That girl just fell asleep!
James rolled his eyes with a smile. But at least they had finished. She had stuck to the very last bit of mistletoe before crashing. And who could blame her? James was tired too. He'd stayed up later, obviously with Remus and the lot, but this was… well, not exactly as exhilarating as running with a werewolf at the dead of night.
He pocketed his wand with a flourish, and stood in front of her. She was leaning against the wall, with her head- cushioned by her arm- lay on the rim of the now empty mistletoe box.
He shook his head, still smiling, fingering the box in his pocket.
He'd almost done it. And yet he couldn't catch a break. That was his second attempt at it. The first had been disastrous with Sirius nearby. He couldn't exactly remember what had hit him in the head. Had it been a snowball? Or had it been a book?
He stopped smiling as one thought ran through his head.
What if she said no?
His whole gut wrenched at the thought. He was so in love with her. It was like they had always been together. If she said no, that would be… unbearable. He wouldn't be able to get on normally.
What if she said no?
She had every right to. She might not even love him, even if she seemed to. Not to mention they were too young, they had only been together for a few months, they didn't have an income, a house, anything. (Well, they had his father's old family fortune… which could keep them living for the rest of their lives comfortably and probably their kids' and their kids' lives, but…)
What if she said no!?
He shook his head, shrugging that idea off, and yet it lurked in the back of his mind, so he thought of other, less terrifying things.
Well, he should at least get her to bed.
Bed! Ah, that sounded like heaven just then.
He pulled her into his arms, gently moving her head so it rested on his chest, made sure her arms didn't dangle, and carried her to the Tower. It wasn't very far, just down a few steps, and a few corridors. He was talking to the Fat Lady within minutes.
"What did you do to the poor dear? It's four thirty in the morning!" the Fat Lady was saying- or more like scolding.
"McGonagall's orders," he shrugged, and for a moment almost lost hold of Lily. The Fat Lady clucked at him, and then coughed.
"Alright then, password?" she said now half asleep.
"Horse radish," he said, and the Fat Lady let them in.
He then realized there was a problem. He couldn't exactly just carry her up the stairs to the Girl's Dormitory. He must have been tired, because he didn't exactly remember what he had done with her, that is, until he woke up on the floor that morning to everyone's howls.
Someone threw a pillow at his head.
Honestly, if it was one of Peter's nightmares, there would be murder in Hogwarts.
He jolted up with a groan, pulling the pillow over his head while his glasses falling to the floor. He peeked out from under it in a gouchy state, but to his surprise he saw the light from the windows and not candles. How odd. It certainly didn't feel like morning!
"Prongs, mate, what were you doing last night?" Sirius said, thumping him on the back. James sat up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.
Still, too dazed, James' face made a "Huh?" expression.
"James, please say you didn't," Remus said in hushed tones.
"Do what?"
Sirius handed him his glasses as James stood. Merlin, he was still exhausted from last night's mistletoe hanging. "You know," Sirius said, motioning to James' bed.
Lily lay dead asleep, sprawled on her back with her forearm under her pillow.
"Oh," James moaned, "I forgot… the mistletoe."
"What mistletoe?" Sirius said suggestively, "Eh, eh?" he winked. James didn't get it. It was too early in the morning. Sirius was being too cryptic, and honestly, James didn't care yet. He closed his eyes longingly, and ran a hand through his hair.
"The stuff McGonagall made us hang and we got really tired- and then she fell asleep," James yawned, "And so I figured she could sleep up here. Can I go back to bed now?"
"Bad luck, mate, we've got school," Sirius said, going to the mirror. He was already dressed and had now moved to the "fixing the hair" process. "So," he continued as Peter went down the stairs and Frank moved into the bathroom. "What did she say?"
"Say to wha-?" James asked, laying on his make-shift pile of blankets (he really didn't like to get cold) and pulling two over him.
"What did Lily say? You know, say?" he could tell James wasn't getting it. Sirius rolled his eyes. James must've not slept at all last night. "Say to the question," Sirius said, "Because if she did, I call being godfather!"
"Oh," James said, propping himself up by the elbows again. "I didn't ask it yet."
"But you said you were going to," Remus pointed out, sounding a bit disappointed in him.
"Got cold feet?" Sirius asked, half teasing, half scathing.
"No," James said a bit touchily, taking off his glasses, and setting them aside, "McGonagall got in the way."
"Uh huh," Sirius mumbled.
A pillow hit him in the face.
"Who's shoes are these?" Frank asked from the doorway to the bathroom, a towel on, and his hair dripping.
"Oh, Lily's," James said before collapsing on the pillow with another yawn. "And McGonagall said Lily and me can cut school today so- 'night."
He reveled in his friend's faces for a few more moments with a half smirk before falling back into an easy sleep. His friends were ridiculous.
"What?" Remus said, surprised.
"That's not fair!" Sirius exclaimed.
"McGonagall's orders. Have fun at school today," he said, his head now buried in the pillow to block out the light as Sirius continued to grumble loudly, and just to be and antagonist, he waved them away and said, "Close the curtains please."
James chuckled when he heard something like, "Bloody McGonagall- Big Head Boy's more like it."
"By the way," he said before he went back to sleep. "Watch out for the mistletoe."