"Gryffindor!" shouted the non Quidditch playing Gryffindor fans as James Potter swept threw with the Quaffle and threw it through the middle hoop.
"WOOH! POTTER!" screamed the Gryffindors.
The Ravenclaws and Slytherins muttered some cold words against him, but James just grinned.
"AND THAT'S ANOTHER SCORE FOR JAMES POTTER," announced the commentator, Karl Jordan. "MEANWHILE, SEEKERS KIRA SPINNET FOR GRYFFINDOR AND LISA MCDONALD FOR RAVENCLAW ARE SEARCHING FOR THE SNITCH - OH! JAMES POTTER BARELY ESCAPED THAT BLUDGER!"
A bludger crashed by James, nearly knocking him from his broom, causing him to yell at one of the beaters. Angus Brown, one of the younger beaters, flew in the direction of the bludger.
A yell came from the boy suddenly, as the bludger changed direction, flying directly above his head and plummeting towards the stands.
"The bludger is charmed," Mary said nervously. "It can't hit us."
"ROGUE BLUDGER!" screamed someone in the stands and everyone dived aside.
Except Lily, as she tripped, hitting her forehead on the rail. She blinked painfully through the pain that seared through her head, just to see the bludger rushing straight for her.
She shut her eyes tight. The bludger never came.
A grunt came from next to her and she felt someone lifting her up. She opened her eyes to see James Potter leaning over her on his broom. "Come on, Lils. Get onto my broom."
She climbed on, his arm twisted crookedly around her waist. He was wincing greatly as he slowly directed his broom towards safety.
"Are you alright?" she asked. Their faces were very close, which made her already aching head spin.
"I'm...I'm fine," he growled, although she could see pain written across his face.
"No, you're not. Hold on, let me fly."
She hooked her hands around the broom and directed it down. They flew slowly.
"GAME BREAK, JAMES POTTER INJURED, SAVED GIRLFRIEND LILY EVANS FROM GETTING WHACKED BY A BLUDGER!"
She heard James laugh softly behind her. "Hear that? He calls you my girlfriend," James murmured.
"Yeah, I heard." They landed a little bouncily. She stepped off and fell.
Lily barely realized she was on the ground, but her head hurt beyond anything she had ever felt before, and the pain trickled down her back as well. James loomed over her.
"Are you okay?" he whispered.
"I'm...I'm...my head hurts," she whimpered, and then started to cry. She reached up and latched her arms around him, crying into him, whimpering in pain.
So much happened and Lily wasn't able to follow everything. By the time her head cleared, she was sitting back against a big pillow in the infirmary. Mary, Hestia, Alice, Marlene, and the four Marauders were sitting in the beds nearby.
"I don't remember coming her," Lily said, blinking at them.
"Oh, you're finally out of the potion!" Marlene said cheerfully. "Well, Madam Wisteria gave you a potion on the field, and you probably didn't feel or recognize a thing until you came out."
"I remember James," she replied quickly. "James he - " she looked to her quiet savior, who sent her a small smile.
She shifted until she was sitting up. "James, you saved me."
"Well, sort of," he replied.
"James..."
Sirius interrupted with a, "I'm sure it's past dinner time. Do you mind if I leave, Lils?"
"No, not at all."
"Madam Wisteria wants you two injured people to stay here," Remus said, shrugging. "I promise we'll bring you back food."
"Thanks," James said, watching his friends leave in silence.
Marlene followed Sirius, and Hestia Remus, and Mary smiled at Lily before hopping down and walking out with Alice. Leaving James and Lily.
"James, what happened to you?" she asked softly.
"Well, do you remember that out of control bludger? It was headed straight for your face, but since it was so scary, your mind may have blocked it out. Anyways, in my hero attempt, that hit me very hard in the shoulder."
Lily dizzily swung off her bed and stumbled over to his, crawling next to him. She placed her head in his uninjured shoulder, lying down next to him. He put his arm around her quietly.
"Does your head still hurt?"
"No. I'm just a little dizzy. And tired. And hungry. Very hungry. Do you think Remus would bring me steak, a baked potato, and cheesecake? Oh, and stir fry, and rice and -"
"Okay, you're making me hungry. Please stop."
Lily laughed a little. "Can I ask you something?"
"Hmm?"
She fell silent for a while, and then murmured, "It's been...it's been so awkward since our fight the first night of Hogwarts, James."
"I know. I'm sorry, Lils."
"Why is it so?"
James's arm tightened around her and she felt him sigh. Then, she became aware of a whole new feeling - his lips against her forehead. Then he whispered, "Lily, I want to be your friend. Honestly. But the feelings I have are so much more, I don't know what I would do with myself, even if we were just friends."
There was a short silence, and she could practically feel James's sadness. Then she finally realized what she felt for him. "James, maybe...maybe it doesn't have to be like that."
"What?"
"Maybe we can be more than friends."
"What do you mean?"
Lily sighed a little, turning her face up towards his. "Must I spell it out?"
She reached up and held his chin, bringing his lips down to hers, and kissed him. It was a brief, chaste kiss, but his eyes shone with happiness.
"You...Lils you mean..."
"Oi, Potter. Want to go out with me?" she asked, grinning at him.
James stared at her with a grin spreading across his face, absolutely speechless. "You have no idea, Evans."
Then he was holding her face, and they were kissing. It was better than he had ever imagined, and better than she had ever hoped it to be. She tangled her hands into his hair and he held her tightly around her waist.
The door of the Hospital wing swung shut and they broke apart to stare at Remus, who was holding two plates full of food. He stared, mouth agape.
"Um...well, that's a surprise. I uh, brought you food. Sure hope I'm not interrupting anything..."
"FOOD!" squeaked Lily happily, sitting up and taking a plate.
James took his plate too and they sat together and ate.
Remus watched them eat and after a few moments, finally said, "Look, I'm not really a prying, must know nosy kind of a person, but...I demand to know."
James laughed and nearly choked, leaning forward with his laughter.
"Well...Moony," Lily said. "I do believe that James is my boyfriend."
James howled with laughter by then, and both of them stared at him, wondering if he had gone insane. He'd laughed so hard there was tears in his eyes. "I never thought this would happen!" he exclaimed.
"Remus, will you please keep it quiet? I'd like to tell everyone myself," Lily said, smiling in a way Remus thought only Sirius and James could - a troublemaking gleam in her eyes.
"No problem. You two, uh...good night. See you tomorrow morning." Remus skipped away cheerfully. He turned at the door and asked, "You wouldn't mind if I asked Hestia out, would you?"
"ABOUT TIME!" both cried after him, and Remus grinned and left.
