common room.
She thought she was walking as quietly as possible, but apparently not, as she grew nearer and nearer to the girls dormitory staircase she heard that all too familiar voice. "Evans!" Lily froze, mid-step and turned to face the source of the voice, knowing full well where it was coming from. James Potter, he was no longer sitting in the arm-chair facing the fire, but right in front of Lily, smiling dumbly at her, all contemplation, it seemed, right out the window.
Lily didn't bother rearranging her expression of irritation as she looked into his hazel eyes. She cleared her throat (being in the library for three hours took a massive toll on her speaking voice, no thanks to her social barrier of books) and replied somewhat croakily "Yes, Potter?", if Potter took any notice of her annoyed and tired aura, he didn't show it as he kept on smiling at her and said "Where were you? You weren't in the common room or the great hall, I asked Marlene and she said "Up your ass" so-" Lily snorted and blushed slightly, trust Marlene to reply like that, of all of Lily's friends, she was the dirtiest. "-I immediately knew that wasn't true so I headed back to the common room and here I am!".
Lily felt compelled to point out that he hadn't even thought of the library, then decide against it because she was tired and needed sleep, "I was in the library, finishing up my charms essay Potter, I doubt you've even started on that yet, all things considered." She kept a steady, clipped tone while speaking to him, but truthfully, she thought it was sweet that he had even bothered to look for her instead of the various other things he could have been doing, "like pranking innocent students with Black" A small voice in the back of her head so thoughtfully pointed out, and she was greatful for that voice, it brought her back to earth and she scowled. Potter looked at her questioningly but said nothing, he walked to the boy's dorms staircase and when he was just at the bottom he said "Goodnight Evans", a beat, "Goodnight Potter", and Lily speeded up the stairs before any more words could be exchanged.