James Potter could not move.

It wasn't because he was injured in any way, not that something as trivial as an injury would come between him and the normal motor functions of his body. It wasn't because he was lazy; and frankly if he could, he would have decked you for that comment because he is the captain of the quidditch team that has been winning for the last two years so saying he is lazy is absurd and rude and hurtful- not that he would ever admit the last part out loud.

James Potter could not move and the reason behind it, as it so often was, is Lily Evans.

It started out innocently enough. He was working on his Transfiguration essay, sitting on the Marauders Sofa. Now, mind you, they had not named it so. Somehow the sofa set overlooking the window had become their spot and they weren't going to deny that. It was helpful that since it was so far away from the fireplace no one cared that the boys had hogged it. They didn't need much warmth anyway, ever since fifth year the three boys had built a tolerance to cold only Remus Lupin had. Sirius would say it was because they had achieved their pinnacle at the hotness scale, the others would agree with him if for nothing else then to just keep the truth under wraps. So, as always, he sat on the sofa awaiting the others while also finishing up on next week's assignments for other boys to copy.

There was a dip on the couch next to him but he took his time, finishing the sentence before looking up. It's not as if he did not know who it was, he would've known it even without his enhanced senses.

"Hey." He gave her a small smile and tried not to blush when she returned it, albeit tiredly.

"Hi. I hope you don't mind. I really need to catch up on my work and since my friends are all out I did not want to take up the fireplace all by myself." She was a bit hesitant so he nudged her with his elbow.

"I'd love some company." They went back to work. It wasn't easy. He knew that the only reason she came here was because she hated studying alone. But he didn't mention that.

Actually, now that he thought back, there were a lot of things he did not say. He didn't, for example, say how he couldn't work anymore because she was so close and her smell was intoxicating him. He did not say anything when out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shut her books and lean back on the sofa, her eyes closed. He particularly did not say anything when he felt a weight rest on his shoulder. He did stop writing then, because at that point he didn't really know how his name was spelled let alone a complex branch of magic. And then, he couldn't really say anything because he felt her fall asleep.

And now, James Potter couldn't move.

He didn't have much in terms of view. It was a fine Saturday morning after a particularly hot week so most people were enjoying out in the sun. His friends were preparing for the prank they would play tonight and take full credit for, resulting in at least a week's worth of detention. Hence, they had already done their assignments by dividing it amongst themselves and copying them, this Transfiguration essay being the last of them.

The gentle breeze that played made her hair tickle his face. He waved his wand and sighed looking at the time.

This is not going to work- not the way it is right now at least.

So, with a quick prayer to Merlin hoping he doesn't wake her up, he got to work.

This sofa had replaced the bed many times in all of the years he had spent in Hogwarts. Waiting up for Moony, late night prank planning, last minute study sessions- the sofa had supported their tired bodies many times. And so, he knew the perfect way to make it comfortable. A few spells and a tricky manoeuvre in which he definitely did not compare her head to a quaffle, regardless of the similarities- that was all it took. He leaned back on the now softer headrest, popping his shoulders softly. Lily was now lying on the sofa, her head on a cushion on his lap. Still, something was missing but he couldn't place his finger on it- his particularly sweaty finger.

Aha! A tunnelling spell took care of that and now the breeze was directly focussed on the two of them. He felt a bit bad about it, hogging up the nice breeze, but a quick scan of the common room told him everyone had already gone outside to enjoy it. He sighed and then, for he couldn't stall anymore, looked down. His eyes found her face like they had a tendency to do, a tendency she didn't particularly appreciate. James actively stifled a groan.

Why did she have to be so perfect and so stubborn?

You wouldn't like her any other way, his brain countered and he couldn't stop himself from smiling. It's true after all- he wouldn't like her any other way. She was perfect the way she was, perfect for him.

A lock of her hair fell on her face and her face contorted in irritation. His hands sprang into action before his brain could process the current situation and tucked it behind her hair. His brain, already slow, froze at the touch. Her hair, always a source of fascination for him, felt way softer than they look. A part of him itched to know what hair product she used. Sirius would love to have his hair as soft as hers. No matter how hard the grey eyed boy tried, his hair always looked better from afar- a trait he despised.

'That's Sirius for you, much better in dreams than reality.' Moony's voice echoed in his mind. James smiled at that, the four boys had been part of this conversation enough times to actually remember who would say what next. Like James could bet his favourite Quidditch broom that Peter would follow that up with a sly question related to Sirius' role in Remus dreams and Padfoot would then bat his eyelashes at an increasingly flustered Remus and ask what else he thought was good in his dream self. James would then suggest Sirius prove how reality was much better than dreams and Remus would either curse him or run out.

A soft voice brought James back to his reality and he looked at the source of sound and then stilled. His hand had been brushing her hair for the duration of his walk down the memory lane and it was causing Lily to stir. James did not want to wake Lily up and it was because she was tired and deserved an uninterrupted nap. It had nothing to do with him not being ready to end the current scenario, thank you very much.

James removed his hand from her hair and brought them up to ruffle his own. How was he going to survive this and keep his sanity intact?

Keeping your hands to yourself might be a good start.

He didn't even fight the blush taking over his face and focussed on keeping his hands in the appropriate place- as far away from Lily as possible. He looked down at her; he had no choice in that matter for he felt drawn towards her face like always.

James had seen Lily in a lot of different frames of mind sporting a lot of different expressions. He had seen her angry, a lot of times and to a lot of degrees. He had seen her sad, though it shattered his heart. He had seen her happy, those were his favourite days. But he had never seen her so peaceful, so unguarded. Part of it was his fault and he was not one to shy away from responsibility. But most of it was because she was too lively a soul to ever rest, even when tired she had this spark around her that seemed to zap him even if he was far from her. Her mere presence electrified him. And now here she was, asleep on his lap, her guards down and her soul at rest. And James felt drawn towards her with more intensity than ever before.

How could one resist her, how was a poor bloke supposed to get on with his life when he could instead spend hours staring at her? James Potter was good at a lot of things but resisting this fiery girl was not one of them.

His brain was too busy keeping track of his hands and dwelling on his muse to register the shuffling noises coming from the couch. It took him a couple mores seconds to relate those noises with the movements coming from his lap. He looked down and the sight that met him was something he would remember until the very last of his existence.

Lily, apparently thinking she was in her bed, had turned so now she was lying facing his stomach. Remember the little obstacle of not being able to move? Well, now he couldn't breathe.

He sat there, still as a statue, waiting for something to happen. What that something was, James had no idea but then again his brain was a jumbled mess now. Eventually, the urge to survive won as James took a deep breath in. He paused then let it out. This continued for several seconds and the only solace James had was that if anyone saw him he could explain it away with meditation. Bless his Dad for being a health fanatic.

His train of thought, once again, turned towards Lily. It was a well-known fact amongst Gryffindors that Lily was not into fitness of any kind. Sure, she advocated of and lived by the healthy lifestyle but all that was left outside the Great Hall. Lily loved food and she worshipped the Hogwarts kitchen. He still remembered the campaign she tried to organize in third year to allow students to eat in classes. If they had been on civilised speaking terms and not at cavepeople mannerism stage, he would have given her a few tips to aid her initiative. First one was very simple and something the Marauders had learned early and swore to live by- never plan near Minnie.

James barely suppressed a chuckle as his mind replayed the moment Lily realised her rousing speech was being heard by McGonagall. It was one of his favourite Lily moments- she reminded him of his childhood when he was an amateur prankster. She looked positively adorable. Peter had always said that was the moment James had fallen for her.

Lily was still very much asleep and so James chanced another look at her. Now that she was turned, and he actively ignored the side she was turned towards for the sake of his own sanity, he could see only half her face. Her hair was splayed across her cheek and he knew it would soon end up irritating her. So, like a not so brave knight, he softly brushed them away. He had spent many a nights dreaming of this and so his self-control was already stretched too thin. It snapped easily when he touched her hair again and he knew it was hopeless.

James remembered his childhood in pieces. Even among these faint recollections he knew his favourite ones were of one or the other of his parents putting him to sleep. His mum sang a lullaby for she has a beautiful melodious voice. His dad gave up on that as soon as he realised that his gruff lullabies would keep James amused and, much more importantly, awake. So, he found another way. He would brush James' hair, combing through the mess softly. That relaxed the little boy quicker than the lullabies and also instilled in him the habit of ruffling his hair at regular intervals.

While he knew that particular habit was most annoying to Lily, he thought she would not refuse to a little brushing. It had resulted in many nights of peaceful sleep to him and his friends, surely she can't be that averted to it. Successfully reasoned, his hands gently made their way from her scalp to the end of her auburn strands. What little knots had formed during the day were dealt with gently by his expert fingers. The process was calming for him, the familiarity of brushing his loved one's hair put him at ease.

James had always been a model Gryffindor. His father, another lion, had teased his mother, a Slytherin every chance he got. His Mum had given up on advocating his suitability for any other house for she knew a hopeless case when she saw one. James had always been braver than was probably good for him. But all his courage and valour plummeted when it came to Lily. Lily instilled in him something he had never felt- limits. With Lily, he had learnt early on that not all boundaries are built to be crossed and not all fences were made to be jumped over. With Lily, James's daring came to a standstill.

But in that moment, as the soft breeze accompanied his fingers in playing with her hair, James dared to do more than just dream- he dared to believe.

It had been easy to imagine a future with her, a quaint little house with a backyard, a kid or few running around. Sometimes the house became a mansion, the backyard a Quidditch pitch, and the kids exaggerated. But one thing remained the same. In his future, James always saw Lily by his side. His current situation, the intimacy and domesticity of it all was making believing in that made up future of his an easy task.

A sudden flicker of movement made his trance waver. By the time his brain let go of its daydream and caught up to the reality, the green eyes staring back at him had lost all of its sleep and had gained a rather attractive gaze of shock. James couldn't do anything but watch as Lily scrambled up from his lap, her hand accidentally settling on his stomach and retreating so fast it blurred. He set about organising the long discarded parchments to give her some privacy, and to still his own racing heart. By the time he had arranged a neat pile, keeping his aside and taking hers in his hands, she had settled down. He turned to look at her and bit his lips to keep from smiling. Her red hair was mostly frizz free, due to his brushing probably, and half her face was a bit marred with the pattern of the cushion she laid on. His favourite part was the blush that she was trying to hide-rather unfruitfully.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to- I just- guess I was more tired than I thought- no excuse- just really sorry-" Her words died in her mouth as James slightly pressed the stack of papers in his hand against her lips, trying desperately to not think of the other way he could have silenced her.

Lily seemed to have been thinking of that too for her blush had returned with vengeance.

"It's no big deal. I hope you had a good rest." James put as much sincerity in his words as he could. It took him a second to realise he still had the pages against her mouth and grinned sheepishly while removing it.

"I really did. Thank you so much." A lock of her hair had swung forward and James' fingers twitched. To distract himself, James did what he did best.

"Glad I could be of service, Evans. Anytime you need a nap, contact me immediately. This particularly handsome alternative of a bed will be at your beck and call."

"Whatever, what's the time?" Lily was trying to hide her smile but was failing rather spectacularly.

"Just about lunch. Think we should be going down now." James looked up from the shimmering clock to find Lily standing up with her notes clutched in her hands.

"Yeah, just let me freshen up a bit, look more presentable." James wanted to say that she looked absolutely breath-taking right now but he also liked the idea of no one but him seeing her like that and so kept his mouth shut.

"I'll wait for you." He smiled up at her, watched her tense up before returning a hesitant smile. He averted his eyes as she turned to leave, instead focussing on banishing his notes to the dorm, and so didn't notice she had stopped until he heard her voice.

"James?" It wasn't the first time she had said his name but there was something about it that made his insides clench. Hazel eyes met green ones and seemed to be drowning in them.

"About that offer- the earlier one… I just might take you up on that." She stared as James took in the words, taking a few seconds to understand them.

"I would love that." His voice was barely above a whisper. Lily nodded almost to herself before turning on her heels and fleeing away.

James sagged, his mind buzzing with activity. A lot of thoughts were running through his brain, all jumbled up and loud. But there was one thought that took precedence.

Maybe all those daydreams weren't as much of a stretch as he thought before.