Lily's wand flew out of her hand and she hit the floor of the common room with a painful bump, missing the mountain of pillows they had piled behind her for the seventh time and wincing tenderly as James offered her a hand up. Since she presented such a tempting target, James had decided to teach her the basics of self-defense. The day after Christmas, he had started her on a training regimen that involved dueling, mastering new offensive and defensive spells, identifying the effects and treatment of various potions and poisons, and even old-fashioned muggle sparing. Over the last few weeks she had proven that she was generally proficient in her spell work, but still unable to block more than two or three attacks in a row during a duel and pretty much hit like a girl.
"You can do better than that, love. That was a simple disarming spell," he told her gently, handing over her wand with a smile.
"Remind me again why I let you attack me every night before bed," she grumbled, rubbing her bum ruefully, "because bruises really aren't my color."
"I'm aiming for the pillows as best I can, Lily," he laughed quietly. "We're doing this so that you can defend yourself. Voldemort doesn't have the manners I have."
Lily rolled her eyes and tried to laugh, but her stomach was feeling distinctly tight at his use of the name. "Right, James, because V-... You-Know-Who is gonna come after me."
"You never know," he shrugged, moving back to take his position across from her and holding his wand ready. Stifling a groan, Lily followed suit. As usual, James attacked first, shooting a cheering charm at her, which she deflected easily. Before she could send a jelly-legs jinx his way, he hit her with a stunning spell that sent her sailing back onto the pillows.
"You know, James, some guys snog their girlfriends on their nights off," Lily teased faintly when he brought her around, causing him to pull her into his arms with an eager grin.
"Well, if you don't think we're doing enough of that, we can take a break," he replied willingly. Lily blushed as he leaned down to tenderly nuzzle her neck. Even with classes, clubs, training, friends, homework, and Head duties, the pair were still managing to make sufficient time for snogging. James had quickly taught her that it was all a matter of priorities and not minding catching a few seconds in a broom cupboard between classes. Personally, she was shocked they hadn't been caught yet.
"We could probably do a couple more..." she suggested reluctantly as he urged her back onto the pile of cushions, working patiently to loosen her tie.
James was too busy undoing the buttons at the top of her shirt to respond and she felt a familiar heat rising in her chest as his lips brushed against the hollow of her neck. She squirmed with pleasure and reached up to run her fingers through his hair. In response, James began inching his way up to her face, pushing his knee between her legs as he kissed her. His hands pulled her up against him as he impatiently prodded her mouth open, thrusting his tongue inside to tangle with hers and explore. She emitted a small yelp of pleasure as he gently pressed his leg into the apex of her thighs.
Lily rolled over on top of him, straddling his waist and biting his lower lip hard enough to cause a small thrill of pain which only served to make him more excited. After a moment, she sat up and impatiently pulled off her sweater before leaning down to passionately kiss him again. James put his hands on her waist, but was soon inching them discretely upward. She laughed and stopped to readjust his hands to a more appropriate position, but wasn't surprised when they immediately began roving over her thighs. It wasn't that she minded him touching her breasts, but he had accidentally gotten too excited the other night and engorged them, leading to a painfully embarrassing argument in which they were forced to address her insecure body image. She dropped her head to his shoulder with a groan as he grabbed her ass and squeezed.
"Maybe we should talk about this..." Lily sighed quietly, trying to get her hormones under control and failing miserably when he rolled over on top of her and began kissing her ear again. "James... I- I really think we should... oh god!"
She gasped in pleasure as his hand caught hold of her breast and he pinched her already hardening nipple while his other hand worked at the remaining buttons of her uniform. Before they could go any further, the rapid beat of footsteps and voices on the stairs halted his movements and Lily quickly pushed him away and sat up, doing her best to pull herself into some semblance of order as Peter and Sirius burst into the room.
"Sorry to interrupt," Peter called with a cheeky grin that belied his words.
"How's the training going?" Sirius asked smugly as he took in their rumpled appearance and the scattered cushions. "Did she finally get the best of you, Prongs?"
"I'm afraid he's still dominating the field, Sirius," Lily told him sadly. When the boys gave her identical wicked grins, she suddenly blanched at the double entendre and shot awkwardly out of her seat. "I think I'll just go work on transfiguration homework now..."
The boy's laughter followed her up the stairs and James was left ruefully setting a pillow in his lap and smiling at his friends as they found their favorite spots. "Bad timing, lads."
"I'd say it was probably the best we could have managed under the circumstances," Peter interjected blandly as he propped his feet up on the table. "By the way, I'm going to need the map Sunday. I've got a date."
"Won't tell us who with, though," Sirius reported irritably, shooting an impatient look at their sheepish friend.
Peter shrugged and tucked his hands between his knees. "How can I tell you when I know what you'll do to her? If all goes well, I'd like to have a second date, thank you very much."
"If you're doing it right, you don't need more than one," Sirius told him with a cheeky grin.
"Not all of us have the same relationship goals as you, Padfoot," Peter put in wryly.
Sirius laughed and slapped him on the back. "Actually, Wormtail, I'm pretty sure every man has the same relationship goals as me, they're just not as straightforward about it. Right Prongs?"
James, who had been wholly consumed with Lily's departure, gave a little jump and stared blankly at his best friend. "I'm sorry?"
"Never mind," Sirius replied in disgust. "Why don't you just go get the map and we can head out to visit Moony? Poppy's probably gone by now and..."
"Shit, I forgot," James said quickly. He stood and raked an irritated hand through his hair, glancing between his friends and the empty stairway. "Okay, guys, just wait here a minute while I get my cloak and the map and tell Lily I'll be out tonight."
Sirius snorted derisively and called, "Never thought I'd see the day when you had to ask permission to hang out with your best mates!"
"Yeah, yeah..." James worked to calm himself as he raced to the landing, nervously smoothing down his hair as he tapped on her door. Without waiting for an answer, he pushed the door open and caught of flurry of motion as Lily yanked the blankets up over her shoulders. James pulled up short, shrewdly taking in her red face and mortified eyes.
"What were you doing just now?"
Lily smiled shyly. "None of your business."
"If you were doing what I think you were doing, then I'd very much like to make it my business," he said as he moved to the bed and sat beside her.
"I'm sure you would," she laughed, trying to avoid his eyes as he leaned in closer.
"Is that a confession?" he murmured against her ear, causing her to shiver delicately. James gently tugged the covers down to reveal that she was still in her school uniform and he gave her a surprised look. "What's all the fuss about?"
Lily laughed, but her blush remained stubbornly in place. "Despite what you might think, James, I don't need to remove all my clothes just to masturbate."
Mischievously, James leaned forward and put his hand on her bare thigh. "You didn't finish already, did you?"
"Prongs!" Sirius barked impatiently from the common room, reminding him of his true reason for coming. Reluctantly, he leaned back and gave her an apologetic look.
"Listen, love, I've got to go... do the thing... with the guys..."
Lily nodded in understanding. Throughout the time they had been living together, James had periodically disappeared, presumably to keep Remus company and out of trouble during his transformation. Despite the fact that she had been looking forward to a potentially intimate night with James, she knew Remus's need was greater than her own.
"We'll be together tomorrow, though, right?" she asked a little anxiously. The thirtieth was her birthday, but so far James was keeping her in the dark about his plans.
Sirius called him again and James immediately stood up. He gave her a distracted smile before putting a hand on her cheek and kissing her fondly. "Sure, love. Anything you want."
Lily watched him go feeling a little abandoned, but decided to distract herself with homework. Since James hadn't mentioned anything, she assumed he was planning a secret for her birthday, but she was getting nervous about what it might be. After several hours of ineffective studying, she took a long bath and went to bed without any sign of his return.
Even though it was a Saturday, she woke early the next morning, carefully dressed and prepared for the day. A soft knock at James's door went unanswered and she decided to go downstairs for breakfast and give him a little more time to sleep. In the Great Hall, she was converged upon by Alice and Frank, who came bearing presents, flowers, and a very funny princess hat. Even Ptolemy showed up with an enchanted bouquet of daffodils from James's parents. She accepted all of these things graciously and enjoyed an enormous breakfast with her friends before heading outdoors for some extensive winter sports.
"Where's James today?" Alice asked carefully as she helped to pack snow inside of their ice castle.
Lily shrugged, deliberately pushing away her misgivings. She kept expecting the guys to come bashing in with some harebrained scheme to give her the most fantastic birthday ever, but they didn't come. After a moment, she replied, "He had a late night last night, so I was just letting him sleep in a bit."
Alice didn't respond, but Lily saw her frown, mirroring her own anxiety about their absence. It wasn't like the Marauders to go for subtlety. Not to mention the fact that they always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone else. "Well, I'm sure he's got something fantastic planned for tonight," Frank concluded reassuringly, causing both girls to smile in anticipation.
Darkness was descending by the time Lily returned to her room. Other than James's door being open, nothing had changed and the dormitory was still and silent. Sighing, Lily took her homework down to the common room, hoping to get as much finished as possible before she was ambushed. It was close to midnight when she finished all of her work for the coming week and decided to go to bed, feeling hugely disappointed and a little angry.
When James didn't appear Sunday either, Lily's disappointment faded to a cold fury that manifested in time for him to call her to breakfast the following morning. Straightening his tie, he rapped his knuckles on her door and called, "Lily, you ready yet? We're gonna be late."
Lily opened the door and gave him a cold, pointed look before brushing past him and rushing down the stairs. James trailed after her, rumpling his hair in confusion and suppressed a sigh. "Here we go again..." he muttered resignedly, not sure what he had done wrong but certain he'd hear about it soon enough.
When they reached the Great Hall, Lily allowed him and his friends to sit near her, but otherwise acted as though they didn't exist. Trying to give them a subtle hint, Frank took a seat nearby and asked how their weekend had gone. The four boys grinned at each other before turning to him.
"It was busy," Sirius replied smugly.
"And brilliant," Peter added jubilantly as he dug into his sausages.
Remus and James exchanged amused looks before Remus volunteered, "Pete had a date this weekend."
"It went well," James added humorously.
Frank shot a look at Lily to ensure she was still studiously ignoring them before prompting, "Are you sure there wasn't anything you lads forgot to do?"
James smiled at him in confusion before shrugging. "No... I think we did everything we wanted to do-"
"Thanks for trying, Frank, but they really are that thick," Lily interrupted acidly before pushing her bowl away and scooping up her bag. "See you in class."
The boys watched her leave as the bell rang and Frank shook his head, hefting his own bag. "Any idea what's on, Frank?" James called as he started to move away.
Alice caught up with him before he could reply, threading her arm through his and giving him a reproving glare. Having been thoroughly warned, he turned and shrugged helplessly. "You lot are clever enough... figure it out!"
"Those two usually stay neutral so it must be pretty serious," Remus surmised sagely.
"I didn't do anything!" Sirius defended belligerently.
"Neither did I," James mused thoughtfully as they headed to class. "I was with you guys all weekend."
"It can't be too important or she'd have blasted you the moment she saw your face, Prongs. She'll get over it," Peter chimed in confidently.
By the end of the day, it was fairly clear that Lily wasn't about to get over it anytime soon and James had just about had enough. Between the deathly glares and silent treatment, he was about to go mad. Added on top of that was the fact that she had pointedly ignored him every time he had tried to ask what was wrong, making it close to impossible for him to make amends. When he came into the common room and she immediately picked up her books and headed upstairs, he decided to confront her.
"Lily, I don't know what you're so huffy about today, but I'm sorry for whatever it is," he announced a little angrily as he followed her to the landing.
Pointedly ignoring him, Lily stomped into her room, but the dramatic slamming of her door in his face was thwarted by James's foot in the door. Her green eyes flashed as she glared at him and she finally growled, "Get your bloody foot out of my door, James. I don't want to talk to you until you figure out what you did."
James wrenched the door open further, sliding her back as his temper roused at her petulant response. "Well, how the hell am I supposed to do that when you insist on acting like a child?"
"I may be acting childish, but at least I'm not a self-involved prat!" Lily said fiercely, working to keep her hurt buried.
"Are we going back to name-calling, Evans? Because I've held a few in reserve for just such an occasion," James sneered angrily.
Lily bit her lip for a moment and James was shocked to see tears sparkling in her eyes. He instantly softened and Lily seized the opportunity to kick his foot out of the way and whisper, "Sometimes I hate you, James," before slamming the door in his face and turning the lock firmly.
"Lily just tell me what I did!" James shouted in consternation. He stood at her door for the next hour, but received no response to his repeated pleas. At last he smacked his palm angrily against the wood and cried, "Fine! I don't care! I'm getting sick of you treating me like rubbish whenever you feel like it. Well I'm not going to put up with it anymore! Come talk to me when you're finished being a stubborn cow!"
He had marched to his door before he heard hers open and was unsurprised to see her with her wand trained on him. "You really want to do this now?" he asked arrogantly, reaching for his own wand.
She only waited until he was armed, before letting loose a torrent of spells, most of which he blocked until a particularly powerful jinx knocked him back into the wall. Seizing the opportunity, Lily hurled a body-binding curse at him and moved to stand before him as he fell stiffly to the floor.
"Did it ever occur to you that you actually might have done something wrong, James, and this isn't just some mood I'm in?" she asked in a hurt voice. She knelt and rolled him over, allowing him to see the tears rushing down her face. "You may think I'm acting stupid and stubborn and childish, but you really hurt me, whether you meant to or not, and all you've done since then is make it worse. The worst part is, I've come to expect a lot more from you."
She released him from the spell and rose, but didn't retreat to her room as he expected. Instead she took a step back and wrapped her arms around her waist, staring at him with such painful disappointment that he felt his gut wrench horribly. After a moment, he guessed, "Are you upset because I told you I'd spend time with you Saturday?"
"I'm upset because you forgot my birthday for the first time in five years," she admitted softly, feeling a small twinge of satisfaction when he opened his mouth to correct her, paused, and paled. "Almost every birthday I've had here you've tortured me, yet-"
"Lily, I am so sorry," he apologized breathlessly. "I thought it was next weekend."
Tears puddled in her eyes as she lurched into his arms, shocking him by allowing him to hold her after such a grievous affront. She cried for a few minutes more before smiling up at him, making his heart ache with affection even though her nose was running and her face was blotchy. "So what are we doing for my birthday?"
James scooped her up in his arms and carried her into his room, laying on the bed as he explained the plan. "Well, first of all, the guys planned to wake us at about four in the morning..."
Lily laughed as he described the festivities, but in truth she was a little unsettled by the experience. Her first instinct had been to blast James into next Tuesday. When she saw him, however, she had felt overwhelmed by hurt and unable to dole out righteous punishment. When had she stopped wanting to kill him when he did something stupid?
Author's Note: Sorry guys, this one is a little shorter, but my instinct is telling me not to push this too far. I really hope you like it and the next chapter should be easier to write (i.e. faster to publish for YOU!). I've been in a sort of writing funk and feeling like everything I put to Word is rubbish, so thank you for being patient. I'll have something else out as soon as I can.