Clara didn't go to the scrimmage game in the end. Instead, she curled up on her bed and read until dinner where she pointedly avoided looking at James sitting further down the table. By lunch time on Monday she had worked herself up to the point where she couldn't look at Lily either. She knew that Lily had no feelings for James but she couldn't stop thinking about when James' feelings for her redheaded friend had changed. Was this another of James' ploys to get to Lily – making her jealous by showing affection for Clara? But he did kiss her in private…
"Clara? You alright?"
"Hmm?" Clara looked up at Dorcas Meadows who had found her hiding spot in the library during her free period. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Dorcas took the seat on the other side of the little table. "You've been spaced out for a while. Pan even noticed."
Clara raised her eyebrows; Pandora never noticed anyone spacing out, she was always too busy doing it herself. "Wow."
"So, what were you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing," Clara hedged. "Just, you know, homework." Then she winced a little, remembering the homework she did yesterday. Damn it, James!
"What was that?" Dorcas asked.
"What was what?"
"That little flinch-thing you just did."
"Nothing." Clara shifted in her seat and Dorcas smiled.
"It's something!" The Ravenclaw leaned forward. "Spill!"
"Cas…" Clara caught the look her friend gave her. "Fine. James was helping me with Transfiguration yesterday –"
"James Potter?"
"Who else?"
"I dunno," Dorcas shrugged. "Pretty sure there's a James in Hufflepuff."
"Anyway… long story short James kissed me."
"WHAT?"
"Shhh! Madam Pince could be lurking anywhere!" Clara hissed.
"What?" Dorcas gasped. "James Potter kissed you! Finally!"
"What?" Clara asked confused. "What do you mean, 'finally'?"
"I mean," Dorcas said. "It's obvious that you like each other."
"It is?"
"Duh! He can't keep his eyes off you."
"Really? I thought he liked Lily." Clara leaned back in her seat, a thoughtful look on her face.
"Not for a while now," Dorcas frowned. "You really had no idea?"
"I had no idea he might like me until he kissed me yesterday."
"Who kiss you yesterday?"
"Lily!" Clara jumped. "You startled me."
"Sorry." Lily sat next to Clara and yanked her homework out of her bag. "So, who kissed you?"
"Er, nobody," Clara said.
"She lies," Dorcas stated. "She had a very lovely encounter with –"
"With nobody!" Clara snapped.
"Whoa," Lily laughed a bit. "Must have been some kiss."
"I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Fine, fine." Her friends finally let it go. "I should get back to Pan anyway," Dorcas sighed.
"See you, Cas," the Gryffindor girls said.
"So, you're really not gonna tell me who kissed you?" Lily asked.
"Nope!" Clara shook her head.
"Why not?"
"Because," she sighed. "You'll get judgey."
"I won't!" Lily looked at her friend, offended and Clara just raised an eyebrow. "I won't."
"Fine, you really want to know?" Lily nodded. "It was James."
Lily's eyebrows rose. "Potter?"
"That would be the one."
"Huh. Potter?"
"Lily, you said you wouldn't judge."
"Sorry, I'm not judging." Lily looked at Clara. "Do you like him? No judgement, just… do you like him?"
"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I really do."
"Then I think you should go for it."
Clara's head snapped up. "Really?"
"Yeah, well," the redhead sighed. "He's less of a toerag around you. And I can see how much you like him… and how much he likes you. So, go for it."
"Thanks, Lil." Clara leaned over and hugged Lily tightly, both girls laughing when they pulled away. "Now, we should get to our last class."
"I can't believe we have a free period and then our last class," Lily complained. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"
Clara practically collapsed into her favourite armchair by the fire. It was late and she'd finally made it back to the empty Common Room after spending three and half hours in the library again after dinner, working on her Potions homework. Bloody Slughorn. She sighed tiredly and kicked her shoes off, tucking her feet underneath her and curling up. As she basked in the warmth of the fire she didn't notice someone coming up behind her.
"Clara?"
She jumped, nearly falling out of her chair. "Bloody hell, James! Are you trying to kill me?"
He chuckled. "Actually, I want to talk to you."
"Okay." She didn't bother asking what he wanted to talk about, she knew it was about the kiss.
"So…" James started as he sat on the sofa. "How, er… how do you feel? About yesterday?"
"Um…" Clara sat up and turned to face the bespectacled boy. "Well, I liked it. It… was good."
"Just good?"
"I mean," she sighed. "I really liked it, James. And… I really like you." James smiled but it fell when she added, "But…"
"But?"
"But, I thought you fancied Lily. So it was kind of a surprise when you kissed me."
"Clara," she looked up at him as he leaned forward to take her hand. "Haven't you noticed how I haven't asked Lily out for a while now?"
"Oh," she said. "I have, I just thought maybe it was some way of letting her have space or you were planning something huge."
James smiled again and Clara's cheeks flushed pink. "At first I was giving her space. Then I noticed how amazing you are. I mean, I know we've been friends for years and, of course, I knew you were awesome but… I just never noticed exactly how wonderful you are before this year, Clara. And I feel like such an idiot for wasting all that time chasing a girl who, as it turns out, is definitely not right for me."
By this point, Clara's face was a bright red and she couldn't stop smiling. "James -"
"Let me finish," he nudged her gently. "I was wondering, hoping actually, that you would say yes if I ask you to be my girlfriend."
"Well, I don't know," Clara teased. "You'll have to ask me and find out."
James laughed. "Oh, that's how it's gonna be? Alright." James stood up, pulling Clara with him by the hand he still held. He took her other hand and drew her in close. "Clara Stone, will you please do me the honour of being my girlfriend?"
"Hmm…" Clara mimicked a thoughtful faced and James nudged her again. She laughed. "Yes, James, I will be your girlfriend."
James grinned widely, pulling Clara even closer, and pressed his lips to hers. Clara sighed happily into the kiss, marvelling that this wonderful guy was now hers.
