"I need this."

Lily Evans was not a smoker.

She just occasionally needed a break from the stress of Hogwarts, and so she had the occasional cigarette. And occasionally just happened to loosely translate to 2 or 3 times a week.

This particular day had not been a great one. She'd gotten a horrible letter from Petunia, then had three in-class essays, and an exam in both Potions and Transfiguration. Plus Potter hadn't left her alone all day. So, here she was; 17 years old, Head Girl, Perfect Student, and smoking in shame at the top of the astronomy tower.

She pulled out her box of cigarettes and stuck one between her teeth. She grabbed her lighter from deep within the pocket of her robe and raised it to her mouth. With a click, the stick was lit and she was instantly relaxed. She remained there on the Astronomy tower in silence, breathing in the smoke and watching it spiral away into the night air as she exhaled. After 15 minutes or so, her cigarette was finished, and she stood there leaning against the railing for a little while. Finally, she couldn't take it. She reached back into her bag and retrieved her lighter and another cigarette. She placed it between her lips and raised the lighter to it.

"Evans?"

She whirled around, dropping her lighter and barely holding the lit cig in her mouth.

"Potter."

The Head Boy stood before her, his own cigarette jutting out from between his teeth. He took a drag, then blew out the smoke with a smile.

"I see we have the same problem," he said, lifting the cigarette back to his mouth.

"I don't have a problem," she countered, "I just occasionally come up here for a smoke. To relax. I am not a smoker."

He took a few steps toward her and bent to pick up her lighter. "That's what I used to tell myself. But at least now I can freely admit it. I need this."

She looked away and rolled her eyes. "I could stop any time I wanted. It's just… a hobby."

"So if I come up here and find you with a cig some other night, it's purely recreational," he replied, his lips curling into a smirk, and handed her the lighter.

She rolled her eyes and turned away, taking another puff and saying, "Shove off, James."

James? She hardly ever called him James. Only in front of teachers and when they were on patrol. They were on a last-name basis, although it wasn't really warranted anymore. Potter had changed significantly this year though. He no longer thrived off of torturing and pranking other students, and he was responsible enough to have gotten himself the Head Boy badge. They shared a common room now and often occupied it at all hours of the night talking and venting. Sometimes they'd even fall asleep there, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm around her. So why did she keep shutting him out? It was like a mood swing for her, and he never knew what kind of day it was. Would she brush him off all-day and insult him, or would she be civil and friendly?

"Oh, is it James today? Whatever happened to Potter?" The smirk crept back onto his face.

Lily sighed heavily and leaned against his shoulder slightly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder

The two smoked in silence together for a few moments, and then James turned to her.

"You know these things are pretty addictive. I think we could have a serious issue on our hands here," he said nonchalantly, flicking the ashes of his cigarette expertly.

"I am not a cigarette addict Potter," she huffed, turning to face him.

"You know, they say one way to kick a bad habit is to start up a good one," he said cheekily, leaning in just the tiniest bit.

"Oh yeah?" she countered with a Mona Lisa smile plastered on her face.

He leaned in again. "So they say."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked cheekily, and she leaned in subconsciously.

Suddenly her lips were met with James' and they moved together in a wonderful tango. Sparks seemed to fly off of them, and the forgotten cigarettes fell to the ground. James' hand found itself placed firmly in the small of her back and her hand cupped his cheek. She opened her mouth for breath and was met with his tongue. The passionate kiss finally ended after a surreal amount of time and the two broke apart. Lily ran her hand through her hair and gently bit her bottom lip.

"So…" James said, keeping her close.

"I think this is a much healthier addiction than cigarettes," she replied and closed the gap between them