Chapter 8

"Where were you last night?" Mary demanded as soon as Marlene lifted her eyelids.

"Hmm?" Marlene yawned as she stretched out her arms, spanning the width of the bed.

"Last night, James said you left the changing rooms before him, but you weren't here!" Marlene furrowed her brow, trying to make sense of what Mary had said in her drowsy state.

"Oh! Yeah, I stayed back for some extra practice," She said eventually, falling back onto her pillow.

"But James said-"

"Morning!" Alice appeared through the door, a towel wrapped in a turban-like style around her hair. "Morning sleepyhead, finally woke up did we?" she added, her comment directed at Marlene.

"Why, what time is it?"

Mary checked her watch. "Oh, only about half ten."

"What?!" Marlene leaped out of bed, and began dashing around the room.

"What are you doing?" Alice asked, bewildered.

"Quidditch practice! James is gonna kill me!" Both Alice and Mary rolled their eyes.

"Well, we'll see you at lunch then! Come on Mary, we have to finish that Charms essay."

Lily and James sat on plush armchairs at a large table in the Head's Sitting Room, working patrol times around classes, study, homework, weekends and Quidditch practices.

"How much longer is this going to take?" James sighed loudly leaning back and stretching.

"Got a problem with my company, Potter?" Lily sneered at him.

"Yeah of course," James said, sarcastically. "That's exactly why I've been trying to go out with you for six years." He ran a hand down his face. "That reminds me-"

But Lily cut him off, guessing what he was going to say.

"Don't you even dare, James Potter"

"What?" he asked, spreading his hands out innocently. "I was just going to ask if you were going to come and watch the Quidditch practice."

"Oh," Lily said, blushing slightly with embarrassment.

"Yeah," James said. "It's in half an hour which is why"-he looked pointedly at her-" I was asking how much longer this will take."

"We're almost done i think. Yep, I think if I do Mondays and you do Wednesdays, we're going to have to do Fridays together and rotate for the weekends."

"Or we could just do them all together," James leaned forward, grinning.

"No."

"Aw come on Lil-Evans even, it will be less like a stressful, labouring task and more like a nice break if we do it together."

Lily failed to suppress a laugh as James looked at her pleadingly like a lost dog.

"Oh fine." she relented and James gave a whoop of joy.

"Anyway Dumbledore never mentioned any of this rota rubbish so I reckon were supposed to work together" James said, cheekily, taking off his glasses and rubbing them with the corner of his robes.

Lily noticed how deep and dark his chocolate eyes were and how the sparkled in the light of the fire. Lily was momentarily startled. How had she noticed that? James placed his glasses back on and ran a hand through is hair. Lily, realising she was staring, quickly looked down at her hands.

"So you will come to watch the practice then Evans?"

"Maybe."

"Is that a yes?"

"Maybe."

James rolled his eyes. "Always playing hard to get, Evans. Joking!" he added seeing the look on her face. "I'm just joking Evans." He winked all the same and stood up. "Well, I better be off. Catch you later" He smiled his mischeivious smile and Lily's stomach gave the tiniest flutter. Just hungry, she assured herself.

"Wait, J-james"

"Yes?" he spun back around so fast it was as if he had wings.

"I-I think it might be easier for everyone if the Head students called each other by their names, like James and Lily, if that's...if that's..." she trailed off, blushing a furious red and looking at her feet. What had she just said? What was wrong with her? Lily Evans get a grip on yourself.

James stood there, his mouth slightly parted a look of shock momentarily frozen on his face. After a second that seemed like an hour, he snapped out of it.

"Um...yeah. Sure. That's great! That..that..that's brilliant!" and with a crooked smile, he backed out of the portrait hole.

Lily fell back against the scarlet couch, her head in her hands.