Guys. I jumped ahead and have been writing the Epilogue and it is brrrutal. Like… damn. I mean, I'm basically just writing my version of the source material, so there isn't really anything I can do, but… I am not okay. I'm gonna write a warning of 'end here' if you don't like sad the chapter before. (I know I'm really bad at estimates, but I'm guessing there will be 5 or so chapters after this? Probably less than 10? I dunno. Who knows? NOT I!)
Also, Jily Fan asked me on tumblr to have Lily mark up James with hickeys and then refuse to cover them up, back in February. Thanks for being patient. This is for you ;)
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Art work by the awesome Meg (tumblr: anxiouspineapples)
Put in His Place
January, 7th Year
No, no, no no nonono, this isn't happening again, it can't— I can't—
"Lily."
I won't do it. I can't do it. Just make it stop, please. Make it not be true—
"Lily."
I don't wanna do this. Please, please just don't make me do—
"Lily!" James whispered urgently, dropping to her eye level as he held onto her cheeks, forcing her to stop her downward spiral to look into calming seas of hazel. "I'm right here, you're not alone, I'm right here." He exaggerated his breathing. "Deep breaths, in and out, in and out, copy me, baby, come on. You got this."
Lily stared at him, eyes, lips, the soft sweep of freckles all comfortingly familiar, mimicking his motions. It had been so very long since she'd had a panic attack, but she tried forcing a swallow down her parched throat and letting James guide her through it. Haven't had one in a while, but also… haven't been this fucked since last year.
"That's it, focus on me, Lils. In and out. In and out." He kicked the chocolate bar on the ground away from them, trying to move Lily past her latest betrayal.
He was doing so well, but at the same time, it wasn't enough. She could still feel the tears forming in her eyes, distorting his face, as the reality of the situation sunk in, shaking her mind, body, and soul. "James—" her voice cracked, "I can't do this again. I don't think I'll make it this time." She wanted to be strong, just like he was being, but she couldn't stop her hands from trembling, couldn't stop her breaths from hitting her in the chest as though she was drowning in an invisible ocean, couldn't keep the adrenaline from flooding her veins telling her to run, in any direction, even if her eyes could clearly see they were trapped. Caged. Just like last time—
He gave her quivering lips a reassuring kiss that she feared was also to steady his own frayed nerves. "It's different this time. I'll get you out of here, I promise. You're not alone. We're getting out."
Lily felt her shoulders heaving. We. Fuck. James was even more screwed than she was. At least Voldemort wanted her alive… But James…? Obviously he was an amazing fighter who any side would want to recruit, but he wasn't someone who could be swayed to dark side, and everyone knew it. He was headstrong and perfect. He was in so much danger. "I don't have my wand—"
"I do! Well, I have mine!" James announced cheerfully for her sake, pulling it out of his pocket. "And my cloak. Look, see?" He pulled the silvery material out next and Lily's heart skipped a beat. He looked deep in her eyes again, pleading with her terror. "It's not like last time, Lils. They won't get you this time. I won't let them take you away from me."
It isn't like last time, Lily agreed, nodding her head. She was more powerful now. Better trained. She had James.
"We're together, Lily. Remember: when we're together, we're unstoppable." He gave her a sweet, boyish smile that looked so out of place in their current predicament.
Lily repeated the mantra in her head, waiting for all her synapses to stop firing and freaking out for five goddamn seconds so they could absorb it. Together, we're unstoppable. Together, we can do anything.
"I think I heard something." Lily's head snapped to a dreadfully familiar voice coming towards them on the other side of the iron bar door. "It's time. If the thing did its job, she'll be here by now."
A second before the beautiful face Lily had been anticipating rounded the corner, James threw the Invisibility Cloak over both of them.
Next Morning, November, 7th Year
"Ughhh… my head! Lily, please hurry," Mary moaned, sitting cross-legged on the floor of Lily's room. She had barged into her suite far too early that afternoon and begged Lily for some hangover potion. Considering the state she'd seen everyone in the night before, Lily thought it was definitely worth it to brew a whole cauldron's worth.
"Hold on to your knickers, I can't speed up boiling," Lily muttered, adding the final touches. "So how was it?" she asked with a smile.
Mary dramatically collapsed onto her back, stretching out across Lily's rug. "Best night of my life!"
"Oh yeah?" Lily stirred her concoction.
"Yes." Lily knew Mary probably wasn't exaggerating too much considering this was the first weekend in two years Mary had been allowed to go out with her friends and just be a teenager. "I got to dance all day, and drink all night and then we…" she trailed off, looking guilty. "I'm sorry, is this super mean since you couldn't go?"
"Nah," Lily replied honestly. "I wanna hear about what made you happy. Besides," she pointed to another cauldron simmering in the corner of her room behind a tiny little guard (to keep Tiger and her fur out), "I started making a batch of Polyjuice Potion. Next time you guys do something, hopefully I can come with."
"Fabulous." Mary grinned.
"Well, go on, tell me more!"
"The concert was pretty good, but I swear, Sirius kept forgetting he was on a date with me and kept thinking he was on a date with your boyfriend." Lily laughed: this tracked. "Marlene had fun getting hit on by like a dozen guys. Peter was Peter, but Remus…" Mary grimaced. "Eh…"
"What?" Lily whispered as she leaned in. She didn't want her curiosity on the subject matter to wake James, but she also knew it was a bit of a ridiculous worry, because when she'd left him in his bed, he'd looked like he was going to sleep at least another three days.
"I dunno. I don't like Dana."
"Okay!" Lily agreed wholeheartedly. "Me neither!"
"Yeah, it was just… weird. Like she kept asking Remus to do these things like she was testing how much he liked her. She'd be like, 'Go get me a drink,' or 'Hold my purse,' or 'Go ask if they have any specials tonight.' And you know Remus is such a good guy, so he was bending over backwards to do it all for her."
Lily sighed. "He really likes her doesn't he?"
"Unfortunately, I think so. And she knows it and is milking it. I don't see why he puts up with it though. He's a proper catch."
Lily flipped her hair back, fidgeting. She knew the source of where a lot of his anxieties and diminished sense of self-worth came from while Mary didn't. She had no idea how he dealt with being a werewolf, even on days when it wasn't a full moon. "I think he's not really confident when it comes to girls." Also true. "He doesn't have a lot of experience with dating."
Mary huffed. "That wasn't the worst part though."
"Oh?"
Mary turned her head away from the ceiling to look at her. "Yeah… as soon as Dana got a single drink in her, she got… pretty handsy with James."
Lily nearly flipped the cauldron right over. First Brianna, now this?! This is so stupid. Oh the perils of dating the far-too-fit-for-his-own-good Gryffindor golden boy. "Seriously?"
"I mean obviously it was completely one-sided, and James got really good at doing dodges and rolls — it kinda looked he was playing Quidditch by the end and Dana was a Bludger — but yeah. It was fucked up."
Lily realized sadly why James had been so primed to reject her last night — it sounded like he'd been practicing all day. "How did Remus react?"
Mary groaned. "I mean, obviously he didn't like it, but he kinda just… took it? I dunno. You see that and you think he almost feels like he deserves to be treated like shite. I definitely don't understand their relationship."
Lily shifted uneasily. Well that sounds absolutely ghastly. Not only did Remus deserve someone who loved him for the kind, smart, sensitive and wonderful guy that he was… but she was also terrified that he would grow to resent James because of this. She knew Remus was a sensible guy, and could probably rationally see that none of this was James' fault, but, she also knew jealousy didn't follow any of the usual codes of conduct, as the growing need in her stomach to remind some of these girls who was boss was demonstrating. Remus did still bring James home to you, though. He still made sure he was alive and in one piece. But the more she pondered this, the more Lily realized that Remus would probably help anyone in need, regardless of how he felt about them. That's just the kind of guy he was.
Lily needed a change in topic before she got too sad thinking about a possible rift in the Marauders' friendship. "And what about you, Missy? I heard you and Sirius snuck off somewhere…"
"Yeah." Mary grinned naughtily. "Let's just say we woke up in a classroom."
Lily chuckled. "Which one, you trollop?"
"The unused one on the 4th floor."
"The one across from the portrait of Merlin on a white horse?" Lily asked with one eyebrow raised.
Mary's jaw dropped. "Is that your yellow thong hanging from the ceiling?!" Lily reddened. She had been wondering where that specific pair had ended up. She'd sort of just assumed that James had pocketed it after he ripped them off of her, considering they'd hooked up there during his klepto phase. "Sirius and I laughed at it for a good ten minutes!"
James, with his usual impeccable timing, ambled in through the bathroom clutching his temples. He made it to Lily before collapsing onto the floor, sprawling out as well. "What are you two so loudly squawking about?"
"Nothing," Lily sang, making Mary snort. However, the two hungover floor-dwellers were soon distracted when Lily scooped them each out a portion of her cure. "Let's go save the others, shall we?"
November melted into a haze of classes, meetings (both Order and prefect), and hours-long Quidditch practices for James. It was hardly fair that something so time-consuming and tiresome could have him looking even more delectable than usual, but since when had life been fair? Despite his mounting exhaustion the closer the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match got, James still seemed to find it within himself to practice dueling with Lily too. He rarely ever followed any formal dueling rules, but as he pointed out, neither would the actual bad guys.
Meanwhile, Lily started spending more and more time with Sirius one-on-one than she'd ever thought possible. She wouldn't tell him, but she was now beyond grateful he'd offered his help with planning Frank's stag party. Who knew that the guy whom she'd up until so recently viewed as somewhat of a flighty mess could actually have the most patience out of anyone in their friend group if it was for an end goal that suited him? It turned out Lily did not have the patience to deal with RSVPs like he did.
"Don't worry, Evans. If you need my services for any other big, monumental celebrations coming up in your life, you know who to owl."
Lily wasn't quite sure if she trusted the grin on his face. She decidedly moved on. "So, we got the guest list, obviously the venue, snacks, we're gonna go get the provisions Friday, we have the games…"
"… I booked the entertainment," Sirius tried sneaking in quietly.
"What entertainment?" Lily's head instantly snapped up to look at him across the library table from her.
"Don't worry about it."
"Well, now I'm even more worried."
"I said don't."
"That's not how anxiety works."
"Evans. I got this."
"Black—"
James swooped in from over her shoulder, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Hello, girlfriend." He gave Sirius a fist bump. "Best mate."
"Perfect timing, Prongs. Please distract her," Sirius said.
James casually collapsed into a seat next to Lily. "From what?"
"Yes, Padfoot. Pray tell: from what?" Lily's voice might have been sweet, but her eyes were anything but.
"Would you look at the time?" Sirius declared, getting to his feet and not even bothering to pretend to look at his wristwatch. "Gotta bounce." And with that he was off.
"What was that?" James asked, his arm comfortably resting on the back of Lily's chair.
She groaned, nestling herself against James' shoulder. "No clue. But I have the feeling Frank's party is going to be a shitshow."
It turned out it wasn't, but actually quite an enjoyable evening all around. Frank had a blast with all his friends, Lily got to safely leave the castle, and James got to see Lily and his best friend work together to pull off an amazing shindig, his heart secretly swelling with pride. Frank also completely shocked Lily by giving her best woman gown to her for free as long as she got it tailored herself. Lily knew Marlene and Dorcas were aces at clothing adjustments, so she was pretty sure making the dress perfect would be a breeze. She was now the proud owner of a gorgeous, sleek black gown that looked fancier than anything that she'd ever owned — besides the one James had bought her last Christmas of course.
Lily stretched in her bed, accidentally hitting James in the forehead with her palm. "Mff," he groaned in response.
"Sorry," she mumbled sleepily, snuggling up to him in apology.
He huffed but slung a heavy arm around her waist to pull her in all the same. She knew she was forgiven.
Suddenly there was a loud squeak at the door as Glob dropped all the fresh laundry in his arms in fright. "Apologies!"
Lily sat bolt upright, incredibly thankful she had the foresight to drag the sheet along with her. James had slowly but surely convinced her that pajamas were silly and that they should be sleeping in the nude anyways. "Glob!" Lily exclaimed at his unexpected presence. "Hi." Smooth, Lily, smooth. She was completely thrown off guard by the house-elf. He'd been doing a truly commendable job at keeping their place tidy, but she hardly ever actually saw him. From the corner of her eye, she saw James lazily stir.
Glob bowed to the floor in shame. "I'm so sorry, Miss! I thought Miss Evans and Mr Potter would be in class!" He hastily picked up the dropped clothes and scurried out, slamming the door behind him.
"It's o—kay," Lily finished lamely to the door. She lay back down, pulling James' arm around her once more, ready to sleep for a few more hours. Even though the bed was so comfy, and James's body heat felt like her own little furnace, something was off. Is it always this bright? Suddenly, Glob's words sunk in and Lily's eyes burst wide open. "James!" Lily yelled staring at the clock. "Babe, we overslept!"
"Waa?" James yelped as Lily threw the blankets off both of them and grabbed the nearest bra and button up to throw on, hopping around madly.
"Up! Up!" she encouraged, dressing her lower half next.
"Fuck!" James finally seemed to come to and sprinted to his room for some fresh clothes.
When they were both dressed, they flew to Transfiguration, James grabbing her hand to lead her through a secret shortcut. They reached McGonagall's door panting only ten minutes late, but they both knew there was no way the professor wouldn't notice and make a big deal about it.
"Together?" James asked with raised brows.
Well, it's not like staggering one of us by a minute will make a difference now. The damage is done. "Okay," she agreed breathlessly, feeling like she was about to walk the plank. She quickly got on her tippy-toes to give him a peck. You know, in case it's my last chance.
James opened the classroom door and strut in with his head held high and, Fuck, I love him, Lily couldn't help but think. Yeah, he knew he was in trouble, but James Potter would never let that get him down. He would see that doom and run right towards it, wand blazing. She followed closely behind. "Sorry, Minnie. I overslept," he declared honestly. It wasn't until Lily felt literally ever pair of eyes in the room hone in on them that she realized she'd accidentally put on James' shirt. She tried casually tucking in all the excess fabric into her skirt. She had to look like the most disheveled witch on the planet.
McGonagall narrowed her eyes at them from the front of the room as they took their seats. Lily could see her wheels turning. Obviously they were two students who were late to class, and that was reprehensible and she wanted to reprimand them accordingly. But, they were also the two Heads, who were basically the symbols of school propriety, who just so happened to share a suite and were coming in late together. McGonagall didn't need to be the brilliant witch that she was to know that the reason all her students were currently madly whispering amongst themselves was because they were gossiping about just what could have caused them to sleep in late together. We've been official for months, guys! Get over it! Lily grumbled to herself. McGonagall wanted to punish them without throwing unnecessary fuel onto the fire and needlessly embarrassing them — well, Lily, James didn't care — and Lily loved her professor for it. She settled on a curt, yet still terribly ominous, "See me after class."
McGonagall turned back to the classroom at large. "So now that we've gone over the test—" Lily watched as hers and James' floated over to them; James had gotten an O and she'd gotten an E, prat, "—today's lesson is on body part transformations. As you are well aware, Metamorphmagi can do this at will. The rest of us need the use of spells to morph specific body parts at a time." She gave Lily a small smile. She had already taught Lily how to do this last year to help her disguise herself when needed. Lily was suddenly transported back to the magical feeling of her date with James in Diagon Alley back in late August. She bit her tongue to try to stop herself from grinning like too big of a fool. "It is an extremely useful skill to learn if you wish to go incognito." Considering she already knew this stuff, Lily sort of wished she was still back in bed with James. Alone. Perhaps still naked.
"You have to focus on one spell at a time, but you'd be amazed how much impact changing one part of your body can have on altering your entire appearance—" Sirius snorted a row in front them. McGonagall drew a big breath in through her nose, clearly not wanting to clarify this, but having been prepared to do so all the same. "Please open your textbooks to page 268 to read why what Mr Black was just thinking is not a good idea."
Lily heard gasps and groans fill the air as everyone's different reading speeds caught up to the story of a wizard who had accidentally charmed his dick off trying to grow it for a night. Well, turns out even magic has its limitations.
The class was very fun, with James showcasing to her how he'd look with duck lips or an even more exaggerated jawline, but unfortunately, it still ended with them having to approach McGonagall's desk while Sirius sang, "Good luck," on his way out.
McGonagall sat herself down in her chair and surveyed them each seriously. "I'm sure I do not have to impress upon you what a privilege being a Head student is?"
"No, Professor," Lily and James said in unison. If Lily had a tail, she knew it would have been between her legs.
"And I do not have to point out how much scrutiny you two are under?"
Huh. Interesting. "No, Professor."
"Very well. Detention." James made a small noise in the back of his throat that sounded like half-baked incredulity. "Yes, Mr Potter, detention tomorrow. I know how much you two are juggling at the moment, but you were late and I don't want to be accused of having favorites." The way she said it, Lily feared she'd already been accused of having just that.
"But Professor!" he complained. "It's the first game of the season Saturday. We're training all week!" Lily knew that even when the team wasn't on the pitch, James was having them run around campus or weight train like crazy. She'd seen him come home sweaty enough to notice. And notice she had…
McGonagall's mouth formed the thinest line. Clearly her love of Quidditch was currently warring with her need for discipline. Quidditch won out. "Fine. Detention on Monday."
James cringed. "We have our prefect meeting Monday."
The professor didn't look up from the papers she was shuffling about on her desk for a minute. "Detention on Tuesday." She very sharply put a book down on the corner of her desk. "Potter, I expect a win."
James' smile lit up the room. "Of course, Professor. A win you will get." Lily rolled her eyes as she turned to leave, not wanting to be late for another lecture today.
James caught up to her just before they slipped out the door, but Minerva's voice rang out behind them. "You two weren't just fighting in that cupboard last year, were you?"
Lily felt her stomach drop out of her body to her toes as she froze, unable to turn back around. She knew her whole face had started to flush. It had already been bad enough to have had one of her favorite teachers find her right after she'd lost her virginity, but now to have to talk about it? Kill me now.
Lily looked to her right to see James had frozen too, unable to keep a straight face while he was biting the hell out of his lower lip. It seemed as though he was just as amused as she was mortified.
"Don't be late again," McGonagall mercifully ended the conversation while new students entered the room and the couple was able to escape.
"I'd almost forgotten Minnie caught us," James mused as they walked to the dungeons.
"Lucky you," Lily groaned.
The Friday before the first Quidditch match of the year, there was an absolute buzzing of anticipation zapping through the school. Lily felt like everyone was more excited than usual because of how all the stresses of the outside world had started seeping in through the walls of the castle. Everyone needed a reason to scream and shout for something silly and fun (don't tell James I said that) and just be reminded that they were still kids. They were young and invincible.
And James… was still far too hot for his own good. Although Dana and Remus had taken to eating their meals at the Ravenclaw table recently, just knowing how brazenly she had been hitting on her man when Lily hadn't been around had lit a fire in her belly. She vividly remembered how much of an Adonis James had looked like at last year's game… In fact, unless she was mistaken, Lily thought she recalled having seen Dana in the very same bleachers as her that match, cheering him on even back then.
She knew it was immature, but she couldn't help it: she wanted everyone to know James was hers when they saw him kicking ass on the field tomorrow. She didn't want a single person in the stands to doubt that it was her bed that the god on the broom had gotten out of that morning, and it was only her lips who could claim him ever again. And not just his lips… any of him.
Yes, she was feeling awfully possessive, sue her. (And you don't have to hold his bicep when you wish him luck, Betty. I see you.) When Lily retired to her suite on Friday night, she cracked open a Firewhiskey to take the edge off. It didn't seem to work though. If anything, her thoughts got more obsessive, but now she was also getting progressively hornier.
James had completely missed Lily's mounting jealousy during the week, being far too immersed in strategies and last minute gameplay adjustments. Lily thought it was overkill, but he somehow convinced his team to fly that night, 'just to practice in the same weather conditions as tomorrow.' It wasn't even accurate: tomorrow was forecasted to be a hell of a storm, not a mild rain shower.
James trudged in an hour after he'd left, sopping wet, and peeled off his scrimmage jersey, throwing it to the hearth with a loud splat that made Tiger hiss and sprint upstairs upset. James didn't even notice, dejectedly leaning his broom against the wall as he began his rant. "Ugh, this rain is gonna kill us. My waterproof charm only really wicks away moisture for the first half hour and McKinley has absolute butterfingers the second his bat gets even slightly slippery and—" James cut himself off abruptly as his eyes finally landed on Lily. His brow furrowed. "Lily… what's up…?" he questioned, the corner of his mouth tentatively twitching.
She honestly had no idea what her face was doing at the moment, but she was keenly aware of how her body was reacting to the sight of him, dripping there, white undershirt translucent and sticking to every ridge and crease of his torso. This image, this outfit, an exact year after he had taken her so roughly against a desk after his match? Yeah. She could not be held responsible for what she was about to do to this man.
There was a loud scrapping sound as Lily summoned one of the kitchen chairs next to the fire. "Sit," she commanded.
A huge, eager smile spread across James' face, as if it was Christmas morning and he'd just woken up to a thousand presents.
"Are you—" but the rest of his words turned into a yelp of surprise when Lily lost her patience and magically threw his body to the chair and sat his ass on it. "You can do that?!" he exclaimed.
Lily gave him a coy smile as she flicked her wand again, tying his arms behind his back and making a small laceration to the v of his collar. It's always good to plan ahead. She slowly stalked towards him. "Course I can, James. You can swing people upside-down by their ankles," he had the decency to look a little embarrassed at the memory of his former antics, "and I can make them shoot anywhere I want them to go. It's the same principle."
She was standing in front of him now, with James grinning up to her. "Wicked."
She smirked. "You know you look a little too happy right now. This is supposed to be punishment for how you fucked me last year in that very same shirt."
James looked down at his body like he was slowly connecting the dots. His eyes traveled back up, taking in the curves of her calves in her high socks, the short hemline of her skirt, and her partially unbuttoned shirt. A smile played on his lips as he huskily replied, "I seem to recall you enjoying that particular shag. Quite a lot in fact. You practically passed out."
She nearly had. Lily's fingers nimbly worked on her remaining buttons, reveling in the way his pulse beat wildly in his neck as he watched her. She knew he was fighting with his bounds, desperately wishing to touch her freshly exposed waist. "I did. But that doesn't mean I'm not owed my revenge." She fully shrugged off her shirt and smirked when his lips parted with a loosened jaw. The silly power of a good pushup never failed to thwart James.
"Do what you must, love."
Lily laughed as she bent over to push down her knickers, stepping out of them and unfastening his belt and pulling down his trousers and trunks next. James dutifully raised his hips to help her. His disappointment was palpable when she didn't then immediately sit on his cock, but instead turned around. "Going somewhere?" Lily bit her lip at the hopeless need for her she heard in his voice.
She sat down on an armchair facing him, only a few meters away. "Right here," she purred innocently.
James' eyes scanned her body up and down. "I don't see how that does either one of us any good."
Confidently, Lily spread her thighs wide and flipped her skirt up, ready to give him one hell of a show. "Punishment, James." She ran one hand lightly down her collarbone and over the exaggerated swell of her breast while the other traced her inner leg, coming up to her nub. "You get to watch, but can't touch."
He licked his lips hungrily, eyes flickering from hers to her lap and back. "That's hardly fair, Lils. Even I fucked you when you begged me for it."
"Well, I don't hear you begging." Lily slipped a finger inside herself and felt James' resulting groan more than she heard it. "Besides, what was it you said to me the last time we dueled?" She pumped her finger while her other hand came down to circle her clit, leaning back in her chair and bringing her ankles up to the cushion so he had an even more unobstructed view. "All is fair in love and war?" she breathed. James' eyes were pure onyx now as his chest heavily rose and fell. He looked too turned on to speak, so Lily continued. "Do you have any idea what you do to me, Potter?" she whispered naughtily, smiling when she saw he was trying to use his untethered feet to drag his seat closer to her. She stopped that real quick by fastening his ankles to the chair legs.
"Oh, come on!" he whined.
"Punishment, Potter." She exaggerated her gasp as she slipped another finger in with the first, making him still and watch her with bated breath. "You wanna know what I'm thinking about?" she teased. He swallowed thickly and nodded, realizing he didn't have too many other options. She watched as his hair continued to drip rainwater over his brows and around his high cheekbones. "I'm thinking about just how much seeing you fly turns me on." She knew he was clenching his teeth; she could see it in his defined jaw. "I'm thinking about how after you win tomorrow, I want you to take me back to the locker room and shag me so hard in the showers that we break the stall."
"Evans—" It was an anguished plea, asking to be put out of his misery.
"When you play tomorrow, I wanna wear your shirt, with your damn name on it, and I want you to play so fucking well that I'm wet in the stands for you. Just like last time." He'd stopped breathing, letting her words wash over him. She wanted him to know just how horny he'd made her last year without even trying to. Now knowing how angry he'd actually been at her then, she guessed it was despite him not even trying. "Think you can do that for me?"
He merely nodded.
"What was that?" she taunted.
"Yes, Lily. I can fucking do that for you." He sounded like a wizard possessed.
"That's my man." Lily gave herself a few good last strokes, closing her eyes and enjoying the sensations, before she stood up and approached him. She couldn't help but grin, looking down at him so helplessly tied up before her. "I feel like I should be interrogating you, Mr Bond."
James lit up, some of his usual boyish charm creeping back into his face. "I finally get that reference! You remember, last year, when you called me James Bond and I had no idea what you were talking about?" He looked so gleeful she'd almost forgotten what she'd set out to do. Lily settled on his lap, making sure to keep herself angled away from his cock. James looked down to where their bodies were touching longingly, clearly wishing he could rip away her skirt. "Have I finally proven my penitence, yet?" he asked.
"Not quite." Lily smiled, snaking her hips so her clit rubbed against him.
James groaned, mouth right next to hers as she wrapped her arms against his neck. "Wait," he sniffed her breath, "have you been drinking?"
Lily giggled. "Only a little, James. Relax."
James shook his head. "Oh fuck, what am I in for?" His eyes went wide. "Please don't have this end like your last punishment."
Lily tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"Babe. Halloween party last year? You got some spiked punch in you and suddenly you had the sexual confidence of a goddess? You left me tied to a bed for hours? Ring any bells?"
Lily tittered at his rising panic. "No, no, I fully plan on fucking you tonight—"
"Well, you fucked me then too—"
"Okay, I plan on fucking you and not leaving you tied up. Happy?"
James shrugged. "I guess." He gave her the cockiest smile. "So about this fucking—"
"Nah, ah, James," Lily laughed. "Nice try." She leaned forward and licked the rain off his neck, making him give her a throaty chuckle. She slowly brought her teeth to his skin, nipping and biting and sucking to her heart's content. When he played tomorrow he'd be a marked man. Her love for him would be branded onto his neck like a tattoo.
"Naughty, baby," James sighed, completely on to what she was doing. He tilted his head away to give her better access, flexing all his muscles as she got into it, grinding her hips against his. "I was wondering if you were getting jealous."
Lily pulled back, eyes narrowing. James totally would be self-assured enough to know all the attention he'd been getting this week was driving her up a wall, even if she felt like she'd been hiding it well up until now. "I'm not jealous," she lied through her teeth.
"I'm not judging!" Lily knew that if his hands had been free, they'd be in front of him in self-defense right now. "Trust me, I get it." He shot her a wink. "Why do you think I kept sucking on your neck like a vampire in the beginning of our relationship?"
Lily kind of loved that he'd thought of them as together even back then, when her denial had been at its peak. "Secret kink?" Lily suggested.
"I mean sure," James tried lifting his shoulders, "but mostly I wanted everyone else to back the fuck off." Lily felt her insides clench at the thought. "So Evans." His eyes glinted something wicked. From the corner of her eye, Lily could already see the side of his neck turning a wondrous shade of purplish ruby. Her inner lioness roared satisfied. "You trying to tell my fans to fuck off?"
Lily scoffed at his arrogant attitude, Fans, ha, reaching under her skirt to angle him to her so she could sheath him. He moaned, seemingly caught off guard by her quick actions. "Shut the fuck up, Potter," she demanded before yanking his hair back so she could roughly devour his mouth as she began riding him.
He tried doing what he was told, despite the telltale curving of his lips letting her know this was all hardly a punishment to him. He looked positively delighted when she tugged on his collar and ripped his shirt clean off of him, her hips never skipping a beat. Despite his best efforts to hold back, soon James was moaning encouragement at her, telling her how excited he was that she was coming tomorrow and how he was going to win just for her, and how much he loved her, and—
Oh well, I tried to saucily seduce him, Lily thought to herself amused as she kissed him quiet, clutching onto his restrained arms and back hard enough to leave scratches as she felt her orgasm rising inside of her. It seemed as though James was just far too excitable these days to be put in his place, but Lily came absolutely loving that about him.
"Are you really going to wear my jersey today?" James asked Lily with puppy eyes.
"Of course I will," Lily replied nonchalantly, reaching for the practice kit in question that was now neatly laundered and folded at the foot of his bed. "I told you I would, didn't I?" She admired the gold stitching of his name briefly before throwing it over her head. James' grin became absolutely lopsided as he took her in before him. "What?" she asked him a little self-consciously, trying to fix her hair.
His smile was only growing by the second. He ruffled his soft curls and forced himself to look away. "Nothing." He let out a little chuckle. "It's just you have no idea how long I've fantasized about getting you into my jersey, Evans."
Lily's heart practically melted into the puddle she knew she'd become as soon as she stepped outside into the torrential downpour that was going on just beyond their windows. Hadn't she too had this exact same fantasy for a few years now? "Psh. That's Potter to you," she tried joking, her sass coming out of her mouth faster than she could process it as usual. But then, the implication of what she'd actually just said sunk in. Oh god. Oh no. Lily quickly tried covering, rushing out, "I just meant because of the writing on the back—"
"It's okay, babe. I got it," James replied, putting her out of her misery.
For fuck's sake, that was a mortifying slip-up, but it's fine. It's cool. Moving on. "Thank you."
"You just proposed."
"James!" Lily hissed. She should have known better than to think that he would just let this go.
He shot her a wink. "I mean, I get it. I am quite a catch."
"Did Sirius tell you that?" Lily snarked through her mental toil.
"You're probably my 5th proposal this week."
Lily rolled her eyes but bit back a smile. "You're a git and I hate you."
James stepped up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, trapping her against him. "You're an angel and I love you."
James, James, James. So fucking smooth. "Well. That's no fun."
"Potters don't pout, babe," he whispered, bending down to her ear.
Lily's hands settled on his hard stomach, wondering how she was more anxious than he was before his game like this. "Says the person with the most pouty fuckable lips I've ever seen," she teased back softly.
James pulled back so he wouldn't make her go deaf when he let out a bark of laughter. "Fuckable lips, babe?! Does every feature on my face remind you of fucking?"
Lily gave him a very Potteresque wink. "Pretty much. Especially considering you're still sporting last night's extra tousled sex hair."
"Yeah, I thought you were gonna yank it clean out of my skull for a few seconds there." The urge to kiss her had finally become too great, and James cupped her cheeks as he did so. "What am I gonna do with you, Evans?" he breathed.
She nudged his nose with her own playfully. "Well… I have a few suggestions."
James gave her one last kiss before taking a huge step back, as though he knew if he didn't put physical distance between them, he'd get sucked into her spell. "After the game, Trash Panda. I haven't forgotten that particular suggestion and am quite keen to make it a reality."
"Good." Lily got out her wand. "Now let me do something about those hickeys." Sure, claiming him had seemed like a good idea last night — in the heat of the moment, when slightly tipsy — but now in the light of day, she was a little embarrassed about it. She was more confident in what she and James had than this. Knowing how much he loved her was enough. Did she regret giving them? Hell no, doing so had been extremely fun, but they were adults now, and the evidence of their hot and heavy tryst had to go.
Or at least, Lily thought it did. "What? No!" James said adamantly as he slapped a protective hand over his neck.
"What do you mean, no?"
"I mean, they're my hickeys, and I like them!"
"James," she took a small step towards him, only for him to take just as small of a step back himself, "you can't be serious."
His brows twitched. "Why wouldn't I be? This is evidence that Lily Evans wanted me so fucking badly that she practically mauled me. It's as close as I'm gonna get to being able to shout from the rooftops that you're shagging me." Lily couldn't help but snort, making James grin. "You laugh, but it's still one of my greatest accomplishments."
"Getting me to shag you?"
"No, getting you to love me."
Lily took a small beat, letting this feeling, just how alive and adored he could make her feel with a few simple words or a croaked smile, soak into her very bones. She shook her head, scuffing her toes along the floor. "Are you always this sappy before games?"
"Nah, the fact that you needed to punish me for last year's game meant you're still somewhat hung up on it. So I'm making sure to be on my absolute best behavior this year. Is it working?"
You're perfect, and I'm so fucking gone for you. "Very much so. Now about those—"
"Nope!" James exclaimed, stomping over to their restroom, and taking his hickeys with him. "It's my body, Evans!" he called out through the door.
"Prat."
Although Lily hadn't been able to persuade James to try to at least somewhat cover up her egregious display of jealous lust, he had allowed her to perform a waterproof charm on his glasses so that he wouldn't have to worry about silly little things like vision during the game. He'd made several punny jokes about her 'Charms,' but she was so happy he was feeling this cocky before his big game that she allowed it.
After kissing him thoroughly for luck, James had departed to go warm up with his team, and Lily had found Mary and Marlene in the Gryffindor common room, ready to grab a bite and then watch the game together. Lily knew Marlene needed her support now more than ever — watching your ex play for a few hours was likely to be brutal, and she was clearly on edge.
They had just finished shouting at Mary who was new to each team (the rain was extremely loud as they made their way to the pitch) when things got very messy. "Did you just say SNAPE is playing for Slytherin?" Mary asked nonplussed, clutching at her umbrella.
Lily laughed, unable to stop herself from picturing her lanky former friend trying to balance on a broom. She knew she was probably hardly any better, but something about all his gangly limbs just made the thought even more hilarious. Marlene said something to Lily just as her boot caught in a particularly squelchy patch of muddy grass. "What?"
"I said," Marlene yelled, their peers all racing past them to the stands, ducking for cover from the storm, "I never understood what you saw in that loser!"
Mary laughed, cheering, "Hear hear!" But just then, a darkly cloaked figure pushed past Lily's shoulder angrily, only turning back to glare at her a few paces up before disappearing. It was Snape.
Marlene instantly looked sick. "Oh no… do you think he heard me?"
Yes. "Nah, I bet he's just mad I was in his way," Lily mollified. There was no use further upsetting Marlene today of all days.
"Who cares," Mary sighed. "You're not wrong. I was trying to tell Lily that for years before she severed ties. But you know Lily, she's stubborn!"
Oy. Lily didn't really want to think about Snape, or any other Slytherins today, other than in the context of their asses being handed to them by her boyfriend. "Okay, guys, let's hurry before all the good seats are taken!"
It turned out the storm had been a blessing in disguise. One of the teachers had charmed see-through awnings over all the bleachers to keep most of the rain off of them. This meant the wettest spots were now in the front row, where some droplets were still splashing in. Lily sat on the bench, smiling at the thought of telling James she was already so wet for him. He'd love a stupid line like that.
Mary rolled her eyes two seats over. "Well, Marlene, looks like we've already lost Lily."
"Shut up, Macdonald. Like you won't be cheering for Black," she teased back.
"Sure I will. But I'll keep my knickers on while I do."
Marlene actually looked really happy to be sitting between them for once. It seemed as though she and Mary had grown closer living together these past few months, and Lily found herself quite chuffed about it.
Performing a quick heating charm so they wouldn't freeze to death, Lily opened the front of her cloak so that her red jersey could peak through. It wasn't a huge declaration, but if James found her in the stands, he'd know.
Soon, all the players marched out onto the field, completely soaked through by the time their names were announced. Lily might have had a bit of a fangirl moment when, "Potter!" was yelled around the pitch, a smirk plastered onto her face. Mine.
"I hope this storm let's up," Marlene grumbled, pulling her cloak tighter around her frame. Lily was with her on that one: she kept hearing what sounded like thunder rolling through the nearby clouds and she really didn't like the idea of James getting fried by a lightning bolt.
While last year's game hadn't seemed civilized at the time, now Lily realized that it had practically been a walk in the park compared to this. Both teams looked like they were out for blood, and more often than not, seemed to be getting it. Lily hadn't realized that the Slytherin's Seeker was Regulus last game, but it really put into perspective why Sirius pelting him with Bludgers looked so personal now. The Slytherin Beaters retaliated with their own mission to try to knock Gryffindor's best player clean out of the air, resulting in a nasty bloody nose for James half an hour in. The pain pushed James to score more, but Lily's nerves were now completely shot, chewing the shit of her lip. He was undeterred, roaring out plays and flying in the same skillful manner that had saved her life last Christmas, but still. Is all this aggression truly necessary? Like, I'd love him in one piece, thank you very much. She cringed as he was bodychecked for the eighth time.
Right after Rosier had made an impressive goal, James got possession of the Quaffle back, zipping across the field, high in the air. He hollered out a formation before hurling the ball to his fellow Chaser and stopping his broom right before Lily and the girls. It all happened so fast, but before she knew it, James had ripped his chain off his neck, tossed it into Lily's lap and said, "Quit worrying about me, Evans." Just before the words could register, and she realized her fear for his safety must have had his neck positively burning, James leaned off his broom, over the railing, and grabbed her chin with one hand, pulling her in for a quick but searing kiss.
With a roguish wink, he shot off just as Gryffindor scored, making the stands burst into crazed cheers. "Interesting strategy by Potter — distracting the Slytherin players by kissing his girlfriend so his teammates had an unobstructed path to the hoops! 120-70 for Gryffindor!" the announcer's voice boomed over the pitch.
Lily sat there touching her lips, too enamored to move. Had he really just reassured her of his wellbeing and quelled any lingering jealousy she'd felt that week all in one fell swoop? Yup. James Potter truly was everything.
"Nice job there, Lil," Mary snarked out of the corner of her mouth.
Marlene threw an arm around each of them. "You know, I think this makes you an honorary member of the Gryffindor team. That was definitely an assist."
"Yep. I'd say so!" Mary agreed giggling. "Don't let the fame go to your head, though. You know, being Hogwarts' newest celebrity and all."
Lily shook her head tickled, but didn't engage them. Her gaze had not yet left James ever since he'd kissed her. Nothing could bring her mood down today. Not a damn thing.
A few minutes later, Dorcas streaked across the sky, her braids wiping behind her like crazy in the wind, Regulus hot on her tail. However, he was no match for her and all of Gryffindor jumped to their feet, cheering their heads off when her fingers wrapped around the Snitch.
"We did it! We did it!" Marlene squealed, hopping up and down wildly. "Cup — here we come!"
Lily gave her a big hug, unable to keep her mind out of the locker room she was about to crash to join James for a very, very hot, steamy shower.
She turned back to the pitch just in time to see a distorted blur of red sizzle out of the stands towards the huddle of Gryffindor players celebrating midair. As if in slow motion, Lily watched the hex hit James in the back, his body going rigid on his broom before sliding off it like a lifeless mannequin, plummeting towards the ground.
Next Chapter: Things Left Unsaid