A/N: 91 reviews for ONE chapter! Thanks everyone! For everyone that asked, I am indeed doing a sequel to finish up the rest of their seventh year. The reason I'm not including it in this story is because this story is already 51 chapters. Unfortunately, I won't be posting the sequel for a while because I haven't written as much as I've wanted to; I've been really busy and I had writer's block for about a month, but now I'm back on schedule and hopefully I'll be able to get the sequel up and running by the end of February. But don't hold me to that.
Disclaimer: I think you should all know by now that I'm not J.K. Rowling...at least I hope you know it.
Tears on the Balcony
By ByeByeBirdie
Chapter 50: Of D-Lists, Scampering, & Hot Mothers
Kristina rushed into her room, slammed the door behind her, and fell to her bed in a sobbing heap, crying into her pillow as if the tears were never going to disappear.
Jacqueline turned to Shana in confusion. "Uh…I think there's something wrong with Kristina."
Shana gave her friend a look. "Ya think?"
Jacqueline stepped off of her bed and walked over to Kristina's, sitting down beside her mess of a friend. "Kris, what's wrong?"
Kristina didn't reply, her head buried deep into her pillow.
Jacqueline and Shana exchanged another round of confused glances, as did Kyra and Meredith Bloomsfield, their other roommate, both of which never showed much interest in their other three roommates.
"Kristina?" Jacqueline tried saying again.
"She heard you, Jacqueline," Kyra interjected in irritation. "I just don't think she wants to answer."
Kristina wasn't planning on saying anything at all, her tears overcoming her, but hearing Kyra's voice made her realize something. She lifted her head, her cheeks blotched in stained tears, her eyes red and puffy, and her whole face flushed in despair. "Let's just say, Kyra," she muttered in between her hiccups, "That the school won't be gossiping about your break-up any longer."
The girls stared at her incredulously, not certain if they were misinterpreting her words.
"Uh…come again?" Jacqueline asked, her stomach tied in a knot.
Kristina shook her head furiously at the thought of what James had said to her earlier that night. "James broke up with me!" she emitted squeakily, more sobs secreting.
Everyone in the room gasped loudly.
"What?" Shana eventually had the nerve to cry out.
Kristina continued bawling, covering her face with her hands in misery, slumped over on the edge of her bed. "He…he said I wasn't the one for him. That I deserve better than him. That he was being unfair to my feelings because…because…because he thinks he likes another girl!" she sobbed out, wailing deeper with a few high-pitched screams of frustration.
"He actually said that?" Kyra said in shock, never believing that James would admit that. Sure, she never particularly liked Kristina but Kyra thought she and James were getting along great. She never thought that James and Kristina were a good match but when she realized that James wasn't using Kristina and actually liked her and vice versa, she accepted it and was actually getting used to the idea of them. And the rumor was he had just told Kristina he loved her.
Meredith hesitated on confusion. "But…but didn't he say he loved you just a few days ago?"
Kristina's wails got louder and squeakier, bordering on shrill.
"Okay, maybe that wasn't the right time to mention that…" Meredith mumbled.
"Ya think?" Shana muttered.
"Why would he do this to me?" Kristina sobbed.
"Who is this other girl he supposedly likes?" Jacqueline dared to ask.
"Jacqui!" Shana hissed.
Jacqueline shrugged. "What? It's a legitimate question!"
Kristina took a deep breath in and sighed. "He didn't tell me," she murmured.
"What?" Shana growled. "He had the audacity to break up with you only three days after saying those heartfelt three words, three words he probably never said to another girl besides his mother before, and he didn't even have the decency to tell you who this other girl is?"
"Well…I didn't ask," Kristina admitted in a small voice.
"Oh," Shana said as a second thought. "Never mind then."
"I didn't want to ask," she explained further.
"Why not?" Jacqueline questioned. "If my boyfriend was dumping me for another woman, I'd want to know who to slaughter!"
"That's a little drastic, Jacqueline," Shana murmured. "Though, she does have a point."
Kristina sighed and stared at the ground sadly. "I...I didn't want to ask him because I had a feeling I already knew who was replacing me and I didn't want to hear it from him," she muttered, barely audible.
The other girls exchanged looks, all of them desperate to know who but not wanting to be the one to ask. Thankfully, Kristina gave up the name without them having to ask.
Kristina sighed and started chipping at the nail polish on her fingernails out of embarrassment. "I have a good feeling it's Lily Evans," she murmured.
"WHAT?" all four of them cried out in disbelief.
"But those two hate each other," Meredith argued.
Kristina shook her head. "They love to hate each other," she mumbled.
Meredith hesitated, pondering that idea while the others did the same.
"They've been denying any sort of sexual tension with each other for so long. Believe me, I know what sexual tension is and those two have always had it," Kristina sighed, chipping off the last pieces of nail polish and lifting her head to glance at the others. "I noticed it ever since they were friends in November. I knew this might be coming no matter how hard I tried ignoring it. This was bound to happen. I expected it to. I just...I didn't expect it so quickly after he told me I loved him, that's all."
The four other girls exchanged confused glances and then turned back to her, who was taking this news rather calmly. "Aren't…aren't you upset about this?" Shana dared to ask her best friend cautiously, fearful that Kristina would lash out at her.
Kristina sighed and shook her head. "No," she admitted. "I mean, when he was telling this to me only just an hour ago, I wanted revenge like noneother. I scolded him but it was she that I wanted to truly throttle. But like I said, this was a long time coming. I know that James and I weren't going to last forever. We want two totally different things. James and...and weirdly enough, Lily have a lot more in common. They deserve each other in a rather odd way. I just have to accept it."
"But…but…but he's one of the most popular guys in thie school," Jacqueline cried in confusion. "And she's…well, she's definitely not. She's on the D-list, if even that. No one would even know who she was if she wasn't the Head Girl!"
"Or Riley Gilmore's best friend," Meredith added.
Kristina shook her head. "Or the guy that James has messed around with for six years," she pointed out with a curt shrug. "On their own, he may be popular and she may not be, but people certainly know who she is because James has put her on the map. It might make no sense, but in a way, those two seem to complete each other. They try to be better people when the other is around."
Her friends all stared at her incredulously. "Complete each other?" Jacqueline spoke up, her eyebrow arching. "If yelling and berating each other is completing each other, then sure. I get that."
Kristina sighed. "You guys don't see them behind the scenes," she murmured. "I have."
The four friends exchanged curious glanced before Shana spoke up. "I don't understand her," she murmured, shaking her head in disbelief. "James has been going after her for years now and she's refused to fall for it. So why now?"
"I never said she fell for it," Kristina pointed out. "I'm saying he fell for her. Who knows what that girl thinks? And who really cares. If he wants to pine after her like a lovesick puppy, I'm fine with that. I don't date wusses anyway."
"I don't understand how you can be so calm about this," Jacqueline quickly argued, throwing aside Kristina's words. "The boy who you lovejust told you he wanted to be with another woman. How can you not be mad?"
Kristina bit the inside of her lip sadly, feeling the tears well up in her eyes again. "Because," she murmured barely audible, "Lily won him over. And there's really nothing I can do about that."
"But, Kristina, you can fight for-"
"Maybe, but I don't want to," she whispered. "I'd just lose in the end."
"Kristina," Jacqueline pleaded.
"Besides, I don't even know for certain it is Lily," she retorted with a shrug. "It could be another girl he's enamored with. I wouldn't be surprised. This is James Potter we're talking about. Along with Sirius, he used to be the most eligible bachelor at this school."
"Used to be," Jacqueline reiterated. "Until he started dating you."
"Well, that's over now," Kristina said bluntly, getting up off her bed and walking towards the bathroom. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. I just want to take a hot shower, climb into bed, and just forget it ever happened. I just want to move on."
Jacqueline held her tongue, only because Shana was giving her the evilest eye, and simply nodded. "Okay," she murmured, grabbing a fashion magazine off of her desk and plunging into it, trying not to let her anger for her friend boil over.
Kristina shut the bathroom door behind her and slid down against it, as the tears slid down her face, reminiscing on all of the wonderful memories she had with James. Memories that he now wanted to make with another woman.
James and Lily stood there, neither able to speak or even think. James was too busy looking at how gorgeous she looked and Lily was so focused on the fact that James just told her he chose her.
"Me?" she eventually croaked, blinking furiously. "Are...are you sure?"
He grinned and reached up, tucking her silky auburn waves behind her ear with a coy smile. "It's always been you, Lily," he whispered. "I just...I just never thought you ever would have felt the same."
She could feel her heart beating a mile a minute and was finding it nearly impossible trying to think with the way he was staring at her. His hazel eyes peered hopefully through his glasses, piercing through hers like never before. Instead of longing hesitance, his gaze was full of overwhelming adoration. He had such a presence about him in that moment, standing confident and determined in front of her.
"You...you really broke up with Kristina?" she asked for lack of anything better to say.
James chuckled, his heart bursting with such desire for the girl in front of him. He could tell by the deer-in-headlights look on her face that she was still feeling slightly panicked and confused over the entire situation. Desire wasn't quite tugging on her heart yet as it was his. "Look, I know what you're thinking," he said slowly.
"That I just dropped all of the prefects' paperwork and I will now have to reorganize it."
James blinked, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Alright, I assumed you would be thinking a little more than that."
Finally, she smiled. And then she was laughing. The panic was slowly dissipating from herself and she was oddly grateful for his joking demeanor. It was ironic that something she had scolded him for so many times in the past was actually providing her with a slight bit of comfort in that moment. "Sorry, I just...I don't know...I'm..."
"Still getting used to this?" he asked knowingly.
Her heart skipped a beat as she slowly nodded. "Yeah," she whispered, swallowing hard. She absentmidedly reached for a strand of her hair, twirling it around her finger in bewilderment. "You...you've apparently had six years to get used to your..."
"Feelings for you?"
She felt her cheeks grow hot, her heart tightening with confusion. "But you have to understand that it's only been two weeks for me to get used to this," she continued in a small voice. She hesitated. "Really, only three days because before I told you, I had been supressing it all."
"That makes me feel so warm inside."
She couldn't stop the smile that crept on to her face. "Stop being cute," she urged with a feigned scowl. "It's distracting me."
He laughed, pulling her hand away from the single strand of hair as he tucked it behind her ear. "I don't mean to distract you," he whispered.
"Yes, you do," she whispered, smiling coyly. "You're hoping that if you distract me enough, I'll stop all of the questions in my head and just kiss you."
He grinned, reaching for her hand and delicately holding it in his own hand. "Is it working?"
She smiled shyly, instinctively biting down on her bottom lip. "Just about," she whispered as she gazed at him warily. She felt her heart flip flop at the way he was still looking at her. It was endearing and disconcerting at the same time. "Why me?" she blurted out in a confused whisper.
He wasn't surprised by the question. Lily was always so good at tearing herself down, not able to see the great qualities inside of her. Probably because he had always been so quick to insult those qualities. Before he could respond, she hastily continued.
"I promise you, James, I'm not anyone special," she spoke softly. The only thing he had noticed was the sound of his first name on her tongue. And he didn't hate it. She took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly, meeting his surprised gaze. "I-I'm stubborn and I'm not good at dealing with change. I have a temper and I can easily fly off the handle if provoked. I'm wildly independent, maybe too much, and I don't know how to let people in. It takes me forever to make a decision because I'm so afraid of making the wrong one. I'm wary of new people, and it's hard for me to trust people. I'm guarded, courage is so not my middle name, and I like fading into the background. I hide behind books because it's something I know and heaven help me, the unknown frightens me beyond belief."
She was shocked to see him smiling at her, unperturbed by her rant. "Lily," he whispered, dragging her name out along his tongue, "It would be easy for me to stand here and tell you that I like you in spite of all those things. But the truth it, I like you because of all those things."
She could only blink her shocked bewilderment.
He smiled at her, bringing his hand up to her cheek instinctively. "I like that when you're being stubborn, you crinkle your nose. And I like that change scares you because it just makes you more human. I like the way your eyes seem to glow green every time your temper flares up. Every time I provoked you, which I hate to tell you now was often because I enjoyed seeing you so riled up, I liked the way your cheeks flushed. I like that you're so independent because it's such a strong part of who you are. I like that you have trouble letting people in because that just means that when you do let people in, you put so much effort into keeping them in your life. I like that you weigh every option in your head before making a decision. I like that you worry about making the wrong one because it just shows how much you care. I like that when you meet new people, your green eyes narrow in these cute little slits as you size them up. I like that you're guarded because it shows that you can be vulnerable and you're afraid of getting hurt, something we all are but afraid of admitting. You are courageous even if you don't think you are and I can't comment on the whole you-fading-into-the-background thing because I have always taken notice to you. And I most definitely like that. I like that when you're immersed in a novel or a textbook, nothing can keep you from that even if a duel tapdanced on those books." He brushed his hand through her hair, causing her to look up at him. He leaned down, emphasizing his next words. "And I like that the unknown scares you because that means you are exactly like me."
She was in awe. Total and complete awe. She could barely breathe, his words hitting her like a ton of bricks. She didn't know if it was the sentiment behind the words or the fact that he recalled everything she had just said which alone amazed her, but her heart suddenly fluttered hopefully as longing coursed through her every vein for the man standing in front of her. She felt the barriers around her heart slowly fade away with each calculated word he spoke. She wanted to kiss him right then and there.
But she didn't. Because she still had fears and insecurities. She still had questions that she wanted answers to. And she couldn't just jump headfirst into this without asking those questions. Lily was very much an organized planner. She didn't do spontaneity very well. "Maybe the better question should have been why me and not Kristina?" she whispered in a small voice, the question sounding so self-deprecating even to her.
He had been hoping for another reaction, but it wasn't as if he knew she would jump into making a hasty decision about him. As they both had just pointed out, making decisions didn't come easy to her. He hesitated, thinking the question over in his head before finally saying, "Do you know what I thought the moment you told me you wanted to be with me on New Year's Eve?" he asked softly.
Her eyes narrowed curiously, uncertain where he was going with this. "What?"
"That I would be the luckiest man in the world if I were to be with you."
She felt her heart stop as a shy smile tugged at her lips.
He shrugged, a smile on his own face. "And I never once had that thought when I was with Kristina."
There was no mistaking the smile on her face now, her eyes filling with adoration. Her heart still felt so conflicted, confusion and amazement and wonder swarming it. He was staring at her with so much desirous hope that it filled her with hope as well. She just didn't know what to do with that hope
"Lily," he whispered, squeezing her hand. She looked up at him, her heart fluttering with anticipation. "Everything you do and say makes me like you even more. I tried hard to pretend like Kristina had the qualities in a girl that I wanted. And...and maybe she did. Except for one thing."
Her eyes asked the question her mouth couldn't.
His own heart fluttered with anticipation. He leaned down so his lips were a few mere centimeters away from her ear. "She wasn't you."
She had to shut her eyes tightly, trying to ignore the sudden spinning of the room around her. He was saying everything to ease her fears and it was slowly working. Something that scared the hell out of her. Because if it was working, she couldn't say no. And for the first time since she had admitted to herself (and then to Sirius...and finally to James), she didn't want to.
Something else entirely that scared the hell out of her.
"Lily," he spoke, jerking her back to the present. "Please don't be scared anymore."
A light gasp escaped her lips. It's like he could read her mind. She ignored the loud beating of her heart and said, mainly to stall, "Scared? Of what?" Stupid question. She was scared of everything. But he didn't have to know that.
"Of me. Of us," he whispered, angst written on his face. "I know I don't know you well but I've been watching you for six years. You are so good at putting up this huge wall around your heart, blocking everyone out of your life. You're afraid to let your guard down and you're afraid to let anyone get to know you. The real you. You're scared of getting hurt. And because of it, you push everyone away. Like you did with me on the balcony on New Year's Eve. And at first, I let you push me away because I was scared, too. I...I've dreamed of this for years and I was scared at the prospect of it coming true. But…but now I know this is what I want. I want to be with you, Lily, and I know that you want to be with me, too. So please," he said, desperation seeping from his eyes, "Don't push me away anymore. Because I don't know if I can deal with that again. You have to know how much I care about you, Lily. That has never been an act. Of all the games you and I have played, what my heart felt for you was never part of it. You've always had my heart. And I would love for you to keep it if you'll let me."
Lily froze, so incredibly shocked that he seemed to know her so unbelievably well. She had always been so good at keeping her emotions hidden, and yet he saw right through her like nobody else ever has. And in a way, that made him all that much more attractive to her. He was someone who was willing to stand up to her and tell her what he was really thinking. He was someone who wasn't afraid to challenge her to make her a better person. And he was someone who clearly understood her, maybe even better than she understood herself. It was something she was finding rather comforting at a time where she felt so confused and torn.
When Lily didn't reply, James shifted uncomfortably, wondering if he should have just kept his mouth shut. He stared into her eyes and said firmly, "I want to be a part of your life. I always have. In all the times I've asked you out, of all the times I've chased you, with all the times I've told you I wasn't giving up, I meant it all. Never once did I not believe in what I felt for you. I just never thought you'd ever feel the same way. And now that you're standing there telling me you do no matter how raw it might feel to you, it just makes me so grateful that I never once gave up on you."
Lily felt her heart race rapidly at the words that should have given her so much hope and happiness. But they just made her hesitate. "But you did," she said softly. "You did give up. You told me you were last year on the platform and you did. You came back to Hogwarts with another girl."
"And I kissed you three times since then," he whispered, his eyes filling with guilt. "So what does that say?"
She couldn't help but think that was a damned good question.
"Don't try to make excuses for this, Lily," he pleaded. "Stop trying to run and hide from your feelings. I am standing here telling you that you're the one I want to be with. You've always been the one I wanted to be with and I know deep down you know that. There's nothing standing in our way anymore. Kristina is gone. It's just you and me."
The idea of a 'you and me' between her and James had once been so unlikely. And yet he was standing in front of her telling her it was possible. And for the first time since she had ever met him, she actually wanted it to be possible.
"Stop fighting it," James pleaded, reaching out to brush the back of his hand against her cheek. "We can be together if you're just willing to let me in."
Lily felt herself tremble slightly. When she had discovered that she had some feelings for James, she never would have thought anything would have been done about it. And now that reality was setting in, it was all sounding so surreal.
James smiled sadly. "So I guess it's your turn to make a choice."
Lily was scared. She was especially scared of what could happen as a result of making the bolder choice. And at that moment she knew that she probably always would be scared, especially of the future. But knowing that James didn't care, knowing he still wanted to be a part of her life, and knowing that he was willing to let down all of his own defenses made Lily realize that she had to take the next step. She had to tear down that wall. Because the only thing that should matter to her - and to him - was if she wanted to be with him.
And while everything else was so confusing and while she still had so many insecurities and so many unanswered questions, the answer to that question was yes. It was that want that fueled the confusion, the insecurities, and the questions. It was that want that truly made her want to tear down the wall lining her heart.
Lily glanced up at him, her heart beating so fast and loud that she was sure James could hear it. "I-I don't know if I'll be any good at it."
James gave her a confused look. "Good at what?"
She blushed. "At...at being in a relationship," Lily mumbled.
"You think I'm any good at it?" James said with a smile. "Considering I kissed you while I was with Kristina, I would say that's a very strong no."
Lily smiled. "That's not painting you in the best light, James Potter."
He smiled, too, meeting her hesitant gaze. "I fell for you six and a half years ago, Lily Evans," he whispered. "And after last year, I tried moving on and letting go of this fantasy I had of us together but I-I never fully could. It's always been you. I want to kiss you again and tell you all of the things I should have told you in the past. That it's not a mistake. That you're not a mistake. That we're not a mistake."
She nodded slowly, taking a hesitant step closer to him.
"So please tell me you haven't let go of me yet," he continued, his lips perched right above her ear. "Because I refuse to let go of you again. I won't do it."
She felt her heart start to loosen up, immense passion ignitinh between them as he squeezed her hand.
"Let me into your heart, Lily Evans," he whispered. "And I'll let you into mine." He gave her his famous lopsided, cocky grin that made all the girls swoon. It still works, Lily thought to herself with a smile.
And as she locked eyes with him, suddenly there were no more questions. No more confusion. No more fear or hesitance. "Okay," she ultimately said.
His eyes widened with hope. "Okay?"
She nodded, a huge smile lighting up her entire face. "But you have to do one thing first."
"Oh, and what's that?"
"Kiss me."
James let out a relieved sigh, grinning from ear to ear. His smile turned coy. "No," he said slyly.
Her eyes narrowed. "Er...what?"
He chuckled, taking a timid step closer to her. The slight gap that had been there was now gone. He could see every feature of her face from her hopeful emerald eyes to her pronounced chin to the flush of her cheeks. "I've initiated the kiss four times, Lily Evans," he whispered. "I think it's about time you returned the favor."
She should have blushed. She should have felt uncomfortable and awkward at the request. But she didn't. And that's when she knew she was in this. She wanted to be with him as strange as that may have sounded. And for once, she wasn't going to fight it.
Her heart merely soared in anticipation as she met his brazen eyes. She pushed herself forward, his chest now pushing against hers hungrily as she dropped his hand and ran her fingers through his hair. "Already asking so much of me and we haven't even begun to date, hm?" she whispered teasingly, her mouth only inches away from his.
His eyes trailed down from her emerald eyes to her luscious lips. They may have kissed four times already, but this was something different entirely. Both of them wanted it this time. Both of them were practically begging the other. James wanted nothing more than to press his lips hungrily to hers but he meant what he said. He had done so much begging of her for six years. It was her turn. "Is it asking too much?" he responded coyly in a hoarse whisper.
She ignored the thumping of her heart, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck, playing with a strand of hair that rested stoically against the back of his neck. She was comforted by the fact that she could feel his heart racing, too. She shut her eyes, trying to just live in that moment without dwelling on the past and without worrying about the future. That moment was the only one that mattered to her.
I choose you, Lily Evans. The words flashed through her head. Quickly at first before resting comfortingly in the forefront of her mind. He chose her. Something that would forever shock and confuse her. And yet she didn't want it any other way. Here's a guy she spent so many years actively trying to hate. And he was now standing in front of her begging her to kiss him.
Her legs brushed his gently, a passionate spark igniting between them. When she opened her eyes, she was met with such compassion and earnesty staring down at her. He waited patiently and as the seconds ticked by, their desire for each other grew. She licked her lips and he followed suit, his smile filled with so much hope and longing. The anticipation grew frenzied, the need for each other becoming overwhelming.
"No," she finally spoke, her words trembling as their lips neared each other. "That's definitely not asking too much."
As his hands were placed rightfully against her hips, she closed the small gap between their already nearly touching mouths and finally let her lips reach his.
They tasted it all in a single kiss. Forgiveness, compassion, guilt, desire, lust, and ultimately adoration for each other. The electricity grew to an intensity that their four kisses in the past lacked. This kiss was real. It signified the beginning of a true testament to how they really felt about each other. As James' hands loomed upward to frantically tangle in her silky hair and as Lily tightened her grip around James' neck never wanting to let him go, neither could have imagined being anywhere else. James couldn't even believe that he was kissing Lily Evans. He had dreamt of this for years and a part of him hated himself for ruining the first four kisses between them. This is how it should have been all along - raw, undeniable passion. Not hesitant, confused in-the-moment lust.
Their tongues crashed into each other hungrily, their fingers dancing lightly against each others' skin, their legs brushed up against each other in a desperate need to be close. As their knees grew weak, Lily fell back against the couch with a satisfied moan, James quickly following her down, their lips never parting. Their bodies filled with overwhelming excitement and were flooded with so many different emotions. When their lips finally parted, both of them gasping for a breath, their eyes stayed focused on each other.
And in that moment filled with so much passion and fire, James knew without a doubt in his mind that he had made the right choice.
Lily couldn't have agreed more.
It took a second for James to realize that he still sat atop Lily. With a warm smile, he slowly fell to her side while his gaze never left hers. She looked bashful, surprised even with what had just occurred. He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Well, that was fun."
And suddenly the awkward moment had ended. She couldn't help but laugh and instinctively drew herself closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder.
"I really hope there's more of that to come," he continued with a light chuckle.
She turned to face him, a grin breaking out across her face. "I think that can be arranged, James."
His heart fluttered at the sound of his first name upon her tongue. "James," he repeated slowly. "I kinda like the sound of that."
"Well, it is your name."
He laughed, shoving her playfully before wrapping his arm around her neck and pressing his lips against her temple. She settled up against him with a satisfied sigh, slinging her arm across his chest as if she had been doing it for years.
"So..." she said curiously after the silence had settled in. "What now?"
He contemplated the question before smiling, a shrug on the end of his shoulders. "I have no clue. I was convinced that none of this would work so I hadn't really thought past the point of you walking into the room."
It was meant to be funny but she found herself hesitating. "And yet you broke up with Kristina first?"
He turned to look down at her, sensing her hesitation. "Of course," he spoke softly. "Even if you had said no to me, I-I couldn't go on being with Kristina when it was you I had the real feelings for."
A slight blush flickered in Lily's cheeks. "Really?"
He nodded confidently. "I've said it before, but it's always been you, Lily," he whispered, running his finger lightly down her cheek beside her hairline. She shivered at the touch, melting into it. "Even when I told myself I had gotten over my crush on you, I hadn't. I never let go of you. Never."
Her heart fluttered at the genuine feel behind his words. "Why?" she whispered. "I was a bitch to you."
He chuckled. "Yeah, well I was an arse to you so I guess we're even."
"We're going to stop being bitches and arses to each other, right?" she teased, nudging him.
"Hm, I don't know. It seems to be our thing. You sure you want to erase that completely? It did provide us with much entertainment."
Lily laughed. "I think we can find other ways to entertain ourselves?"
James' eyebrows shot up. "Oh, yeah? What ways are you thinking?"
She turned to face him, a sly smile filling her expression. "Well, for starters..." she whispered suggestively before kissing him.
His hands framed her face as their tongues tangled together in a tender embrace. He would never get tired of kissing her.
As they pulled apart (much to James' chagrin), the smiles on their faces said it all. "I can't believe this is happening," Lily whispered, nestling her head into the nook of his shoulders. "Seriously, if someone had told me just a few weeks ago that I'd be here with you, I would have laughed in their face and told them to check themselves into the insanity ward at St. Mungo's."
"Well, gee, that just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy on the inside."
She laughed, slowly reaching for his hand and running her thumb against his palm gently. "We're here now, aren't we?"
James smiled, nodding down at her. "Yes," he spoke carefuly. "Yes, we are."
Satisfaction and contentment rushed through both of them, connecting their hearts and minds in a way that had never been connected before. It wasn't going to be an easy road for them. They would still have their arguments. They would still disagree. They would continue to be stubborn, not only with each other but in everything they would do. There would still be times that relating to each other would be difficult. But from that moment on, anger and resentment wouldn't be their first reaction when things didn't go their way. It would be compassion and understanding. Compassion for the people they would become together and understanding that they had their differences but wanted to work on them as a pair instead of individuals. There was a lot in store for the two of them and they both were excited (if not a little scared) about the prospects. It was a relationship six years in the making but it was a relationship that they both finally wanted to be in. They were in it for the long haul. But neither would have wanted it any other way.
Riley and Kay slid into the breakfast table the next morning across from Remus, Sirius, and Peter. "So is it fair to say we should really just get used to the whole idea of hanging out just the five of us?" Riley murmured, reaching for a scone and tearing off a piece of it irritably.
"Or six," Sirius said with a cheeky grin as he nodded towards Jillian Greene walking into the Great Hall. "We should invite Miss Greene to join us!"
Remus glared at him. "Sirius Black, I swear to Merlin if you-"
"OY, Jillian!" Kay cried out.
"Kay!" Remus snapped. "What the hell are you doing?"
"What? The girl looks hungry."
"She can eat with her own damned friends," Remus hissed.
"What's the fun in that?" Kay snorted.
"Agreed," Sirius said with a grin. "Jillian!"
"Sirius, I'm going to murder-" Remus stopped short as Jillian strolled up to them curiously. "Hey, Jillian!"
"Er...hey guys," she said with a hesitant smile.
"Want to join us?" Sirius asked with an innocent smile, ignoring the glare that Remus was sending his way.
"Uh...yeah, sure," she said slowly, clearly under the impression that Sirius was up to something. "Let me just go tell my friends."
She wandered off and Sirius leaned in to his friends. "Okay, here's the plan to roll out Operation Get Remus and Jillian Together. We-"
"There will be no such Operation," Remus snapped.
"We stick around for a few minutes before finding an excuse to leave those two alone."
"You will do no such thing!"
"What won't look overly suspicious?" Sirius mused, dramatically stroking his chin while pondering the question.
"Bloody hell, I will murder you, Black. With my bare hands. No Avada Kedavra necessary," Remus hissed through gritted teeth as he watched Jillian wander back down to them.
"Ooh! Who wants to fake an illness?"
"And I will have no remorse. None whatsoever."
"What's going around these days? Dragon pox?" Sirius contemplated.
"I will kill anyone who even utters the word dragon pox."
Jillian returned, sliding into the bench beside Remus with a smile. She reached for a scone and buttered it, asking, "How is everyone doing?"
Riley spoke. "Well, now that you mention it, any chance you know what the symptoms are for dragon pox? Because I think-"
"Riley," Remus snapped, glaring at her as his face started growing hot.
She grinned sheepishly, waving her hand dismissively at the confused look on Jillian's face. "Never mind. I'm feeling much better all of a sudden."
"You won't be soon," Remus murmured.
Jillian's eyebrow arched. "I have a feeling I walked in on something I have no desire to ask about."
Kay grinned. "You're a smart girl, y'know that?"
Laughter filled the table and Sirius was about to bring up dragon pox again, when a voice behind them stopped him.
"Hey."
They all stiffened at the familiar voice of Kristina, slowly turning around to face her. She solemnly handed Sirius an old, raggedy sweatshirt. "Can you give this back to James for me?" she asked grimly.
Sirius sighed. "I'm not giving James anything," he murmured. "Why don't you give it back to him yourself?"
Kristina stared at Sirius in surprise, standing there in shocked silence. She cleared her throat, muttering, "He...he didn't tell you?"
Sirius gave her a look of extreme confusion. "Tell me what?"
Kristina looked around at the group and noticed their similar perplexed looks as well. "He didn't tell any of you?"
"Tell us what?" Peter demanded.
It was at that moment that the loudest gasp escaped from Sirius' mouth. He jumped up from the table and covered his mouth in shock, trying not to show Kristina his delight. "Oh, my God," Sirius said, his eyes widening. "He didn't."
Kristina nodded slowly, staring down at the ground awkwardly. "He did," she muttered.
"Did what?" Kay whined. She really hated not knowing anything.
Kristina and Sirius shared a look, one filled with regret and guilt. While Sirius had wanted this all along, it wasn't as if he wanted to watch how hurt Kristina got. "I'm sorry," he said lamely.
"Yeah," she whispered. "So am I."
"Okay, does someone want to fill in the rest of us?" Riley demanded. "What the hell is going on? What did James do?"
Kristina dropped the sweatshirt on the table and with one last somber glance at Sirius, simply walked away from the table and out of the Great Hall, tears escaping from her eyes.
The five remaining turned to Sirius with questioning eyes. "Well?" Kay asked.
Sirius was too shocked to say anything. Words weren't coming to him and nothing made sense to him anymore. "Oh my God...I can't believe…I don't know…oh my God."
"What?" Riley cried out, giving him a look of pure irritation. "What is so 'oh my God!'"
A smile formed on Sirius' lips as he stood up from the table. "I-I gotta go talk to James."
"What? That's it?" Riley snapped.
"Aren't you still mad at him?" Remus questioned.
Sirius grinned. "Nah, not anymore," he said proudly.
"What? Why?" Riley asked. "What the hell is going on?"
"Yeah, doesn't James have a say in that?" Kay joked.
Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "I think he'll agree with me," he said giddily. He grabbed the sweatshirt and shoveled one last piece of bacon in his mouth before skipping out of the Great Hall.
"SIRIUS!" they all cried out after him, but he didn't stop to acknowledge them as he rushed out the door and off to James' room.
"What the hell was that about?" Peter demanded to know.
No one responded immediately, glancing amongst themselves as if someone else would have an answer. Eventually, Riley spoke.
"I think he might be coming down with Dragon Pox. We should probably go after-"
"Riley!"
Knock, knock.
James yawned and crawled out of bed, glancing at the clock on his bedside and gasping at the time. "Damnit!" he muttered to himself when he realized he had overslept. He trudged over to the door and opened it, surprised to see Sirius standing there. "Uh…hey, Sirius."
Sirius grinned.
"Okay, why are you standing in my doorway wearing a really creepy smile and holding my sweatshirt?" James asked curiously. "In fact, why are you standing in my doorway at all? Aren't you still frustrated with me? We didn't make up last night, did we?" James thought back and shook his head. "Nope, you and me making up did not make the very eventful list of the happenings of last night."
"You broke up with Kristina," Sirius blurted out.
James froze. "Oh God, please tell me that's not around school yet."
"You broke up with Kristina," he repeated.
James sighed and casually leaned against the doorframe. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I was there when it happened," he murmured. "What's your point?"
Sirius handed James the sweatshirt and shrugged. "You broke up with Kristina."
James rolled his eyes and threw the sweatshirt on to his desk chair beside him. "Sirius, why are you here?"
"Because you broke up with Kristina," Sirius grinned.
James sighed. "Okay, I'm going to close the door and get ready for my day now. However, if you'd like to stay outside my door repeating that I broke up with Kristina over and over, I can't object. It's a free country."
Sirius couldn't help but laugh. "I just can't believe you broke up with her!"
"Okay, closing door now," James grunted, stepping back in his attempt to shut Sirius out.
Sirius held his hand out before James could disappear back into his room. "James, you actually listened to me," he pointed out smugly. "You took my advice! That's a first, so naturally I needed to gloat about it."
"Well you've gloated about—wait a minute, I didn't take your advice!" James argued, giving him a look. "What advice? Choose a girl? Because that's not advice, that's something I already knew I had to do. I didn't need you reminding me of that."
"Clearly you did because it worked," Sirius responded with a grin.
"Again, this has nothing to do with you," James argued, ignoring the fact that that was a lie. But Sirius had been right all along. He wasn't about to let him be right yet again.
Sirius pouted. "How come I never win?"
James rolled his eyes. "Because I'm Head Boy. I think it's in the contract somewhere that I always get to win."
Sirius made a face. "But you did break up with Kristina, right?"
James nodded. "Yes, I think you established that five times already."
"So you must have taken someone's advice," Sirius contemplated curiously.
"What makes you think I took anyone's advice? Why couldn't I just have done this on my volition?" James demanded, scowling.
"You've had five months to do break up with her on your own and you've done nothing," Sirius said dryly.
James opened his mouth to object but chose to shrug instead. "Alright, you make a good point."
"So? How did you come to the realization that you and Kristina weren't meant to be?"
James smiled slowly and reminisced on the previous week and the happenings with Lily. "Does it matter?" he eventually said. "We're broken up. Isn't that what you wanted?"
Sirius shook his head. "Not necessarily."
"What? Wasn't that the point of your lecture at breakfast the other day?"
Sirius shook his head. "You really weren't listening, were you?" he snickered. "My point was to make a choice. Don't lead them both on at the same time and figure out if you really know what love is. I wouldn't care if you had chosen Kristina as long as you actually chose her and not half-heartedly."
"Liar," James laughed, rolling his eyes. "You wanted me to choose Lily the whole time."
Sirius grinned. "Okay, yeah, I did," he admitted. He paused and then gasped slightly. "Oh my God, you took her advice."
James blushed, knowing that it was more of the advice Lily didn't give that he had listened to. "So what if I did? Lily's a smart girl. She's Head Girl for Merlin's sake! She has to give good advice. Again, I think it's in the contract."
"You took her advice over mine?" Sirius whined. "I can't believe I got beaten by a girl!"
"Well, we all won really," James pointed out.
"How do we all win? Lily's advice is taken, you get the girl, and I'm standing in a doorway with my best friend who's not wearing a shirt. I'm not exactly seeing how I win in this situation."
James hesitated. "You're right, just Lily and I win."
Sirius glared at him.
He laughed. "Well if it makes you feel any better, I didn't exactly take Lily's advice," James explained. "I took the opposite of her advice. She pushed me towards Kristina and I-I realized last night that I couldn't let her do that."
"How profound of you," Sirius muttered, shaking his head. "And I'm pretty sure I was the one who told you not so nicely to pick a bloody girl already and stick with that decision. So advice was given to you m'friend and I believe it was taken."
"Again, nothing to do with you."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "You're a prat, y'know that?"
"Yes, actually, I did."
Sirius chuckled. "How'd it go with Lily-bean anyway?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm assuming you and Lily-bean are together," Sirius explained. James hesitated, causing Sirius to scowl. "Please tell me you're with Lily now. Because if you broke up with Kristina and didn't try to get with Lily, you're an even bigger idiot than I thought."
"Oh, gee, how encouraging," James snorted, giving him a look.
"So?"
"So?" James repeated innocently, a coy smile creeping on to his face.
Sirius scoffed. "Don't so me back, Potter. Please tell me you made a move on the girl you've been lusting after for nearly seven years."
"I have not been lusting after her for seven years!"
"I know. I said for nearly seven years."
"Sirius."
Sirius grinned. "Please just tell me you made a move on her last night and feel free to divulge all of the details."
James rolled his eyes irritably, and was about to answer when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "James, do you realize that—SIRIUS!" Lily cried out in horror when she saw him standing before her, covering herself up as she was just wearing a very flimsy nightgown.
Sirius gave James a horrified look. "Bloody hell, on the first night, James?"
"NO!" both James and Lily cried out.
Lily glared at Sirius. "Do you honestly think I'd do that?"
Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. You're with James now. Anything's possible."
Lily smacked him on the back of his head.
"Or not."
Lily rolled her eyes. "We didn't do anything," she explained. "We were just sleeping."
Sirius hesitated, a coy smile creeping on to his lips. "Hm…okay, okay. I can work with this…"
Lily's eyes narrowed at the amusement on Sirius' face. "Do I even want to know what means?"
"Probably not," he pondered, waving his hand dismissively. "I just plan on embellishing the whole 'sleeping' part a bit more when I tell the whole school about this chance encounter."
"SIRIUS!" they both shouted.
Sirius laughed and ducked from their swinging hands. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"
Lily and James glared at him.
"Okay, I'm half-kidding."
Lily slapped him again.
"Fine, fine, I'll only embellish when I tell Remus and Peter."
"SIRIUS!"
"Okay, okay!" Sirius cried out with a laugh. "But could you give me something to tell the school. James, just kiss her or…or fondle her boob!"
"SIRIUS!"
Sirius laughed and ran out of the room quickly as James started chasing him out of the private quarters and down the hallway.
Lily just smiled, wondering what she had gotten herself into.
Sirius wandered into Charms class with a huge smile on his face, taking a seat beside Remus and Peter and in front of Riley and Kay.
"He looks delusional," Riley said dryly.
"Nope, just happy," Sirius replied.
"About what?" Remus asked. "What made you go skipping out of the Great Hall this morning?"
"I wasn't skipping!" Sirius argued. "I was merely…er...scampering."
Kay snorted. "You think scampering is better than skipping?"
"I don't know, it's too early to act like a thesaurus," he whined.
Remus rolled his eyes. "We're getting off-topic. Why are you so happy? And why did you scamper out of the Great Hall this morning? And why did you leave without finishing the bacon on your plate? And why is the fight between you and James over? And why couldn't Kristina give James the sweatshirt herself? And what did James do or didn't do? And why-"
"I lost you at 'we're getting off-topic,'" Sirius interrupted.
Remus sighed. "You are so hopeless."
Sirius laughed. "You'll probably find out the answers to those questions in about thirty seconds."
They all exchanged confused glances before slowly turning back to Sirius. Kay sighed. "Okay, I'll take this question," she opted. "How will we find out those answers in thirty seconds?"
Sirius grinned and pointed towards the door. "That's how."
They all turned around and saw James walk through the door, Lily right behind him. They were sharing a laugh.
They all turned back to Sirius. "Yeah, that pretty much doesn't answer any of my questions," Remus said, giving him a look.
Sirius snickered, a sly grin breaking out as Lily and James made their way over to them. Sirius glanced back towards Remus. "Guess who got together last night?" He ignored the glares from James and Lily.
There was a long pause. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're referring to," Remus eventually said, quirking an eyebrow. "In fact, that merely begs yet another question: what the hell are you talking about?"
James gave Sirius a look as he slipped into the empty desk behind his friends. "Don't you ever keep your mouth shut?"
"It doesn't matter that he's not keeping his mouth shut," Riley chimed in, shaking her head. "He's not making any sense."
Sirius grinned, sharing a look with James and Lily. "Oh, go on, tell them."
"Tell us what?" Kay snapped.
Lily blushed and turned away, a smile growing on her face. James could only grin, glancing adoringly over at his new girlfriend. He would never get tired of using that word. "Really, it's not a big deal," Lily murmured, embarrassed.
She nor James were surprised when Sirius burst into laughter. "You two dating is not a big deal?" he snorted, turning back towards his other friends. "That is a load of bullshit, Lily-bean."
"WHAT?"
"Sirius!" James groaned as a group of people stared over at them.
"What? They're your friends. They should know!" Sirius argued.
"I don't care if they know," James hissed. "I just don't want the whole damn school knowing so please keep your voices down!"
"Bloody hell, how the hell did this happen?" Kay demanded, glancing towards Lily curiously. "A week ago, you punched him in the face!"
"A lot can happen in a week," Lily explained with a simple shrug.
"Wait…aren't you…hold on…so this morning…Kristina…how did…okay, awkward question: aren't you dating a girl called Kristina Reinhart?" Remus sighed, glancing towards James. "About yay high, blonde hair, blue eyes."
"We're not together anymore," he murmured sheepishly.
"Holy Merlin, you broke up with Kristina?" Remus hissed, making sure to keep his voice down.
James nodded.
"But you told her you loved her?" Remus hissed.
James nodded again.
"And then kissed Lily on the balcony?" Remus hissed.
James nodded sheepishly.
"And then went back with Kristina?"
James frowned hesitantly.
"And then broke up with her?"
James bit the inside of his lip.
"And then got together with Lily?" Remus asked in surprise.
James paused. "This isn't making me look too good, is it?"
"No, not even a little bit," Remus snickered, shrugging. "I just can't believe this. I never thought you'd actually listen to Sirius."
"HAH!" Sirius called out, looking at James smugly. "See, even Remus thinks you listened to me?"
"Sirius, no one ever listens to you," he sighed.
Before Sirius could retort, Peter interrupted. "Can we go back to questioning what the hell happened last night?"
"No," Lily muttered irritably, biting her fingernail as a few Hufflepuffs were attempting to listen on. "At least not here. We do not need to become the gossip around this school."
"People are going to find out eventually, y'know," Sirius pointed out.
"Eventually is fine. But I don't need Lily and me to be the word around the school right now. We don't need their judgment and frankly, neither does Kristina," James pointed out, glancing at Lily, hoping she would understand that.
Thankfully, Lily nodded. "Why make a big thing out of it right now? Can't we figure this out on our own without the entire school's scrutiny?"
Sirius and Riley shared a furtive glance, smiling slyly as they thought about their own predicament. "Yeah," Riley eventually said. "I-I guess that makes perfect sense."
Kay pouted, slumping down in her seat. "This sucks. Something good finally comes from your two bickering all these years and now we can't even talk about it."
"Well, talk about this instead," Sirius said slyly. "Lily-bean spent the night in James' room last night."
"SIRIUS!"
Lily and James still kept their new relationship a secret from everyone, but found themselves extremely grateful that they had the privacy of their own quarters for all of their rendez-vous. It made Lily nervous in the beginning, the idea of having James around all the time, but they quickly fell into a comfortable routine. They would spend their free time during the day cuddling on their couch while studying for their exams and essays and inevitably ended up curling up into James' bed at night, where Lily came to realize how much she enjoyed being in his arms. He didn't overstep his boundaries and he didn't try to. It wasn't about a physical relationship for them; it was just about being with each other. They would only really emerge for classes and for meals. Even meals had been shortened recently so that they can whisk themselves away from everyone else and their scrutiny. If they had to hear one more crude joke from Sirius or endure any more questioning from Riley and Kay or deal with the reminder that everyone would find out from Remus or face Peter's constant disbelief, they knew they would scream.
On that particular Friday night, Sirius barged into their private quarters and insisted they join all of their friends in the Gryffindor common room. He had claimed that four days stowed away was enough and it was time to realize that they had other friends beside each other. James felt guilty and Lily just found herself grateful for all of the help and advice that Sirius had given to her over the past month about James, that neither felt it was worth it to argue.
So the whole crowd was in the common room late that Friday night: James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Riley, and Kay. Even Jillian and Dezzy had joined them.
"Sirius, you're seriously perverted," Lily mentioned.
"Oh come on! A sexy mother is every young boy's dream," Sirius argued, turning towards the guys. "Back me up guys!"
James snorted. "You're on your own, mate. I like people my own age, thank you."
"That's not what you said about Mrs. Gilmore a few years back," Dezzy teased.
"DEZZY!" James groaned.
"Er...come again?" said Riley, giving James a disgusted look.
James gave her a sheepish look. "I was thirteen! I had raging hormones then!"
Riley shuddered. "I'm scarred for life."
"Well, let's face it, Gilmore," Sirius claimed. "For having had six kids, she was a hot woman."
Riley gave him an intrigued look. "Please tell me you did not just say that."
"I did," Sirius replied immediately, a sly grin on his face. "And in case you were wondering, she looks even better in my fantasies."
"One, I wasn't even remotely wondering that," she groaned. "And two, please promise me you'll never fantasize about my mother again."
"Don't be jealous," Sirius said with a giddy grin. "I've fantasized about you, too."
"Oh, that's good to know," she muttered, shuddering.
"And sometimes I fantasize about your mother and you together."
"Okay, you need to stop talking before I throw up," James interjected. Mrs. Gilmore was like a second mother to him.
"Don't be jealous," Sirius replied. "I fantasize about-"
"DON'T FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" James cried. "People already think we're gay!"
"I was going to say I've fantasized about your mother, but what were you thinking?" Sirius snickered.
"Eww, she's practically your mother," Dezzy laughed.
"Yeah, well not when I was thirteen and I didn't live in your house," Sirius pointed out with a grin. "The only reason I ever came to visit James was to see her…and you of course," he teased.
"Sirius, that's my sister!" James complained.
"Wow," Jillian muttered. "What am I getting myself into?"
"If it makes you feel any better, Remus is the normal one in this group," Peter chimed in.
"HEY!" James and Sirius both cried together.
Peter gave them a look. "You two are really going to argue your normalcy? James, you debated this morning whether your glasses made your eyes look watery. And Sirius, you made a food sculpture at lunch today with leftover vegetables."
Sirius grinned. "Well, they were going to go to waste otherwise. Who wants to eat squash and broccoli and asparagus anyway?"
"I happen to like squash and broccoli and asparagus," Riley chimed in.
"That's because you're not right in the head."
"We were talking about your normalcy, not mine," she scowled, the ends of her mouth tugging upward.
Sirius couldn't help but laugh, which offered up a confusing vibe for the rest of them. None of them seemed to know what was going on between Sirius and Riley. It almost seemed as if the two of them were heading down a path towards friendship, but their friends of course didn't doubt that somehow one of them would screw it up. But any day where the two of them weren't bickering was a good one in their minds, wondering if it could ever really last. "The only normal one in this group is Jillian," Sirius argued, shooting a smile in her direction. "But that's merely because she hasn't been around us long enough."
"So what you're saying is I should really just get out now if I stand any chance of keeping what little normalcy I actually have?" she murmured, making a face.
"Yes, precisely."
Remus smacked him on the back of his head. "Sirius, you need to learn how to shut up."
He hesitated. "I'm not sure I know the meaning of those words."
"Why does that not surprise me?" Remus snorted.
"That doesn't surprise any of us," Lily chimed in with a cheeky grin.
"Eh, so what? I'm loud, I'm proud, so let's go get plowed!" Sirius responded.
He may not know when to shut up, but he certainly could create a ripple of laughter through all of his friends.
"Must I remind you that a blizzard warning is in effect right now?" James pointed out. "I'm not traipsing to Hogsmeade."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "You're just saying that because you'd rather spend your time canoodling with Lily-bean."
Lily and James tensed up immediately, noting the shocked, confused glances on Dezzy and Jillian's faces. "Er…what?" Dezzy demanded.
Sirius hesitated. "Maybe I do need to learn how to shut up."
"Ya think?" Lily groaned, shooting him a look.
"Um, I repeat my earlier question: what?" Dezzy asked, raising her voice slightly.
Silence followed as the seven friends exchanged uncomfortable glances, no one sure how to respond.
"Whoa, didn't realize you guys could stay silent for that long," Jillian joked, unnerved by the awkward silence.
James shrugged, struggling to find a subject change. "Hey, has anyone done the Astronomy assignment yet for Monday?"
Jillian smirked. "On a scale from 1-10 with 1 being the worst subject change in history, yours was definitely a zero."
"What subject change? I really have to do it and I haven't started," James explained with an innocent smile.
"Alright, what's going on?" Dezzy demanded.
The seven exchanged another round of looks before Sirius sighed and shrugged, turning to glance towards James. "Sorry, mate," he winced. "But she is your sister. She'll find out eventually."
"There's that damn word 'eventually' again," James groaned.
"Seriously, bro, why would you be canoodling with Lily?" Dezzy dared to ask.
He smiled sheepishly, glancing at Lily out of the corner of her eye. She looked rather reserved and simply nodded her approval. "Lily and I are dating."
No one was surprised when two shrieks followed. "What?"
"SHH!" James cried out, covering his sister's mouth. "No one in the school knows about this yet and I'll be damned if you're going to scream it out to them."
She gave him an apologetic look as he took his hand away from her mouth. "Well, sorry, but maybe you shouldn't be springing this news to me in the middle of the common room," she hissed.
"Technically, Sirius did that," Riley pointed out.
"Shh, don't remind him," Sirius murmured.
Dezzy ignored him. "So I'm assuming you and Kristina broke up?" she asked, her curious gaze on her brother.
James glared at her. "I'm not about to cheat on the girl. What kind of guy do you think I am?"
Sirius snorted. "So, those kisses you and Lily-"
"Learn when to shut up, Padfoot!" James barked.
"Whoa, kisses? What kisses? Details!" Dezzy begged.
James glared at Sirius.
"Oops?"
James sighed. "Kristina and I broke up on Monday night, Dez," he murmured, hoping to steer the conversation away from Lily.
"And when did you and Lily get together?"
He hesitated.
She smirked. "Let me guess: Monday night?"
"I'm beginning to sound like a man whore, aren't I?" he muttered, slumping down.
Eight resounding yeses followed.
James gave Lily a look. "Aren't you supposed to be on my side?"
She grinned. "I didn't say I didn't enjoy dating a man whore, did I?"
James chuckled, reaching for her hand instinctively.
"So, this might be a dumb question," Jillian interjected, confused. "Don't you two hate each other?"
They all erupted into laughter and Remus sighed. "On a day where you have seven hours to spare, I'll tell you the whole story."
"Oh God, it's one of those," she sighed, giving them all a smile to show she was joking.
"Please don't tell anyone," James warned his sister and Jillian. "We don't want it to get around school yet."
"What? You tell me this huge secret and I can't even tell anyone!" Dezzy whined.
Sirius popped up out of his chair and gave Dezzy a look of mischief. "Well if you really want a story to tell, Lily spent the night-"
"SIRIUS!" the other six chorused together.
Sirius just grinned.
A/N: Well they're FINALLY together! Only took them 50 chapters...haha, and about seven months. This was one of my favorite chapters to write, especially with Sirius (who I absolutely ADORE!) so I hope you enjoyed reading it as much I enjoyed writing it. I only have 1 more chapter to go (I can't believe this story is coming to an end!) and then comes the sequel (yay!) so don't worry, you'll see plenty more of James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily, Riley, and Kay!
