You Might Think Chapter 9: Suspecting, a harry potter fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events and/or places that are recognized as being written and created by J.K. Rowling. J.K. Rowling owns all the characters and places from the Harry Potter books including the ones used in this story.

A/N: Wow. I am so bad with updating on a regular basis! I'm quite sorry. I've just been plain busy, and I will never again whine about others not updating for weeks, lol. This chapter is a little different, style wise. I just wanted to cut down on the length, but its probably just as long as usual. So, sorry if your eyes start to burn by the end of this!

As usual, Thank You to EVERYONE who reviewed! I appreciate it more than anything. I want to add all the names, but is that allowed? I'm so confused about that whole new rule. But, I'll respond to people who have questions and what not, using that new respond thing. I sound like a bad ad. Anyways, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for even reading my story! Much love!

"And….gotcha! Oh. …Wait….whatareyoudoing? Oh. …Now I've got you…."

"James!" Lily's voice echoed off the floor and vibrated off the walls. She was annoyance in its purest form.

"What?" James asked with an innocent tinge.

Lily held up her lit wand so that she was able to glare exactly into James's eyes and not at where she suspected James's eyes to be. "Just because in your past experiences…that I don't want to know about…you and Black paraded around the dark halls after hours doing Gods know what, does not mean that everyone else is that stupid!"

"But, Ev-Lily," James said, pointing his own wand tip at her face in retaliation. "They are that stupid." Lily swatted James's wand down and pushed his chest, or the place she suspected his chest should be, to keep moving.

It was the last day of the first week of school. Lily and James had already completed four late night hall monitorings, and Lily had already had enough of James Potter's antics and James Potter was already bored of this whole Head Boy thing.

"James," Lily said. She lowered her voice to a more sweetly, feminine tone. She would only admit it in front of a legal jury, but Lily had started to feel a slight protectiveness for the messy-haired boy. And a singe of jealousy whenever he talked to anyone that wasn't her; and a fluttering in her stomach when he even looked over her shoulder; and a feeling like gravity was evaporating from the Earth's surface whenever he stood within a hundred foot radius of her. But, she suspected that those were all just early signs of insanity. She didn't like James like that, not yet; she hoped. "James. We're never going to find anyone out of bed…not for awhile. It's only the first week of school!"

"That never stopped Sirius before."

"Black wouldn't dare leave that dorm with me on the prowl."

"Moony! Hold my hand if you're that scared!"

"I'm not scared!"

"Where are you?"

"Right here. Can you feel my hand?"

"Mmm, Moony!"

"Sirius!"

"Joking. Here I'll light my wand. There we go. Let's go spy on Prongs."

"Sirius isn't scared of you, Lily! He's played with a wer…um, ahem, a…dragon baby, a baby dragon. And you know, they, breathe fire and things like that."

Lily stopped in her tracks. "What are you talking about? Do you need to take a nap or something?"

"No, no! I'm fine!" James grabbed Lily's arm, or what he suspected to be Lily's arm, and led her back on their way around the halls.

Lily began to panic. There was a swell of heat bursting on her flesh where James's long fingers were wrapped around her arm. It had to be fire. Her arm must have somehow caught on fire. There were torches everywhere! It wasn't like James Potter would affect her body that much. Oh no, no, no; there must be flames involved.

"So, what else is there to do besides roam the halls?"

Lily some what liked roaming the halls at night. If she had the guts, she probably would have done it before she became a prefect and it was allowed. There was something about the vast darkness and the twinkling torch light that only illuminated a centimeter of space that helped her think better; like her thoughts were safer in those halls than anywhere in the world. She was hugged in a veil of black where someone would most likely stare at the spot where they suspected her forehead should be instead of her actual forehead. She could think about her studies, her future and what coyly flirtatious remark she should make to James next for the pure enjoyment of watching his toes curl.

"Let's go to the kitchens," James suggested. James was being really good. Really, really good. He had not once asked Lily on a date this year, so far. It was a record. If the average times a person could ask another person out in a year before they would just give up was around twenty times, James would have that average shattered within the first three days of school. And here he was, his fifth day! Suggesting going to the kitchens, to eat, together, in a date setting, didn't count; though the ulterior motive was definitely apparent.

"We have a job to do, James," Lily sighed.

"Oh come on! Can't you hear my stomach?" James leaned over Lily, his mouth a breath from where he suspected her ear to be. "Grumble. Grumble. So hungry. Grumble. Need food…"

Lily pushed him away and laughed. "No, James! I don't want to disappoint Dumbledore."

James frowned; in the middle of his pouting he realized that no one could see him pout, which just seemed like a waste. The two walked in silence. Though, in Lily's head someone was making a whole mess of noise and she had her fingers crossed, hoping that James couldn't hear any of it. In a moment, the hall they were walking ended and split into two passages.

"Ah," James remarked, spinning to face Lily. He held his wand up.

Lily smiled and pointed to her right. "This way."

"But, wait! You didn't hear my speech about what way we should take and why the other way is better."

"This way."

"But, that way has more torches."

"That way leads to the kitchens! This way," Lily laughed. She grabbed James's arm, or the place she suspected James's arm to be; she ended up grabbing his hand. She was glad that it was just as sweaty as hers. Lily pulled a stiff James to the right.

James's mind was torn. One side was spinning, and screaming, and sparking and spazzing over Lily's hand being wrapped around his own. The other side was pouting and whining about not going to the kitchens.

James wasn't really that hungry; he just wanted to make sure that a certain best friend didn't make a certain ritual trip to a certain kitchen without a certain him. "Sirius probably isn't there anyways."

"I thought we were spying on Prongs."

"A man has to eat!"

"But now we're just out of bed, for the sake of being out of bed."

"Look here, Moony…"

"Is that…chocolate cake?"

"Are you drooling, Mr. Moony?"

"Don't be jealous, Padfoot."

Lily smiled. "Of course Sirius isn't in the kitchens," she said, happy that the dark hall was there to hide her blushed cheeks and teasing smile. "You're not there to go with him."

James smiled wildly. Lily always said the right thing to make his blood boil; for some reason, insinuating that he was sneaky and mischievous did the job.

And Lily knew it.

Though, she hated that she knew that, and that she used it to…to what? Make James like her more? Was that even possible? And was she losing her mind?

Lily thought about every new thing she's learned about James since last June. He matured, or he was always mature but never wanted to show it until then. His head deflated, he was more polite…he has yet to ask her out! Usually, Lily could not go a half a day without being pestered with propositions from James. Attached to every sentence he ever uttered to her was the phrase "If you'll go out with me" or "Will you go out with me" or sometimes he just merely shouted "go out with me" and why he ever thought that would work was curious.

But, now it's been, Lily couldn't even remember how long it had been since James tried to ask her out; and she felt slightly bothered by that. Because all she wanted in the universe was for James to ask her out.

What Lily didn't know was that James's very intestines were aching to ask her out. He had to perform a special kind of breathing exercise just to stop himself from screaming "go out with me" in her face. It wasn't that he was playing hard to get. He was biting his tongue. He was waiting for her to ask him out. Remus told him to do that. And if school ended without James having at least a half a date with Lily, first he was going to bound up Sirius, then Remus would have no one but his "good ideas" to protect him.

"What time is it?" Lily asked, her voice cutting through the silent atmosphere.

"Oh, ah-" James shook his sleeve back and held his wand over his watch. "We have a little under thirty minutes left."

Lily yawned. "There must be some easier way to do this," she said. "I don't believe that the professors take three hour shifts every night, roaming the halls!"

"I believe it. McGonagall doesn't look like she ever gets any beauty sleep."

"You know what?" Lily's voice was peppery with laughter that made James's stomach flip flop. "What they need is some sort of security system…like a big map of Hogwarts that would tell them where every student is. They'd have an easier time catching someone out of bed, if all they had to was look at a piece of paper."

James's legs ceased and froze. His heart was beating on its fastest speed. A map? What did Lily know about a map? James tried to get his hand to stick his wand into Lily's face so he could see if she was smiling or not; but his hand was also frozen, unable to move, against his side. His worst thoughts suspected that Lily must know about the map, and this was her sly, clever way of telling him. She was amazing...no, she was going to take his map away! No, she wouldn't do that...would she? If she suspected him of causing trouble with it, she probably would.

"James?"

"Sorry. Oh," James came out of his reverie.

"Are you, ok?"

"Yeah! I just ah….I thought I had to sneeze so I was trying to make it, come, out." James hung his head in shame. All the funny quips and fast thinking he ever did was always wasted on Sirius.

"Well, if you're ok now…we should keep walking."

"Right," James said. He grabbed Lily's hand, or the place he suspected her hand to be; he ended up grabbing the hem of her robes. Before she could say anything, he moved his hand and in a surge of bravery, or stupidity, he slung his arm around her shoulders.

Lily tensed. But, it was a good kind of tensing. She didn't bother to shrug his arm away.

"So, Lily," James tried to say casually. "Do you know of any maps like the one you described? I for sure don't know of any, at all, in existance."

"...no. I don't."

James smiled. "I suspected that."

"Sirius? Why is your arm around my neck?"

"Because I thought I'd be able to coax you into carrying me."

"Um, I don't think so."

"Come on, Moony! I'm tired!"

"Then, here's an idea, let's go back to bed."

"Back to bed? What's there to do back in bed?"

"I can think of one thing."

"…oh, Moony."

"…why does everything I say get turned into a perverted remark?"

"Because it's fun to make your face all blotchy and contorted and then you try to frown when you really want to smile because you know it's funny."

"…wow."

"Once we find Prongs, you'll be having so much fun, you'll forget all about your bed."

"We should have brought the map."

"Put your arms out, Moony."

"Then we could have just went right to where…Sirius, why am I holding you?"

"You put your arms out."

"Once again, it is actions like this that make Lily suspect that we are dating."

"Let's talk about bed some more."

"So do you think I should propose this map idea to Dumbledore?"

"No!" James shouted in a panic. He coughed. Since there wasn't even moonlight shining down on them, James still couldn't see Lily's face, but he could feel her send him that sideways What Are You Up To look. "I mean, you know Dumbledore! He's set in his ways. He'll never change his system."

"Yeah," Lily said quietly. She didn't want to boost James's ego but, "you've got a point there. I don't think Dumbledore's even changed his style of robes in the last ten years, let alone the way he runs his school."

"Purple is so out."

Lily titled her head back with laughter. She suddenly realized that James's arm was still around her shoulders. As silence curled around them like thick wool, James suddenly realized his arm too. It was so casual, so right, that neither of them had even paid any attention to it being there.

They walked on. James in high spirits, thinking about how he was going to throw a party for his right arm as soon as they got back to the dorm; and Lily in a mental battle. Her common sense was flashing a big billboard that read, "Potter's too close! Abort! Abort!", but her head was willing to let this ride, her head liked the feel of his Quidditch arms around her neck. Lily was a strong woman, capable of standing up for herself, standing up for others, and was afraid of nothing. And even though it was making her sick to admit it, she liked the safety she felt being so close to James.

In a perfect, united swerve, the couple turned the corner and was once again plunged into a dead silence.

"It's eerie," Lily spoke up, desperate to catapult conversation back into the atmosphere. "How quiet it is-"

"Owww!"

"Owww! Moony!"

James let go of Lily and lit his wand. "Finally," he beamed. "Let's go give detentions out!"

"Sirius! Padfoot! I am so sorry!"

"You broke something I think. I can't feel my uphengeny."

"…you don't have a u-fa-gen-e"

"I don't anymore!"

"There's no such thing! Here let me help you up."

"You dropped me, Moony."

"My arms gave out. I'm really sorry."

"I thought you loved me? I thought I was your fake girlfriend Selena?"

"Sirius! I do, you are…you know I'm not strong. Not this close to-"

"I'm sorry Moony; of course, I forgot. Want me to carry you?"

"How about, no?"

"…are you sure? You can't see, but I'm raising my eyebrows at you."

"Charming…did you hear that?"

"Yeah. Someone's coming."

"We should have brought Prong's invis-"

"I suspect it is Prongs. Come over here. We'll hide in this classroom."

"…Padfoot, are you shaking?"

"I'm just so excited!"

James's head, or a black shadow that looked like it could be James's head, peeked into the lifeless hall from around the corner. Behind him another shadow, this one with long hair, made the same peeking motion. "They're hiding," the James shadow whispered to the Lily shadow.

"You know James," Lily said, her voice was wavering. Their shift was almost over, and she was starting to feel the fine hairs of sleep brush over her. "I suspect it was probably just Peeves…being Peeves."

No, James wanted to shout. Instead he merely shrugged, letting his shoulders brush against Lily's so that she could feel his reaction to her statement. James wanted to shout no, because he knew. He knew that Sirius was out of bed, roaming the halls, with his Moony, replacing James, starting new rituals with Remus, and it wasn't fair…James's mental rage vanished as he felt a hard weight drop onto his upper back. "Lily…" James called, in a voice so unusual that he would have never recognized it as his own. It was worry and protectiveness, and amusement all coiled into one.

"Mmm?" Lily mumbled.

"Pads?"

"Mmm?"

"Can you see what's going on?"

"No…wait…tell me if I'm squashing you…"

"You're squashing me."

"If I just lean against your shoulder…I can maybe see…"

"…Padfoot…this is uncomfortable."

"Is my shoulder comfortable?"

"Oh," Lily said with a start. She began digging her fist into her eye. "I'm really tired all of a sudden."

James grabbed at the spot where he suspected Lily's arm to be and pulled her to his side. "They did this."

"What?"

"They probably hit you with some kind of sleeping spell, so that they can sneak into safety…well…"

"James its 2 a.m."

"They didn't count on James Potter…"

Lily sighed and ripped herself from James. "James! It's 2 a.m.! I'm tired…no one is in this hall! I don't know who was screaming, but…"

"Yep, it's them!"

"Great! Wow! James and Lily are doing their job!"

"Sarcasm noted."

"So, now what?"

"We spy!"

"…I think Lily's falling asleep. Juicy."

"Moony? Your lack of enthusiasm is grating."

"It is 2 a.m. Padfoot! I'm tired."

"You're such a girl."

"I am not having this argument…again. The last time…I don't even want to recall what you made me do."

"It was your idea, and-"

"They're moving."

James was definitely rushing a lethargic Lily back to Gryffindor tower. Not more than a moment ago, he would have sworn he heard someone shout a certain nickname for a certain dog animagi; and he really wanted to see if the two suspects were tucked into their respective beds, or not.

"Prongs is going to know we're out of bed…spying on him."

"Or maybe he'll suspect we were doing something else."

"Even if he suspects that we were at the kitchens…he's still going to be stark raving jealous."

"Speaking from experience, Moony?"

Lily stopped just at the portrait of the Fat Lady and yawned. James, finally able to really see Lily's face, smiled.

"Just hang back here, Moony. We might be able to slip in…if James gets distracted. And look, there's Evans!"

"So, James being distracted shouldn't be a problem."

"What?" Lily asked, staring up at James.

James shook his head, and hid his smile. "Oh. Nothing."

"Well, another night with nothing to report back to Dumbledore," Lily said, pulling a small slip of parchment from her robes. "How long do you suspect this is going to last?"

"Oh, Merlin…I…am…going…to hurt you…"

"I don't think Merlin appreciates the threat."

James leant his long back against the Fat Lady, who was asleep and only snorted at the disturbance. "Hopefully not long. Besides being with you, this is quite boring."

"Pad…foot…"

"I'm just trying to liven James's monitoring up a bit."

"So, tickle…yourself!"

"Now, why would I want to give myself detention?"

"I can't believe that you don't think I, who abides by all the rules, am not boring," Lily said, raising an eyebrow at James.

James ran his hand through the mess he called hair, and swallowed every tiny nerve cell that dared to threaten his courage. "Ev-Lily, if I had to choose anyone to spend time with, out of every person in our universe, the muggle universe, a parallel universe, my choice would always be you."

"Gag me."

"Ok."

"Mmphogona"

Lily felt, and looked, like a year's supply of oxygen was torn from her lungs. She was definitely taken aback by James's words. His voice was so quiet, and his eyes were intently locked on hers. She normally would have suspected that he was joking, or playing her, but something inside was telling her that he was genuine, super creepy, but genuine.

"James," Lily said, because she was suddenly struck with an idea. An idea she might have been ashamed of, if this was another time, and she wasn't maddeningly exhausted.

James stepped away from the wall, and moved closer to Lily.

Sirius and Remus were still; Remus's hand over Sirius's mouth and Sirius's hands over Remus. They knew that this was their window. The perfect moment for them to whisper the password to the "sleeping" Fat Lady, (one of her eyes were closed, the other was following the word bubbles of the Head Boy and Girl in front of her), and slip into the tower, before James or Lily suspected anything.

Remus was pulling on Sirius to get him to move, but Sirius didn't want to. He would risk being told off by James for excluding him. Sirius came to spy and by Gods, he was going to get something worthy out of his outing, besides groping Remus, which he did everyday anyways; in a very friendly, platonic, joking kind of way, of course.

"I've been thinking," Lily continued, not looking away from James for even a nanosecond. "About Remus and Black."

"This can't be good."

James's hopes and smile fell. "What about them?"

"Well, I was thinking that…" Lily paused to collect her thoughts. What she wanted to do was ask James out on a date. She didn't predict that it would be the hardest task on Earth. "I was thinking that, it would be a nice gesture, to them, if we went on, like a, double date with them. During the Hogsmeade visit, next weekend." Lily licked her lips.

"What?"

James head looked from side to side. "There's an echo out here."

"Odd, but anyways, I was just thinking…" Lily swallowed another oversized gulp of air. "You and I have to be together, the whole time, while we're in Hogsmeade…you know, because we're in charge, basically. So…" Lily suspected that this must be how James felt all the time, as she fought down the urge to scream "Go on a date with me!" right in James's face. She only stopped herself because she didn't want to be a hypocrite. Lily also really didn't want to admit to herself, or James, that she wanted to go out with him. She was leading him, bating him, so that he would ask the question and save her dignity.

James's voice finally made a mad dash back to its home. "You want to go on a double date?"

"I don't think Remus would mind."

"What about Sirius?"

"Oooh! I mind! I mind all over this idea."

James laughed. Why did he even bother asking that? Of course Sirius would mind; and he suspected that Lily would probably mind too. And Remus! Remus has a big mind and it would all be against being dragged on a double date. But, Lily wanted him to ask her out. Finally all the self inflicted pain he had to endure to stop himself from bothering her, paid off. He wasn't going to turn this down. Sirius and Remus would just think that the four of them were hanging out like friends, nothing more. It wasn't like James was going to make them hold hands.

"Ev, hem, Lily!" Lily smiled, though she was embarrassed through and through. James hid his hands deep in his pockets; for fear that they would start tearing at his hair. "Do you want to accompany me, on a double date with Pads-Sirius and Remus? Though I suspect we shouldn't call it a date, in front of them because, well, they like, you know-"

"I understand James. That would be great." Lily beamed and then felt immediately sick.

James beamed and spun around to face the Fat Lady. "Grindylows," he said. The Fat Lady made a show about being woken up, but let them in. James and Lily shared one more brief awkward smile, before speeding to their respective beds.

Sirius turned to Remus, who was shaking his head. "Guess you're my Hogsmeade date," Sirius laughed.

Remus wanted to laugh, but not really. He looked up at Sirius, easily finding his grey eyes lit in the dark. "Padfoot, I was already your date."

"No. Now you're my date…before you were just my date because I didn't feel like finding a real one."

Remus stared straight ahead. "I'm feeling so many things right now that I suspect I might implode any second." Remus turned to look at Sirius. "You're going to make Prong's life hell, right?"

"Oh, Mr. Moony," Sirius grinned. "Grindylows," he shouted.

"Great," Remus mumbled, following Sirius into the dorm.