Chapter Twenty Three

Saturday morning dawned gloomy, foggy, grey and altogether uninviting. No one wanted to get up, least of all the Gryffindor quidditch team, but, after James owl arrived with an exploding alarm clock for each of them, they soon struggled into the shower and began to get ready.

Lainie was just doing her hair in the mirror, when Lily wandered into the bathroom, still in her pajamas with rainbow cats on them.

"Morning Lainie," she said, while splashing her face with water.

"Morning Lil, good sleep?" Lainie said, brushing the knots out of her hair.

"Yip, incredibly good, actually. How long have you been up for?" Lily said, leaning on the basin.

"Since that boy of yours sent me a bloody alarm clock at about six this morning." Lainie said, "Oh Lily, I'm so sorry." She added after seeing Lily's face fall.

"No, it's fine, I'm not that angry anymore. It was just that on top of being tired and worrying about him that I snapped." Lily said, swirling water round her mouth.

"That's good. He really not a bad person." Lainie said, looking anxiously at Lily.

"Lain, I know he's not a bad person. I still like him, I have just put it on hold." Lily said.

"Good. You better be coming to watch me play this morning." Lainie said, capturing her hair with a hair tie and then tying her lucky black ribbon. She had worn it ever since her first game.

"Anyway, Lainie, good luck. You'll be fabulous." Lily said, straightening Lainie's ribbon.

"Yeah, right. No way, I'd ever be fabulous. No one thinks that." Lainie said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I know that me and Lil do, James does and most of the guys I know, think you are pretty hot anyway, so the fact that you play Quidditch just increases your appeal. Oh, and Sirius, well we all know he thinks that you are gorgeous anyway. So who's left, huh." Livvy interrupted, entering the bathroom.

"Stop it guys, I'm blushing." Lainie said dryly.

"It's true. Don't take him for granted." Lily said, while shoving her friend out the door.

"Come on guys, you know I don't like him, like that." Lainie lied through her teeth.

"That's crap, we know it and so do you. Now go and play hard." Livvy said, pushing her friends out the door.

"That girl doesn't know what she's in for." Lily said, slumping back into bed while Livvy flopped beside her.

"No, she's hasn't got the foggiest."

The girls went out onto the pitch later, both wrapped in jeans and thick woolen jerseys with scarves and boots. They found a seat in the stand and settled down to watch the game while warming their hands round coffees.

The game was tight and the chasers were getting more and more physical while dodging bludgers that seemed to nearly take their heads of every couple of minutes or so. The Gryffindor chasers were using elbows, arms, knees and anything else to keep the viscous Slytherin chasers from knuckling them but when a break was called they were ten points behind. Lily, Livvy, Remus and Peter were watching anxiously as James talked sternly to his team who looked a little worse for wear. Lily watched almost wistfully, almost, but more just sad, what if she had really ruined it.

"Right guys, we're going well. They are rough but just play your own game. You can do this. Lainie, take charge and direct play more. Use the arrowhead more and protect each other. Listen to her," he said to Matt and Sam, "She knows what she's doing more than I do." James said, very, very humbly.

"Me" Lainie said, shocked by this comment.

"Yeah, get going." James said, shoving his team back out onto the field and kicking off and flying next to Lainie who was circling the ground.

"I meant what I said, you know. You know what you are doing, I'll look for the snitch, you direct the rest. Got it?" James said, seriously.

"Sure," Lainie said, swerving down to the ref.

The whistle went and Lainie grabbed the quaffle and threw it to Sam. The chasers had the crowd gasping with their moves and near misses combined with the roughness of the game from both teams. Gryffindor were just in front when Lainie saw the Slytherin seeker shoot after something. He heart sank as she watched James try and catch up, he was side by side and bashing each other while following the snitch. James knew he had to do something amazing to get it or else he would be beaten. They were flying low to the ground now; James saw something that he could do. It would be risky but he might just make it. He steadied himself, bended his knees and sprung. He threw himself at the snitch and he hit the grass with a thump.

He felt his head jolt and his bones shudder with the impact as he finally stopped on the grass, with his entire body reeling from the impact. He looked at his hand and his heart plunged when he saw it was empty. He felt awful. He began to pick himself up, when he felt an odd lump under him. He reached under him and pulled it out. He looked at it, then shook his head and looked again. In his hand was the snitch, it's wings still flapping vainly. Oh my god, he thought, I caught it. He turned round and raised his hand to his approaching team. He grinned as Lainie shouted and sped towards him practically falling off her broom onto him as she threw herself at him.

"James." She shrieked, nearly strangling him, they were jumping up and down in a little group. He pulled back and looked at her. Her eyes were even more watery looking than usual. Hang on, was she, crying?

"You're crying, you emotional beast." James said, snorting.

"No, I'm not." Lainie said, wiping her eyes.

"Ok, fine, you're not." James said, deciding to let her off, this once, as the rest of the team hit them and began jumping up and down, while hugging James and ruffling his hair and spinning Lainie round, as she was the only one who was acceptable to do that to.

Then the whole of the school swarmed onto the grounds in a blur of red, green, blue and yellow. Gryffindor ran towards the team, who was still celebrating. James was supporting Lainie on one side with Sirius on the other side, as she could barely stand after the excitement of the game. James was looking at the crowd and saw their friends walking towards them. He removed Lainie's arm and began to walk towards them, looking for one person in particular.

He dodged people and ignored their comments. When he saw her, he broke into a jog, pushing people aside till he got to her. His heart was thumping in his dirty quidditch gear and he couldn't even remember to mess up his hair. When he got to about a meter from he took a deep breath, walked up to her and kissed her, on the lips while wrapping his arms round her.

Lily had been just walking along, head full of James as usual but not expecting in the least what was going to his in the next second. When she saw him, she waited for some form of greeting but it never came. Instead he continued walking to a very disgruntled Lily, but when he kept on coming closer and closer then kissed her on the lips, she couldn't believe it. Had James Potter just kissed her, in the middle of the quidditch pitch. Yip she told herself as he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, I think he just did.

Livvy and the rest were standing around and cheering and clapping with the rest of Gryffindor. Livvy leaned up against Remus, both smiling at the two of them. Lainie was standing off to one side, cat calling and grinning next to Sirius who was doing the same. He leaned over, pulled her over, put an arm round her, and pulled her in. She leant her head on his shoulder and clapped as Lily and James broke apart, both with incredibly stupid and sheepish but still very happy smiles. Neither of them had said anything yet, they couldn't quite string two words together.

James couldn't stop grinning and Lily smile was almost as big as his. As the crowd filed out, James took her hand and led her out to a little patch of grass surrounded by trees, still in his quidditch gear, which he hadn't remembered to change. They were just kissing on the grass when James pulled back.

"Lily," he said, looking into her mesmerizing green eyes.

"Now I've got you, I'll never let you go."

"So, you've got me now, huh" Lily teased.

"Yip, you're mine now. Now stop talking so I can kiss you again, I have waited too long and I would like to do it again as soon as possible." James said frankly.

He leaned over and kissed her, and needless to say, Lily didn't protest.

hey ho all. so, lily and james together, was it cheesy or what. now there is only two people left, hmmm. anyway, review and i'll love you even more, constructive criticism is welcome.

love u all cam xx