Thanks JK Rowling, for letting me borrow these characters.

--

Lily was sitting at the back of the library, alone. She wished she had company. Any company would do, although a particular type would be preferred. An image of her preferred type of company sprung up in her head. It wasn't Dorcas, or Marlene, it was...

Lily shook her head to dispel the new and uncomfortable thoughts - regarding James - that had been plaguing her lately and concentrated on the point deductions she was calculating. The boy who was the cause of her uneasy thoughts should have there as well, except conflicting schedules with that infernal sport kept him away from her. She hated numbers, and calculating points was so tedious without him... to do it for her. Yeah.

Sighing, she bent back over her numbers. The Gryffindor and Slytherin prefects, predictably, had deducted the most (against each other, which was also predictable), followed by Ravenclaw; Hufflepuff had finished last. She would have to bring that up at the next meeting, because the Gryffindor/Slytherin point war was getting quite irksome (and the Hufflepuffs needed to grow some bloody balls). It wouldn't really do any good- the former was, aside from a centuries old tradition, intrinsically linked with the conflict outside of Hogwarts, and the Hufflepuffs were the closest things to monks she had come across in the magical world- but she figured it was it expected of her to say something and continue the sense of normalcy anyways.

Sometimes being Head Girl was such a chore.

--

So wrapped up was she in her thoughts that she failed to notice the looming presence behind her until it spoke. "You look like you're enjoying yourself rather thoroughly Evans".

James sat down across the table from her, glowing with sweat and general health. She had a hopeful suspicion – because she had a strange fascination with sweaty handsome boys- that he had skipped showering to catch her before she finished. He confirmed her thoughts a minute later, smiling jokingly and saying, "Sorry about the smell, but I thought you'd rather deal with some sweat over more addition"

Lily smiled; how could she not? He was so sweet. It was tempting to just say thank you and bask in the effect he had on her, but she felt it would be too out of character.

"That's funny, but James, when did you ever start worrying about hygiene?" She said with an arched brow.

Shoving the pile of paper towards him she shut her eyes, yawned, and stretched. All he had to do was add up the totals and record them in the points book and then they could leave. She decided to wait for him and walk back together, because she "didn't want him to have to walk back alone in the scary corridors."

That was her reply when he suggested she go off to bed.

"Why, whenever did you start worrying about my feelings Evans?" he grinned, with a special twinkle in his eyes that she knew was reserved for her.

Her rebuttal was saccharine,"Well I really don't want to have to replace you as Head Boy because it got around that you're a pansy yeah? Better I just protect you".

He laughed and got down to work. A few companionable minutes later, he gathered up the papers and stood up. She followed suit, and together they walked towards the head dorms. Truthfully, the halls at Hogwarts were the most cheerful and full-of-holiday-spirit sight one could ask for, and the pair enjoyed it fully until they were nearly at the entrance to their rooms.

And then it happened.

The floating mistletoe floated over their heads without them realizing it. Lily was rolling her eyes at one of his jokes when she saw it, and in the seeing of it, gasped. They were now directly in front of their Head rooms and the portrait of the Fat Lady's younger sister was harrumphing rather suggestively.

James looked up and noticed the object of Lily's horror. He grinned and leaned towards her. Lily felt her breath quicken. Oh my god, she thought. This was it.

"Wouldn't want to break tradition Evans," James was even closer, and she could almost feel his hot breath on her cheeks as he spoke.

"Rubber chicken!" She turned, hissed at the portrait and then ran through it, straight on up the stairs to her room.

James was left, standing confused (and hurt too-should he have taken that shower? brushed his teeth?) at the entrance. After a slight pause, he went up to his room as well.

Lily was on her comfortable four-poster, although it wasn't giving her much comfort at the moment. Damn, double-bloody bugger damn. She groaned into her pillow. She was such a fool. It wasn't likely that he would try to kiss her again anytime soon, and more immediately, she wasn't going to see him for days, because he left tomorrow morning. He had to have gotten the wrong idea- she was just a little nervous, was all! But now he probably thought her didn't like him, or that she thought he had bad breath or something.

Both assumptions would be false. She had to talk to him. What would she say though? "Lily, you aren't a Gryffindor for nothing" she instructed herself sternly. Right. She would go over to him, and confess her feelings or something. Simple.

James had come to a decision. He had brushed his teeth, and taken a quick shower. He was going to apologize to lily for coming on too strong. Stupid, he reprimanded himself. She probably thought he was the same hormone-crazed fifth year she had hated with a passion. He took a deep breath, and let it out. He just had to apologize.

He opened the door, and took a reluctant step outside. Surprisingly, Lily was there, and just outside the door. In fact, he had almost stepped on her.

Lily was in a world of panic. She had been standing before his door for minutes, trying to work up the courage to open the door. Suddenly, he opened it and was in front of her. The practised words flew out of her head on little broomsticks. She struggled to shake the deer-in-headlights look off her face and started to talk at the same time he did.

"James, I-",

"Lil-", they both stopped.

All of the sudden, Lily was stricken with an insane idea. She gathered up all her courage and a split second later stepped forward and kissed James right on the lips.

James, for his part, didn't react at all. Lily's heart plummeted for a second then-

Then his hand fisted in her hair, the other at the small of her back, and he returned the kiss and added to it. Her hands went around his neck from his chest; he was good. After a while, they stopped for air, and Lily whispered, "Sorry this is a bit late", rather coyly.

She felt coy. In her mind, she was cheering jubilantly, because she had kissed him!

And the remark after!

Well, she rather thought she was a coy little minx!