Hi everyone! Long time no see! Thanks you all that reviewed last chapter: its great help to know what you think and also special thanks to my superbeta Sphynx, who helped me a lot on this chapter particularly: this one was kind of a struggle, but I do hope you like it. If you can spare a couple minutes please review and let me know. PA

Chapter 7 - Common Sense

He pushed his feet off the ground effortlessly and within seconds felt the warm wind cover his body like a familiar blanket. Immediately the knots on his back seemed to undo themselves and the thoughts to scatter from his head. Already the week was almost over and he needed to unwind. He opened his arms as widely as possible and took a deep breath, taking in the freshness of the air and promptly feeling renewed. He moved around for some time; swirled, plunged and raced absent-mindedly for to him this was like a second nature. He looked ahead and saw that one of his favorite shows would be starting soon so he went to the best seat in the house. He sat on top of the tall metal ring while muttering something under his breath so that his broom stayed within reach. He looked at the beautiful grounds surrounding him and then to the slowly fading blue sky and sighed. Sanctuary. Up there, away from prying eyes and worrying friends, everything gained a different perspective and he felt he could see more clearly. Looking down made things seem more simple: he felt a sense of amazement over the perfection of the world around him; how every small being and living organism seemed to know their role and how life carried on even when he felt the world was falling apart. He remembered sitting at that exact spot the day he came back from his vacation, the first time his father hadn't been there to wave him goodbye and somehow staring at such untouched beauty had helped him heal a little. Up there his problems seemed small and fleeting and it gave him a strange sense of calmness, so much so that he couldn't deny the existence of a higher power.

He chuckled when a small bird flew past him and shot him what he thought to be an odd glance. He looked straight ahead and noted the blue hues starting to tinge with other colors. He dropped himself of the ring, holding on with both hands, letting his body stretch completely as if it were no effort at all to support his weight. He pressed his lips and did a chin up: easy. He stretched again and then began to elevate his legs so that they were absolutely straight and perpendicular to his waist and held them there for a while before letting them back down; a little harder. He pressed his lips harder together and began to rock slowly back and forward until he had reached enough momentum and did a 360º circle. He smiled when he got back to his stretching position and then with no trouble dropped his body down so that now he was sitting on the bottom of the ring, which he found a little more comfortable. It was a game he and Sirius usually played, one in which there were no prizes, just the satisfaction of competing against each other - whoever did more chin-ups, spins or whatever won. They had come up with it three years ago. Of course Remus hated it; it was, according to his lycanthrope friend, dangerously stupid. All the more reason for the other two to love it. He smiled thinking about his sensible friend's recurrent "dad glare", one he no doubt would be receiving had he witnessed James' little display of fun. He gripped the metal pole a little stronger and stretched one leg up looking ahead in awe; orange, pink and purple tints filling the vastness ahead of him and again he felt it was impossible not to believe in magic. He didn't understand how anyone could not see it when it was splashed in front of them so clearly. But then again, sometimes people chose not to look; chose which truth and world to believe in and keep living their lives like nothing out of the ordinary ever happened.

The shifting clouds covered the retreating sun partially and the lights began to redden. He looked at the odd shapes that were forming in the mist and started to play trying to find objects and animals in them (something he always did in his first year with Peter). Horntail Hungarian Dragon. Broom. A fat woman with a strange hat. Small sausage dog. Weird three-legged centaur. Flower.

He sighed. Not just any flower; a lily. Wherever he was he could never escape her. It was like she was imprinted in him, linked so deeply within he could never really have her out without costing him too much. Not that he would ever want to. He bit his lip thinking as he watched the lily-cloud dissolve into thin air; this year things were different; he could feel her sparkling eyes following him sometimes, something he never thought would happen. He didn't really know what had made her look at him differently, but he could tell she did. That didn't mean that she felt the same way he did, though. He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair: a nervous habit of his. Maybe she didn't feel the same yet, but he guessed the changes in her behavior meant he had a shot, and James, the ever-incurable believer, hoped a shot was all it took. And he knew they had to get to know each other first: because although he appeared to be a very open person, that really wasn't the case. To really know him was somewhat difficult, for he was weary of the many popularity-hungry people that fawned over him. And she was even more difficult, for despite her fiery temper, she was downright shy. Another lovely contradiction of hers, one of the many that contributed to sustaining the spell she had on him.

He squinted his eyes, as if doing so he could remember better his moments with her these last few days. They had had a few classes together; in each one they had carefully eyed each other, and sometimes even had exchanged witty banters, in a 90 teasing, 10 flirting kind of way. He liked their little exchanges, because they really were an improvement from their previous relationship, and he could feel that with each passing day she felt a little more comfortable talking to him.

Hence everyday was a small victory because as the days passed he was one tiny step closer to his goal. Even so, he was still well aware that his task was not an easy one; it would take him time and patience. He grinned widely as the sun set completely behind the woods, and stars glowed faintly in the rapidly changing scenery. He was smiling because he knew one thing would never change: he would always wait for her.

-- -- -- -- --

She sat there in the quiet room and stared at the wall while shivering slightly; the blankness of these kinds of rooms always gave her the creeps. She rested her back against the pillows on the bed: while analyzing her surroundings more carefully. White walls, white bed, white sheets. She chuckled; she wouldn't be surprised if she had somehow turned white too. She shifted her position and noticed another empty bed near the window and moved swiftly at the chance of looking over something with color in it. Her arm hurt when she moved but she made no sound trying to complete her small escapade. Smiling, she plopped herself on top of the soft mattress and fixed her gaze out the window. It was almost sunset and the sky colors were changing like a slowly spreading watercolor and she couldn't help but gape at the beauty of it.

She rubbed her eyes a little, because she thought a small dark figure had just zoomed across the pitch. She shook her head thinking that she was seeing him everywhere, but then the shadowy form appeared again, this time in a slower rhythm. It was moving leisurely across the sky, like it was the most natural thing in the world to be on top of that wooden stick at high speed and she was certain; it was him. No one else had that same ease and grace flying. She watched entranced as he did a dive and his head almost touched the Black Lake water. She couldn't hear him or even properly see him and she wished she could. There was something particular about him she had noticed: whenever he was doing something he really loved he got a special sparkle in his eyes that made them golden. She sighed and looked at her healing arm; there was no way she was leaving that room. She bit her lip and looked for his silhouette outside. Her eyes widened when she found him sitting on top of one the rings that served as a goal post. The scene had a surreal quality - like in a Magritte painting, the lighting gave him and the metal ring a special aura and the color explosion in the horizon made it even more impossible. Suddenly she let out a silent scream; he was no longer sitting, but holding on to the ring with both hands. She thought he had been falling but she soon realized that his actions were intentional. He pushed himself up until his head had passed the metal ring quickly and then he was back in a stretched position. She held her breath unknowingly; was he trying to scare her to death? - She berated him in her mind. But of course she knew he had no idea that she was even watching him. He lifted his legs ups in a gymnastics movement and then started to sway gently as if the wind was rocking him. She had to admit she was scared; he was being reckless. She watched him do a 360º and gasped in shock. And when he easily sat back on the ring, like it was the most normal thing to do she had to force herself to breath evenly to slow her heart rate.

She watched the sunset, exactly like how he was doing. In a way it was as if they were watching it together, she thought. He was absolutely bloody mental, she was positive, for no one in their right mind would swing themselves on elevated metal rings just for kicks like he had just done. But she was smiling instead of frowning. It was one of the things she liked most about him: his unpredictability. Life was never dull with him around; there was always laughter and warmth. She leaned back a bit in her bed, wishing it were a little more comfortable but knowing hospital beds never were, and thought of their interaction the past few days. It was like they were building the ground to a relationship, though what kind of relationship she was still unsure of. She did, of course, pick up on the light flirtation exchanged in their everyday bantering, but still he wasn't being as open as he used to and she found it, quite frankly, to be nerve-racking. She sighed and refocused her eyes outside looking for him, but it was dark now and his dark shape was nowhere in sight. She closed her eyes gently and sunk in the warm sheets and let her chest heave with her steady breathing while the image of his bespectacled eyes floated in her mind; she wanted to know him, to understand the many paradoxes that seemed to make him. She chuckled lightly thinking about how much her life had changed. Never in a million years she would have imagined this day; the day Lily Evans sat in bed daydreaming of one James Potter.

-- -- -- -- --

He talked and laughed with his friends like was customary but his eyes betrayed him. They kept glancing around the room, looking for that flash of red hair to enter at any moment but it never did. He had barely seen her all day and he felt that this affected him way too much. He ate the stack of food piled in front of him with less enthusiasm than usual because he couldn't help but be worried about her; she wasn't one to skip meals. When he lifted his gaze to look for her again, he was met by a pair of amused black eyes.

"- She's in the hospital wing, James." - Alice's clear voice rang and he chuckled back although she had startled him a little.

"- Oh." - He said with a shy smile; he had definitely been caught red-handed this time. "- Is she OK?"

"- Fine." - Alice said, traces of laughter in her tone. "- Might be a little hungry, though. You know Madame Pomfrey never lets us bring food in there and Lils hates the wing's sucky Jell-O."

"- Who doesn't?" - He replied widening his eyes and making a face, which made Alice laugh openly this time.

- - - - - - - -

She was trying to read the same page of her potions book for the fifth time but could not concentrate. She blamed the lack of food or the pain in her arm that meant her bones were mending, but she knew neither were the real cause of her lost focus. The cause had messy hair, glasses and infuriatingly cute dimples. She pressed her eyes shut for a second and huffed, exasperated at her own behavior. She didn't want to become another silly schoolgirl with a silly schoolgirl crush. She was Lily Evans for crying out loud. She bit her lip and counted to ten slowly then returned her attention to the discarded book on top of her legs. To properly brew Felix Felicis it is necessary a long period of days, in which the potion maker has to keep careful track of... Why would he sit on that ring? That boy is bloody mental. But he is fit, that's for sure. He is not a boy. She huffed and looked at the blank wall feeling stupid and then repeatedly hit her head against the wall behind her lightly, sighing deeply.

She heard muffled voices from behind the curtains and tried to distinguish them with no success, they were too far from her bed. She could distinctively hear though what she thought was Madam Pomfrey chuckling and then just plainly giggling. Lily's curiosity was sparked: the young nurse was usually a serious person and she wondered just what those closed curtains were concealing. She leaned in on her bed trying to see between the extended fabrics and nearly lost her balance in the process. Damn unsteady hospital beds.

"- Alright there, Evans?" – Came an amused voice, causing her to jump in her seat.

"- James!" – She looked at him feeling completely astonished and embarrassed at the compromising position he found her in.

"- Hi." – He said smiling at her softly.

"- Erm…. hi." – She responded awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "- What are you doing here?"

"- I heard Pommie was keeping you hostage and forcing you to eat that horrendous yellow goo she calls Jell-O so I decided to come to your rescue." – He said in a hushed voice; his lips twitching upwards making the same dimples Lily was obsessing about moments before to appear, making him even more appealing.

"- Really?" – She asked him laughing quietly at his explanation, still wondering if he was really there, if that was really happening. "- And just how do you plan on doing so?"

"- First, we're going to have a delicious banquet" – He said taking out an alarming amount of food out of his robes pockets (most of which, to Lily's pleasure, had ridiculous amounts of chocolate in them) that definitely wouldn't fit there if it weren't for magic. "- Then, after your fully recovered, we're making a run for it." – He finished with his eyes sparkling with mischievousness.

"- That's a very daring plan, Mr. Potter." – She responded grabbing a treacle tart. "- A bit daft, but very daring."

"- Well, I'm a daring man." – He replied giving her a stern look while picking up a rather large piece of brownie. She chuckled. "- Slightly daft, but very daring."

"- Seems like it." – She said looking outside; her eyes lingering on the moonlit metal ring.

"- That's quite a view." – He said, his eyes narrowed, its gold flecks swirling dangerously.

"- I couldn't tell you what I've seen through it." – She replied sustaining his gaze, her perfectly shaped eyebrows raising defiantly.

They both munched on quietly for a little, her eyes kept glancing at him and she could see him trying to hide a pleased grin inside. She opened her mouth twice wanting to ask him something, but in the end nothing came out.

"- Just ask me already." – He said snapping her out of her thoughts and back to the awkward tension filled room.

"- Why did you do it?" – She said letting out a breath.

"- Why wouldn't I?" – He shrugged nonchalantly.

"- Because it's pointless, crazy and bloody stupid?" – Her green eyes fired sparks in his direction; she was intrigued but also a little worried at his recklessness and she hoped that it wasn't all that obvious in her tone.

"- Well, Miss Evans, I thought that out of everyone you'd be the one to know those things have never stopped me before. Have you been talking to Remus? You sound just like him." – He said in an amused sort of way.

"- It's just common sense, Mr. Potter." – She replied before sipping on her water.

"- Common sense is just a way people have to keep you from doing what you want, sometimes even what you need. It's unwritten rules, and you know how I feel about rules." – He surprised her with the finality in his voice. Sighing, he paused and ran a hand through his hair. She studied his handsome features and noticed his eyebrows crunched together in a way she knew meant he had something in his mind. "- Are you quite done?"

"- Eating? Yes, yes I'm quite done." – Lily put down her hands, resting them on top of her legs expectantly.

She watched him as he scooted closer, her heart rate accelerating considerably as his familiar scent intoxicated her. His eyes sparked with mirth and she felt herself smile at him unwillingly.

"- How fast of a runner are you, Lily Flower?" – He asked raising a single eyebrow in that attractive way only he could get perfectly right.

"- Well, you for one could never catch me." – She answered cheekily and he snorted in returned.

"- Let's see if you put your feet where your mouth is, little Miss Cheek; you have ten seconds after I close the door behind me." – He whispered back.

"- Hope you got your running shoes on, James." – She said just as he was closing the curtains in front of him and he winked back at her, making her chuckle. Sometimes he could be unbearably cute.

- - - - - - - -

He waited for her with his back against the old tapestry, his eyes gleaming and his grin wide. They had talked and laughed together and she had called him James. Not Potter. James. Merlin, he loved that. He let out a loud sigh. Maybe things wouldn't be so hard. Maybe this game wasn't chess, in which you could only win if you conquered the other, maybe this game was something else entirely, in which they were both striving towards the same goal, trying to make out the best strategies only to end up in the same place. Maybe, just maybe he wasn't playing against her, but alongside her.

- - - - - - - -

She was giddy. One. She was trying hard not to laugh out loud because honestly she could not believe what just happened. Three. She could still smell the pine trees and the peppermint he had left in the air and hear his chuckle. Five. She bit her lip and then let out a loud sight; she let her feet touch the floor and she put herself in her best running position. Eight. Time is almost up. She closed her eyes tightly and took a sharp intake of breath and repeated in her head "Don't think, just run.", because it was what her dad used to tell her whenever they were playing catch when she was little. Ten.

She flew past him, running like there was no tomorrow, her fiery hair streaming behind her creating a soft breeze and he had to laugh before allowing himself to run after her. He caught up easily; he was much more used to the exercise, and saw that she was laughing too. They continued running and they didn't stop laughing for what it felt like forever, until one of them tripped (they would never agree on whom) and they tumbled to the ground heavily. She was still panting and grinning, and she could feel his chest moving with quiet laughter through the vibrations in the rough stone floor. She locked eyes with him and he gave her a strange look before chuckling lightly.

"- What?" – She huffed patting him on his ribcage side.

"- Well, wouldn't you consider this little escape of ours pointless, crazy and, hummm… how exactly did you put it…. bloody stupid?" – He said, his eyes twinkling with mischief and she let out a small giggle then gave him an enigmatic look.

"- It certainly was crazy and stupid, perhaps even foolish, but it wasn't, at all, pointless."

She stared at him, her eyes blazing and he felt like he had been hit by lightning. Slowly a smile spread across his face, because at that moment he knew that he was in; Lily Evans had at last let him in. And he would be damned if he were ever going to leave.