Hello, lovelies.

Okay, so I think I have an apology to make. I said I was going to get this chapter out two weeks ago, but guess what? I didn't. I am really sorry. What with my extracurricular activities and school starting just around the corner, I've had to focus on other things besides writing. I miss being able to type out a chapter whenever I feel like it. Summer is over now. My life has officially been thrown into warp speed. I won't blame all of this on how busy I am, though. I was also having a sort of writer's block– I couldn't for the life of me think up a good chapter line. This post is actually my third re-write of chapter six. That just says how uninspired I was. Anyway, I'm sure you just want to read the chapter and not my sob stories, so I'll let you.

Continue, darlings.

CHAPTER 6: OH, WHAT A NIGHT

Sometimes in life, things come at you unexpectedly. Just when you think you've got it all down, when you think you've figured it all out, you're completely caught off guard and WHAM! Something hits you right in the gut. I had only experienced this feeling a handful of times in my life--one time in particular with a girl named Carrie, who slapped me and accused me of cheating on her (I definitely wasn't expecting that one), and twice today, with Lily.

I had underestimated this girl. The moment I met her six years ago, I had labeled her as a caution-freak. Never once had I watched her let loose or do anything remotely dangerous. I had never seen her drink, party, or even sneak out for a midnight snack in the kitchens. She was a perfect little angel; modest beyond all accounts. Never seen in a skirt that was any shorter than the knees, her school blouses were always tastefully buttoned to her neck, every stitch and seam perfectly aligned.

Until today, she seemed untouchable. But I had underestimated her. Today, she was free. Today, she was a woman without fears and inhibitions. Today, she was the real Lily. Up until now, I had never really seen the part of Lily that I had fallen in love with. It was the part of her that she hid from the world, tucked deep within the gigantic shield of books and never-ending streams of parchment. It was the dangerous, sexy, witty side of her that she even hid from herself. I knew it was there somewhere, I always had. But it still caught me off guard when I saw her in the costume shop, revealing the amazing body I never knew existed. It still knocked the wind out of me when I heard her say those words.

"I want some alcohol."

I tried to play it cool. I didn't know if she expected me to be surprised, or if she was trying to play some kind of cruel joke on me.

"Oh really?" I asked as we stood in the entry way, both dripping wet from the downpour outside. "And why would Miss Evans want something to drink?" I smiled cockily. We'll see how this turns out.

"For one thing, I'm thirsty. Second, we've got it here already. Thirdly, I want to do something . . . out of the ordinary."

"But don't you think it would be a huge black mark on your record if you were to do anything . . . unpredictable, Miss Evans?" I loved teasing her. At the moment, I really didn't care if she got mad at me. I was enjoying myself, and I think deep down, she was too.

"James. I'm serious. Now, are you going to fix some or not?" A smile played on her lips, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. Good, she was enjoying this playful banter. Continue on, dear James.

"Maybe." I said, shrugging as I continued to stare at her.

"Fine then. I'll fix them myself. But don't think I'll be pouring a glass for you anytime soon." She made a move in the direction of the mini bar, but I was too quick for her. Swiftly, I took a step right and blocked her path.

"What the hell are you doing, James?" I was enjoying this. Testing Lily's nerves was a hobby of mine.

"James, move." She said, putting her hands on her hips. Any other time, I would have read this gesture as "get away as fast as you can" but she was still smiling, and I knew there was no chance in hell she was getting mad at me tonight. No, this was a different Lily. This was the Lily I adored.

"You're really starting to get annoying," she giggled.

"You're really starting to look cute," I shot back. It was true. Even when she was soaked to the bone and her hair was a complete mess, she looked beautiful. I was, as many times before, very tempted to kiss her at that moment.

She stood there for a second, fighting back a blush, before a mischievous grin suddenly plastered her face. That on all accounts scared me way more than her "go to hell" look ever did.

"Oh, James. Stupid, stupid, James. You've asked for it," she warned before drawing back her hand, balling it up into a fist, and punching me right in the stomach. I immediately doubled over in pain; that girl threw one hell of a nasty punch.

"Damn, Lils," I managed to wheeze out as I clutched my stomach. Talk about getting the wind knocked out of you. Though my eyes were squinted and my head was hanging down, I saw her walk past me.

She slapped me on my back and said, "Sorry, James. You'll learn not to get between me and my drink…oh, and to remember our bargain." Giggling, she continued on.

Even though I was hurting, she made me smile. I soon regained my previous stance and turned to see her standing by the mini bar. While she looked at the various bottles of alcohol, I looked at her. Everything about her was special, unique. She could make my head spin, my heart pound, and every ounce of me want her with just one look. Today in the costume shop, I almost lost control and I was afraid she noticed it. The way she'd smiled, the way she had spoken to me– it was pure innocence. It seemed that today, I watched Lily discover herself for the first time. Instead of the careful, level-minded, James-hater she normally was, she had become spirited, out of her element and completely on fire. Part of me was overwhelmed by her transformation. How could this girl who was about as spontaneous as a rock suddenly break loose into a carefree woman, all in less than one day?

I stood there in the entry way, watching her as she pulled two glasses from the shelf. Two glasses . . . so she fell back on her word. I smiled.

"Hopefully you aren't going to drink both of those by yourself, now are you?" I asked as she poured the copper colored liquid into the small glasses on the counter.

"Potter, you're such a dumbass," she joked. Yeah, so I was a dumbass sometimes. Point well taken. "I'm fixing you one. You made me feel guilty all hunched over in pain like that. I didn't hit you that hard, did I?" Turning around, she picked up the glasses, one in each hand, and gave one to me.

"Frankly, it did hurt Evans, and I am man enough to admit it," I said as she took a sip from her glass. Immediately, she laughed, choking slightly on her drink.

"Yes, Potter. You're quite the man." She rolled her eyes and continued drinking. I took a sip from my glass and felt the familiar warm sensation of alcohol on my throat. Actually, it was more like I had swallowed a fireball.

"Damn, Lily. What is this stuff?" I sputtered as I held the glass full of unknown substance to the light, spinning the glass in my hand.

"Whiskey. What, is it too strong for you?"

"Ha! No...it's just good, that's all. Besides, you've probably never drunk before in your entire life. How come you're holding out so well?" I added. In truth, that last sip was pretty strong-nothing like the stuff I was used to. I had no idea how Lily was still alive.

"What makes you think I've never had alcohol before, Potter?" She raised her eyebrows and gave me a questionable glance.

"I dunno. I've never seen you at parties...you don't seem like you're really into that scene."

"Correction, Mr. Potter. I'm not into getting so drunk I can't see properly and then going off and getting knocked up by some random guy I've never even met. I do drink. I'm just not a partygoer."

"Oh, and when do you drink?" I was truly interested in this information. I was slowly finding out I really didn't know that much about Lily Evans.

"Well, you know . . . every now and then. But as I said, I don't drink to get drunk." She took another sip from her glass and set it down on the counter top before walking over to the window in the sitting room. "James," she said softly. "Do you mind if we order dinner from the hotel tonight? It's still raining quite a bit and frankly, I don't want to get back out in it." I realized quickly that she was trying to change the subject and I didn't want to press the matter.

"Sure." I watched her as she lazily ran her finger over the window sill, staring out at the dark sky through the rain-streaked glass. I wanted to know what was going on in her mind, what she was thinking about at that moment. She was absolutely gorgeous and I wished more than anything to hold her, kiss her, have her as my own. Every second I was near her, I wanted her more. Every minute I stared at her in those soaking wet clothes that clung to her body…. She was making me crazy, and she didn't even know it.

"Well," she sighed as she turned around to face me. I immediately stopped staring. "I might as well get changed. I'm freezing."

"Hm. That sounds like a good idea. I'll come with you." She cocked an eyebrow at me before I realized exactly what I said. Stupid James. Stupid. "To get my clothes, of course. I'll change in the bathroom." She was blushing again. How adorable.

"Yes, well now that that's settled..."She walked past me towards the bedroom, and I followed. Hunching over my luggage, I pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms and then made my way to the bathroom.

◦◊○◊◦

Five minutes later, I returned to the couch in front of the fire, holding a fresh glass of whiskey and the room service brochure from the hotel. Casually flipping through it, I didn't notice Lily walk in. I looked up when I heard the door open to acknowledge her presence, but did a double-take when I realized what she was wearing. She had on a pair of short, pink and yellow striped pj bottoms and a hot pink tank top, covered by the same bathrobe she had on earlier today. I guess it was the normal garb a girl would wear to bed, but it was still dead sexy. I had never realized how long her legs were...

"So, James. Find anything delicious in that pamphlet of yours?" She asked, waking me up from another one of my staring spells. You are delicious, Lily.

I watched her sit down on the couch next to me before I answered.

"Yeah, the spaghetti looks wonderful. I think that's what I'm getting." I was starting to get awfully hungry. It had, after all, been a good eight hours since our last meal.

"Mmm. Spaghetti. That sounds great. I think I'll have the same." She smiled at me before picking up the phone and dialing room service.

Fifteen minutes later, we were slurping our fine pasta and discussing world peace and theories to stop world hunger. Well, not really. Our talks were more on the lines of who was better at a certain subject in school, summer holiday plans, and what was going on in our best friends' lives.

"I'm traveling to Spain this summer with my mother and father. Some thing with the ministry." I said, shrugging.

"At least you get to go somewhere this summer. I'm stuck with Petunia for two and a half months."

"Petunia, you sister?" I asked before taking a bite of my spaghetti. I guess her parents had a thing for flower names . . . although Lily was a much more beautiful name than Petunia could ever be.

"Yes, my ungrateful prat of a sister. I swear, sometimes . . . I want to hex her, just to spite her."

"Why do you dislike her so much?"

"Oh, God! Don't get me started. Ever since my found out I was a witch, she's found ways to make my life a living hell. She calls me a freak constantly, just because I'm different than her."

"Sounds like someone's a little jealous."

"Yeah, either that or she just enjoys being a bitch."

Suddenly, we both heard a tapping noise on the window and I looked over to see a large barn owl holding a pretty hefty package at the window sill.

"An owl?" I inquired before getting up off the sofa and opening the window. The owl flew immediately in, dropping the package into my hands. It seemed to be a bottle of some kind, wrapped in soggy brown paper with a note attached. Carefully, I detached the letter from the bottle, its soaked envelope tearing easily in my hand. The ink was smudged but I could still decipher the handwriting:

Prongs,

Just in case things are going better with Lily than you'd planned, here's a little gift from me.

–Padfoot, a.k.a. "The Lady's Man"

Oh, Padfoot. Whatever would I do without you? I smirked as I unwrapped the bottle of wine. He knew me so well.

"What's that you have there?" Lily asked curiously. She cocked her head to the side and stood up off of the couch, walking over to me.

"Sirius sent us a bottle of wine." I couldn't keep from smiling.

"Oh really? Well, isn't that ever so kind of him," she stated sarcastically. "And why would he send us a bottle of wine? What's in that note?" Shit. She asked about the note. I hastily tried to pocket it, but she saw me.

"Ah,ah, ah!" She scolded. " What does it say?" She tried to grab it out of my hands. I was too quick for her, though. Quidditch had done me good. I held the note above my head. God, I loved being tall.

"This note is for me to read and for you to forget." I said, smirking. Quickly, I dodged her, ran over to the fireplace, and tossed the letter into the flames.

"Aww, James! That's not fair." She moaned.

"Not everything in life is fair, love. Besides, in a couple of months I might tell you what it said. For right now, let's enjoy this lovely bottle of wine."

She eyed me suspiciously for a second, and then nodded her head.

"Okay."

◦◊○◊◦

Another hour and a half later, we had consumed all but a little of the wine and emptied every bottle in the mini bar. Well, I really hadn't had that much to drink. Lily could really pack it down. Doesn't drink to get drunk, my ass.

So, as any totally smashed person would, Lily was acting a little off her rocker. The great part was that she wasn't an angry drunk as I had feared. No, she was just . . . insane. It was rather amusing, to tell you the truth. I had never seen Lily this way before. She was talking up a storm, chatting away about topics that made entirely no sense whatsoever and giggling about every five seconds. She was currently dancing to some muggle music on a radio she had found in the armoire. It was a rather catchy tune, and although she had invited me to join her, I was still sitting on the couch, admiring the way she looked in the firelight. Her pale skin was absolutely glowing and her hair, her hair was amazing. She had discarded her robe a few minutes earlier, complaining that it was getting "awfully hot". Yes, she definitely was hot. Gorgeous. Sexy. Utterly shaggable.

"God, Lily. You're one beautiful woman, you know that?" I asked. The alcohol was only having the slightest effect on me, but some things seemed a little funnier than usual. I felt like putting it all on the line at the moment.

"I mean, you're like, the most beautiful girl I've ever met in my entire life. Swear to God." I put my hand over my heart in a gesture of mock sincerity.

She just stared at me, smiling and swaying her hips to the music.

"You should come over and sit on the couch with me, love. You look like you're about to fall over. There's a wonderful spot for you here," I said as I patted the sofa, "right next to James." I waggled my eyebrows. Okay, so maybe I was a little more gone than I'd thought.

"Ha! James Potter, are you trying to seduce me?" She slurred, giggling. She had stopped dancing now and was standing with her hands on her hips, rocking slightly.

"No-" I said quickly. She was jumping to conclusions. I was just trying to tell her how I felt about her.

"Because it's not going to work. I'm rock as a hard and drunk as hell, so you'd better not mess with me." She was still laughing merrily, obviously pleased with herself. I couldn't contain my laughter at her mix up of words. She seemed to be willing to put up a fight, but she surprised me as, slowly and carefully, she walked over to the couch and sat down next to me. "Although I have to admit, you are quite handsome, James."

"Why thank you, Miss Evans. I would like to think so myself." I said, winking in her general direction. Yes, the alcohol was definitely present. She laughed and then, much to my surprise, fell over so that her head was in my lap. Finally, this was starting to get interesting. Still smiling, she reached up and touched my nose with her finger.

"Oh, James. You're so funny! And so cute!" She said, pinching my cheek. It kinda hurt. Unconsciously, my fingers started mussing with her hair, running in between her wavy locks which were still slightly damp. I was smiling widely at her, finding this whole situation rather funny and definitely pleasing.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your hair, James-y?" Suddenly, her fingers were running through my hair as well. This was amazing. "So soft. You know, I really like the messy look."

"Oh, yeah. My conditioner works wonders," I said sarcastically. She laughed once more, and I took it as an opportunity to stare at her again. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was fanning around her head onto my lap. Her eyes were still sparkling, and if it were possible, she was looking more beautiful than ever. We sat there for a minute, looking at each other, before Lily said something that knocked the wind right out of me.

"I love you, Jamie-wamie." She giggled. I knew it was the effect of the alcohol, but it surprised me just the same. And then, with her fingers still entangled in my hair, she pulled me towards her. I knew what was going to happen a split second before it actually did. Everything was moving so fast, there wasn't any stopping it, but I didn't really want to either. After all, I had been waiting two years for this moment.

I had never had a kiss so spectacular in my entire life. Kissing Lily was like dying and going to heaven. Her lips were warm and soft, stained with the lingering flavor of wine. At just the touch of her mouth, sparks exploded in my eyes. I felt dizzy, like I was drowning in the intensity. I was trying to control myself, but I couldn't. I needed her. Eagerly, I grazed her bottom lip with my tongue as I ran my hand up and down her arm and through her luscious locks. She obliged and soon, we were engaged in an all-out snogging session. Feeling the need to explore, I broke away from her, sucking slightly on her lower lip, making her moan. Slowly, I showered her jaw line with kisses, and made my way down to her neck, feeling her pulse race under her skin. I kissed her collarbone and went back up to her mouth, capturing her lips once. We broke apart a minute later, both breathing heavily. I looked at her as I felt a desirable force fill the room. Her eyes were dark with lust and I knew in that moment that something was definitely different about her. It wasn't the alcohol. It was her.

Softly, she whispered to me–-so softly that I had to strain to hear her. "Make love to me."

"Wh-what?" I said breathlessly.

"Make love to me, James." Her warm breath washed over my face, and the smell of the alcohol was almost comforting.

Here she was, the most beautiful girl in the entire world, lying in my lap, begging me to shag her. This was all I had ever wanted. My dreams were becoming a reality and I had her exactly where I wanted her. So why was it so hard to say yes?

"Lily, you need your rest. We have the convention to get to tomorrow." I couldn't do this. I couldn't take advantage of her while she was drunk. I hadn't realized up until now how much I actually cared about her. Dammit, James.

"But James, I need you more." She raised her head and moved so that she was sitting on my lap before wrapping her arms around my neck. "Please," she said seductively as she kissed me again. Even though I was loving it, I pushed her gently away.

"Lily, you're drunk. You don't know what you're doing. Now please, let's go to bed. We'll talk about this in the morning."

"Mmm, bed. You know, that's beginning to sound wonderful. Come to bed with me, Jamie-wamie." She got up off of my lap, stumbling slightly, and grabbed my hand, trying to pull me off the couch.

"No, Lils. That's not what I meant." I was beginning to get frustrated, both at the fact that she wasn't listening to me and that I wasn't doing what she wanted to do.

"Oh no, James. I know exactly what you mean." She giggled and winked at me before she finally managed to get me on my feet. I really didn't know how I was going to get myself out of this one. I mean, Lily was drunk has hell and I had no idea what she would do if I turned down her invitation for sex. She'd probably murder me in my sleep, or starting crying and ask me why she wasn't desirable to me anymore. I cringed at the thought. I'd hate to see Lily cry. All I could do was cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Grabbing her hand, I made my way towards the bedroom, dragging her behind me. In the two seconds it took me to reach the bedroom door, I had come up with a sort of plan. It was the best thing I could come up with at the moment, and the little voice inside my head chanted, "Go for it." Here it goes. Turning around, I wrapped my arms around her waist, leaned in, and kissed her hard on the lips. My lust for her was kicking in again, but I maintained focus on my goal. I didn't want to take advantage of her. If we ever did make love, I wanted to make sure she was fully aware.

Slowly, I started moving backwards into the bedroom, guiding her along with me. She moaned into my mouth as I laced my fingers through her hair, pulling her even closer so that I could feel her chest rise and fall with every breath. Before I realized it, the back of my legs had hit the foot of the bed. Good. Perfect. Turning her around so that Lily's back was now facing the mattress, I gently laid her down on the bed, all the while kissing every part of her I could reach.. Positioning my self on top of her, I kissed her for a while longer before I slowly ended our embrace. She looked up at me with a questionable glance, her eyes still full of passion.

"I-" my breath hitched in my throat as I looked down upon her beautiful face. "Wait here. I'll be back in a moment." I rolled off of her and stood up from the bed. Thank God I didn't drink that much, or we'd be shagging away right now. Well, not that I would mind it, but you know what I'm saying...

Actually, I wasn't planning on returning to her any time soon. I figured if I left her alone for awhile, the combination of alcohol and exhaustion would kick in and she'd be out cold in about ten minutes. After taking a cold shower (which I needed badly) and waiting patiently for what seemed to be a reasonable amount of time, I cautiously walked back into our sleeping quarters and was pleasantly surprised to see Lily sleeping soundly. Man, I was good. Now all I hoped for was that Lily have no recollection of tonight's events, or else I might be dead by tomorrow afternoon.

Quietly, I set an alarm so we wouldn't have a repeat of this morning then slipped in under the covers of my bed as my sleepiness caught up with me. Somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness, I thought I felt my bed move slightly, but I was too exhausted to open my eyes. I drifted to sleep with thoughts of Lily and the taste of her lips on mine.

So...

Gosh, I hate myself for doing this. I keep forgetting that Lily and James are only 16 years old in this fic., and yet they acting way more mature than any of my age friends do (I'm 16 and 1/2). I keep imagining them as these confident, 18 year-old's who can think for themselves and are old enough to experience the more "adult" themes such as love and sex without it seeming . . . wrong. So, I want to make a deal with you. Let's pretend they ARE 18 year-old's . . . just so I feel better about the whole thing. I would love to make them 18, but they still have to be in Hogwarts for the story to appear realistic. Just, work with me here. I know you'll understand. Ha ha.

So, once again I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I want to say thank you to all of those who reviewed chapter 5. I love getting feedback and I am so happy you all are loving the story! I'm starting school on Monday, August 21 so the next chapter will probably not be up for a while. I know, I know . . . you can't wait that long. I'm so sorry. I'll try really hard to get chapter 7 (wow, chapter 7) written quickly, but I really need to focus on my schoolwork this year. Cross your fingers, and keep reviewing! Till next time my darlings, MUCH LOVE!

–Emily