Author's Note: Once again, thank you! The plot finally starts to pick up in this Chapter. If you're wondering why things are going a bit slow, it can probably be linked to the word count I've set for my Chapters (1000-1500) which makes a comfortable write for me and hopefully a comfortable read for you. Besides, there will be parts that are set to fast-forward. So to make up for it, I take my time in scenes where I can afford to do so.

Anyway, enough of that. Read and Review, and have lots of fun!

Chapter Five

Last Minute Decisions

"What's on your mind?" he tried to sound as casual as he could, but he could feel the lump starting to form and rise in his throat. 'Keep it together, man,' he thought to himself.

"You. You are on my mind," she said.

"Me…?"

"Yes, I have been thinking about you often."

It was starting to sound like one of those sappy muggle romance movies. It was the scene where her eyes would dramatically brim with tears as she poured out her heart and soul. She would tell him he had always been in her mind and heart and she could not escape him, that she needed him. She would wrap her arms around him and… God, what was he thinking…?

The expression on her face, however, was very different from what a romantic mood calls for. In fact, it was though they were talking about something as casual as the weather.

James raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

She kept her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels for a while. "Well," she started, lightly biting her lower lip. James felt a smile forcing its way onto his face. She was so adorable.

"You see," said, looking downwards shyly. If he could read her mind, he would see a rush of images of himself; images from the time when she had liked him. And even now, she could not deny that some of the sparks were still there. "I noticed, lately, you have been acting strangely around me. Why is that…? Is there something wrong with me…?"

She looked up at him, innocently, insecurely, as if she were preparing herself for a harsh admonition. Her eyes were exactly like his best friend's yet different somehow. Sirius had a powerful gleam in his. Hers held a peaceful shimmer, more yielding, more docile, more…captivating.

He swallowed hard. She stirred feelings within him that he desperately wanted to subdue but it was impossible. And it was unknown to him that similar feelings were overpowering her as well. The lump fought against him, choking him almost, as a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. It was cold.

"No. Narcissa, anyone would be hard pressed to find someone even half as perfect as you are," he answered, surprised at what he had just said. But there was no taking it back. He grinned sheepishly. "How could anything be wrong with you?"

She stared at him, the ice within her eyes battling the fire he emitted, determining the truth. "There is more," she said simply. "But you do not want to tell me."

'This girl is in the wrong House,' he thought, but aloud he said, "Where did you learn to read minds?"

A moment of relief came over him when she laughed. "I don't read minds. To put it simply, it's just that I can tell…" she murmured. She reached up to fix his glasses, which had been sliding down the bridge of his nose. "Relax. This isn't a criminal investigation."

"Perhaps, but a single word from you can incriminate me, and will probably be enough to send me to Azkaban for life," he smirked.

"Does that mean you are never going to tell me?"

"No. I mean… Well. Do you want to know the truth? It's going to sound shallow."

"Would I ask if I didn't want to know…?"

He could not help but smile at her. "Walk with me."

She latched her arm onto his and they headed along the corridors until they reached an empty classroom. He led her inside, and Narcissa hopped onto one of the desks. James watched her, thinking about how beautiful she was, about how every silly movement seemed graceful when it came to her. He swallowed hard again, futilely.

"Tell me," she said, getting straight to the point as soon as she was seated comfortably.

James didn't wait for a pause. "My parents wanted you for me."

Narcissa blinked quickly twice and then said, "I see."

Now it was James turn to blink quickly. "That doesn't bother you…?"

"Did you, or do you, want me for you…?"

The question created a series of tumultuous fluctuations in his mind.

Of course he wants her. Who in his right mind would not want Narcissa Black? But he wants Lily, too. And since Bailey is out of the picture, he now had a chance with Lily. His parents would want whatever would make him happy. But is Lily really the only one who could grant him happiness? Couldn't Narcissa make him happy, too?

He reached for her tentatively, and brushed a curly lock of flaxenhair behind her ear. He could not resist it. "I think I do want you."

"You think you do…?" she asked, blinking ever so slowly. "Why did your parents want me for you?"

James sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "You know what's going on, don't you? Things are changing, Narcissa, changing for the worst. And my mother's a bit of a worrywart." He scratched the back of his head, just like Sirius would do. "She thinks it helps to be Pureblood. She thinks being associated with the Blacks, a renowned Pureblood family, would help us through these changing times. And then a couple of years back, she met you."

It was two years ago. Sirius, who was visiting James, decided to bring Narcissa along. She was only thirteen, but she had looked and acted mature for her age. She charmed her way into the heart of James' parents, without meaning to. It was as if she could say and do no wrong. And they loved her even more because she was a cousin of their son's best friend, a boy they treated as their own. It was after she had left that they suggested she might be the perfect girl for their son.

James, at first, thought it was absurd. Why Narcissa, when there was Lily…? But when term began that year, he noticed things about Narcissa that he never bothered about before. Everyday seemed to add to her already dazzling beauty. And despite her being in Slytherin, she had a heart as gentle as a timid young unicorn. And when Lily began dating Bailey, James involuntarily turned his focus on Narcissa. It was then that his apprehension at her presence began, and continued even after the episode between Lily and Bailey ended. And, apparently, she was aware of it.

He saw that she was biting her lip once more. "I had no idea what to do. And you just had to make everything more complicated. Beautiful Narcissa Black… How could anyone expect me to resist…? I never told Remus and Peter, or even Sirius…"

His words were lost to her as her heartbeat quickened and drowned them out. She was engaged to Lucius Malfoy. Was she willing to risk losing that for a chance with James Potter? This could be an opportunity at a love that was of her choice, not something she would need to wait for, to coax to begin. She liked James, there was no denying it. And here he was, debating whether he liked her, too.

"James," she said, silencing him. "Do you want me, or not...?"

He frowned, indecisive. She hopped off the table and walked slowly towards him. Her hands were behind her back again. She took a deep breath and licked her lips. Glancing up at him, their eyes were once again directed at one another. And each could read what the other honestly and selfishly wanted.

It was like a muggle romance movie again. He took her hand in his, she took a step closer. They leaned forward and their lips met in a tender, unquestionably loving kiss. The lump in his throat disappeared. Her heart relaxed with relief. This was not how they thought their conversation would go. And yet there it was…their answer, the magic.