Poppy's POV

Following the Ravenclaw Hufflepuff match I kept a close eye on Lily and James seeing how despite Priya's protestations about Lily and me, they did seem to continually drift together. Priya had been very unhappy with James after the quidditch match as she had apparently seen him with both Lily and I and they'd argued…again. James however, had told me he'd stood his ground with her and told her that I had needed him in that instance, and he wasn't going to allow me to be worried about something because she didn't like it. I was taken aback but he had acted stubborn about it all, calling Lily over and telling her to stop avoiding sitting with him from now on. Lily had blushed and I glanced at James to see him look surprised by her reaction, looking quizzically at me but I just shrugged. Lily had managed to pull herself together and say she wouldn't which seemed to please James, but he still looked surprised by her reaction, not saying anything though.

At the start of December, we were at dinner when James, Sirius, Lily and I received unexpected post, discovering that we'd been invited to a Christmas party hosted by Professor Slughorn. We were regulars of his evening 'get togethers': James and Lily as head boy and girl were natural invites, Sirius was convinced his was because of his surname and mine, well, I had a horrible feeling he knew about my light magic which is why I was there. Anyway, we'd all been invited, and the invites said we could bring somebody if we wanted to.

"Pop will you go with me?" Sirius asked with his crooked smile which still made my heart go all funny, even now.

"Of course I will" I told him, thinking it was cute he would still ask me. He seemed pleased with my response, beaming at me before turning to James.

"Are you going to ask Priya?" he asked him and James for some reason glanced at Lily who was still looking at her invite as though she found it fascinating.

"I don't know. Lily do you think Slughorn would expect us to go together as we're Heads?" he asked her, and she looked up in surprise at the fact he was talking to her.

"Huh?" she asked, looking confused and I frowned at her, wondering what was up.

"I was just wondering whether you thought Slughorn would expect us to go together because we're head boy and girl" James repeated and I saw Lily blush, quickly shaking her head and look down as though composing herself. I think she was liking James more and more every day judging by the blushes that graced her face whenever James spoke to her.

"If you wanted to ask Priya I'm sure that would be fine" she told him quietly, finally looking back up and giving him a small smile. I looked over at the guys who were both looking at Lily with baffled looks before Sirius looked at me questioningly. I hurriedly removed my smile, but I think he saw it as he raised his eyebrows at me. I shrugged, turning my attention back to my dinner to avoid any questions.

"Hmmm, who would you go with then?" I heard James ask Lily and now I couldn't help but look back up as I too was curious. Lily however just shrugged in response, turning back to her food.

"I duno. I might not ask anybody" she told him, and I saw him frown at this, but he didn't say anything, looking thoughtful as he too turned his attention back to dinner.

"Well, you guys are all weirdly quiet" Fiona said as she joined us, sitting next to me with Remus sitting next to Sirius.

"Where've you been?" I asked her curiously, not having seen her since Transfiguration.

"Just been doing some extra quidditch with Remus" she said casually as she helped herself to some casserole.

"Hey, what about us?" Sirius pouted, gesturing to him and James. Remus laughed at this, shaking his head.

"We didn't know where you two were. We can't invite you if we don't know" he pointed out and Sirius shook his head as though severely disappointed but didn't say anything. Instead, he caught my eye and looked pointedly at Lily but again I just shrugged. I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to be able to keep him at bay.

Bloody storms. I jumped for what felt like the hundredth time before giving up and getting up, thinking I would go and sit in the common room and read for a bit. I grabbed Sirius's jumper, knowing his smell would chill me out before creeping out of the dormitory and down to the empty common room. I had just shrugged into Sirius's jumper and curled up with my book when I heard footsteps on the stairs and turned to see Sirius appear, yawning and ruffling his hair.

"Hey beautiful" he greeted me as though this situation were perfectly normal as he came and sat next to me on the sofa, putting an arm around me and gently pulling me to him.

"What are you doing up?" I asked him although I was secretly very glad, he was here, already feeling more relaxed.

"I knew you were awake. Then I heard the storm and figured you'd want some company" he said simply, again as though this were normal. Sometimes I forgot we had a bond which apparently extended to him knowing when I was worried and awake in the middle of the night. "Do you want to come sleep with me?" he asked, yawning again and I felt bad as he was obviously shattered.

"I don't know if I can sleep just yet. But you go back to bed, I'll be fine" I told him, and I felt him turn to look at me, shaking his head.

"Purple says otherwise" he said, and I felt him adjust himself, sliding down the sofa a bit and bringing me with him.

"Sirius, really" I said but I felt him shake his head.

"Not going anywhere" he said simply, yawning again. I was about to retaliate when we heard footsteps, the both of us turning and seeing James appear.

"Figured you got up because of Poppy" he said looking at Sirius as he sat in the armchair facing us.

"What are you doing up?" I asked him, wondering why he was awake at this time. For some reason he sighed and ran a hand through his hair before replying.

"I wanted to talk to you. To both of you" he said, taking me by surprise and I sat up a bit, feeling Sirius do the same. We both sat in silence, waiting for James to speak.

"Do you think I should ask Lily to go to Slughorn's Christmas thing?" he asked us. I blinked in surprise, not having seen this question coming.

"Are you not asking Priya?" I asked him in return, and he shrugged.

"I…I don't know. I…well I don't want Lily to not go with anybody" he said slowly as though he were still processing his thoughts. It was clearly occupying a large part of his mind if he was up at this time wanting to talk about it. "Do you really think she won't ask anyone?" he asked, question being directed at me. My honest, gut feeling was a strong no so if I said something different my eyes would change to purple. I needed to be careful.

"I just think she thinks it's a lot of effort for one night" I said instead, not directly answering his question and I hoped this would be enough. He frowned, looking thoughtful again.

"If you don't ask Priya but do ask Lily, Priya is going to go mental" Sirius told him and I nodded in agreement. James rolled his eyes at this.

"I'm starting to think my relationship with Priya is more hassle than it's worth" he admitted, sounding a little sad.

"But you still like her" I stated, and he nodded.

"I mean yes but she has a go at me for nothing, doesn't like me being friends with you or Lily I mean, seriously. I don't think I can go on like this" he told us, sounding exasperated. I had to admit, when he put it like that it did sound pretty bad. "But that's not the point. Do you think I should ask Lily to go with me?" he persisted. There was a very large part of me screaming for him to ask her, I think this part was my heart, but my head was telling me logically, he should ask Priya so as to not cause any further disruption to his relationship.

"I dunno mate. People will expect you to take your girlfriend" Sirius pointed out and I saw James slump in his chair as though that wasn't the answer he wanted. "But if you were…worried you could always ask Lily to go with you in the capacity you suggested: as head boy and head girl" Sirius continued and I saw James perk up a bit at this. I glanced at him when James wasn't looking, and he winked at me; he was evidently still of the opinion James liked Lily. For her sake I hope he did, but I wasn't completely convinced.

"Pop what do you think of that?" he asked me, and I had to consider this for a moment. As I did, I saw him smile and rolled my eyes.

"Yes, my eyes. I know" I told him, making him laugh. "Firstly, can I just say I think it's really nice of you to think about Lily" I said, and he smiled at me, shrugging.

"We've become friends. If it were you, I'd do the same" he said simply, making me doubt Sirius even more than I had before. I didn't want to encourage Lily if James didn't feel the same way. "Secondly?" he prompted me, shaking me from my thoughts. I hesitated, not sure if what I wanted to say was a good idea anymore. "Pop?" he questioned and seeing as I didn't have anything else, I would have to go with my initial idea.

"I think Sirius is right. You could tell Priya you're going as Head boy and girl as it's a school thing" I said slowly, and James's expression cleared as though pleased with the result.

"Okay, I think I'll do that. Reckon Lily would be okay with it?" he asked now. Obviously she would, woman would be bloody thrilled.

"I think so" I told him with a shrug, hoping I was casual enough.

"Okay, great" he said happily, getting up with a smile. "I'll ask her tomorrow then" he told us, stretching and yawning. "Thanks guys. Night" he said jovially as he made his way upstairs. Sirius and I sat in silence until we heard the door go and he turned to me with a grin.

"I'm telling you. He definitely likes her" he told me, pulling me against him as we curled up again. Oh, I really hoped so.

Lily's POV

Saturday, I woke up to snow falling heavily past the window and I laid there for a moment, content to watch it fall. I heard a movement opposite and sitting up, saw a blur before feeling Poppy budge me up. I laughed quietly, moving up for her as she joined me in bed.

"Morning" she whispered with a smile which I returned.

"Morning" I whispered back equally as quiet, not wanting to wake Alice or Fi.

"So, we didn't get a chance to talk about James asking you to Slughorn's" she whispered with a grin and obviously I blushed. My heart hammered at the memory of him asking me. I know it was casual and we were simply going as heads but still, my mind had run away with me and the memory of it always made me smile. But then I would catch myself, remembering he was in a relationship and it felt as though I had been winded. How had this happened to me? Poppy nudged me, pulling me from my memories and she was still grinning.

"You bloody know how I feel" I whispered back, and she laughed, a bit louder than she had obviously intended as she quickly covered her mouth. "But Pop he's with Priya" I voiced my worry and I saw her facial expression quickly change, a frown replacing the smile.

"Look I know but…well it's not working out so well" she admitted to me. "I'm not saying they're going to break up or anything but, oh I don't know. Just, take the opportunity and run with it" she told me with a small smile. I sighed but nodded, figuring she was right. "We'll make sure you look extra beautiful" she whispered. "Hey, we can get ready together!" she continued excitedly, and I nodded, thinking I'd actually enjoy it.

"We can get ready at mine" I suggested, and she nodded, eyes alight with excitement in the way I saw Sirius's and James's. Hmmm, how to use this to my advantage. Luckily, I had some time to think about it.

Poppy's POV

Lily and I had a great time getting ready together for Slughorn's, the both of us having a cheeky drink as we got ready. I had to say, I was excited to see how James would react when he saw Lily as she truly looked absolutely stunningly beautiful in a black, plunge dress which showed off her figure to perfection. She had curled her hair and taken her time with her make-up so that by the time she was finished she just looked incredible.

"Lily I think you're going to give him a heart attack" I told her as she applied a spritz of perfume, grinning at me.

"You think he'll like it?" she asked, and I nodded as I slipped into my heels.

"I think he's not going to know what hit him" I replied with a smile as she moved to take a big swig of her drink.

"And you're sure this is a good idea?" she questioned, sounding nervous.

"Of course," I said with confidence as I stood and adjusted my dress.

"Pop you look amazing" Lily said from behind me, making me blush. I had to admit I did love this dress; it was a dark green colour with simple, thin straps which flowed out at my waist, a slit up the side. Simple but I loved it and hoped Sirius would too. "Look, Sirius is going to want to whisk you away early but please don't leave me" Lily pleaded and I turned to her with a smile.

"Of course" I said and she relaxed a little. "Right, shall we?" I asked her and she nodded but looked nervous.

"I'm just going to go to the toilet. You go, I'll meet you out there" she told me. I hesitated but she shoo'd me out as she went to the bathroom and not wanting to linger, I did as she said, taking a breath before opening her door and heading out into the common room where Sirius and James were waiting. Upon hearing the door, they both jumped up from the sofa's where they had been waiting, both of them looking really good in their suits. My eyes found Sirius who was staring at me, the intensity of his gaze making me blush.

"Poppy you look…you look breath-takingly beautiful" he told me with his crooked smile as he met me halfway across the room, pulling me to him and kissing me softly. His hands held me tightly as I breathed in the scent of his cologne, the smell flooding my senses and making me relax into him. The sound of James clearing his throat pulled us apart and I turned to see him grinning at us. Sirius was still holding me flush against him and I gently brushed his shoulder, getting him to relax his grip on me so I could step back.

"He's right, you do look beautiful" James told me with a smile, making me blush again. "Where's Lily?" he asked me, and I nodded to her door. I gently manoeuvred Sirius and I so that we would be able to see the both of them when she appeared, hearing movement from her room.

"Watch him" Sirius murmured quietly to me, not really needing to as I had every intention of doing so. A moment later Lily appeared, and I turned my attention to James: his eyes widened, and I saw him run an eye over her as a smile appeared.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting" she said nervously, appearing to break James from his trance.

"Lily you look amazing" he told her, sounding slightly breathless and she blushed, looking down at her dress and not at him. It took her a moment before she looked back at him and I saw him still staring at her as though he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

"Oh, thanks" she managed to reply. "I like your suit" she told him quietly and he smiled at her.

"Thanks" he replied, his voice equally as quiet as they looked at each other. I genuinely felt as though I was intruding on something and that Sirius and I shouldn't be here right now. I shifted slightly, feeling Sirius put an arm around my waist.

"I know you know something" he whispered very quietly to me, but the sound was enough to make both James and Lily jump and turn to us. "Shall we?" Sirius asked as though nothing had happened and they both nodded. Sirius steered me out of their common room, taking my hand when we got outside and waited for James and Lily. When they appeared, James offered Lily his arm with a smile and, blushing, Lily took it as we set off to the party. I would be keeping a very close eye on those two tonight.

Lily's POV

My heart was thudding like crazy as we made our way to the party, my arm linked with James's. It felt slightly surreal that this was all happening and as we went, I did my best to get my emotions and feelings under control, not wanting them to hamper my evening.

"Are you looking forward to this?" I realised James was talking to me and nodded, giving him a smile.

"It should be good. I've heard Slughorn often invites people from previous Slug Clubs and uses this as a sort of networking event so it's a good opportunity" I realised I was nervously talking and hoped he didn't realise. He gave me the smile that made my heart go all funny and I did my utmost best not to blush.

"What is it you want to do when we leave?" he asked conversationally, seeming way more relaxed than I was. That was bad right? That showed he didn't like me in any way at all. He was still looking at me and I realised he was waiting for a response.

"I've been thinking about healing" I told him truthfully.

"I can see you doing that" he replied, his smile widening. I was momentarily stunned before I shook myself. Merlin I was an embarrassment.

"How about you?" I asked in response, diverting attention from myself.

"I'm not sure but I've been thinking about becoming an auror" he told me thoughtfully and I found myself smiling.

"Why does that not surprise me?" I asked, making him laugh.

"I'm not that predictable, am I?" he asked in return and I shrugged which only made him laugh again. By this time, we were at the party and you could hear the music drift out into the corridor. "Ready?" he asked me now, and I noticed him straighten up slightly. I nodded, seeing Poppy and Sirius glance back at us before they went in, the music becoming louder when they opened the door. "Okay, networking here we come" he said with a smile, making me laugh as he let go of my arm and instead put a hand on my back, guiding me in. Naturally I blushed at the contact, hoping he couldn't see me right now. When we got in it was filled with quite a few people already and I quickly found Poppy and Sirius, making my way there. I was very aware that James still had his hand on my back and that we were now surrounded by a lot of people; this was definitely getting back to Priya. I instantly felt awful, wishing he'd invited her and not me. Something must have shown in my face as Poppy looked at me with slight concern.

"James shall we go hunt down some drinks?" Sirius asked when we got over there. I was thankful for his suggestion, wanting to talk to Poppy on her own.

"Sure. Be right back" James told us, giving me one last smile before he and Sirius disappeared.

"Pop I can't do this" I said as soon as I felt they were out of ear shot.

"Do what?" she asked me, blue/green eyes indicating her confusion.

"This! This whole James thing!" I exclaimed agitatedly.

"Lily you're not doing anything. He asked you to come with him and now you're here. What are you stressing about?" she asked.

"He should be here with Priya. It feels all levels of wrong" I insisted, glancing around me.

"Lily chill out. He had that chance, and he chose to come with you. I'm sure Slughorn will soon drag the pair of you away and get you meeting people anyway. So, you'll be forced to spend this time together. Will that make you feel better?" her reasoning was calm and, I hoped, logical. I nodded, praying she was right.

"Ah Miss Evans" Slughorn's voice came right on cue and I turned to see him standing there. "Good evening Miss Turner" he greeted Poppy with a smile and a nod.

"Good evening sir" she replied politely before his eyes were back on me.

"Is Mr Potter with you?" he asked me.

"Right here sir" he appeared from behind Slughorn with two glasses in his hand, offering one to me.

"Wonderful. I am glad you came together. I've got many people to introduce you to" he said as James came to stand next to me. I glanced at Poppy who gave me a 'I told you so' expression and I smiled in relief. "Miss Turner, Mr Black I'll be back for you two. Don't go anywhere" he said to Poppy and Sirius before gesturing for James and me to follow him.

"I hope you're ready for this" James murmured to me with a smile as we went, and I nodded. This bit I could do.

The rest of the night passed in a blur of introductions and what felt like proper adult conversation. As such, at eleven when the party wrapped up, I felt shattered, allowing James to guide me out and presumably back to our dormitory.

"Where'd Poppy and Sirius get to?" I asked him and he laughed as he walked close next to me which I appreciated as it was seriously freezing tonight, and I found myself shivering.

"They disappeared five minutes before everything wrapped up" he told me with a grin. Typical. All of a sudden, I saw his expression change and he quickly shrugged out of his jacket, not offering it to me but stopping and putting it directly on me, making me blush. "So, did you have a good evening?" he asked as though nothing had happened as we continued to walk back to ours.

"It was good, but I have to say I'm genuinely exhausted" I said, and he laughed lightly at this, the sound making me smile.

"I know what you mean. Hey, at least you know St Mungo's really want you" he told me, nudging me slightly and making me blush again. It had been a real bonus to meet the Healer in charge of training, the two of us having a good chat giving me an opportunity to tell her about why I wanted to go into it as she asked me what NEWTs I was taking and what my OWLs were. So, it had made me happy to hear that she welcomed my application and was looking forward to receiving it. I found that it also made me happy that James had evidently been listening closely and paying attention to it all.

"I guess" I replied and for some reason this made him laugh again.

"There's no guessing involved. It was full on though. One thing I am not going to let go is Sirius being all cocky with his French" he told me with a grin and now I too laughed.

"You know if you bring it up it's only going to make him even cockier" I countered and he groaned at that, nodding.

"Merlin you're totally right. And we cannot have that. He's cocky enough as it is" he replied, making me laugh.

"Oh that's rich coming from you" I said and he looked at me in shock, putting a hand to his chest.

"Me? Cocky? Lily I'm ever so insulted" he told me, only making me laugh again.

"Sure" I replied sarcastically, and he broke, laughing now himself. We had now arrived at the portrait and I was surprised at how quickly we got back, James holding it open for me and gesturing me in. I smiled at him as I went past, feeling the warmth from the fire wash over me. I yawned, feeling incredibly tired and turned to James, seeing him smiling at me.

"Oh, here, this is yours" I realised I was still wearing his jacket and took it off, handing it to him. As he took it our fingers brushed and I jumped at the contact, praying he hadn't noticed. When I looked at him, he was smiling as he flung it over one shoulder.

"Thanks for coming with me tonight. I…I enjoyed spending the time with you" he said quietly but seeming genuine and thus making me blush.

"Thanks for asking me" I replied, seeing his smile widen. I hesitated before deciding to go for it. "I enjoyed spending my evening with you too" I admitted quietly. I watched him closely as he put his jacket on the sofa before slowly moving towards me, taking me by surprise by hugging me. I tensed for a moment before slowly putting my arms around him. When I had done this, I felt his grip on me tighten slightly and I found myself shifting closer to him in response. Just hugging, that's all this is. Just a hug. It's what friends do. And you know he's affectionate Lily. He's like this with everyone. I told myself this on loop as we stood there and I lost track of time, hearing him sigh before he moved back, startling me.

"Night Lily" he said softly, still stood very close to me.

"Night James" I replied so quietly I wasn't sure he would hear me, but he smiled. I took a breath before pulling myself away and moving to my room, feeling, or hoping, him watching me go. When I was in my room, I let go of the breath I had been holding as I leaned against the door, gathering my thoughts. Shit. I really, really liked James Potter. Oh balls.