~James' POV~

"I've never been a fan of chess. Wizard's or otherwise."

Lily laughed. "You just don't like losing."

"No," I defended, even though it was quite true. I couldn't stand to lose, even at a very young age. "I just don't really like chess."

"Yeah," she said and moved a piece. "It's a game of wits. Checkmate."

I sighed. "Can't we play something else?"

"What?" she asked. "Like Quidditch?"

"I can't really picture you playing Quidditch," I told her honestly. Every time that I tried, it made me want to laugh. Lily didn't have the mentality of an athlete. She wouldn't be able to run into people to try to knock them off of their brooms. "I still remember you in our first flying lesson." That memory always made me smile, as a matter of fact.

"Don't," she groaned, but of course I had to.

"You were so nervous and shaking so hard that your broom looked like it was having a seizure," I reminded her, though I doubted that she needed to be reminded.

"Stop," she pleaded.

I smiled at her. "It's okay; I'll be a good enough flyer for the both of us."

Her parents walked into the room then.

"We're going to your Aunt Myrtle's," Mrs. Evans told Lily. "Petunia and Vernon are going with us. Would you like to go?"

"No, thanks," Lily said immediately.

"You're sure?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Alright." Her father smiled at me. "See you two later."

"Bye, Mr. Evans."

"Bye, Mum. Bye, Dad."

They left and Lily let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness we didn't have to go to my Aunt Myrtle's."

I grinned at her. "Why? What's so bad about your Aunt Myrtle?"

"Where do I even begin?" she asked as she set up her chess pieces. "She pinches cheeks, first of all, which would be alright if I was two, but I'm not. And she has this horribly annoying laugh, which wouldn't be so terrible if she didn't find everything funny. Oh, and her house always smells like a mixture of old lady perfume and something dead in the vents."

"Wow," I laughed. "Glad we dodged that one."

"You can go first this time," she offered. "Not that it'll make that much of a difference."

"Hey," I said defensively as I moved a pawn. "I was doing just fine last time, thanks."

"Yeah, and then you made your second move."

I faked anger. "That was just rude."

She laughed and shrugged.

And of course she won.

Again.

"Chess is boring," I muttered.

"I don't think you'd find it boring if you could win."

"Maybe," I said. "But we'll never know. I've only played chess with you and Jen, and neither of you had the decency to let me win."

She laughed and put the chessboard away. "Your sister and I should play sometime."

"Oh, that would be a good match," I agreed. They were both very smart and strategic. The game would probably take hours. "I'm not quite sure who would win."

"Who would you root for?" she asked me with a teasing smile.

I shrugged. "Whoever won."

She rolled her eyes and put the chessboard back where it went. The Evans' house was very neat, though they didn't have a house elf to keep everything that way for them. They were just an organized bunch.

"So," she asked as she walked back towards where I was sitting on the couch. "What did you want to do now, since chess is obviously off of the table?"

"I don't know," I said thoughtfully.

"We could work on your strategies for the game," she suggested. "So that maybe you won't lose so badly next time."

I grinned shamelessly at her and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards me so quickly that she fell on top of me. "You know, there is something that I want to work on."

She blushed.

I chuckled and pulled her closer for a kiss.

~Jen's POV~

"Jen!"

I looked over at Madame Prince and smiled. "Hello, Madame Prince. Sorry that I came in so late, but I-"

She waved me over frantically. "I have something to show you!"

Confused, I walked over to her and let her lead me to a secluded corner. There was a record player set up there, along with stacks and stacks of records sitting beside it. I stared at it, unsure of what I was supposed to do.

"Isn't it wonderful?!" she said dreamily.

"Um…yeah."

"I knew you'd think so!" she said happily. "You can look through them, if you like. I have to get going, but you'll be fine here alone, right?"

That was actually perfect. "Yes, I'll be fine."

She gave me one last smile and then left.

"A record player," I muttered as I set my bag down at my feet. "Really?" But, of course, curiosity got the better of me and I had to go see what records she had available.

There were all kinds, by all artists.

One that I found was supposed to be a classical music dance album, apparently, and I just had to hear what was going on with that. I mean, come on, anyone in my position would have done the exact same thing.

So, I put the record on and then listened as it started playing.

I didn't recognize the first song at all.

Or the second.

Or the third.

But I recognized the fourth and I smiled in delight. It was a song that my dad had used to listen to. Once, he had even danced with me to the song, swinging me around because I was too little at the time to dance properly. But, he'd talked out the steps to me and tried to teach me how to dance.

I couldn't help but dance along with the record.

One, two, three. One, two, three.

It was a faster song, one with a happier beat, and I couldn't help but smile as I moved along with it.

And then, suddenly, a pair of strong arms was around me and I had a dancing partner.

Regulus.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as my smile widened.

He smiled back at me. "I always sneak into the library late at night. It's when I get all of my homework done."

"Nighttime is for sleeping," I informed him like it was the universe's most precious secret. "When do you sleep?"

"I don't get a lot of sleep," he answered me. "I have to keep a potion with me at all times so that I don't fall asleep in class."

"Why don't you sleep?" I couldn't imagine a life where I didn't go to bed early and get plenty of sleep. Sometimes, it was a serious internal struggle to leave my bed in the mornings.

He shrugged and pulled me a little closer, wrapping his arms even more tightly around me. "Well, I don't know. I guess it's my dreams."

"What about them?" I wondered.

"They're… not comforting," he responded. "I haven't had a good dream in a long time."

"There's a potion for that." What kind of dreams could he have that would be so scary that he would avoid sleep as much as possible? "To make your sleep dreamless."

"I know," he responded, still easily moving us to the music. "I've tried making it a few times, but it never quite works out. I'm not that skilled of a Potion maker."

"I could teach you," I offered. "I mean, if you want me to watch you make it and tell you what you're doing wrong."

"Thanks," he responded softly.

The song changed to an even slower one and as we swayed together, I couldn't help but think that I liked the feel of his arms around me. He held me gently, but his hands were firm on my back. His breath smelled of mint. His hair looked so soft that I wanted to reach out and run my fingers through it.

"How'd you get in here?" he asked me.

"I didn't break in like you, if that's what you were wondering," I answered with a smile. "Madame Prince told me that I could stay late."

"Hmm…" he said.

In a move that was more instinct than anything else, I stepped closer to him and rested my head on his chest. He stiffened momentarily, but quickly relaxed and continued to move us slowly. He was impossibly warm and I wanted to stay that way forever, with him holding me and his heart beating right under my ear.

The music finally stopped and as I started to step back, I found that Regulus' face was extremely close to mine.

He's going to kiss me…

And though he looked like he wanted to, he stepped away from me and gave me a small smile. "It was nice seeing you, Jen, but I should leave you alone now."

"Okay," I said, disappointed.

"Good night," he said softly and turned and left.

"Good night," I whispered to his back.

You're flirting with danger, Jen…