Authors Note: I do not own any of the characters apart from Lizzy. All the rest belong to JK Rowling. Hope you enjoy it.

Back to the real quest. James/Lizzy pairing coming up.

Chapter 7

Affair

James

I knew as soon as I placed the ring on her finger that it was all wrong. It should be Lizzy smiling at me and wearing my mothers ring. It should be Lizzy swollen with our son. She'd be a radiant mother, I knew. But it was not to be. Lizzy and I could never happen. At the wedding we had held each other close whispering goodbyes in each others ears. We both knew that we'd never be able to be together now. I'd chosen this. I couldn't complain. At least not to any one else. I lost her forever.

Lizzy

I will not think of James. I will not think of James. I will not think of James.

I repeated the mantra in my head as Sirius destroyed the Ravenclaw diadem. I had barely paid attention in the last three weeks, thinking of him. We had destroyed nearly all the Horcruxes with almost no trouble, but I just knew something would go wrong. Sirius placed a warm hand on my shoulder interrupting my thoughts.

"We're done love, are you ok?" Sirius spoke with a tenderness I hadn't expected from him.

"I'm fine" I assured him "just tired". I stopped speaking then, my voice was becoming hoarse and my breathing ragged, it was as if I was going to cry. I couldn't cry here. This was not the place. Swallowing I straightened up and wrapped my arms round Sirius' waist tightly.

I heard him gasp but soon his shoulders slumped and he relaxed into my arms. He kissed my hair and held me close. Suddenly as I began to turn my face up towards his, a third entity entered the room. Thinking it was Remus, returning from Dumbledore's office, I turned towards him.

"Hey, Remus…I was just…" I stopped. It wasn't Remus. It was James.

Sirius

She was in my arms. I was smelling her hair and staring at her beautiful juicy lips imagining what would happen next. Then there he was. He always ruined my glory, my hopes. As much as I loved him like a brother. He had changed everything once again and I hated it. She was mine. This girl should be mine. I turned to James staring into his light coffee coloured eyes. In that stare I conveyed all the anger I was feeling at that moment. In front of me, her breathing was shallow and her eyes were wide with shock.

Say something. Do something. The words rung out loudly in my head but I was frozen.

"Well someone say something don't just stand there looking like a hippogriff's backside!" I couldn't help it, it was the first thing that came to mind. A smile turned up the corners of Lizzy's luscious lips. Bit by bit a nervous chuckle came from her, a chuckle that slowly developed into a full blown laugh. Soon we were all laughing uproariously. All of a sudden, the tension and unease in the room had melted away. I wish we had somewhere to sit. As soon as the thought entered my head all three of us fell backwards onto some cushions on the floor, earning a fresh round of giggles from James and Lizzy.

There were lines of mirth around their eyes but inside the eyes, they was a mutual understanding of something deeper. Noticing it, the tension flared up again. Lizzy turned her face to the floor and stared at the checked pattern intensely.

"Whoa. Should I leave you and the floor alone for a moment?" Lizzy smiled at me brightly and James gave me a look I could only describe as Jealousy that I could warrant such a smile.

"Oh, shut up Sirius," she giggled playfully, "You always did have a gift for the inappropriate". James, Lizzy and I spent hours in that room. Just talking and laughing and learning how to forget the mess we were in. If only for a few hours. About four hours later, when the day had closed and my girlfriend had tried to floo at least three times, I decided it was time to leave.

"Well, my favourite witches and wizards, it appears its time for me to go." Lizzy groaned and stretched up to kiss me on the cheek.

"Bye Babe," she whispered.

"Bye mate" came James' gruff reply. I looked at the wizard's horn rimmed eyes. Beneath the mirth and happiness he displayed in front of Lizzy, there was a turmoil I had not seen in my friend since his mother died. As I walked out the room, my head worked overtime.

What was going on with the two of them?

Lizzy

I stared at his handsome face as Sirius left the room. I barely registered the door being shut as James' eyes blinked open and shut behind his glasses. I loved his glasses, I loved his eyes, I loved the way his black hair never sat neat, I loved him. I giggled like a nervous schoolgirl when I remembered the first time I'd seen a picture of James Potter. Then he had been Harry's dad. My best friend's dead dad. But now, he was the most handsome man in the wizarding world. I mean Johnny Depp beat him any day, but he was a muggle. I was so lost im my thoughts that I didn't even notice James staring at me.

James

I stared at her. I barely registered the door being shut as her eyes searched my face. What could a girl like her see in me? She was beautiful. I loved the way her chestnut ringlets hung at her shoulders, I loved the way she wrinkled her nose when she laughed, I loved her blue green orbs, I loved her. I smiled at her face as she spaced out. Somehow I felt like I knew her from another time. Like we had met before. But surely I would have remembered? Wouldn't I? Closing my eyes I took a deep breath. The urge to press my lips against hers once again and finish what I started all that time ago, was now overwhelming. She turned her eyes up to me through her eyelashes. Those blue-green spheres, boring into my soul. Then suddenly, I couldn't stand it any more. Leaning down I gently bought my lips to hers.

I stilled myself a moment although my lips yearned to be moving against hers I was unsure of her response. Almost immediately she kissed me back. I thought I was dreaming for a moment. But no she kissed me back! Her hot breath mingled with my own as my tongue ran along the seam of her lips. She parted them gently allowing me access. I had died. I had died and gone to heaven.

Lizzy

I had died. I had died and gone to heaven.

Hours Later

I lay in the silk covered bed, a heavy weight preventing my movement. But the weight was comforting something that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside my stomach. Then with a flash of clarity I remembered the events of the previous night. The events I thought had just been a dream. Turning onto my side I stared into the face of my lover. His left arm was flung around my waist while his other hand drew lazy circles on my naked back.

"Morning beautiful", his voice broke into my reverie. I sighed a happy sigh that filled my chest with it's force.

"Good morning," I whispered. He smiled at me brightly. My smile. I would forever remember that as MY smile.

"Don't I get a kiss?" he teased lightly.

"I think you got more than enough of those last night," I tittered back.

"Yeah and more" he smirked as I hit him playfully on his naked chest. Smiling that brilliant smile once again he pulled me into him softly for a kiss. This kiss was nothing like the urgent and passionate embraces last night, this was soft and gentle. It was like a goodbye.

"If I didn't know better James Potter, I'd think you were going to leave me" His smile faded and my heart sank with it. He'd had his way with me and now he was just going to leave, just like every other bloke I'd ever fallen for.

James

Waking up next to Lizzy was the most amazing feeling of my life. I watched her sleep, her chestnut hair spread on the pillow and a light smattering of freckles that I hadn't before noticed tickled her nose. Her breath came out evenly and It was all I could do not to wake her up with a kiss.

"I love you," I had whispered. But now not five minutes later, she looked at me with all the pain in her eyes that I was feeling in my heart.

"I'm so sorry. More sorry than you'll ever know, but I can't just leave Lily. She's my wife. She's having my baby!" I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my face at the thought of my child. It would be my boy Harry or my girl Elizabeth.

"Damn you! Damn you James Potter! I know all that and do you think I want to hurt Lily? She took me in when no-one else would, but I don't want to lose you. I don't think I could cope." with that she broke down. The tears washed down her face and her naked chest heaved with the deep drenching breaths she was taking to steady her nerves.

I took hold of her hand. I placed it gently above my heart.

"You feel that? It beats for you. No matter what goes on with me and Lily, it will always beat for you." I climbed out of the bed leaving a sweet chaste kiss on Lizzy's trembling lips.

"I love you" I announced as I gathered up my clothes.

Lizzy

And without waiting for an answer, he was gone.

"I love you too"

Aaaawwww….. A little bit of an affair but I couldn't hurt Lily too badly. Not yet anyway. Bit of Lily bashing coming up so stop reading now if it offends.