A/N: Christmas ficlet. My obsession with mistletoe grows.
Just a Kiss
"JAMES POTTER!"
James smiled, albeit nervously, as a furious, red-faced, red-haired vixen stormed into the common room.
"Yes, Lily?"
"You - you get this thing away from me right now!"
"What are you talking about?" James said innocently as Lily stomped up to him.
"I swear to Merlin, Potter, if you don't get this bloody weed away from my head right now, I will curse you so badly you will be in hospital until next Christmas!" Her hand trailed dangerously to her pocket.
"Er - well - see, there's nothing I can do," James says, his smile faltering as Lily's eyes narrow.
"What?" Her voice so quiet he can barely hear it.
"Well, you see - I sort of have to - sort of have to kiss you before it will go away - "
"You have to WHAT?!" The common room shook with Lily's scream. "Oh, you - you prat - you talked him into this, didn't you!" she screeched, turning to Sirius, who was lounging on the couch and whistling.
"Me?" he said innocently. "'Course not. Oh, and don't try Vanishing it, Evans, it'll just get bigger."
Lily's scowl deepened as she rounded on Remus. "And why didn't you talk them out of it? You ARE a prefect, aren't you? Should be stopping students from cursing other students, shouldn't you?"
Remus looked helplessly from Lily to James to Sirius and then back to Lily. "I - er - it's not technically a curse…"
"And you, Pettigrew - stop - stop - stop looking so excited! I will NOT kiss him," Lily shouted at Peter, who was nearly bouncing with excitement on the hearthrug. "Did you all hear that? I will NOT kiss him," she yelled to the common room in general, all of whom were watching intently. "So you can all get back to your business while I research the best way to castrate Potter." She turned back to James. "Now. You will tell me the counter curse right now or I will go to Professor McGonagall and tell her exactly who planted the exploding Dungbombs underneath her chair last week at supper."
"You knew that was us?" James gawked.
"What he means," Sirius said hastily, jumping up and slinging his arm around James' shoulders, "is, there's no need to do that, really, because why get those poor blokes in trouble, whoever they are, and also, there is no counter curse, so you'd best just pucker up."
Lily gaped at him. "There's got to be a counter curse."
"There isn't, actually," Remus said, looking very uncomfortable. "Because, again, it technically isn't a curse, it's more of a charm, and usually not one used in a malicious way, so they've never bothered to come up with a - "
"Thank you, Lupin, that will be all," Lily said coldly. "So, are you telling me, Potter, that if I don't kiss you, this gigantic branch of mistletoe will forever be hanging above my head?"
"Basically, yeah."
"I cannot believe I'm about to do this." Lily took a deep, readying breath, closed the gap between she and James, and kissed him hard on the lips. James stood stock-still for 5 whole seconds as Lily finished kissing him and pulled away, looking nearly as shocked as he. There was a quiet sound of a bell jingling as the mistletoe above Lily's head disappeared, before the entire common room burst into applause.
"Nice one!" Sirius said appreciatively as Lily glared at everyone in disgust. "Right on the lips, too, I'm glad I didn't tell you a peck on the cheek would suffice…"
"Can't believe I bloody did that - will all of you shut up! Good night, Potter, I will NEVER forgive you!" Looking decidedly frazzled, Lily stomped up the stairs to the girl's dorm.
"Merry Christmas!" James called up the stairs, and unless he was hearing things, he thought he heard a very quiet but sincere "Merry Christmas" called back to him.