He held her, kissing her slowly, softly, smoothly. A hand slowly traveled down to grasp her butt, making her moan into his mouth. Taking that as a sign, he reached up again, both hands moving under her shirt. She moaned again and set to work on his shirt, pulling it up over his head. A few minutes later both were wearing next to nothing. They kissed passionately again, hands roaming. His moved up to the middle of her back, and then slowly around to touch her…
CRASH
"OW!" yelled Lily.
"Huh!" cried a half-awake Hestia.
"I fell out of bed…"
Hestia sniggered and rolled over, immediately going back to sleep. Lily tried vainly to follow suit. Instead her thoughts wandered to the dream she had been having just moments before. The dream that had been so rudely interrupted.
Wait, rudely? Did I really want to be having that dream?
'Well you certainly seemed to be enjoying it at the time'
Shut up. I can't control my dreams. Those are just my crazy teenage hormones.'Sure…'
Lily sat alone, eating breakfast and thinking, when her three suitemates sat down around her, startling her out of her pensive state.
"Careful you don't fall over, Lily."
"Shut up."
"What?" asked a confused Emma. Unlike Hestia, Emma had slept through Lily's rude awakening.
Hestia's eyes glittered. "Last night Lily fell out of bed. Screamed too. I'm surprised you didn't wake up."
Lily glared. "I did not scream."
Seeing Lily's look, Hestia gave her a gentle poke in the ribs.
"Hey, cheer up. Today's the first day of the rest of your life. From now on, James Potter doesn't exist."
Lily grinned. She knew there was something she was supposed to be happy about today. She glanced down the table to where James was sitting, and true to his word, he was nowhere near her. Nor was he paying her any attention. Lily was surprised. He seemed to be taking it very well. She had half expected him to have a mental breakdown or something. But he was perfectly fine.
Sure…
As calm as James appeared, he was actually inches away from tearing his hair out. Here was Sirius, talking to him like it was just a normal day. Wasn't it obvious what distress he was in? While he had refused to tell any of them what had happened, surely they knew that it couldn't have possibly been good. And yet, here they were, talking about… What were they talking about? He hadn't been listening. He vaguely picked up something about Snape and the Giant Squid. The nerve.
"Wouldn't that be great?" was suddenly interject into his thoughts.
"Huh?"
"Haven't you been listening, Prongs?"
"No. I've got to got to class."
His friends exchanged glances. Finally Remus said, "It's Sunday, Prongs. We don't have class today."
"Oh. Well I've got to go to the library to finish that essay." James ran off.
Peter looked worried. "We have an essay?"
"No. I think whatever happened with Lily last night must have really shook him up. We might want to go check on him."
"Nah. James is a big boy. And I'm enjoying these pancakes."
A few days later
The past few days had been the best Lily had had in a long time. She had seen neither hide nor hair of James since breakfast on Sunday, and she was loving it. She was perfectly willing to continue her life as it was, leaving James to waste away, alone. And she probably would have, had it not been for Professor Dumbledore.
Professor Dumbledore had recently been appointed Headmaster from his previous position of Transfiguration Teacher. Since he had yet to find a suitable teacher to take his place, he filled both positions temporarily. This meant that he saw all the students on a regular basis, and was very aware of their lives and personalities. And on Wednesday, in his 6th year Gryffindor class, he noticed a very strange happening, something that caused him to call a student into his office.
Lily stood outside the statue of a great eagle, fidgeting nervously. The last person who got called into Professor Dumbledore's office had come out sobbing. His parents had been murdered by Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore rarely called people in without good reason.
Lily's anxious thoughts were broken as the eagle began to turn, forming a spiraling staircase, which Lily climbed quickly. She got to the top and knocked nervously.
"Come in."
Lily entered and ran over to his desk.
"Is everything alright, sir? What's happened?"
"Calm down, Ms. Evans. Nothing serious, I assure you. Have a seat and I will explain."
Convinced that if the Professor said it was alright, it probably was, Lily took a seat and faced him.
"Now, it's actually not so much what has happened as what has not happened. Yesterday while you were in my class, I noticed something odd. Mr. Potter neither spoke to you nor looked at you for the whole class. Something that I assure you has never happened in all the years I have known the two of you. Now, I usually make it a point to stay out of the romance lives of teenagers. Much to complicated. I don't really know why you even bother." At that Lily smiled. She had felt that same way many times. "But here, my curiosity overtakes me. I honestly thought that what I saw yesterday was impossible. Precisely a week ago Mr. Potter couldn't be in the same room with you without showing his affection in a dozen different ways. So."
At this Dumbledore folded his fingers together and rested his chin on them. Lily realized that he was waiting for her to explain. So she did. At first Lily meant only to tell him the basic plan, about the same amount of information as her friends got. But eventually she found herself spilling to him exactly what had happened, and all the conflicting emotions she had been experiencing the past few days. She even told him about her dream that night, and completely comfortably as well. The Professor had that effect on people.
After she finished, he just sat there, looking thoughtful.
"And this was your idea?"
"No, sir. It was actually Potter's, believe it or not."
"And, as far as you know, he hasn't broken his word."
"Not a bit. Guess he didn't like me as much as he said."
"Oh, quite the contrary, Ms. Evans. I think this recent development is just proof of exactly how much he loves you."
"You think he loves me?"
"I have no doubt. And the evidence is this: he was willing to sacrifice his chances of achieving his greatest desire, that is, you, for your own happiness. He would prefer that you were happy, not that you were with him. That level of love is rare, even in married couples. You would do well not to waste it."
Lily would have argued with him, but his tone left no room for it. This conversation was over. So she left, mulling over this suggestion. It was one that had never occurred to her.
Is James Potter in love with me?
