A/N: Okay guys, so I'm really trying to be better about updating. I have a lot going on in life BUT I have a complete outline for this story that I plan on sticking to. This will help me organize my thoughts, which helps me WRITE FASTER. I hope you are enjoying this story, because it used to be my baby (and still is my baby) and I'm trying to do it justice.

Chapter Thirteen: Lily Attracts Awkward

The first thing I was aware of upon waking up was that I was warm. I was warm, and comfortable, and very unhappy that a bright strip of light was shining through a window onto my face.

The second thing I was aware of was that an arm was draped over my abdomen.

The third thing I was aware of was that a blanket was draped over said abdomen and said arm.

The fourth thing I was aware of was that there should be no earthly reason why a bloody arm should be draped over my bloody abdomen.

I sat up in a flash, realizing that I was not in my bed but in the common room, shoved between the back of the couch and the sleeping body of James Potter. I looked at my watch and saw that it was five past seven. I ran a hand through my hair and glanced at James. His face was turned towards me, and the arm that was not encircling my abdomen was tucked against his shoulder. His hair was a complete mess, though that was pretty much how it always looked, and his glasses were neatly folded on the arm of the couch.

Suddenly realizing that I had spent the night with James Potter in a relatively public place, I glanced around the common room. I sighed in relief when I saw it was empty. My eyes came to rest on James once more, and I was overcome with a strong desire to run my hand through that messy hair. I reached out and brushed the dark waves, cursing soft his hair was. Why was it that boys always had lovely soft hair? I couldn't resist feeling the side of his cheek as well. Damn this boy and his soft hair and soft cheek and long, thick eyelashes, and unbelievably gorgeous lips that were practically begging for –

"Lily?" James mumbled. My hand froze on his head as I was paralyzed with fear. How was I going to explain to James why I was stroking his head while he was unconscious?

Before I could say anything, James tugged me back down to the couch. "This is definitely my favorite dream." He mumbled in my ear. "How do you manage to smell good in a dream?"

I froze as James nuzzled into my neck. This was Very Not At All Good. I was trapped next to a sex god (which was actually kind of nice) and there was no route of escape that would allow me to leave without waking said sex god (which was Very Bad) and what was that poking my side oh Merlin I'm not even going to go there that is not a wand.

I had to think quickly, before some early riser came down to the common room and saw James draped over me like some kind of sexy boy blanket. I noticed that my wand had been wedged between my ribcage and the backing of the couch. I carefully retrieved it, thinking hard. I had a wand. I was still trapped by a sleeping sex god. I could think of something.

"Wingardium Leviosa." I finally whispered, my wand aimed at James' arm. Once his arm floated high enough, I sat up and inched my way to the opposite end of the couch. After placing a throw pillow next to the sleeping James, I reversed the charm and lowered his arm over the pillow.

I turned and all but ran up the stairs to my dormitory. Everyone was still asleep. For a moment I though of crawling into bed and going back to sleep until Alice shook me awake. It would have been nice to sleep again. And I admit that I really wanted to sleep again. Instead I gathered my things and walked to the fifth floor, past the statue of Boris the Bewildered, and into the prefect's bathroom. I locked the door, filled the bath, and soaked for almost an hour until I was forced out by a Ravenclaw prefect who needed a wash before first period Arithmancy.

By lunch I seriously regretted choosing a bath over extra sleep when I tried to drink out of the salt shaker instead of my glass of pumpkin juice. I just wanted to sleep and maybe possibly definitely dream about cuddling with James on a floor made of pillows. Or a bed.

I shamelessly stared James for most of the day, imagining myself running my hands through that soft hair. I told myself it was like petting a dog, or a rabbit. A very sexy rabbit. It was lucky that everyone now knew me as "the tired girl" because they all thought I was just staring off into space without noticing what I was staring at.

I didn't talk to James until dinner, when he sat next to me after Quidditch practice.

"Thanks for keeping me awake last night, Lily," he said as he dumped a platter of chicken wings onto his plate.

"Thanks for helping me with the essay."

James smiled at me. "Anything for Evans, that's my motto."

I rolled my eyes. "That is not anyone's motto."

"Possibly Snivelly's motto" Sirius chimed in as he leaned towards James' plate from across the table.

James pushed Sirius' face away with one hand and pulled his plate with the other. "What time did we finish? All I remember is sitting next to you and talking about moons, then BAM – I'm laying on the couch half covered in a blanket and Sirius and Remus are shoving hot peppers up my nostrils."

"Not a pleasant way to wake up, we discovered." Wormtail snickered.

"You fell asleep. We had just finished, and I couldn't wake you, so I put your essay on the floor to dry and went to bed."

"But you left your essay on the floor too. It's a good thing it wasn't due until tonight. An even better thing that I picked it up." James said.

"Merlin, I forgot about it!" I put a hand to my forehead and cursed my stupidity.

"I've got your back, Evans." James grinned. "Even if you leave me to sleep alone in the middle of the common room."

"What was I supposed to do, carry you to bed?" I turned to him, resting my elbows on the table.

"Well," he said, mimicking my motions, "You could have joined me."

With a snort I turned away and picked up my bag. "I'm taking a nap before Astronomy."

"Do you know the best napping location in the castle? You wouldn't believe it."

"I know, I know, the red couch in the common room. See you later"

James grabbed my wrist. He looked at me with a bemused expression. "Are you sure you don't want me to join you?"

I laughed nervously, but convincingly. "In what universe would that actually happen?"

I was sleeping in my bed, blissfully dreaming about talking sunflowers and baby unicorns, when something crashed into me.

"GUESS WHAT I JUST HEARD!" Someone squealed in my ear. I opened my eyes and raised my head in confusion, worried that something was wrong, to find Macy sprawled on top of my body.

"Oh my God, no." I said. I pulled my head under the covers.

"The Halloween Feast is going to be a ball! A BALL! Did you hear me, Lily? A STRAIGHT-UP BALL!"

"I want to go back to unicorns." I mumbled.

Macy ripped the blanket from my weak grip and clapped her hands to her face. Her smile was almost nauseating. "And everyone who goes has to be in costume! Can't you just imagine the possibilities! My head's full of them already! You know, we could do a group costume, Roxanna and the minions are going as sexy magical creatures, what a surprise-"

"Why did you wake me up for this?" I cut in, rubbing my eyes. "It's too early to be excited about Halloween costumes."

Macy sat up, folded her arms, and raised an eyebrow. "It's almost three o'clock in the afternoon." I sat up too. There was no going back to the dream unicorns now.

"You're judging me, aren't you?"

"So hard." Macy said with a grin. "But forget that, there are more important things! Like what we'll wear to the ball, because Alice already told me that she's going to do something with Frank, so it's you, me, and Ariel."

"Does that mean it's not a couple's ball? We can just go with a group of mates?" I asked.

"Yup!" Macy nodded enthusiastically. "And I've got the perfect costume idea! Just leave it to me, we're going to look so cute."

The Halloween ball was all anyone could talk about. I had to admit it was a big deal. Hogwarts didn't often host balls. If students wanted an excuse to rub against each other while listening to music, they had to get a Wizard's Wireless Radio and find a broom closet. While I looked forward to the ball, I also dreaded the ball. Or rather, the events leading up to the ball. Because I knew that every day the corridors would come to a standstill as boys tried to one-up each other by asking would-be dates with increasingly dramatic methods. I knew I would find at least five girls crying in the loos because the boys they fancied asked other girls. I knew that there was the possibility that a certain Gryffindor who often went by "Prongs" might maybe hopefully ask me to accompany him to the ball, or to meet him at the ball, or to hang out with him at the ball.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't expecting it from James Potter.

It came as a shock when the person who asked me was not the sex god James Potter.

Theo and I were finishing a patrol around the castle three nights after the ball was announced. We talked about the ball, agreed that the food would probably be good, but less diverse than the typical holiday feast, expressed interest in the musical performance, and hoped that Dumbledore had arranged real pumpkin piñatas like last year. We were walking in past the trophy room when Theo casually said "So are you going with anyone?"

I blinked in confusion. "Sorry?"

He twirled his wand in his fingers. "I said, are you going with anyone. To the ball, I mean."

"Oh! No, just my mates." I replied. I felt a light heat creep up to my face and really hoped I wasn't blushing.

"Well, I ask 'cause I was wondering, you know, if you would want to go with me." I looked at Theo, and when I met his bright blue eyes I knew I would start blushing, if I wasn't already.

"Oh. Well…" Say something, you twat, don't just leave him hanging! "I don't know. Have the other girls all got dates by now?"

Theo gave a short laugh. "I wouldn't know. I've only asked you."

I really didn't know how to reply. I wasn't a dating expert. I was better at Shield Charms, or dissecting rats for their livers, or eating brownies.

But I couldn't help but smile at him. "So you really want to go to the ball with me? This isn't a joke or anything?"

Theo grinned at me and lightly pushed my shoulder so that I stumbled a step away from him. "Damn, you saw through it, how did you know?" he said sarcastically. "Of course I want to go with you."

I looked at Theo and pictured myself entering the Great Hall with him. I pictured what it would be like to dance with him, to touch him, to kiss him. I'll admit that the pictures were rather nice. I just wasn't sure if I wanted those pictures.

"Would you completely hate me if I asked if I could get back to you on that?"

"Not at all." Theo replied with another smile.

"Thanks, Theo. You're so sweet. I'm just… I don't know, it's stupid. And complicated. I don't even really understand it." I muttered. "Just forget it"

Although he looked confused, Theo nodded. "Just let me know when you decide."

I didn't really want to go to the ball with Theo, despite the fact that he was hot, and available, and sweet. I wanted to want to go with him, but I couldn't stop picturing myself pulling James Potter by his scarlet and gold tie and snogging him senseless. I knew this when Theo asked me, I knew I should have said no. But there was a certain sex-god who still refused to flirt with me despite everything I threw at him. And by everything I mean that I wore my skirt three centimetres shorter than usual and took up the practice of smiling at him when he caught me staring at him.

Once I even managed to discretely brush his upper thigh in the common room as we sat next to each other on the floor filling in our Astronomy charts.

"James," I said as we mapped out the orbit pattern of a distant planet, "Can I look at your chart? I think I might have misnumbered the stars in this cluster."

"Sure, Evans." James replied without looking at me. I leaned over him, placing my left hand on his right knee for support. As I examined his star chart, I let my hand slowly glide down his leg until it sat about halfway to his hip. I felt the muscles of him leg stiffen beneath my hand and smiled in hidden triumph.

"Thanks, James." I said, leaning back and letting my hand linger for a moment before taking it from his leg.

"Happy to help." He said. After a moment he grabbed his bag and stood up "I'm almost finished, but I need to start that Herbology essay, so I'm just going to pop upstairs and grab the book."

"You can use mine, if you want." I said, reaching for my own bag. "I'm sure it's in here somewhere."

"Don't worry about it Lily, it's just upstairs, be down soon." James called over his shoulder.

I glared at the spot where he disappeared up the boys staircase with half a mind to follow him and hex his firmly toned arse for not acknowledging my feeble attempts at flirting.

I hoped that I would get better at the whole flirting thing, and fast, because it seemed that Roxanna was on a mission to go to the ball with my sex-god. She touched his arms, played with his hair, laughed an adorable little laugh at all of his jokes, including the incorrectly played Muggle ones. In response James teased her, smiled at her, and rumpled his hair every five minutes in case it magically decided to become neat. It was getting annoying. Very annoying.

And I knew that technically James wasn't mine, but that's beside the point.

I needed to tell Theo that I couldn't go to the ball with him. Going with him wouldn't be right, not when I would be thinking about another person the entire time.

When I told him during out next patrol, he was understanding, but clearly let down.

"I just can't, I'm sorry." I told him, forcing myself to look at his face instead of the much-preferred ground.

"I understand." Theo said. "It's not a big deal. Don't feel bad about it."

I nodded, relieved that at that moment we stumbled upon a gaggle of second year Ravenclaws poking the empty background of a painting with their wands.

When our patrol was over, I walked back to Gryffindor tower, tired but relieved that Theo didn't completely hate me. I climbed through the portrait hole and went directly to bed. When I shuffled into the room I greeted Ariel, who sat against her headboard reading Fantastical Creatures of the Mediterranean.

"How did it go?" She asked me as I flopped face-first onto my bed.

"He's too nice for me anyway." I muttered into the sheets. I heard Ariel place her heavy book onto her nightstand.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

I sighed and flipped over so that I was on my back. "I just don't think it would be a good idea to go to the ball with Theo. I'm…" I hesitated, unsure of how to word my thoughts. "I've just been thinking about someone else lately, and it wouldn't be fair to go with Theo when I'm not thinking about him like that."

"Fair point, you don't want to lead him on," Ariel agreed, "but who is this mystery boy – or girl – who has stolen your attention? It's not Severus, is it?"

"It's not Sev." I said. "It's a boy, but I don't think it would be a good idea to tell you."

"Well why not?" Ariel said, a note of hurt in her voice.

"You're going to laugh at me, it's ridiculously uncharacteristic of me." After promising not to laugh at me and to keep her mouth shut, I told her.

"Stop laughing, you promised!" I shouted, bashing Ariel over the head with a pillow.

"Shhhh, someone will hear you!" Ariel giggled, "Then you'll have to explain that you're mad at me for laughing because you fancy James Potter!"

"I hate you."

"I'm sorry! It's just – you have to appreciate the poor timing! You start fancying him just as he stops fancying you!" Ariel rolled on her side as she fought to stop giggling. After hitting her once more with my pillow (which just made her laugh more), I sat on my bed again.

"Why don't you just tell him?" Ariel suddenly asked.

I looked at her and frowned. "I couldn't do that. If he's really stopped fancying me I'd look like a complete fool."

"It would be simpler than all this dancing around each other, though." Ariel mumbled, more to herself than me.

Although I'd rather kiss the giant squid than admit it, I had to agree.

Okay, guys! I hope you all liked it! This chapter didn't go exactly as planned, but I did the best I could while trying to write semi-quickly for you! Remember to leave comments, I always appreciate the criticism, and let me know if you like where this story is going or not! Thanks to everyone who has read, followed, and favorited this! I love you all, babes.