In Emerald Eyes
Chapter 9- Alone Except For Each Other
After curfew in the Gryffindor common room, it was usually thriving; tonight however, it was almost deserted, everyone seemed to have decided on an early night. Tomorrow was the long awaited Slytherin/Gryffindor match and everyone wanted to be up early in order to get down to the pitch and secure the very best seats.
Lily sat in a chair near the back of the room, James was by the fire surrounded by the house team. Lily daydreamed as she tapped her pen against her chin and hummed a soft song to herself. The meeting came to an end, James got to his feet and with much scraping of chairs the others followed suit. They filed past Lily one by one on orders to "Go straight to bed and get a good nights sleep."
"Night, Lily." Lily snapped back to the real world and smiled.
"Goodnight Maverick. Good luck tomorrow boys, Jane, night Fliss."
"Night." The others chorused. And then there were two. Lily thought as James sauntered up to her and deposited himself on the sofa opposite.
"If I didn't know better Evans I'd say you'd stayed down here after everyone else had left just to get me all to yourself." He gave her a cheeky grin and an exaggerated wink. Lily's stomach did a little summersault. Naughty stomach!
"I did." James coughed and sat up straight, ruffling his hair, Lily giggled a little.
"Excuse me?" he asked. Lily laughed again, he was so adorable when he was nervous. Wait- adorable? Where did that come from? He is annoying, bighead, a total…cutie! Arggh! Lily couldn't even convince herself she didn't like James no wonder she couldn't convince everyone else.
"I need to ask you about Prefect rounds for next term."
"And you couldn't do this when I was with friends because…?" he cocked his head to one side curiously in an endearing gesture.
"Oh I could have but you looked so busy with the team; I didn't want to bother you. Who am I to interrupt the Quidditch genius that is Mr Potter while he's instructing his team on just exactly how to trounce the enemy team?"
"You flatter me Lily."
"I do, oh god what's wrong with me? I must be coming down with something!" Lily exclaimed exaggeratedly swooning with her hand to her forehead, they both laughed and then fell into companionable silence.
"So…" James prompted after a few minutes of catching each others eye smiling shyly and looking away again.
"Oh! Of course, well I've drawn up a rota, I just wanted you to check it over for me please, tell me what you think then you need to sign of on it."
"Sure." James took the piece of parchment covered in her flowing script and neat little lines from her outstretched hand. He studied it for a few moments then said, "Lily, you've put Lee down twice here, you've got Jess down on a Wednesday too- doesn't she have Gobstones Club that night?"
"Oh yes, well remembered, pass it here? Yep, we can put Lee here, cross him out there, Jess can go here and if we just… There! Don't mind giving up your Friday night once every two weeks do you James?" Lily looked at him; he was leaning over her right shoulder studying the paper in front of her. He looked at her for a second with something akin to adoration on his face, then looked back down at the timetable.
"Not if it means I get to spend it with you." Lily shivered as he breathed his answer onto her neck, the warmth tickling her goose pimpled skin.
"O-Ok, just put your initials here." Lily indicated with her right index finger, James reached down for the quill, his hand brushing down her bare forearm and his chest grazed her back and shoulder, he took the pen from her hand which she was mortified to see was shaking. She quickly clasped both hands in her lap. If James realised what he was doing to her insides– mega tummy tinglings!- he didn't show a thing. Pull yourself together girl, it's just Potter. So what if he's so cute it should be illegal? Has the hottest body you've ever seen and if he's…oh god… if he's looking at you like that! Lily closed her eyes for a second to guard herself from the intense heat of his gaze and when they reopened, he wasn't nearly as close to her as he had been.
"Is that all you wanted then Lily?" he asked from his new position; reclined against the edge of a nearby table. God no! I want you! I want you!
"Yep, that's everything." She smiled at him and tried not to let her mind wander to exactly how she wanted him.
"Goodnight then Lily."
"Goodnight James." James headed for the stairs but stopped to looked back, one hand on the door frame as Lily called his name again. "James. Good luck tomorrow."
"Thank you. Sleep sweet."
"You too James." Lily began to collect her belongings, muttering to herself as she did so. "'Good luck James', 'you too James'." She sneered at herself. "Uh! What are you doing?"
"First sign that you know." Lily jumped almost a foot in the air and dropped her stuff everywhere as a voice sounded from behind her.
"Jesus Remus! Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry." Remus said sheepishly quickly covering a smirk at her reaction.
"First sign of what anyway?" she asked a little flustered as she began to pick up the stuff she had dropped in her surprise.
"Talking to yourself- it's the first sign of madness."
"Oh I'm well past the first sign." Lily mumbled from the floor where she was sat on her haunches retrieving various papers."
"Didn't catch that, what did you say?"
"It doesn't matter. I thought you went to bed ages ago anyway?" Lily asked.
"Forgot my bag." He explained picking it up from the floor between table and the chair leg.
"Oh right, night then Remus." She said walking away to her dorm room. Remus stood and watched Lily's retreating form. Was it just him or had he heard James's name when he had walked in on Lily talking to herself? He gave the stairwell a curious look, then slung his bag over his shoulder, shook his head and headed to his own dormitory.
A/N As way of apology for the general crappiness of the last couple of chapters you are getting two at once. I think the next is a lot better and hopefully you will too, it will be up just as soon as it's beta-ed.
