Okay, guys. I really want to finish this fic, because at this point, the fact that it's sitting there mostly just makes me feel guilty. My hope is to have this be the second-to-last chapter… I might do an epilogue-ish type deal later, if there's enough demand. Be warned: this one is long, fluffy, and significantly smutty towards the end.

Thank you so much, to those of you who have stuck along for the ride, and to those of you who get to read this more or less in one fell swoop. You're all great (especially if you review)!

- Lorraine


CHAPTER 15

Previously on TMBTM:

"You want the truth, Lily? I think that being with you—if you decide to finally love me back, that is—" James ignored the small gasp that escaped Lily's mouth at that famous four-letter word, "would be as easy as breathing. We'd have the best of so many worlds, Lils, and all you have to do is give this a try."


After James said this, the pair of Gryffindors sat in silence for a few moments, not breaking eye contact—at some point, Lily noticed, James must have taken off his mask. Strangely, the Head Students were both giving each other pleading looks, though for different reasons. James' eyes seemed to say, "Just give me a chance!" while Lily's were asking for more time to think. After a while, though, Lily grew impatient with herself. Lacking any other ideas of what to do, she leaned towards James and kissed him with all the newfound—or, at least, newly identified—feelings she had for the boy.

James reciprocated instantly, and this kiss was at least as mind-blowing as their first of the evening. It was more heated, more emotional, and infinitely more them. Not that the kiss on the dance floor had been tame, but this wasall passion and fire. This was what Lily—and James, for that matter—dreamed it would be. As clichéd as it sounds, both teenagers poured their hearts into the embrace, trying to convey their feelings. Their lips met in a tangle of hope, fear, and acquiescence (Lily's); of love, desperation, and possession (James'). Needless to say, the combination was explosive.

Almost as soon as the kiss began, Lily was surprised by its intensity. She gasped, and James eagerly used this to his advantage, slipping his tongue past the barrier of Lily's teeth. Surprised, but willing, Lily's tongue met James' timidly, but he soon coaxed more aggression out of her. She moaned, fisting her hands around his collar to get closer, and breathing in his delicious scent. James began to nibble on her lower lip, and she nearly ripped his shirt off just to relieve a little tension. This battle of lips, teeth, and tongues seemed the natural progression of their verbal spats, and Lily found herself wondering why they hadn't progressed earlier, by Merlin!

As they kissed, James grabbed Lily's waist and dragged her towards him on the stone bench, trying to pull her as close as possible. Unsatisfied with the result, Lily maneuvered so she was kneeling on the seat next to James, who straddled the bench. This new angle gave James better opportunities to splay his hands across Lily's back (and maybe a bit lower), and to trail kisses along her neck and jaw. Lily, for her part, thrust her hands even more hungrily into James' dark, messy hair—she pulled the boy closer to her, loath to let him go even after they'd been glued together for several heated minutes.

They broke apart as they heard the distant creak of the Great Hall doors, but they did not move far away from each other. Lily's eyes, flecked like green amber, met James' in a glance almost as significant as their recent snog. His hands still grasping her round the waist, the bespectacled young man looked at her critically, his hazel orbs flashing bright in the torchlight of the hallway—he decided that she looked torn. But between what and what? he thought. Just as he was about to voice this question aloud, she moved, softly touching her fingers to her lips, as if in a daze.

"James," she whispered.

He tensed, waiting for a "what have we done?" or a "please just leave me alone." What he heard instead was about the last thing he would've expected.

"Let's go upstairs," she said, smiling slightly, and stood up. As his hands slid from her slender form, she caught one and used it to pull him up from the bench. And so, hand in hand, the Head Students walked towards their dormitory, entirely forgetting about their duties at the Masquerade.

James thought he heard a clapping noise—or perhaps a high-five?—followed by a suspiciously familiar chorus of chuckles, but he was too dumbfounded to investigate.


As Lily pulled James up towards their shared dormitory, both students were lost in their own thoughts. Though you wouldn't know it to look at them, Hogwarts' own Head Girl and Boy were each fighting intense internal battles at the moment.

Lily was marveling at her forwardness—she had never kissed a boy so wantonly before, let alone in a corridor where anyone was liable to walk in. The most shocking part about the whole affair, though, was that she wasn't ashamed of herself. Sure, she was nervous beyond belief, but the redhead wasn't upset at her conduct—she was just worried that she would mess up her relationship with James.

A similar train of thought was presently chugging through the Head Boy's mind. While his heart was soaring with happiness that Lily was finally taking a chance on him—so much so that she had bestowed on him the most mindblowing kiss of his seventeen years—his brain was running a mile a minute. Part of his thoughts were consumed by replaying that kiss—and projecting how much further their relationship might progress tonight—but mostly he was terrified that he would do something wrong. Merlin knows how many years of practice I have at pissing Lily off, he thought worriedly. James knew that this was his last chance with the stubborn girl, and if he made one misstep, it would surely come crashing down around him.

Before they knew it, the Head Students had arrived at the entrance to their living quarters. Still grasping James' hand tightly, Lily murmured the password, and the portrait swung forward to admit them. They clambered in, but as soon as they were fully in the private common room, Lily seemed to hesitate.

James, sensing her uncertainty, knew it was his turn to make a move, and so he led her over to the couch, sitting and pulling her down next to him. Lily pulled her legs up onto the cushion, occupying herself by arranging her mermaid skirt so that it wouldn't get too wrinkled. She must have been fidgeting for about a minute when James pulled her face up to meet his, with a finger under her chin.

He kissed her softly, and Lily almost instantly melted into the embrace—this was territory she was at least somewhat familiar with. As James' hand slipped from under her chin to the back of her neck, Lily's hands went to his collar, determined to rid him of his bowtie. As soon as her swift fingers made it to the second button of his shirt, though, James pulled away slightly.

"Lily," he murmured, nose still touching hers. Frowning, she brought her eyes to his, and was once again cowed by the depth of emotion she found there. She swallowed nervously, not really wanting to talk, but knowing it was necessary.

As if reading her mind, James continued. "Lily, what are we doing?" At the dreaded question, the redhead leaned back, shrugging, and letting her shoulders slump helplessly. He laughed softly at her dejected appearance and turned on the couch so he was directly facing her, taking hold of her hand. "Trust me, Lils, I could not be happier with the way things are going," he thought he heard her snort derisively, "but I don't want you to do anything you regret. Just because you 'want to say yes' to dating me—and don't think I'm not going to hold you to that, love—doesn't mean we have to get hot and heavy right now." She met his eyes again, and he could tell that he was about to get a lecture for trying to protect her virtue, or some such. He quickly headed her off, adding, "That said, if you want to get hot and heavy right now…" he trailed off suggestively, waggling his eyebrows.

She looked at him for a long moment, watching as the mask of braggadocio slipped from in front of his eyes, revealing how vulnerable he really was in this situation. And so, Lily gathered all her resolve, and plunged right in.

"You know what, James? That is exactly what I want." He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "No, don't ask me if I'm sure. Okay? Let's just do it—let's get hot and heavy. After all, we're supposedly meant for each other, right? So why wait? When we were dancing tonight, I didn't even know who you were and I was comfortable enough to let you snog me."

He shrugged, as if conceding her point, and slowly a smile grew on his face. "Well, actually, I'm pretty sure you snogged me… But I catch your drift." And with that he leaned forward, capturing her lips once again.

Unlike their most recent kiss, this one was anything but soft. James grabbed Lily's face with both hands, as she wound her arms around his back, feeling the muscles beneath his shoulders. Without preamble, he plunged his tongue into her mouth, eliciting a groan from both parties.

As they continued their vigorous kissing, tongues battling for dominance, James' hands slipped down Lily's neck to her shoulders, past her collarbone, and down to the sides of her ribcage. As soon as his thumbs began to caress her breasts, Lily's nipples seemed to spring to attention. James took care to gently pinch the round nubs, causing the redhead to groan once again.

As the Head Boy continued his ministrations, Lily pulled away, gasping for air. James ducked his head into her neck, breathing in the scent of her perfume, applied behind the ear, even as he licked her pulse point. Lily summoned the energy to lift her arms onto James' shoulders, fisting one hand through the hair at the back of his head.

Still fondling her lovely breasts, James looked up at the girl of his dreams. Where Lily had expected to find a confident smirk, though, all she saw was an expression radiating genuine happiness and desire. This realization aroused her—impossibly—further, and she crawled forward on the couch, attempting to straddle James.

Sadly, her magnificent gown was not made for such flexible activity, and Lily soon became fed up with trying to lift he skirt to an easier height. Making a disgruntled noise, she reluctantly stepped off the couch, backing away from James' very effective hands. He voiced his dissent, groaning, but soon altogether lost the ability to make sounds as he watched the redhead shimmy out of her dress.

She slid the teal velvety straps down her shoulders, and tugged the bodice down over her waist, revealing the gorgeous burgundy bra, courtesy of Lucy. She then stepped out of the offending garment, one toned, smooth, freckled leg at a time, and eagerly started back towards James.

But before she could sink down onto his lap, the Head Boy planted his hands on her waist and stopped her, so that she was standing at arms' length in front of him. She made to push past James' grip and straddle him, but his strength was too great, so she had no choice but to stay put. Confused, she put a hand to his face and made him look her in the eye—he still hadn't spoken since she broke away to take her dress off.

James looked up, hazel eyes almost black with desire, and spoke in a reverent whisper. "Merlin, Lily. You're fucking gorgeous." And without further hesitation he pulled the girl down into his lap, so he could resume his exploration of her chest, now with a slightly flimsier barrier.

Happy that she was no longer restrained, Lily wasted no time ridding James of his tuxedo jacket and dress shirt, and now her lips descended upon the bronze column of his throat. She breathed in his wonderful scent, making a wet trail up towards his jaw, nipping occasionally. James made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat, and in a quick move reattached his lips to Lily's.

She was so distracted by his drugging kisses that Lily didn't even notice when James gently unclasped her bra, letting her round breasts out of their soft confines. He laid the garment down on the couch beside them, feeling the delicate lace. "Burgundy is a lovely color on you," he murmured, as his hands went to cup her naked breasts.

At the contact, Lily gasped, breathily responding, "Thanks. I'll have to tell Lucy you approve." She drew another sharp intake of breath when he lightly ran his short fingernails over her nipples, creating the most delicious friction.

He frowned when she mentioned her best friend, not following. "Lucy?" he asked.

"She picked out the lingerie. I guess she was right about it coming in handy."

"Mmm," he murmured, finally bringing his lips to her collarbone, placing light butterfly kisses there. "Remind me to thank her in the morning." Lily's laugh turned into a moan when he bit down on one nipple, while stroking the other with his thumb.

Unable to press her legs together and relieve the growing warmth between her legs, Lily settled for pressing her hips into those of the boy she was straddling, causing him to groan. Smiling slightly, Lily began to grind against James in a regular pattern, which seemed to be further arousing both Gryffindors quite quickly.

When James began to coordinate his assault on her breasts with the gyrating of their lower halves, Lily couldn't help but whisper his name needily. "Ohh, James."

Hearing his name drop from her lips in that tone created a definitive shift in James—as well as a distinct shift in his trousers. Merlin, she's sexy! He thought. I wonder what she looks like when she comes… And immediately this became his priority.

Leaving one hand to tend to her breasts, James presently recaptured Lily's lips with his, and trailed the fingers of his other hand down her side, until he came into contact with her burgundy panties. Fingering the lace at her hip, James caused Lily to falter in her grinding rotation, and she yet again called his name in a pleading whisper—only this time it came out garbled, since her lips were still pressed to his.

Smiling into her mouth, James traced his fingers along the bottom hem of Lily's underwear, until they were at the apex of her thighs. Carefully, he slid his middle finger under the fabric, finding Lily's slit to be slick with wetness. She whimpered, pressing into his hand, and he quickly took the hint, sliding that same finger into her slippery cunt. He stroked her slowly, but this wasn't enough for Lily. She began to rotate her hips again, and James took this as encouragement—his finger explored until it found her clit.

At the sensations James was creating, Lily's breathing soon became erratic, and she jerked her hips as well as she could manage, despite her thigh muscles clenching from the building tension. "Mmm, James!" she urged him on, and his fingers began to move faster while pressing harder.

As he quickened the pace, James couldn't help but stare at the girl in front of him. Her head was thrown back, crimson curls cascading down her back so that the tendrils almost touched the seat of the couch. Her long, white neck was stretched so that it looked impossibly long, and he could still smell her perfume from earlier in the evening. Her chest—her beautiful, beautiful chest, he thought—was deliciously flushed, so that the light smattering of freckles there almost blended into her rosy flesh.

His digits continued to swirl around her cunt, and Lily could barely keep up her rhythm of rocking into James' hand. She was vaguely aware that she was being rather vocal, but couldn't quite bring herself to care. When she felt herself nearing her climax, she took a deep breath in through her nose, eyes snapping open to meet those familiar hazel orbs.

She found James looking at her with such desire that she came then and there, crying out as her inner muscles clenched around his fingers. Chest heaving, Lily recovered enough to drag James' face down to hers—at some point she seemed to have fallen back to lay, rather than sit, on the couch—kissing him sloppily as she still struggled for breath.

He dragged his body on top of hers, and as Lily felt the telltale signs of his desire against her thigh, her own lust was immediately rekindled. She hazily set about removing his dress pants, and soon he was down to his boxer briefs. With both of them in just their underwear, James stalled Lily's hands before she could peel off any more layers. Eyes closed, he leaned down to kiss her chastely on the lips, rubbing his nose against hers.

Unprepared for this turn towards the sweet, Lily began to panic, contemplating James' possible second thoughts about moving too fast. But just as she was about to vocalize her worries, James opened his warm eyes, and gazed smilingly into her iridescent eyes.

Suddenly, Lily was again looking into the reassuring face of that goofy eleven-year-old James. I guess he is still in there, she thought. Remembering his old encouragement, the redhead smiled back at the bespectacled boy in front of her. She stretched up to give him a lingering kiss, murmuring against his lips, "Don't worry. It's going to be great."

He chuckled at that, and when he drew back Lily could see the twinkle of recognition and laugher in James' eyes. He looked at her for a moment, as if making sure she were really there, and then bent to whisper in her ear, "Lily, my love, the one thing I never worried about was how great it would be."

Lily laughed softly as James kissed the underside of her jaw, allowing him to slowly remove her underwear, and then his, eliminating the last barriers between them.


The end (almost)! What do you think so far?