A/N: Sorry it's been a while! (again :P) but it's half term in a week, so I should hopefully get more done then – Hogwarts time soon!

We whiled away the rest of the afternoon playing "the question game," asking each other questions ranging from the personal to the downright silly, and answering them in turn, facing each other on James' bed with our legs crossed, holding hands. In the silences between our talking, when one or other of us was trying to think of a question or of an answer, we found ourselves caressing each other's hands, James stroking my thumb, me running my thumb across his palm, and so forth, as though we were both trying to memorise every minute detail.

"What's the earliest thing you can remember?" I asked him.

He thought for a moment, then smiled sadly and said, "Doing a jigsaw puzzle at my grandma's house. It's the only memory I have of her, she died when I was three."

I caught up his hand again and stroked it in a consoling fashion. I didn't really know what to say.

After a few seconds, he seemed to come out of a reverie. "Sorry. Hey, it's okay. How about you?"

I thought, too, and then replied, "Having an ice cream in the park with my sister. I think I'd have been three or four."

James grinned. "Are you and your sister close?"

"We were," I sighed, "until I met Severus and we got our letters from Hogwarts. She was jealous, you see. She tried to hide it, called us freaks. But I know that she wrote to Dumbledore and tried to get him to accept her to Hogwarts too. It's not too bad these days, she's civil enough, but we hardly ever talk. There's still something bitter between us."

James was silent for a few seconds after I finished, then said, "Wow. I… I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said, smiling slightly. "I feel sorry that we're not friends any more, but…" I trailed off. James didn't press me to continue, but kept holding my hand, and I could feel his gaze on me, despite having looked down.

I felt James squeeze my hand slightly. I looked up and saw him watching me intently.

"It feels sort of… bad," I said, "but sometimes I think… if that's the price I have to pay for coming to Hogwarts, it's… kind of worth it, I suppose. But I feel really bad whenever I think that."

"I don't think you should," said James bluntly. "I mean, you didn't ask for magical powers, there's no reason why she should stop you enjoying them." I continued to stare at him, and after a few seconds he hurriedly said, "I mean, I don't think you should forget about her! It's just, I think she'll come round, eventually."

I grinned. "Yeah, let's hope so." I squeezed his hand, and then said, "Your turn to ask."

He thought for a moment, then asked, "You got any scars on your body?"

"Just the one," I said, and stretched out my leg in front of me and pulled off my sock to show James the scar that ran across the side and back of my foot. "I got knocked over by a car near my house when I was ten."

"Ouch," he said, wincing. He reached out and traced the scar with his finger. I shivered slightly.

"Sorry," he said, withdrawing his hand quickly. "Does it hurt?"

"No," I said. "I can't really feel it at all. It's just… my feet are a bit ticklish." James face slowly split into a wide, evil grin. I gasped.

"Don't you dare!" I said, but it was too late. He leapt forward, tickling my foot with one hand and my stomach with the other. I giggled shrilly and half-heartedly tried to fight him off. I was gasping for breath, and I felt tears of laughter form in my eyes. I again tried to push him off, but with no real conviction. I was secretly rather enjoying it.

After failing to push him off me twice more, I tried tickling him back. He laughed, saying, "I'm not ticklish, Lily!" I giggled still harder, my eyes closed tight. Then, taking James completely by surprise, my eyes flew open; I pulled James down and kissed him. He completely froze for a moment, and then responded enthusiastically. He fell down onto the bed next to me, and his hand wriggled under my waist and around my back, drawing me closer to him.

We broke apart, looking into each other's eyes.

"So now I know how to shut you up," I said grinning. He laughed.

"No fair," he said, running his free hand through my hair.

"As if you tickling me were fair!" I said indignantly.

"Touché," he grinned. Then he pulled me close again and kissed me again. He was much more daring this time; his tongue brushed against my upper lip, and barely a second later, he gently nibbled at my lower lip. I gave a soft moan as he did so, and he trembled against me slightly.

When we broke apart this time, we simply lay there on the bed, staring at each other in silence. James began stroking my hair again, and I smiled shyly at him. He grinned right back at me.

The moment was somewhat broken a few minutes later, when James' stomach gave a large rumble. We both burst out laughing.

"Sorry," he said, looking slightly embarrassed, but still laughing.

"That's okay," I said. "Shall we get something to eat? We can go back to mine if you want; Mum said she'd left some food for us."

"Good idea," he said. We got up, grasped hands once again, and Disapparated.

On arriving at my house, we fixed the meal of prawn curry and rice that Mum had left and sat down to eat it. While we were eating, we continued our game of getting to know each other better. Our conversation had become so much freer and easier than it had been even that morning.

As we finished dinner, James glanced at his watch. "Hey, listen… I'm probably going to have to go, Lily." I looked at my watch, too; it was quarter to eight.

"Aww," I said. "Do you have to?"

He nodded. "Mum and Dad will be wondering where I am." I gave him an exaggerated pout, and he laughed. "Don't do that, it'll make me feel terrible!"

"Sorry," I said, laughing. We both stood up, and I walked around the table to him. I hugged him tightly, and said, "See you on Friday at King's Cross, then?"

"Can't wait," he said quietly. He placed his hand on my chin and tilted my head upwards, and kissed me briefly, but longingly. I took a step back from him, smiling. He looked at me, grinning too, for several seconds, then turned on the spot and Disapparated.

A/N: Reviews motivate me to write more. *hint hint*.