Lily
Lily woke, very warm and very restless.
Though she and James had sat down the previous night - after their… first meeting - to discuss the assigned tasks of the upcoming month and re-review the Patrol Schedule to ensure all was working as intended, Lily could hardly remember much of the discussion.
Instead, she could only recall the way he'd chosen to sit beside her, having picked up the wooden chair effortlessly and setting it beside her own. How his knee subtly met hers, until he shifted so that their thighs pressed together.
And then only how his arm found the back of her chair, opening himself to her as they leaned over the parchment set in front of them across the desk. How she could feel the heat of his side as he tilted closer, his face closer to hers.
His hair had dried by then, the curls soft and inviting. She wasn't as bold as him; if she had been, she knew would've reached out and adjusted a curl - but there was the smallest coil of shyness that had begun to burrow its way back into her chest.
No , she was not as courageous as him; as he'd retrieve his arm from the back of her chair in order to use fingers to draw back the mass of hair that had fallen in her face, tucking it over her shoulder where his fingertips brushed softly against her throat, down her shoulder, before settling at her back once again - his touch lighter and less… touchy.
Perhaps he could sense the sudden hesitancy that had infiltrated her emotions; where she thought he'd be more daring , more ambitious now that they'd … what, essentially humped each other.
Jesus, she hadn't even been on a date with him like she had been with John from Cokesworth.
And here she was - not 48 hours after their first kiss, she'd let him feel her up and got her to come.
Lily looked groaned into her pillow. God, even clothed, she could still feel the ripples of it over her sensitive skin. She wanted him to touch her… again. Already.
She wasn't sure how she'd manage… anything.
"Don't want to be late for Transfiguration, do you?" Marlene called as she exited the bathroom.
"What?" Lily asked blearily.
"Get your arse up before we're both late."
Lily groaned, rolling over to check the clock to see that, yes, she'd only had ten minutes to get ready properly - which was unfortunately not long enough for a cold shower that she was very much in need of.
She pulled herself out of bed, grabbing her brush from her nightstand to rid her hair of tangles before pulling it back into a ponytail, shucking her pajamas for her school clothes, rushing to collect the items necessary for her classes this morning - Transfiguration and Ancient Runes - and meeting Marlene, who'd been waiting at the dorm's doorway with a bland, bored look on her face as she studied her nails.
"Any pleasant dreams?" she asked innocently.
Lily nearly choked. "What's that mean?"
Marlene shrugged a shoulder, adjusting her bag. "Nothing. Unless you have something to share?"
Though her face felt flush, Lily shook her head, raising her brows in what she hoped was a clueless manner. "Slept fine, I think."
"Fine, sure," Marlene said wryly, gesturing Lily through the door.
Lily waved her on, pushing her to go first, following closely behind her down the stairwell towards the common room. As they neared the archway of the staircase, Lily reflexively slowed, nerves clawing at her chest.
"Alright?" Marlene asked, glancing over her shoulder.
"Fine," Lily replied bracingly, skipping down the last few steps.
Marlene smirked. "Fine," she said breathily, drawing out the vowel. "Are you looking for someone?"
Lily narrowed her eyes. "Who would I be looking for?"
Though she was, scanning the room quickly as possible for any familiar head of hairs, then relaxing when she sighted none of consequence.
"Oh," Marlene sighed. "No one - but perhaps, James?"
Lily stopped short, throwing a hand out to halt Marlene's advancement. "Excuse me?"
"I thought that maybe you were looking for James." She said his name again, breathy. "You murmured his name this morning. Figured you had him on your mind or something."
Lily glared as she retracted her hand, resuming her walk towards the portrait entrance. "No," she said snidely. "I think you're hearing things."
"Right, of course," Marlene said wryly, now trailing behind her. "Misheard the faint moaning and sighs coming from your bed."
Lily halted again, glancing around furtively as they exited into the corridor. "Alright, enough with the teasing please. My -"
"- constitution cannot handle it after the dreams you've had?"
"I am not above hexing you, you wench."
Marlene raised her hands in deference, though her smile was wicked in its form.
Again, Lily glanced around conspicuously before she pointed her finger in warning. "My dreams are none of your concern, thank you."
"Well, let me know if you need any advice," Marlene offered with a cat-like smile, sliding her arm through Lily's to pull her forward. "Shall we make a quick trip to the Great Hall for sustenance? Sounds like you need some after -"
Lily's glare stopped her from continuing.
As she feared, James was sat beside his other three mates at the Gryffindor table. As if he'd been waiting for her arrival, his eyes found hers almost immediately.
And then ran the length of her slowly; and she instantly regretted not having the cold shower. She could feel her flush spread anew.
Marlene tightened the grip at her elbow, pulling her forward as she tutted under her breath. They passed where the 7th Year boys sat; Lily almost expected James to call out - but he didn't. The tightness in her chest eased slightly; made less noticeable by the constant, heavy thump of her heart against her ribs, becoming louder as she felt his eyes still on her.
She almost expected Marlene to call her out on it, but mercifully, the blonde did not; turning instead to greet their mates as they joined them at the table - though they did not have much time.
Lily caught sight of the boys' standing from their spot down the table, presumably heading to class. She followed the sight of them idly, her gaze tracing the length of James as he ambled down the path between tables. The slope of his shoulders, the way his hair curled at the edge of his collar.
"Hem, hem." Marlene coughed obnoxiously, pulling Lily's attention back to the table. "Did you get your fill?"
Lily glared, ignoring her red cheeks as she gulped down the rest of her orange juice. "I'm not sure what you're talking about. Shall we head to class?"
Though the rest of her friends didn't seem to suspect anything, Marlene gave her another knowing look.
Transfiguration was full by the time the four girls arrived; McGonagall was already at the front, waiting patiently. She smiled pleasantly at Lily when they caught eyes as Lily took her self-designated seat at the front.
Involuntarily, Lily glanced over her shoulder as she unhooked her bag from her arm, unexpectedly catching James's gaze from where he sat behind her across the room.
The bastard winked. Winked.
Lily turned back towards the front, taking a steadying breath as she fought against a smile she had to make sure he didn't see.
And of course, paying attention in class felt very much like a repeat of their meeting the night before. She could feel his eyes on her; conscious of his attention, she wondered if he knew she kept better posture than normal, leaning back in her chair as McGonagall introduced the practical theory of elemental-conjuring.
Used her quill to chew on thoughtfully, then ran it along her jaw absentmindedly (could it be absentminded when she'd done it on purpose? ) down her neck to her covered collarbone. Crossed and re-crossed her legs restlessly beneath the table, sure he could see the movement still.
It was a mercy that McGonagall assigned them to practice with the rudimentary task of transfiguring a liquid into a solid mass. One, for the fact that Lily had mastered the four main elemental transfiguration classes last year (McGonagall found it much easier to teach one student at a time) and two, the amount of concentration she needed not to embarrass herself drew her attention away from James, if only for fifteen minutes.
"Genuine effort," the professor called to the class. "Please see that you study more of the states of matter if you did not manage to transfigure the water in today's session. An essay will be assigned shortly."
As expected, the class let out a collective grumble of discontent, though McGonagall only shook her head with exasperated amusement before dismissing them.
"Think you'll have an issue transfiguring water into fire?" Lily asked idly as she packed up her things, shoving her book into her bag and securely fastening it shut.
Marlene huffed. "Why learn to, when we can just conjure fire on its own? "
Lily was making the conscious effort not to look towards the back of the room. "Because you might need to transfigure the water itself - or whatever it is - into fire for some reason."
"What reason would that be?" Marlene asked sarcastically, packing her own things up slowly, just as Lily hoped. "If I'm drowning?"
"Sounds like a more painful way to die," Lily offered. "But I'm assuming the reason would be you're, I don't know - stranded in a deserted land of ice and need to keep yourself alive?"
"Again, I could just conjure fire."
"The water levels are rising and you need to get rid of it."
"I'd just banish it."
"You need to sanitize something and you've only got water."
"I'd cast Scourgify."
"You want to entertain your cousins at Christmas dinner."
There was a pause. "Fair enough."
Lily huffed a laugh, now brave enough to turn towards the open - empty - room as Marlene stood. "Sometimes it's just nice to learn magic just to have it, right?"
Marlene hummed, falling into step beside Lily as they headed towards the door. "I suppose sometimes I take it for granted, the different spells there are."
"See?"
"I just hate that I have to be tested on them. Why's it gotta be for a grade?" she whined.
Lily couldn't disagree with her friend's logic. "Suppose we can ask Dumbledore to - Oh, shite," she hissed, feeling the contents of her bag fall to the ground.
"What the hell?" Marlene said, glancing around. "Was it another Slytherin?"
Lily was already kneeling to collect her things, checking her bag as she did. "It's not torn - I must've… not fastened it properly or something."
"Do you need help?"
"Nah, it's alright. You've got Divination - I'll see you at lunch?"
Marlene was already backing away with a wink. "Have a good class with Professor Babbling!"
"Thanks," Lily huffed, amused but not offended, reaching to grab the rest of her fallen books and quills, stuffing them into her bag carelessly.
She let out an embarrassing sound of surprise as she stood, catching sight of James relaxed against the corridor's wall.
"Alright, Evans?"
Her expression slid into an unimpressed look. "Was this you?" she asked, gesturing to her bag.
James looked overtly offended, pushing himself off from the stone. "I would've done no such thing, Evans. I just happened to realize I'd left a quill in the classroom and came back to retrieve it."
"Have you?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at the Transfiguration classroom before meeting his gaze. "I'll leave you to it then," she said archly, biting back a smile.
"You know," he murmured, dropping his gaze to the floor - coyly, if Lily had to describe the act - as he moved towards her. "I suppose I could borrow someone's quill, in the meantime. What do you think?"
Lily's eyes narrowed as she watched him closely. "I suppose you could. Anyone you had in particular to ask?"
He advanced until he stood directly before her, meeting her eyes for a brief moment before stooping into a crouched position.
The unexpected pose set a whirl of primal emotions through Lily, who followed his movements with wide-eyes as he knelt at her feet, reaching around her ankles to retrieve something from the floor, standing in one fluid, graceful motion.
It was her quill, well-used and worn, held pitched between his fingers. She must've missed it when she collected her things from the floor.
"This one seems ideal," he murmured, both of their gazes following the movement of his fingers as he expertly twirled the feathered quill between his knuckles.
Lily bit back a grin. "It is," she replied, just as quiet.
James's stare moved to quickly scan her face, her lips, down to her exposed neck, taking one more step closer to her so that they were inches apart. "Do you know how jealous I am of this quill?"
She swallowed hard, glancing back at the feather still held aloft between his fingertips. "Any particular reason why?"
Lily wasn't sure where the boldness had come from. Perhaps it was the way his eyes held a sharp intensity as he gazed down at her, as if there was nothing that could tear his attention away.
"I feel like you may already know," he said quietly.
Lily felt as though everything in the corridor suddenly went very still and quiet - which was silly, since they were the only two left in the hallway. It was already quiet. She tilted her head. "Tell me, then."
The corner of his mouth curved, the slow beginning of a pleased grin as he seemed to instinctively lean into her. "Because it got to -"
Lily didn't give him a chance to finish - because she knew what he was going to tell her. She could imagine the words coming from his mouth, as if he really were jealous of an inanimate object. He was jealous that it got to touch her neck, that she got to place it against her lips.
She reached up and grabbed at the tie at the base of his neck, hauling him closer so that she could kiss him, hard.
He reciprocated in kind, walking her backward until she was pressed against the wall of the corridor, the sharp cold edges of the stone biting into her shoulder blades. His hands rose, one sliding against the side of her neck while the other trapped her hip, holding her in place as they fell into a heated snog.
Her hand remained secure around the width of his tie, using her other hand to slip into his robes, curling around his waist to pull him closer. She could feel the smooth, taut muscles of his back, the flex of them as he moved against her, as he pulled away from their kiss just so he could move his mouth along the curve of her jaw, retracing the path her quill had travelled not a half-hour ago.
Lily moaned at the pleasure of it, her hand clenching at his back, earning her a responding groan of his own. "God, you're fit," she huffed, eyes rolling backwards as he nipped at a sensitive spot.
"Fuck," he hissed, nipping a second time. The hand that gripped her hip beneath her robe slid further back, his fingers grasping at the flesh of her arse and subsequently pulling her harder against his front.
She sighed - his name, she was pretty sure - but they both froze at the sound of voices echoing further down the corridor. Students, younger by the sound of it, likely arriving for the next Transfiguration lesson.
James cursed, prying himself away from her with what looked like great effort. His eyes were bright, cheeks already flushed. His lips were swollen and red; she could only imagine what her own looked like.
He grinned, winded and pleased, but distinctly disappointed.
The sounds of students crescendoed just as he moved away to a respectful distance. Her quill had somehow still remained in his grip.
"See you later?" he asked, though it hadn't sounded like he expected a response.
Lily chewed on the inside of her cheek as she watched him walk backwards for as long as he could manage, the grin only brighter when he turned, hands stuffed into his pockets as he passed by the younger students - mostly 2nd Years, Lily recognized - who looked at him with slight awe and respect.
A few moments later, they passed by Lily, sharing kind greetings with the same sort of reverence (though less nervousness, she noticed). They noticed nothing amiss - though she was sure she looked a mess.
She took a brief moment to gather her bearings, smoothing her hair and adjusting her robes.
Lily couldn't even bring herself to be mad that James had taken her last quill.
James
James found himself in a constant state of euphoria the following days after he and Lily's Head Student Meeting.
One thing that James knew of himself was that he had always found himself to thrive in acts of service and mischief throughout the years. Now that he had reason to enact both, he felt as though he was untouchable, filled with perpetual bliss as the days passed.
Since the first snared meeting in the Transfiguration corridor, James had made it his personal objective to catch Lily off guard between classes - when he could manage, at least.
Some days, it was impossible - the Arithmancy classroom was nowhere near his Ghoul Studies lesson, but he'd be able to make up for it after lunch in the Great Hall. Or after their shared Potions class - or when they both had a free period where he'd found her in the Library, searching the stacks for a Charms book. Snogging until both of their lips were raw and they were left panting.
Sirius suspected something, James knew. And James would've been bursting to tell him but -
- But there was something about whatever was happening between him and Lily that he hadn't wanted to jinx. There was a small fragment in James's chest that worried; nervous that if he spoke this thing aloud, he'd lose it before he had a chance to truly enjoy it.
And so continued his artful diversions to find her, surprising until one afternoon, she surprised him.
It'd been just over a fortnight since their snogging had begun and he'd been too anxious to push for more since that first night they'd gone farther than kissing - and he'd sent the rest of the team up to the castle after Quidditch practice, volunteering himself to close up and lock the changing rooms.
He'd been just about to shut off the lights to the shower stalls when the door creaked open.
His neck cracked as he craned his neck to check who'd entered - and was shocked when he caught sight of her. "What -"
"How'd practice go?" Lily asked casually, leaning against the door frame. She'd ditched her school robe, leaving her in her school tie, blouse, and dark wool skirt.
"Great," he replied - wincing at what little voice he had left from shouting at the team.
Lily nodded to herself, pushing away from the frame to fully enter into the changing room, glancing this way and that curiously. "Think you'll beat Slytherin this Saturday?"
James watched as she wandered the space, her eyes roaming along the benches and lockers, noticeably pausing her gaze when it settled onto his own locker, where POTTER was taped at the top.
"I'd like to think so," he answered, enjoying the same tight, eager sensation that settled in his chest at their meetings. "Might help if we have the right fans in the stands cheering us on."
She laughed, finally raising her eyes to meet his. "Is that so?"
He shrugged, forcing himself to take a step towards her, against the wall of nerves that he had to fight through each time they'd met each other alone. "I'm confident it would help."
Her hand met the side of his locker as she surveyed its contents, reaching up to grab the pair of goggled-spectacles he saved for rainy practices or matches. "It's a good thing I already had plans to attend. Have to cheer on my favorite player, don't I?"
He could already read her teasing tone, pick up on where her next taunt was going to be. "Oh, yeah? Favorite player?"
"Of course," she said easily, replacing the goggles as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Marlene needs all the support she can get. She's awful nervous, I think."
He chuckled, having expected the exact jab. "I think Marlene would be lucky to have you cheer for her."
She faced towards his locker again, granting him the chance to admire her form freely; the length of her long, red hair falling to her waist along her back. Her shirt was still tucked in, despite the school day being over. One of the heels of her shoes rose off the floor as she studied the row of lockers, her toe tapping restlessly against the ground - one of her nervous habits.
Fuck, he could watch her for hours.
"Were you looking for McKinnon?" he asked glibly, reaching up to push his wet fringe away from his forehead, watching her movements as she turned, her own eyes following his figure just as closely. "You just missed her, actually."
"Damn," she murmured, smiling faintly as she leaned back against the edge of his locker. "I figured I'd walk with her back to the castle."
Her hands were tucked against her back as she propped herself against the side of his locker, the movement arching her back the slightest. The buttons of her blouse pulled taut.
"Seems like you're stuck with me, then," he replied softly, his feet now moving on their own accord, until he was settled directly in front of her. He reached an arm up to brace himself as he leaned closer, his fingers grasping onto the edge of his locker above her head.
"Seems like it," she agreed, her face already turned up towards his. The corner of her mouth lifted. "But perhaps we don't have to leave quite yet?"
"Not yet," he agreed, his gaze involuntarily dropping to her mouth. "Can I -"
"God, yes," she hissed, retrieving a hand from her back to grab at his shoulder, raising herself onto her toes to meet him halfway.
Inexplicably, she always tasted delicious - and he immediately knew he wouldn't be able to get enough.
James's hand immediately threaded into the hair at the base of her skull; at the space where it was the softest. His grip would always elicit a bodily response from her - though he was sure she hadn't realized it yet.
Whether it was a moan, or a rock of her hips, he was greedy for it, tracking each response to every action he'd make, silently cataloguing and swallowing for consumption and examination later on, when he was by himself and could appreciate her reactions.
Like the way she reacted as he slid his other hand across her back, down to her arse to knead the skin there from over her skirt. Her responding groan was swallowed by their kiss, but he could sense the urgency in her reaction this time, the way she rocked her hips forward.
Gods, she wanted him. She was kissing him. Her body was reacting to him .
The realization hit fresh as he pulled himself away from her kiss, moving to taste the skin along her jaw and sensitive throat. Here , she was just as responsive, her hand fisting into his hair to - maybe unknowingly - let him know if he was nipping at the right spot or not.
His teeth had just pressed against the spot behind her ear when she said something aloud - her tone breathy and dark.
James jolted, accidentally closing his teeth against her skin too tightly. "What?"
"Ow - shit -" she hissed, pulling away.
"Sorry," he murmured, licking apologetically at the tender spot, before pulling back to look at her as he blinked owlishly. "But - what did you say? I mean, can you repeat it?"
She laughed softly, tinged with a small hint of embarrassment as she sucked in her bottom lip. "I asked, can I touch you?"
"Merlin, yes," he said instantly, pressing forward to draw her back into another hard kiss, tongue sweeping behind her teeth in order to taste her properly.
James's body was keenly aware of her right hand as it travelled from its place at his back towards his front, the muscles of his stomach jumping as she pressed her palm against his lower stomach. He could feel the heat of her hand through the fabric of his shirt, then lower as she used her other hand to pull the fabric away so that she could grasp at the band of his jogger trousers.
He only pulled away from her kiss when he felt her hand move beneath the band, unable to stop himself from watching as her pale hand disappeared down the front, fingers neatly wrapping around his cock.
His hips jerked of their own accord, his body overwhelmed by the sensation of her warm grip. His hand retracted from her hair as he raised both arms to brace himself against the locker above her, the metal of the grating biting into his palms.
Enthralled, he watched from beneath his fringe as her hand slid up and down his length, testing the motion experimentally. When he felt her eyes on his face, he forced his own gaze to meet hers.
Her expression was one he promptly secured deep within his core memories; pupils blown wide as she bit her lip, curious and focused as she watched him. "Is this alright?"
"Fucking fantastic," he bit out, not quite trusting his voice to say more.
Her movements were evolving with confidence, her strokes more even and strong - as if she were studying his reactions to determine what he liked.
The very notion provoked a drawn-out moan that escaped from his chest without his approval. He shifted over her, leaning forward to press his face into the crook of his elbow to ensure his next moan could be somewhat muffled to preserve his dignity.
The act of self-preservation was immediately made futile as his new stance brought him closer to her - where she used this closeness to her advantage to press a solid, hot , open-mouthed kiss against the side of his exposed throat.
"Oh, fuck," he moaned, his hips jerking at the clashing thoughts of her hand on his cock, her mouth pressed against him - wet and warm.
"Does this feel good?"
"So good. Fuck."
"Can you come for me?" she murmured against the base of his throat as she pressed another kiss there, her warm breath fanning across the exposed skin and inducing gooseflesh.
He shuddered, biting his lip hard, wishing to draw it out. "Gods, Lily ."
"I want to feel it," she hummed, tightening her grip. "Please ."
Unable to deny her - or himself - further, it was easy to let go, his face dropping from the corner of his elbow in order to bury his nose into her hair, inhaling her scent deeply as his hips jerked erratically. The groan that escaped him as he came was at least somewhat muted by the cover of her hair.
"Jesus, Lily," he murmured into the curve of her neck, pressing a heavy kiss there before leaning away and reaching for his back pocket, casting a quick cleaning spell over her hands and himself.
She was flushed, watching him closely as he replaced his wand back into his pocket. "Did you like it?"
"Fucking fantastic," he confirmed, repeating his earlier words with a grin before he curled his hand back into her hair and pulled her up into a kiss.
His other hand slid down to her hip, around to the space just above her arse, kneading as he deepened the kiss. His fingers gathered the fabric until he could feel soft cotton and -
"It's alright," she said into the kiss, still breathless, still flushed.
"What?" he asked, taken aback. He studied her expression but couldn't find anything telling. "Can I -"
"Another time," she said instead, grinning wryly. Her eyes flicked towards the clock above the doorway. "Can't be getting caught out after curfew, can we?"
He followed her gaze, frowning. His fingers twitched against her backside. "I really want -"
Lily's hand traced down from his shoulder, following the lines of his arm until it reached behind her and she grabbed at his hand, threading their fingers together.
It was the first time they'd held hands.
He felt winded all the sudden, more than he'd been just moments ago with her hand wrapped around him.
Lily twisted out from in front of him, pulling him along with a small smile. "Walk me back to the castle."
He would never say no.