Emerald Eyes
Disclaimer: I might take as long as JK to write one book, but I don't own HP anyway.
Previously
Lily, James, and Mary speak to McGonogall about Mary's "pregnancy". McGonogall warns Lily that she's in danger becaues of her blood and relations. Lily has a weird dream. She crawls into bed with James.
"Hurry the hell up."
"No! I will take as long as I want in this bathroom,"
"No you will not. It's forty-five minutes until class and I'm still in my pajamas! Do you want me to fail all my classes because I don't arrive on time?"
James was leaning impatiently against the bathroom door, Lily taking her sweet time inside.
"Yes, well, you should have thought about that earlier when I tried to wake you up."
James opened the bathroom door just a sliver and shouted in, "Shut the bloody hell up and just get out of the shower!"
With a small laugh, Lily hopped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her.
"Good God woman, you take forever in there!" James cried in exasperation. "Are you decent?"
"Decent. You can come in." Lily approved and James eagerly threw the door open and hurriedly stepped in.
Lily, dressed in only a towel, was brushing her hair in front of the fogged-up mirror. He stopped abruptly and began to whine, "Liiiilly. You said you were decent!"
"I am!" She cried.
"No, decent is NOT having half your ass hanging out of your towel and your legs totally exposed," James said, glancing at her nervously.
Putting her hands on her hips, Lily stared at him with a perched eyebrow, "And do you find these said body parts offensive?"
"No!" He cried defensively. "They're…er…very nice."
Although Lily was trying to maintain a serious attitude, an amused grin sneaked onto her face.
"It's just…it's rather…you know…rather….distracting. Not offensive, just…"
"I understand. I'll go fully clothe my body now, if you really want me to," she told him with a laugh.
"That'd be nice. I wouldn't be able to listen to any word McGonogall says if half your body is showing."
Lily just rolled her eyes and exited the bathroom. James let out a long sigh, thinking it would be a miracle if he could get through today without totally losing his mind.
"Looking good love," James commented as he strode into the common room.
Lily stood up impatiently, picking up her book bag with her, "It's about fucking time! Do you know how long I've been waiting?"
"Aren't you going to return the compliment? Manners, anyone?" He smirked, ignoring her and sauntering over cockily.
"Oh, shut up," she said half-heartedly, giving up as he laced his hands around her waist, bringing her close.
"What're you doing?" Lily asked curiously, but nonetheless rested her head on his chest and returned the embrace. He smelled like an intriguing swirl of cinnamon and something else, something uniquely his.
"Nothing," he replied innocently.
"Mmm…okay." She, being the shorter by almost a head, looked up at his hazel eyes with a lazy grin. "How are you?" Lily asked curiously.
"Nervous," he admitted.
"Don't be," On her tiptoes, she quickly placed a kiss on his cheek before taking one of his hands. "Come on, let's go," she ushered, squeezing his hand and pulling him towards the door.
"I don't want to go eat," James complained as they entered the hallway.
"You're a growing boy, you need your food."
"I'm not a boy!" He corrected impatiently, "I'm a man."
"You're seventeen, you're a boy," Lily laughed.
"A boy is a seven year old, I'm seventeen. I'm a man."
"Well you act seven!"
"Come on, can't you think of anything more original than that? Are you losing your touch? I think you are." James teased, now walking next to Lily instead of lagging behind.
"Moron," Lily insulted, glowering at him playfully.
"Loser."
"Dog licker."
"Yeah? Well at least I'm not dorky enough to coordinate my underwear with my clothes."
Lily gasped and smacked his arm, "I do not coordinate underwear and clothes!"
"Come on Lily, I'm your roommate, I know your dressing habits. I bet you're wearing white underwear to match your white shirt, I bet you anything," James smirked, pointing at her white tank top.
"Am not," Lily insisted, blushing slightly. "Have you been watching me while I dress or something freaky like that?"
"No," he rolled his eyes. "But tell me, you are wearing white underwear, aren't you?"
"I guess you never will find out will you?" Lily said, pulling her pants further up on her waist with the hand not laced with James'.
He just threw her a rouge wink, "Oh, I think we will."
The comment just got him yet another condemning slap on the arm. Scrunching up her nose, she withdrew her hand from James' and crossed it in front of her chest.
"I don't hold hands with perverts," she informed him with a smirk.
James found the appropriate word for at this moment was 'adorable', but he was too embarrassed to tell her that. So instead, he leaned in and placed a quick, innocent kiss on her lips.
Lily looked a bit shocked but said nothing, biting her lip to restrain too big of a smile and looked away.
"Fine, I'll hold hands with a pervert just this once, because the pervert is a very good kisser," she gave in reluctantly, holding her hand out for him to take, which he did.
"See? I knew I'd win. Perverts always win in the end."
Soon enough they entered the Great Hall, where a hundred prying eyes watched in silent shock as the couple entered into the Great Hall. Yes, the couple- they hadn't bothered to let go of their hands. They approached their usual tables with their friends already seated and looking at them triumphantly.
They greeted them and sat down, opening a space between Peter and Remus.
"Well, hello there!" Sirius cried as the two sat down across from him.
"Hi Sirius. How are you?" Lily asked politely, certainly in a good mood.
"Well I'm fine, and you?"
"Just peachy. Pass me the pancakes?"
"But of course milady."
"So, why are you in an amazing mood?" Lily inquired, looking at her friends suspiciously. Then realizing they were all grinning widely, she repeated, "Why are you all in amazing mood?"
"Well," Leah started, "Aside from the fact that you two are so adorable together," Lily rolled her eyes at her here, "do you notice anyone missing?"
Lily looked around, "Um-"
"Mary?" James guessed instantly. "Where is she?"
"In the Hospital Wing!" Remus exclaimed.
"Why?"
"We're not sure, but that's what the rumors are."
"Let's hope it's something good. For us, that is." Lily corrected nervously.
"For now we just need to stay calm and in a good mood. It's not going to help any if we're all anxious," Leah reminded.
"I have an idea on what will lighten our moods. How does going to Hogsmade tonight sound, ay?" Sirius offered.
"Sounds entertaining, yet I somehow see you getting a huge hangover and skiving off first period. Which, I might mention, isn't the smartest thing to do seeing as NEWTS are practically here."
"Ah, come on guys, where's your sense of adventure? A night of fun is what we need with all this NEWTS. Please?"
"I'm in," James announced in a heartbeat.
"I guess I am too then," Lily agreed with a sigh.
They all, a bit reluctantly, decided that they would attend. Sirius beamed with joy, "Good, that's what I thought."
Just then, they saw Professor McGonogall approach them with a stern look on their face. Sirius greeted her happily, "Good morning Minnie. How are you?"
Sending him a weary glare, she ignored Sirius' greeting and instead settled her gaze on James. "Mr. Potter, you're wanted in the Hospital Wing. We have some…news for you. You've got permission to miss part of your classes today, if necessary. "
After nodding to everyone else, the Professor left as briskly as she had arrived, seeming rather occupied and slightly distracted, with many things on her mind.
James gulped loudly and all the color in his face instantly drained, leaving him pale with frightened eyes. Glancing at his friends, who were now wearing sodden, nervous expressions, he put down his silverware and slung his bag over his shoulder.
"Well, um. I guess I'll see you guys later."
"Bye James," they muttered.
"Good luck," Remus said with a pat on the back, as everyone else nodded and muttered in agreement.
"Thanks guys," James gave a flickering half smile that wavered back into a frown instantly. He then turned to Lily, who mustered up a small smile.
"You'll be fine," Lily assured before leaning in to him, putting a gentle hand on his chin and giving him a soft kiss on the lips, which quickly lit up his face.
"Bye," he told her, wearing a dazed grin.
"Bye," Lily grinned back as James stood, running a hand through his hair nervously.
"Bye," James repeated again as he stood and began to walk away, a bewildered expression still on his face.
When he looked back over his shoulder one last time, Lily just sent him a smile which he returned, tripping clumsily over a frightened first year in the process.
Lily turned back to her friends and found them consumed in mirth. Leah was covering her mouth with her hand as she tried to suppress giggles, while the rest where busy laughing openly.
"What!" Lily demanded.
"He," Leah started, gathering enough breath to do so, "is such a freak."
"What? Stop laughing!" Lily ordered, although a smile was creeping onto her lips as well. When this comment made them laugh even harder, she resorted to throwing napkins at them.
"Leave me alone and stop laughing," she pouted.
Finally, Sirius took a deep breath and regained a bit more of composure.
"Wow," was all he said, chuckling.
"I don't get why it was that funny," Lily insisted, feeling as if she had missed something crucial.
"You kind of had to be watching," Remus said, wiping his eyes. "Let me assure you, it was incredibly entertaining. He's going to go see if his ex is pregnant, then you kiss him and he trips over a first year."
"It's not my fault I'm irresistible like that," Lily shrugged.
"Yeah, that would suck if Mary was pregnant, then Lils and Jamie would never be able to get married." Sirius exclaimed.
"And then there wouldn't be any cute little James and Lilys running around," Leah added.
"They're going to make the cutest kids ever," Sirius agreed.
"Could you imagine James taking care of a kid?" Remus asked in bewilderment.
"God no. If Mary is pregnant-"
"Which she's not," Lily assured.
"- then James is totally screwed," Sirius finished as if Lily hadn't interrupted.
"How do you know she's not pregnant?" Peter asked Lily.
"Well, Peter, I wouldn't expect you lads to know. See, sex is a beautiful thing, and when you get pregnant, you don't actually know until you-"
"Never mind, we don't want to hear it." Sirius interrupted, a disgusted look on his face.
Lily laughed, "Well Sirius, with all the seducing you've been at, you need to know how that illegimate child of yours will be conceived. Plus, I just know. She's not, she can't be pregnant with James' baby."
"Why, because you are?"
"Yes! I mean, no." Lily corrected.
"Wow. You and James have done more than we thought," Leah teased.
"Stop picking on me, stop it!"
"Lily, we all heard sexual groans coming from your room, just admit it."
"Mr. Potter, is that you?" The voice of Madame Cher called from around the corner. James stood meekly at the entrance of the Hospital Wing, wishing he could be anywhere but there.
"Hi Cher," he greeted her with a half-hearted smile as she came into view, her weary face contrasting the bright blue robe she was wearing.
"Hello sweetie," she said sympathetically, giving him a pitying smile. She touched his arm gently, "Here, follow me." Her touch was gingerly soft; as if she was afraid that anything less tender would send him into some form of hysterics.
Madame Cher turned and guided him past the main room of the Hospital Wing, where a few sleeping students lay soundly. Instead, she led him into a small and unnoticeable room that seemed to blend in with the walls. If it hadn't been for the fact that James had been in there twice before, both times with Remus, he would have overlooked it or mistaken it for a closet.
The room had not changed a bit in four years, even the yellow daffodils were resting in the same dusty vase- they were plastic, of course. Nobody ever bothered to put in fresh flowers in the scarcely occupied room. There was a slit in the rock wall disguised as a window, but there wasn't much a view, as it was blocked off by an unkempt bush. A small bed was pushed against the furthest corner, where Mary, pale and clammy, lay resting.
"Is she okay?" James asked the moment he saw her shivering lips. He might not like her, but he did care for her safety. James sat himself down on the wooden chair across the room from her, cautious of the distance between them.
"Well," Madame Cher sighed, "I don't know what to tell you. She certainly is not all right, as I'm sure you can see. Cold sweat, throwing up, shivering…she came in this morning and hasn't shown any signs of improvement."
As if to emphasize her words, Mary bent her head over the side of the bed and lurched her stomach into the bucket next to her. James looked down, running his hand through his hair and closing his eyes, trying to imagine he was elsewhere.
Madame Cher rushed to her beside and affectionately patted her head and wiped Mary's mouth. "It's okay sweetie," she pampered, "It's okay, you're fine."
Mary showed no signs of acknowledgement of James, and he rather preferred it that way. Instead, she mutely returned to her stiff position on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Will she…will she be okay?"
"Yes, I'm sure she will eventually. She must be having some form of side effect to the pregnancy test. I don't know how that would be, unless…well, we'll see in a few minutes." Madame Cher glanced at the clock with anticipation. "We'll see."
James returned his gaze to the ground as Madame Cher frantically searched through cabinets and drawers, high and low. Finally she sighed, "Alright, we're ready."
Walking over to Mary's bedside, she bent over her and spoke as if Mary was a child, "Alright now sweetie, I'm just going to take an itty-bitty drop of blood from your arm, okay? It won't hurt one bit, I promise."
With a glinting silver needle, Madame Cher quickly dabbed the inside of her arm into the tender skin. Mary simply closed her eyes tightly and didn't let out one shriek, although by the looks of it, was tempted to.
"There, now that wasn't that bad?" Madame Cher cooed as she withdrew the needle, observing it pleasantly.
James curiously watched Mary, who winced and shuddered but said nothing. This helpless state he saw her in made him feel guilty, as if it was his fault that she was in this position. Which, if she turned out to be pregnant, was the case.
Madame walked over to the counter, where a jelly-like substance was resting in a bowl. Putting in a few drops of blood into the jelly, James watched with anxiousness as the red liquid created swirls, and suddenly turned the jelly blue. Madame Cher's back was turned to him, so the expression on her face was unreadable.
He looked down at his hands and realized he had unconsciously been digging his fingernails into his palm. Releasing his clenched fists, he tried to relax these last few moments before the verdict was announced. Honestly, he could not imagine marrying Mary, or having a baby with her, or ever being with her in some way or form again, after he knew what…well, what Lily was like.
"Well, that's not good," Madame Cher spoke nervously.
It was over.
James' head collapsed into his hands and tried his very hardest not to get angry or sad or scared, just to concentrate on taking a few deep, long, breaths. He looked up and asked quickly, "What?" Although he had a feeling he knew what.
Madame Cher turned around did something completely unexpected; she laughed!
"Oh darling, I didn't mean to scare you! The look on your face!" She chuckled again and James just stared at her, mouth slightly open in confusion and frustration.
"What?"
"Mary isn't pregnant!"
James felt his world suddenly get lighter. He was free. Relief flooded through him and he too let out a howl of crazy laughter, each ripple of mirth dissolving all the worries, nightmares, and sickening feelings he had been experiencing the past two days.
"YES!" He cried out, and Madame Cher smiled.
"This is wonderful news, James," she said, but her grin quickly fell, "The only problem is Mary."
"What?" He stopped laughing immediately.
"It seems she took a potion or spell in attempt to make it seem like she was pregnant. Not only will she get in serious trouble for that, but the chemicals in her blood are extremely dangerous and need to be rid from her system at once."
"Will she be alright?" He asked. In all the glory and revenge he felt upon Mary, he couldn't help but feel bad for her. Damn his humane heart.
"I don't know," she said honestly, now looking panicked. "Do go tell Dumbledore about the results, and send him here right at once."
By the time Mary was flooed to St. Mungo's thirty minutes had flown by. It was unsettling, seeing the normally talkative, smiling girl somber and quiet. When James had arrived with Dumbledore, Mary was sobbing, the first vivid signs of emotion James had seen her wear that day.
"I'm sorry James," was the first thing she spat out of her mouth the moment his face appeared in the doorway. "I'm sorry," she repeated helplessly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
James stood there awkwardly as she sobbed, sitting up in her bed, as Madame Cher and Dumbledore watched him. Did she honestly think that saying sorry would make everything alright? What she had done was plain bitchy, but he couldn't say that in front of his professors. In fact, he wasn't sure if he would said it if they were alone either, although he certainly wanted to. It would elate him to simply rant at her, throw insulting and degrading names at her like stones. But James knew he'd never be able to do that, knowing that one bad-mouthed word directed at Mary would scatter the remains of her already crushed heart.
Luckily it seemed Mary was not concerned in an answer, which spared James the trouble of giving her one. Madame Cher silently helped the girl up and supported her as they walked to her office in which a small fire was burning. Dumbledore wrote James a pass on a scrap piece of paper, telling him he could go back to class if he wished, or to take the day off. With a small smile, he disappeared into the fireplace, Madame Cher and Mary next. Madame Cher told him to take care before saying her destination into the fireplace and swirling out of view. Soon he was standing alone in the quiet room, the sizzling of the fire the only sound other than his deep breaths.
What was he going to do now? For the longest time, obstructions, excuses, and difficulties had been littering his life. Now that they had been swept off, he was able to look into his future with more clarity. So what now? The first thing he was going to do was talk to Lily, who he hoped would soon wear the title of his girlfriend.
Lily. His girlfriend. The thought was alien to him. Him liking Lily was an idea that had settled in, but his girlfriend? It was so easy, almost too easy after all these complications.
Finally, James glanced at his watch and realized that third period was just beginning; lunch was in-between third and fourth. Deciding it was too late to go back to class, he opted on taking a stroll around Hogwarts. He hadn't taken a walk on the grounds for what was, in his opinion, much too long. It was practically impossible with the fast pace his life had be running in lately. He exited the Hospital Wing in silence and made for the double door entrance.
The air was cold but he didn't mind it, winter was surprisingly his favorite season. You'd think that the summer, with all the late night parties and hot weather would be his favorite time of the year, but it wasn't. Something about the gentleness of snow and the hazy sky was much more comforting than a hangover or loud party.
James took a stroll around the lake and recalled the boundless memories that had taken place by the water's shore. It was near the lake that the Marauders came up with their name and along with it started their loyal brotherhood. The prospect of a secret alliance, where they brought mischief and adventure to their lives was attractive in every way it could be to eleven-year-olds. It was also at the water's edge where a pale second year Remus had told them his secret, and opened up a new depth of their friendship. It was overlooking the lake that they had transformed for the first time, revealing a realm of magic they had never before ventured in. It hit him hard, as he sat near the field of rocks at the water's edge, how much he'd miss Hogwarts after graduation.
It was only five more months. Five moths seemed hardly enough time to wrap up his Hogwarts life. Seven years worth, ending in five months? He remembered being a first year and thinking he was going to die before he ever graduated. Sometimes he felt like that when looking into the future, that he would never be able to live long enough for those precious milestone moments. Graduation, getting a job, marrying someone, having children with them, watching their children grow, such thing seemed so far away. Those moments of pure laughter that came with the gift of being young had sometimes given the faux impression that they would be young forever- that time was merely a crazy hallucination they had thought up. It wasn't like that anymore.
Tearing his eyes away from the lake and clearing his somber thoughts, James glanced at his watch. It was now twelve and he could almost imagine the students rushing out of their classrooms to the Great Hall. Hoping to catch Lily, he ran up the stairs and ran into the Great Hall, searching for signs of his friends. He saw them, gathered at the center of the Gryffindor table as usual. He waved at them from across the hall and they waved back, signaling him over. James ran over to them with a huge grin on his face, and once approaching them, threw his arms in the air and shouted, "I'M FREE!"
Everyone had known from the moment they saw him what the result had been, but they celebrated and congratulated with him anyway. Then, looking around, James asked, "Where's Lily?"
"Stayed a bit after class in Charms, she had some stupid smart question," Leah told him.
"Hey man, that's great. A celebration is even more in order now!" Sirius declared.
"Agreed. How about we leave at nine? We need to get there early,"
"I guess, but what about eight thirty so we get there at nine?" Leah proposed.
James, however, wasn't listening; he was looking around for a sign of Lily.
"Sure," he said absentmindedly. "Hey, I'm going to go find Lily."
"Have fun," Sirius smirked.
"I will," he said distractedly as he began to walk away.
He wandered into the Charms hallway, which was empty besides a few other people who were not Lily. James walked up to the Charms classroom and peaked through the window, catching a sight of Lily talking to the professor. She was nodding in understanding, her eyes concentrated and enlightened with an adorable sparkle in them. He didn't know what she was saying, but the way she bit her lip and formed her words delicately was irresistible. Finally, she gave the professor a smile and made for the door, and James felt his heart perk up considerably.
"James!" She cried in surprise as exited into the hallway.
"Hey," James greeted with a nervous smile.
"You're happy, that's a good sign right?" Lily laughed.
Restrain yourself. Don't pin her up against the wall and snog her senseless. DON'T.
"Yeah," he laughed, "it is. She's sick, but not pregnant."
Lily gave a relieved sigh, "I knew that lying bitch was a lying bitch." She paused and looked at him with an affectionate grin on her face. "But she's sick?"
"Yeah, she was shipped off to St. Mungo's."
"Oh," Lily said, biting her lip, looking slightly worried. "That's not good…I guess."
"No, not really. But at least she's not pregnant," James pointed out.
"True," Lily said with a smile. "So…now what?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.
Goddamnit.
"Well," he said, trying not to stare at her lips. Instead, he took both her hands and edged her towards the wall, "you could grace me with your presence on a date this Friday?"
"Oh, a date?" Lily grinned, "Well, alright. Anything else?" She asked flirtatiously.
"You could also agree to be my girlfriend,"
If possible, her smile grew, "Of course." She tugged him slightly closer. "And anything else?"
"Well…" James pretended to think. "There was one thing…but I forget what it was…"
Finally, loosing patience, Lily cried, "Damnit, James!"
Catching him complete by surprise, she tangled her hands in his hair and began to kiss him feverishly. Shocked but not disappointed, he eagerly returned it, pressing her against the wall. It would have gotten further hadn't it been for Professor Filtwick, hearing noises from outside the classroom, stepped out of the classroom and cleared his throat loudly.
James and Lily instantly jumped off each other, flattening their hair and clothes, trying to pretend as if nothing had happened.
"Now, I don't mean to interrupt anything, but could you please continue this elsewhere?" He asked with a smirk.
"Sorry," they mumbled.
"It's quite alright," the professor said with a mischievous look before returning inside his classroom.
The moment his door shut, Lily and James made contact and had to struggle not to burst out laughing. They linked hands and made their way out of the hallway, still wearing broad grins.
"I'm not hungry, are you?" James asked suggestively, perking up his eyebrows.
"Not anymore. Let's take the professor's advice and take this elsewhere? Saaaay, the broom closet?" Lily suggested innocently.
James' mouth dropped as she assertively pulled him into a vacant hallway, managing to mutter, "This is the best day of my life."
"Who was your first crush?"
"Tony Santos, kindergarten. He was the cutest little thing ever," Lily gushed as she stuck another piece of chocolate into her mouth. "Who was yours?"
"Carolyn Jane. Kindergarten."
It was 8:15 at night and instead of hanging out with their friends, they were sitting under a blanket eating chocolate. It had been Lily's idea to make a fort, claiming that it was fun and definitely not immature. James went along with it, telling himself it was completely her idea and that he'd participate just to not disappoint her. However, he found himself enjoying their fort and the talks that took place under it. They were currently going through a round of "Questions", as Lily creatively named it. It was simple; one person would ask a question and the other would answer truthfully. They had been at it for about ten minutes, learning quite a bit of information about the other they had never known before.
"Do you believe in God?" Lily inquired, looking at James through the dark shroud of the blanket.
"Yes," he answered. "Do you?"
"I think so…somewhat. Who did you lose your virginity too?" Lily asked, trying not to sound too curious as she sucked the chocolate off her fingertips.
"Carolyn Jane," James repeated.
In the dark, he saw Lily perch an eyebrow. "The same Carolyn Jane?"
"The very same. Do you believe in sex before marriage?"
"Yes, but with the right person. Do you?"
"What a stupid question, ask me something you don't know."
"Alright…if you could make hot passionate sex to one person right now, who would it be?" She teased.
"You know that answer too," James said, a handsome grin appearing on his face.
"Yes, I know, but I just wanted to hear you say it,"
"Fine- you."
"Me? Why, I feel flattered."
"You should, it's not every girl that captures my attention like that,"
"I'm sure. Tell me, what have I done to deserve such a form of flattery?"
"Well," he said, "To start the extensive list, you're the kindest, nicest, sweetest, funniest, most exciting-"
Lily laughed meekly, "James, I didn't mean for you to list-"
"Hush," he told her, putting a finger on her mouth to silence her. "You listen. Now where was I? Oh yes, you're fucking gorgeous and beautiful and, frankly, anyone who wouldn't want you as their girlfriend is just plain stupid. Have I succeeded in making you self conscious enough yet, or should I keep going? Because I easily can."
"No, really, you've done enough of the flattery to get your point across," she laughed, inviting herself to sit on his lap, facing him. He was grinning as her shadow-bathed face lessened the distance between them, pecking him softly on the lips. She then wrapped her arms around his middle and kissed him lightly on the neck. The effect Lily had on him was amazing; his breath tightened, his heart pumped faster, and with every kiss it got harder and harder to control himself. Finally, Lily moved the aim of her kisses to his lips, which were crying for needed attention. She captured his lips into a rough kiss, sending him plopping backward on the bed as she mischievously crawled on top of him. The blanket previously covering them was thrown carelessly onto the floor, but they hardly noticed.
If Lily had believed that their drunken make out session had been hot, then this was beyond anything she could have expected. The way James' hands expertly traveled her body and the smooth way his lips beckoned hers made Lily well aware that he fully deserved his reputation. His hands were playing with the hem of her underwear teasingly, and she couldn't help but smile knowing that now anything they did wouldn't be unmoral, bad, or unethical- after all, she was his girlfriend.
As James' hands glided over the insides of her thighs, Lily hesitated for a moment. It occurred to her that if their clothes hadn't been on, they would be having sex. It's not that she had never been in this situation, it was more that no one had held such physical and emotional attraction that James possessed, there was so much it almost burned. That sort of passion was very new to her. Lily must have faltered more conspicuously then she had imagined, since James momentarily stopped his arduous kissing along her neck and dropped his hands from her thighs.
"Am I moving too fast?" He asked with worry.
Lily shook her head, "No, it's fine, continue."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes James, I'm sure," she assured him impatiently, already longing for his lips.
"Because if I-"
He was cut off by a quick but deep kiss that Lily placed to silence him. They broke apart and Lily couldn't help but giggle, which infectiously caused James to smile. He looked up at her, her green eyes sparkling joyously and her rosy lips shaped into a grin. Slipping from behind her ears, her auburn hair cascaded over her face elegantly. James reached out and tenderly tucked her hair back again, letting his hand drag down the side of her cheek lovingly. Goosebumps went up her spine and her breath caught in her throat, it was little, soft actions he made that always caught her like this. Lily had expected the flip-flopping of her stomach and the light-hearted effect he had on her to wear down after a while, but it was just as prominent as ever.
They locked eyes and sent each other affectionate glances, Lily blushing sheepishly under his intense gaze. James was the first person that, although romantic and sweet, also wanted to make her rip off all her clothes and his and do him wherever they happened to be. Sometimes he was cute, sometimes he was handsome, often he was sexy.
James rolled over, bringing Lily down with him. They were both lying on their side, feet tangled, lips clashing feverishly. Lily' hands slid from his hair, to his shoulders, to his chest, eager for all of him to be discovered. James, partially ignoring the part of him that told him not to get too wild, was switching from assertively kissing her lips to leaving trails down her neck and collarbone, hands traveling from her hair to up her shirt. With every kiss, Lily felt less and less shy, and apparently so was James, as his aim got lower and lower until he was kissing her stomach. Lily, having nothing to occupy her mouth, instead tousled her hands in his hair. James put a final kiss right above her belly button, making Lily sigh in pleasure. James felt her shiver under his touch and looked up at her with a smirk.
"You have a very nice stomach," he told her.
"Thank you," she replied. "Remember when we complimented each other's stomachs at your house?"
"I remember, but we weren't snogging were we?"
"No, we weren't. Such a shame. I don't like my stomach though, but I don't think many girls like their stomach anyway."
"I don't see why girls are so obsessed over their stomachs, really," James told her. "Whoever said that stomachs need to be finely toned and muscular was wrong, I like yours just the way it is." And to prove it, he placed a loud kiss on her stomach.
Lily laughed, "Thank you. James, could you come back? I'm getting a bit lonely with you completely on my lower half."
"But this is a nice position!" He protested, meaning how he was lying almost completely on her legs alone.
"If we were having oral sex, maybe. Come back," she pouted, extending her arms.
James pretended to be aggravated and crawled back up to her, kissing her on the forehead before he plopped down at her side. Lily scooted a bit closer, resting her forehead against his.
"James, you're amazing," she said sincerely.
James kissed her nose, "You are too."
It was right then, feeling her small arms around him and her soft breaths against his neck, that he realized that he was totally in love with Lily Evans. James could see himself ten, twenty, even thirty years from now waking up in the morning and finding Lily next to him, or kissing her lightly on the lips whenever he felt the need to. Realizing that he would give up basically everything for her, he was slightly scared but enthralled at the same time. Seeing joyous sparks in her eyes made him smile, every time she kissed him he felt beyond elated. Simply, all in all, he loved her to death.
There was nothing he wanted more than to tell her right then and now, but bit his lip, deciding the day you found out your ex was not in fact pregnant was not the best of timing. So instead, he hugged her tighter and settled on telling her the next best thing.
"Hey Lily," he whispered.
"Hey what?" She whispered back.
"I have a secret,"
"What is it?"
"I was right,"
"About what?" Lily inquired, gazing at him quizzically.
"Your underwear is white to match your shirt." Lily's mouth flew open in surprise, but she couldn't help but giggle as she swatted him. James winked, "I told you perverts always win."
WOW.
I know that took years and years to do. I'm so incredibly sorry, but I am RIDICULOUSLY busy and SO many things are going on in my life. I'll try to go faster this time, I promise, okay? I just didn't want to string up a random chapter, which I hope this wasn't. Tell me how you liked it, yes? Feedback is always nice.
Thank you to ALL my reviewers. Now that FF has that new reply feature, I think this will make answer people's questions a lot easier. Thanks again and I love you all.