If you guys didn't catch it, James was out on that pitch for four days! No shower. Ew. But don't worry. I'll keep it as G as possible. ^-^

Chapter 28: Ideas

Lily managed to discreetly lead James to the prefect bathroom, instead of the dorms. The rain had helped cover up some of the body odor, but after days on the pitch, he reeked. A lot.

"James," Lily began.

"We're at the bathroom."

"You need a shower." she said as gently as she could. "I'm sorry." But James just laughed.

"Yeah." He agreed entering the Prefect's washroom. "I know." He pulled Lily in the room with him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Please. I've spent days without you."

"But you don't need me to take a bath."

"No. I'll admit it's a bit weird. But you can just sit on the side and cover your pretty little face."

"Fair enough." Lily agreed. She found a spot beside the huge tub to lie down and drape a towel over her eyes. James turned on the water pulling off his clothes.

"So what made you decide to say it?" He asked her settling into the warm water.

"Say what?" Lily asked trying not to doze off.

"I love you." He explained pouring shampoo into his hand.

"I don't know. I just knew that I had to say it. But you were being stubborn, so if I was going to say it, I had to go out, into the pouring rain, yell at you to get off your broom and shout it."

"Romantic." James chuckled lathering the soap into his hair.

"Well you never seemed like the candle light dinner type anyway."

"I'm not." Lily found herself fighting the oncoming nap while James scrubbed off the smell.

"James?"

"Lily." But Lily wasn't sure how to continue, she was really just trying to fill the silence and stay awake.

"I'm tired."

"Me too." He said dipping his head under the water. Minutes passed in a peaceful silence before the dripping of water on tile echoed through the room.

"Are you done?" Lily asked barely awake.

"Yep. I smell pretty." He said in a lisp. Then more seriously he added, "You are awake aren't you?"

"Yeah." Lily confirmed. But James could hear that groggy, mostly asleep tone. James looked around on the ground for a second.

"Um, Lily,"

"Yeah?" she sighed.

"I, er, don't have any clean clothes."

"Okay." Lily said rolling on her side.

"That's...yeah." James said waving his hand at her. "Herlim," there was a loud crack.

"Yes sir."

"Run up to my dorm and get me some clean clothes." The elf nodded disappearing with another crack. A few seconds later she ran into the room depositing fresh clothes at his feet.

"Here you go sir." she said running back out. James wondered why she didn't just poof herself into the room, then decided the elf didn't want to make a loud noise had relied on running. James pulled on his boxers and t-shirt before kneeling beside Lily.

"Hey," he whispered running a hand over her hair.

"Hey." Lily replied stirring slightly.

"You're going to hurt yourself sleeping here."

"No." Lily argued.

"Yes. Come on. Let's get you up to your dorm." Lily groaned at this.

"Why?"

"Because, come on." Lily sighed looking up at him.

"Now?"

"Yes now." her eyebrows creased in the middle as her head turned and she fell asleep. Not a deep sleep, but she was getting there. James didn't see her climbing three flights of stairs, and he sure as hell didn't see himself carrying her up there. Quidditch player or not. All his secret passageways had stairs even if he was willing to carry her. Maybe he could get a band of house elves to do it. No. He thought. That wouldn't work. Maybe he could levitate her up there. He had his wand. But he didn't want to risk it.

"You are being difficult." He informed her. She waved her hand the slightest bit mumbling incoherently. James took some towels from the cabinet, rolling them into makeshift pillows. He placed one under Lily's head then settled in with his. Almost immediately falling asleep.

For the third time that year James woke up to find Lily asleep against him. Sometime in the night she'd made herself comfortable, head on his chest, curled into his body. Sunlight was streaming into the bathroom nearly blinding James.

James wasn't sure what day it was, but he was sure they had classes, and that they missed breakfast, possibly even their first class.

"Lily," James said rubbing her arm. "Wake up." She shook her head sighing.

"Wha'?" She asked.

"Wake up." James repeated softly. Lily yawned rubbing her eye.

"I'm cold." she complained.

"Do you feel okay?" James asked, her skin felt warmer than usual.

"Yeah." Lily said. "Maybe if I get dressed in some different clothes." She stood up sneezing.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." she sniffled. James followed her to the common room where she sneezed three more times.

"Your sick." he told her.

"I am not." she said.

"You sound sick."

"Thanks." she scowled going up to the girl's dormitories.

After she got dressed they ran to first period having to skip breakfast. It was transfigurations with McGonagall. Lily sat beside Ivy.

"Where were you last night?" Ivy demanded.

"Sorry." Lily apologized. "I was with James."

"Doing what?"

"Nothing."

"Are you okay? You sound sick."

"I'm not sick! I'm just tired." Ivy obviously didn't believe her. Lily rested her head on the desk. Her head felt like it was going to explode.

"Good morning class." McGonagall began walking to her desk.

"Today we are having a quiz. I hope you are all prepared." She looked pointedly at James. He smiled back sheepishly. She passed out the quiz before settling behind her desk to mark essays.

Lily looked at the page convinced it was written in a foreign language. She groaned dipping her quill in some ink. Sniffling her way through Lily finished convinced it was going to be her worst mark yet.

By the time class was done Lily's head was pounding, her throat sore and nose so plugged she couldn't breath. It was time to admit defeat. She was sick.

"Ms. Evans, Mr. Potter." McGonagall called before Lily could leave.

"Yes Professor?" James asked.

"Here is your make up work for the class you missed, and could you take Ms. Evans to the hospital wing?"

"Yes Professor." James agreed taking the parchment with his assignments on it from McGonagall.

"I don' need to go to the hospital wing. I feel fine." Lily lied.

"You don't sound fine." James argued as they left the classroom.

"Well I am." Lily said stubbornly.

"Okay then. If your fine than going to the hospital wing will be nothing more than a waist of time. Something McGonagall is making you do." Lily eventually relented going to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey declared that Lily had the cold and was quarantined until no longer contagious.

James left her there to rest while he went to lunch and double potions alone. Or at least without her.

"Afternoon Prongs." Sirius said draping his arm over James' shoulder right outside the infirmary.

"Hey Padfoot." James replied.

"I'd say I told you so, but that would be harsh." Sirius explained.

"You told me what?"

"Kissing in the freezing rain would get one of you sick. And now little Lily riding hood is ill."

"Lily riding hood?" James asked.

"Like the little red riding hood." Sirius explained.

"Who?"

"It's a muggle nursery rhyme."

"How do you know a muggle nursery rhyme? Do even know wizarding nursery rhymes?"

"That hurts Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed putting the hand that had been on his friend's shoulder on his own heart. "Where do you think I grew up?"

"With your parents." James snickered.

"Yeah. Alright. Mary was telling me about them. If you must know."

"I thought you were breaking up with Mary." Sirius stopped on the steps they'd been descending.

"Shh!" Sirius commanded covering James' mouth his hand. "Not so loud." He hissed.

"I'm breaking up with her tonight." Sirius explained in a whisper. He looked around to make sure the hall was clear. "This lousy school is full of gossips, so keep it down." James grinned knowing Sirius was being ridiculous. He forced Black's hand off his mouth.

"Why are you..." Sirius shot him a look, "baking with her anyway?" James finished continuing down the stairs.

"Baking?" Sirius asked. Then he understood, baking as in breaking up, "Oh! I'm 'baking' because it's time."

"That 'time' shit of yours really is going to leave you lonely."

"Have you been talking to Lily? She said the same thing. Just because I bake a lot doesn't mean I'm going to be a bachelor forever." A group of fifth year girls scurried past laughing as Sirius proclaimed his love of 'baking'.

"I never said that." James corrected.

"Hold up," Sirius said throwing his arm out, hitting James in the chest. "How many floors do we got?

"Five maybe," James answered looking up. "Why?" Sirius smiled with a familiar glint in his eye.

"Ready?"

"Padfoot. No. It's the middle of the afternoon. Do you want to get caught?"

"Who bloody cares? Come on!" James looked around for school officials.

"On the count of three." James agreed readying himself to jump.

"One." Sirius began.

"Two." James said.

"THREE!" they screamed bolting down the stairs. James was first to jump on the banister and slide down a flight of stairs. At the bottom Sirius fell off his banister getting caught in a bunch of first year hufflepuffs. James was ahead until his staircase moved causing him to jump off before he fell several stories.

"Gotta do better than that Prongs!" Sirius yelled on his way to the third floor landing. James jumped to the fourth landing hoping on the rail to slide to the third, Sirius was no where to be seen.

"FILCH!" James heard Sirius yelled. By the time James heard Sirius' warning he was falling off the stairs railing and on top of Sirius on the second floor. Apparently Sirius had to sprint down the third floor stairs to the second and saw Argus hobble into view down the corridor.

The boys quickly stood as Mrs. Norris entered the Grand Staircase, her owner quickly coming behind her.

"You boys aren't rail racing again are you?" Filch wheezed.

"No Argy." James grinned.

"Why, we're rather insulted you'd accuse us of that." Sirius added leaning against the banister.

"Yeah. I'm Head Boy."

"Yes he is." Sirius said patting his shoulder. "He can't be running around acting like a child."

"You're right Sirius. I have to act with the up most respect for this school."

"A good example to us all!" Filch glared not believing them a bit.

"I'll get you. Bloody kids." He wheezed walking up the stairs with Mrs. Norris. As soon as he was gone Potter and Black burst out laughing.

"A good example to us all!" Sirius laughed.

"Not one toe out of line!" James added also laughing.

"Head Boy for Merlin's sakes!" James stopped abruptly looking at the portrait of a young girl in a dress. Sirius sobered up too. "What up?"

"Lily loves me." James began.

"I heard?" Sirius said sounding confused. "But Prongs, what does that..."

"And I love her..." James continued slowly.

"Prongs?" Sirius asked. Then he seemed to catch on to what his friend was saying. "No-o-oh! Prong you can't be serious! That's a life long commitment!"

"I know." James smiled.

"What's going on in that head of yours boy?" Sirius asked. "I mean." he stopped flipping his hair over his shoulder in a very girly way, "Dum, dum da-dum. Here comes the bride."

"Yeah." James grinned.

"But, remember bachelors forever! Padfoot and Prongs!" But James kept smiling imagining his life with Lily Evans forever. The most perfect girl in the world.

"Your serious?" Sirius asked. "You really want to ask her to..." James just nodded.

"I'll wait until we're out of school." He decided. Sirius nodded at him.

"I can't imagine you married." Sirius admitted looking at the little girl in the dress holding the bouquet of flowers. Sirius pointed at the girl, "You can't tell anyone." The girl giggled twirling her dress, but nodded.

Please REVIEW Also I hoped you liked it. And please keep reading this. I just needed Lily and James to fight in the last chapter so they could realize they can't stand to be away from each other. No worries, they won't have another big fight.