Lily nestled into the couch her book perched on her legs as she sprawled in front of the fire, in the whirlwind of the last two weeks she had been falling behind on her reading and felt a twinge of guilt at the mounting homework in her discarded bag.
Deciding that putting it off for another night wouldn't really hurt Lily went back to surveying the pages in front of her but was interrupted as a pair of lips met with her own, smiling slightly she moved her hand up to James' cheek and let him kiss her.
Gently he pulled away, lifting up her legs and sitting down next to her before placing them back on top of his own.
"I don't know how I managed to end up with friends that insist on pestering me every single waking moment," he said shaking his head ever so slightly and turning to look at her.
"I do believe that's your own fault, poor judgment I think they call it" she said laying her book on her stomach and looking over at him.
"Seriously though, I haven't even seen you all day let alone had an opportunity to talk to you" he continued, "Sirius requires constant attention and company" he added laughing.
"He's extremely irritated that noone will believe him" chuckled James
"What are you reading?" he asked flicking over her book,
"Fickle Flora and Fauna of South East Asia?" he asked dubiously
"It doesn't involve any brainpower," she said shrugging her shoulders, "sometimes it's nice just to get lost in a book without actually having to think too much about characters or events or plotlines,"
"or real life" he added to her list, looking at her, "the lack of your presence in my life today didn't have anything to do with you purposefully avoiding me did it?" James asked raising his eyebrows at her, "It's not often that you ditch three lessons in a day" he continued, as though trying to strengthen his case against her.
"No, no " she said smiling at him and waving her hand dismissively, "I've given up trying to avoid you, you know that already. Besides you're my version of Sirius, unrelentingly around all the time" she grinned at him as he ran his fingers over her ankles and the bottom of her legs.
"I just went and saw Dumbledore," Lily continued, "Petunia wrote me a letter evidently but was too stubborn to try and send it by owl"
Even Lily could hear the sadness creeping into her voice, James' silence compelling her to continue
"She's just so reluctant to embrace even the tiniest parts of my life," she began, "I do everything I can to stay in touch, to include her in what I do but she hates everything I've become, who I am now."
James' eyes stayed trained on Lily's face as she continued, "I mean she's getting married soon and she sent me an invitation, reluctantly of course, but didn't even bother to mention it in a letter beforehand or tell me about this Vernon guy who she apparently feels is important enough to share her life with, yet not significant enough to tell her sister about".
James continued to stroke Lily's leg gently as she vented out all her anger, the deep hurt that had been welling up for the last couple of hours spilling over as she talked about Petunia and the life she'd left behind in the muggle world.
"I don't know what it is that offends her so much about being a witch, being here with people like you" she said gesturing towards James with her hand, "sometimes it feels like jealousy, for something that she never had the option of being able to do, but Petunia never seemed to be that jealous when we were younger, it seems so out of place".
"It's gotten to the point now where we barely speak and when we do it's venomously and with so much effort having to be exerted just to maintain a conversation!"
"Are you parents the same?" asked James tentatively,
"no, not at all" Lily continued, James listening as she willing let him into her life, enthusiastic and loving parents counteracted by a jealous and manipulative sister. A sense of belonging washing over him as he contentedly listened to her stories.
He watched dimples form in the corner of her mouth when she talked about her old friends at home, laughing with her as she explained their varied and odd reactions to her disappering for large portions of the year. James played with her hands, soothing and comforting her as she tensed when talking about Petunia and those she'd left behind. Tales of her parents supportive and loving causing her to twist ringlets of hair around her fingers.
But most enthusiastically he watched her smile as she talked about Alice and Daisy and Annabelle, Frank, Remus and even, shockingly Sirius. A grin unable to slip from her features as she detailed things he'd missed in the years before, too caught up with himself and his ego to have ever noticed the problems plaguing her. Things he imagined he would have thought trivial at the time, understanding now for so long why she refused to let him get close to her.
Lily explained to him her house back in the muggle world, describing her room, her old school, the kitchen where her mother spent time making disastrous experimental food and the garden out the back where her dad spent endless days pottering around and pruning his much loved plants.
She talked about the day she found out she was a wizard, the unbelievable shock and her parents, wise and mature, reluctant to believe the truth for so many hours. Lily unable to help herself prattled on about her dog, the muggle car she'd learnt to drive last summer, the holidays she'd taken with her family and nearly anything else that sprang to mind.
James simply listened to her talk with ease, her voice soothing and yet at the same time possessing an inexplicable sense of intrigue. He found himself enthusiastic to hear more, wanting to know everything he could about the red head sitting on the couch facing him. He wanted to know her so completely, to be able to understand as much about her as physically possible.
"I'm so sorry," Lily said stopping abruptly and pulling herself away from him slightly, "I've been ranting about my life for so long, you must be so bored!" she exclaimed.
"I'm not trust me," he grinned at her, "you don't know how much of a relief it is to have you finally talk to me, well, without the talking accompanied by an object being hurled at my head or the inturruption of you deciding to yell at me"
"James Potter," she couldn't help grinning back at him, "you and I both know you deserved all that yelling"
"I did" he conceded, "but often I think you'll find Peter, Sirius and Remus also deserved to be yelled at, instead it seemed that I was your favourite target."
"hey" she said, "are you going to tell me now what information Sirius is blackmailing Remus with?"
"He found out that Moony likes Daisy, of course he's petrified that everyone else might find out about it as well so is currently doing Sirius' every bidding"
"Everyone knows that though," Lily said shaking her head at Remus' ignorance.
"yes" replied James tentatively, "but Remus doesn't realize that everyone knows and he understands only too well that Padfoot would be stupid enough to go and tell her about it" he said laughing at the eagerness and abruptness of his friend".
"wait a second, aren't you meant to be at the Slytherin Ravenclaw game?" it suddenly dawned upon her, the absence of the other marauders and her friends now apparent.
"don't worry I'm having Daisy take detailed notes on every move those player make" he replied shrugging, "I wanted to come and find you" he said looking at her again, her green eyes staring back at him, a sense of shock evident.
"you really didn't have to miss the game to come talk to me" she smiled at him,
"I know" he replied somewhat exasperated, "the things I do for you Miss Evans" he continued shifting her legs and leaning towards her.
"You owe me, big time" he continued lowering himself on top of her, his mouth so close to her own she could feel his warm breath on her lips as he leaned down to kiss her, his weight pressing down on her and sending shock waves of excitement through her body.
His tounge ran along her lower lip and she opened her mouth willingly, bringing her hand up to curve around his back and moving the other one up to hold his neck. The kiss was soft, less impatient than those before as if somehow everything had slowed down, like there was a new kind of certainty to the two of them that allowed all the time in the world.
Lily felt James' rough Quidditch hands edging up under her shirt, caressing her skin as it slowly worked it's way towards her breast. Bending her legs either side of him, Lily allowed his weight to push down on her, enjoying the sensation of his body against her own, as she moved away from his mouth and placed her lips softly against the other side of his neck. Gently she began to undo the first of his buttons pulling his shirt away from his upper body and trailing her lips along his shoulders his cheek warm against her own as he nestled into her.
James moved his hand upwards slowly cupping her breast, the other wrapped tightly around her waist, forcing their bodies even closer together as Lily moved her face upwards to his lips again, moaning quietly and moving ever so slightly beneath him.
Lily could feel James harden, his pants constricting as she once again wrapped her arms around his back, James reaching down to hitch up her skirt running his hand her now exposed thigh
However his hand abruptly came to a halt as a voice rang from the entranceway,
"Never fear all, Sirius is here" he yelled triumphinatly and Lily could hear him bounding down the staircase towards the two of them.
Grateful that the couch faced towards the fireplace and away from the entrance Lily attempted to lower her exposed leg but James his strong grip tightening held it there. She squirmed underneath him,
"James-" she pleaded exasperated knowing in mere moments Sirius would have crossed the room to find them,
But James refused to let her up, "Go away Sirius" he said raising his voice sternly.
"Prongsie" he yelped bounding over to the couch, "are you rejecting my love?"
"Yes Sirius, go away" he replied again still not budging from his position on top of her as Sirius arrived to peer over the back of the couch at them.
"Well hello miss Head Girl!" he said feigning shock and grinning down at her.
"EVVVEERRYYYBOODDDYYY" he boomed, "I found them!"
"Padfoot, you're like a brother to me" said James relenting and finally moving off of Lily, "but one day I swear, I am going to kill you".
Lily yanked her skirt downwards and ran her fingers tentatively through her hair, her eyes however were trained on Sirius' every movement, glaring at him
"Black you are aware that I could give you a detention…" said Lily shaking her head, "just for being yourself, I'm sure nobody would protest" she added crossing her legs as James sat up to kneel in front of her
"ahhhh but you see my friend," he said pausing to look at James temporarily, "you wouldn't want to do that, or I might just share some secrets with the rest of the school, plus it would hinder the big surprise that's coming"
"surprise?" she said doubtfully, "does this have anything to do with the brewing mentioned this morning and the reason he came in looking like he'd been mauled last night?" asked Lily her curiosity suddenly returning as she gestured towards James perched in front of her.
"yes and no," shrugged James smiling at her.
"Liiillllyyyyyy" whined Annabelle appearing at the door, "I need help with Charms, and I haven't seen you nearly at all today and we haven't had a chance to talk and Black keeps telling me ridiculous stories that are utterly absured and to be quite honest offensive towards you and my hair is all frizzy and I lost a bet to A-"
But suddenly Annabelle stopped mid-complaint, which was extremely rare and was eyeing the two of them waringly. Sudden recognition crossed her face and her features twisted into a face of outrage,
"oh…my…god," she said, emphasizing each syllable, her eyes still darting between the two of them pausing on James' open shirt
"Lily Marie Evans!" she shouted, her finger thrust at Lily accusingly, "you have sex hair!"
"I do not," argued Lily, subconsciously moving her hand upwards towards her tresses.
"oh my god!" she repeated again her finger now moving back and forth as she pointed at the both of them, before turning to Sirius and shoving him in the chest with both hands,
"you weren't lying!" she exclaimed, "oh my god, why didn't you tell me you weren't lying!" she accused incredulous.
"Sirius Black, what use are you to me if you don't tell me about things like this!" she was yelling angrily at him now, hitting him alternatively with each hand.
"I did!" he exclaimed back at her, "it's not my fault you refuse to believe me!"
"seriously, did you think I wouldn't find out about this?" she asked now turning her accusing towards Lily and James again.
"I am shocked and appalled," she began, "no, actually, I'm beyond that, I'm offended, why am I always the last to know things?"
Lily gave James a look out of the corner of her eye, she really did love her best friend, but sometimes she was extremely full on.
"oh, oh you" she said angrily now at Lily stuttering, unable to express her rage, "bad friendship"
"and you" she said turning to Sirius, "also bad friendship, no-one tell me anything" she mumbled under her breath as she began to pace behind the back of couch.
"wait," she screeched halting and turning to Sirius, a look of glee playing across her face, "we need to go tell everyone!"
"AAAAALLLLIIIICCCEEEEE" she yelled sprinting out of the room, Sirius hot on her tail.
"PPPPEEETTTEEERRRRRR"
"Hey she's your friend" said James smiling
"oh god" Lily said defeated and flopping back down, "I give up, they're both crazy".
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