Chapter 9

I gnawed on my bottom lip as I stared at the blank piece of parchment placed in front of me. A cool breeze drifted through the half-opened window and I breathed in deeply to calm my inner turmoil.

It was way past midnight and I did feel tired, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep a wink. Everything that happened from the point I was picked up from Kings Cross' to dinner till now played through my mind on repeat, my stomach churning and my chest constricting to a point I almost felt sick.

Sighing deeply, I watched small droplets sink into the skin of the parchment as I sniffed, wrinkling it slightly. 'I should have stayed at Hogwarts,' I thought, giving up the attempt to write a letter to James or anyone for that matter and throwing myself on my bed.

The days passed by in a blur and with each first light of the day and each sparkle of stars in the night I felt more and more exhausted, barely mustering up the strength to go down and eat, only going when I was required to and otherwise asking the faithful house elf to fetch me something I wouldn't eat anyways.

I wrote half-hearted letters to my friends, packing up their Christmas presents that I had picked long before the first snow had settled on the ground – I mentally patted my past self for this – and sending them over on the respective days. Responses came frequently and I smiled as I read them – the only time I smiled. The letters were mostly from James complaining about the lack of letters even if they were the ones I responded to the most. Besides him, I got a few from Marlene and Alice, one from Lily and even Remus for Christmas – both sending me a huge pile of sweets, mainly Chocolate from the latter.

Marlene sent me a perfume she deemed to be necessary in my daily routine now that I was in a relationship and Alice gifted me a book about the history of the Montrose Magpies. Her thoughtfulness surprised me and simultaneously warmed me inside. I almost felt bad for only getting her a Muggle baking book, having overheard her talking excitedly about wanting to try out baking the Muggle way.

James sent me a pair of warm gloves and new goggles "to be prepared for the upcoming Quidditch matches". I only realised the Heating Charm the gloves had when I put them on, my lips quirking up at that. "You better not doubt my magic skills after this. The Charm is as permanent as my affection for you…"

'That sap,' I thought, feeling uplifted for the first time after almost a whole week. It was simple yet thoughtful gift with a personal insider we shared. Perfectly perfect. And apparently the goggles were from Sirius, which made me glad that I had gotten him a gift after a brief contemplation; a Muggle book called 'Grimm's Fairy Tales'.

Finding gifts for everyone was quite easy but for James' my mind had come up empty-handed. I had wracked my brain for days on end until I chose to use an Extension Charm on a small treasure box and fill it with his favourite sweets and some prank material from Zonko's.

'My dearest Cec,

thank you oh so much for your affectionate gift, I shall treasure is forever! Got it? Treasure the treasure box? I'm a genius.
I also hope you've tried on the gloves and trained for the upcoming Quidditch matches because practice starts on the first day

Just joking (not).

Anyways, how are you doing? I hardly feel like I'm hearing anything from you. All the letters are always about me and my wellbeing and as much as I like talking about myself - because I really do - I'm perhaps slightly concerned about your lack of response on your wellbeing. So, tell me, is everything alright? Do you need me to be your knight in shining armour and whisk you off from any stepmothers? (yes, I read the book you gave Sirius, he's got his nose stuck in it permanently, what have you done to my best mate?!) That aside, I await a full twelve inches report on your current status, or I will personally come over to ensure you are alright.

There is also a New Year's party at my home, my parents always invite a tremendous amount of people I've never seen before so it would be nice to have a familiar face around and definitely nicer than watching Sirius snog some girl's face off. Say yes, I don't accept any other answer. This way you can also see your gift to me in action! And your parents are - of course - invited, too.

I can't wait to see you again! Gotta show off my new gifts!

Love, James'

A smile unconsciously tugged up the corners of my lips as I read through his letter once and twice, relishing in the warmth of his words.

"Ms. Grant," Minzy, the house elf popped into the room, disturbing the somewhat peaceful atmosphere, "Mr. and Mrs. Grant expect you for dinner tonight."

The smile vanished from my face. "Alright, I'll be there soon," I said quietly, sighing after she left with a bow. I quickly combed through my hair with my fingers as I made my way downstairs as slowly as possible.

"Cecily, there you are, dear," Mother greeted me warmly, a usual uneasy smile on her lips.

"Mom, Dad," I said tonelessly, watching her face fall. I didn't even dare looking in the direction of the only male in this room. Thankfully, Minzy popped in to serve the food and successfully break the short yet tense silence.

"Have you done anything nice today?" Mother tried to start a conversation as the only sound were forks and knives scraping over plates.

I shrugged slightly, "Nothing much. Read some letters, sorted out through the Christmas gifts." Her green eyes lit up, "Did you see our gift? A full equipped first aid kit! It's charmed so everything fits in there, from Dragon steak to Bubotuber pus and Skele Gro-"

"Why do you even bother?" Father interrupted her, "She obviously doesn't care anyways." I flinched inwardly at the bitter tone. "Rather be playing Quidditch than doing something useful with her life," he grumbled.

"Love," Mother said quietly, placing a hand on his placatingly.

"It was very nice, thank you," I replied, gritting my teeth, "Very useful when you get hurt during a Quidditch match." I could practically see my mother deflate as her husband sucked in a sharp breath, his face turning red. Turning towards him for the first time I watched him warily, wondering if this was yet another one of those time where I had overstepped an invisible line. He glared at me harshly and the fury behind his dark eyes made physically recoil into my seat, my body fully remembering what usually followed with that look.

"Frank," Mother spoke warningly this time, squeezing his hand. Something in my face - probably the blatant fear - must have stopped him from doing anything as his gaze softened slightly. I almost thought I saw something like regret, but he broke the eye contact, huffing indignantly. "Ungrateful child," he muttered, biting into his steak.

I slowly breathed out, relaxing slightly into my seat.

"I also got an invitation to a New Year's party," I spoke up again after a while, figuring now would be as good as any other time to bring that up, "You are invited."

"Oh really? From whom?" Mother asked pleasantly, taking a sip of her wine.

"The Potter's," I replied, causing her to raise her eyebrows.

"That's nice. We always get an invitation from them," she said to my surprise.

"We never went to any of their parties?" I wondered with furrowed eyebrows.

"Well, obviously we work during New Year's. The accidents are more frequent, and every helping hand is needed," Mother explained and I nodded, "Euphemia and Fleamont always invite us anyways. Though I haven't got an invitation for this year, yet…"

"James wrote me to tell you we are invited," I said as nonchalantly and swiftly as possible, but it caught her attention nonetheless.

"James? Their son?"

"Yup."

"Oh? How nice of him," Mother said, a sly grin spreading on her face. I felt my face burning already as she leant forward interestingly, "Since when are you on writing terms with James Potter?"

"Since...this break," I mumbled into my cup. She raised an eyebrow, the grin never faltering, "I see. Anything I should know as your mother?"

"Or me as your father?" Father piped up, puffing out his chest.

"No, nothing. We are just-" I interrupted myself when I remembered that it was not exactly nothing, "Actually, we are together," I ended lamely.

Mother squealed like a teenage girl whilst Father frowned. "Merlin, how exciting! Your first boyfriend! How dare you not immediately tell me about this!"

"We only got together recently," I explained, sinking into my seat. Merlin, could any other parent be this embarrassing? I was glad no one else was around, "Just before the break officially."

"Oh dear, you have to tell me everything! Your first meeting, your first date, your first kiss!"

"First kiss?!" Father spluttered into his drink, "There is no first kiss! Not until you are thirty!"

I gave him a look. 'No wonder, I've been single for so long.'

"Frank, don't be like that," Mother scolded him, her glee not faltering the least, "She is sixteen, she is allowed to have some fun."

"Ha-have some fun?!" Father stuttered; his eyes wide in panic. He slammed his cutlery down before pointing a wagging finger at me, "Young lady, if I see any grandkids running around before I turn sixty-"

Sweet Merlin..

"Merlin, Frank! I didn't mean that!" Mother giggled, slapping his arm strongly enough to make him yelp. She sobered up slightly, reconsidering, "We should probably talk about that though..."

"Alright, I'm heading to bed!" I announced loudly, standing up before they could embarrass themselves any further.

Mother pouted slightly, "You are leaving already?" I hesitated. She straightened up at the silence, giving me a small but warm smile, "Alright, go ahead. And even if your father and I can't go, feel free to attend the party of that boyfriend of yours." She winked and I nodded, quickly leaving whilst Father started protesting.

Shutting the door to my room behind me, I breathed out in relief before I paused for a minute. 'Huh, that was a surprisingly normal dinner.'

Tugging at the dark blue dress, I adjusted the sleeves slightly as I scrutinised my reflection in the mirror. It was a simple, modest piece - nothing too fancy. My hair was down and straight as usual and I attempted to put on a bit of makeup before giving up quickly in fear of turning myself into a clown.

My parents had long left for work and the party would start in a few minutes. After consulting with Marlene - who was invited as well - I had to wait at least half an hour to be fashionably late. She would also get here with the Floo Network so we could arrive together, and I wouldn't be standing alone. At this point, I was really grateful to have her help me out even though she only started to when James came into the picture.

A loud thump could be heard from downstairs before Minzy popped into the room, announcing, "Ms. Grant, Ms. McKinnon has arrived."

"Merlin, this blasted Floo Network! My dress is ruined!" I heard Marlene curse and grinned.

"I figured," I replied dryly, following her as she traipsed down the stairs. She would be apparating us to the Potter household.

"There you are!" Marlene greeted me, giving me a once over, "You look good-"

"Thanks!"

"-by your standards."

I gave her a look, causing her to laugh and throw an arm around me, "I'm just joking. You look really good. If only you would dress up more often..."

"Jeez, you sound like my mother," I grumbled, taking a hold of Minzy's tiny finger and bracing myself for the spin.

With our stomachs churning and our heads spinning we arrived at the front of the Potter Manor. "I have no idea how I'm going to learn Apparation," Marlene muttered through her hand, her face slightly green.

I thanked Minzy before she disapparated, asking her to get us an hour after midnight just as the door opened behind us.

"There you are!" Sirius' voice bellowed across the Potter's property, causing us to turn towards him and James. My breath hitched slightly upon seeing his handsome features, enhanced in formal attire but still with the ever so messy mop of hair. "About time you get here! Almost everyone else has arrived already!" Sirius commented as we walked up to them, rolling his eyes, "Ladies these days. Taking hours to dress up."

"You needed over an hour," James pointed out as he greeted me with a tight hug and a small whispered 'hello, love'. A smile naturally blossomed on my face and I ignored Sirius' complaining as I held onto the boy just as tightly, relishing in the warm and secure feeling he gave me.

"Everything alright?" he asked, chuckling when I refused to let go, "Come on, we gotta head to the tent in the backyard. It's warmer there." I doubted that anywhere could be warmer than in his embrace but reluctantly dropped my arms, wrapping one around his elbow instead.

"Hello to you too, Ms. Grant," Sirius greeted me obnoxiously when I only gave him a grin and a 'hi', "Nice to feel the fondness you have for me."

"Oh, don't sulk, Sirius. I'm sure, some girl will be happy to shower you with her affection tonight," I responded as i hooked my other arm around Marlene, who shot the handsome boy a dark look when he offered his elbow, "Don't even think for a second, that girl is gonna be me."

"Aw," Sirius simply pouted. We walked across the hallway and the living room, me slightly marvelling at the homely interior, whilst James slid the door open to the large backyard. A tent over ten times larger than normal covered almost the entire land, light flickering from in-between the flaps. As soon as we got inside, we were surrounded by a crowd with loud chatters and music gracing our ears, the atmosphere light and joyful. I smiled when I saw a few people dancing around in front of a band singing on a small stage whilst others clapped along, talked in groups or nibbled on some snacks by the snack table. My mouth watered at all the delicious food displayed and felt James chuckle next to me.

"Just how did I know the food table would be the one thing catching your attention," he said amused as he led us over to it. I smiled sheepishly, "You know me too well."

"It feels like I do," he replied, handing me a plate as he surveyed me almost critically, "But you've gotten thinner."

I almost rolled my eyes, "It's only been a little over a week since you've last seen me."

"All the more alarming why you've obviously lost a lot of weight," he retaliated, piling up my plate with a bit of everything.

"I can get my own food," I protested lightly, feeling like a child but also touched at his caring nature.

"Who says it's only for you?" he grinned with a wink and in that moment, he looked too devilishly handsome for me to handle. I ducked my head, biting my lip harshly to prevent a too wide grin splitting my face at the giddy feeling I had missed during the break.

"Leave some for the rest of us, will you?" a voice called out to us and I turned to see Remus approach us with Peter on his tail, wide smiles present on each face.

"Moony! Wormtail! You made it!" James greeted them joyously, letting go of me to pull them both in a hug.

"Of course, we did. Wouldn't miss this for the world," Remus commented, greeting Marlene and me with a nod after he hugged it out with Sirius, "Potter's New Year's parties are always the best."

" And we would never dare to reject an invitation from Mrs. Potter," Peter added, taking a cup of pumpkin juice from the table, "She can bloody terrifying."

"Oi, that's my mother you are talking about!" James exclaimed, slapping the back of his head. "Ouch!"

"He isn't wrong, though," Sirius mused, barking out a laugh as his best mate's glare turned to him, "Did you forget what happened after we smashed a Bludger through the neighbour's window?"

James' glare faltered as he gulped, obviously reliving the memory. "Yes. Nevermind."

"Why, what happened?" I questioned and he quickly shook his head, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "I will tell you some other. Let's get some food in us first."

The evening passed in joyful chatter, funny stories and delicious food. I managed to not embarrass myself that much, only once when I choke on my Firewhiskey at the unexpected intense burn, not used to the more expensive kind, which got everyone bursting out in laughter. At some point, James managed to convince us all to dance after a song from his favourite band 'The Hobglobins' came up. Everyone groaned but complied and I let him drag me towards the floor with a laugh as he immediately started flailing his limbs around goofily, entertaining not only us but everyone around us. The crowd on the dance floor grew larger throughout the night, the air more humid until it got too tight to actually move properly and I took a hold of Marlene to drag us to the edge of the crowd after losing sight of the boys.

"Merlin, I love this night," Marlene giggled, obviously tipsy as she stumbled on her heels whilst throwing her arm around my shoulders, "I'm glad I came this time. It's so much fun!"

Laughing I nodded, opening my mouth to reply when she cut me off with a groan, "My heels are killing me though. I'm gonna head to our table and get something to drink. You coming?"

I shook my head, "No, I'm gonna get some fresh air, it's so warm in here."

"Agreed, I might do that later," Marlene mumbled, pushing herself off me to stumble towards our table with a wave over her shoulder, "See you!"

"Don't drink anymore of that Firewhiskey," I called out to her, laughing as she flipped me off. Just then a rather slow song came up, causing most people to disperse from the crowd and make space for the couples swaying around.

"There you are!" I heard James's exclaim as I started walking towards a loose flap of the tent to slip out of, "Where are you running of to? You haven't danced with me, yet!"

"You call that dancing?" I teased, causing him to bristle in mock-annoyance. "It was better than Sirius shaking his butt the whole time!"

I laughed out rather loudly at the image, eyes catching said boy. "It at least got a girl's attention though," I pointed out, nodding towards the closely entangled couple swaying to the music on the floor.

James hummed in agreement, "Sirius' love dance works like a charm for sure." He grinned at my laughter, offering me a hand with a soft gaze. "Come on, you owe me a dance."

"I do?" I smiled, taking his hand as he led me slightly inside the floor but still close to the edge.

"Yes, I'm your boyfriend. You will always owe me a dance," he explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I see," you nodded, and he gave me a mock-incredulous look, "How could you not know that?"

Giggling slightly, I felt my stomach cramping from all the laughter it had to endure in a span of only a few hours, clearly not used to it. I grinned up at the boy, wondering how it came so easy to him to make people laugh and just...happy. Or maybe it was just me, but I was definitely very happy tonight. Maybe more than I had ever been.

"Thank you," I said quietly as I placed a hand on his shoulder, the other holding onto his. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me slightly closer.

"For what?" he questioned, swaying us to the slow music and for a second everything blurred away around us, leaving only him to stand out sharply in contrast. 'Merlin, I'm whipped,' I thought faintly as I wondered about his perfect hazel eyes. In that moment, he looked ethereal.

"Cec?" he asked, snapping me out of it.

"Hm?"

"What are you thanking me for?" 'For being you...'

"Just- for the invitation," I stammered, blushing at the mere thought of blurting out a confession, "I had a really good time."

James grinned cockily, "You say that as if the night is over already. Just wait until you see the fireworks. Dad always goes way overboard with it, it's the best you will ever see!"

I smiled at his enthusiasm, "I don't doubt that."

"James, honey!" A woman's voice called out, causing us to turn over slightly. A petite woman clad in a dark green dress approached us, an arm wrapped around a tall man with the exact same kind of glasses James' head. Upon closer inspection, he looked just like him only slighter older and his hair not as much of a mess.

"Mom. Dad," he greeted them cheerfully as he let go of my hand but kept his arm wrapped around me.

"There you are! I've been trying to get a hold of you all evening," his mother fussed, "There are still so many you have to greet. Grandma Louise, Uncle Claudius-"

James groaned, "Mom. I've greeted them already!"

"A simple 'hello' is not greeting. You talk to them for a little at least," she scolded him as she tried to pat his hair down but there was no heat in her tone.

"Don't even try, Mom," he sighed, grabbing her hand to stop her from messing with his hair, "You will only make it worse."

"I second that," his father replied with a laugh.

"And who is this pretty girl?" his mother asked, turning her startingly blue eyes at me. I felt slightly self-conscious when it suddenly hit me that these two were James' parents. I mentally slapped my head, 'Of course you would meet them here and you are not even close to prepared for it.'

"Hello, I'm Cecily," I introduced myself with a shy smile as James shifted next to me, seeming slightly uncomfortable as well.

"Hello love, I'm Euphemia and this is my husband Fleamont," she introduced herself, giving me a kind and curious smile, "Are you a friend of James? He never told me about you."

James' cleared his throat, answering for me, "Yes. She is in my year and we have a lot of classes together...and she is also in the Quidditch team."

Fleamont's eyes lit up that. "Really? What position?"

"Chaser," I replied, my eyes flickering between James' tense posture as he dropped his arm around me and his parents.

"That was my position, too when I went to Hogwarts," Fleamont said excitedly, "Actually, all the Potter's, who played Quidditch, were Chasers. Only James here decided to break the tradition and become Seeker. A rare and special occurrence in our family, indeed," he chuckled along with Euphemia as if they were sharing an inside joke whilst James' rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"James has always been special!" Euphemia cooed, squishing his cheek lovingly (and painfully).

"Mom, please!" James complained, shaking her off gently as he rubbed his slightly red cheek. I chuckled at his annoyed expression, causing the woman to turn towards me in interest, "Have you been to one of our parties before? I hope you like it so far."

I shook my head, "No, I haven't but I really love it. It's so fun to be here and the band is really good." Euphemia nodded pleased as she smiled but I couldn't help but feel as if she was assessing me whilst she let her eyes flicker between me and her son.

"Just wait until you see the firework!" Fleamont commented cheerfully, "It's the best you will ever see!"

"I said that, too!" James said just as cheerfully, and you could clearly see the relation in that moment as they shared the exact same grin over our heads.

Euphemia paled slightly, turning towards her husband, "What do you mean, Fleamont?"

Fleamont faltered slightly, eyes moving around rapidly, "Eh. Nothing."

"We said, no overboarding this time. Did you forget what happened last year?"

"Oh, right. I'm coming!" Fleamont called out to no one behind his wife, quickly dashing off.

"Fleamont! You get back here!" Euphemia exclaimed, running after him.

"What a joyful pair," I commented with a grin. It faltered though when I looked up at James and remembered when he had introduced me as his friend. Wasn't he the one adamant on labelling us as boyfriend/girlfriend? What changed now? Was he too embarrassed to introduce me to his parents properly? Or was it just too quick for him? If so, why had he invited me in the first place?

"Cec," James called out, placing a hand on my arm.

"Hm?"

"Wanna go back to the table. I could use a drink," he offered, giving me a slightly unsure smile.

"Yeah, sure," I said absently, trying to fight off all the question marks in my head. I didn't know if I should ask, unsure whether I wanted to know the answer so I tried to leave it now and think about it later.

We met up with the others and chatted the rest of the time away until it got close to midnight and Fleamont exclaimed over the noise to head out of the tent for the grand moment. I took James' offered elbow with a small smile, trying to ignore the uneasy clench in my chest as no matter what I tried, my mind kept replaying the scene with his parents, overanalysing his words. Introducing a partner to their parents was a huge deal - at least for me - and if I were honest, I wouldn't have introduced James to my parents this early, either. But I didn't lie about our relationship to them.

Outside, I took a deep breath of fresh air, having missed out on it when James had asked for a dance. It cleared my mind a little bit and I gazed up at the stars that shone brightly enough to sparkle through the clouds.

A dress robe got draped over my shoulders and I didn't have to turn to know it was James, his scent radiating off the smooth cloth. I turned to give him a smile as he stood next to me, the others having gone to investigate the firecrackers and rockets that would hit the sky soon.

"Is everything alright?" James asked and I might have imagined the nervous undertone in his voice, "You've been awfully quiet for the last hour or so.."

"I'm good," I replied vaguely, thinking up an excuse, "Just thinking about the new year."

James sighed as if in relief, his face relaxing into a smile, "Any New Year's resolutions?"

I pursed my lips in thought, "Hm, let's see. Winning the Quidditch Cup, surviving the exams, surviving summer and Seventh Year."

James joked, "It's all about survival, huh?"

I nodded, "It's all about survival." His smile faded, maybe he noticed I wasn't actually joking but I quickly turned it to him, "What about you?"

James sighed, biting his lip as he ran a hand through his hair. "...Winning the Cup. Staying Captain. Survive," he added the last as an afterthought, throwing me a smirk, "I'm not too big on having resolutions. I'd rather take things as they come and go."

"Seems more fun that way," I commented, and he gave me an easy grin. "For sure." It dropped quickly though. "Sirius said he would look for a job in the summer so he could move out. 'Said he doesn't want to bother us much anymore."

"Why would he say that?"

"No idea. My parents never minded him being with us and I certainly don't. That mate is like a brother to me," he said, his eyes furrowing in confusion and frustration. The latter was so unusual on him it seemed almost unnatural and I was tempted to try and stroke the crease between his eyebrows away. The bark of a laughter caused my eyes to turn towards the dark-haired boy with the aristocratic features as he stumbled out of the tent with an arm wrapped around Remus and Peter.

"Have you asked him?" I questioned as I looked back at James, who shrugged.

"He said it was just a feeling. I swear, sometimes he is more confusing than any girl," he mumbled and i slapped his arm slightly.

"We are not confusing. We are mysterious," I joked, causing him to huff out a chuckle.

"Sure, keep sugar-coating it," he said.

"And the countdown begins!" Fleamont's voice reached our ears, "Ten! Nine! Eight!..." James moved behind, placing his hands on my shoulders after he nudged my chin to look up at the sky. "You don't wanna miss this," he whispered in my ear, excited like a child. I chuckled slightly but obeyed, staring up at the night sky in anticipation.

"Seven!"

"Six!"

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

The sky exploded in light, flooding everything in various shades and colours. Fireworks either exploding in red, blue, green or firecrackers swirling around, bursting into tinier forms closer to the ground and on eyelevel whilst firework-dragons flew around us, spewing more and more colourful blow-ups all over. I stared in awe at the beautiful display, my eyes drinking everything in as much as possible. This was truly better than any other firework I had seen.

"Happy New Year," James whispered into my ear, barely audible through the cracks and explosions around us. I probably wouldn't have heard him if he hadn't been so close still. Turning around, I grinned up at him, returning his words, "Happy New Year, James." He grinned, the various colours reflecting in his face and eyes. I stared into them almost unashamedly, wondering how the colours could look even more beautiful in his deep-brown eyes. A soft look caused his grin to drop slightly as he drew me closer by the waist, tilting his head down to inspect my face.

I swallowed at the intense gaze he had pinned on me. "What is it?" I asked.

He shook his head a bit, eyes locking with mine after flickering over all my features, "Just...you are really pretty." I blushed deeply, startled at the sudden compliment but managed a rather awkward smile. "Stop it, you are embarrassing me."

James breathed out laugh, his eyes softening as he brushed a strand of my hair away. "You remarkably suck at accepting compliments, don't you?"

"And you are remarkably good at accepting them," I teased back, and he grinned cockily, "My mom raised a gentleman."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," I laughed, and he smiled. "I kn,ow."

"You are so weird," I said, shaking my head in amusement.

"You love it," he replied confidently, and my heart skipped a beat. "Do I?"

James hummed, leaning down with a small, affectionate smile. My eyes unconsciously flickered down to his lips, causing my mind to curse at me for being so obvious before it sang in joy when I noticed him mimicking my movement. His lips parted slightly, taking a deeper breath as if he was trying to compose himself. He seemed stuck, closing his eyes tightly as if a war raging inside him and not moving any closer. Was he waiting for me to do a move? I gulped nervously before I placed my hands on his chest and quickly placed my lips on his before I could change my mind and chicken out.

He tensed up, obviously startled and I didn't dare open my eyes to see his. When he didn't loosen up, I wondered whether it would be less embarrassing if I broke it off before he could. But just as I was going to pull away, he relaxed, tilting his head to respond. I breathed in sharply at the sudden swarm of butterflies erupting in my stomach, fisting his dress shirt on his chest at the sudden burst of emotions; happy, giddy, elated. James smiled into the kiss, tightening his grip around my waist until I was flush against his chest, leaving no space between us.
I resisted the urge to squeak in surprise as he asked for access into my mouth, readily allowing him to deepen the kiss as I ran a hand up to his hair, tugging slightly on a few strands, the taste of Firewhiskey on him clouding my mind. A growl vibrated through his chest and his lips crushed against mine as the kiss grew more heated, blissfully unaware of the crowd around and the fireworks over us.

"And then they say I'm the one snogging a girl's face off!" Sirius' loud and obnoxious voice broke through our bubble and I pulled away breathlessly, turning my head when James tried to follow, face burning when I realised what we had just done in a very public place.

"That was really disgusting to watch!" Marlene commented and I looked up over James' shoulder to see her shit-eating smirk. Sighing exasperatedly, I fought the blush away as James breathed heavily against my ear, his forehead resting against my hair. "Worst bloody timing ever," he groaned and I chuckled, pushing against his chest.

"Come on. We shouldn't do this here," I said, my voice slightly hoarse. He let me pull, smirking at my flushed appearance. I bit my lip, forcing myself to stay put despite his irresistible look. "I gather from your words that we will continue this somewhere else then," he grinned, his eyes twinkling mischievously behind his glasses.

'Of course.' "We'll see."

Reviews are very appreciated. Thank you so far!

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