by storyweaver24
'A Black in Ravenclaw,' James teased, cocking his head to the side. 'I bet the family hated that.'
'Not as much as they hated a Black in Gryffindor,' she replied smoothly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. 'Poor Sirius.'
'He was run out of the house.'
'Oh, that had nothing to do with Slytherin loyalty. Well, not really.' She surveyed him and he could feel her gaze like electricity on his skin. There was something about this girl.
'I know.' James grinned. 'He's staying at my home.'
'So that's where he ran off to after he tucked his tail and scampered away,' she said and he felt a flash of unease. Did she possibly know about—
'I'd rather you not talk about my best mate like that.'
'He's my older brother. Don't you have siblings?'
'No.'
'Then you wouldn't understand the bond between—'
'Sirius is my brother, too. I tease him all the time but don't call him a coward for leaving.'
'You really think of him as a brother?'
He looked down at his hands and fiddled with his quill. 'Closer than.'
'That makes things a little awkward.'
'What?'
'Don't bother; it's not important. It was a pleasure doing Potions with you, Potter.'
'Ta, Black.'
Sirius was waiting for him at the classroom door with a frown on his face. 'Was that my sister you were talking to?'
'Yeah.'
'Why?'
'She was my Potions partner. I promise, that's it,' James assured but Sirius' expression did not change. They met up with the other Marauders and made their way to the Common Room.
'Just stay away from her, James,' Sirius said quietly, when they were at the entrance. 'Lily is bad news.'
Naturally, they were partners for any conceivable assignment given from that point onwards. Not of his own doing, he might add, but it just…happened. It was crazy how well they worked together and even crazier to realize that they had been enemies only six months earlier.
'Lily,' he asked the redhead one afternoon, while they were in the library. She didn't look up from the book she was reading, leaning over it intently. 'Would you say we're friends?'
That got her attention. She raised her head and tilted her head to the side. 'What do you think?'
'Yes.' That was all. A simple yes and it made his insides glow. How strange.
They spent more and more time together, their meetings filled with Head Duties and tutoring and projects. He was with her more than anyone else, except for perhaps Remus and Peter and Sirius, to the disapproval of the latter.
It was on a patrol sometime in November. They were sweeping the halls, looking for miscreants and mischievous students. It was quiet and near midnight. Only a few scattered people walked around, most were tucked safely away in their beds.
The peace brought a certain hush upon the two, as peace is oft to do. James pulled out a pack of chocolate and handed her a piece.
'My mum sent it,' he offered as explanation.
'Is she nice?' Lily asked around a mouthful of chocolate. 'Your mum, I mean.'
'She's wonderful. Nicest person you could meet. She's a nurse down at the hospital and you'd never meet anyone with a bigger heart.'
'Nurse?'
'Muggle Healer.'
'Ah,' she said and the sigh that followed was filled with unexplainable emotion. 'What's it like, your parents being Muggles?'
'I don't have anything else to compare it to. I mean, they love me and are still a bit shocked that I'm a wizard even after seven years. But they love it. They get a kick out of the things that are different,' he paused and bit his lip. 'What's it like living with wizard parents?'
The unspoken second half of that question hung in the air between them. What's it like living with wizard parents intent on blood purity?
Lily glanced down and pretended to adjust her bag. 'I don't want to talk about them,' she said, pulling a face. He nodded once and pulled her into a side-hug. She stiffened in his arms—he mentally cursed himself for the awkward embrace—but soon warmed to it. Hesitantly wrapping her arms around his waist, she returned the hug.
He looked down at her and marveled at how close they stood. With a surge of that infamous Gryffindor courage in his veins, he leaned down and kissed her.
She froze with shock and he quickly pulled away.
'I'm sorry,' he muttered and ran a hand through his hair. 'That was inappropriate of me. It was an accident and I promise it won't happen again. Sorry, Lily,' he said before he turned and fled.
His feet wandered the halls he reached the Prefect office. He had no watch on his person, but he guessed it was around midnight or so. Even with the late hour, he wasn't surprised that she was still up, sitting in the comfiest chair in the Prefect office and staring at a blank wall. She always was the last one to leave the room.
'Sorry. I forgot my bag—' he mumbled, deliberately not looking at her.
'James,' she whispered and something in her voice made him look up. She was staring at him with fierceness and sadness all rolled into one. 'Would you kiss me again if I asked you?'
'No.'
'Are you sure?'
'No.'
She frowned. 'I wouldn't have if I didn't want you to.'
That was all he needed. He walked forward and tugged her up from the chair. She stumbled a bit and fell into his chest, but his lips were on hers and oh Merlin he couldn't think, let alone breathe. She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, tugging him closer, and his hands tightened on her waist.
A moment, or maybe an eternity later, they broke apart. James could feel himself shaking and Lily's fingers were trembling as she fixed her hair.
'I'd better go…' she muttered, all but running out the door. He sat down in the chair with a thump as soon as she was out of sight and dropped his face into his hands.
'Merlin, what have I done?'
When he slunk into the dormitory later, Sirius smirked at his disheveled appearance and the lip gloss marks on his cheek, but he said nothing. Grateful, James tumbled into bed.
He didn't get the chance to speak to Lily again until the next Prefect meeting. He had to admit, she looked stunning up at the front of the room, confidently giving orders to the students younger than her. He was content to let her be in charge as he leaned against the wall and simply watched her.
'Why 'Evans'?' he asked her afterwards as they were packing up their belongings. 'I mean, even Sirius kept his family name. Why'd you change yours?'
'Sirius had his rebellion,' she said, snapping her bag closed, 'I had to have mine too.'
'Where'd you get the name?'
'It was the last name of my favorite wizard detective. I decided I wanted to be more like her and less like a Black.'
'And Regulus?'
'Reg likes the family name and all the connotations attached to it.'
'Ah.'
They were quiet for a moment and she fiddled with her wand. 'James, what happened the other day, that can't happen again. You know that, right?'
'Apparently not.'
'My brothers would kill you. I promise, that's the only thing they would agree on.'
'Protective much?'
'Not that I necessarily need them to be all protective, but I can't change it. Have you met Sirius? He's quite like a dog in that respect.'
Wha—'Yeah,' James said slowly, 'he's my best mate.'
Lily frowned again, the expression not unfamiliar. 'That's another thing. Sirius is your best friend and I'm not going to get between you two.'
'You didn't think that six months ago.'
'Yeah, well, I was immature then. Wrong. I'm not going to be the reason you two aren't friends anymore.'
'Fine,' he said and his frown mimicked hers. 'We'll not kiss again and pretend like it never happened.'
'Thank you.'
'But that kiss was a pleasure.'
'Don't, James. Just don't.'
As separations often do, avoiding Lily made him mopey and a little less bubbly. He supposed it was nonsense to even think of it as a breakup, since they hadn't actually been together in the first place, but still an ache prevailed in his heart.
'Mate, you alright?' Sirius asked one day.
'Yeah, why?'
'You seem down.'
'It's just been a bad week,' James said unhelpfully. When he noticed Sirius' doubtful look, he sighed. 'I got a bad mark on a Transfiguration quiz.'
'Is that all?' Sirius chortled. 'I thought it was something serious. Don't worry, marks don't mean everything. With a detention record like yours, you would think that you wouldn't care so much. '
'It's Transfiguration.'
'So of course that means the end of the world.' He grinned and continued. 'No, what you really need to take your mind off of that is a girlfriend.'
'I don't need a girlfriend.'
'Do you want one?'
'No!'
'Well, just remember,' Sirius said as he stood to leave, 'on lonely nights, Transfiguration won't keep you warm.'
'Charms will!' James shouted and he could hear Sirius' laugh echoing down the stairs.
After six years, he was used to the taunts that followed him around. He was used to the whispers when he answered a question or the sneers when he got a spell wrong.
'Correct, Potter. Five points to Gryffindor.'
Snotty know-it-all. I bet he's cheating; no one of his status could know all that.
'Pardon, Mr. Potter, that is wrong.'
Filthy mudblood thinks he's so smart. He doesn't know anything, does he?
The jinxes were new, though. Those had started about the middle of last year. Little things, ones that wouldn't hurt him. His bag would split in the hallways, or a Tripping Jinx would appear in his path. He took secret passageways to avoid crowds.
It was one day after a successful prank when the mood went sour. In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have been aggravating the slightly unstable Slytherin boys. It was no secret to the Marauders that they were dabbling in the Dark Arts, but Sirius could never resist the opportunity to yank their chain.
'You'll pay for this, Black!' Mulciber raged as he unsuccessfully tried to wrench himself away from Avery, his waltzing partner.
'You might want to pay for some dancing lessons first,' advised Sirius. 'Your footwork is, well, all over the place.'
'Keep laughing, Black, because I won't forget this.'
'Cha cha cha,' Remus muttered as they walked away and the other three stifled giggles.
Two weeks later, James was walking back to the Prefect Office after patrols. A shiver went down his spine and he whirled around. Nothing.
That was strange. Perhaps—
'Petrificus Totalus!' Arms and legs locking, he fell to the floor as Mulciber emerged from the shadows.
'I told you I'd make you pay,' he hissed, stomping on James' right arm, his throwing arm, and shattering the bone. James felt pain blooming on the inside of his eyelids and his cry of agony was locked inside. Another kick to his chest made him unable to breathe.
'Filthy mudblood,' continued Avery with another kick, while Nott sneered behind him.
'Pretty boy Potter. What are you going to do when your friends aren't around to protect you? You can't do anything without them.'
'Expelliarmus!'
James recognized that voice. It was Lily, and he felt another spasm of fear, this time for her, run through his body. He tried to open his mouth, wiggle his head, anything that would tell her to get away, but he was frozen.
'Mulciber, what are you doing?' she asked, frowning at all three with their wands clenched in her hand. 'Leave the boy alone.'
'Potter and your brother humiliated us earlier.'
'Oh? I didn't know Reg and James were friends.'
Mulciber glowered. 'Not that brother, ' he sneered, 'Sirius, the idiot.'
'I don't see him here. Why aren't you beating up him as well?' When none of the boys answered, she crossed her arms. 'Ah, you don't want to spill pure blood, do you? And the best way to get at Sirius is through his friends.'
'Bugger off, Lily.'
She clicked her tongue. 'Oh, that was rude. Right, ten points each from Slytherin for breaking curfew, fifty for attacking a fellow student and twenty for the appalling use of profanity. I will be speaking to Professor Slughorn about detention and you can collect your wands from him in the morning.'
The boys stared at her with dumbfounded expressions until the reality of what she said began to sink in. Avery started to speak, but she waggled his wand at him and shook her head.
'I do believe it is time for you lot to get to bed,' said she, with steel in her voice. 'Head Girl's orders.' Shooting murderous glances at her, they skulked off to bed.
James heard her breathe a sigh of relief and then mutter something. Weightlessness engulfed his body and he wondered idly if he was slipping into unconsciousness. The ceiling floated towards him and blurred away.
It was only when he felt himself settle into a chair that he realized that he had just been moved. With a simple swish of her wand, she freed him from his immobile state. She Transfigured a glass and filled it with water, bringing it to his lips.
'Lily—'
'Don't speak. I think a rib is broken,' she told him, her hands fluttering over his chest. Her fingers lightly pressed on a spot and pain radiated out from her touch. 'Merlin, James, they really did a number on you.'
'Lily—'
'Not one to take orders, are you?'
'Hospital Wing,' he managed out between huffs. She shook her head violently enough to topple her hair from its place on her head.
'I can't move you again, not without hurting you. You're not immobile anymore.'
'Can you…f-fix…bones?'
'James, I grew up with Regulus and Sirius. Of course I can fix broken bones. Plus, I want to be a Healer; I've been learning this from Madame Smith since I was twelve. Now, quiet before you make it worse.'
She worked quickly and silently, prodding him with her wand, pouring potions down his throat and occasionally pressing bones into place. He grunted with pain occasionally but otherwise slipped into a daze, watching the light play off of her hair.
An hour later, she straightened and stretched. Her arms seemed endless, reaching to the sky from his vantage point. She pulled her hair up in a bun again and looked him over.
'You'll live,' was all she said as she turned to the desk to pack. Her hands, almost shaking with exhaustion, knocked over a vial and it shattered on the floor. 'Damn,' she muttered, bending to pick up the pieces.
He watched as she nicked her finger on the sharp edges. Blood beaded to the surface and she froze, contemplating it with a strange expression. He lurched from his chair and hesitantly reached for her.
'Look,' she demanded, jumping up and shoving her injured digit in his face. 'Look at it.'
'It's blood,' he managed to say.
'It's my blood. Pure wizarding blood.' She reached down and dragged it down his previously-broken arm, and the blood smeared on his skin.
'Gross.'
'Hold on, you silly boy,' she told him. 'Just look at it.'
He did.
'Do you see a difference between mine and yours?' She brushed her hand where the line of her blood paralleled his.
'No. No, I don't.'
'Then why does it all matter? Your blood is exactly like mine—no purer. It's just blood so why would it matter whether or not your parents are Muggles or not?'
They stared at the smears for a moment before she sighed again, saying, 'Let's get you to the Hospital Wing.'
When Sirius heard about James' whereabouts, he barged into the room with the other two Marauders in tow, only to skid to a stop in front of where Lily was sitting.
'What are you doing here?' he asked, narrowing his eyes at his sister.
'I was the one who rescued him and fixed him up,' she replied coolly.
'Why?'
'He was attacked right outside the Heads' office.'
'He wasn't in your bed?'
'No, Sirius,' she said with a tight-lipped smile. 'He was not in my bed.' She rolled her eyes and threw a pointed glare at James, making sure her brother could not see.
'How could I have gotten attacked if I was in her bed?' James objected, hastily adding, 'Not that I was in her bed. Or in her room, for that matter,' when Sirius glared.
'I don't know,' Sirius answered sulkily. 'You tell me.'
'Are your roommates crazy?'
Lily pondered James' question. 'Yes, but I don't think they'd go to such great lengths to remove you from our room.'
'What was the point of your question, anyways?' Sirius demanded.
'The point is, darling brother, that the Head Boy was attacked outside his office because of you. Also, that I don't have roommates that would hex James.'
'Me? Who would…' he trailed off and a dark expression settled on his face. 'Mulciber and Avery did it, didn't they?'
'Sirius—' Lily started, but to no avail.
'I'm going to make them wish they hadn't.'
'That's what got me here in the first place, Sirius,' said James, impatiently plucking at his bedclothes. 'And Lily's already taken points.'
Sirius snorted. 'Like that's going to help.'
'What else can we do?'
'Tell Dumbledore.'
'You're way behind, he was just in before you did,' James said. 'He'll take care of it.'
Sirius nodded but he didn't look entirely convinced. They spent the afternoon there in the Hospital Wing and played Exploding Snap.
'I can't take this anymore,' Sirius declared finally, throwing down his cards. They fizzled on the bed where they landed and gave a small pop. 'Losing to Remus I could handle, but to my little sister? Not a chance.'
Remus and Lily grinned at each other.
'I get the Chocolate Frogs,' the former said, sweeping them into his robes. Lily took the Sugar Quills—slightly singed, but still good—and promptly stuck one in her mouth.
'That was fun,' Peter said as he stood. 'It's always a pleasure to be beat by you, Remus. But now I am going to bed.'
'What time is it?' Sirius asked with a yawn.
'Nearly one in the morning,' replied James, squinting at his bloody wristwatch. Feeling slightly nauseous at the sight, he scratched at the leather in his haste to get it off.
Cool fingers stopped his and removed his hand. Lily. She went to work with a knowing smile, easily slipping the watch from his wrist and laying it on the table.
He glanced quickly to see if Sirius had noticed the exchange, but he was too caught up in making as many cards as he could explode.
'Madam Smith will get angry if she sees you playing with those,' reprimanded Lily. He scowled but tossed the deck aside. She smirked—just a thin little smile playing on her lips—but it was easy to see the family resemblance.
'I'm going to the room as well,' said Remus, with an odd look on his face. 'Are you coming, Sirius?'
'I'll be there in a moment.'
With that, Remus trooped out, leaving James and Sirius and Lily alone. The tension was so palpable that James could almost see it, stretched between them.
Sirius lounged on one side of James' bed and Lily sat primly on the other. Neither took their eyes off their sibling.
'Aren't you tired, Lily?' Sirius asked.
'Not really.'
'Curious.'
'Very. Shouldn't you be going up to bed?'
Sirius narrowed his eyes at his sister. 'I won't go until you are safely from this room.'
'Honestly,' James interjected, 'it's like you don't even notice I'm here. What do you think is going to happen?'
'I don't know, but you are in a bed and she does not appear to want to leave your side.'
'A sickbed,' Lily pointed out, arms firmly crossed in front of her chest. 'A sickbed in the Hospital Wing.'
'Convenient.'
That did it. Lily threw up her hands and glared at Sirius. 'Are you mad? You are sounding like an absolute raging lunatic! James is sick, he's just had a near-death experience because of your actions, I might add, and he's in no condition to do anything but sleep! But apparently all you think all he wants to do is shag me. '
'Well—'
'And to top it all off, you haven't even asked me if I like him yet. Maybe I don't want to shag him! Has that possibility crossed your mind? And maybe he's just a good friend who almost died practically at my feet and I'm worried about him.'
By the end of this speech, she was nearly shouting and taking in deep breaths. Sirius stared at her with a mixture of emotions playing on his face.
'She's your sister and I'm your best mate. I wouldn't do that to you, not without your permission,' James told him quietly.
With a huff, Sirius nodded his head once, gathered his things and stalked out the doorway.
'Idiot,' Lily muttered, staring at his retreating back. 'Complete and utter wanker.'
'He does have his moments.'
She snorted. 'Moments of stupidity.'
'He's just trying to care for you,' he murmured, suddenly feel the weight of all that had happened that day. 'Hey, Lily? Am I really only just a good friend?'
She turned to him with a smile, pressing a chaste kiss to his forehead. 'For now. I think we've had enough drama for today.'
The next morning he woke early, sore from his thorough beating. He turned on his side and squinted. There, curled up on a chair and fast asleep, was Lily. James allowed himself a small, content smile before he was pulled back into his dreams.
When Remus roused him again later, she was nowhere to be found.
He was let out of the hospital soon enough. Life went back to (semi)normal. He avoided Mulciber and Lily avoided him as best she could. Sirius soon forgot about his suspicions and settled back into his old carefree self.
James could not. He felt restless and uncertain, unable to focus on anything. Well, anything except a certain redhead who would not even meet his gaze. He found himself running his fingers parallel to his scars, where she had shown him the difference (or lack, thereof) between his blood and hers, long after it had been scrubbed off.
'Here,' he mumbled, shoving a schedule at her one day after meetings. 'Do you want to keep this?'
'Fine, yeah. Thank you.'
'Welcome.'
And so it went on. They barely spoke, never touched, and looked at each other as infrequently as they could. James fell deeper and deeper into a quiet sort of despair—his friends chalked it up to the attack or the steady stream of quiet taunts—and wondered when his life had become such a shambles.
'I can't take this anymore,' Lily said one night, slamming a book down on the table. He jumped at the sound and glanced at her curiously. 'I cannot keep pretending like it doesn't matter.'
'Lily—'
'There's no use! It's driving me mad! I tried, I really did, but I was only going to fail.'
'Lily—' he tried again, a little alarmed at the rambling stranger that had suddenly taken over his, er, friend.
'And who is he to have any say in anything I do? He's not my dad! He does not have the right to tell me what my life will turn out to be. I can't take it anymore.'
'Lily!' cried James and her eyes snapped to his face. 'What in Merlin's name are you talking about?'
She looked at him for a moment, her expression softening and the corners of her mouth tugging up in a smile. 'You,' she said softly. 'I'm talking about you. '
'Meaning?'
She sighed. 'You are an idiot sometimes, you know that?'
'Shut up and tell me what you're talking about.' He had an inkling, but he wanted to hear the words roll off her tongue. Dancing around the subject would leave it vague; he wanted her to say it so it was real.
'I want to date you and not worry. Sirius can go to hell for all I care.'
'Oh.'
'Oh is right. Now, kiss me before I start second-guessing that whole speech.'
He did as he was asked (er… commanded) and leaned down. She sighed again when her lips touched his, her fingers trailing up behind his neck. He cupped her face in his hands, marveling with what little thinking ability he had left at the feeling of her skin at hers. He had always scoffed at the idea of sparks flying, but Merlin help him, he could feel the electricity blazing a line of fire wherever his fingers touched.
'Sirius is going to kill me when he finds out I've been snogging you, you know that. Not that I care, but he might not speak to you for ages and ages,' warned James when they stopped. 'You know how he is with grudges.'
'Leave Sirius, and Regulus for that matter, to me and if they hurt a hair on your head,' she reached up and smoothed down the said wayward hair, 'I will kill them first.'
He shook his head, a low chuckle echoing in his chest. 'You Blacks are merciless.'
Her eyes glinted mischievously. 'The family curse. It makes us irresistible.'
'And I'm the arrogant one.'
'You know it. Wait, James.' She put her hand over his mouth, interrupting what would have inevitably become another snogging session. 'You've got a point. Sirius will go off his rocker when he finds out and we'll have given him enough stress for a lifetime if this doesn't work out—'
'—nonsense—' he managed to mumble against her palm.
'Hush, just think about it. We've been enemies for the better part of six years, and what if this is nothing but hormones and messed up people? What if there's no substance?'
'What if you think too much?'
'I'm not saying this relationship won't work, I'm just asking if we want to give Sirius that panic if it doesn't?'
He frowned and pulled away from her. 'Are we breaking up before we started?'
'No, I'm saying we shouldn't start at all. Well, at least not in anyone's eyes.'
'Ah,' he said, catching on to her line of thinking. 'We'll keep it a secret then.'
'I think that's best.'
'If you say so. And Lily?'
'Yes?'
'I'm not going to break up with you anytime soon. I hope you know that.'
She blushed and dropped her gaze to the floor. He bit his lip, worried that he had hurt her, offended her or something but she nodded her head.
'Good.'
At first, James enjoyed being secretly in a relationship. They were careful not to change their routine very much, careful not to linger when they stood together, careful not to touch excessively, careful not to send too many glances each other's way.
Lily was sitting at the Gryffindor table for dinner one day, as she sometimes did, next to James, which was not unusual as of this year. The house-elves, in a particularly gracious mood, made chocolate cake for no apparent reason at all. Nevertheless, the Hogwarts students enjoyed it to the fullest.
'James, ' said Lily, grinning at the boy beside her, 'you've got icing on your face. Just there… no, here.' She leaned forward and brushed the side of his face gently. He caught her hand and pressed her fingers to his lips for a quick kiss. She glared at him—he merely smirked back—for a moment before checking to see if anyone had noticed their exchange.
Sirius was animatedly chatting with Peter about something or the other. They were safe from him. But Remus… Remus was watching them with an odd glare. When he caught James' eye, he shook his head briefly and turned away.
James was walking in the hallway after class when a familiar head of red hair stepped in front of him. He lifted an eyebrow, suddenly struck with an idea. He pulled her into an out-of-the way alcove and kissed her briefly.
'That's the second time today, in public no less,' she said. 'You really don't get this whole secrecy thing, do you?'
'Maybe I just don't care,' he answered, grinning. She snorted.
'Well, obviously. Now let me leave. I've got to go to class.'
'Not without another kiss first.'
'You're incorrigible,' she muttered, but kissed him anyways. He smiled and tangled his fingers with hers as they walked through the empty hallways to Charms.
They entered class without Flitwick knowing or caring and sat comfortably in the back together, laughing quietly to each other and sneaking pecks when they could.
They were sitting with their backs to the wall, halfway between the Gryffindor tower and the Ravenclaw tower. It was half an hour after curfew and they knew they could get caught at any time, but James was more than willing to risk a detention for Lily's company. Besides, there was so much to talk about.
And then they were kissing again, but James didn't care. How could he care when Lily was pressed up to him and running her hands through his hair and the taste and smell of her was all he could breathe. How could he care when the only thoughts running through his head were Merlin I love this girl I'm screwed I love her and it's only been two weeks.
'Not without my permission, eh?' a loud voice snapped behind them. Lily and James instantly jumped apart, both looking equally shamed. James rubbed his hand over his face, not looking at the furious Sirius that stood in front of him. Lily, on the other hand, raised her chin and glared at him. Sirius had war written in his expression and James would have been dead long ago if the daggers shot from his eyes were real. 'Get away from my sister!'
'Sirius—' James began, but Sirius was already rushing forward. He threw a punch that hit James solidly in the eye and followed it up with a kick to the stomach. Quicker than a wink, the two boys were on the ground, limbs flailing and blows landing everywhere. Lily yelled at them to stop it, you boys are making a ruckus but they didn't listen.
'Petrificus Totalus!' Lily cried finally, glaring at her brother and her boyfriend. She lifted the spell almost immediately but not before setting up a Shield Charm. 'Talk. You are not allowed to hit. I will take points from Gryffindor and I will hex you if you continue with this nonsense.'
'Sirius—' James said again, but faltered when he glanced at his friend.
'You specifically told me that you weren't interested in her and then I catch you snogging! What are you thinking?'
'It just happened.'
'So you lied to me?'
'No! Well, not completely.' Sirius raised an eyebrow and James sighed. 'She didn't want to get in a relationship.'
'And you're still kissing her—' he made a strangled sort of noise and started towards James.
'I started it, Sirius, so you can shut up,' Lily interjected and he narrowed his eyes. 'I did! He kissed me and I said wait. I knew you would be upset and he honoured that.'
'When did this whole tryst start?'
Lily and James shifted uncomfortably.
'Do you mean the first kiss or the relationship?' asked James with a sigh.
Sirius narrowed his eyes again. 'Both.'
'September. But we just dated for two weeks.'
'What were you doing in between that time? If you were shagging her, Potter, I swear I will hex you until you cannot walk.'
'Relax, Sirius. She told you we didn't do anything.'
'That night in the hospital?'
'Not together, but that was the catalyst,' explained Lily. 'We stopped talking to each other and I couldn't, I couldn't do it anymore.' She reached out and grabbed James' hand. He took a step closer to her and she ran her fingers over his face, where bruises were already starting to form.
'Sorry,' she whispered and he shook his head.
'Not your fault.'
Sirius stood in stony silence, shooting nasty looks at James occasionally. 'I don't like it,' he said finally, 'but if you must…'
'We tried, I promise we did,' James said quietly. Sirius snorted and pointed his finger at his friend.
'Fine, but you are not sleeping in the dorm tonight. I think I might murder you in your sleep if you did,' he growled and James nodded. He had been expecting that.
'I'll sneak you into the Ravenclaw tower; we've got some nice couches there,' Lily told him, hiding a smile when Sirius began to backtrack.
'That's even worse! You are not getting anywhere near her and I am not letting you out of my sight after dark again.'
'Fair enough,' James said with a grimace and followed Sirius to bed. Lily shook her head, watching them go, and was glad that that was over.
Except it wasn't.
A spell hit James squarely between the shoulder blades and he stumbled forward, only just managing to catch himself. He whirled around when he found his balance to see a furious Regulus brandishing his wand.
'Oh, right,' Sirius said, wincing. 'I might have told Regulus.'
'Where did this come from?' Lily muttered in class, tracing a welt on his arm. He glanced down and rubbed it carefully.
'Your brother,' he said, watching her frown.
'I thought Sirius was fine—'
'No, no. It was Regulus. Sirius told him and he confronted us in the hallways.'
Her frown grew into a scowl. 'That little—'
'Lily, he's your brother.'
'He still shouldn't have cursed you.'
'How is that worse than Sirius beating the shite out of me?'
'It's not. I'm mad at both of them. There's no need to be so protective and annoying.'
'They love you, Lily. I knew it would happen sooner or later and it was worth it.'
She turned her face up to him, smiling. 'Are you sure?'
'Positive. You're worth any trouble any day,' he said and she laid her head on his shoulder.
In that moment, James didn't think he had ever been so content and as he intertwined his fingers with Lily's, he was hit with the thought that things could only get better from here.