A/N: House: Hufflepuff | Category: Themed (Love) | Prompts: "Shush! It's past midnight and you're going to get us caught!" | Word Count: 710

"Shush! It's past midnight and you're going to get us caught!"

James, who was laughing unconcernedly as he tugged Lily down a deserted corridor, brushed off her complaint. Despite herself, Lily found herself laughing with him. They had been dating for a few weeks, and while she was getting used to James' spontaneity, she still had reservations about being out past curfew. Still, she had agreed to meet him that night—she was finding him increasingly impossible to resist.

"James! Come on, tell me where we're going," she demanded, pulling him to a halt. He turned and grinned at her.

"Now where's the fun in that? Relax, Evans. I promise it will be worth it—and if you're still worried about getting caught, I have this," he said, reaching into his cloak.

She watched curiously as he pulled some sort of shimmery fabric out. He unfolded it to reveal a cloak.

"Why do you have another cloak? And how is that supposed to keep us from getting caught?"

"Patience, Lily," James smirked. "This isn't just any cloak—it's an invisibility cloak." She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Where did you get one of these? I thought they were supposed to be rare," she replied skeptically.

"They are. This one's an old family heirloom," he explained, shrugging.

"So this is how you and your friends get away with everything. No cleverness or impressive magic—just a handy cloak," she drawled.

"You take that back, Evans! I assure you, there is plenty of cleverness and impressive magic involved in our schemes," he defended, lips twitching as he tried to maintain a look of indignation.

"You're so full of—" she broke off and froze as they heard a voice around the corner.

"Quick, put this on!" James said, offering her one end of the cloak.

They pulled the cloak around themselves, but it was a tight fit. Lily could feel James' breath on her hair and she flushed.

"Well, this is cozy," James joked breathlessly.

"Hush, I think someone's coming!" Lily whispered, though her blush deepened.

They looked down the corridor just as the owner of the voice appeared. It was Peeves, talking to himself as he tossed a Remembrall back and forth between his hands. They waited for him to pass, neither of them in the mood to deal with his antics. Once he was safely out of sight and earshot, James took Lily's hand and began leading her down the corridor once more, the cloak now only covering their backs.

"You really won't tell me where we're going?" Lily tried again.

"Not a chance. Besides, we're almost there."

After another few minutes of walking, they reached a familiar set of stairs. Lily kept silent as they walked up the stairs, but she wondered to herself why he had brought her here. James held the door at the top of the stairs open for her and she stepped out into the cool night air. She looked back at James, who stood a few steps behind her, his hands in his pockets. For once, he looked vulnerable.

"The Astronomy Tower?" Lily queried softly. James nodded, smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah. When I'm not using my impressive cleverness and magical abilities to pull pranks, I like to come up here sometimes. It's very relaxing. I thought you might enjoy it, too, since you like Astronomy so much," he admitted.

Lily was surprised; she had never told him she enjoyed Astronomy. She glanced up at the sky, which was clear and filled with millions of stars.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"Yeah," James replied, coming to stand beside her.

She took out her wand to conjure a blanket and sat, pulling James down next to her. They were quiet for a few minutes as they looked at the stars together. Lily had never seen this side of James before. She didn't think he even had a quiet, reflective side, but she found that it suited him just as much as his boisterous and confident side.

Lily glanced over at him and her breath caught at the peaceful expression on his face. He had never looked more handsome, and she suddenly found herself in uncharted territory as she realized that she was falling in love with James Potter.