**A/N: So technically, this one could be split up into two, which would be the title of this chapter and 'Falling Asleep on Someone's Shoulder'. I was going to make them separate chapters, but the shoulder one would've been far too short!
Everyone was on their way to Hogsmeade for the day, but some shenanigans had delayed the progress in the Entrance Hallway.
Three horses wandered the hallway, budging their noses on student's shoulders and lifting their tails to do inappropriate business on the stone floor.
The water trough that had been hovering above only moments ago had spilled muddy water mixed with hay all over the students a ways in front of Alice and I. They all were stumbling about, trying to wipe their eyes free of mud. I rolled my eyes at the scene while Alice giggled beside me. One student ran into a suit of armor, which tried to reach out and help him as he fell down.
Once we passed the chaos, the culprits were right there, lounging on the wide window sill. Sirius and Peter had farmer's hats and James and Remus had pieces of wheat sticking out of the corners of their mouths. All of them had slipped jean overalls over their school robes.
"Howdy, Evans!" James stole Peter's hat just so he could tip it at me with a smirk, which made the wheat tip up. My cheeks warmed slightly, and I allowed a small wave in his direction.
As Alice and I turned the corner towards the humongous doorway, we heard Professor Sprout shriek from behind us. I started laughing into my fist, trying not to be too obvious since there were still some muddy students around us. Alice looked at me odd, all traces of giggles gone.
"What?" I asked, her look really starting to make me feel uncomfortable.
She looked straight ahead again, "Since when did Lily Evans think the Marauder's pranks were funny?" Her gaze turned incriminating. I stopped walking in the middle of the hallway, making a seventh year scowl and have to stalk around me. Alice turned on her heel to look back at me.
"What?" I repeated my tone turned from annoyed to incredulous. "It's childish! They're childish! I mean it was funny…but still!" I tried to cover it up, denying my fit of giggles from before.
Alice just rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Lily, everyone else is noticing it but you!" She started stomping down the hallway again. I had to run to catch up to her.
"What are you talking about?" I could feel a strange panicky feeling starting to rise in my throat, making my voice higher.
Alice halted again. It seemed like she was gathering her thoughts before she spoke. "You and that 'childish' boy have been spending quite a lot of time together." She said slowly, trying to gauge my reaction.
I spluttered being much less collected in gathering my thoughts than Alice had been. "Detention does not count as spending time together!" I practically shouted, making some heads turn. Alice sighed dejectedly.
"See! This is why I told Marlene that we should stay out of it!" She started walking away again, but I clung on to her sleeve.
"No! No you are explaining this to me right now!"
"It's just like I said! You guys are spending a lot of time together! It's just kind of…"
"Just kind of what? Alice, these things are just happening okay? It's not like I'm trying to spend time with…" My voice dwindled in my throat, not allowing anymore words to come. The panicky feeling changed into a shocked stab.
Here I was making excuses again.
I barely heard Alice when she spoke again. "Oh, these things just happen do they? What about this morning?" When she said that though, I was jarred out of my thoughts.
"What about this morning?" I repeated her. I didn't need to ask though. I knew very well to what she was referring to, and my cheeks were still tinged pink from it.
I collapsed on the couch in the now vey empty common room and didn't even try to hide the whine in my voice. "I still have homework! I'm too tired though."
I may have been playing it up a little bit when I fell against the arm of the couch, kicking my school bag in the process, but I really was too tired. Cleaning that bathroom had made me aware of muscles I didn't even know I had.
I heard James chuckle. Hell, I felt him chuckle. I hadn't even noticed that he'd sat down next to me. "Would you like me to hum for you?" He quirked an eyebrow at me and his face took on a suggestive shadow in the glowing embers of the fire.
Trying to shake away the shivers that gave me, I shoved him as I sat back upright, pulling out my Potions book.
James leaned back in the couch, his body so close to mine it should have been uncomfortable. He started humming a little bit, but I nudged him in the ribs none too softly with my elbow.
The fire cracked into the silence that had yet again fallen over us. Ink dripped onto my parchment as I hesitated a moment. "I really am sorry." I whispered, averting my eyes. James didn't answer.
Then a light weight fell onto my shoulder, and I jolted at the feel of it. I almost got whiplash from how fast I turned my head to find a bush of black hair on my shoulder.
Letting out a breath that I hadn't been aware of gasping in, I leaned my head down, trying not to move my shoulder. James was lightly breathing, fast asleep.
A smile crept onto my mouth at the sight of him. This seemed to be happening a lot, but…
But I wasn't exactly minding it.
Slowly, as to not wake him up, I slid his glasses off of his nose and laid them and my again unfinished homework on the table in front of the couch. This boy was making me a slacker.
That thought did not seem to bother me though as I snuggled deeper into the couch, letting my head fall to rest on top of James'.
Then this morning, we'd been found out. I'd woken up that morning lying down on the couch, one of James' arms wrapped lazily around my waist. My eyes had still been blurry from sleeping, but after rubbing them, a group of third years were standing in the corner, tittering about us.
I jolted up, waking James, and my face burned, looking like really bad sun burn.
"Look Lily," Alice brought me out of my thoughts again. "I'm not accusing you of anything. All I'm trying to say is you two are kind of noticeable. And it's not just the spending time together thing. You guys are acting differently. In a good way." She patted my shoulder carefully. "I have to go meet Frank now, alright?" She turned away, walking slowly towards the huge doorway.
I nodded, not really even paying attention to what she said. I could feel her looking back at me once in awhile as she exited, but my eyes were fixed on the opposite wall.
Everything that had happened during the past few weeks finally came together in my head. It was a strange feeling. It wasn't the punch in the gut feeling, or the slap in the face. It was like a bird that lands on your shoulder, and sings softly in your ear. Singing softly so only you can hear, but loud enough so you understand.
Dazed, I leaned back against the wall as other students kept passing me, laughing with their arms around each other. I felt so separated from all of it.
But I wasn't exactly minding it.
My thoughts were reeling, and scenes from the past few weeks kept popping up in my vision. When he gave me chocolate. His humming that night. His expression when he was trying to convince me to stay. How close we had gotten down in the kitchens…
There was more than just that though. Thoughts of a younger James were coming back to me. A thirteen year old James asking me to Hogsmeade. A second year version laughing with his friends.
My knees began to tremble beneath me, threatening to give out. I could feel my hands clutching at my arms, but I didn't remember them ever moving.
Then from what felt like far away, I heard "Lily?"
My gaze was torn away from the wall across from me and it found James standing there, still in his overalls. He was giving me a lopsided smile, but his eyes looked worried. He walked up to me slowly, in an almost cautious manner. "What are you doing inside on this fine Hogsmeade day?"
I made my fingers detach themselves from my arms and tried to look natural. My eyes kept following him as he came nearer. "Er, I was going. Yes. I was going to…I was going-" I indicated the large doorway that was open to Hogsmeade, making up for my lack of words at the moment.
James took the strand of wheat out of his mouth and licked his lips. He looked from the doorway to me. Then he nodded, an amused smile forming on his mouth as he started towards where I'd indicated.
He turned back halfway, eyebrows raised. His smile was making me very suspicious. "Coming?"
He looked so childish in his overalls and the wheat sticking out of his lips, but his face was nothing but juvenile anymore.
I looked back at the wall, for some reason it seemed to hold something above my head now. It was the only thing that had witnessed my thoughts.
"Yeah." I whispered, turning to smile at him.
Alice was right. I had been spending an awful lot of time with him.
But I wasn't exactly minding it.
