2 YEARS LATER

Ravenclaw house was throwing a party, hastily prepared, in order to celebrate our house Quidditch team winning the match against Slytherin. Somehow, despite my protests that I wanted no part of the mad rush to gather everything needed for the party, I was recruited to get the drinks for the party. Merlin, I really didn't want to. But it seemed that everyone else had something they were responsible for and so I had to play my part or risk being ostracised by the other members of the house. This really was the last thing I needed.

Of course, I'd complied but I wasn't even planning on attending this party – I had applications I needed to complete before the end of this week. This really was the most impractical time to have been throwing a house party, I grumbled to myself as I walked through the castle on my way back to the Ravenclaw common room after a successful trip down to Hogsmeade. But now that I had to carry the drinks – concealed with the help of multiple spells, I continued to throw rather inconspicuous glances around the me. The last thing I needed was for one of the Professors to find me because I wasn't sure I'd be able to hide it from them. This was the sort of task that should have been given to Lainey. If she were in my place she'd be striding confidently through the school as if nothing was wrong. She certainly would never have prompted suspicion if she'd come across a Professor.

Someone called my name, loud enough to make me jump and almost make me drop the alcohol. I held on firm, controlling my heart and then turning to find James approaching me, looking like he had never seen anything funnier. I narrowed my eyes at him, unimpressed by the way his grin widened teasingly.

"Not funny Potter."

"I disagree," he insisted, approaching me and falling into step beside me. But my frown continued and he sighed exaggeratedly, wrapping an arm around me, "Come on, love, smile."

"Don't 'love' me." I tried as inconspicuously as possible to hide the bag full of alcohol behind my back. Of course, this was James and he was the last person I expected to take points away from me. But if he was in a mischievous mood – and he clearly was – I couldn't put anything past him. "Just what are you doing scaring me like that?"

"Well what are you doing being so easily scared?" he shot back. "The way you were behaving, a first year would've scared you."

"Nothing," I deflected, giving James an innocent smile – the sort of smile that I'd realised over the space of the last two years could get me out of any issues with him. He was rather easy to appease. Although, a conversation with Lupin had assured me that was only the case when it was me that was trying to appease him. James, knowing what I was doing, laughed but took my hand. Cradling it between both of his, James continued to lead me toward the Ravenclaw common room.

"What exactly were you planning on doing if you were caught by someone else?" he wondered aloud, glancing affectionally towards me.

"Probably cry and say we'd broken up and that's why I was so out of it."

"Don't even joke about that." Another thing I'd realised over the past two years, James liked to whine. And often. I kept myself from teasing him about it, knowing that he would really begin to whine then. "You don't have an inconspicuous bone in your body. Anyone would've realised that you were up to something. I guess I know not to involve you in any plans we have."

"Please don't," I agreed as we finally approached the common room. "I don't think my heart would take the stress of having to lie. Maybe I should rethink my choice of boyfriend – stress seems to follow you everywhere."

Leaving James to pout behind me, I answered the riddle and entered the common room where the final preparations for the party had been completed. The party had yet to begin, and there were very few members of the other houses here but it seemed it was beginning a little early. It seemed James was the only Gryffindor here as of yet, but I was certain that everything would kick up a notch pretty soon.

I approached the table, preparing to set out the drinks but found myself quickly apprehended by seemingly every person in the common room who'd come over to get a drink. Quickly making my way through the crowd of people, I stumbled slightly in my haste but thankfully James was there to catch me before I fell and made a fool of myself.

"I wasn't planning on attending this party," I confessed to James who answered me with a simple look that told me there was no way I was going to be able to head up to the safety of my dorm to complete those applications.

"You've been too stressed out lately, take a single day off," he cajoled, arms coming around me as we walked out of the way of the stampede of people who seemed intent on getting off their face. When it looked like I was going to say something, he leaned in to press a lingering kiss to the corner of my mouth. Merlin, I knew I shouldn't have told him that the action made me little weak at the knees. "Come on, spend some time with me."

"Fine." I said it as if it was a great pain. But before he could lead me away, I happened to spy a group of fourth years who were helping themselves to something they should not have been drinking. "James – wait, stop pulling me away – we need to go and get them to stop. James."

"Let them enjoy themselves," he insisted with a laugh that I didn't appreciate. "You can enjoy yourself with me."