Sniffles

(Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling) XOXO

James Potter threw open the portrait to the Head's Dormitory absolutely seething, knocking over towers of textbooks to the floor and aggressively tugging his muddied jersey over his sopping hair. Rain droplets raced down his cheeks and clouded his lenses.

"Stupid Duncan. Bloody wanker," he grumbled to himself. The hearth in the back corner of the small common room was dying and his hazel eyes finally landed the figure laying on the rug. Covered in a thick quilt with only the top of her red hair poking out was a slumbering Lily Evans.

"Shit." James' quickly waved his wand to fix the fallen books and sent his dirty jersey to his bedroom. Slowly creeping to Lily on his tip toes, he leaned over the sofa to investigate. He couldn't see her face, but he was sure she was sleeping. She was laying on her left side, facing the fire.

"Incendio." The scarlet and dark orange embers twirled into a roaring flame, immediately heating the room. Slightly rousing from her sleep, Lily sniffled and coughed, her eyes were now peaking out from under her cover were still rested shut. Looking around, James accessed the situation. A cup of now cold tea was set on the coffee table behind her. There were sheets of parchment resting under her head and used tissues surrounding her entire form.

Lily Evans was sick.

James had never seen her sick before. Not a sneeze during spring time, no dry coughs in the winter. Not even an accidental night of too much firewhiskey ending with her head in the loo. Over almost seven years, Lily Evans had been healthier than a horse. A small smile played on James' wide lips.

Climbing onto the coffeetable and nestling his face right above her head, he whispered, "Evans," in a soft, sing-song tune.

A barley audible whimper escaped her throat.

"Oh, Evans," he repeated this time a bit louder.

Lily's eyes peeled open and blinked several times before realizing where she was. "Hmm?"

James chuckled and propped a large hand under his chin, still gazing down at his fellow Head. "Did you sleep on the floor?"

Her green eyes met his and she squeezed her eyes shut quickly. "Please let this be a dream."

"Uh, what?"

"I cannot possibly," sniffle, "be laying on the cold floor," sniffle, "and be bloody sick."

"Sorry love, I believe this is the reality we must accept. Now, please do explain why you are on the floor. I didn't even know you could get sick."

"I don't!" She sat up quickly and immediately regretted it. Pressure swelled against the middle of her forehead and she shivered. "I was studying for Charms and laid down just for a moment. I must've over slept." Her gaze turned to the dark night outside the window. "What time is it?"

"A little past eleven. Quidditch practice ran late."

"Eleven? Oh, no no no." She rose to her feet and wrapped the quilt around her shoulders. "I had plans!" Overwhelmed from the sudden motion, Lily had a coughing fit before getting dizzy.

"Evans? Are you ok?" James realized just how sick she was when he saw how she was obviously feverish and dehydrated.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just need a cup of tea, is all. Could you please show me the way to the couch?" Lily's eyes were closed shut as she swayed on her feet. The bottom half of her face was tucked into the blanket she squeezed close to her body. In her feverish stupid, she was disoriented.

"Hang on, just let me wade through this ocean of tissues first." James hopped off the tabletop and navigated Lily to the couch.

"I don't need the sass right now, Potter.

"You need a nice glass of water and a warm shower." Lily sat down on the couch and then immediately tipped over to her side, lying down. James' face fell. "Let me take you to Madam Pomfrey."

She shook her head gently. "If I go to Pomfrey, she will make me stay for at least a whole day. I'll lose twenty-four hours and this close to NEWTs I cannot risk that."

"You can study in bed!" Seeing Lily wince at his volume, he dropped his voice. "Or they will let you take them a week later. Evans, you know better than anyone that your health is important. What was that dragon pox and flu campaign for if you won't take your own advice?"

She tucked her feet under her. "That was for prevention. If you're already sick, following 'clean hands, warm socks, no dragon pox' will only get you so far."

He took a moment to reminisce on their joint health campaign earlier in the year. An outbreak of illnesses birthed the idea of "clean hands, warm socks, no dragon pox." Lily and James worked for weeks to make the tagline, posters and used rounds to hang them up around the school. He had wanted to also do a safe sex campaign using "Not only the wands in your pocket need their own sleeve!" But sadly, Lily disapproved of the idea saying that the younger years didn't need condom education just yet.

"Fine, no Pomfrey. But why don't you go lie down in bed and I'll bring you something to eat. How about some warm lemon water and a biscuit?"

She nodded and rose to her feet slowly. Lily shuffled and sniffled to her room. James could see her lie face down on her bed and cough into her pillow. Disinfecting the dormitory would be on his to-do list after putting her to bed.

Bringing her some remedies, James placed the tray down on her bedside table. "You need to get under the blankets. You're ice cold as it is and I'm quite concerned you'll freeze to death now that you've got the flu."

She groaned and slipped under the thick covers. He wanted to get her into some warm pajamas, but her untucked button down and school skirt did not look like they were coming off any time soon. She squirmed and sniffled until comfortable and wiped the hair out of her eyes, looking up at him. "Why are you being so kind? I heard you when you came in. You're angry about something."

"You flatter me, Evans. I simply just don't need a human bacterial hub on the floor of our shared living space. This is damage control." She raised an eyebrow. James let his shoulders sag. "I, uh got in a little spat about the Quidditch pitch practice times." He sat down on the edge of the bed.

Lily nudged his leg with her knee, motioning for him to go on.

"Duncan scheduled for Ravenclaw to practice from five to seven, but didn't begin their practice until seven. So, Gryffindor couldn't get pitch time until nine. I was just frustrated about getting home so late."

"Oh, shit." She looked up at him guiltily. "I think it's my fault he was late."

"What?" He knew Lily and Patrick Duncan had been dating for about a week, but now he was interested to why Lily thought this was her fault.

She sniffled. "I was supposed to meet with him for a date, but I was already passed out. He must've been looking for me everywhere and lost track of time."

James didn't want to tell Lily the real reason Duncan was late, or why James was sporting a well-hidden shoulder sprain. Honestly, James got to the pitch early to get the locker room ready for their pre-practice meeting and he caught Duncan in the showers with Kathryn Bullnor. It probably wasn't his proudest moment ambushing Duncan as he left the locker room and pouncing on him until Kathryn screamed enough to alert the rest of the Ravenclaw team. After Hudson Wies retaliated for Duncan and got a few good hits in, James returned home to Duncan's girlfriend asleep on the floor while he was shacking up with a half-decent Hufflepuff.

Staring into Lily's eyes, he knew that if he told her what he had happened, she would never believe him let alone trust him ever again. So, he smiled and winced when she grabbed his hand.

"That doesn't make it your fault, Evans. Duncan should've checked up on you here."

Her eyes averted down to the edge of the comforter. "I honestly was hiding out. I thought I liked Patrick, but I feel like it's more of a friendship right now." She looked up at James. "I mean, sometimes its better to be friends."

James chose to believe she was just talking about Duncan. Of course, Lily and him had a history of teases and pranks and crushes (mostly his own), but he knew the last year had changed things. She was basically his best friends besides the boys and sometimes it was nice to get her perspective over the Marauders. She was so level-headed compared to the many feelings of his mates'.

"I'm sorry you had to practice so late because of me." Her encapsulating eyes were staring up at him and he immediately knew he would follow this girl anywhere.

"Don't worry about it, Evans. Just please tell me you didn't infect the entire common room."

She raised a pale finger to her chin and considered the question. "Hmm, I may have forgotten to sneeze on your bathroom door handle. But," she began to sit up slowly, "I can go do the now if you want."

James lightly pressed her shoulders back down. "Really no need for that. You're too generous."

Lily laughed and coughed into her fist. "Oh, come on Potter. You're not really scared of germs, are you?"

His breath caught as he gazed down at her glowing face. The tousled threads of her red hair, her bowed top lip and her fuller lower. The way her freckles danced across her nose with every breath. "Not even a little bit."

Her eyes closed for a millisecond before baring into his. In a barely audible whisper she teased, "prove it." She only had half a breath before his soft lips landed on her own. It was gentle and slow, everything that had been building-up all year was released in the kiss.

James leaned back from the kiss just so their noses were barely touching. "I think I need a pair of warm socks right about now."

"Don't forget to wash your hands, too." Lily smiled and rested her cold hand on the back of his neck, bringing him down again to her greedy mouth.