Lily frowned up at him, defiant.

"Well James? Don't just stare at me? Why are you here?"

She stood up quickly, her eyes almost level with his nose. He was so tall. Lily couldn't remember him getting that tall. She couldn't remember when the short, scruffy James had been replaced with this James, who made her heart quicken and filled her tummy with butterflies...

Lily blinked out of her reverie and leaned her head back to glare him in the eye. James didn't say a word, and Lily felt her anger ebbing away.

Her voice softened a little. "You can't be here James. This is the girl's dormitory and last time I looked at you-"Lily stopped and blushed. "I mean... Well... You're not a girl. Obviously."

James smiled a little as Lily fumbled over her words. He took a step closer to her. They were already close in the confined space of the corridor and his movement meant his chest brushed against Lily's, making her stomach flip and her hands shake a little.

"Last time you looked?" James' hazel eyes twinkled in the light and Lily felt her cheeks going redder. She floundered for a response.

"That's not what I meant, Potter. I was only saying..."

James' smile grew into a grin and he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"What were you only saying, Lilyflower?"

Lily blushed even more, feeling sure that her cheeks were hot enough to start a fire now. She liked the nickname, but wasn't going to tell him that.

"My name isn't Lilyflower, Potter." She turned her back on him and started back up the stairs, palms sweating and her stomach still doing somersaults.

James couldn't bear to watch Lily walk away. He'd felt something between them, something real and alive that he didn't feel around anyone else.

"No, Lily!" James made a grab for her and she spun on her heels.

"Problem, Potter?"

James quickly regained his composure.

"Care to explain why you were awake this late, and how you knew to come down the staircase?"

He saw a flash of something in her eyes and she answered quickly.

"If you must know I couldn't sleep and just as I was about to come downstairs to get some water the stairs changed. Michael Crawford tried to come up and see Serena last year- we all know what happens when a boy sets foot on our stairs. I knew someone would be down here and I wanted to be the one to send them away."

James grinned a little wider, triumphantly. "I'm still here."

Lily seemed to realise this at the same time. She pulled open the door behind him and pushed James out into the Common Room. He stumbled backwards into an armchair.

Evans is surprisingly strong, James thought as he straightened up and sat back on the arm of the chair. "Are you going to get a drink?" he said, still smiling at her.

Lily found the way he smiled at her incredibly cute. He had a lopsided smile and his eyes sparkled in the light of the dying fire. She rolled her eyes at him and went to sit near the fireplace, warming her hands a little in front of the low flames. To her surprise, a moment later James sat down on the threadbare rug beside her. Lily made a conscious effort to keep her breathing regular. His knee was touching hers.

James' heart quickened. He'd misjudged the distance between them when he'd gone to sit down beside her on the floor. Her knee was touching his. He could feel the warmth of her skin through his thin pyjamas.

Lily watched James out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be engrossed in the flickering flames of fire. She was disappointed.

Of course he's not interested in me, she thought sadly. He's James Potter and I'm only silly Lily Evans. He has Mary and I'm not important to him.

Lily sighed quietly until something occurred to her. It was a thought so mind consuming that she would think of nothing else for days. It was a thought that could topple empires, conquer mountains and turn the school upside down.

So why did he kiss me?

James fiddled with the tassels on the edge of the rug. He plaited them quickly, his fingers nimble and swift. He and Lily sat there in silence for almost an hour, watching the fire dying down until it was nothing more than a pile of glowing coals. The soft glow made his eyelids heavy and he became aware of Lily's head on his shoulder, her red hair spilling over her face and tickling his arm. He lay back on the floor cushions and Lily snuggled next to him, pressing her cold toes into his legs and shivering slightly. James gently draped a fold of his dressing gown over her and put an arm around her body, falling into a deep and peaceful sleep beside Lily Evans.