"What about Bertram Aubrey?" said Marlene looking up from her half red toenails to survey Lily's reaction.
"Really Marlene?" Lily asked frowning, "I still don't think his head's gone back to normal size after last year."
"Hmm, yeah I suppose," Marlene replied without looking up from her toenail polish. "He just looks like he has a very nice mouth…and judging from what Gina Davis says, he is very adept at using it."
Lily looked down from her bed at Marlene disapprovingly without responding.
"So uh, how about you tell me how your lover boy does in the snogging department?" Marlene asked as casually as she could manage (not masking her enthusiasm at all).
Lily blushed a shade of crimson, "Marlene, that's very personal!" she said hugging her pillow into her chest, "and besides, you've known James since childhood, isn't it sort of weird to be asking about us?"
Marlene flicked her wand to screw the cap back onto her nail varnish and stood up walking towards Lily's bed. "Lily Evans, you had better give me some damn good gossip, because I already lost ten sickles to none other than Sirius Black on the matter of you and dear Mr. Potter's relationship, so spill!"
Marlene plonked herself down on Lily's bed, and waited with her eyebrows raised and arms crossed.
Lily, still a frightful shade of crimson, picked at her nails and whispered quietly without meeting Marlene's gaze, "There's nothing to tell."
Marlene's face softened immediately, and she shuffled across the bed to pull Lily into a one-armed hug, leaning her head on her collarbone.
"But you went to Hogsmeade together the other weekend didn't you? You told me you had a great time!"
"I did," Lily said with a wisp of nostalgia carrying on her voice, "It was the best first date I've ever had-"
"It better be the last first date you ever have if I ever hope to win my money off Black," muttered Marlene.
Lily lifted her head off of Marlene's chest to frown at her. "I'm not even going to ask."
"Sorry, sorry, you must know we've been betting on this for a very long time," said Marlene, adding "even Remus is in on it," as if this would absolve her of any wrongdoing.
"Remus? Really?" Lily shook her head in disbelief before turning back to Marlene, "Would you like to hear the rest of the story or should we just start picking out baby names?"
"Well your preferred baby names could be some very useful information…." Said Marlene, half-jokingly.
Lily responded with a pillow to Marlene's stomach.
"Oof, okay, okay!" said Marlene, "On with the story!"
Lily hugged the pillow back into her stomach taking a deep breath, "So anyway, the date was amazing, we could just talk about anything, you know? And my cheeks were so sore from laughing, and it was just all so perfect before it got to the end…" Lily trailed off looking at Marlene to see if she knew what she was talking about.
"The bit where you're supposed to have that first kiss goodbye, right? I know the bit. It's awkward Lils, it always is!" Marlene said reassuringly, rubbing Lily's back.
"That's the thing though Marls, it didn't happen. My wonderful, perfect date ended with the most awkward hug of all time."
Marlene let out a low whistle, "That's rough."
Lily looked down at the pillow and said, "I know. And I don't know why which is even more frustrating, I mean how can everything be perfect and then be so – so…"
"Not perfect?" Marlene offered.
"Yeah," Lily said glumly, "not perfect."
"Well, have you tried talking to James about this?" Marlene asked. "Maybe it was all a misunderstanding? He thought you didn't want a snog or something? Or maybe he was self-conscious about his breath or something?" Marlene sighed, adding, "Boys are weird Lily, never forget that."
"Thanks, I'll cross stitch that into a pillow," replied Lily sarcastically.
"You'll do what to a pillow?" asked Marlene, raising an eyebrow quizzically. "There's no need to get desperate, Lily."
Lily let out a small chuckle. Marlene really would never embrace her inner-muggle.
Marlene sensed she may have missed the joke, and asked Lily, "When are you going to see James again?"
"Tonight for rounds in about an hour," Lily replied. "Oh Merlin, what am I going to do?" she asked to no-one, falling backwards onto the bed with the pillow across her face.
"Brightest witch, my arse," muttered Marlene getting up off of the bed to take full advantage of the free dormitory bathroom.
Lily awoke an hour later from her unscheduled nap as her newly-charmed wristwatch reminded her it was time for rounds.
With great effort, she pulled herself up, surveying the rest of the dormitory which was now empty. She rubbed at her eyes, and walked over to the mirror hanging beside the door where she caught a glimpse of her hair. "Ugh, I'd better fix that," she said aloud to herself, grabbing the nearest brush and pulling it furiously through the knot that had formed near the crown of her head. "As good as it's gonna get," she affirmed to herself, grabbing her wand and heading down the stairs into the Gryffindor Common Room.
The common room was bursting with life, from first years playing exploding snap, to fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-years relishing what little free time they had. Lily caught sight of Marlene sitting with Peter and Remus by the fire where they were playing a game of wizarding chess. Marlene threw Lily a big wink as she walked past, but all Lily could manage in response was a weak smile.
Stepping out of the portrait hole, and into the cold, grey corridor, Lily let out a huge sigh, she had time to compose herself before James got here.
"That was a big sigh," said a familiar voice stepping out of the shadows.
Lily remained frozen to the spot.
James chuckled, nervously running his hand through his hair, "I know, I know, I'm early for the first time ever."
It was Lily's second opportunity of the evening to deliver a weak smile in response.
"Shall we go?" he prompted when Lily didn't say anything.
"Uh, yeah," Lily managed to respond. God dammit Evans, what are you doing? She mentally berated herself. You aren't here to patrol; you're here to figure out what on earth is going on!
James and Lily walked in silence along the seventh floor corridor, their footsteps echoing against the stone walls and floor.
"I may have heard that the fourth year Hufflepuffs were planning on sneaking around tonight, if you feel like taking a trip down that way?" James piped up, looking expectantly at Lily.
Lily nodded in approval, and the two turned at the next staircase making their way down to the Great Hall, towards the Hufflepuff Common Room.
They were about a hundred meters away from the entrance when James suggested, "Why don't you stay here behind this suit of armour, and I can hide behind the one on the other side? That way we can give the sneaky little buggers a real shock?"
Normally Lily Evans would object to such a plan, but tonight she didn't feel like Lily Evans, so instead she replied, "Sounds like a good idea," and snuggled herself into the alcove with the suit of armour.
Bloody hell, she thought to herself, hitting her fist against the wall. I've turned into the sort of girl I've always made fun of; I've turned into…Petunia. Lily's hand flew to her mouth to silence the sudden intake of air she had inhaled at this realisation. She had to do something about this, and she was going to do it now, she decided.
Stepping out of the alcove, Lily walked purposefully, her arms and her dark red hair swinging forcefully towards the place where James Potter was hiding, she turned to face the alcove, ready to do what she should have done on that Hogsmeade weekend – but it was…empty?
"What?" she exclaimed, as angry as she was curious. He said he would be right here. Had he lied to her? Gone off to do something with his mates and left her in a dark and dingy alcove seven floors away from her nice, warm four-poster bed?
Lily stepped backwards, hitting her back against the stone wall, and with no more emotional energy, she slid down the wall, sitting in a little ball on the floor with her forehead resting on her elbows. Lily didn't know how long she sat like this, but she was only roused by the sharp click of footsteps on the flagstones. She looked up to see James carrying a large white something in each hand, walking back towards where he said he would be.
Once again filled with anger and confusion by someone she had liked and trusted, Lily pulled herself up off the floor and starting walking towards James, her brow furrowed in anger,
"You," she spat, "you told me that you would be right-" she pointed, "there. Right there."
"Lily, I-" James started to explain before being cut off.
"Don't you dare, Lily me right now, I am so angry with y-" Lily's expression shifted, "Is – is that freshly-baked treacle tart?"
"I wanted to come and get some for you, you seemed a bit down, and it's your favourite food, so I thought I could get some and we could have a little stake-out picnic?" James went to ruffle his hair again, but realised he didn't have a free hand as both of his were presently occupied with pieces of freshly-baked treacle tart wrapped in enormous white napkins.
Lily wanted to cry. She could feel the tears welled up inside of her, and she gave a watery chuckle at her own stupidity.
"Oh Merlin, Lily what's wrong? I did something wrong didn't I?" James asked, "Bollocks," he added, referring to his current emotional and lack-of-hands predicaments.
Lily laughed again, the tears she had managed to hold back slipping down her face. She rose up onto her tippy-toes, wrapped her arms around James' neck, and pulled his mouth down onto hers.
It was a little salty from her tears, but Lily Evans thought this was the sweetest kiss that anyone could have. James' lips were slightly chapped from playing Quidditch in the November winds, but they were warm and eager. There was no hesitation, they had both fully committed the minute their lips had come together, and just when Lily had started to open her mouth to deepen the kiss, from behind them came a voice that said,
"Isn't that the Head Boy and Girl?"
Lily and James broke apart and turned to the speaker, a fourth year Hufflepuff who had snuck out with three of his friends in tow, no doubt to cause mischief.
"How about you four gentlemen go back to bed, and we won't dock any points this time?" Lily suggested sweetly.
"I doubt you'd have time to dock points with your faces stuck together like that," one of them sneered.
"Hey!" James shouted, trying to point before realising the treacle tart was still in his hand, "this beautiful lady right here made you a very generous offer, and I suggest you take it, because my offer will be ten points each from Hufflepuff."
Lily tried not to laugh, trying desperately to frown at the boys in a disappointed yet authoritative manner.
The four boys looked at each other before returning to their dormitory without another word, knowing forty points would make them the most hated students in Hufflepuff for a while.
"Oh how the times have changed," Lily giggled after they had left, "this must have a flashback to been Matilda Baddock and Rupert Green telling you boys off back in the day."
"More than you'd like to think," James replied, offering Lily her piece of treacle tart, which she immediately took a bite out of. "We caught them snogging once too-"
A chunk of treacle tart flew out of Lily's mouth, and she struggled to breathe, coughing out, "Seriously?"
"Dead serious," said James after finishing his bite.
"Boys are weird," Lily said.
"What?" James said, wondering if he had misheard.
"Just a piece of advice from Marlene," Lily explained.
"Oh really?" James asked mockingly, "Well I'm sure that applies to just about every boy ever, obviously…"
"Definitely," Lily affirmed after swallowing another bite of her piece of tart. "See I went on this absolutely perfect date with this gorgeous bloke in Hogsmeade, but he just for the life of his couldn't pluck up the courage and k-"
James pressed against Lily's mouth as she tried to finish the rest of her sentence. Lily tried to resist at first, but she gave in to the taste of treacle tart and let the tingling warmth flood through her body.
When they finally broke apart, Lily added, "He certainly is excellent at making up for lost time though," and it was James' turn to chuckle as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower, treacle tart in his left hand, and Lily's hand in his right.