Chapter 18: In which Lily and James take their friendship to the next level (for real this time)

The next morning, Lily awoke to a knock on her bedroom door a few minutes after nine. She was still in her pajamas and hadn't even risen to brush her teeth yet, but she climbed out of bed and shuffled to the door, cracking it open with a yawn.

"All right, Evans? Did I wake you?" James' hand flew to his hair, and he gave her a half-smile. "Sorry, I thought even you'd be up by now."

"I was up," she said, lifting a hand to her face to cover another yawn. She'd put her hair in plaits before bed, and she could see out of the corner of her eye that they were uneven and frizzy now. She tried to nonchalantly smooth some of the wilder hairs around her face. "Everything all right?"

James' eyes flicked to her hair, to the bed, then back to her, and his neck reddened a bit. "Er, brilliant," he said, his gaze fixed somewhere over her shoulder. "I was just dropping by to say I'm sorry if I was out of line last night. I tend to get emotional when I have too much elf wine." His eyes met hers briefly as he grimaced with his apology.

"No, you were fine," she assured him. She shrugged one shoulder and looked up at him earnestly. "I think...everything that was said needed to be said. Don't you?"

"Oh. Maybe so." He ruffled his hair again, his gaze once again traveling over everything in the room but her face. "So, we're all right?"

"We are." Lily reached out and poked him in the chest, forcing him to look at her. "We are," she repeated.

"All right." James sounded relieved. He offered Lily a cautious smile. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Of course," she said, nodding. "Actually, I was thinking maybe we could go flying today? I haven't been out since last week, and I miss it."

"Sure!" James' expression brightened. "How soon would you like to go? Mornings are my favorite."

"Oh! I haven't been out in the morning yet, I suppose." She hadn't expected him to drop everything and take her right now, but now that he'd offered, she saw no reason not to go for it. She glanced down at her duck-printed trousers. "I need to change first, obviously."

"Of course!" said James, with a loud clap of his hands. "Let's get dressed and grab some breakfast, then we'll head out to the pitch, yeah?"

Lily smiled. "Sounds perfect."

Forty minutes later, they were soaring over Hogwarts grounds on James' Cleansweep Three. Lily had grown much more comfortable riding the wind, and it was nice to be out in the morning, with the air so cool and fresh-smelling and the grass and flowers still dewy. She pressed her cheek against James' back as she watched the sun glint off the lake, making the greens and browns of the forest around them glow brighter than she'd ever seen.

There was nothing more freeing than whipping and curving through the air, seeing the world grow smaller below her. Especially with someone as skilled as James as her guide.

After a couple of turns around the Quidditch pitch, a jaunt along the shore of the Black Lake, and then a long flight over the Forbidden Forest, James brought them to a gentle landing near Hagrid's hut. Lily straightened from where her cheek had been pressed between his shoulder blades and climbed off the broom.

Given how much of the grounds they'd covered, they'd probably been flying for nearly an hour. To Lily, it felt like mere minutes. "Are we done already?" she asked, disappointed.

"No, not if you don't want to be," James replied, holding the broom out to her and grinning. "I could stay out here all day. But I was thinking, maybe you'd like to try steering for once."

Lily shrank back from his outstretched hand. "Oh, no. Is that a good idea?"

James waggled his eyebrows. "Sure, it is. You're a quick learner, and you move with me like you're comfortable up there now. I'll still be on the broom with you, just right behind you this time."

"Can you guide me from that position?"

"Absolutely. Think of me as your safety instructor. I can take control of the situation if necessary, but until then, I'll let you take the lead."

"All right," she agreed reluctantly, taking the broom. It suddenly seemed much more powerful, vibrating with energy in a way that she hadn't noticed when she had James to hold onto. She gathered her courage and swung one leg over the handle, adjusting the broom between her thighs until it felt natural.

Just as she started to feel comfortable, James mounted behind her and rested his hands on her hips. Her breath hitched.

"You all right, Evans?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said hoarsely. She cleared her throat. "Ready?"

He grinned. "Whenever you are."

She nodded and kicked off the ground gently, giving them just enough force to hover about six feet in the air. One of James' arms was wrapped loosely around her waist and his other hand rested gently on her biceps. "Good," he murmured. "Now lean forward to pick up speed, and then drop your shoulder just the tiniest bit—I'll tell you when—to make a turn. All right?"

"Mmhmm," Lily mumbled. She eased them forward, away from Hagrid's and back towards the Quidditch pitch. The open space called out to her, and she found herself smiling as they picked up speed, riding the wind as easily as an owl.

"That's it," James said encouragingly. "Now, instead of going straight here, lean a little to the left—that's it, now straighten" –he chuckled as Lily jerked upright, bringing them almost to a dead stop— "Not that much, Evans, still lean forward a bit, I just meant ease out of the turn. There you go." He sounded pleased. "Just like that."

"Okay," Lily said. He was such a patient and giving instructor, it was easy to feel like she could accomplish anything with him at her back. She leaned forward to increase their momentum. "I'm doing it, aren't I?" she called, tilting the broom handle up to allow them to climb a bit higher. "It's not so scary!"

"Not at all, I think you've got the hang of it," James said. He pointed towards the nearest goal posts, about thirty feet from where their broom hovered above the playing field. "Now go 'round that hoop, and then you'll take us straight to the other end of the pitch, as fast as you feel like going, all right?"

"All right." Lily guided them towards the goal hoops and then into an easy turn around them, then straightened slightly, looking out at the whole field ahead of them. She felt a heightened awareness of the wind whipping her hair around, James' chest against her back, and the uncontrollable grin spreading across her face. Adrenaline pumping, she narrowed her eyes and leaned forward with a whisper of, "Let's go!"

They rocketed forward, or at least that's how it felt to Lily. She let out a cheer, and she felt as well as heard James laugh. She cast a quick glance at him over her shoulder and could just make out the edge of his boyish smile. His joy added to hers, and she laughed and leaned farther forward, urging the broom to go faster. He leaned forward as well, keeping them aerodynamic, and Lily felt surrounded by the warmth of his body.

She sighed and involuntarily wiggled against him, adjusting her body to the curve of his. As she did, she realized, through the thin cotton of their trousers, that James was somewhat...aroused. The realization surprised and then excited her. With the broomstick gripped tightly between her legs, she arched her back slightly, intentionally this time, pressing her bum harder into James' crotch. With his body fully draped across her back, Lily felt him inhale sharply. She grinned and leaned forward again, picking up speed and causing James to tighten his grip on her waist. She closed her eyes and sighed at his touch, and –

"Evans, watch out!" With his right arm wrapped tightly around her, James jerked the broomstick to the side and dropped his left shoulder, causing them to roll over in the air.

Lily screamed as they flipped upside down, but James held her tightly and neither of them fell from the broom. But in his efforts to avoid a nosedive into some shrubbery on the far side of the pitch, he swung the tail of the broomstick into a tree, changing their trajectory and sending them spinning to the ground.

James tucked his body and rolled into the grass, but Lily's landing was somewhat less elegant.

"Oof!" she cried, as she skidded on her back into the bushes lining the end of the Quidditch pitch.

"Are you all right?" James asked, rushing over and kneeling next to her. "Are you hurt? Don't move!"

"I'm fine." She blushed and stared up at him, and he brushed some stray hairs back from her forehead to better see her face. Lily noticed a change in his expression as he did so, his worried frown melting away and his eyes darkening as he stared at her. She smiled and added, "Nothing hurts but my pride."

"Not at all," James said, blinking rapidly as if to force his attention back to the moment. "This was your first time guiding the broom, and you did all right 'til the end." He grinned a crooked grin. "Got going a little too fast there, eh?"

"Something like that," Lily mumbled. She placed a hand on her chest, still trying to catch her breath, unwilling to admit she'd closed her eyes when she'd felt him harden against her back.

The primal, sensual feelings James Potter inspired in her weren't going away, no matter how many times she told herself their friendship was more important than any snog.

Besides, what he'd said to her last night rang true – snogging didn't have to be incompatible with friendship. A relationship built on a firm foundation, like Dorcas and Marlene's, might even become stronger when additional layers were added to it. Deep roots helped things not only flourish in the sunlight but weather the stormy days better, too. Right?

Lily wasn't sure whether she and James had more light or darkness ahead of them, but she wanted – needed – to believe that either way, their roots were deep enough to hold them through it. Her cheeks were hot and she could feel her heartbeat pulsing throughout her body as she sat up a bit and propped herself up on her elbows.

"Potter," she asked slowly, "did you mean everything you said last night? About wanting to be my friend whether we snog or not?"

"What?" James seemed startled by the change in subject. "Of course I did, Evans."

"And snogging could never ruin our friendship?"

He sighed and tousled his hair. "Evans, how many times are you going to ask me this question?"

"I know, I'm sorry," she said. Her teeth tugged her bottom lip. "I just need to hear it whilst you're sober."

"Fine," James huffed. But he looked deep into Lily's eyes, his expression as sincere as she'd ever seen it, and said, "Nothing will ruin our friendship, Evans, not even snogging. There will never be a day when I don't want you in my life, whether as a friend or as something more."

Lily sucked in a sharp breath. Something more sounded sort of intimidating. But this is Potter, she reminded herself. He's earned my trust, hasn't he?

She nodded slowly, and her lips curved in a hesitant smile. "All right," she said. "I believe you."

"It's about time." James' eyebrows twitched and his mouth turned down in a slight frown. "But why do you keep asking?"

"Because," she said, taking a deep breath, "I've been thinking about it, and I really want to kiss you right now."

James' hand leapt to his hair, his fingers burying themselves deep in the coarse strands. "What?"

Lily sat up straighter but didn't quite meet James' eyes. "I'd like to kiss you," she said again. "I like snogging you, and you like snogging me, and I can't pretend it's nothing. And I like hanging out with you. We have fun together. Our friendship is real." She paused for a beat, then raised her gaze to his. "So if you're sure nothing can ruin that, I want to kiss you. Right now."

"Bloody hell, Evans." James' smile went from incredulous to awed to downright jubilant in the span of two seconds. "Absolutely!"

"Good," Lily murmured, smirking. She crawled towards him on the grass, then slowly leaned forward and took his mouth with hers.

"Hmm," James sighed, and he reached under Lily's arms to grab her hips and pull her to him. She fell gracelessly on top of him, and they rolled in the grass, giggling and petting each other. "Merlin, Evans," he said, stroking a hand over her hair as he planted kisses on her cheeks, nose, and lips. "What am I going to do with you?"

"More of this, maybe?" Lily said breathily, smiling against his lips. Her next kiss landed on his teeth, as he smiled, too, before they settled back into a perfect rhythm of give and take, their kisses and nibbles punctuated by little sighs of pleasure.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, but neither of them noticed. That is, until the clouds above burst like a thousand overfull water balloons. Then they leapt up from the ground and raced back to the castle, laughing like children.

As soon as they entered the Heads' shared common area, James stripped off his t-shirt with a shudder. "That rain is freezing!" he announced, teeth chattering. "And we got completely drenched." He pulled his wand from the pocket of his trousers and pointed it at the hearth. "Incendio!"

A small fire roared to life in the fireplace, and Lily tore her eyes away from James broad back long enough to run over and warm her hands in front of it. "I know, and it was such a nice morning! I didn't expect a storm at all," she said, glancing up at him again. The firelight flickered off his bare chest, and she turned away before she started drooling. "I'm soaked."

James glanced at Lily and his eyes went dark. Hungry, just like hers were, probably. He licked his lips. "Indeed," he murmured.

The look in his eyes made Lily feel shy and sexy at the same time. Her body quivered with pent-up desire, and it took every bit of willpower she had not to pounce on him right there. "I should go change," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She took a few steps towards her bedroom, but James grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to him.

"Uh-uh." His voice was raspy as he spun her around to face him. Her breath caught, and she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she released a shaky sigh. One side of James' mouth lifted in a grin. Without another word, he pressed his lips to hers.

Lily moaned into his mouth and hooked her arms around his neck. He flinched slightly as her wet t-shirt pressed against his bare skin, and she pulled back with a sheepish grin.

"I told you, I'm soaked," she said, smiling and batting his hands away. "You've got to let me get out of these wet clothes."

"Mm." The sound came from low in James' throat. "Maybe I could help?"

She froze in place as he reached forward and gently hooked his thumbs into the waistband of her joggers, then tilted his head, a question in his eyes. Lily blushed again, but she nodded without hesitation. Slowly, deliberately, James pushed the rain-soaked trousers over her hips and arse and down her legs.

She shivered at his touch. His lips twitched with a half-smile. "Don't worry, I'll warm you up."

Lily snorted out a laugh at the cheesy line, but her giggles faded as he grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and, with equal deliberation, pulled it over her head. Then he stepped back in awe, his eyes scanning her body, darting from her breasts to her stomach to her thighs, like he couldn't decide which part he liked best.

His appreciation emboldened Lily. With a quirked eyebrow of her own, she leaned towards him and put her hands on the waistband of his athletic shorts. James tensed in surprise, then nodded so vigorously his glasses slipped off his nose. He pushed them back into place as Lily dragged the shorts off his body.

They stood there in their underpants for a moment, staring at each other. Then James stepped forward and put his hands gently on Lily's bare waist.

"All right, Evans?" he asked softly.

All she could do was nod.

"Good," he breathed, as he lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers.

Lily's hands slid up James' chest, one coming to rest over his heart and the other climbing until she could bury her fingers in the curls at the nape of his neck. Their kiss deepened, and he pushed her towards the couch in front of the fire, their mouths never breaking contact as he guided them down and positioned himself over her.

She felt a rush of excitement, at the heat of his body and the firmness of his hands on her hips, and she bent one knee and spread her legs just a little, creating room for him on top of her. He settled into place, then raised his head for a moment so she could see his mischievous smirk. "Warmer yet?"

"Getting there," Lily replied, using the hand still wrapped around the back of his neck to pull his face back to hers.

He growled in the back of his throat and slid one hand from her waist up her torso and along her rib cage, stopping just underneath her bra, while he used his other arm to keep his weight off her.

Well, most of his weight. But his pelvis was pressed against her, and she felt him harden, the same way she'd felt him against her bum while they were flying. Instinctively, she rolled her hips up to meet his. She pulled away just as quickly, and James froze in place.

"Sorry," he murmured, contorting his body so his erection wasn't pressed against her any longer. "Maybe we should sit up?"

Lily bit her lip, fighting the part of her that demanded his weight on top of her. "All right," she agreed, inching out from underneath him. She sat up and folded her legs, her back against the arm of the couch, and looked at him, unsure what to do next.

Before things could get uncomfortable, his mouth curved into a mischievous smile and he prowled towards her like a jungle cat. "Come here," he said, pulling her onto his lap and giving her a kiss. He was still semi-hard under her thigh, but he seemed to be ignoring it, so she did, too. He took her face in both of his hands and kissed her gently, open-mouthed and teasing.

She arched against him, rubbing her soft chest against his firm one. James groaned and pressed a hand against her back, holding her body to his. He ducked his head and began pressing kisses from her ear to her shoulder, his hands gently caressing her back and waist. "Fuck, Evans," he whispered. "I could kiss you all day."

"Me too," Lily whispered back, proving the point by brushing a kiss across his lowered forehead and then one to his ear. "And I—" her breath hitched as James pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her collarbone "—I like when you touch me."

"I'll touch you wherever you want, however you want, whenever you want, Evans."

"Could you—" she felt her cheeks get hot, and she buried her face in his neck "—touch my breasts?"

James tensed, and she lifted her face to look in his eyes. They were almost perfectly round, blinking at her like owl eyes from behind his glasses.

"Really?" he asked. "You want me to?"

"Yeah." Lily nodded. "I mean, if you want."

"Well yeah, I want, but only if you want, I mean, I guess you did just ask, but—"

"Yeah," she said again. Her face was still burning hot. "Just...I like it if you touch them a little while we kiss."

James' handsome face was alight with wonder. "All right, Evans," he murmured, grinning. But to her surprise, he didn't immediately plant his hands on her chest. Instead, he resumed rubbing small circles on her back and running his fingers along her spine as he leaned in for a soft kiss. Gradually, they picked up steam again, and then James' hands moved around her body to trace her ribcage. His thumbs brushed the underside of her breasts, and she arched her back slightly, pushing her breasts more firmly towards him. He cupped them gently, framing them like a picture with his hands, then let his thumbs sweep up and across her nipples.

Lily hummed with pleasure. "Oh, your hands feel so good."

"Good." He slid those hands down her back and down to her bum, giving it a squeeze. One hand moved back up to her breast, massaging it, while he used the other to pull her even closer, closer than she thought possible. Suddenly, it wasn't enough to be seated sideways on his lap – she needed as much of her body to be touching as much of his as possible as soon as possible. With two quick movements, she twisted so she was straddling him, immediately feeling the heat of his hardness pressing against her damp knickers. She shifted slightly as she continued kissing him, wiggling her hips until his length was rubbing against her in exactly the right way to make her whole body tingle.

James groaned into her mouth and his hands slid back to her hips, holding her still. "Evans," he murmured.

"Yeah?" Lily whispered, she sucked his bottom lip between hers and tried to rock her hips again.

He took control of the kiss, coaxing her mouth open and letting his tongue slide against hers. "Let me touch you," he murmured between kisses, the note of urgency in his voice close to begging. "I want—you said you like when I touch you, let me touch you."

"I like this, too," Lily said, shimmying on top of him, her head dropping back as he kissed her neck.

"Fuck, me too," James moaned against her skin. She could feel his breath, hot and fast against the hollow of her neck. "But I want to touch you, and if you keep doing that" —he made an almost pained sound, somewhere between a hiss and a groan— "I'm going to—I won't be able to do anything. I want to do this for you."

Lily's skin felt flushed and her breath was coming in pants. She sat up straighter, and his erection rubbed against that perfect spot again. She dropped her head back again and let out a quiet whine of pleasure.

James took advantage of the moment to pick her up, her legs still on either side of his hips, and to flip her onto her back on the couch. He hovered over her again, but instead of pressing his hips against her, he slid a hand between their bodies, his fingers tracing the waistband of her knickers. "Let me touch you," he whispered again. "Is that all right?

"Yeah, okay," she said softly. With him staring down at her, begging like she was doing him a favor, she suddenly felt shy.

He breathed a sigh of relief and maneuvered onto his side, wedging himself between her body and the back of the sofa. He bent one elbow and propped his head up in his hand while the other hand continued to glide up and down her body, fingers tweaking her nipples then skimming down to her waist and the top of her underpants. Her stomach tensed as his fingers brushed right below her navel, and he paused what he was doing.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No." Lily shook her head. "It just tickled a little."

"All right," he said. "But if you want me to stop, just tell me."

"I will."

He leaned down to kiss her, and his hand began its lazy movements again. This time, it dipped lower, his fingertips sweeping underneath the waistband of her knickers.

"Is that all right?"

"Mmhmm. You don't have to stop," she whispered, angling her face to kiss his jaw.

That was all the encouragement he needed. James kissed her hard, his tongue thrusting into her mouth, and slipped his whole hand into her knickers to cup her mound. She whimpered softly. James stroked his fingers through the hair there, then gently spread her lower lips.

"Tell me what to do," he whispered, bending to kiss her neck.

"That's good," she murmured in reply. "If you just rub me" —she gasped as his fingers found her clit— "right there." She sighed.

He smiled, his lips still pressed to her throat. "Like that, then?" he asked softly.

"Oh, God, yes," she said, her hoarse voice barely more than a whisper. James lifted his mouth from her neck and stared at her.

"Dear Merlin," he muttered, and Lily hazily wondered how she looked, squirming underneath him with her skin flushed, eyes half-closed and mouth half-open. She felt amazing.

James let out a low growl, the kind that meant he felt amazing, too, and his fingers began moving faster inside her pants. "Lily," he whispered. She moaned at the sound of her name. "Lily, I wanna feel you come."

Lily's response came from deep in her throat, like the purr of a cat. "Mmhmm." James buried his face in her neck again, still rubbing the sensitive bud at her center. Barely able to think straight, she reached down and covered his hand with hers, guiding it lower and lower, until he was perfectly positioned to slip a finger inside her. "Just—like this," she whispered.

"Fuck," James said, and he slid one long finger deep inside her vagina. She immediately shuddered and her inner walls clenched around him, and he cursed again. Vaguely, she could feel his erection pressing against her thigh. She reached for him, the motion causing her lower abdominal muscles to contract and the angle pressing the heel of his hand firmly against her clit.

Her eyes rolled back, and she forgot that she'd been reaching for the large bulge she'd noticed in James' shorts. She bucked against him as he pumped his finger in and out. "Yes," she whined, "right there."

James seemed to be attuned to her every sensation. When she sighed, he adjusted his hand so his palm would continue massaging her clitoris. He curled the finger inside her, just slightly, and Lily cried out, her legs shaking with pleasure. He repeated the motion and began stroking her at a faster pace, and Lily's hips jerked up to meet his rhythm.

"Oh, yes. There! Just, oh—keep going, yes, yes—" Her voice broke as she reached her peak, and her words turned to whimpers as her orgasm tore through her body like a small earthquake, leaving her breathless and trembling. "Yes," she panted, as he continued to stroke her softly. Her body spasmed again. "Oh, my God, yes."

"Merlin," James said, awestruck. He swirled his finger gently inside her one more time, and she shivered as he withdrew his hand. His damp fingers coasted along her ribs and squeezed her breast again as he claimed her mouth with a fierce kiss.

Lily giggled and blushed, although she wasn't sure her face could actually get any redder. She hummed in satisfaction as she kissed him back. One of her legs snaked up and wrapped around his waist, but before she could pull his full weight down on top of her, he pulled away with a kiss to each of her cheeks and one to her forehead.

"I think, if I don't let you get up right this second, I'm going to keep you here all day," he said. He grabbed her hands and pulled her forward, but instead of stopping when she was seated, he kept pulling until he was the one on his back, and she was laying on his chest. They were still in their underclothes, and James' fingers were skating gently over her back.

"Wouldn't be the worst thing," Lily said, without thinking.

His chuckle reverberated through her body. "It certainly wouldn't," he conceded. "But I'm hungry."

She giggled again, and James kissed the top of her hair. "Besides," he added, "there's no need to rush things now, Evans, remember? We agreed."

Lily lifted her head from his chest and frowned at him, confused. "Agreed to what?"

"Nothing's going to ruin this," he said, tenderly. "So we've got all the time in the world."

AN: This chapter is dedicated to my dear HazzaP, who has been affectionately yelling at them TO JUST KISS ALREADY! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! xo