*Jessy
"It's just so weird!" I exclaimed as I watched Lily talk amenably to James, a little down the dinner table where there had been room. James snorted and almost sprayed his drink, which only made them laugh harder.
"And they say they're only friends," Sirius grumbled.
"Hey, now, they had the same doubts about us," I told him. Of course, I wanted more, but I didn't think anyone knew that…
"Let's see how this relationship lasts over the summer. I'm sure they'll be seeing each other in a more relaxed environment, which should prove interesting," Alice said, gazing at them as if they were an interesting experiment.
"Should we?" Mary asked.
"I think so," I said.
"Definitely. It's now or never, ladies." Alice looked around at us with a wide grin, which we returned.
"Okay, I'll bite," Remus said with a sigh. "What are you talking about?"
"It all started in fifth year," I began.
"Lily was upset about not having a boyfriend when we all had one," Alice explained.
"So we came up with a plan to get her to like James," Mary continued.
"It's a series of small prods in his direction, subtle hints that will get her conscience mind to lighten up on him." I grinned. "And if all goes according to plan, she won't even know what we're doing."
*Lily
Dear Lily,
Party at my house, yeah? It's a sleepover. My parents are out of town, so I've got the place to myself for the weekend. As long as we don't trash the place, I'm allowed to have someone over to keep me company. I know it's only been two days, but I miss you like crazy! The others should be there too… Owl me back to say yes!
Love, Mary
Dear Mary,
Of course, I'll come! Anything to get away from this place. Petunia hasn't moved out yet (cringe) because they're buying their house new, and it can't be moved into until they finish building the whole street of houses.
Who is 'the others'? Alice and Jessy, right? But, how about the Marauders? Your Ravenclaw cousins?
Let me know.
Yours, Lily
Lily, you'll just have to come to find out! It's a casual formalwear party, okay? Can't wait to see you in a couple hours!
-Mary
I sighed. Casual formalwear? What did that even mean? I was almost positive she made that up. I scoured my closet for something to wear, but all I had was a little black dress. I decided that was better than nothing, and in my overnight bag I packed an extra outfit, in case I got there and everyone was more casual than formal.
I smiled, wondering if the Marauders would, in fact, be there. James had been so nice, and even stopped hexing Slytherins, for the most part. I suppose he did it more often when I wasn't around, though. I put on a small silver necklace that he had given me for my seventeenth birthday. I secretly suspected it cost a lot. Sirius had let on a few times that James' parents were aurors, and had a big family fortune that had been passed on for generations. Since James was an only child, the miracle child, born to parents who were too old to have children, he was the sole heir to a fortune. No matter; I loved the necklace, and appreciated the chance to wear it with something so that it was seen.
I quickly did my makeup and hair, grabbed my bag and yelled to my mum as I walked out the door. I turned, and felt the familiar tugging sensation behind my navel, and when I opened my eyes I was standing at the front gate of Mary's house. I barley took a step to balance myself when I heard, "Lily's here!"
I looked up, trying to find the source of the sound. There they were, four boys and three girls on broomsticks, swooping around. I blinked, and shielded my eyes from the setting sun. Alice, Jessy and Mary were all wearing dresses, and sitting sideways on their brooms, leisurely floating. James and Sirius were flying like madmen around each other, doing impressive flips and twists while Remus and Peter were playing catch with a quaffle.
The girls came down, and we all went inside, talking about families. We had tea, and eventually the Marauders came inside, sweaty and, in Peter's case, slightly sunburnt. Eventually we got the 'party' going. It was more like the days when we invaded the boy's dorms; lounging around, sipping alcohol, and just talking.
I still wasn't big on drinking, so when everyone else started taking several shots in a row, I sat back and watched them with amusement as their brains started shutting down and they said the first things that came to their mind. Soon enough, it was two in the morning, and I decided I'd leave before the vomiting started to happen. I was only slightly tipsy; I made my way upstairs, where I was told that there were rooms enough for six of us to share and one person to get their own. I planned on being that person; I was ready for a summer of falling asleep on my terms and not when others shushed me. Unless Mary stayed with Remus… or maybe Remus could stay with her? Those were better odds for me getting a room of my own if he found her room, another landing up.
I noted, once again, the size of Mary's house. It was modest compared to their salaries, yet richly and comfortably furnished. I walked down the hall, furthest from the stairs on the third floor, where my suite would be. I always stayed here; this was the floor that held four guest suites. I walked to my regular room and breathed in the clean scent of linans as I noticed my small bag in the corner. I smiled; Mary's house elf Wrinkle was so nice. Of course she would know which room to place my bag in. I noted with a smile that there wasn't any other bag in my room.
I walked unevenly over to my bag, trying not to let my buzzed mind upset my balance. After a few gravity checks, I unzipped my bag and dug around to find my old sweats. I mentally cursed; I'd forgotten those. I decided my bra and underwear would have to do. I usually wore just that, but it would be weird if someone walked in on me and I was sleeping practically naked. I reached back and unzipped my dress, just as my bathroom door opened. I let out a breathless squeal as a poor way of stopping myself from screaming.
There stood James Potter. I relaxed, slightly fearing that it was a Death Eater. But as a result of my shoulders relaxing, my dress decided to slip. I blushed as I caught it, looking at James again. I took in his wet appearance, dressed in only a towel around the waist. His abdomen muscles made my blush deepen. As I looked, I noted the body I'd seen on the quidditch pitch, from afar countless times. I'd come to terms with the teenage, scrawny boy Potter, but he was now a man, with the sexy body to go with it, and I had to fight with myself. I mentally shunned my eyes from looking at the line of hair from his belly button and down… "Lily, why are you in my room?" he asked with a laugh. "Though, I must say, I like your greeting," he said with a wink and another look at my cleavage. "Let's just save you the trouble and let you stay here with me tonight, just the two of us… I love your necklace by the way."
"Potter, this is my room," I argued, ignoring his comments. "I stay here every time." I overlooked his taunt, because it might have led to something. I blamed it on my alcohol consumption and teenage hormones mixed, but I felt something in the pit of my stomach, a fluttering…
"But I was here first," he argued back with a smile.
"And I'm here now," I said, as if that were a plausible argument. Before he could respond, I thought of something. James was wide, muscular, and tall… "Did you bring an extra shirt?" I asked.
"Er, yeah, why?" He looked a bit confused and smiled at me. He was probably perfectly comfortable in his short towel, while I was pressing my flabby arms against my sides in the most unflattering way in order to keep my dress up.
"I, uh, forgot my pajamas," I said. Why did my eyes keep traveling to his naked chest? I forced myself to look into his eyes.
"Oh, sure." He waved his wand, and a duffle bag appeared with 'Potter' embroidered on the side. He snatched it out of the air and walked over to the bed. James opened it and dug around, and in a flash he tossed a bright scarlet shirt to me.
"Thanks," I said. I walked into the bathroom, and dropped my dress. I quickly slipped the shirt on and was immediately bombarded with the smell. It was fresh, lovely, and completely James. I looked at myself; it was a Gryffindor Quidditch jersey, with the name Potter on the back, along with the number four. For some reason I felt cheerful to wear it. It went halfway down my thighs: Perfect. Throwing my hair into a ponytail, I walked back out into the bedroom, to see James lounging on my bed, wearing nothing but a pair of drawstring pajama pants. "Potter, I told you this is my room." I was proud; I only stumbled once on my way to the door. I pulled it open. "Out you go," I giggled. He looked at me like I was crazy.
"But Lils," he whined. "I'm so comfortable!"
"Let's just find a empty room, and I'll see who's in it. If it's a boy, you get to move, and a girl, I'll move," I explained, almost childishly.
"You're on," He said. We walked down the hall, and I opened the first door only to see Mary and Remus passionately kissing in a bed. I wrinkled my nose; neither of them even noticed me. I shut the door and walked down the hall, to see James shake his head. "Sirius and Jessy," he whispered. "They're both passed out, and their room stinks of firewhisky."
"Mary and Remus were doing the nasty in there," I informed him.
"Which must mean," he contemplated. He opened the last door, to reveal Alice sleeping on the king-sized bed; Peter could be heard puking in the bathroom. "Alice and Peter."
I sighed. "Looks like we're bunking together," I said as he shut the door and we started walking, a bit unsteadily, to my room. I tripped over the corner of a rug, which was now covering the hardwood floor, and fell.
"Let's get you to sleep," James said as he helped me up. He was obviously trying not to laugh.
"Carry me," I whined. I honestly didn't think he would, but he grabbed behind my knees and scooped me up, without breaking his stride. "You're warm," I giggled. Looking back, I think I was more drunk than I'd like to admit.
"Oh, Lilyflower, what will we do with you?" he asked. I pressed my face to his muscular shoulder.
I figured it was more of a rhetorical question as I felt myself fall asleep against his warm skin to the rhythm of his stride. "Night, Jamie."
*Jessy
"I win," I announced to Sirius. He had finally puked from drinking too much.
"Not fair," he said as he panted. I took out my wand and cleaned up his mess on the floor.
"I… er… bathroom!" I shouted. I sprinted up the stairs, to the room that was usually mine when I stayed. I made it to the toilet before emptying my insides. My throat burned, and I was shaking too much to stand. I finally flung myself on the countertop and brushed my teeth, only to be joined by a stumbling Sirius. He brushed his teeth out, and we helped each other stumble back too the enormous bed. I gratefully sunk into the soft mattress, and without thinking about it leaned on Sirius' shoulder.
"Goodnight," he whispered. I looked up, and blushed at his smoldering eyes.
"'Night, Black," I said. Without meaning to, I pecked him on the lips. I pulled back and blanched. "Er, yeah. Sorry," was all I could say.
"Sorry?" he asked.
"I shouldn't have done that." I was looking into his eyes, staring with as much passion as him.
"No, you shouldn't have," Sirius said solemnly. He then grabbed my head, and started snogging me like I'd never been snogged before. I responded enthusiastically. I ran my hands through his hair, and felt like I was in a daze. Was this really happening? We separated, breathing slightly labored. I pressed my lips on his again, and I opened my mouth to his tongue, which was begging for entry. Eventually we separated.
I leaned my head against his shoulder once again, and we fell asleep like that. What was probably the best experience of my life was one I wouldn't remember through my drunken mind. But Sirius and I kissed.
*Lily
I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping outside my window. I glared into the sunlight. Groping around, I found my wand and shot a spell to close the curtains. But not before, "Ah, you're up. It's about time, I'm hungry and don't know if I'm allowed to the kitchen."
"What time is it?" I mumbled. Last night's memory of sleeping in the same bed as James came back to me.
"Seven thirty," James cheerfully told me.
"I'm up at seven thirty?" I couldn't believe it. Why was he so cheerful this early?
"Of course. Now, are you going to feed your starving friend?"
I stretched, and I heard an intake of breath as I kicked the sheet off me. "What?" I asked defensively. But then I knew, because of where James was staring. The shirt I was wearing, James Potter's shirt, had ridden up to my waist. And my underwear choice for last night was a thong. He was getting a perfect view of my butt. I didn't even bother to cover up. He had seen my thong before, when we were in the lake. "Did you bother to check if anyone else is up?" I asked as I turned to face him. His face looked like he'd been smacked over the head. I suddenly got the same feeling as last night, a feeling that made me want to run my hands through his impossibly sexy hair. Stop, I told myself. That's the second time you'd described James Potter as sexy in less than six hours. James was an arrogant git, who I'd always detested… I had to pry my gaze away from his mischievous eyes as he shook his head.
"Let's go get breakfast, shall we?" I hopped up and headed to the bathroom. I waved my wand and my hair brushed itself, and my makeup reapplied. I left the room, James following me, and led him to the kitchen. Not wanting to bother the house elf, I cracked a few eggs and started frying them, adding a little pepper. I found some sausages, which I threw on another pan. I made toast, and cut up fruit. After it was all done, I did an advanced spell to multiply the food so that we had enough for at least a dozen people. Though, knowing how James ate… "What?" I asked again, as I found him staring.
"Oh, just, you know," He cleared his throat. "Lily Evans, in my shirt, making breakfast for me. I'd always wanted this to be my future, but I thought I'd marry you before it came true." I rolled my eyes. He would think about it. And, to be honest, it kind of flattered me, how he blatantly stated he wanted to marry me. Of course, I knew he had to be joking…right?
"Dig in," I told him, tossing a plate in his direction. With his quidditch skill, he caught it easily and rushed to the stove, where he crammed his plate full to the brim. "Are you going home this morning, or staying all day?" I asked.
"I have to go home in a couple hours," He told me. For some reason, I felt a bit upset. "But, I'm free tomorrow," he hinted with a wink.
"Good, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to spend with your new brother," I said distractedly.
"I suppose," was his only answer. We talked meaninglessly for a bit, and eventually, one by one, our friends made it down the stairs, drawn from the smell of the food.
"You could have told me you were spending all day with your friends," my mum said.
"Sorry," I said as I made my way upstairs, lugging several bags. I bought a bunch of clothes, enough to last the summer before they went out of style.
"Come back downstairs and help me with dinner!" she called.
