Lily

The following days after the Library Incident were filled with many incidents.

There was the Broom Closet Incident, In the broom closet on the fifth floor, the Kitchens Incident in the kitchens after patrol (when all the house elves had already gone to bed, of course), and a few times in their Head Office space - which Lily immediately regretted as it occurred to often to properly name them.

Lily had honestly tried to not want him - not want this - because she knew it'd be messy, and confusing, and complicated. But all she could find in herself was a simple desire, now that they'd started.

As if she hadn't had a hard enough time pretending the first incident had happened there at the desk - and he hadn't even properly touched her at the time.

Now , she had to sit and act like James hadn't done tremendous things with his hands the night before, in the very seat she sat in at the moment, the edge of the wooden chair biting in the back of her bare knees.

She'd glare at him if she could, but she had to complete her review of point forms so they weren't so behind.

"You mind if I take off a bit early?" James suddenly asked, his tone apologetic.

"Sorry?" she asked after a moment, needing to re-read the form in her hand. 10 points for having mismatched socks? She'd had to have a chat with Susie about point-taking.

"Would it be alright if I leave a bit early?" he repeated with a grin once she finally looked at him. She glanced up at the clock; it was late. "I promised the others I'd meet them."

"Were you able to finish looking over the schedule for next month?"

"Of course," he smiled, nodding his chin where it sat at the corner of the desk. "Want me to post it on the way out?"

"That'd be great," she murmured, dropping her eyes onto her point form in order to look away from where his throat was exposed.

"You sure it's alright to leave?" She could hear the tone of mischievousness in his voice. Nearly feel it.

"Get out of here," she ordered with faux sternness. "Before I make you stay behind and finish these point forms."

"Yes, ma'aam," he said slyly and she looked up in time to see his wink.

With his back turned, she was able to watch him unrepentantly. He'd arrived without his robe, leaving her to admire the slow of his shoulders beneath his taut white school shirt, his arse in his fitted trousers.

She watched him till the door shut behind him, granting herself at least a twenty-second reprieve of silence, before pressing her fingers into her temples.

"What the hell is happening?" she murmured to herself, eyes shut tight.

"I'd like to know that myself," sounded from the door.

Startled, Lily jerked her head up, catching sight of Sirius standing in the doorway - not James, as she would've hoped - casually leaning against the door jamb.

Unimpressed, she dropped her gaze back to the forms in front of her, shuffling them into a neater pile. "He's just left, you know, if you're looking for James."

"Oh, I know," he said smoothly, pushing himself from the door as he entered the room, hands in trouser pockets and all cool-mannered. "I waited till he left."

Lily looked back up at him with narrowed eyes, setting down the parchment. "Why?"

Sirius approached, casually leaning against the desk where James had sat just moments ago "I think you know why."

For a brief moment, Lily wondered if James had told him - they'd only previously broached the topic once before, but he'd told her that no one knew. She'd believed him - but perhaps she'd been wrong to do so.

"He hasn't told me," Sirius declared, having read her face. "But I've managed to pick up on subtle… clues."

Lily remained silent, shuffling the parchments again.

"And yet… you aren't denying anything."

"You haven't made any accusations."

"Do I need to?" Sirius asked slyly. "You've organized the same pile at least three times."

"It's out of order," she said defensively. "Are you here for any other reason than to antagonize me?"

"Nope. That was really the only reason, Evans. I find it extremely amusing to see you squirm."

"It's like you and James are cut from the same cloth," she muttered, reaching out to cap her inkwell.

Sirius clicked his tongue. "Not quite, I fear. I think James's preference of making you squirm is much different than mine."

"Black."

He pushed himself off from the table, his grin catlike and potently pleased. "Ta for the chat, Evans!"

"I'm going to murder you," she hissed at his back, tempted to toss the inkwell at him.

He left before she had the chance to.

Lily tried to ignore the heat that had risen in her face, huffing and pulling apart the stack of point forms that still needed to be reviewed.

It'd only take her half the night to complete them - and discard the ones that aren't legitimate.

She ordered them by house first - then by year. She found that while the younger Prefects were less serious about point-deducting - she'd get through the rest of the 5th and 6th Year's first, leaving the easier 7th Years for last, saving her time.

But her eyes were starting to blur by the fourth one she reviewed and signed off on.

She'd rest them for just a few before she'd finish the rest of them. She drowsily cast an alarm-charm to ensure she'd wake up in ten minutes. Easy.

Lily rested her forehead on her forearms where she'd crossed them on the desktop and closed her eyes. Ten minutes.

Fifteen minutes, tops, maybe.

"Hey," someone whispered near her ear. "Evans. Wake up."

She hummed, rolling her head against her arms towards the voice, but refusing to open her eyes. "I've still got time."

"Your alarm's been going off, Evans," James's voice whispered - and she could indeed hear the low hum of it.

She groaned, reaching out blindly to grab at her wand and disarm the spell. "What time is it?"

"Early," he murmured and she felt his hand on her shoulder. "Or - late - I guess, depending on the way you look at it."

Lily groaned again, lifting her head slightly as she fought to open her eyes. A touch reached out, smoothing her hair back from her face. "James?"

"Evans," he grinned and she woke up enough to notice him leaning over her, his hand resting on the back of her chair.

She squinted her eyes to examine him in the lowlight of the sunrise filtering through the window, nearly a blue tint, and then stiffened when she caught sight of a cut high across his cheek, a cut lip.

"Potter?" she demanded, straightening in her seat, more awake than before. "What's happened to you?" Now properly conscious, she caught the bright-eyed look of him, his wild hair and disheveled appearance.

He laughed, sounding as breathless as he looked. "Nothing," he said, but it wasn't assuring. "Did you fall asleep here?"

She looked at the desk, her unfinished point forms. "I suppose .. I did."

James chuckled, the hand on her shoulder slipping into her loose hair. "Didn't look very comfortable, Evans."

"It wasn't," she admitted wryly, her voice raspy from sleep.

His hand moved from her hair to the back of her neck, kneading gently. "I can help with that," he said, his voice dropping.

Despite the sudden jump in her heart rate, her eyes narrowed. "Hold on, what's happened to your face, James?"

He grinned, his eyes still bright. "It's nothing," he repeated, using the hand on the back of her chair to pull it away from the desk, and stooped to his haunches in front of her.

"James," she complained, unimpressed.

James dropped his hand to her thigh, sliding the other back into her hair so that he could pull her forward, catching her lips in a kiss that turned heat very quickly.

His name out of her mouth the next time was more of a moan. Any worry she had regarding his split lip was temporarily suspended, as she leant forward into the kiss just as he shifted onto his knees in front of her, the height difference nearly unnoticeable.

The kiss was turning fervent, wild, and Lily almost struggled to keep up with the pace of it, inhaling deep breaths through her nose and taking in the smell of him; fresh air, dirt, and boy. Her hands raised, threading into the tangle of his curls as she fought to match his gusto, but assuredly feeling her body's temperature rise to meet the need of his.

"James," she murmured, widening her legs to pull him closer.

"Fuck," he murmured against her mouth, pivoting to trace a line with kisses from her cheek to her ear, then down to the exposed skin of her throat. He expertly unfastened the buttons of her blouse, exposing her chest to the chilled air - quickly replacing the draft of cold air with the press of his lips against her collarbone, down her sternum.

"God," she hummed, tilting her head back and enjoying the sensations as he tugged her undone shirt from the top of her skirt, exposing her chest completely to reveal her simple cotton bralette.

His mouth found a breast from over the fabric, as he continued to knead and massage the untouched one with his hand. James's other hand moved to flip up her skirt to uncover her thighs, his hand sliding up between them till he met the fabric of her underwear.

Lily gasped, forcing herself to straighten her neck so that she could look down at him, at the way his hooded eyes looked back at her, with a pleased smirk as he pressed a firm kiss to her breast. The grip of her fingers tightened automatically in his hair and he groaned in reaction, eyelids fluttering as he reached to expose her breast completely and pull her nipple into his mouth.

She arched up into him, letting her head fall back until her shoulders met the back of her chair. The hand between her thighs was nearly forgotten until he began to trace circles at her clit over the fabric. She moaned, rocking her hips to meet the rhythm of his hand. "Please," she moaned.

"I've got you," his voice murmured against her, his lips moving erratically over her skin as he spoke. "I can't wait to see you come, love."

"Jesus," she whispered, eyes rolling back as his fingers finally slipped beneath the trim of her knickers and touched her where she wanted him to. One finger slid into her smoothly, the movement effortless with how wet she already was, before he quickly added a second - his own body attuned to the type of motions she craved. "God, James. "

Her legs widened of their own accord as she tilted her hips, searching for the release she'd been greedily accepting multiple times over the past few days. Needy, restless, her hands fell away from his hair to grasp onto the chair beneath her, one hand reaching behind herself to brace against the back of the chair.

"You're so fucking gorgeous," he murmured at the spot between her breasts, his breath fanning down across her bare stomach as he pulled away

"Please, James," she moaned with her eyes closed, urging him to quicken his pace. "God, I can feel it -"

Something unbelievably warm and soft pressed her clit, despite his consistent hand movements.

Her breath stuttered as her head flew up in shock, catching sight of his face between her thighs when she managed to focus her gaze. "What are you -"

"Touching you," he said easily, simply, his warm breath traveling over her - the feel of it highly indecent and carnal.

James pressed his mouth against the top of her slit a second time, pressing firmly with his lips. "Tasting you," he clarified in a whisper against her.

God, his lips against her bare breast had been heavenly - but something about him pressing a third - and then fourth kiss to her clit was exquisitely staggering.

"Fuck," she hissed, her head falling back again.

"Is this okay?" he asked from between her legs, the words pressing against her through the means of his lips.

"Yes," she answered with a moan as he began to quicken the pace of his fingers inside of her, working in tandem with each salacious press of his lips, until - inevitably, she knew it was going to happen - his tongue swiped against her.

Her hips pitched up on their own accord, seeking the bizarrely pleasurable sensation, the feel of his mouth, lips, tongue against her quickly tipping her into the path of an impending orgasm.

"God," she gasped, fingers digging painfully into the wood of her chair. "Please, tell me you're touching yourself."

He groaned against her, the vibration of it sending further spirals of pleasure against her. "Fuck, Lily, yes."

She didn't doubt him, moaning in response to the idea of him in front of her on his knees between her thighs, his hand wrapped around his cock as he pumped himself.

"I'm going to - " she whined.

He hummed in encouragement against her, his fingers working within her as he strengthened the pressure against her clit with his tongue, the movement beatific as she felt the swell of her orgasm wash over her, the rush of it causing her to arch her back.

His responding moan against her was all she needed to know that he'd gotten to make himself come at the same time he managed to get her to orgasm.

"Fuck," she sighed, easing her body into a more proper seated position, upsetting the position of his fingers inside of her. He retracted his hand - and she slid forward to the edge of the chair until she could drop into his lap languidly, fully aware of the mess at both of their crotches as she settled her knees on each side of his hips. He gasped - and she could feel his cock, still hard, pressing against the sensitive center of her through her damp underwear.

"Fuck," he agreed, his hands slipping up to hold her against him.

She leaned down to slant her mouth over his, capturing his lips in an unhurried, lazy kiss, enjoying the way he moaned into her mouth as she threaded her hands back into his hair.

"Gods, you're amazing," he murmured against her lips once they'd broken apart, both winded and out of breath.

"What time is it?" she asked in a whisper.

He smirked. "Early."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but unable to fully muster up true annoyance. "Early enough to get changed?"

"Plenty of time," he assured, arching his neck to kiss her again.

After two of them, she leaned back. "Don't think this doesn't make me forget what happened to your face."

"Never," he said with a wry grin, somehow skillfully maneuvering them so that he stood up in one smooth movement, his hands under her arse as he hauled her up with him. He set her on the edge of the desk. "But I suppose you want to look somewhat decent if there's anyone already out."

She did glare this time. "You said it was early."

"Last I checked, it was early," he teased. "Until I was distracted."

Lily scoffed, shoving at him lightly so that he stepped out from between her legs. "Don't make me curse you," she murmured, reaching down to re-fasten the buttons of her blouse, smooth out her skirt.

James had already cast a Cleaning Charm over himself, pulling the zipper up on his trousers and holding his hand out of her to take so that he could help her down from the table.

She accepted it, sliding off the table and standing on unsteady legs.

He smirked.

"Shut it," she ordered with a barely-restrained smile, tugging at his hand towards the door.

James

He felt indestructible. Like he was walking on air and no one could touch him.

It felt better than flying

And that, he knew, coming from his own mind, was saying something. Since the first time Lily let him touch her - properly touch her, that is - in the library that night, he had a single objective set.

Well, two, really.

One; try to get Lily to come as fast and efficiently as possible.

Two; do not mess it up.

And so he'd been successful at both so far, he thought. And now that he's had an actual taste of her?

"Potter," called McAvory, the Defense teacher.

"Yes, sir," he replied easily, a grin on his face.

"Ready to pay attention?"

"Always; sir," he confirmed, adjusting in his chair so he sat straighter.

The door slammed open, startling a large majority of the students in their seats. Through the doorway entered Moody, the Auror.

"Hello," he said gruffly, glaring at them with a mean glare that would've scared any 3rd year or younger. Moody shuffled forward, a limp in his right foot obvious. "Suppose you all know why I'm here."

The classroom teetered, their heads craning as they watched the weary-faced Auror amble towards the front of the room.

"I gather Dumbledore thought I'd be able to come in here and inspire you lot - but I suppose I'm actually here to scare you off," he revealed gruffly, setting himself onto the professor's desk at the front of the classroom. "Working as an Auror is nasty business. But I assume you all think the same that being an Auror has the same goal; catch any dark wizard you come across."

"Well, isn't it?" Sirius called from the back where he and James sat, his smirk in place. "Catch them and throw them in Azkaban?"

"Aye, that's a part of it, Mr. -" Moody squinted towards where Sirius straightened - "Black, is it?"

Sirius's mouth dropped open. "How -"

"Being an Auror means knowing things, Mr. Black. Being smart and cunning. Knowing your enemy. Being smart when you finally catch up to them."

"Well, what's that mean, then?" Sirius asked, unimpressed. "Doing homework ."

"Of course," Moody spat, as if it were obvious. He surveyed the room, his eyes scanning the faces of the students as he leaned back with his arms crossed. His eyes settled on - Lily. "Ah, Miss Evans," he said gruffly; the tint of his tone familiar. "Please tell the rest of the class what defensive spell you should cast if cornered by an opponent."

Involuntarily, James's head swung towards her desk out of curiosity.

There was a hint of a smile she was fighting against as she responded, "Expelliarmus, sir," she answered confidently. "Simple, but effective."

Moody winked at her. James's brows rose.

"Evans is correct," Moody confirmed. "While most assume an offensive approach may be the quickest way to defeat your opponent, it's actually the quickest way to die."

The seriousness with which he said the statement caused a hushed silence to fall over the 7th Years.

It must've landed as Moody intended, his eyes scanning over the group as if to dare them to say otherwise.

"What's the worst curse you've ever been hit with?" Sirius asked, breaking the seriousness of the atmosphere with the curious, cocky question.

Moody chuckled. "How long do we have?"

They spent the next 45 minutes hearing Moody regale them with tales of his conquests; the worst, the easiest, and the ones that left him with the most visible scars.

James listened, of course - he still very much was considering joining the Ministry of Magic - but his eyes continued to stray towards Lily, where she sat with her eyes glued onto the Auror.

They had patrols that evening.

"Do you know Moody?" James asked her curiously.

She shrugged with a wry smile. "Can anyone say they know Moody? After all those stories he's told?"

"Dumbledore," James took a guess.

Lily chuckled. "Yes, I suppose he probably does. And is how I met Moody. Dumbledore had him help with some of my Defense lessons last year."

"At your house?"

She shook her head. "Dumbledore would let us practice in the unused classrooms."

James narrowed his eyes. " Here? " he asked. "But you never -"

"I wasn't really meant to interact with anyone," she cut him off. "Just in and out. For my safety."

"They were worried about you getting attacked?"

Lily shrugged again. "I'm a Muggleborn, James. Dumbledore just wanted to be cautious."

"So then, why come back if it's so dangerous?" He asked bluntly, but truly curious. "You said before, on the train, you wanted to, but…"

"I'm better prepared this time," she said plainly.

The vision of her pale, ashen face flashed before James's eyes and he frowned. He thought of the blood that had stained his jumper, the one still in his drawer back at home.

"Besides," she said lightly, slipping her fingers between his to tug him along. "I'm not alone now, am I?"

The touch of her hand against his already had his heart beating irregularly. "You aren't," he agreed, allowing her to pull him along.

He wanted to press further about her meetings with Moody, about what other types of lessons Dumbledore had her complete the year prior - but her mischievous smirk had him distracted.

"I thought I heard something from that broom cupboard. Should we check?"

His grin was impossible to hide as he suddenly quickened his pace to catch up to her, using the grip on her hand to spin her back towards him. She gasped as he used the momentum to haul her up against him, guiding her legs around his hips.

"Better be thorough," he said grimly, already kneading the flesh of her arse from beneath her skirt as he carried her towards the door of the cupboard.

Lily hummed, sliding her hands around his shoulders, slanting her mouth over his. "Please be thorough," she murmured.

He was.