A/N: I have been asked to create a second chapter in which James wakes up by enough people, and yes, I have given in. This is dedicated to all you lovely reviewers/followers/favoriters who encouraged me so greatly to keep this little plot line going! So I hope this is satisfactory to you all in the slightest bit. And as always...Enjoy!

James Potter was having a wonderful dream

Not his average, winning the Quidditch cup and having Lily Evans fall madly in love with him, type of good dream.

It was the type of dream that warmed his insides like hot tea on a cold winter day.

James Potter dreamed of being five years old again, laying in his bed with his mother as she read him a bed time story.

He curled up into his mother's warmth and settled there, listening to her melodious voice tell the tale of Merlin and King Arthur together on the quest for the Holy Grail.

It was James' favorite story. And it was his mother's favorite to read to him.

But alas, like all good things, the dream came to an end. And a rather abrupt end at that, as he was jolted awake by the sound of first-years making raucous noise.

James didn't bother to open his eyes, it didn't make sense how they were making so much noise when he was tucked up in his bed.

He chose not to dwell on it and tried to re-immerse himself in his dream. it brought back so many fond memories, hearing his mother's voice read him that book, feeling her kiss him on the cheek, and as he would drift off to sleep and she would slip out of his bed and turn off the lights.

Oh how he longed to hear his mum whisper a soft "Goodnight James" just one more time.

For when she had whispered it to him in his dream last night, her voice wasn't quite right. And she didn't smell like his mother always did.

He couldn't be losing his memories of her already. It had only been a month since she died. He could not be losing his memories of her already.

And perhaps that was the reason why he'd dug out his old storybook and read it over and over the night before.

Come to recall, he never did remember going up to bed last -

James sat up and opened his eyes. (Not that it did him much good as he couldn't see a blessed thing) He reached out and managed to get a hand on his glasses which were conveniently resting on the table next to the couch. He placed them on his face and it dawned on him why there were first-years disturbing his sleep.

He sighed, he truly hadn't meant to fall asleep down here, he always fell asleep in the most uncomfortable positions and would be freezing cold in the middle of the night.

James furrowed his brow, he was hardly uncomfortable at all. If anything, he had slept well, and he wasn't woken by the cold once. He looked down at his lap and saw a blanket resting over his body.

But I didn't cover myself last night.

"What the -" he trailed off when his eyes focused on his feet.

His shoes were missing.

James' mind was spinning. He made a reflexive move to fix his tie when he noticed it was much looser than he remembered.

And upon noticing that, he also noticed that a few too many buttons were undone. James reckoned he looked something like Sirius at this point.

None of it was adding up, James was a heavy sleeper. He wasn't the type to kick off shoes in his sleep, and certainly not the type to undo several buttons either.

James didn't think much of it though. He checked the clock and saw that he still had a little time before he had to get up and ready for breakfast.

But now that he was up, he'd never fall back asleep.

James looked around for the book he recalled reading last night. It was resting casually on the coffee table.

He didn't remember putting it there before falling asleep.

Picking up the book, he smiled at the old cover, and put the strange events of his waking up behind him.

There was a little piece of parchment sticking out the top. He supposed it was marking the page that he'd left off on.

He didn't remember putting that there either.

As he started to crack open the book he heard footsteps coming down the steps.

"Ah Prongs! I was wondering where you were last night," Sirius said as he jumped down the last few steps.

James ran a hand through his hair and smiled sheepishly, "I fell asleep down here last night. Sorry I never came up."

Sirius waved a hand disregarding his foolish apology.

"S'nothing really. Wanna come catch an early breakfast with Pete and I?"

James shrugged and grabbed his book. "Lemme just put this upstairs real quick, I don't want to lose it."

Sirius nodded, "I'll wait up."

James dashed up the stairs and threw the book on his nightstand before running out of the dorm.

He didn't think about the strange morning until much later that day.

"Mate I am telling you, Evans was staring at you at breakfast!" Sirius said giddily as he slid into the seat next to James for Transfiguration.

James shoved him, "Oi shut it Padfoot. We both know she wasn't." I wish she was.

"I thought you two were somewhat friends or something like that though?"

"I dunno mate, every time I turn around we're fighting and flinging insults at one another." James grinned "But at least she's somewhat talking to me."

Sirius let out a barking laugh, "Only you would consider that progress."

Before either could say another word McGonagall was at the front of the class and demanding their attention so that she could collect their essays.

Chatter filled the room as Professor McGonagall called each student up one by one to collect their essays.

"Lily Evans," the professor called out.

James turned slightly in his seat to watch the red-headed girl rise and fix her skirt ever so slightly before making the trek up to McGonagall's desk.

He watched as she ever-so-slightly bumped into the desk and dropped her rolled up parchment. It rolled ever so slightly under the desk of Sirius Black, who, being the git that he was, unrolled it and looked at tear down the left margin.

"Evans?" he asked with a glint of amusement in his eye and ignoring a jab to the side from James. "Settling for less than perfection I see. Congratulations on finally realizing homework is not -"

"Mister Black! Give Miss Evans her essay back and stop delaying this process." Professor McGonagall called out from the front of the class.

"Oh Sirius," Lily quipped. "Don't you start thinking I'm slacking off now love. I'll have you know this essay was rewritten over three times."

And with wink and a smile, Lily snatched her essay out of his hands, and walked up to the front of the class.

James sighed and watched her go, "Merlin I love the way she walks." Why does she call you 'love' and me 'git'?

Sirius smacked James on the back of the head. "You're hopeless"

Tell me something I don't already know.

Other than the odd conditions surrounding his waking up, and the way Evans might have possibly been staring at him during breakfast, it was a boring day.

James decided that he'd have to spruce up the day tomorrow if he didn't want to die of boredom by the end of the week.

All of his dorm-mates had already gone off to bed, but James wasn't tired quite yet. He blamed the lack of excitement.

He decided to pick up the old story book he'd been reading the night before.

He slipped his finger where the piece of parchment was wedged inside and opened the book.

The parchment didn't look familiar, it was not the creamy color that he and his mates typically used to write all their essays on.

How'd this get in here? And where's it even from?

There were the edges of letters running down the side of the strip. The letters, although fragments, looked familiar.

James knew that he knew who had written this. But who was it?

James spent more time than he would have if anyone else were awake, and more time than he was proud to admit, deciphering the handwriting.

And then it hit him.

The person he knew whose handwriting was so neatly spaced, leaned ever so slightly to the right. The only person he knew who didn't connect their letters on essays because he knew it had been carefully crafted and that this last draft was a product of pure perfection.

But why would she, Lily Evans, rip her perfect essay to give him, James Potter, a bookmark?

James sat up in bed and he started to think.

He hadn't seen her come in the Common Room last night, but he knew she'd been out since he'd checked the Marauders Map and seen she'd been in the library.

She had said she was working on her Transfiguration essay the night before.

And her essay, like Sirius had said today in class, had a rip...running down the left side margin.

James would have bet 20 galleons that this fragment of parchment would match up perfectly to the rip in Lily's Transfiguration essay.

No it can't be. This is ridiculous.

James' mind floated back to this morning.

The book and glasses being within an arm's reach.

The shoes sitting next to the couch.

The blanket, which he knew he hadn't gotten form himself.

The extra buttons on his shirt that were unbuttoned. (He let himself smile at the thought of Lily unbuttoning his shirt.)

And that voice, the voice in his dream that had kissed his cheek and whispered goodnight.

It made sense why it didn't sound like his mum, and it didn't smell like her either.

James allowed himself to break out in a huge grin, it had been Lily.

Lily who'd done all those things for him last night.

Lily Evans.

James couldn't stop grinning.

And with a burst of courage he leaped out of bed with one purpose, he had to find her.

James grabbed the Marauder's Map and found Lily instantly, she was in the Common Room. A wave of relief washed over James, it would be so much easier than breaking into the girls' dormitories.

He dashed from the dorm and down the stairs, almost tripping over his own two feet.

When he made it to the Common Room he noticed Lily sitting by the fire. She was reading, coincidentally, on the couch James had woken up on this morning.

James walked up quietly to the couches and took a seat right next to Lily. He sat there and grinned, and after a few moments Lily's eyes glanced up from her book.

"Hi there. Can I help you? Or are you going to just keep staring at me?"

James' smile only got wider.

"I know," was all he said.

Lily rolled her eyes and closed her book setting it down on the table in front of her, "Oh do tell, what do you know? I have a feeling you won't let me get back to my book until I ask."

James' smile just kept growing.

"Why d'you keep smiling at me like that?" Lily asked.

James let out a laugh. "Oh Lily. Lily Lily Lily."

She just rolled her eyes. "Yes James? James James James?"

He grinned again, "I knew I could get you to call me James."

Lily bit her lip and suppressed a grin, truthfully she'd been dying to make the switch from Potter for a while now, but she didn't want to raise suspicion.

"I'm glad we're finally past surnames," James started. "I mean come on now you'll tuck me into bed -"

Her eyes grew wide.

"- and kiss my cheek. -"

Her breath caught in her throat.

"- But you'll only call me James when I'm asleep?"

She opened her mouth to say something but just shut it instead.

"Now that's just silly Lily." James said sitting back on the couch, looking all too satisfied with himself, and a grin plastered on his face.

He'd never seen Lily look so flustered.

"H-How'd you know that it was all me?" she asked as she buried her face in her hands. "Oh Merlin this is so embarrassing!"

"Oh Lily," James started as he bit back his laughter, "It's not so bad. I didn't tell Sirius or anything."

Lily looked up at him and smiled, "Oh thank Merlin! I'm sorry, I thought you were asleep, honestly. You looked uncomfortable!"

James kept smiling. She cares.

"Oi shut it!" Lily said while trying to hold back her laughter. "You had a book on your face!"

Then by some sort of mutual understanding they both fell into a deep laughter, neither truly sure of what they were laughing at.

James thought Lily never looked prettier than when she was laughing, with her eyes crinkled, and happiness radiating out from her.

Lily thought James never looked more handsome than when he was laughing, his hair alive, and his whole aura buzzing.

He could feel her happiness, which made him feel alive.

She could feel the life within him, which made her happy.

They were two halves of a whole, neither of which knew it yet.

And when their laughter fizzled out, the pair continued to sit on the couch.

They started up a conversation. One that didn't lead into an argument or flinging insults. But an actual conversation. Where they talked and discovered new things, and shared things. A conversation where Lily saw a part of James she never saw. And James saw a part of Lily that she kept hidden away.

They talked for an immeasurable amount of time, both getting closer (physically and emotionally) to one another before falling asleep curled up with one another.

In the morning, neither of them would be able to recall when they actually stopped talking.

In the morning, Lily would claim that James' arm around her shoulders prevented her from being able to leave the couch.

In the morning, James would claim that Lily's head resting on his chest was the reason that he slept on the couch for a second night.

In the morning, the first-years would run through the Common Room shouting, and neither Lily nor James would even stir.

In the morning, Sirius Black would venture down the stairs looking for his best mate and find him asleep with the girl of his dreams. And in a very non-Sirius manner, he would let them sleep.

And in the morning, when James and Lily both finally awoke, it would be as if a whole new chapter of their lives had begun.

A/N: Well! There it is! I hope you all enjoyed it! It turned out a bit longer than I planned but you know how these things go sometimes! Oh well, hope you enjoyed!x