Summer Surprise

Breakfast in Bed

I sigh softly and shift to snuggle deeper into the cozy doona cocooned around me. Keeping my eyes tightly shut, I revel in the feeling of the gentle hand stroking my hair and the strong arm wrapped around my shoulders. With a contended smile on my face, I move closer to the warm body next to me. Hmmm…If only every day could be like this one, then I would –

Wait a minute…

Cozy doona? Gentle hand? Strong arm? Warm BODY?

"AAAHHH!" I scream, thrashing around wildly in an attempt to put as much distance as possible between the psycho rapist in my bed and me. Oh Merlin, had I been drugged? "Get your hands off of me," I shout hysterically before using all my force to shove the figure away from me.

THUD. The potential rapist falls down from the bed.

CLANK. Something drops and I hear a weak groan before all sounds stop. I think he passed out. Wow! That's probably the weakest rapist I've ever seen.

As I hyperventilate due to panic, my hand clumsily reaches out for the wand on my bedside table. Blaming my still pounding headache and unclear, hazy vision for my lack of coordination, I blink my eyes a few times so that I can search for my wand properly. But my throat becomes dry and my heart tries to break out of my rib-cage as I take a look at my room –

The only problem is that this is not my room…

The walls are ivory colored instead of green, there is no bedside table on my left, but a door – probably an attached bathroom – instead, and the bed I am currently sitting on is probably twice the size of my own. But the most mortifying fact is that there is a small couch in the corner of the room with my turquoise dress draped on it.

Instantly, my eyes fly down to my own body and my shoulders slump in relief as I realize that I am not naked. Good…that's really good.

But why am I wearing a guy's shirt? I wonder with a frown as I notice the over-sized gray t-shirt on me that reaches mid-thigh. Suddenly, my eyes widen as realization dawns on me and I drop my head into my hands, unable to believe my luck –

Why did the bloody rapist drug me and bring me to his house? Why, oh why, oh why? What did I ever – WAIT…is that…sandalwood and pine?

Suddenly, I hear a loud and painful groan from the other side of the bed where I threw the assailant on the floor. "What the hell is wrong with you, woman?" a familiar voice complains, hearing which I release a humongous sigh of relief.

As soon as his voice enters my ears, all the events from last night come flooding back to me and I smile involuntarily. But my next reaction is to slap my hand to my forehead – and cringe from dizziness – as I reprimand myself for not thinking of that first. Of course he would've brought me to his house!

"James?" I crawl over to the other end of the king-sized bed before looking down at the messy-haired wizard with a grin. "It's you?" I ask stupidly.

"Well, obviously," he grumbles, rubbing the back of his head cautiously and wincing. "Why did you attack me? I passed out."

"I thought you were some psycho guy who drugged and brought me here," I reply with a sheepish look. "And as for you passing out, you're just too weak." I tease him.

"Weak?" he splutters indignantly, "Get your eyes checked, Miss Evans. You dropped the bloody alarm clock on my head with all your arm flailing. And just in case you have never had an alarm clock drop on your head, let me tell you that it bloody hurts!"

Looking down on the floor, I notice that there is indeed an innocent looking alarm clock lying beside James. "I'm sorry," I apologize. "But I told you that I thought you were a rapist. My actions were instinctual."

"Lily, do I look like a rapist to you?" James asks, looking appalled at the idea.

"No, silly," I laugh, offering a hand for him to take. "I couldn't even see you properly. I was too busy concentrating on the fact that there was someone sleeping next to me and I didn't have the slightest clue as to where I was or how I ended up here. Oh and my head hurts like there's no tomorrow so my brain is taking quite some time to process information."

"Yeah, about that…" James frowns while sitting down beside me on the bed. "Why the hell would you starve yourself? That was a really stupid thing to do." He shakes his head at me before taking out his wand and conjuring up an empty glass. Pointing his wand at it, he says, "Aguamenti" and I watch as it fills up with water.

Once James hands me the glass and I eagerly gulp it down to ease my headache, I offer him a sheepish smile and apologize, "I'm sorry. I didn't feel like eating. I was upse–" I stop abruptly and my eyes widen as I suddenly remember something. Frowning, I decide to glare at James with my arms folded across my chest.

At his completely nonplussed expression, I lift an eyebrow and explain, "Game's up, James. I know you didn't eat anything either. Sirius told me, you hypocrite!" I jab my forefinger in his chest accusingly.

With a triumphant smirk, I watch as James sulks for a minute before grumbling something under his breath which sounds a lot like 'bloody mutt'. Just as I start worrying about his sanity, my head gives an almighty throb and I almost pass out again. Clutching the smooth bed sheets in my fists, I try to keep myself steady.

James must've noticed my movements because he grabs both my arms in his hands and stares into my eyes with a worried expression. "Lily, are you alright?" I blink. With him so close to me, my heart starts fluttering madly against my chest and I can almost count the specks of green in his hazel orbs. "I'm hungry," I whisper, my eyes unconsciously straying to his soft lips.

I lick my own lips and close my eyes before swallowing and forcing myself to look up into his face again. My eyes narrow and I mockingly glare at him as I find James trying his best to not smirk. I clear my throat loudly.

"Oh…right. Here, have some more water," he casts the Aguamenti spell again and the glass in my hand fills up once more. "Wait here. I'll go get some food from the kitchen." He says before getting up from the bed and striding towards the door.

"James?" I call, making him turn around and raise his eyebrows questioningly.

"Thanks for the shirt," I smile at him.

He blushes slightly before shrugging and replying, "Your dress was drenching with water. So I thought...you know..." He trails off awkwardly.

"Hey, do you hear me complaining? I just said thanks." I smirk, taking enjoyment in the fact that James Potter is blushing because of me. Hearing my words, he grins brightly before turning around and exiting the room. I sigh happily and take a sip of water from the glass before throwing off the covers and getting up from the bed.

Allowing my feet and muscles to stretch for a bit, I start examining James' room. Even without my eyes still groggy from sleep, I don't blame myself for not thinking that this could be James Potter's room. I had always imagined that his walls would be covered with so many Quidditch posters that it would be impossible to find the real color of said wall. But this room seems so…normal. Sighing, I walk over to the window in the room and find myself looking down at the lawn where I was standing just last night. I quickly avert my eyes as the painful memory hits me and take another sip of water to clear my mind.

Noticing a small bedside table on the right side of the bed, I walk over to it and smile as I find a framed picture of the Marauders, posing in front of the Black lake. I roll my eyes, grinning nevertheless, as the sixteen year old Sirius Black winks and sends me a flirtatious smile. As Remus waves enthusiastically and Peter smiles shyly, James runs a hand through his messy hair before blowing me a kiss.

"Look at me. I'm gorgeous!"

Good God! I almost jump out of my skin as the voice behind me startles me to death. Putting a hand to my thumping heart to calm it down, I narrow my eyes and whirl around while saying, "Why do you have to sneak into the room every time I see you, Sirius?"

"And good morning to you too, Evans," Sirius replies cheekily before giving me the once-over. "Nice legs, love. Is that Prongsie's t-shirt?" he asks wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. I instantly feel a blush creep onto my face and stare determinedly at the floor.

"Git," I mutter as Sirius starts laughing his head off. Suddenly, I feel the corners of my mouth tug upwards as well and soon, I join Sirius in on the laughter.

Once we regain our composure, I down the rest of the water in the glass as my head starts hurting again. "Still not eaten anything?" Sirius asks me to which I respond by slowly shaking my head. He sighs and drapes an arm around my shoulders before lazily flicking his wand while muttering "Aguamenti."

At this rate, I'll be visiting the bathroom soon…

"You know, I'd feel sorry for your headache, but you ditched me and left when I told you to wait," he jokes, bringing my mind out of thoughts about full bladders. I scoff and shove him away playfully. "Well it worked, didn't it? James came looking for me." I haughtily flick my hair over my shoulder.

"Oh you didn't see the worst," he says with a smirk. At my eager look, he continues. "When I told Prongs that you ran off in the rain, he practically tried to jump out the window to go after you. If it weren't for me, he would've been dead by now."

After the next round of laughter dies down – during which I almost dropped my glass; I was laughing so hard – I smile gratefully at the dark-haired boy and say, "Thanks a lot, Sirius. If you hadn't come, I would've never realized how stupid I was being." As he shrugs with a smile on his face, I wrap my arms around him and give him a friendly hug.

"Hey, I only did that because Mum was getting sick with worry and Prongs was sulking all the time. I was getting bored," he says, returning the hug.

I roll my eyes and reply, "Whatever, Sirius. You're a good friend. I know you love James and did this for him."

He doesn't reply. But I feel him hug me tighter and pat my back gently. A smile creeps onto my features and now, more than ever, I realize how jealous I had always been of the bond the two brothers share. But somehow, within two days, Sirius Black managed to kill that feeling of jealousy a bit.

Oh Merlin! Sirius Black…an actually decent guy! Wait till Mary hears about all of this when we return to school…

"What the–" a voice comes from the doorway, hearing which I pull away from Sirius. For some reason, the scene of James Potter standing with a tray of food in his hands and a surprised expression on his face causes me to snort in amusement. And apparently Sirius shares my amusement, I decide, watching him snort too. I'd like to think that I sound more graceful than him…

"Breakfast in bed? Honestly, Prongs? She's already got you whipped, mate." Sirius says wiping tears from the corner of his eyes.

"Has not!" James exclaims indignantly, earning another round of chuckling from Sirius and me. He simply rolls his eyes and sets down the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch before turning around to face us again. "Now tell me what the hell was going on before I came in," he demands, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Sorry Prongs. But we can't hide it anymore! I love Lily-flower and she loves me. I didn't want to break your heart, mate. But I guess this is what fate has decided." I hear Sirius say over-dramatically and I roll my eyes as I walk over to the table and pile up a plate with pancakes, bacon, eggs and toast.

As soon as I take the first bite of food after Merlin-knows-how-long, my eyes flutter shut and I start savoring the feeling. "Mmmm," I moan before shoveling the pancakes down my throat, all manners forgotten. Ah…heaven!

Looking up, I find James and Sirius still continuing their bickering. I shake my head in amusement at their immaturity. "James!" I call, trying to get his attention. Once he looks at me, I beckon him towards me and say, "Come here and eat something. Or you will pass out too."

"What about me?" Sirius whines, pouting and putting on his puppy-dog eyes look. For some weird reason, the look suits him. No wonder he manages to get away from the professors.

I scoot over and make space on the couch for the boys to sit. Once they settle themselves – after arguing for five more minutes on who I wanted to sit beside me – on either side of me, I continue my breakfast peacefully. "The food was really amazing," I say after downing my glass of strawberry milkshake.

"Id veely ish." Sirius says from my right. Glancing in his direction, my nose wrinkles in disgust when I find him stuffing his face with everything his hands can reach. "I think he means, 'it really is'," James supplies, long used to such behavior from his best mate. I nod my head and avert my eyes from the disturbing scene.

"So, I take it that you like Mum's cooking," James says once he finishes his breakfast and puts his plate down. As soon as the words are out of his mouth, my head snaps in his direction and my eyes widen before I leap up from the couch. "Your Mum knows I'm here?" I almost yell, eyeing the two wizards with shock.

Holy Smokes!

I watch as Sirius stops eating and not-so-discreetly says to James, "Good luck with this one, mate," before standing up, throwing a wink in my direction and leaving the room with a smirk on his face. Once his strutting figure disappears from my view, I direct my attention back to James and glare at him. "Why didn't you tell me about that, James Potter?"

"What's there to tell, Lily?" he asks feebly.

"What do you mean 'what's there to tell'?" I snort disbelievingly. "James, she's your Mum! I think I'd like to know if she's making breakfast for me and giving me a place to stay when I've never even met her!" I frown for a moment before a hurt expression takes over my eyes. "Why didn't she come to meet me, James?" I ask slowly.

Realizing what I was trying to ask, James reaches out and grabs my arm before pulling me down on the couch again. "Lils, it's not like that," he says, tucking a strand of my auburn hair behind my ear. "She didn't come because I asked her not to." What the hell? I swat his hand away from my face and open my mouth to question his weird actions.

"I didn't want you to get all flustered and nervous when you were already dizzy from hunger," he explains, rolling his eyes and wrapping an arm around my waist. "Not to mention you're wearing my shirt. I'm sure you wouldn't fancy being caught like that in front of Mum, would you?" he laughs and taps my nose with his forefinger as I blush at his words.

"Hmm…you're right." I smile.

"As always," he says cockily, but the sparkle in his eyes lets me know that he's only joking.

"I love you," I whisper, unknowingly leaning closer to him.

"I love you, too." He replies, before cupping my face in his warm hands and kissing me soundly on the lips. Tangling my fingers in his messy hair, I sigh contentedly into his mouth before the lack of oxygen forces us to break apart. As James rests his forehead against mine, a small smile stretched across his swollen lips and his eyes closed in a peaceful manner, I put my hands on his chest before giving him another peck on the lips and getting up from the couch.

"Where are you going?" he pouts when I pick up my now dry turquoise dress from the arm of the sofa. Seeing his adorable expression, I almost feel like jumping back into his arms and snogging him within an inch of his life. HAULT! Merlin, Lily! You can't be that obsessed with him already!

…Yeah, right. I'm pathetically obsessed with him.

Shaking my head – which doesn't hurt anymore! Woohoo! – I get rid of silly love-struck thoughts and reply, "I'm going to change so that I can go downstairs and properly thank your Mum."

"Lily," James whines, "Don't go."

"James," I mimic him, earning a mock-glare. "I have to. And you're coming with me."

"To the bathroom?" James asks with a hopeful expression, his hazel eyes sparkling mischievously. Figures!

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"No. To see your Mum."

"Shame," he sighs overdramatically, making me roll my eyes at him.

"Hey, do you by chance have an extra toothbrush?" I ask James.

"Yeah. There's one in the cabinet above the basin. You can use that."

"Thanks."

Turning around, I enter the attached bathroom and take a moment to appreciate the intricate carvings on the marble. It's almost as good as the prefect's bathroom! Shedding James' shirt, I slip into my dress once more and try to ignore the disappointment of not being able to smell the intoxicating scent any longer. After washing my face thoroughly and brushing my teeth using the spare toothbrush, I try and get rid of the knots in my hair as best as possible before walking out of the bathroom.

"Let's go and thank your – JAMES!" I suddenly shriek, remembering something very important. Ignoring his startled expression, I hastily continue, "My Mum! I lied to her and said that I went to some stupid party last night. Petunia must've blown my cover by now and she must be worried sick. Oh Merlin, I'm a horrible daughter! I need to go now. I'm so sorry. But can you tell your Mum that I'll be back soon? I'll go and tell Mum everything and then come back. I know I'm being so ungrateful and – "

"Whoa! Calm down, Lils!" James says, grasping my hands in his own and looking into my eyes, which instantly reduces my panic. "I'll go with you. I'm sure I'll be able to help. And don't worry about Mum. I'll ask Padfoot to tell her. She'll understand." He smiles at me. I nod my head and wait patiently as James takes out the two-way mirror from his pocket and calls Sirius.

"Wassup, Prongs?" Sirius asks from the mirror.

"Come to my room. We need to talk to you," James replies.

Pop. "What happened?" Sirius asks, noticing my worried expression.

"I'm going with Lily to her house to talk to her Mum. Can you tell Mum that we'll be back soon? We need to leave right now, mate." James answers. Sirius shrugs and says, "Sure. But you're coming back right?"

"Of course. I need to thank Mrs. Potter for everything. We're definitely coming back." I tell Sirius to which he nods his head in response. "Cool. I'll go tell her. Bye," Sirius says before disappearing with another pop.

"Let's go then, shall we?" James asks after Sirius leaves.

"Yes," I reply and feel James' arm wrap around my waist tightly before he pulls me closer to him. He grins down at me and I feel my lips curl into a smile automatically. James closes his eyes and concentrates on the apparition, and moments later, I feel the painful sensation of being compressed and squeezed through a tire, signaling our departure.

As my feet hit the solid ground, I open my eyes and find myself standing beside my bedside table where my wand lies innocently.

After picking up the piece of wood and clutching it tightly in my hand, I realize how incomplete I was without it. Almost as if I was missing an arm, I decide, twirling it between my fingers.

Suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up to see James gesturing towards the door. Sighing heavily and preparing myself for my untimely death, I nod my head and force my feet to walk across the room and open the door to step out into the hallway.

Turning around, I find James smiling reassuringly at me and I manage nothing but a grimace in response. Trying to ignore the snort of amusement from my boyfriend – Ah…it feels good to finally be able to say it…uh…not as a lie, I mean – I gather up some courage to shout, "Mum, I'm home."

Silence for a few moments. And then–

"LILY MARIE EVANS! COME DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!"

I wonder if I'll miss Petunia when I die…

To be continued…

AN – I had homecoming at my school yesterday. And I sort of twisted my ankle from the heel. Ah…but it was worth it. I had an amazing time. Anyway, 25 chapters done! Hurray! Tell me how you found this chapter guys. Thanks for all the reviews from last time by the way. And as usual, I want to thank everyone who has favorite/followed this story. Considering that this is my first one, I'm really really thankful for the support. Keep the reviews coming guys. Love you all.

Claudia.