Rays of soft light hit Lily's eyelids as she snuggled deeper into her sheets. Subconsciously she realized that she held someone's hand, but she didn't put forth the effort to open her eyes.

The person next to her let out a small groan and turned over. Something dropped onto the bed near Lily's feet. It was all so perfect, Lily could almost hear harps playing.

"WHAT IS THIS?!?!"

A loud yell quickly shattered Lily Evan's utopia, and her heart skipped a beat as she jerked awake. In one quick moment, the sheets were ripped off of Lily's bed. Next to her, James made a noise of mingled indignation and surprise, clutching his blankets to his chest.

Madame Pomfrey stood lividly in front of the young Gryffindors, fists balled in anger. Her breathing was fast and shallow, and two red spots burned high on her plump cheeks.

"Evans, Potter, explain yourselves," she demanded. Lily opened her mouth, but it was James who spoke first.

"I'm sorry, Madame Pomfrey. I asked Lily to come--"

"So I could help him care for Hairy. He's a muggle-studies project," Lily interjected. "But you see, he's a niffler, so he can be hard to watch--"

"And I see that clearly, even when you seem to find it necessary to sleep in the Hospital Wing, Miss Evans, to take care of your 'project', that it is still too much of a responsibility!" The aging witch reached into the bundle of Lily's sheet, extracting several needles, bed trays, and silver cups that were used daily in the hospital wing. She piled quite a few of these things onto Lily's bed, then produced two glittering earrings from the folds. "And these," she added huffily, "are mine."

"I'm extremely sorry about Hairy, Madame Pomfrey," James said, biting his lip to keep from smiling. "He can be a burden. But I swear, Lily was here strictly for educational purposes--"

"Out!" Poppy ordered firmly, pointing her finger at the door to reinforce her sentence.

Meekly Lily gathered up Hairy, who was scrounging in her bedside cabinet looking for shiny things, and walked towards the door. There was a squeaking of bedsprings and James fought to remain where he was.

"My arm is hurt!" He argued.

"I have never been so insulted, Mr. Potter! I'm sure your shoulder will heal just as well in detention!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Professor Harvey surveyed the two students gravely over his spectacles.

"You two understand, of course, that you have just enabled me to fail you in this project," he said somberly.

Lily nodded, eyes on the floor. Hairy was back in his box at the back of the room, making grunting noises. James readjusted the sling that now hung from his left shoulder.

"Isn't there some kind of way we could do an alternative assignment?" He asked.

Harvey rubbed his short beard in thought. "I suppose…I'd have to think about it. But I have to take into consideration what happened between you in the Hospital Wing…"

Lily and James cringed.

Harvey continued. "Perhaps you should ask Professor Dumbledore for his counsel. Yes…Today at supper, you ask what to do."

"But then everyone will know--" James protested. Lily kicked him under the table and smiled politely.

"You're very kind, Professor Harvey."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

James waited moodily in his dorm for the rest of that day. Finally, Remus, Sirius, and Peter came to tell him that it was time to eat. James nodded and bid Remus and Peter to leave; he had to talk to Sirius about something. Once again, Remus was slightly suspicious, but left them alone. Sometimes, Sirius and James could be quite forceful.

"What's on your mind, Prongs?" Sirius asked casually, polishing his wand with his robes. James paced the confines of their room.

"When am I going to stop taking your advice?" He blurted suddenly, catching Sirius by surprise and causing several red sparks to fly out the end of his wand. Sirius waited, speechless. "I mean, first you convince Lily to spend the night with me in the common room. That was a mistake! Elle nearly bit my head off, and Lils was mad at me. Then you tried to hook me up with Taylor. I'll admit, I was led to temptation, but YOU did the leading! Now you told Lily to go to the hospital wing with me, and Pomfrey finds her, and now we might fail Muggle Studies!"

It took Sirius several moments for James' words to sink in, but soon he had prepared just as strong of an argument as James, and was getting slightly heated.

"Yea, well all of those times, you and Lily got a little farther--emotionally AND physically--in your relationship, didn't you? Didn't you?"

James rubbed his temples. "You're right. Sorry, mate."

Sirius whistled. "But you got caught? Bad luck, Prongs."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dumbledore stood at the head table before the food appeared, signaling for silence. Lily gave James a distinct look, and started to rise.

"Students--what's this?" Dumbledore broke off his speech as two of his best students approached him. Whispers immediately could be heard around the room.

"Professor," Lily began. "James and I have something to tell you."

James looked to Professor Harvey, hoping to old man could break the news. Oblivious, the Muggle Studies teacher continued to stare hopefully at the golden platter. No help there.

"Yes?" The headmaster asked serenely.

James sighed. "Lily accompanied me to the Hospital Wing last night," the boy explained, very much aware that every ear in the Great Hall was listening intently.

"Indeed?" Dumbledore said calmly.

Lily nodded, claret-red.

"And why would that be?" Albus pried.

"Because I asked her to," James answered confidently. When Lily tried to speak, he cut her off. "I take full responsibility."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind his half-moon glasses. James thought that he had probably seen right through his lie, but didn't back down. The whispers got louder, more excited.

"Well James, Ms. Evans, I think that this is punishment enough," the headmaster proclaimed firmly. "You may take your seats."

Humbly, Lily and James returned to the Gryffindor table. And Lily did notice how humble James was being lately.

"Punishment enough?" She whispered, so only James could hear. "I think this is punishment too much."