Hey guys! This is one of my favorite chapters, so I hope y'all enjoy it! It has Patronuses! (Who doesn't like a bit of stag-doe fanfic, eh?)

Enjoy :)

Lily twiddled her thumbs in her Defense Against the Dark Arts class as Professor Rosemary continued her lecture on Patronuses. She herself was already able to produce a full-fledged Patronus and currently had a much more, er- important- problem on her mind. She let her eyes wander over to where her problem sat. He was sniggering about something with the Marauders as usual, chortling like an idiot.

"Missing him already, are we?" giggled Marlene, following Lily's gaze.

"Oh, shut up Marly!" Lily snapped, quickly refocusing her gaze to on the professor; unfortunately, the damage had been done, and Marlene didn't stop giggling or throwing Lily sly smiles until Rosemary announced their next assignment. Oh Merlin...

"All right, class. I would like everyone to begin practicing casting a Patronus. Remember, this is not easy but is an essential tool you should be able to use in the face of danger- which is much closer than many of you think."

The class shifted and grew quiet. Everyone knew exactly what the professor was talking about: Voldemort. Everyday, a murder, disappearance, or Merlin-knows-what would make the front page of the Daily Prophet, and they were all linked to the Dark Lord and his throng of sickening Death Eaters. The professor sighed tiredly and told the class to begin, dispelling of all the awkward tension as quickly as it had come.

"Hey, Evans!" James cried from across the room. "Heard you cast a relatively good Patronus!"

Lily huffed, forcing herself to slowly turn around and face the aggravating twit. "Yes, Potter. And I've heard that you yourself can barely form a single wisp for your own bloody Patronus."

"Is that so?" he quipped, raising an eyebrow. Whipping out his wand, he chanted,"Expecto Patronum!"

A magnificent stag leaped off the tip of his wand, its majestic antlers and elegant body taking shape. It began prancing around, curiously staring at Lily with its milky-white eyes.

She glared daggers at James, ignoring his smug grin, and pulled her own wand out, straightening up. By now, the whole class was watching with an amused interest, and Lily could not afford to let James make a fool out of her.

"Expecto Patronum," she clearly enunciated, ending with a flourish of her wand. A gorgeous doe emmerged gracefully as Lily smirked, admiring her handiwork. The doe capered around in a circle before noticing James's stag. Then, to Lily's horror, the two bound towards each other and the class began to murmer in surprise. Lily gaped at her own Patronus, her beautiful, loyal doe, as it nuzzled the stag affectionately. The two creatures intertwined their necks, gazing into each others eyes, as someone whistled in the back.

Unable to stand the mortification any longer, Lily flicked her wand and the doe vanished into thin air. She could feel her cheeks burning as James flashed her an inquiring look, and she quickly packed up her things, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, after Rosemary dismissed the class.

"Make sure to practice your Patronuses! I'll be checking your progress next class. In fact, I'm sure Lily and James wouldn't mind helping some of you out, either," she called out, winking at the two of them.

"Wouldn't mind helping, my arse," Lily grumbled, hurrying out of the classroom.

"Whoa, wait up their Evans!" James cried, catching up to her. "You okay? You look like you could murder someone."

Lily stopped, causing James to bump into her. She stared into his eyes, surprised to find that he truly had no idea what had upset her. Boys...

"I think it may have to do with how your Patronuses practically made out with each other in front of the whole class," Marlene giggled, dodging a kick from Lily.

"Hey, it was your doe that made the move on my stag! Quite impressive, by the way," James laughed. Lily let out a cry of anguish, balling her fists in frustration, before punching James in the shoulder.

"Hey!" he yelped, jumping back. "No need to mess up my perfect Quidditch physique! I'm gonna need that!"

Lily aimed another punch at him, but he sidestepped it and wrapped his arms around her, trapping her hands. Lily tensed as she felt James's warm body press against her back, her skin tingling at his touch. She felt his every breath- his chest lightly rising and sinking- and tried to withhold a shiver. Closing her eyes, she counted to ten, trying not to imagine how flustered she must have looked.

10, 9, 8...

Mmmmm... Dammit. The voice was back.

7, 6, 5...

Bloody HELL, Lily, do you have no dignity left? she scolded herself.

4,3,2- Oh, screw it.

She quickly collected herself, ignoring how James's body fit perfectly against hers, and said," I certainly hope that I have not damaged this Quidditch physique of yours, since it's all you seem to have."

James let go of her, chuckling, as he ruffled his already-too-messy hair. "Apology accepted. I'm glad you feel concern over my muscular figure's safety, Evans."

"Merlin's beard, Potter. You act as if the universe revolves your bloody abs."

James flashed her a cheeky grin. "So you admit that I have abs then, eh?"

"I'm sure that the opinion of every girl at Hogwarts will be proof enough," Lily huffed, rolling her eyes as James burst out laughing.

"Aw, don't be jealous Lils. Come one, I'll walk you to class."

"Jealous my arse. And no, Potter, my class happens to be at the exact opposite side of yours. You'll be late."

"As Head Boy, I'm sure I'll be excused."

"As Head Girl, I forbid you to abuse your powers to get out of trouble!"

"If you insist on the hard way," James laughed," but I must warn you, I'm quite stubborn and never take no for an answer..."

Before Lily could even begin to think about what that could possibly mean, James picked her up in one fluid motion and she shrieked. She struggled against his grip, demanding that he let her down as he ambled on towards her class. He jumped over a small stairway, landing gracefully on his feet; nevertheless, Lily yelped and threw her arms around his neck, digging her fingernails into his skin. He just grinned, and Lily could practically feel the smugness radiating off him. I will gut him alive for this...

They traveled corridor after corridor, staircase after staircase, and yet the classroom seemed to be no closer than before. Lily buried her head in James's chest every time a curious eye turned their way, hoping that she hadn't been identified. What would everyone think when they heard about this? Lily Evans the flirt... she shook these treacherous thoughts out of her head, clenching her teeth.

Finally, as they approached the classroom, James let her down (much to her relief). She huffed, straightening out her blouse and skirt, before screeching," POTTER- WHA-"

But James quickly took her hand and lightly pecked it, bowing as he called out," Later, my fair Evans! Can't be late to class, now, can I?" Winking, he dashed off.

Lily just stood there gaping, slowly running a finger over where James had kissed her. She shook herself out of her haze and stepped into Charms class, remembering everything she had gone through for her measly Charms essay yesterday morning, and her lips betrayed her thoughts, breaking into a small smile.