I tried to back out of the room around my friends. There were catcalls and shouts in my direction, taunting me.
"Ohhh, Evans! Gettit!"
"Ow-OW!"
"Lucky!"
"Promised WHAT? Hahaha!"
I smiled weakly at the full common room. Some disappointed at the lack of party for the evening and others…excited at my misfortunate life. I decided then and there that I would try to escape from my fate.
I turned to go, waving a hand goodbye, and rushed out the portrait hole-only to collide with two bodies.
"Oof!" I stumbled backwards and looked up. I was greeted with the sight of Black and Remus blocking my path.
"Evans, Evans, Evans…" Black taunted, shaking his head. "You, plus Prongs, plus a bed? Don't you know better then to think he would choose the party?" He smirked at me and grabbed my left arm, lightly, making sure I wasn't going anywhere.
I used my right hand to pull my wand from inside my robes. "You'd better let go, Black. If you know what's good for you." I pointed my wand at his face.
He seemed overjoyed at the challenge. "What? Gonna hex me, Evans? I'm only making sure you don't go back on your word, after all."
"I wasn't-" He had me there. I was totally gonna go back on my word.
"Lily," Remus cautioned setting his hand of my wand, " C'mon, You don't want to hex his face. He'd cry for weeks!"
My lips twitched at the joke. "Alright, Alright…" I lowered the wand marginally so it was inline with his most prized body part, "maybe not his face…"
Black immediately let go of my arm, jumping back a bit, looking scandalized. "You birds and your obsession with my di-"
"Sirius! Remus!" It was Peter Pettigrew, the quietest of the four boys, was leaning out of the portrait hole looking alarmed, "code yellow!"
" 'Code yellow'?" I asked, turning around to the two boys in front of me, both of whom looked alarmed.
"Teacher!" Black whispered, alarmed.
We three all dashed inside as quickly as possible, stumbling across each other. I may have been Head Girl but it wasn't my patrolling night. I had been running from Potter since class had ended earlier that day, much to the exhaustion of my friends. It was now the end of curfew.
I was last in of course, because I was surrounded by gentlemen. When I finally swung my leg over the portrait hole and clambered inside I turned to find myself face-to-chest with Potter himself.
"Gah!" I jumped back, hitting the bookshelf that lined the wall. "Ow…" I rubbed the back of my shoulder. "Could you guys, like, please learn about personal space? Or better yet a book about how "not to use one's body as a rubber buffer to bounce people off of."? I glared at him.
He laughed, "That was one of your more, shall we say, long winded comebacks, wasn't it?"
I rolled my eyes in response and started to head around him to go upstairs. He stepped in front of me, eyes glancing up towards the ceiling and walls, like he didn't know what he was doing.
I huffed and moved around him again, only to be stopped once more.
"Potter!"
"Oh, C'mon, Lily!" He let one hand slide into his hair to ruffle it. "Like you haven't pictured me in a bed?" He winked.
"Yes, actually." I smiled secretively. His eyes sparked with mirth, "a bed of NAILS."
I was able to get around him as he laughed heartily at my response. When I was in the clear and could see the common room, I saw many eyes ducking behind books and glancing away.
"Hold up, Lily-flower." He grabbed the back of my robes. "You promised me something, I believe?"
I snarled in his direction.
"James Potter! You let her go you…you-you rapist!" Marlene called, striding over with Mary at her side.
I nearly laughed when I saw the shock cross Potter's face, and he immediately let me go.
"Rapist?" He repeated weakly, "no, no…I wouldn't-"
"Yeah? Uh-uh. What else would you be doing? Other then trying to get our poor Lily," at this Marlene grabbed my head and pushed it against her chest, "into a bed with you when, clearly, she doesn't want to!"
"Look," Potter started, I was really very pleased at how ruffled he appeared by this, "it was never going to come down to that-"
"You are absolutely right, it wasn't! I should-"
"Oi! McKinnon!"
Marlene turned to see who called her name with my head still attached to her chest, I stumbled.
"What do you want, Black?" Marlene said his name with malice.
"I want you to stay out of their business, that's what." Black had appeared with Remus and Peter by his side. Robbie was here now, too. We also had the whole common room's attention.
Perfect.
"Lily is my friend. Therefore, she's my business. " Marlene went to turn back to Potter who looked just as worried as I did, I think, I couldn't really feel my face.
Black grunted and grabbed my arm and Marlene's arm and yanked us apart. "You need to learn you can't get your head into everyone else's business! You have always been this way! Causing trouble and, and-"
"And You," Marlene cried, "are telling me that you were going to just stand aside while your 'kind and caring' best mate was about to semi-rape some girl?"
"Semi?" I asked quietly.
"Oh," Black stepped up to her, using an instinctual and ancient male way of dominating, to make his height and mass known. Marlene's face tightened and she moved one foot back, not willing to give in, but wanting to back away. "You don't know the first thing about James," Sirius snarled, a whole head taller then her, "Don't you dare say one thing about him. It's your precious Evans that needs to learn-"
"You can insult Lily, but heaven forbid that I even remotely insinuate that Potter-"
"You are so fucking bitter!" Black cried.
I glanced at everyone in the circle. All of them looked nervous, this was getting out of hand.
Potter apparently seemed to think so, too. "Mate…" He said quietly resting a hand on Black's shoulder. Black shook it off, still enraged.
"You just couldn't stand it, could you?" He shouted. "That every now and then I wanted to hang out with my friends and not you!"
"You sure as hell wanted to see them fifty times more then me!" Marlene was now starting to have the sound of a torn throat. This was getting emotional.
"Wah, wah, bloody wah!" He stepped forward again, but this time Potter and Remus each grabbed one of his shoulders, Marlene did step back. "You can't stand not being in control or, or the fact that you can't know all the secrets!"
"I just wanted more attention!" She was almost in tears now, "it wasn't crazy to ask that-"
"You went too far!" Black yelled. "I wont let you mistreat anyone again, especially James!" Black shrugged out of their grasp and wrapped a hand around Marlene wrist, she whimpered, it must have hurt.
"Black." I said calmly resting my hand on his, while he yanked Marlene towards him.
"James deserves better then anything, anyone can give him. And you will never say a wrong word about him." He thrust her hand back towards her. She took it against her chest and backed away.
"And you." He had turned towards me. I stepped back and bumped into Potter, who rested a hand on my waist, as if to calm me. Black took a deep breath and smiled, funnily enough, the humor did reach his eyes, "you are going to keep your promise."
I could only nod.
Potter and I walked in silence. Me? I was walking solemnly. Potter? He had quite the spring in his step.
"Why are you so chipper?" I couldn't possibly be happy after that little display back in the common room. I had never seen Black that mad. Sure, irritated. Or Sure, snapping at his best mates. But never… that.
"Well," Potter started, "I get to do something that involves you and a bed." He laughed in disbelief, "why wouldn't I be chipper? I get the most beautiful girl in school to be in my bed-"
"Except." I tried not to flush at him calling me beautiful, "That you are not showing me to your bed. We're walking down the school hallway…that is not a bed."
He laughed, "No, madam. This is not a bed. It is, however, a hallway leading to my bed…or a bed."
I was curious, "Why not take me to your bed in the dormitory?"
"Eager, are we?"
"No. I just…don't know why we have to trek all the way across the castle to get to a different bed when you already have one."
"Lily, Lily, Lily." I rolled my eyes at the fact that he and Black do the exact same thing. Merlin, they are so much alike. "Have you ever been into our bedroom?"
I opened my mouth then closed it. "No, actually." I pondered this occurrence. "Never. Not once in seven years…"
"Okay." He smiled, "has anyone?"
"I'm sure, at least…not that I know of…are you serious?" I talked over is protest of 'No, I'm James.' "No one has ever been inside your dormitory other then you four?" It seemed impossible that not once, over seven years, would they have not brought someone upstairs to grab something, show them something, hang out…
"Never." He chuckled, "we're pretty private people." He giggled at his own joke.
I felt strange. I felt as a person normaly feels when their whole world takes a spin.
"You mean to tell me," I started as we rounded a corner, it was dark and Potter was using his wand as a light. He had taken mine as 'precausion'. "That you've never even…you know… up there?"
" 'You know'?"
"Yeah, um…" I was glad it was dark, I hate my pale and easily reddened skin, sometimes, "You know, brought a-girl…up there."
He brought his thumb up to swipe at his lip, "Nope. Well, not unless we were too drunk to remember it. But one of us always stays sober."
"Have you ever wanted to bring a girl up there?" We stopped at a solid mass of wall, there were tapestries and suits of armor at either end but the center of the wall was bare. Not even a picture.
"Oh, sure." He handed his satchel to me. He had run upstairs quickly before we left to 'grab a few things'. "But never enough to break The Commands"
" 'The Commands'?"
"Well," He laughed, "we were going to call it 'The Commandments'… but figured that sounded too much like we were playing god." He then placed both hands against the wall, stuck his butt out, and turned to me with pouty lips. "Well, we are gods aren't we?"
I clasped my hand to my mouth trying not to give him the satisfaction of my mirth. Too late. His eyes lit up and he smiled at me slowly, then seeming to realize what position he was still in, straitened up and began pacing.
I adjusted his satchel, "Potter?"
"Sh." He had just done one full walk in front of the wall.
"Did you just-?"
"Sh."
"Cool." I watched in silence as he did his pacing twice more.
"Huh." He was looking at the wall, confused as to why it stayed a wall, I guess.
I slow clapped, "Very impressive." He glanced over at me, irritated.
"Oh!" He snaked a hand through his hair, "I forgot. Come here." He gestured to me. I raised one eyebrow as I walked over to him. "Say that you're willing."
"What?" That was not expected. "Why?"
"Are you, Lily Evans, willing to spend the night with me?"
"I wouldn't say willi-"
"You, Lily Evans, have to keep a promise. Are you willing to keep that promise? Knowing what may lie ahead?" His eyes probed mine.
I was so confused. "…Yes…?"
He sighed. I looked at the wall where he was looking and my jaw opened. A door had appeared decorated with wooden hearts and swirls across it.
"Wha- What is-"
"It has many names for it. 'The Vanishing Room', 'The Room of Requirement', or Sirius's favorite: 'The Necessity Niche'." Potter chuckled. "It only comes to those who know how to ask for it. Buuuut," He gestured to the door, "When I come here with you know…" he flustered a bit.
"Other girls." I supplied.
"Yes! When I do, the room likes to, let's say, check that the other party is a willing participant." He smiled, one side lifting up more then the other, "this room will be anything you need…except for a spot to rape and plunder…oh wait…no, it let's you plunder."
He walked away from me and towards the door. He grasped the elaborate handle and gave it a tug. The door opened soundlessly.
Potter gestured for me to go inside first, but it was dark and I didn't want to go in without light. He seemed to understand, though and lit his wand and pointed inside.
I smiled in sarcastic thanks and walked inside. Immediately all the lights turned on: the walls were a deep burgundy color with the floor a light wood. The walls were hung with wisps of white cloth that flowed in a non existent breeze. There were white and deep red pillow chairs strewn about the room, and white floor rugs littered the floor for a soft effect. In the center was a queen sized bed with white pillows, sheets, and canopy.
I swallowed. This was really going to happen. Suddenly I was dizzy. I did not want this. Not with Potter. Sure, He was very attractive, I'll admit it! But loose my innocence…to him? I clutched the polished bed post for support as my breathing went out of control. I didn't want it this way.
"So I was thinking-"
I turned to face him, resigned that he was going to get what he wanted…and I was going to have to let him.
"Lily?"
I looked up to meet his eyes, the room was spinning, I was gasping for air. "Wha-what?" My voice sounded thick to my ears. I reached up to touch my face. Tears were splashed delicately there.
"Lily." He came up and grasped my arms, I let his satchel slip to the ground, I didn't look at him.
"Lily. Look at me please." His voice was gentle. The most gentle I've ever heard it. I had to look up.
"Are you happy, James?" He tightened his grip on my arms at the sound of his first name. "You get to be the first to have me." I started to sob in earnest.
"Lily!" He wrapped his arms around me. Though he was going to mark me as his soon, I was still comforted. At least he sounded upset. "I'm don't- I mean- I'm not…We're not going to have sex." He laughed breathlessly.
I looked up at him for the first time. "What?" I sniffed. My face was probably red. His eyes were very close to mine and I could see the horror clearly displayed in them.
"I would never take something that important away from you." He took his hands and brushed the hairs sticking to my wet face back.
"You're not going to- to take my…my"
"Hey," he brushed his thumb over my lips to cease my question. "No. I'm not going to take your virginity, Lily." He smiled incredulously. "I was never going to! I was just trying to make you nervous…" he laughed and stepped back, rumpling his hair, "I guess I made you the wrong kind of nervous."
I wrapped my arms about myself, still unsure. James looked at my face again and grimaced, almost guiltily.
"Here." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handkerchief.
"Thanks." I whipped my eyes and cheeks with it, James still watching me carefully.
Suddenly I began to giggle. I placed the handkerchief atop my eyes and started to really laugh. Belly laughing even. I removed it from my eyes to see James watching me warily.
"Who- who" I was laughing so hard I had trouble breathing. "Who the hell-" more laughter, "still caries around embroidered handkerchiefs?" I bent down and clutched my knees, for the sake of laughter.
"Apparently I do." I look up at James and see him smiling down at me. "I'm glad my handkerchief made you laugh."
"James, I…" I smiled guiltily. "I should have known you wouldn't …you know…"
"Rape you?"
I let out a quick laugh. "Um, yeah. So thanks for not raping me."
He rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, I had to hold myself back…. Oh, not that I wouldn't want you!" he stuttered, "Well, not that I don't want you now! Well, not bad enough to rape you! Shit! Not that you're un-rape-able!" He stopped himself and took a deep breath. "I know better then to rape someone." He smiled, "There, I said it right."
I laughed and handed him his handkerchief back, he refused it. "Keep it." He said. "you never know when you might need it."
I smiled and placed it into my back pocket. "So." I sat down on the end of the bed.
He stood in front of me " 'So'."
"If you weren't taking me down here to…steal my worth…" he laughed at my joke, "Then what were your plans?"
he smiled and picked up the satchel that I dropped, "It's all in here actually." With that he dumped all the contents onto the bed, I turned to watch.
Inside his bad was food, canteens of pumpkin juice, wizards chess, Exploding snap, and a deck of brightly colored cards.
"I was going to play these games with you, " he kicked off his shoes and hopped onto the bed making me bounce, "in the bed." He grinned at me.
I couldn't help but smile back, "So I spend the night with you 'in your bed'. How clever."
He smiled. "Buuuut." He pulled out two pares of clothes from the bottom of the bag. "I figured that you might want your pajamas and a toothbrush. So, I brought a pair of yours and, you know, clothes for me, too."
I took the clothes and my toothbrush and toothpaste from him. "How did you manage to get these?"
"Ah, ah, ah! A Wizard never tells his secrets." He stood up and swiped off his outer robes only to undo his tie and toss it next to it.
"Um." I began to feel flustered. "Do you need me to…" I trailed off as he finished unbuttoning his shirt and opened it.
Ohmotherofmerlin. I wanted to look away. I knew I wasn't supposed to be staring but…he was a fine specimen of male artwork.
His arms were lightly downed with light hair, his forearms thick, but not too, with muscle. I watched as the tendon's in his arms stretch as he tossed his shirt in the pile with the rest of his clothing. His neck was thick and cascaded down to his Pecs, which protruded nicely from the rest of his chest. And his 6-pack? Perfect. Wonderfully Perfect.
I began to feel hot around my neck and quickly looked away. I peeked again, 'Thank Merlin. He hadn't seen me looking.'
"Lily?" I looked over as he called my name and nearly swallowed my tongue. I had caught him right as he straitened up from pulling off his socks. His belt was gone and he had unzipped and unbuttoned his pants, so they sat loosely on his hips.
'I love that glorious V-shaped muscle-'
"What?" I asked. Noticing that he had been speaking while I was zoning off.
He quirked his head, confused as to why I didn't hear him. 'Was he really that surprised?' "I said: if you want to go change there's a changing screen over there…next to the sink." He pointed quickly and then promptly grabbed his pants in a very clear manner of 'about to pull them down, now'.
"OKAY." I heard myself say rather loudly, making him jump. I hurried over to the changing screen and took some deep breaths, clutching my pajamas to my chest.
I bit my lip. I had been checking out James Potter! I smiled. 'And I like what I saw.' I shook my head to rid myself of the…impure…thoughts that now circulated my head that included a naked James Potter and myself, who were both very happy for the bed nearby.
I was never one for fantasies. But one of the movies that played in my head caught my attention: James and mine's bare chests smashing together as I was pinned against a wall, him smirking down at me with masculine triumph as I moa-
"Lily?"
I coughed, distracted. "Y-yeah?" curse my scratchy throat.
"Are you alright?"
"Sure! Uh,…why?"
"Well, you've been back there for about 7 min…"
"Oh! Sorry!" I began changing as quickly as possible.
A/N: Okay, So i just had to stop there! :) I hope you all are curious as to what exactly happened between Marlene and Sirius! And not just enthralled with James's beautiful bod (as I am). :)
Please review! It makes me update faster! I get a little smile on my face from ever. single. person. who. reviews.
Yeah, that means I'm smiling for you. c:
