A/N: I'll be in New York City for a few days, so obviously I won't be able to put anything up… But I'll be able to plan a little bit of what's to come… So this chapter is focused on JPLE and a little SBRL… Mean!Sirius is still at large, though. ;) Don't worry, I'm not so cruel I'll prevent the fluff for long… :P Promise lots of fluff next chapter. Or I'll try. I just love torturing them, even though it tortures me when I read other SBRL stories when they're always fighting or something… xD
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After James had overseen Remus going to sleep (to make sure he wasn't about to jump out the window (A/N: but if you want one where he does, check out Seeing by Captain Oz D)), he had returned to the Common Room. He had no idea what was going on between Sirius and Remus, but he knew that Sirius was being an ass. That part was pretty clear to him.
James sighed as he realized that Sirius was still making out with the blonde girl as if nothing had happened. He looked around for a friendly face, but Peter was nowhere to be seen. However, sitting in the corner with a huge book was Lily. He made his way over to her, a hopeful smile plastered on his face.
"Hello, Lily," he said politely, amused at the shock on her face as he called her by her face name. She blinked for a few seconds like a fish on land, and then finally managed to reply.
"Hello… James." She said this hesitantly, as if it was some sort of trap he was baiting her into. She pulled the book she was reading defensively against her, so James could read the title. Hogwarts, A History. Of course. What else?
"Would you mind if I joined you?" He asked, ready to leap back if she decided to hit him with her heavy book. He had already cracked all of his ribs from Quidditch; he didn't want to experience that again. There was another few moments where Lily looked simply confused, and then shrugged indifferently with one shoulder, looking back to her book.
A wide smile split his face as James sat down, careful not to sit too close to her, but not so far away it looked like he was avoiding her. They sat for a few minutes in silence, the redhead buried in her book while James surveyed the scene. Most people had drifted off to bed; it was quite late, but there were a few stragglers. Three second years delightedly exchanged Chocolate Frog cards in a corner. A lone seventh year sat buried in homework, looking extremely stressed. Two first years were curled up in the same gargantuan arm chair, obviously asleep, their heads leaning against each other.
And then, of course, there was Sirius. He was still going strong with the seventh year. James scowled darkly at them, and couldn't help but complain about them at Lily.
"Honestly, who does he think he is, snogging her in the middle of the Common Room, where anyone could see him, especially Remus? It's like he doesn't even care. You know, he's my best friend but sometimes he just makes me want to hit him…" James muttered out of the side of his mouth. Lily looked amused, meeting his eyes for a moment then looking back to her book, a slight tinge of pink in her cheeks which James noticed giddily.
"So Sirius liked Remus, and Remus liked Sirius, but Remus was avoiding Sirius because he was afraid that it was a joke or that Sirius would hurt him but Sirius couldn't understand that and both were too stubborn to talk about it, and then Sirius got angry and wanted to make Remus angry or jealous or both?" She asked idly, as if it was quite plainly obvious. James wasn't sure even he had figured that all out.
"Wha…? Um… er… I guess. How did you catch all of that? I'm still trying to work it all out and I'm their best friend!" James asked, his eyebrows receding into his fringe. Lily looked at him with amusement, the corners of her lips curling up ever so slightly.
"Well, James," The way she accentuated his name made his stomach do a back flip, "Some how I paid attention. I mean, haven't you noticed that Remus doesn't really trust people easily, how scared he is of being in a dependent relationship? You must have at least realized he's been avoiding Sirius this whole time? And Sirius hates to be ignored, that's why he does all those juvenile pranks with you, for attention. So obviously, Sirius would get frustrated and want to make Remus pay for ignoring him, and start snogging some whore from the seventh year." She spoke in a tone that she used when answering a question for a teacher.
James smiled widely at her. "You are bloody brilliant, Lily." Again she blushed, and looked back to her book, but James continued to look at her. After a few minutes of this, Lily finally met his gaze again, one eyebrow quirked.
"You're staring at me." She said plainly. It was James's turn to flush, and he looked away quickly, only to look back a moment later.
"Well, you are very nice to look at Lily," he said, batting his eyelashes comically. Lily snorted with laughter and pushed his face away.
"You are quite literally insane, James." She said with a laugh as he snapped at her hand, which she quickly withdrew. His eyes sparkled with mischief, which were suddenly so close that she could count ever one of his dark eyelashes. She wondered when he had become this close.
"James…" Lily murmured in half-protest, but she couldn't say anything else soon, because she found her lips pressed gently against his, while his hands tenderly cupped her face. It was only a moment though, because he pulled away slowly, leaving Lily's heart aching for more, while her mind, which had been duck-taped and thrown into a closet, screamed that this was Potter, the bane of her existence, the immature little fool who always did immature things…
Lily looked at James through starry-eyes, have dazed by the kiss. It wasn't her first; of course, she had had boyfriends before she was sixteen, but it was most certainly the nicest, though it had only lasted a second.
"James." She said again, feeling her confidence swell up in her. The boy in question looked at her curiously, surprised she hadn't slapped him yet, even more surprised as she drew herself closer to him, kissing him again, wrapping her arms around his neck.
There was a moment where Lily thought that James wasn't going to respond, but then he did, kissing back whole-heartedly, his hands on her waist, playing with the belt-loop on her jeans. A passing thought remarked dryly that he was just as bad as Sirius, but it was banished quickly.
Lily felt James open his mouth and lick her bottom lip, asking for permission which she gave him immediately. His tongue explored the inside of her mouth carefully, so much more suavely then some other guys she had snogged, most of whom had carelessly stuck their tongues down her throat.
Time seemed to pass in an instant. Soon Lily found herself straddling James Potter, once the boy she was proud of disliking, unable to break the kiss, it was too good, too sweet, too perfect.
A sudden coughing made James pull away reluctantly and look up to see Sirius standing over them, looking triumphant.
"What, Sirius?" James asked exasperatingly. Why did Sirius always seem to come along and ruin the mood?
"First off, congratulations! Was Remus really upset? Like, what would you rate his upset-osity on a scale from one to ten?" Sirius asked avidly, glancing up at the dormitory as he spoke. James sighed audibly as Lily slid off his lap and picked up her book again, her face nearly as red as her hair.
"Twenty five. Now can you stop torturing him? Lily here says that he's just afraid that it's a prank or that you'll hurt him. Honestly, you can be so dense sometimes. Now, go to sleep, wake up tomorrow and talk to Remus. Now leave so I can please continue with my very interesting… conversation… with Lily." James snapped. Sirius recoiled slightly like James had burned him, but the winked and snuck up the dormitory stairs, leaving behind the blonde who was looking much put-out.
James looked at Lily sideways. "Lily, I, uh. I'm not so good about talking about like, feelings and stuff, but I like you, and from what has just happened, I think you may like me. And you know, you can't keep resisting my charms forever, so you might as well go with me to Hogsmede this weekend." His voice became more confident towards the end of his little speech, leaving Lily with a genuine smile on her face.
"Well… Alright then. Okay. Now, I have to go to bed. Don't stay up too late, we have early double Potions in the morning." She slid off, leaving James with a bemused smile. Before their first date and she was already bossing him around. Well. Of course. What else?