Poppy's POV
I was right not to have a good feeling about it. Half an hour later we heard the floo go in repetition and James grinned round at us all.
"Now it's a party" he told us before jumping up, downing his drink and heading off. We all looked at each other in confusion and I heard Sirius curse under his breath. I turned to him, seeing him frown.
"What's going on?" I asked him, feeling everybody's eyes turn to us.
"Err, well James has kind of turned this into a party. Invited a load of people" he told us. I looked at him in surprise just as we heard music start up and the floo sound constantly going off.
"I do love a party" Suze told us, jumping up and pulling Alice with her, looking excited as she yanked her from the room. The others still looked confused but followed suit, Remus, Peter, Sirius and I lingering.
"Why?" I asked him and he shrugged.
"He just said he thought this needed livening up a bit" he told us.
"Oh, fuck he's mega pissed at me, isn't he?" Remus asked with a groan, leaning back on the sofa and putting a hand to his head.
"Mate you know he's always liked her. What did you expect?" Sirius asked him and Peter nodded his agreement.
"I'll go talk to him" he said, promptly getting up and heading out, Peter following. Sirius got up now, extending a hand to me and helping me up.
"He's really not okay, is he?" I asked him and he shrugged.
"He said he was fine, but we know what he's like. I think it crushed him to hear Evans liked Remus and not him" he told me, putting his arms around me.
"What can we do to help him?" I asked.
"Try and not let him get smashed out of his head" he told me with a sigh. Well, I didn't think that was going to be an easy task.
So, when James said party, he meant PARTY. Seemed word had gone out James Potter was throwing one of his 'legendary' parties and most people from the fifth and seventh years turned up. There was an insane amount of alcohol and the spirits high as everybody partied on. Sirius and I had attempted to prevent James from drinking too much, but he shrugged us off, telling us to enjoy ourselves. Sirius had told me to leave it and so I had, and despite worrying about James I found that I was actually kind of enjoying myself. The girls were all crazy drunk and I found myself heading that way, enjoying dancing with them and chatting with them.
About midnight I was just heading for a drinks refill when I stopped dead in my path, my eyes zeroing in on Lily and Remus talking. This wouldn't have been unusual in any other circumstances, but they were stood very close together and Lily looked like she might actually be flirting with him.
"Hi beautiful" I heard Sirius murmur in my ear, his arms encircling me and pulling me close. However, I found I couldn't really think about him right now, my senses on high alert. "What's up?" he asked, evidently realising he didn't have my full attention.
"Lily and Remus" I told him, nodding in the direction I was looking.
"Why does Evans look like she's flirting with him?" he asked carefully, and I shrugged. As we stood there watching I saw her move closer to him, looking like she was leaning in to better hear him and when she pulled away, she was laughing, lightly hitting his arm.
"I have no idea" I replied, still unable to keep from staring. It was a moment later when I saw her lean in again and this time, as she went to pull back, I saw Remus put an arm around her and next thing I knew they were kissing. This was no chaste kiss either, it was full on, make out kiss. My eyes widened in shock as I struggled to comprehend the idea that Remus was actually doing this.
"What the fuck?!" Sirius exclaimed, evidently as shocked as me. "Oh no. Oh fuck this cannot be happening" I heard him say and it was now that I turned, seeing him looking in another direction. I followed his gaze and saw James heading in their direction but looking currently unaware of what was happening.
"I'll go, I'm quicker" I told him and wriggled out of his grasp, using my Etoileige speed to intercept James.
"Merlin's beard Pop you know you scare the crap outta me when you just appear like that" James rubbed his chest dramatically and I rolled my eyes.
"Hey, do you wanna go grab some drinks?" I asked, putting a hand on his arm and beginning to turn him round but he stopped me, frowning and holding up his hands which were filled with fresh beer bottles.
"I'm good thanks Pop" he told me, looking at me strangely before attempting to move on.
"Well come with me then, we can have a catch up" I insisted, stepping in front of him again.
"Err, I've kind of got people waiting for their drinks Pop" he continued, now frowning down at me. "Is everything okay?" he asked, and I nodded, smiling.
"I just feel like I haven't talked to you properly and want to" I said as innocently as possible, knowing he was watching my eyes. To be fair, I hadn't spoken to him properly and I did actually want to talk to him about what had happened during I have never so I knew my eyes would be fine. I once again tried steering him off, but he shrugged my arm off him.
"Poppy you're being weird. Let me give these drinks to those guys over…" but he trailed off, his eyes widening as he motioned past me, his eyes locking on to something. I winced, knowing exactly what he was seeing but turned anyway and saw Remus and Lily still making out. I turned back to him to see him looking frozen in place, unable to move.
"James I'm sure it's nothing. They're both really drunk" I said quickly. It looked like he couldn't take his eyes off the spectacle and I once again tried gently to move him, but he pushed me away, a little harder than he usually would. In that instant Sirius was with me, gently moving me to the side before he went and planted himself in James's line of sight.
"Number one. Be careful, Poppy's only trying to help you" he told him firmly and I saw James sag a little. "Number two I'm sure it's nothing okay? They're both drunk, it won't mean anything" he said, his voice softening. James shook his head before I saw him straighten up.
"Doesn't matter. If you'll excuse me" he said, his voice icy as he brushed past Sirius quickly and I heard a cheer go up as whoever he was with saw him arrive with more alcohol.
"You okay?" Sirius asked, coming towards me with a frown.
"I'm fine. I really tried to get him to move" I told him, and he nodded, putting his arms around me.
"I know Pop. There's not much else we can do" he said with a sigh, my eyes darting over to James who was once more the life and soul of the party.
I'd like to say that James was fine and seemed normal but not an hour after seeing Remus and Lily make out, he caused quite a commotion when he made out with Olivia from the Gryffindor team. I saw Sirius shake his head and when they finally pulled apart, he dashed off to try and talk to him. I, meanwhile, tried to track Lily down who was being particularly evasive. Finally, I found her looking like she was being thoroughly questioned by Fiona.
"Lily what the hell was you getting with Remus about?!" I exclaimed, cutting through their conversation and seeing her turn and grin at me, giving me a shrug.
"Exactly what I've just been asking" Fiona told me with a frown.
"Oh, calm down you two. I was just curious to see what it would be like to properly kiss him and then he initiated it, so I thought, why not?" she said casually, swaying a little. "I'm single, he's single, what's the big deal?" she asked us both. To be fair, neither of us could counter that and she knew it. "Now if you don't mind, I think I'm guna go dance with Alice and Suze" she told us before heading off to join the two drunks on the dance floor.
"How's James?" Fi asked and I turned to her in surprise.
"Have you not heard?" I questioned and she shook her head, looking mystified.
"He's just been making out with Olivia Watkins" I told her, and she looked at me in shock.
"You're not serious?" she asked, and I nodded.
"I am indeed. Sirius has gone to talk to him" I informed her, and she just shook her head.
"Well he's entitled to do what he wants" she said, and I nodded, knowing she was right. "We'll just have to leave him to it" she continued. "Anyway, have you spoken to Sirius?" she asked, a slight grin on her face and I blushed, shaking my head. "Well I'd say you've got enough alcohol in you to do it now" she told me with a laugh. "Stop being a scaredy cat and talk to him. I know you wanna share a bed with him tonight" she teased me.
"Fine" I told her, downing my drink and moving off, Fiona cheering me as I went. I spotted him looking somewhat amused in the hallway and made my way over to him, looking at what he was staring at and gaped: James and Olivia were currently making their way upstairs tearing each other's clothes off.
"Well, I think there goes James's virginity" Sirius told me, and I turned to see him still grinning although his eyes were now on me.
"Is that really a good idea?" I asked and he shrugged.
"I tried talking to him, but he wouldn't listen and then that happened" he said, nodding towards the stairs. "And I can't control him so" he finished with a shrug. "Anyway, enough about him. Our whole evening's been about James. I'm entirely yours now" he told me before leaning down and kissing me. He pulled me tight against him, one hand tangling in my hair as he deepened the kiss and I found myself getting entirely lost in him, forgetting why I had even tried to track him down. We only pulled away when we needed air and he gently rested his forehead against mine, a crooked smile on his face. "Pop do you want to stay with me tonight?" he asked quietly.
"I err, well I wanted to talk to you about that actually" I told him, seeing him lean back and look at me with a small frown.
"You're worried" he said factually, and I nodded, knowing my eyes would probably be a bright gold. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, and I nodded again, feeling nervous. "It's quieter upstairs and there's a window seat in the hallway. Do you want to talk there?" he questioned, not moving but putting the ball firmly in my court. I nodded and he smiled, taking my hand and leading the way up. The sound of the party fell away and I saw him get his wand out and point it at a door, murmuring a silencing spell. He said nothing but I guessed that was James's room as he led me past and up another flight of stairs where it was significantly quieter, and I could see the window seat he was talking about. He pulled me to sit next to him, turning to look at me with a reassuring smile. He said nothing, evidently waiting for me to talk and I organised my thoughts, trying my best not to feel embarrassed.
"I…I want to stay with you, but I don't want to give you the wrong impression" I said slowly. He looked a little puzzled by this and I sighed. "I obviously enjoyed spending the night with you when we fell asleep that time but I'm not ready for…" and here I stumbled, hoping he would realise. However, I was also aware we'd both drunk a lot and he continued to look puzzled. "I don't feel ready to have sex yet" I rushed out, blushing. His eyes widened before he took my hand.
"Poppy when I asked you to stay with me, I didn't mean so we could have sex" he said quickly, making me blush a little more. "I just meant because I also liked it when we stayed together that time. Shit, I'm so sorry I've made you feel that way. I obviously pushed the teasing too far and I'm sorry that I've made you feel pressured" his words came tumbling out quickly. It took a moment for me to process them before I relaxed a little.
"Are you okay with not, you know, having sex yet?" I asked cautiously, trying to override the awkwardness with my Gryffindor courage the others kept going on about.
"Pop of course I am" he told me softly. "I…I like you, but I don't know if I'm ready yet either" he admitted, and I felt surprised. "Ouch Pop" he told me sarcastically and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Sorry I didn't mean it like that" I said quickly, and he grinned, shaking his head.
"it's fine. Look if we're being honest, I might as well tell you. I've never…well I haven't actually, you know, done it before" he told me slowly, seeming nervous. I however, had the opposite reaction and at once completely relaxed now, his admission making me feel miles better.
"I haven't either" I told him, and I saw his nervousness disappear to be replaced with a smile as he nodded.
"Okay so, no sex yet" he confirmed, and I nodded. "We'll be honest from this point on though, right?" he asked and again I nodded. "If I ever do anything, you're not comfortable with, you'll tell me won't you?" he asked.
"I will. And you'll do the same right?" I asked and he grinned at this but nodded.
"Deal" he confirmed, leaning forward and kissing me. I felt a hell of a lot better now that I'd spoken to him, making a note to thank Fiona for her advice at some point. "So, do you want to stay with me tonight?" he asked when we pulled away, slightly cautiously. "Maybe some kissing and definitely cuddles?" he questioned, making me laugh.
"That sounds good" I told him, feeling excited as he kissed me once more.
We returned to the party, both of us smiling like idiots I'm sure and hung about for a bit but I could only think about wanting to curl up with Sirius. As such, literally half an hour later I felt him wrap his arms around me as I attempted to get another drink, making me smile.
"Bed?" he asked quietly in my ear and I nodded, feeling my heart going. "Let's go quietly else we'll have a right inquisition" he told me before taking my hand and sneaking me out, leading me up the stairs, past James's room and into his. As he closed the door, I used this as an opportunity to look around, seeing his red and gold decorations and the pictures he had up of our friends around the place. I moved over to the window, hand trailing along the bookcases and saw he had a garden view (the garden looked bloody huge) when I heard his footsteps and turned to see him smiling.
"Like it?" he asked, and I nodded, smiling back at him before I hesitated.
"Wait, I haven't got my stuff" I told him, and he pulled a face.
"I think James might have put it in his room, so it was out of the way" he admitted, and I sighed, shaking my head. "I've got loads of stuff you can borrow though" he said quickly, bounding over to his drawers and pulling out an old quidditch top and some shorts. "This okay?" he questioned, and I nodded, moving to take them off him.
"Thanks" I said before he leant down and kissed me softly. "But you're going to have to turn around and close your eyes whilst I change" I told him, making him laugh. He grinned before flopping down dramatically on his bed on his stomach, so his face was in his pillows. I laughed as he put his hands over his head and quickly got changed, eyes on him so I could make sure he wasn't peaking. I was going to leave my bra on when I paused, considering our earlier conversation before taking it off, feeling a surge of bravery.
"Okay I'm good" I told him when I was done and he rolled over, eyes widening slightly.
"Okay bad move on my part giving you that to wear" he said after a moment and I felt a mixture of confused and worried. "You look insanely hot" he finished with a grin, making me blush and beckoning me over. I went slowly, his eyes never leaving mine as I joined him on the bed, surprised when he got off.
"Okay you make yourself comfortable whilst I change. And no peeking" he said cheekily, making me laugh as I wriggled into his bed and snuggled down, my eyes shut as I focused on the smell of his bed instead. It gave me that feeling of comfort and safety which relaxed me completely and I yawned, feeling very tired actually. "Hey, I'm planning a make out session before we fall asleep" I heard him call and laughed at him before I felt him jump on the bed and opened my eyes to see him topless but with pyjama trousers on as he wriggled in next to me. "Are you okay with me like this?" he asked, gesturing to his chest which I was currently eyeing up and I blushed before tearing my eyes away and finding him grinning at me. I nodded and he laughed before he pulled me to him and kissed me. It was an entirely different kiss to usual, both of us evidently very aware of the fact we were in bed and for the time being his hands stayed respectfully on my back. However, as he deepened the kiss, I felt him shift, one hand wandering down my back and playing with them hem of my t-shirt. Another moment he very slowly slipped it up my back and I was unable to keep from arching reflexively into him at the feel of his hand on my skin. He took this as a good sign, hand reaching higher and gently stroking my back as we continued to kiss, my heart going wild. After a while I felt his hand stray round my front to my ribs and when I didn't stop him, he continued, my skin tingling with every new stretch of skin he touched. What did surprise me is when he suddenly rolled me, and I found him on top of me. He pulled away at this point, looking at me carefully.
"Is this okay?" he asked as I swallowed before nodding. "Sure? You'll tell me if it isn't?" he asked and I nodded again, pulling him down towards me to show him I was happy as he kissed me again, one hand now straying up the front of my top, hands stopping just short of my boobs as my heart rate increased. We stayed like this for a moment until he pulled away, breathing heavily and looking down at me.
"Are you going to stop every time and ask if it's okay?" I asked him, making him laugh at me.
"I just want to check" he told me, and I smiled, knowing he was being careful, and I did actually really appreciate it. I watched him as he seemed to hesitate now, looking like he wanted to say something.
"Are you okay with this?" I asked quietly and he nodded quickly.
"I am" he told me with a smile. "You haven't got your bra on" he said slowly, looking at me carefully as I blushed nodding.
"I…feel comfortable and confident enough around you to not wear it. I trust you" I told him, seeing him give me his crooked smile. "Is it okay with you?" I told him and he nodded quickly, making me laugh. He said nothing but kept his eyes on me as I felt his hand inch up my body and I felt my breathing hitch as the butterflies went crazy, his hand lightly grazing over my boob. A moment later he was kissing me again and I stopped thinking and put my trust completely in him.
