The Marauders: Year Six #Wattys2017

No Sugar Tonight

He woke the moment she moved and blinked blearily up at her.

She held a finger across her lips so he wouldn't wake the other two boys or the dog by talking. She sat up and stretched and slid off the bed, spotting his glasses on the floor, one lens broken. Quickly, she picked them up and tapped them with her wand to repair the crack silently and then slid them gently onto his face as he lay there. She leaned over him so she was looking at him upside down, then glanced over to be sure that Peter, Remus, and Snuffles were asleep, then leaned down and very softly, and very upside-down, gave James a kiss on his mouth, her hair falling to cover them.

James shifted and leaned up as best he could into the kiss, pressing their mouths harder together. When she pulled away, he hovered there, his back lifted up off the bed for a moment before falling back into the mattress. He stared up at her as she stared down.

"Alright, Evans?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, then whispered, "Thank you."

He nodded back.

Then Lily turned and snuck out the dormitory door and into the corridor. She snuck down the stairs - extra carefully past the seventh year boys' dorm - not wanting Frank Longbottom to catch her sneaking out. She reached the common room and found Alice was already sitting in a chair by the fire.

Alice raised an eyebrow at Lily.

"It isn't what it looks like," Lily said quickly.

Alice cleared her throat, "What does it look like?" she pressed.

"I wasn't doing anything. We were playing a game last night and I fell asleep. All four of the Marauders are up there, it's not just him," Lily said.

"Are you snogging James Potter, Lil?" Alice asked.

"No," Lily replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Did he tell you something?" she demanded, trying to sound like she was angry with him.

Alice shook her head - then - "You know it's alright if you are."

"I'm glad I have your permission," Lily joked, smirking.

Alice guffawed, "I think you have the entire school's permission if you wanted to go with James Potter."

"Hang on a minute - snogging James Potter is a whole lot different than going with James Potter," Lily said, and a bit of panic filled her face.

Alice raised an eyebrow, "Is it?"

"Yes!" Lily replied. She shook her head, "Not that I'm doing either."

"Alright."

But there was a knowing smirk that played across Ali's face as she turned back to the book on her lap, listening as Lily ran up the steps to the girls dormitories.

"He's hallucinating again," snickered Peter.

"No - guys - c'mon. You know she was here last night. Sirius! You must've seen her when you woke up to transform into Snuffles!" James cried as he tugged his tie about his neck and looped the knots at his throat. "C'mon."

Sirius shrugged, "Remus's knees were hurting. I honestly didn't notice if she was there or not. I was preoccupied."

"She was!" James said, "She was here all night. And then she woke up and she was crying and I dunno why. She never said. But I held her and told her it would be okay until she fell asleep and we woke up this morning - just minutes ago! - and she was still here and she kissed me and left and --"

"Convenient she left before any of us saw her," Sirius snickered.

"SHE WAS HERE!" James cried.

Remus smiled down at the second jumper he was putting on over his uniform, messing with the buttons before tugging it 'round his shoulders, "One of these times, you're actually going to have been with somebody and we're not going to believe you," Remus pointed out.

"Like that fairy story. The boy who cried wolf," Peter nodded.

Sirius said, kneeling on the bed and crawling over to Remus's side, "I am the boy who cried wolf... I cry wolf... all...night... long..." he smirked suggestively, pretending at humping Remus's arm.

"Stop that, you sick dog," Remus said, pushing him off, but he was smirking.

"Gross!" Peter cried out.

Sirius normally would've reprimanded him, but he was busy at continuing humping at Remus's arm and Remus was busy trying to push him over.

"Guys - I'm not hallucinating and I'm not crying wolf. There's stuff going on between Evans and I, I swear it," James said.

"ALRIGHT POTTER," Sirius said, boldly, laughing, "WE BELIEVE YOU!" Except it was clear by his tone that he did most certainly not believe James.

James was frustrated.

"No sugar tonight in my coffee... no sugar tonight in my tea... no sugar tonight to stand beside me, no sugar to run with me..." Sirius sang lowly.

James haucked a pillow at him as Sirius laughed and continued on singing.

"No sugar tonight in my coffee, no sugar tonight in my tea! No sugar to stand beside me, no sugar to run with meeee.. Dun-un-do-dow dow da-un-do-dow! Da un-do-dow-dow no no! Du-un-do-dow dow dow-un-do-dow... Da-un-do-dow dow!"

James shrugged on his robes and grabbed his book bag, "Seriously, you guys are bastards."

When he'd gone out the door and they'd all stopped laughing, Remus cleared his throat and looked about at Peter and Sirius. "What if he's telling the truth, guys?" he asked.

Sirius sat down on the bed, "I don't think Evans is as smooth as all that," he replied.

Peter said, "Dunno, she might be. You never know with a girl like Evans."

"Why would she keep it a secret?" Remus asked.

Sirius shrugged, "I'd shout it from the rooftops if I was snogging James Potter."

Remus raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, I shout that I snog you from rooftops too. Or have you forgotten my display in the Great Hall last year?"

"Oh I certainly haven't forgotten it, no," Remus said, shaking his head.

Sirius grinned.

"But really -- what if?" Remus pressed.

They all looked about at one another for a moment.