Where Has This Gone?

Chapter Three

For the entirety of the next day, Lily attempted to avoid James Potter as much as she could. Obviously, nothing could be done for the seating arrangement in Transfiguration, but she ignored the resumed notes being tossed in her lap. When McGonagall called for class to end, Lily gathered her things hurriedly, before James could talk to her, and Marlene scurried after her best friend, and Lily was sure she heard her mutter an apology to James.

"Lily, wait up!" Marlene called after her. Lily glanced back, slowing to allow her friend to catch up.

"Why the rush?" the blonde girl questioned. Lily just shook her head, refusing to respond. She heard Marlene sigh.

"Lily, whatever he did, James looks really sorry." That just made her feel guilty about running off last night, and about ignoring him. But he couldn't say things like that! And she honestly didn't have an answer to his question.

"Mar, let's just go eat, alright?" Marlene shrugged, but said nothing more on the matter, and Lily was grateful. They walked in silence down to the Great Hall and sat further down the bench than the Marauders, which Sirius seemed off-put by. The two girls sat eating in silence for a while, but then Marlene spoke.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I don't know, Mar. I just- I don't know," Lily finished lamely. Marlene rolled her eyes.

"I'm your best friend. You can tell me," she prompted. Lily sighed and began telling her what had occurred. By the end, Marlene's mouth was agape.

"He-What? I know Potter's in love with you, but honestly, that boy can be rather daft. He must know that you've only just begun to not hate him!"

"I know, Mar, I know. I just- I can't separate my feelings for the younger Potter from the current one, that's the thing. He's always been this arrogant little toerag, but recently he's just been…"

"Playing the part of lover quite well?"

"Oh, hush up!" Lily half-laughed at her friend's words. Marlene grinned impishly back.

"Ah, so it's true then?" Lily blushed, avoiding the other girl's gaze, and Marlene began to laugh.

"Oh, Lily. Never thought it would come to this, did you? Liking Potter?" Lily continued to stare down at her half-eaten food, glancing up to see Marlene still grinning at her. Lily scowled at her friend.

"Well, I suppose there's your answer, then, Lils. Just don't put off making up with Potter too long, alright? He keeps hanging around me and Sirius, and honestly- I don't know how much longer I can put up with his moping." Lily had to laugh at that, allowing her eyes to dart down the table to where the Marauders sat, James eating quietly alongside his loud friends. She returned her eyes to Marlene and then to her plate.

They finished eating, and the pair made their way back to the common room, only after Marlene stopped to swoop down and peck a kiss on Sirius's cheek. Lily and Remus once more exchanged a glance and this time it was Lily who pretended to gag, though both were laughing.

"Come on, now, I'm trying to eat!" Remus complained to the two, but Sirius waved him off.

"C'mon, Mar, I have homework to finish!" Lily prompted, seeing her friend lingering to kiss the boy longer. Marlene looked up and laughed, pecking Sirius on the lips once more before the girls set off. Lily rolled her eyes at her friend.

"What? I can't stay and sit, seeing as someone hasn't made up with a certain Potter boy!" Lily ignored the comment, and they moved on to other topics as they made their way to the common room. They climbed through the portrait hole, still laughing.

They climbed the stairs to gather their books and such to do homework.

"I can't believe Slughorn gave us a three foot long essay. That's ridiculous! How much can we really write on a Draught of Living Death? 'Oh, if you drink this, you'll basically go into a coma.' Not much else to say!" Marlene complained. Lily chuckled at her friend.

"Actually, I've already finished. C'mon, Mar, it's not all that bad," she prompted. Marlene huffed.

"It's so hard being friends with you sometimes. Want to let me copy it?" She pleaded. Lily laughed and turned Marlene to writing her essay. The girls spent the evening chattering and doing homework, though the latter activity was not-so-pleasant. Eventually, the Marauders found their way back to the common room, and James and Sirius seemed to be having a heated discussion while Remus and Peter watched, Remus seeming almost amused. Lily pretended not to notice the group of boys, returning her attention to her work.

"Do you think Slughorn's going to take out a measuring tape and measure this?" Marlene asked, her brow furrowing. Lily shrugged.

"I suppose not, why?"

"I'm a few inches short. I doubt he'll notice, right?" Marlene looked hopeful. Lily grinned.

"You'd better hope not!" Marlene poked her tongue out at her friend and wrote her name in large letters at the bottom of the essay.

"There!" Lily laughed and continued with her own scribblings for Charms. They sat in silence a while longer, Marlene having moved on to "interpreting her dreams" for Divination. Lily thought it was a load of rubbish, but she said nothing.

"Mar, I'm heading off to bed," Lily yawned. Marlene nodded, still concentrating on the parchment in front of her.

"Alright. Night, Lils." Lily headed off to her dormitory, pretending not to notice the way James started toward her, but stopped himself.

As she settled in between her warm covers, Lily couldn't help but think of James, and tomorrow was Saturday, and thank god there were no classes and- dammit. It was James's birthday tomorrow. He'd been prompting her the day before, trying to get her to give him a present- laughingly, of course. He didn't honestly expect her to get him anything.

But maybe that was how she could make it up to him.

The following morning, when Lily had made her way down to the common room, it was to the ending lines of "Happy Birthday." She smiled to herself, finding Marlene among the throng of Gryffindors and laughing along with her friend at James Potter's bows to the crowd. He seemed to be in a slightly better mood. The crowd dissipated, apparently having been prompted by Sirius Black to sing to his best friend. Marlene and Lily began to make their way to breakfast as the people around them left. Both girls were laughing at something Marlene had said that Sirius had said. They sat at the Gryffindor table, still talking and laughing. The entirety of the Great Hall was abuzz with chatter and laughter, even as the sky reflected in the ceiling was thundering and flashed with lightning.

"Oh! Last night- Sirius- he…" Marlene was suddenly shy, grinning widely but looking sheepish.

"What? What'd he do?" Lily persisted. Marlene took a deep breath.

"He asked me to be his girlfriend!" she said, all in a rush. Lily sat mouth agape.

"What?! Mar, how could you not tell me this sooner?" She exclaimed. Marlene shrugged, glancing down the table to her, apparently, boyfriend where he sat with the other Marauders.

"Well now I feel awful for keeping you from sitting over there!" Lily complained. Marlene grinned.

"You know, we could go sit with them," she half-pleaded. Lily sighed in mock exasperation and stood to move seats.

"Thank you, Lily, you're the best! I love you!" Marlene half-squealed, half-laughed. Lily laughed and waved her off.

"Oi, what about me?" Sirius asked, apparently having overheard Marlene's words as they'd drawn nearer. Lily sat herself next to Remus, avoiding James's eyes.

"You heard, then?" Remus muttered, nodding at the couple seated across from them. Lily grimaced.

"Oh, yes. I'm sure we'll get to see much more of their snogging," she pointed out. Remus groaned, and Lily laughed at his reaction.

"And neither of us will hear the end of it, hmm? 'Did you see Mar today? God, she's hot.'" Remus imitated his friend. Lily grinned.

"Trust me, I hear the same. 'Lily, did you see the way he looked at me? He looks so hot when he does that, doesn't he?'" Peter and James were making gagging noises at Marlene and Sirius, who were, surprisingly, not snogging, but Sirius had his arm around her and was whispering to her. Remus and Lily exchanged a look, Lily raising an eyebrow.

Eventually, they returned to the common room, all being too wary of hanging around outside, where the rain pounded on the ground and anyone who dared venture into it. They sat themselves on the couches, Sirius and James shooing off the first years that were there before them. Remus merely rolled his eyes, apparently used to this. Sirius and Marlene sunk into one couch, very close together. Remus and Peter took the arm chairs, leaving James and Lily to share the other couch. Lily shot a glare at Remus, who pretended not to notice. She sat on the far end from James, avoiding his glances. Remus and Peter slipped off at some point during conversation, though she suspected it was at differing times. Marlene and Sirius began to get very couple-like, and Lily averted her gaze to where her hands rested in her lap. All of a sudden, James was next to her and leaning closer. She looked up, shocked. He hadn't been near her, she supposed he was respecting that she was avoiding him. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, his breath warm against her cold skin.

"Would you like to leave?"

She assumed he'd seen her discomfort at seeing her best friend snogging his best mate. She nodded vehemently, and he took her by the hand and led her out the portal. They navigated the corridors, the silence hanging between them like something tangible. Lily realized he was still holding her hand. She blushed, but he didn't notice. She had spent the previous day avoiding him, and now he was holding her hand and dragging her through the hallways. They stopped on the seventh floor, a tapestry of dancing trolls hanging from the wall.

"Where-"Lily started to speak, but got cut off by a shh from James. She huffed and watched him pace back and forth for a moment- thinking he'd lost his mind, mind you- before stopping. A door materialized on the wall. Lily stared at it in shock. What the bloody hell? James opened the door and waved her in. Lily entered the room slowly, staring around her. Couches were pushed against the walls, hammocks hung in one corner, and shelves lined one wall. The awe showed on her face as James followed her into the room. She turned to look at him.

"What is this place?" she asked. He smirked smugly.

"The Room of Requirement. This particular one is our hideout." Lily continued looking about her, the realization that this was the Marauders' refuge striking her. This was where the four boys spent their time, planning pranks (blueprints and sketches on the walls confirmed this), playing games (faint scorch marks told of games of Exploding Snap), and who knew what else.

"Like it?" Lily turned to look back at James, who looked suddenly shy. She smiled.

"It's interesting to see inside the great minds of the Marauders," she admitted. A silence lapsed over them as she looked at the shelves and their contents. Exploding Snap (she'd been right), pillows, dung bombs, all sorts of things. She was startled when James spoke.

"Lily, I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm sorry. I don't want you to avoid me." Lily looked at him. He had his head down, not looking at her, his hands clasped in front of him. James Potter apologizing? To her? She smiled to herself, knowing she'd already forgiven him. She slowly meandered up to him.

"James Potter," she murmured, placing her hands on top of his clasped ones. He continued to avoid her gaze.

"You are a complete idiot," she continued, rising on her toes to bring her face closer to his. He still didn't look at her. Did he honestly not know what was coming?

"But not always." Now, he looked at her, confusion written across his face. Lily smiled gently at him and brought her lips to his. She pressed her lips to his softly, moving her arms to wrap around his neck. He didn't move for a moment, stood unresponsive, before putting his hands on her waist and kissing her back vehemently. Lily pulled back and grinned up at him.

"God, Evans, you scared me," James breathed. Lily shook her head, bringing his head down so she could kiss him again.

"You are an idiot, though," she pointed out when she pulled away again. He grinned down at her.

"I don't mind being an idiot if you kiss me." Lily blushed and buried her face in his chest, feeling his chuckle. Feeling his arms wrapped around her, his heart beating rapidly, his cheek resting on her head, she couldn't deny that she enjoyed this.

"I can honestly say I never thought I'd be kissing Lily Evans," James laughed. Lily looked up at him, grinning.

"And why not?"

"Because you've always seemed like this far-off illusion, this girl who hated me and was beautiful doing so. But you're even more beautiful when you're like this," he murmured.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Not hating me. Liking me. In my arms. All of it." Lily blushed, hiding her face again until James convinced her to look back up.

"Lily Evans. Look at that, you don't hate me," he observed. Lily smiled, slipping out of his arms and seating herself on one of the couches.

"Hmm… I suppose not," she teased. James laughed, coming to sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and taking one of her hands in his.

"Oh, really? So if I did this-" he kissed her nose "you might still hate me?" Lily pretended to consider this.

"Hmm… I dunno, I might," she teased. James rolled his eyes. He lowered his face to hers and skimmed his lips across hers. The look he gave her made her heart skip a beat and her breath hitch, and she knew he heard it because he grinned wickedly.

"Then if I-" he cut himself off, pressing his lips to hers. Lily was surprised, but leaned into him, kissing him back. He ran his tongue over her lip, causing her to gasp in surprise. She reached her arms up to wrap around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair. James moved his lips to kissing along her jaw, stopping near her ear.

"Still hate me?" he murmured breathlessly. Lily shook her head with conviction, causing James to chuckle. She pulled his face back to meet hers, shocking herself with her own daringness. She heard him moan into their kiss, their mouths moving together, their tongues dancing. She smiled against his lips, trailing a hand down his chest, causing his breath to catch this time and surprising herself. She felt the muscles from years of Quidditch practice, and had to admit he was much more than half-attractive, as she'd told him. James pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Bloody hell, Evans," he breathed. Lily attempted a smile, but looked away from his searching gaze.

"I have to admit, I no longer wonder why Black and Mar are always snogging," Lily admitted. James smirked, pecking her on the lips.

"Trust me, if I had known snogging you could be… well, like that, I would've attempted it much earlier," James conceded. Lily laughed and hit him softly.

"Doesn't mean I would have gone along," she pointed out. He shrugged, and leaned in to kiss her again. It was softer, barely there, but made Lily's heart stutter.

"James Potter, don't be a tease," she murmured against his lips. She felt his smirk.

"But that's what you love best about me, isn't it?" he mumbled back. Lily didn't answer, but shook her head softly in disbelief. James decided to ignore this on the grounds of pressing his lips to hers more firmly, and Lily didn't mind a bit. He pressed little kisses along her cheekbone, and up her jaw.

"Merlin, James," Lily breathed. He ignored her comment, trailing his tongue along the shell of her ear. He continued kissing down her neck, sucking softly on the spot just under her jaw. His lips trailed across the edge of her collarbone, and up her neck once more.

"James," Lily half-moaned, half-warned. He didn't relent, kissing back along her jawline, his lips hot on her skin. His lips hovered near hers once more when he spoke.

"Say that again," he insisted. She complied, breathing his name. He kissed her lips again, moaning into her.

"Bloody hell, Lils," he breathed, drawing back slightly. Lily peered up at him through her eyelashes. He pulled her onto his lap, her knees on either side of his legs- closer, closer. She kissed him softly once more, before he caught her lip with his teeth. Lily pressed her lips closer to his, cutting him off.

"James Potter, you'd best stop that," she growled under her breath.

"And why is that?" he asked ever-so-innocently. Lily breathed out and kissed along his jawline, trailing up to his ear.

"It's not bloody fair, that's why," she murmured.

"What isn't?" James asked, continuing his "innocence." Lily rolled her eyes.

"You know what you do to me, and it doesn't seem I have the same effect on you. How is that fair?" He took her face in his hands, bringing her back.

"Lily Evans, you have no idea what you do to me. My heart threatens to explode from my chest," Lily ran a hand down his chest at this, causing him to growl slightly, "My breath catches, you make me feel like I'm eleven and watching you run away from me." Lily pecked his lips, smiling at him. He growled, pulling her to him, his lips on hers once more. She was surprised at his roughness, but kissed him back eagerly. His fingers brushed her sides, leaving a hot trail after them.

"Potter, you are entirely awful." James looked at her, confused.

"It should be illegal to kiss like that," she continued, laying her head on his shoulder. He chuckled, his arms wrapping around her and holding her to him. She saw his grin and he leaned down to kiss her jaw again.

"We should be going back, you know," Lily pointed out. James pouted, his lower lip jutting out.

"I think we should just stay here and do this." With this, he kissed her fiercely again. Lily pulled away, laughing.

"James," she warned, still laughing.

"What? My fucking hot girlfriend kisses me like that, and I'm expected to not want to do that again? Yeah, right," he muttered. Lily blushed and hid her face in his shoulder.

"Girlfriend?" she questioned, lifting her head after a moment. James avoided her gaze.

"D-did I say that? I-I-"

"Shut up," Lily murmured, pressing her lips to his softly. James pulled away for a moment.

"What does that mean, then?" he prompted, looking rather concerned. Lily grinned.

"What do you think it means?"

"No?"

"Don't be daft."

"If that's what you call it, then I'll be daft as long as you keep kissing me like that." Lily blushed harder.

"I knew that was a bad idea."

"On the contrary, it was an excellent idea." Lily rolled her eyes, but allowed him to draw her back into a kiss, pretending they had not ignored the obviously unanswered question. She pulled back again.

"C'mon, I'm sure there are people looking for us," Lily prompted. James groaned, rolling his head back against the couch.

"Must we?"

"Yes!"

Lily slid off his lap, blushing as she realized their position, and tugged on his hand.

"Let's go, James. I'm sure your friends want you back," she reminded him. James sighed and stood with her.

"Doubt it. Padfoot's got McKinnon, Remus and Peter have gotten used to me and Sirius being off, and I… I'm here." He kissed her again, one hand at the small of her back, the other tangled in her hair. Lily smiled into his lips, but didn't stop him. Her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging just slightly. James groaned as the hand resting on her back trailing along her spine caused her back to arch into him. She stood on her toes, pressing her lips to the hollow just under his ear, sucking lightly on his earlobe, trailing her tongue along the shell. He shivered, arms tightening around her. Lily trailed kisses along his jaw, as he had done before, and brought her lips back to his. They stood like that for a long while, teasing, kissing, before Lily pulled away again.

"C'mon, you daft boy, we have to be off," she scolded, though a grin was firmly set on her face. James allowed himself to be dragged away from the room without protest.

The group – consisting of the Marauders, Lily, and Marlene- sat at the dining tables later that evening, a chorus of laughter erupting often. Their food had long since been finished, but they lingered, not wanting to return to the common room. Lily continuously swept away James's hand from her knee, but even that could not hinder her mood. She laughed once more at Sirius's story, and even though the other boys had been there, they hung on every word as much as Lily and Marlene did.

James laughed, glancing over at Lily. Her eyes crinkled at the corners, her grin was not at all forced, her red hair was swept up into a ponytail, much to his chagrin. Lily caught him staring and rolled her eyes at him. He grinned sheepishly and returned to the conversation, but Lily found herself staring as he had been. He most certainly was not unattractive, and Quidditch had not hurt any. It occurred to her that she may even have renounced her hatred sooner, if he had not asked for help in Transfiguration a few days ago. She noticed his smirk and looked away. He knew she'd been staring, dammit.

Eventually, the group made its way back to the tower, though it was likely more due to the fact that curfew was approaching than anything. Although Lily knew they didn't have any qualms about staying out after the curfew, she knew it was for her and Marlene more than anything.

Their jokes and taunts continued the entire way to the tower, and James and Lily walked behind Remus and Marlene, who were laughing at Sirius's teasing Peter. Lily didn't look when James's fingers found her own, nor when their palms were pressed together, and their fingers were intertwined. She pretended his skin wasn't hot on her own, and also that she wasn't thinking about their escapade in the Room of Requirement from the morning. She ignored the blush that crept up her cheeks at the thoughts and the way James squeezed her hand, apparently having noticed the blush.

When they reached the common room, Lily was partially relieved. She wasn't sure she was ready for that intimate gesture, even after the morning. It was James Bloody Potter.

Their group settled into the couches by the fire, deserted by thirds years that had scurried off when they had entered. Remus sat on the other side of James, and Peter sat next to Sirius and Marlene, and Lily did not envy him.

"Get a room!" James laughed at his best mate, who waved him away. Lily, Remus and Peter laughed.

"Hush up, Moony, you were no better with Cerra Gladock in fifth year," Sirius quipped, surfacing momentarily. Remus shot him a glare, muttering something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like it included the words "awful bloody git."

Lily let herself settled into the couch, snuggling into James's side, his arm around her shoulders warming her. She brought her knees up onto the couch, laying them on top of James. He looked down to her, smiling softly and pressing a kiss to her forehead, making her nose scrunch and Remus and Peter to cry out varying calls of "Gross!" and "Oh, come off it!" She was pretty sure James shot them the bird, but chose to ignore it as she laid her head on his shoulder. She yawned widely, her eyes fluttering closed. The common room was warm and peaceful, almost quiet for once. It was likely due to the fact that curfew had come and passed, and they had missed the throng of people as they had sat in the dining hall. That combined with the boy beside her radiating warmth and playing with the end of her ponytail nearly sent her into sleep. She listened to the boys continue to joke, as Sirius and Mar had rejoined the conversation. She smiled, not at anything in particular, but at the situation. She was sitting with James Potter, enjoying herself, and she didn't even mind the Marauders. With this thought, she drifted off.

Lily awoke, presumably hours later, to James moving to stand. The fire had dimmed considerately, and the others had, she assumed, gone to bed.

"James?" she murmured, one hand rubbing the grogginess from her eyes. He looked to her, sinking back into the sofa.

"Lily, I thought you were asleep?"

"I was."

"Sorry," he grimaced. Lily shook her head.

"Not you. S'alright." James sat back into the couch, and Lily replaced her head on his shoulder. She yawned widely, but replied in the negative when he offered to take her up to her dormitory.

"So how was your birthday?" Lily murmured, tilting her head to look up at him. James grinned back.

"Rather excellent, if you must know."

"And why is that?"

"Well, you know, I got to spend my morning making up with a beautiful girl." Lily smiled, too tired to blush or be embarrassed.

"And how'd it go?" she mumbled in return.

"I have a girlfriend, so why don't you tell me?" Lily laughed sleepily and rolled her eyes. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his briefly.

"Happy birthday, Potter."