Disclaimer: Harry Potter 'tis not mine!

Hem Hem This, Hem Hem That

Chapter Five ll Look, A Wall!

CUE BUGLE.

THE NEXT DAY.

TRANSFIGURATION - CLASS NUMERO ONE.

LILY: ARRIVING LATE BECAUSE OF A MEETING WITH PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE THE GREAT.

LILY: (runs)

DOOR: (opens)

LILY: (breathless) Sorry, Professor McGonagall.

CUT THE SCRIPT.

The only seat available, of course (due to clever scheming and preparation), was beside James Potter. He smiled serenely at Lily when her eyes landed on him in something like distaste.

"Never mind, Miss Evans," Professor McGonagall said tolerably, "Please take a seat and take out your book. We're on page one hundred."

Lily walked very slowly to the Seat of Horrors...

...the seat next to James. She dumped her bag onto the table and pulled out her books, trying very hard to ignore James who was looking expectantly at her. Finally, Lily looked up and glared swiftly at him by way of greeting. His smirk widened.

Late to class? Oh dear, Miss Evans.

Lily grimaced at the scrap of parchment he'd silently slid to her and was half in mind to ignore it when her haughty side got the better of her. She picked up her quill and wrote steadily.

"Oh dear" doesn't quite sum it up. I have to sit next to you.

That hurts, pumpkin. It really does.

She hid a smile when she saw his reply. Shouldn't you be used to it by now?

Maybe. Yeah.

Then why do you still put up with it?

Because I know, deep down, you love me.

Lily rolled her eyes. Whatever you think.

Love is pain, darling.

James muffled a laugh when she threw him an exasperated look, her own mouth twitching against her will. Sometimes, his arrogance made her laugh. At that moment, however, Professor McGonagall made an announcement to the class to start their practical work.

"Kindly take out your wands and start practising the enchantment."

The class scrambled up and began to transfigure their quills into flowers. Lily was having trouble perfecting the spell; Transfiguration had never really liked her and the feeling was mutual, no matter how much effort she put into the stupid subject.

James, on the other hand, had an inexplicable gift in Transfiguration.

"You're doing it wrong, pumpkin," he said teasingly, taking her hand and guiding her, "You should be holding it like this."

Lily shook his hand away irritably, "I can do it myself!"

"So you say..."

"Be quiet, Potter!"

Meddy and Emily snuck over to them, leaving Penny behind with Sirius. Sirius was talking non-stop and Penny looked a little frazzled. The poor girl.

"Hey, Lil," Emily said apologetically, "We tried to save you a spot with us, but... it didn't work out," she finished a little mysteriously, as if omitting details too gory to include. She did shoot a look at James as she said this, and Lily got the general picture. The redhead sighed.

"It's okay," she said patiently, "Potter knows what he's getting himself into, I suppose."

James flashed a grin.

"Ah," Meddy said, nodding her head, "Been having more talks about your monthly cycle, James?"

James inwardly suppressed a shiver at that memory, but said cheerfully, "Oh, the very best. We can only manage to talk when dear Lily isn't struggling with this spell, though." She scowled at him and the two girls smiled at their banter.

"I am not struggling!"

"Then why are you so defensive?" he teased.

She instantly made her face passive, "I'm not."

"Ah, they are so made for each other," Meddy said wisely as she and Emily went back to their own seats, leaving James and Lily behind.

Lily eyed James' casual wand movement jealously; he would only wave it and his quill would change into a flower and back again with little effort. Each time it took the form of a flower, it was different from the previous one. Yellow sunflower, quill, pink tulip, quill, red rose, quill, yellow pansy, quill...

"You're still doing it incorrectly," James said critically a few minutes later, when Lily picked up her flower which had feathers for petals. He took it from her, set it in front of him and flicked his wand while clearly articulating the incantation. The pathetic quill flower changed into a pretty, healthy, white lily at once.

James smiled and handed it to her, "For you."

"Oh... thanks," Lily said awkwardly, permitting herself a small smile as she took the flower.

James pretended to pout, "Just a thanks? That's it?"

"What else were you expecting?" she asked warily.

"Hmm, I don't know... isn't the standard a hug? Or a peck on the cheek?"

Lily flushed, and not only from anger, "In your dreams, Potter!'

James snickered, surveying her heated cheeks, "Defensive again, are we?" he said lightly.

"You are absolutely insufferable, Potter," Lily murmured, her eyes shut.

"I'll be quiet if you give me a kiss," he bargained slyly.

Her eyes opened in a severe glare so that he recoiled. "Do you remember my magic word, Potter?" Lily said dangerously.

"Err... 'I'm going to hex you'?" James tried.

"Exactly. Now shut up and leave me alone if you know what's good for you."

"Prongs, I want a race," whined Sirius as they walked to their next class, Divination, taught by the unusually stern and strict Professor Fluinskill.

"Sure," James said easily, "Running race?"

"Yeah!

"Ready... on your marks... one - two - GO!"

"What the - HEY!"

James pounded down the corridor with Sirius hot on his heels; James was still the faster runner and Sirius knew that. He grinned as they continued running, students diving out of the way. Carefully and subtly, Sirius took out his wand and conjured a wall up a few feet ahead of James.

"WHOA!"

James ran smack bam into the wall, and Sirius, still running at full tilt, tripped over James' body and smacked his head against said wall. The two seventh-year boys were sprawled out on the ground, clutching their faces in agony. Remus sighed. The girls, all laughing hysterically, went over to help them back up.

"Potter, hurry up!" Lily said shrilly while the twins dragged Sirius out of the way, "You do realise you're my partner in tea-leaf reading, and if you're late then Fluinskill will somehow put the blame on me!"

"Yes, the man is simply talented that way," Emily nodded.

James, still sitting pathetically on the ground, looked up and tried to smile at Lily even though his eyes were unfocused. His head felt as though it had been cleaved in two.

"How about that kiss, then?" he asked.

Lily's cheeks reddened indignantly, "What?"

"What kiss?" Penny asked in swift interest.

"There is no kiss!" Lily yelled.

James gasped dramatically, "I'm hurt, Lily. Even after I gave you that beautiful flower? Fine, I'll just stay sitting here like a pathetic, unloved orphan." Meddy giggled while Lily groaned aloud, torn between smacking James and... well, smacking James even harder.

James smiled angelically at her, "I'm waiting." He inwardly braced himself for a blow to the head, and was stunned when she swooped down and gave him a peck on the cheek so quickly that it was over by the time James released his breath.

Lily was a bright tomato red, looking incredibly adorable in his opinion, but said impatiently, "Now, come on, Potter!"

James grinned and leapt to his feet effortlessly, absolutely elated. Without waiting for her permission, he grabbed Lily's hand and began running to class with her. She shrieked, pulled along, but didn't try to fight him off for once.

The rest stared blankly after them.

"Wow," Sirius said, awed as he rubbed his eyes, "Did that just happen?"

"You mean, did Lily just kiss James on the cheek?" Penny asked, equally bewildered. "Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Em? Meddy? Remus?"

"I think we're going to be late for class if we don't move," Remus said placidly, and that was the cue for everyone to chivvy along, hurrying to their Divination classroom. The rest of the class were still in the process of sitting down, chatting and taking out their gear. Professor Fluinskill was barking out orders.

"Sit with your partners! Books out. Dream diaries out. Homework on desk. Get a cup, one between two. No - uh - Miss Leng, you don't need to get a cup. You can... ah... recall more of your dreams and interpret them with your partner. All right, everyone? Good... now drink the tea and swivel the dregs around. Miss Leng I told you not to get a cup! The school does not have an endless supply, girl!"

"Okay," Lily said breathlessly, after she had taken out all her books and set them on her table, "Now - Potter!"

James hiccoughed on the tea he had already been drinking and spat out a large quantity of liquid and tea leaves onto Lily's dream diary. She stared at it in horror while James pounded his chest, still coughing loudly.

"Potter! Evans! What's all the ruckus?"

Professor Fluinskill was hovering above them, most disapproving as he picked up Lily's dream diary and glanced at James (with tea leaves still plastered over his chin). "I am very surprised to see this, Evans," the teacher said shrewdly, "There is tea all over your work and you have allowed Potter to devour the tea leaves when you are supposed to be drinking the tea itself. Can you explain this?"

Lily fumbled over her words, "It was - an accident, professor - "

"It's not her fault," James managed to speak up, wiping away the mess from his face, "I - "

"I didn't expect anything less from you, Potter," sighed Professor Fluinskill, "You're always up to some fresh sort of idiocy. I simply cannot read this, Evans," he added, setting the dream diary back down. "You will rewrite this for me tonight in my office. And Potter... you will join Evans for detention also."

"What am I going to do?" James asked, slightly confused.

"Who knows," Professor Fluinskill said under his breath, then said louder, "You'll find out." And he walked away.

Lily was unnaturally still and stayed that way for so long that a concerned James nudged her.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Do I have detention?" she finally whispered.

He smiled sheepishly, "Yeah. Sorry about that. But it's not that bad, I promise."

Lily frowned, biting her lip and looking so worried that James clamped his hands on either side of her face and forced her to look at him. "Oi, cheer up, Evans," he said sternly, "I'll make it the best detention man has ever gone on. Okay?"

Lily sighed and shook her head while he grinned. "Ugh, okay, okay, Potter. But I'll have you know this is... the first detention I've ever got. Because of you!" The shock had still not worn off, apparently.

"Are you serious? You should thank me, then."

"I'm not even going to ask you why."

"Thanks, that really makes things easier."

"Just pass me the teapot. Please, Potter."

HISTORY OF MAGIC.

The next class was inevitably boring. James doodled all over his piece of parchment, his head in one hand. Sirius was snoring lightly, his head against the desk. Remus was sleepily playing with his quill, slowly pulling each feather out.

Lily, somehow and for the third time that day sitting next to James, was playing hangman with Meddy on the corner of her parchment. Emily sucked on her sugar quill dreamily, her eyes glazed over while she nodded whenever Professor Binns paused in his droning. Penny, like Sirius, had her head on the desk. She had been like that for the last half an hour.

Finally, James couldn't take it anymore. Standing up, he announced loudly, "Excuse me, sir, but Lily feels sick."

Lily paused in the middle of drawing the gallows and looked up. "What?" she whispered, horrified. "Stop! Don't do this!" she continued to mouth at James, waving her hands over her head, but he paid her no heed.

Professor Binns looked mildly surprised, "Sick, you say? Yes - yes, Perkins. Take her to the wing then."

And then he resumed his lesson.

James beamed at a stunned Lily while he pushed all her books into her bag and swung it over his shoulder. "Come on, Lily, you don't want to infect the rest of the class," he said very seriously, taking her by the arm and pulling her up.

"I'm not sick!" she hissed at him while the rest of the class watched.

"Sure you are. Now come on, or do you want me to carry you?" James raised his eyebrows, trying not to laugh at her expression.

At last they got out of the classroom and Lily shoved him away from her, grabbing her bag from him in the process. "What are you playing at, Potter?" she demanded, "This isn't right - it's like skiving off class! I'm going back inside - "

"Oh, no you don't," James said cheerily, grabbing both her arms and pulling her away with him, "You're going to thank me, dear pumpkin. I'm going to take you to Hogsmeade."

Lily stared at him, "You've really lost it this time."

A/N: Lol. I quite like this chapter. Lots of fluff. I think. Hehe. Anyway, thank you for reviewing my kind, kind reviewers! I posted a new fic, and I've finished the entire story for it, so it won't get in the way of updating this story and my other one. Yeah. Hehe. I just remembered, the first story I've ever written (from what I remember) was in year 2. I know this because I got an award for it. XD Lol. I was about 6 or 7 then. Cya! – msq.