author's notes: Explicit content ahead, consider yourself warned.

On the morning of New Year's Eve, James Potter wandered down Diagon Alley at a leisurely pace. Christmas had come and gone and the weather had turned from cold and snowy to sunny and rather warm for this time of year. The street was packed with shoppers, who like James were stocking up for their parties later in the day. The only sign of unease were the patrolling hit wizards on the street. The Christmas season had been devoid of any Death Eater activity, so the Ministry was on the lookout for something big. James himself was keeping a close grip on his wand but was not overly worried otherwise. He would not be staying long anyway. He only had to take a quick stop at the Filibuster store to pick up the fireworks for later tonight and he would be off. Maybe he would make a quick stop at Quality Quidditch Supplies and see what they had in stock. Granted, there was nothing he actually needed in terms of Quidditch, but browsing was always fun. He just had to make sure not to waste too much time as Sirius would be waiting for him back at home.

James reached his destination rather quickly and was in and out of the shop within a few minutes. The fireworks had been shrunk and placed in a small package which he could comfortable carry in his pocket. It was a good thing that James was a regular and had preordered his batch as the shopkeeper was running low already. Pleased with himself, James decided that he had more than enough to take a peek at some brooms and started heading for the Quidditch store further down the street. He was almost there when a familiar voice called his name. James looked around, spotted the source and felt his heart skip a beat.

'Fancy meeting you here,' said Amber as she stepped closer to him. She smiled warmly at him and James was struck by how good-looking she was. Somehow he had forgotten. 'How are you?'

'Fine,' said James mechanically. He swept his gaze around and spotted her husband Peter arguing with the shopkeeper of the nearby gourmet food store about something. 'How are you?'

'Oh, very well, thank you,' said Amber. 'Obviously, I am still getting used to the thought of being a mother, but I think I am going to love it.'

James felt like he had been punched in the face. His eyes dropped to her stomach and spotted a clearly visible bulge there. His eyes widened.

'You are pregnant?' he croaked after a moment. It was obvious that she was, but he needed to hear it out of her mouth before he was going to believe it.

'Yes,' she said, blushing prettily. 'I am four months along.'

'But you only have been married for six months!' protested James. 'And you did not even want to get married in the first place.'

'You know how it is, James,' said Amber quietly. 'Most pure-blood woman get pregnant early. It is expected that we continue our bloodline. What am I supposed to wait for? I know that I am going to be married to Peter for the rest of my life. Why should I wait until I am old to get children?'

'But it is too soon!' said James. He knew that she was right from on objective point of view. Nevertheless, it was wrong for her to get pregnant that quickly! Only a few months ago, they had been a couple and she had meant something to him. It hurt him that she had moved on so easily, probably more than it should have.

'James, are you upset with me?' asked Amber, looking rather sad all of sudden.

James considered lying to her, but discovered that he lacked the willpower to do so.

'Yes!' he said forcefully and suddenly all of his suppressed thoughts spilled out of his mouth. 'Yes, I bloody am upset! You told me that you hated the thought of getting married to Fawley! That you wanted to have some fun before you were condemned to a life in a loveless marriage! You made me believe that I meant something to you! I knew that it couldn't last, but I thought that you would care enough about me to at least be sad when it was over. But no, apparently that grand marriage wiped me straight from your mind as you didn't waste any time to get pregnant with his kid! And don't give me that rubbish about what was expected from you! You could have waited for a few years without anyone batting an eye especially because your marriage was arranged. But here you are, pregnant and obviously rather happy. What I am supposed to think about that?'

James was breathing hard after his rant was over. However, he did not feel better after airing his thoughts in this violent manner. In fact, he did feel worse. He shouldn't have reacted that strongly to her pregnancy in the first place or at least he should have kept quiet about it. Well, it was water under the bride now. Her reaction, however, was different from what he had anticipated.

'Oh, Jamie,' she said sadly. 'I am sorry you feel that way. Of course, I cared for you. The wedding was tough for me and I kept thinking about you, but as I settled into marriage, things became better. Peter and I actually work very well together and over the weeks we became close. I didn't plan to get pregnant, but I had been careless with the potion. It was an accident, but I am quite happy about it now. As I said, there is little reason to wait for anything. I guess, I have just moved on. You have probably done the same.'

James thought about Lily and winced slightly. He had indeed moved on as well and if Lily had been more willing, he would have had sex with her weeks ago. However, he was neither married, nor about to be a father. Granted, Amber was under much more pressure than he was, but he still felt betrayed by the depth of her marriage.

'You were never careless with the potion with me,' he said quietly not sure what else to say.

'Things were different back then, Jamie,' said Amber. She reached out to touch him, but reconsidered before reaching him. Instead, she wrapped her arms about himself. 'I have never lied to you. You knew what you were getting yourself into. You knew that we would have to break up eventually.'

'Yes, yes I bloody did,' said James hotly. 'Or at least I thought I did. It was all fun and games at first, but when it was over, it bloody hurt me! I had to read the reports about your supposedly marvellous wedding while sitting at home and nursing a wounded heart. I was a fool for getting into this in the first place. I should have known that dating you for almost a year was going to suck me in too deep to just toss you over to the next bloke. I should have backed out while I still had the chance, but I didn't and I paid the price for it. However, it seems that you have dealt with it just fine! I wonder why that is.'

'Jamie, it is not like that,' said Amber, but James was not listening anymore.

'Don't call me that!' he snapped. 'I have to go. Good luck with your pregnancy. I think you will be a great mother.'

Before Amber had the chance to hold him back, he had disapparated.

On the evening of the same day, James stepped on one of the numerous balconies of the manor and inhaled deeply. It was only an hour and half until midnight and the party was in full swing in the house. However, James needed a break. He was not in the mood to party. His encounter with Amber had left him angry and bitter for the whole day. Sirius had asked him what had gotten his knickers in a twist, but James had not told him about his argument with Amber. He was neither in the mood to be pitied nor to be patronized. So, he had tried to mask his irritation all evening and as far as he could tell, he had been fairly good at it. James swayed slightly when he approached the edge of the balcony. He had drunk more quickly than usual trying to numb his agitation. He knew that it was a dumb thing to do, but he not been able to resist nevertheless. At least, he was feeling a little better than before. He lit a cigarette and blew the coloured smoke out in the dark night. The sky was clear and the crisp air helped clear his slightly swimming head. He ought to take it easy for the rest of the night. He had drunk often enough to know that he was close to his limit and he had no desire to puke his guts out for the rest of the miserable day. Some New Year's Eve that was! He only hoped that the next year was going to start better than the last one has ended. At least Lily was in a good mood tonight. If he was very lucky, he might get to shag her tonight.

Somehow, he felt like he had to push harder for the next step in their relationship. If Amber had managed to get pregnant within such a short time, he should be able to do the deed with Lily. James scowled at the thought. Bloody Amber worming her way into his thoughts again. He should banish her from his mind. She had obviously moved on and so should he. He shouldn't let the pace of his relationship with Lily be affected by Amber's marriage. It would do him no good in the long run. Nevertheless, the painful encounter this morning was a harsh reminder of the still not fully healed wound in his heart. He had thought that he was over it by now, but obviously he had been wrong. Maybe he should have listened to Remus all these months ago. His friend had warned him not get involved with Amber if he couldn't keep himself emotionally detached from her. James had insisted that he would be fine, but in retrospective he probably should have taken his friend's advice.

Time stretched, but James made not move to get away from the balcony. He kept chain smoking cigarettes and looking unseeingly over the dark sky, only protected from the by now chilly air by a warming charm he had cast before stepping outside. Only when someone tapped him on the shoulder he jerked out of his rather gloomy thoughts.

'What?' asked, jerking around, his hand going for his wand, dropping his cigarette in the process. Rather than coming face to face with a Death Eater, however, he faced a rather worried looking Lily. 'Oh, hello Lily.'

'Are you alright?' she asked looking intensely at his face. 'You were gone for a long time, so I came looking to see where you went. It is not long until midnight now. Sirius and Peter are already gathering all the fireworks. They are going to launch them from the front yard.'

'I am fine,' said James, though he was not sure that he was. His head was swimming from the alcohol and the nicotine. His throat was dry and rather itchy from all the smoke he had inhaled and his lungs were burning slightly as well. He had clearly smoked too much. He tossed away the only halfway gone cigarette in his hand and vowed not to light another one for the rest of the night. 'I just needed some time to think.'

'Are you sure?' she asked. 'You have been quiet all evening. I thought you were looking forward to this party.'

'I was,' said James. He was sorely tempted to just tell Lily everything about his encounter with Amber, but his instinct told him to keep quiet about it. Talking about your ex-girlfriend with you current one was almost never a good idea and he did not feel comfortable with showing Lily his vulnerability about his past relationship. It felt too private to tell her and no matter what some girls told you, no one wanted a sensitive man who bawled like a baby about his past-love. 'I just had something to think about. Did you have fun so far? You seem way too sober for this hour.'

'I have already drunk more than I usually do,' said Lily. James noticed that her eyes were a bit glassy, but otherwise she seemed mostly sober. 'You know that I am a lightweight.'

'Hm... seems like there is something we have to rectify,' said James. He stepped close to her and put his hands on her hips. 'After all, it almost midnight. We should properly welcome the New Year. We need to toast each other at least. I may happen to have a bottle of champagne stashed away in my room. I have a huge bedroom window, so we will have a nice view and there is my very comfortable bed as well. That might come in handy if we do some proper celebrating.'

'You are a terrible influence, you know that?' said Lily, but James could see the excitement in her eyes.

'So you keep telling me,' said James. He lowered his mouth to her neck and kissed it lightly. 'I have not forgotten about our little session back in your bedroom. I think we should pick up where we left back then. I can properly lock my door here, so we will not interrupted.'

Lily whimpered when he bit lightly down on her neck as an afterthought. James could feel himself stirring in his pants. It had been too long since he had been alone with her. He needed to get some release tonight.

'Lead the way' she said.

James heart leap at the words.

'When do you have to be back at home?' he asked, hoping that they would have enough time to properly enjoy each other.

'I have told my parents that I am going to spend the night at Marlene's,' said Lily, slipping her hands under his shirt. 'I am not sure they have believed me though.'

'Doesn't matter,' growled James moving his hands from her hips to grab her bum. 'You are going to spend the night in my bed and you parents will be none the wiser.'

'How very romantic,' said Lily, but James could see a delicate flush on her cheeks. He knew by now that she enjoyed it when he took control.

'I aim to please,' said James crushing her mouth to his. She mewled into his mouth as he slipped his tongue inside. James felt slightly dizzy at the sensation, which was probably a result of all the alcohol he had drunk during the evening.

'Come on, let's move, before the other's find us and make us watch the fireworks,' said James. He broke the kiss, took her hand and dragged her towards his room. Fortunately, it wasn't too far. He ushered her inside and locked the door with an extra strong locking charm. After casting a Silencing Charm, he tossed his wand away and turned around to Lily who had by now sat down on his bed.

'That's quite a bed you have here,' she said motioning towards the king size mattress with crimson and gold bedsheets. 'Gryffindor pride through and through, I see.'

'The most important thing is that it is more than big enough for both of us,' said James. He made quick work of his white shirt and threw it noncommittally on the ground. 'And you are wearing too many clothes.'

'Am I?' she asked coyly. 'Surely you don't mind the skirt. This time I am not even wearing any tights. Only the skimpiest knickers I could find.'

She spread her legs, so he could see the scrap of black lace under her skirt. James pulse quickened and he felt a stirring in his pants.

'Minx,' he growled. 'You came prepared then.'

'I did,' she said looking rather pleased with herself. 'You were not the only one left unsatisfied during your visit at my house after all. I believe you promised to put your tongue to good use the last time. No time like the present, I think.'

James liked that proposition very much. However, he had a painfully hard erection to take care off and he wanted to shag her properly tonight. It was not going to do them both any good if he finally managed to convince her to go all the way only to finish in a minute or so. No, she was going to suck him off first. Then he had all the time in the world to get her in the right mood. He knew what she liked by now and with a bit of luck, it would be enough to convince her to let him fuck her.

'You seem rather impatient,' he said. He removed his socks and shoes, crawled onto the bed and kissed her roughly. He was only wearing his boxers and his thin undershirt by now and felt rather underdressed compared to her. 'And you are wearing too many clothes. Get out of the shirt, I want to see your breasts.'

'Don't you want to do it yourself?' she asked breathlessly. 'I thought you liked undressing me.'

'I do, but I am going to rip your shirt apart if I do it myself,' said James. He lowered his mouth to her neck and starting sucking on it, causing Lily to groan.

She deftly unbuttoned her shirt and gently pushed him away, so she could get rid of it. James hummed in approval at the lack of a bra. These things only got in the way after all and someone with Lily's rather small and perky breasts did not need it anyway. He crashed his mouth on hers again and plundered her mouth. Without breaking contact, he pulled her into his lap and started playing with her nipples with his hands. Lily promptly startled wiggling against his cock. He could feel how wet she was through her thin knickers and the contact nearly caused him to climax right away.

'Stop wriggling,' said James breathlessly. 'I am going to come if you keep it up.'

'That kind of was the idea,' she said, giggling. 'If you are not going to lick me, I have to take care of myself after all.'

'I am going to lick you alright,' said James, biting her shoulder gently and soothing the bite with a swipe of his tongue afterwards. 'But first, you have to get me off or I won't be able to concentrate properly.'

'Fine,' panted Lily. 'What do you want me to do?'

'Quid pro quo,' said James. 'Suck me off.'

'Making me go first hardly seems gentlemanly,' teased Lily. She slipped her right hand into his boxers and gave him a little squeeze. James hissed in response. 'But you do seem to have a rather big problem here. I would be awfully mean of me not to help you out here, wouldn't it?'

'It certainly would be,' said James.

'Alright then,' said Lily grinning wickedly. 'But you could have asked me more nicely.'

'I have never claimed to be a gentleman,' said James. 'Hang on, I am going to lie down.'

He let himself falls back on the soft mattress, taking Lily with him. The bed quivered slightly on their impact, but it was soft enough so that James did not feel any discomfort.

'Let's get these out the way,' said Lily, tugging at James's boxers. James wiggled his bum a little and together they managed to get the offending object off. James used the opportunity to get rid of his undershirt, leaving him completely naked.

'Hello there,' said Lily, eyeing his sizable erection. She grabbed it again and softly stroked it. 'I always forget how huge it looks in my hand.'

'You have tiny hands,' said James humbly.

'I have a feeling that's not the only cause for this,' she said, looking amused. She bent down and kissed him again while she worked on his member. James groaned at the sensory overload. It was wonderful, but he really wanted to feel her mouth on his cock soon. He wanted to tell her to hurry up, but he was rather limited in his ability to communicate with her tongue down his throat.

Nevertheless, Lily seemed to know what he was feeling as she broke the kiss and started kissing her way down his body. It seemed to take her forever, but finally she had reached his cock. She gave the tip a little peck, before softly starting to lick along the underside of the shaft.

'Don't tease,' said James in a constricted voice. 'Take it in your mouth. And use your hand as well.'

'So bossy,' she said. 'Patience is a virtue, you know.'

James only harrumphed in response and Lily took pity on him. She opened her mouth and finally engulfed his throbbing cock. She could barely fit half of it in her mouth. James felt a flash of pride at the fact. However, the thought was quickly wiped from his mind as she started to massage him with her tongue. James groaned and closed his eyes at the sensation. If he continued to look at her face, he would come within seconds. The sight of her long red hair fanned over his crotch like that was just too much for him. However, averting his eyes did not help much. He still approached his orgasm at lightning speed. He managed to groan a warning at Lily, but to his surprise she did not move away from his cock. As a consequence he spilled his seed in her mouth. She obviously had not been prepared as most of it trickled down her face, but James appreciated the effort nevertheless. When she had regained her breath, she quickly grabbed her wand and vanished the mess, trying her best to look dignified at the time.

'That was unexpected,' said James. He pulled her down towards himself and kissed her gently on the mouth. 'You have never let me finish in your mouth before.'

'I feel like trying new things today,' she said, pressing her body against his. 'But it did not work as I expected it to be. I wanted to swallow it.'

'Did you now?' said James, arching an eyebrow. 'Well, if you need more practice, I won't complain. '

'Shut up,' she said, blushing again and slapping him lightly on the chest. 'I believe you wanted to return the favour now.'

'Yes,' said James, flipping their bodies in a smooth movement. 'I am going to get a taste of you now. And I am going to keep the skirt in place. I am not sure yet what I will do with your knickers though. Should I peel them off or just push them a little to the side. What do you think?'

He snuck his right hand under her skirt and gently stroked her through her soaked knickers. She squeaked and pressed against his hand, eager for more friction. James bit down on her neck gently and snuck a finger inside the damp cotton for better access.

'What is it with you and the skirt?' asked Lily in a husky voice.

'I have this fantasy,' said James. 'We are in a dreadfully boring lesson like History of Magic. Nobody pays any attention to us and you are as bored as I am. To spice things up, I dive under the table and slip between your legs. Now all I have to do, to lick you is to spread your legs a little and get rid of the knickers and then I can get you off without anyone being the wiser. I have that about it so many times that by now just the sight of that skirt sets a thrill down my spine.'

'That's... that's quite a fantasy,' said Lily, squirming against his touch. Her eyes were dark with lust and she was panting. 'James... you promised me to use your mouth, not just your fingers.'

'So impatient,' said James, gently slipping a finger inside her folds. He groaned at how tight and wet she was. The thought of getting his cock inside her was tantalizing. 'I seem to remember you telling me that patience was a virtue not so long ago.'

'Please,' she begged. 'I need more! Either get your mouth down there or finger fuck me properly.'

'Such coarse language,' said James teasingly. He removed his finger from her pussy and brought it up to his mouth. With her looking closely, he put it in his mouth and sucked it clean. Her familiar musky taste spread in his mouth, not delicious, but not unpleasant either. She groaned at the sight.

'Spread your legs,' he said. She obliged immediately and he dived beneath her skirt. She raised her bum immediately so he could tug down her knickers a little. Her red curls were soaked with her juices and her glistening small opening looked very inviting. James briefly considered teasing her even further, but in the end decided to get a move on. He gave her a long sweeping lick over the length of her sex which caused her to squeak before starting to work on her in earnest. Lily buried her hands in what parts of his hair she could reach with him being under her skirt and tried to push him even closer to her. James could tell from the strength of her grip that she was close already. He pleasured her with only his tongue for a while before moving up to her clit. He pushed two fingers inside of her and starting to pump in and out in rhythm with his tongue. Lily shuddered and came with a shout. James continued his simulation until she had rode out her orgasm. He slipped out of skirt and wiped his face with his hand. Lily appeared rather dazed and James could not help but feel smug for moment. He himself was rather worked up again. His erection was back in full force and he was eager to fuck her.

'You are looking way too pleased with yourself,' said Lily in a breathless voice.

'You were not complaining a few moments ago,' said James dryly. He gave her a peck on the lips. Lily wrinkled her nose at the taste, but did not push him away. 'I want to shag you, Lily.'

She was quiet for a moment, a ponderous look at her face. Then she nodded.

'Alright,' she said.

'What?' asked James, thrown by her agreement.

'I said its fine,' she repeated, looking at his disbelieving face. 'As I have said, I feel like trying something new tonight. You have to be careful though.'

'Of course,' said James hastily. His mind was already racing with a number of delicious images. He opted to stick with the basics for tonight though. It was her first time after all. 'I will be gentle. It seems that we should get rid of the skirt after all.'

'It couldn't last forever,' she giggled. Together they managed to strip away the piece of clothes quickly. James used the opportunity to remove her socks as well, leaving her as naked as he was.

'Alright,' he said. 'You just lie back, spread your legs and try to relax. Leave the rest to me.'

She nodded, looking nervous and rather young all of a sudden. James gave her another kiss to calm her down and focused his attention back to her pussy. He cupped it gently and found it still sopping wet. Good, she was almost ready. He slipped two fingers inside and when those entered easily added a third one. That made things rather tight, but he was quite sure that he could get his cock inside without causing her too much discomfort. For a moment he only worked with his fingers to get her ready and excited again. When he was satisfied, he pulled them out, causing Lily to make a noise of protest at the loss.

'You are going to get something better right away,' he said. He grabbed hold of his hard cock and guided it to the entrance. He pressed gently and was pleased when it slipped it at the third attempt. Merlin, she was tight! James groaned when he felt her moist and tight walls grab hold of his cock. It was a good thing that he had come already, otherwise this would be over shortly before it began. He pressed in further and encountered some resistance. James had never deflowered a girl before, but he knew enough about the subject to guess that he had just touched Lily's hymen. He pushed on hard and broke through the barrier, making her gasp with pain in the process. He paused when he was all the way in and focused his attention on her face.

'Are you okay?' he asked. She had closed her eyes and was breathing hard.

'I am fine, keep going,' she said. 'I guess the first time is supposed to be painful.'

'Right,' said James. He slowly started pumping in and out of her. He was careful not to trust in too deeply. He could not get more than three quarters of his cock in and he did not want to bruise her cervix after all. Deflowering someone was much less fun than he had expected. It was rather frustrating not to be able to let himself go and pound into her. However, there were compensations. Lily was deliciously tight and she looked heavenly with her face screwed up in what he hoped was mostly pleasure as he moved inside her.

'Harder, James,' she said. 'I am not going to break. Just shag me like you would shag any other girl.'

'I am not sure that is wise,' replied James. 'I think you are supposed to get used to it first.'

'You are already inside all the way, I am not going to get more used to it than I am now,' she replied. To stress her point, she started moving her hips to meet his thrusts. Both James and she gasped at the sensation and James took the hint. He sped up, pushing all caution aside and build up the rough and familiar rhythm he always used when shagging. Lily tried to keep up with him and mostly succeeded even though her movements were still clumsy with inexperience. She seemed to enjoy herself properly now as she moaned with every one of his powerful thrusts. James kissed her again, stifling the moans and plundering her mouth with his tongue. He was close already. There was no way he was going to make her come before he finished. James supposed it would have been romantic to give her an orgasm during her first time, but there was nothing he could do about it now. This wasn't a fairy tale after all.

'I am not going to last much longer,' he said. His left hand found her clit to speed things up a little, but he doubted that it would be enough.

'It's fine,' panted Lily. 'I will be there soon too.'

One particular tight contraction finally sent him over the edge. He groaned and spilled himself inside her. When he had finished coming, he pulled his rapidly softening cock out and replaced it with his fingers. Lily met the movement of his fingers like she had met the thrusts of his cock and it took only a little while for her to scream out her own release.

When everything was done they lay intertwined in each other arms both flushed and still slightly out of breath. A sudden bang startled both of them. The New Year had come while they had been busy and fireworks had started rising. James bent down and kissed Lily softly.

'Happy new year love,' he said.

'Happy new year,' she giggled. 'I think it is going to be a good one.

'I think so too,' said James.

They got out of bed and watched the fireworks through his big bedroom window. For the first time today, James felt at peace with the world.