James Potter watched with a small smile as his best mates snuggled closer together in the armchair.
The common room was warm and surprisingly quiet for this time of day. Gryffindor had a game against Ravenclaw tomorrow, so he supposed most people were taking the time to relax before the chaotic enthusiasm that would come with the morning.
It had come as a shock to no one when Moony and Padfoot finally got together, except for Moony and Padfoot. But they had himself and Lily to thank for that. They were the matchmakers afterall.
It had taken weeks of planning and days to execute and by the time Operation Puppy Love (James came up with the name, can't you tell?) was pronounced a success, the pair of them were about ready to tear out their hair. It was truly amazing how oblivious his best mates could be.
But it worked, and the outcome was nice, to say the least.
James was happy for his friends, he really was, and he could only hope that someday he could have what they had with Lily. She certainly was warming up to him, and if he could keep himself from making any idiotic mistakes, they could possibly be friends. Which, at this point, was all he asked for.
At the moment, Lily was on the other side of the common room destroying poor Peter in Wizard's Chess.
James turned away from the cuddling canines in favor of watching Lily, and hoped that he wasn't giving her the same nauseatingly mushy look that Moony and Padfoot were currently giving each other.
He loved the way the little crease between her eyebrows popped up when she was thinking hard, the intensity of her beautiful green eyes when she became competitive. He watched as she blew a strand of fiery hair out of her eyes. He loved everything about her.
As if she could feel him staring at her, Lily looked up from the chess board and gave him a small smile.
James counted that as a small victory, and a goofy grin spread across his face. Lily snorted with a fond roll of her eyes and turned back to her game, though the smile stayed on her face.
Maybe he did have a chance with her after all.
As James lay in bed that night, the memory of Lily's smile directed towards him kept replaying in his mind over and over until he finally drifted off into a peaceful slumber…
That is, until Moony and Padfoot's moans woke him up.
"For Merlin's sake, WHAT HAVE I SAID ABOUT SILENCING CHARMS?!"
Despite the volume of James's voice, Peter remained dead to the world.
A few quiet snickers drifted out from behind Padfoot's curtains and then all was silent.
James rolled his eyes. Yes, he was very happy for his mates. Very happy indeed.