Chapter 6:

"Hey Lils do you have plans Saturday night?" Paul called from across the room. His shout broke the comfortable silence around the room and some people jumped.

It was another lazy Thursday evening in the common room. Everybody was either lying down on the couches talking or doing their homework. Lily was one of those doing the latter. However, as soon as Paul called her, every eye on the room was towards. She huffed and glared at him with a do-you-expect-me-to-answer-that-after-you-embarrassed-me look. Paul smiled sheepishly and came over to her instead.

"So are you doing something Saturday night?" he asked.

"Don't know yet. Why do you ask?" He lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Well, Jen and I were planning on going to Hogsmeade and… hang out."

She looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure you were planning on 'hanging out' or do you have something else in mind? Also, you do know that you're a prefect and prefects have responsibilities."

"Yes I know but please will you go to Hogsmeade with us?" he whispered.

She rolled her eyes at his not so convincing puppy eye look but gave in. "Fine. But how are we going to go there? It isn't a Hogsmeade weekend."

He just stared at her and Lily thought that he was trying to relay some kind of information that she has no idea what about. After a couple of minutes of intense staring, Paul blinked and sighed.

"Fine. Jen told me all about this club you went into last week and I want to include in the fun. Don't worry—" he exclaimed as she opened her mouth in shock, "I won't tell a soul. I swear. I forced it out of her anyways."

"Paul, look me in the eye and say it again." She said softly.

He looked at her in the eye. "I swear on my grandmother's life that I will not tell anybody about what happened that night."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Not even Matt?"

He paused before saying, "Not even Matt."

They were silent for a while. Paul was looking at two second years that were playing wizard chess while Lily stared at her unfinished homework.

"So what do you think of him?" She suddenly spoke.

"Personally I haven't met the guy so I can't immediately tell."

"But what thoughts have you made after hearing the things we did?"

"What kind of things?"

"You know what I mean." she exclaimed, cheeks flaming red. He chuckled.

"Well I have to say I'm quite disappointed in what you have been doing. Think about Matt—"

"I know," she interrupted, "and I'm sorry about that. But I had decided to continue my relationship with Matt and forget about James."

"Okay. So are we on this Saturday?"

"Sure. But how do we get there?"

"How did you get there?"

"We flew."

"Then we'll fly too."

OOO

Hours later, when everybody in the Gryffindor Tower was asleep, a figure crept into the girl's dorm and towards Lily Evan's bed. It was a surprise that no one woke up since the creaking sounds were so loud even a cat would go deaf.

Lily was stirring while she slept, moving left and right as if having a bad dream. The figure climbed up the bed and lay down beside her. Slowly he gathered her in his arms and patiently waited for her to calm down. She was sweating profusely, the figure noted, and the only way to release her from her nightmare was to wake her up. Gently he shook her awake. Her eyes shot open and they were so full of fear that the figure suspected that this was no ordinary nightmare.

Lily couldn't scream as soon as she felt that someone was with her at that moment. She felt as though she lost her voice from her nightmare. It was no ordinary nightmare, she surmised. Her vision was blurry when she opened her eyes. She knew that there was someone with her and she was thankful that she wasn't able to see him, a man, that's for sure, was lying beside her. When her vision cleared she was shocked to see James but was nowhere near frightened. In fact, she felt comforted and at ease to be in his arms.

He shifted slightly so that his face was facing hers.

"Are you alright?" his face was full of concern. "Care to tell me about your dream."

His voice was so gentle and compassionate that if she were standing up, her knees would go weak and she'd fall.

"I dreamt of my death." She said quietly, not looking at his face in fear of breaking down. "It was really horrible. I couldn't make out the faces but I knew that it was me. I was holding a baby and I died protecting him, or her." He held her close, feeling her trembling.

"Don't worry. It's all a dream. Anyways, aren't you glad that I'm here?" He said to lighten the mood.

She smiled a little bit. "You always seem to visit me in the middle of the night and in my bed."

He chuckled lightly. "What can I say? I enjoy watching you sleep. Listen," he made her look at him in the eye, "I'm going on a mission to Mongolia. I was told that there is an evil power arising and the ministry needs as much help as possible to prevent it."

He felt her stiffen a little bit. "Wh-When will you b-be back?" She whispered.

"Around three months. Or maybe more. I'm just going there to help in the research and if there is no evidence found on this evil being, I might come back sooner than expected."

Millions of thoughts ran through Lily's head. She's regretting that he's leaving, yet she was also relieved that he's leaving. He is now finally giving her a chance to be totally independent. However, she felt selfish for ever thinking that. She didn't know whether to feel happy or depressed at his departure. James seemed to think of the latter because he surprised her with an intense kiss in the neck. It was gentle, comforting and erotic.

"Look, I'm sorry for having to tell you this, but I hope you're okay with it?" He asked. Lily was still shocked at his sudden action that she was speechless for a moment. She regained her composure at said,

"Of course I'm okay with it. Why wouldn't I be?" She smiled at him. He grinned and gave her a peck on the lips.

"Good. I couldn't stand a day if I found out that you're mad at me." He hugged her close while she giggled at his remark.

"I'm leaving in the morning. I still have a couple of hours left. Do you mind if I stay with you?"

"No."

"Great." He kissed her and Lily couldn't help but give in. He was such a great kisser. Even the most innocent peck on the lips gave sparks between them. Their tongues met and fireworks erupted. He broke away but not before giving her a quick kiss.

They lay down holding hands in comfortable silence. Soon their handholding turned out to be a full-out thumbwar. Lily was a master at this game, so obviously she won seven to nothing.

"Did you know that seven is a lucky number?" He asked.

"Nope. How did you know?"

"Well in Chinese culture, the seventh day of the first moon of the lunar year is known as Human's Day to be celebrated as the universal birthday of all human beings."

"So?" She asked. He chuckled.

"So… I don't know," she laughed, "It's just that seven is a lucky number. That explains the seven sins, the seven seas, the seven dwarfs—"

"Wait a minute. You're purebred. How do you know about the seven dwarfs?"

"Oh everybody knows about them. You study them in muggle studies, don't you?"

"I don't take muggle studies. Seeing as I am a muggleborn, I don't really find the need to learn more about the muggle ways."

"True." They grew silent again.

"Why are you doing this?" Lily blurted out.

"Doing what?"

"Spending time with me? Making an effort to actually make this relationship work—"

James interrupted her. "Don't you want to make this relationship work, too?"

"Yes, I do. It's just that why would you even bother to have this, this thing with me when you could have so much more? Based from your very experienced performance with me, I'm sensing that you have been with a lot of ladies. Why me, James? When you have so many to choose from?"

He was silent. Lily knew that he was growing cold from what she said but she had to know the answer.

"If—" he cleared his throat. "If you felt that way about me then why are you here with me? Why don't you pull away when I kiss you?"

She shrugged. "Maybe it's because I haven't done things like this before. I was ignorant and naïve. I wanted to know how these things feel."

"The key word there being maybe. Lily," He sat up and faced her. "Do you even feel the slightest attraction to me at all?"

She stared at him. "Yes, I do. Do you?"

"Yes."

"Why? That's all I want to know."

"I don't know. There's something about you that attracts me. After that night in Spain, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Did you know that when you express any kind of emotion strongly your cheeks flare up; and for some unknown reason, your lips begin to turn red. No, not from your lipstick, I'm sure, but naturally. Your lips are as red as a rose. Last week, at the club, you were enjoying it so much that your lips turned red again. Earlier, when I told you that I was leaving, your lips turned red again. Right now, as I'm staring at you, I know you are feeling something strongly because even in the dark I can see your lips as red as the reddest rose."

Lily didn't know what to say. She never realized this feature about her until now, and she felt really warm.

James loved it when her cheeks and her lips grow red. He didn't know why, but it brings out the green in her eyes. The marvelous, enticing, emerald green. He loved those eyes. He loved her hair too. Once she told him how much she hated her hair. What's there to hate? Oh how he loved her—

Wait a minute!

He may be attracted to her, but he should never be nowhere near love. How could he? They've known each other for what? Two bloody months!

I'm becoming a bloody romantic!

He was so overcome with panic that he suddenly pulled away from her. She was shocked at his sudden action, but even more when she looked at the fear in his eyes.

"James are you alright?"

He looked at her and shook his head. He sighed and gave her a kiss in the cheek. Really impersonal, she thought.

"I'd better be going. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"But James, we still have a few more hours until morning. What's the rush?"

"I have to ummm… I just have to go. Take care." He walked towards the window with Lily at his heels. As he was preparing to take off in his broom, he turned to see her confused face. He gave her a mindblowing farewell kiss before flying into the night.

OOO

Lily didn't bother to sleep after James left. She went back to bed and laid there until the sun rose and then she went to take a shower. It was still early, so when she left the bathroom everybody was still asleep. She grabbed a book and went down to the common room to read and wait for her friends to come down.

After only five minutes of quiet solitude in the common room, students began to go down and go to breakfast. Lily continued to read her book until a pair of hands blocked her sight. She knew this was Jen. They've been playing this game since they were first years.

"Hmmm… I wonder who this is?" she asked playfully. "Jen! I know that's you. Okay lets's get down to breakfast."

However, the pair of hands never left her eyes.

"What makes you think that this is Jen?" a familiar male voice spoke in her ear. She smiled.

"Fine, Matt, you got me." The hands left her and she turned to face the grinning face of Matt.

"Where's Paul?" she asked.

"Upstairs. I'm hungry. Do you want to go ahead with me to breakfast?"

"Okay."

OOO

I was gonna continue writing but I have this thing called writer's block and I can't think of anything to add. I also remembered that I promised to update sooner than the usual so I ended it here and updated it immediately. Anyways I'm still having problems on what to write so if you have any suggestions, comments, constructive criticisms you're more than welcome to tell me.

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW… THANKSssss