Are you afraid of the dark?
Lily and James
The corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were deserted. All the students were currently packed into their respective Common Rooms. It was Saturday night on a Hogsmeade Weekend. House parties were in full swing. Within the Gryffindor Tower, a seventh year tried unsuccessfully to smooth down his unruly black hair while leaning with studied casualness against a wall. Bright blue eyes in a lean, handsome face gleamed with satisfaction. Meeting emerald green orbs across the room, James Potter smiled. The girl huffily tossed her red tresses and turned away. The boy's smile widened. She could deny it all she liked, but Lily Evans had definitely been checking him out.
Angry at herself for staring at the biggest prat in school just because his jumper matched his eyes and his lips curved so appealingly, the redhead sitting on a sofa across the room ignored the tingling that the mere thought of James watching sent down her spine. Beside her, one of her roommates, Julia, noticed her shiver and asked,
"Are you cold? The fire's roaring."
Lily shook her head, and then wished she hadn't. Immediately, the petite blond gasped,
"Ooohhh…it's that kind of shiver, is it? Did you finally wake up and smell the pheromones between you and Potter? He's standing all alone, waiting for you…go get him Tiger."
The taller girl growled,
"You shouldn't drink that punch Black concocted. It's sent you into alcohol psychosis. Just because that…arrogant prat…is Head Boy and I'm Head Girl, that doesn't mean that we're going to fall for each other so don't even…"
She lost her train of thought when she made the mistake of glancing toward the sexiest arrogant prat on the planet. Her fingers twitched to sink into that hair…no they didn't…they wanted to slap that insufferable, kissable mouth…no…that smirk that drove her wild…erm…spare.
"Don't even try to fight it, mate…it's bigger than the both of you…just accept your destiny and go snog his brains out."
Blushing furiously at the mental image those words engendered, Lily snapped,
"For someone who can't remember Cedric Diggory whenever Remus Lupin strolls by, you sure are free with the romantic advice."
Julia had the grace to look embarrassed,
"I know. I've been a hypocrite…but…I broke up with Cedric, so if Remus ever looks at me the way James looks at you…"
Green eyes sparkled,
"You'll snog his brains out?"
Listening to Lily laugh with her friend, the Gryffindor Chaser felt his body tighten. He wished she'd laugh with him that way. She always became angry whenever he tried to talk to her, or impress her, or get her attention in any way he could think of from stupid to the spectacular.
"That girl's been eyeing you all night, mate. When are you going to grab the bull by the ballocks and go get her?"
Curling his lip over his friend's crude analogy, James shrugged. Sirius rolled the dark eyes every girl in school sighed over- according to him- and declared,
"Jamie boy…that girl's Lost That Lovin' Feelin'… We should help her get it back."
"Who's lost what?"
Black told Lupin his proposal. Remus' nodded agreeably and grinned,
"Remember we're harmonizing this time, Padfoot…Prongs and I aren't just your backup singers."
"What, you don't want to be a Supreme, Moony?" Affecting a falsetto, the rogue crooned,
"Baby, Baby, Where did our love go? Ouch!" Rubbing the arm that had received a jab from the brown-haired boy, Sirius shook back his long, black hair and snickered, "Let's not let Wormtail in on this…the little rat's tone deaf."
The friends agreed and Black sauntered over to pick up an Orpheus Orb and give it a spin. Familiar music spilled into the room, making Gryffindors smile in anticipation. Everyone wondered who Sirius and the others would serenade to the Righteous Brothers' classic tune.
Lily's stomach somersaulted while her pulse raced. She knew, by the intent look on Potter's face that he was coming over to her. Futilely wishing she'd worn jeans instead of a miniskirt, the girl tried to tug the material down to cover more of her thighs…but the motion just brought that searing blue gaze to the exposed skin. She crossed her legs. His eyes widened. Hers became panicked. Had she just flashed her panties? It was a relief to switch from humiliating herself to merely being embarrassed. Sirius, the gorgeous dog, stood in the middle with James and Remus on either side. Together, they sang,
You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips.
And there's no tenderness like before in your fingertips.
Black sank to his knees and crooned hilariously,
You're trying hard not to show it,
She blushed when James sang with Remus,
Baby….
All three leaned in and declared,
But baby, baby I know it….
Everyone in the Common Room sang along on the chorus, even Julia, the traitor,
You've lost that lovin' feelin',
Whoa, that lovin' feelin',
You've lost that lovin' feelin',
Now it's gone…gone…gone…whoooaaa…
Although she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, Lily couldn't help but be flattered. When James acted out the lyrics, she almost melted,
Baby, baby, I'd get down on my knees for you.
She covered her eyes, but couldn't hide a smile when the incorrigible trio leaned in and then back in unison, encouraging the other housemates to do the same while singing,
Bring back that lovin' feelin'
'Cause it's gone…gone…gone…
And I can't go on….whoooaaa…
Her friend jumped up at the end of the song, pushing James toward her spot while smiling at her brown-eyed crush,
"Do you know what Sirius puts in that punch?"
Shyly, the boy offered to tell Julia the secret ingredients while they fetched a cup. Lily giggled at the 'Oh my gods, I'm actually chatting up Remus!' look the blonde threw back over her shoulder as the teen led her away. Next to her, way too close for comfort, Potter chuckled,
"Remus has been waiting for her to break up with that Hufflepuff since school started. Don't know what she ever saw in him; actually…that guy's the type to want his son to be Cedric Diggory Jr." When she smiled, he laughed, "Poor kid doesn't stand a chance with a name like that."
"What would you name your son, Potter?"
James stared into the eyes that were greener than any emerald he'd ever seen. Her hair was so pretty. He'd love to run his fingers through it and use it to bring her mouth to his. Blinking, it finally registered that she'd asked a question. His eyes visually caressed the bright strands while smiling dreamily,
"Hair…I mean Harry…yeah…that's a solid name…he'd be his own person…" He grinned when her smile widened in delight,
"I've always liked that name too!"
Impishly, he suggested,
"Then you'll have to marry me so we can bring little Harry Potter into the world."
Face beet red, she stood and glared,
"I wouldn't marry an arrogant, self-centered prat like you if you were the last male on the planet, Potter."
He rose and faced her,
"Protesting too much, methinks…I've caught you looking, Evans…you want me."
Closing the mouth that had dropped open incredulously, the fiery girl screeched,
"I want to slap that smirk off your face!"
He winked,
"You mean, snog the smirk off."
They were drawing quite an audience, but James didn't care. Lily was beautiful when she was angry. Almost incoherent in rage, she sputtered,
"Oh…you…you…arrogant…egotistical…I could kiss you!" Immediately, the girl blanched and tried to backtrack, "I meant kill you!"
Tears sprang to her eyes when housemates laughed their nosy arses off. She pushed past them and ran out of the room, into the outer corridor. Remus grabbed his arm.
"Hold up, Prongs. Julia and I've been talking, and we think we know a good way to get you and Lily some time to talk…in private…"
Pacing the halls, the girl who prided herself on being a calm, rational person was freaking out.
"Oh my gods! I said kiss…He'll never let me live it down. I'll be haunted by that good-looking prat and his kissable lips for the rest of the year. Every day, those incredible blue eyes will look at me and taunt, 'You think I'm sexy, you want to kiss me'. I may as well go jump off the Astronomy Tower!"
"Uh, Lily?"
Whirling around, the redhead saw her friend and tried to act like she was cool with everything,
"Hey, Julia...what's up?"
Silvery grey eyes appraised her warily before the girl asked,
"Can I talk to you about Remus?"
Relieved, she nodded eagerly,
"Sure. What's happened? Did he ask you out?"
A soft, infatuated smile crossed her friend's features,
"Yes. There's a perfect place right over here…you go first…I'll just…shut and lock the door so you can have a nice chat."
The second half of her roommate's speech was given from the other side of the linen cupboard door. It was a little room, full of shelves with…linens…on them, and seemed even smaller to Lily when her eyes met James'.
"What are you doing in here, and why did my friend lock me in with you?"
Sitting on a blanket with his back against the wall, Potter smiled,
"They wanted me to have a chance to talk with you, and knew you'd never do it willingly." He looked down and then met her eyes, "I've been trying to get you to notice me for a long time, Lily."
Sitting as far away from him as she could with her legs curled to the side, the girl tried to understand,
"You've acted like a prat…pulled all those pranks…just to get me to notice you? Why didn't you just behave like a civilized human being?"
Sheepishly, James admitted,
"Not the pranks…those were for fun…but the prat part…yeah…" He smiled crookedly, "When I've tried to behave, you've ignored me or asked if I expected a medal for doing what comes naturally to decent people."
She felt horrible,
"I'm the prat, James…I've tried not to like you for so long…I guess I got into a habit of always thinking the worst about you. I'm sorry."
He scooted closer,
"Want to kiss and make up?"
Slowly, she nodded. His heart jolted. Staring into her eyes while he leaned closer and closer to the mouth he'd wanted to kiss, and dreamt about kissing, James brushed her cheek with his lips and pulled back to smile,
"I heard you only kiss on the cheek first date, Evans."
Lily reached up and touched his cheek,
"Our first date was on the sofa. This is the second date."
She slid her hand around the base of his neck and pulled his head down to hers. The touch of his mouth produced a rush of feeling she'd never felt before. The gentle pressure made her heart and body ache in the sweetest way. His tongue traced her lips, making her smile. James' tongue slipped inside and glided against hers, making her clutch his adorably messy hair to keep him right where she wanted him. The magicked candle illuminating the space flickered, then sputtered out, plunging the cupboard into darkness. She didn't notice, lost in the embrace, but he did.
James hugged Lily tightly and tried not to panic. She asked,
"What's wrong…are you afraid of the dark?"
He whispered,
"No…of course not…I just don't care to be locked in cupboards, is all...not after I was six and our house elf Hinky took my dad's humorous 'Toss the little blighter in a cupboard if he misbehaves whilst we're out' literally and I spent what seemed like eons in a dark pantry, listening to Hinky punishing himself in the kitchen for being cruel to me." When she kissed his cheek and hugged him as hard as she could, he confessed, "The worst part was feeling like a coward. I didn't want Hinky to open the door after I'd heard him screaming. I was afraid to see what he'd done. My mum had to coax me for a half hour before I'd open my eyes."
"What had he done?"
A short burst of laughter escaped,
"Ironed his arm, grilled his hand, and cut off an earlobe."
He grinned in the dark, and she could hear it in his voice,
"I've never told anyone that before. Funny, it doesn't bother me to be in the dark…with you."
Her pulse sped up. She made a confession of her own, "James…"
"Yes, Lily?"
"When you sang that song…I wanted to sing part of it to you."
His heart raced. He encouraged,
"Go on. Sing it now."
"I can't. I can't sing worth a damn. But I can say it…I need your love…"
He kissed her cheek, her eyelids,
"I need your love too, Lily."
Sweeping her silken hair aside, he kissed her neck all the way up to her ear, and then slowly worked his way down to her collarbone. She dragged his mouth up to meld with hers. The girl finally knew why people described kissing as exchanging hearts and souls through lips and tongues and breath. His hand was sliding up her inner thigh when the door opened. The boy held the girl against his chest to protect her eyes from the sudden bright light. Three friends waited for them to rise and step out into the corridor. Remus and Julia exchanged pleased looks. James noticed they were holding hands. Sirius barked with laughter.
"I suppose you weren't snogging, you were whispering into each other's mouths."
Lily smiled wickedly,
"No, we were kissing, and if you don't mind, we're going to find an alcove behind a statue somewhere and kiss some more…"
James grinned while saying meekly, "Yes, Dear". She giggled and pulled him away from the others, slipping her hand into his. They heard the other couple second their intention to find a private spot, and Sirius called after them,
"Gary the Gorgeous has a great niche behind it, and Rupert the Red's alcove is comfy too... Avoid the statue of Daniel the Daft…smells like dirty socks behind that one…"
Behind the memorial to the giant Fezzick the Faithful, Lily smiled shyly,
"Legend says that lovers who kiss here are forever faithful. Are you bold enough to handle that, James?"
He bent his head and in answer exchanged his heart, and soul, and breath for hers.
A/N: Thanks to Remember Cedric Diggory for the Lily/James idea, and Funnykido for having the inspired idea of the house-elf locking little Jamie in the cupboard for being naughty and giving him a fear of the dark. Hope you two got a laugh out of me weaving you into the story in an extra bit of gratitude! Eternal gratitude to wonderful readers for letting me share my story with you! Kerichi