Chapter: Hanging On To The Moment

Shalan's Say: YAY! A first kiss… I thought I would tell you. This story will span three years. It will end the year Harry is born. I like long stories… one of my most reviewed is 32 chapters so I will not disappoint you I promise!

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By the time Sirius and Mariette had returned to class everyone in the school had heard about the battle between Mariette and Severus. Lily could hardly talk to her for the amount of people wanting to talk to her about what had happened. The hype began to calm, though, and the new word was the buzz of the first Quidditch game of the year. Gryffindor versus Slytherin was the only thing anyone seemed capable of talking about.

"So… if they win are you still going to go with him to Hogsmeade?" Mariette asked as Lily read from a rather difficult looking Potions book.

"I think so…" Lily pursed her lips as Mariette set her pencil case down. "Are you going to the game?" Mariette seemed a little upset, though Lily couldn't put her finger on what it was. Lily set her book down, rubbing her temples. Thinking about that idiot is too distracting! She fumed.

"Probably, though I think I have to serve a detention with Flitwick tomorrow afternoon," Lily gasped as Mariette spoke as Sirius dropped down next to Mariette. "WAH!" She nearly jumped out of her skin. Sirius gave a bark of a laugh then smiled over at Lily.

"Good afternoon ladies," Lily was having a hard time taking this in. Sirius Black. In the library. She didn't think she'd ever seen such a phenomenon before.

"Black? What are you doing in here?" Mariette pushed him away. He simply laughed and leaned on the table, gazing at her.

"Like I said, I just wanted to see you again," Sirius smiled. Lily watched as he leaned over next to Mariette's ear and whispered something that made her blush furiously and look away. A wry smile that she couldn't contain spread across her face.

"What are you smiling about Lily Evans?" Sirius lifted an eyebrow. Lily couldn't do anything but shake her head as Sirius tilted his head.

"Hi Sirius!" Sirius looked over his shoulder as a sixth year Hufflepuff waved to him. He grinned and winked at Lily. "See you in Transfiguration," he nodded with a grin. She and her girlfriends giggled and walked off.

"You sure are popular," Mariette said scathingly. Lily watched them interact with a little grin. Sirius pulled Mariette's quills from her pencil case and examined each one in turn, infuriating her as she tried to get them back from him. Lily let her mind wander as Sirius laughed at Mariette's frustration. She wondered if James was going to be as infuriating as Sirius was. Her eyes grew heavy in the warmth of the library, her friend's laughter at her own frustrations made her smile lightly. Then she considered James Potter again… his actions the night before spoke of a more mature side of him she hadn't known before…

"Did you ever think that maybe he did something that really upset her? I mean… she doesn't seem the type to attack unprovoked…" James said thoughtfully.

"Like you?" Lily slid out the snide remark. James flinched.

"Ouch, okay I deserved that," he laughed lightly, stretching his long limbs. She jumped as he pulled off his cloak and pulled it around her shoulders, taking a minor liberty of leaving his arm around her shoulders. She gave a wry smile, though she was a little pleased… he had noticed she had been shivering.

"Awfully cold in here isn't it?" She caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. He certainly was gorgeous. There was no denying his physical beauty. His angular nose was a little long but it added to his features. His high cheekbones and defined jaw gave his face a bit of a length. She gasped lightly as he turned his head to look at her.

"I guess it is," he tugged her a little noticing she was giving and let her shoulder rest against his side. She closed her tired and itching eyes, leaning her head on his shoulder. He wasn't QUITE as obnoxious as he had been. She smiled lightly.

"What are you smiling about little miss dreamy?" Mariette broke her reminiscence. She started and nearly fell over out of her chair. It seemed that Sirius had left several moments before and Mariette was reorganizing her parchment and books. Lily laughed at the mess Sirius had left in his wake, the numerous quills splayed across the table, Mariette's flushed face, parchment in books it didn't belong in.

"What are you frowning about? You have one of Hogwarts' most eligible bachelors-" she paused to chuckled "-on your tail and you're upset?"

"Look who's talking." Mariette lifted her eyebrows as she placed her quills back into her pencil case. Lily blushed furiously as she watched Mariette smile in triumph.

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"Nervous?" Sirius leaned on the railing above the Great Hall and smiled easily at James before breakfast.

"Moi? Nervous?" James waved his hand airily.

"That's right… the only time you get nervous is when Lily Evans is around!" Sirius dodged the punch he threw.

"Shut up Padfoot," James smiled lightly. Sirius shrugged then looked around for Mariette, it wouldn't be a good day unless he saw her. He half wondered if she would go to the Quidditch game with him and the others. "Lily!" James perked up and bounced off to see her.

"He's sick over her…" Remus shook his head with a shrug. "Maybe it's a good thing," he glanced over at Sirius.

"Maybe, I dunno though, he's a bit of a dolt when it comes to Lily." Sirius chuckled.

"On the bright side… she's actually paying him some attention, we don't have to deal with him moping about her not talking to him."

"Yeah, she didn't talk to him most of last year," Sirius watched with Remus as James spoke quietly with Lily. He wasn't boasting like he usually was, though Lily did look a little cynical occasionally. James nodded his head as she seemed to consider a question he had asked. Her eyebrows lifted as he continued and laughed. She looked over at Remus and Sirius who exchanged looks of identical confusion then tilted their heads at her. She nodded her head with a bit of a sigh. Her face read 'oh… okay just to make you happy and keep you from bothering me' but James didn't seem to notice as he flounced back to where the others were standing, watching him curiously.

"What was that all about?" Remus exchanged looks with Lily who rolled her eyes with a smile.

"I was just asking if she wanted to watch the game with you guys," his smile was that of one who had accomplished a great feat.

"Well of course she'd hang with us! You won't be there!" Sirius howled with laughter. Remus cracked a grin at James' face as this thought seemed to occur to him.

"That's… you…" James spluttered. Remus chuckled as Sirius laughed even harder. "Forget you," James tried to keep from smiling at himself, "I'm going to breakfast!" He stomped off.

"I was wondering when he'd figure that out!" Sirius looked like he was going to explode from laughing too hard.

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She watched him soar into the sky, her eyes fixated on the one she knew to be him. Of course the fact that he was showing off a little helped her recognize him. While he was waiting for the match to start James was sitting side-saddle on his broom, floating just a few hundred feet above the ground. He spotted her hair amongst his friends and he soared over to them as they waited for the Slytherins to take the field.

"Hiya Lily," he smiled impishly. She flicked her hair over her shoulder but kept his eye contact.

"James," she lifted her eyebrows. "Again, your head keeps getting bigger… it's got to be the broomstick," she leaned on her palm as she rested her elbow on the railing.

"Oh, was it smaller?" He teased, leaning forward on his broom like a little child.

"Prongs, here they come!" Sirius waved. All four of them were wearing their black cloaks and long knitted scarlet and gold scarves. James felt his heart swell as he looked at them all. Lily smiled at him.

"Good luck Potter," he clasped her outstretched hand then let it go and flew off to find the rest of his team.

Halfway through the game Lily heard Sirius' hoarse voice stop whooping. She blinked and turned to look over her shoulder as he gripped a disembodied arm and pulled it from the crowd, helping the girl attached over into their group. She was wearing a black cloak like theirs but the raven with its black wings was spread across the blue and silver insignia. Her blue and silver scarf was paired with a blue and silver beanie that was pulled on over ears. She looked a little silly with her blonde bangs brushing her eyes but she definitely looked cheerful.

"LILY!" Lily clasped Mariette's good hand. "FLITWICK LET ME OUT EARLY TO COME WATCH THE GAME!" Mariette shouted with joy as Lily grinned. Sirius was at Mariette's elbow, nudging Remus who chuckled.

"CHEER WITH US!" Sirius laughed. Mariette smiled warmly then let out a holler as they saw James dive with the Slytherin seeker in tow.

"C'MON PRONGS!" Sirius and Remus shouted in unison as they watched the dangerous dive towards the ground.

James narrowed his eyes as they neared the ground, the Slytherin seeker glanced over at him with a wild expression then veered off two hundred feet from the ground. Lily screamed as James dove further, thinking he wouldn't stop. He pulled out of the dive, having to use every muscle in his body to change course. He reached out for the Snitch but it was too quick it jumped several feet above his head and just out of his reach.

"PRONGS! PRONGS! PRONGS!" Remus, Peter, and Sirius were holding onto each other jumping up and down, every single ounce of their energy being drained as they watched. Lily had her fingers over her eyes as Mariette wrapped her good arm around her.

"He's okay Lily! He's- OH MY GOD!" Lily uncovered her eyes. Her heart stopped. James was squatting on his broom, reaching for the Snitch. It dodged out of the way again and James gritted his teeth. Lily couldn't even scream at this point for fear. Then she saw that determined look on his face, the icy hand around her heart seemed to relax. He let go of his broom and stood, leaning slightly into the wind. He rode it like a surfboard for a moment before he snatched the Snitch.

"HE'S DONE IT! JAMES POTTER HAS DONE IT AGAIN! IT'S OVER! GRYFFINDOR 370 TO SLYTHERIN 200!!!" Screamed the commentator, another Gryffindor. James whirled in the air and hit the ground running as the Gryffindor team tackled him.

Lily nearly collapsed against Mariette. Mariette laughed and caught her with her good arm. "Terrifying sport Quidditch," Mariette chuckled.

"Especially when one has a knack for being an idiot!" Lily was nearly in tears. Sirius was nearly on Remus's shoulders with the way they were jumping about and Mariette laughed. It had been a long time since she had been around such joy.

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"JAMES POTTER!" Lily spread the crowd in the common room and stormed towards him. He looked a little taken aback when she threw her arms around him and hugged him. "You are the most reckless, idiotic, stupid, bloody… horrible-lackadaisical frightening-" he gripped her head and pulled her lips to his. The noise around them stopped, it was as though someone had cast a silencing spell on the common room. "Idiot…" she whispered as their lips parted.

"You keep calling me that, as long as you don't mean it…" his hazel eyes gazed deep into her radiant emerald. She nodded as he brushed his thumbs against her cheekbones. The noise picked up again, this time combined with whoops and wolf whistles… mostly from Sirius and Remus.

By the time James and Sirius had dragged their sorry rears to bed Remus was already clean and reading. James groaned lightly as he stripped down in the washroom, his muscles were aching already.

"You being a simpering wimp again Prongs?" Sirius goaded over the hiss of the showers. James turned his back to the spray, the fiery hot stream pounding against his neck and shoulders. He rolled his shoulders and head as he felt the muscles loosen slightly.

"Yeah, my muscles are sore from pulling out of that feign," James replied his thoughts elsewhere. She had been worried about him during the match. He smiled and rubbed soap along his arm, lost in his dream world for the moment.

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She stroked the soft fur of her cat as she looked thoughtfully out the window. He was too cute. Sirius' smile from the Quidditch game made her grin inwardly, she had someone like that… someone that liked her… though he didn't know a single thing about her… she could at least hold on to his affection as long as she could… she closed her eyes tightly against the moonlight…

The little Siamese cat purred and kneaded her thighs happily before they both jumped. A sleek black owl pecked at the window and Mariette opened the window, allowing it passage. It hopped from one foot to the other, awaiting her removal of its letter. She took the parchment and opened it:

Mariette-

Astronomy tower? 1 AM?

Sirius

She felt her cheeks flush violently. Why was he trying to get her to leave her dormitory? She picked up a quill and hastily scribbled an answer before sending it off with the owl.

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She snuggled comfortably against his chest, his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders. She rested the bridge of her nose against his neck, closing her eyes. He smelled of sandalwood and mint; as she took in a deeper breath she even caught a bit of citrus from him. He brushed his thumb against her shoulder tenderly as he spoke.

"Have you ever seen the grounds on a full moon night?" He tilted his head to brush his cheek against her hair.

"No, I'm a Head Girl… I don't do dastardly things like sneak out of my dormitory!" She chuckled, feeling his laugh vibrate in his throat.

"No, of course not…" He sighed heavily. Sitting here in silence with her snuggled with him seemed the most amazing thing he'd done in a long time. She rested her good arm around his abdomen as he sighed heavily. "Hogwarts in a full moon night… is a beautiful thing to behold… trust me…" he pressed his cheek to her head, closing his eyes.

"I'm sure it is, in fact… I know it must be if you say so," her voice wavered slightly but picked back up at the end of her sentence. Sirius noticed, but said nothing, he didn't want to ruin this moment… even if he had to cling to it with his fingertips.

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Yay! Finish! READ AND REVIEW AND I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER!

Shalan