Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
James Potter VI
It was almost physically painful for James to look at Hermione when she was looking at him like that. When her tawny eyes were almost engulfed by her black pupils as she gripped his robes, her soft lips — that he had spent many hours enjoying and learning and memorising and worshipping — parted. Their breaths mingled in the miniscule space between their lips, their foreheads barely grazing. He had braced one arm on the wall, the other hand was on the slope of her warm neck, completely trapping her to him.
"We should probably stop," Hermione said breathlessly, her voice huskier than normal.
James felt himself nodding and then doing the complete opposite of what she suggested. He tipped her head up and leaned down to brush his lips against hers. His fingers ran through her curly tresses, and he still felt a small amount of surprise to find that it felt silky and smooth in his hands. Her dainty hands gripped his robes tighter and James staggered towards her as she pulled him closer, his arm falling down from the wall to wound itself around her small waist. Their kiss was slow and almost lazy, more lingering and tasting. It was sweet and relaxing, a kiss that he would never get tired from. It sent James heart running to a speed that he couldn't catch as he drank her in, her warmth transferring to him and igniting him like a Phoenix in his burning day.
They broke apart all too soon to catch their breaths and James' stared at the sight before him that he already deemed as his favourite: Hermione's cheeks were profusely crimson, her lips were swollen, thoroughly kissed, her pupils were blown wide but her irises shone gold, and her breaths were uneven and ragged. He felt smug to have this kind of effect on her despite that she also had the same effect on him.
"You're dangerous," she whispered to him.
James smirked before softly kissing the bridge of her nose and reluctantly pulling away. "Me? You're the dangerous one here, Granger. You're awfully good at distracting me."
Hermione rolled her eyes as she tried to untangle the knots in her hair. James smiled fondly and helped her, using his fingers to comb her curls. He was aware of Hermione's eyes on him the whole time he fixed her hair. It warmed his heart, knowing that she was as transfixed with him as he was with her. By the time he was done, Hermione was already resting her forehead on his chest, her arms snaked loosely around his waist. James hummed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, lightly pressing a kiss on her head.
"I should be studying," she grumbled although she didn't make any move away from him.
"I know." He inhaled the scent of her hair and sighed blissfully before releasing her. "You're always studying. I don't even know why you found that appealing."
"Well, if you start studying, maybe you will know the appeal of it."
"I already tried that, Pumpkin."
"Don't call me that." Hermione glared at him, her mouth twisted into an adorable petulant pout.
James chuckled. "I can call you whatever I like, my apple pie, my sweetums, my sugarplum fairy, my princess, my goddess, my queen—"
"You're laying it thick, Potter." She groaned. "Hermione is a fine name, I'll let you know."
"Of course it is." He scoffed good-naturedly. "That's the name of my girlfriend."
Hermione blushed and laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "Oh, James," she said with a large degree of fondness in her voice. She stood on her toes and kissed him quickly on his chin. "You're a distraction, James Potter. You need to be banned from the library."
James grinned wickedly. It was not an easy feat to distract Hermione whenever she was in the library and he would usually not done it. However, James had missed her that morning, when he had woken up late because of Quidditch practice, and he felt restless not seeing her. So, after classes had ended, he sought her out in the library and found her in her little corner at the back. The privacy it gave had given James the opportunity to snog his girlfriend — ah, that sound was absolutely devine in his ears. Although she had put up a good resistance, James was persistent and he won in the end.
"I am banned," James told her.
Her eyes widened comically. "You are? Since when?"
James was sheepish. "Ever since I charmed the books to attack students. Madame Pince had been ruthless at me. Luckily, I'm good in sneaking in."
He hadn't told her about his Invisibility Cloak or the Marauders Map or about Remus' furry little problem. It's not that he didn't want to tell her but he had to talk with the rest of his friends before he could. He wasn't the only owner of the Map, Remus' lycanthropy wasn't his rights to share, and he couldn't find the right moment regarding about the Cloak. Soon, though. He didn't want to keep secrets from her. He wanted to be as honest and as truthful as he could with her.
"Oh." Hermione nodded in recognition. "I remember that day. The charm backfired, right? It started beating on you and Sirius instead."
James sighed and dropped his forehead on her shoulder. "You remember that but not when I told you that you were beautiful? If I remember it correctly, that was the first time I called you that to your face."
He felt her blunt nails scratching the back of his head. "Oh, I remember that too. You getting beaten by books just highlighted the scene."
"You weren't concern for me at all?" James pulled back and pouted.
Hermione laughed as she attempted to smoothen his face. "Maybe a little," she confessed, blushing slightly.
James grinned and kissed her outstretched palm. Their relationship was still all so tentatively new but it was so easy to get lost into. There were good times, there were bad times, and there were the best and his favourite times. It hadn't even begun a week when they first started fighting and all because of Severus Snape of all people. The greasy git had called Hermione names and James absolutely refused to ignore the words the git used to hurt the person he loved the most.
Hermione had been mad at him for dueling Snivellus but there was no denying that she had been really hurt by what the greasy bastard had said. She confessed to him after they had reconciled that it was the first time that someone had said something so negatively at her. Being a bookworm, a know-it-all, and other things didn't bother her because it was mostly true. However, Snape had caught her off guard. When he learned this, James wanted to challenge Snape again but this time it would be a muggle fight.
No one called Hermione names without consequences.
Now they were together for a week and a half and James had led a blissful life ever since Hermione agreed to be his girlfriend after she had given him the charmed fake Galleon. Everyday, he fell in love with her a lot more than possible as he had gotten to know who Hermione Granger really was. She was a beautiful person, inside and out, and James was amazed because she was his. He made sure that she would never regret that decision.
"Valentine's Day is tomorrow," James informed her as she sat on her seat and he settled right next to her.
She paused arranging the parchments and books on her table. "Really? Huh. I didn't even notice."
"Time flies when you are having fun." James grin was cheeky as he kissed her cheek and the side of her temple. "So, do you want to go on a date tomorrow?"
"Aren't there classes, though?" Hermione looked puzzled.
James smiled, having the urge to kiss the confused lines between her brows. He did and he sighed dreamily when he saw her smile. "Yes but maybe, we can spend together after classes are over?" James suggested, holding his breath as he waited for her answer.
Hermione looked at him and her lips twitched, probably spotting how nervous he was. "It's a date."
James exhaled and kissed her head again. He didn't know how and why she always made him feel nervous like a schoolboy that had a crush and didn't know what to do with it. They were in a relationship now. She was his girlfriend. They were committed to each other. He had the proof hanging around his neck. He didn't have a reason to be nervous around her but he was. He was so used to rejection from Lily that he was wired to wait for it because that was all he had ever known. It was ridiculous and unfair to Hermione and James promised to strive better just to get over this feeling.
"Just don't go expecting a card from me," she teased as she added another sentence in her essay.
"Oh no, just a kiss." James grinned, propping his elbow on the table and resting his chin on his knuckles as he stared at her.
Godric. She was breathtaking.
"Ah." She nodded as she looked at him. "I bet you're expecting a lot of those, huh?"
Had James mentioned how much he loved it whenever Hermione turned playful and started teasing him? It made him feel special to see this side of Hermione's that was free and comfortable around him. The blushes were adorable but when she teased him back, he felt sort of high. James wondered if she went as far as pranking someone. He had to test that. He was a Marauder after all.
"Lots and lots." James nodded. He stared at her for a few moments. "Do you want a card? Chocolate? Love letter? The world?"
Hermione chuckled. "Hmm." She looked at him and flashed him a blinding smile. "Surprise me."
James perked up. "Oh, I intend to, Miss Granger. Prepare yourself."
There was nothing he loved more than surprising Hermione Granger after all.
