Library / Greenhouse
Sirius sat in his favorite place by the best fireplace in the common room, nearly tucked into a corner where he could see the whole common room completely and no one was able to sneak up on him. Not that anyone ever could. Call it a blessing, call it a curse, but part of Sirius still remained rooted to his anamagi when he transfigured back to a human. It was unavoidable, and it had come to great advantage: super senses. He felt that it was the closest he could come to being one of those muggle superheroes from the comic books.
Sirius was well in tune with the sounds of his brother Marauders, the three who were closer than his own blood brother was. It wasn't enough that Sirius was now living with the Potters, and had been since he turned sixteen and traitor to his own family. Sirius had practically been disowned by his family, and that was fine with him. He had James, who was ten times the brother than his own brother had been. James' parents had welcomed Sirius warmly. Spending the past summer holiday had caused James and Sirius to become terribly close, their love, though only brotherly love, was stronger than ever.
Therefore, it wasn't a surprise to Sirius when he saw James plop down opposite him by the fireplace. Sirius could pick out James' walk out of the walk of the other Gryffindors. It was of no concern to Sirius that he knew James as he knew him. They were the best of friends, and the best of brothers. Sirius glanced up at James and noticed that James looked different. His nose was straight and even, but a bruise had formed rather nicely on James' upper cheek near his eye. Sirius raised his eye brow in surprise.
"Ooh, Prongs," Sirius teased as James cracked a smile. "Not sure if that is exactly what Alice meant by teaching Lily to fly. I am assuming she is the one that did this to you."
"She did," James laughed. "It was a complete accident. She finally was able to summon the broom and got excited and well…"
"What? Punched you in the face from excitement?" Sirius inquired as he leaned forward to get a good look at it.
"Nah, Lily just spun around and clipped me, that's all," James explained.
"Why didn't you go and get it fixed?" Sirius asked as he leaned back against his chair and watched James' face light up as he spoke of the seemingly painful encounter with Lily.
"Oh, I did. At least, you know, the broken nose," James said. Sirius laughed loudly.
"She broke your nose?"
"Yeah," James said nodding.
"Shit, James," Sirius laughed again. James grinned and raked his hand through his hair. "She managed to break your nose and bruise your face, all on accident! Though why fix the nose, but not the bruises?"
"Because," James grinned as he saw Alice and Lily walking in the portrait hole. "A broken nose might stay with me forever, a bruise will fade. But not before I make Lily feel so awful about it that she insists on going to Hogsmeade with me."
"Right," Sirius said as he crinkled his nose. "She is still going to turn you down flat, bruised face and all."
"I bet she doesn't," James said. Sirius raised an eye brow at him and smirked.
"That, my brother, sounds a bit like a wager," Sirius said. James laughed and shook his head.
"No, I am not wagering with you," James teased. "You always cheat."
"Do not!" Sirius exclaimed as a sly smile crossed his face as Alice glanced his way and blushed. She took Lily by the arm and steered her toward Sirius and James who were looking rather charming as they lazed about in their favorite chairs.
"James Potter, what in the world happened to your face?" Alice asked as her eyes slid from Sirius' confident smile to James' slightly less certain smile. He was looking at Lily and didn't respond.
"Go on and tell them, Potter," Lily encouraged as her own mouth tugged at the corner as she fought a smile.
"Alice, dear, your best friend Lily there attacked my mate James," Sirius said seriously, his face pulled into a rather believable scowl. Alice rounded on Lily with a look of utter horror.
"You were supposed to be learning how to fly, not beating up James," Alice said anxiously.
"I didn't get beat up," James defended.
"I didn't beat him up," Lily cried out at the same time James responded. She looked at James almost pleadingly. "Tell her that I didn't beat you up."
"I just did," James reminded her. He turned to Alice sweetly. "Alice, dear, it was all an accident. The heat of a moment thing," James told her. Alice looked at him as if she might not totally believe him.
"You are just defending her because you like her?" Alice teased mercilessly. Sirius laughed and caught Alice's hand, pulling her down onto the chair he was occupying. He brushed her hair behind her ear.
"Now, now, Alice," Sirius coaxed rather playfully. Alice blushed as his fingers touched her cheek. "You can't honestly believe that James and Lily, two people who have never been able to have more than civil conversation would be able to get close enough for long enough for Lily to do that on purpose, do you?"
"Good point," Alice agreed, though at the moment she would have agreed to anything. Alice couldn't pull her gaze from Sirius's eyes, nor did he look eager to break the eye contact.
"Alice, honestly!" Lily exclaimed. "What about Frank?"
"Frank?" Alice asked rather dumbfounded, as if she had forgotten her summer boyfriend. Recognition to the name snapped into her eyes and Alice pulled free of Sirius and his welcoming lap. She nearly glared at him, but couldn't bring herself to it.
"Well, James, I thought I told you to go to the infirmary," Lily said rather bossily as she stood in front of James, her back to Sirius. She had her hands on her hips and she was looking at the mess of James' face rather intently. At least he had the decency to change out of his bloody clothes.
"I did," James said as he smiled rather boyishly at her. She felt the urge to smile back, but she fought it. She couldn't let him see what she knew was true.
"You still look a little like hell," Lily informed him. He nodded.
"I know," James said as he continued to look up at her. He couldn't suppress the grin that slowly enveloped his face. He smirked. "I guess that is what happens when you get excited. You get thrilled and I get killed."
Lily blushed and laughed, despite herself. James felt his chest swell with pride and pleasure, grateful for the lilting sounds of her delicate laughter. He joined in, laughing with her. She shook her head and wiped tears from her eyes, careful not to mess up her subtle make up. Alice was nearly rolling in hysterics, already back in Sirius's welcoming lap.
"You really are too much, Potter," Lily chuckled as she looked away from him. She shook her head at Alice. "Alice, get off Black and come on. We have those papers to write for potions, fifteen inches, if I am not mistaken, to be turned in to Slughorn tomorrow."
"Come on, Evans, we're just having a little fun," Sirius taunted as his arms circled Alice's waist. Lily crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, though she did have a slight smile on her lips.
"No dice, Black," Lily said shaking her head. She raised an eye brow at Alice who sighed and pulled free of Sirius.
"You really are no fun, Lily. I don't want to spend the rest of the evening hanging out in the library. It's so… dusty," Alice said as she chose a word other than boring. She knew her best friend enjoyed the library, though it was a little odd the way Lily sometimes spoke of books as if they were lovers. Alice laughed at her own thought and picked a piece of lint off her skirt.
"We'll come," James offered suddenly. Sirius looked horrified.
"What?" Sirius and Lily both said in disbelief. James nodded.
"We have to write the same paper, so why not write it as a cozy little foursome?" James said as he stood up from the chair. He realized how close Lily really was standing when she took a step back, increasing the distance between them by a foot.
"That sounds great!" Alice said enthusiastically, thrilled at the chance to spend more time with Sirius. Lily glanced at Sirius, almost as if she was looking to him to bring James back into his right mind. The Marauders and Lily Evans just aren't the types that choose to socialize willingly.
"Alice, surely the boys would rather play that Quidditch game or something like that," Lily suggested hopefully. James shook his head, smiling.
"No, can't say that we really need to practice or anything," James said as he picked his and Lily's bags off the ground. Lily went to take hers, but James pulled it back. "I've got it, Lily. Just lead the way. I am not too certain I can find the library on purpose."
"Seriously?" Lily asked almost as if she was scandalized by the thought that James Potter didn't know where the library was. She let a playful smile betray her face a moment.
"Nah, but do lead. Ladies first," James replied as he gestured for Lily and Alice to lead the way. Sirius had his bag in his hand and he looked at James inquisitively.
"What do you think you are going to be able to do in the library?" Sirius whispered as he followed James' gaze to Lily's perfectly formed rear. Sirius shook his head roughly, clearing the vision from his mind. "You know that there is no way to talk to her while that librarian hag is lurking around."
"Shh," James whispered. He stepped closer to Sirius. "I have a plan."
"Well, if you let me in on it, maybe I can help," Sirius offered. James grinned at him.
"Just keep flirting with Alice, and you are doing all I need you to do," James said as the girls stopped two and a half meters from them. Lily glanced back at James and Sirius who were walking so many feet behind the girls.
"Are you coming or not?" Lily asked rather impatiently. James and Sirius nodded and jogged up to them, stopping just short of running them down.
The doors to the library opened with a loud groan, which caused quite a few people to look up in disbelief that someone had so rudely shattered the silence of the library. The librarian hissed at them rather cattily, her long fingers pressed to her pursed lips.
James grabbed Lily's hand and led the way to the farthest corner of the library, as far from the librarian as possible. He placed their bags on the table as Sirius and Alice took seats next to each other on the far side of the table. Lily looked at James expectantly and then down at her hand. James' gaze followed to where their hands were still locked in embrace. Flustered, he allowed Lily to retract her hand from his grasp.
Lily immediately pulled out a scroll and her favorite quill, one that wrote in a vivid shade of purple ink. She thought a moment and began scratching her quill to her parchment. After a second, she realized that neither James nor Alice nor Sirius was making any motion to get started. She looked up at Sirius and Alice first.
Lily knew she should avert her eyes or slap some sense into her friend, but Lily was frozen, eyes glued to the sight of Sirius and Alice kissing rather aggressively. Lily felt heat burning in her cheek, uncertain as to what the proper protocol was in this situation. She quickly looked to her parchment, her cheeks a flame.
"They ought to get a room," James whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her cheek. She shivered unintentionally.
"Yeah," Lily nodded as she focused more than necessary on her parchment. She noticed that James still hadn't moved to retrieve parchment or quill from his bag. "What are you doing? You should get started."
"Yeah," James murmured softly as Lily's eyes met his for the first time since Sirius and Alice began their very public display of affection. A slight smile crossed Lily's face, almost wistfully and she pulled a spare quill and parchment out of her bag. She pushed it toward James.
"Get started," she insisted and she turned back to her own paper. She waited a moment before she heard the quill scratching the surface of the paper. Satisfied, Lily dove in head first into her paper for Slughorn. Occasionally, she would steal a glimpse of Sirius and Alice's interesting little show and twice she would casually glance at James, careful not to be caught.
"You need to quit looking at me and finish your paper," James taunted. He was so close to her, his arm along the back of her chair. His mouth very nearly brushed her ear and despite her desires not to, Lily shivered. Lily rolled her eyes at him.
"I am not looking at you," Lily said defiantly.
"Were to," James taunted. A knowing smile plastered on his face. Lily shook her head emphatically.
"Was not," Lily said. For good measure, she stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed.
"Don't tempt me, Lily Evans," James warned. He still had his smile, but there was something else in his eyes that made Lily's heart race and her breath quicken. She held his gaze a while longer than turned back to her paper, her cheeks ablaze.
"I wasn't trying to," Lily whispered so quietly James almost missed it.
"I know," James offered. He turned back to his own paper, but was careful not to catch Lily looking at him. She had decided not to even chance it and steal a glimpse of James while she was writing her paper.
"I'm done," Lily said as she read over her parchment. James nodded.
"Me, too," James said as he took hers and handed his off to her. Lily proofread his paper, surprised not only that he actually had the concepts right, but also that it was very nearly perfect. He had gone a way she wouldn't have with the paper, but it fell within the standards and stipulations of Professor Slughorn.
"It's good," Lily told him as she pushed her own into her bag. She looked at Sirius and Alice who were still going at it rather heatedly. She blushed slightly and looked down at the table.
"This is going to get awkward," James said. Lily looked at him.
"What is?"
"Your best friend and my best friend hanging all over each other, making out all of the time," James said as he half smiled at her. Lily nodded.
"Perhaps they will come up for air and realize what their doing," Lily offered hopefully.
"No chance, Sirius is like a disease. Once you caught it, you can never be cured," James said. "Looks like you and I will be spending even more time together, since your girl and my boy are permanently attached at the mouth."
"Great," Lily said though she wasn't as bright sounding about the whole thing as James had hoped. She looked at him that way, as if she could see herself being more than just the head girl to the head boy. He could see it, why couldn't she?
"Well, maybe this weekend when you and I are in Hogsmeade together, we can discuss your next flying lesson," James offered lightly as he packed his written paper. Lily didn't respond and James looked up at her. She wasn't looking at him, or at the couple who sat at their table making sickening sucking noises as they kissed.
Lily was glaring angrily at Severus Snape who had strolled into the library. He was looking a Lily, a little bit of dark anger was lit in his eyes as he sneered at the thought that Lily and James were sitting together so cozily as they worked on school work. Severus hated James Potter more than anyone could ever hate another person. Severus hated everything about James, especially the one thing that both shared: a deep, unconditional love for sweet Lily Evans.
"So, Lily? Hogsmeade?" James asked seizing on her moment of distraction.
"What? Hogsmeade?" Lily asked as she turned back to James. She was frowning, like she hadn't heard the original statement. James nodded.
"To discuss your next flying lesson," James asked. Lily thought a moment, and nodded.
"I guess it is as good of a place as anywhere, I suppose," Lily said shrugging. She stood up from the table and slung the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "I will see you all at the table later."
"Where are you going?" Alice asked as she finally pulled her mouth away from Sirius' long enough to see that Lily was leaving.
"I already told you," Lily said exasperated. "I promised Professor Sprout I would help baby sit the Mandrakes for a while."
"Oh, yeah," Alice said as she screwed her face up in displeasure. She waved her off. "Have fun and see you later."
"Do you want company?" James asked. Lily looked at him rather shocked.
"In the greenhouse?" Lily asked.
"No, just the walk there. I can take your bag back to the dorm afterwards so it doesn't get dirty or eaten by a Mandrake," James offered. Lily couldn't help but grin at him and nod.
"Sure," Lily said. Alice pulled back again from Sirius to gawk at her friend, but went ignored by Lily who handed her bag to James and lead the way out of the library.
Lily and James walked along the path from the school to the greenhouses in silence; occasionally James' free hand would brush Lily's hand. She pretended she didn't notice, but it was hard not to notice. Lily would glance over at James and he would glance back at her. It was sweet the way they would both blush at each other as they managed to look at each other.
"Well, I am here," Lily said as she hesitated at the door. Her even-tempered, commonsense filled self told her just to open the door and head into the greenhouse. That didn't seem to be the part of her in control right now, though, and she hesitated at the door.
"Yeah," James said gruffly. He looked at Lily, their bags still in his hand. He had never, ever felt as nervous around another person as he did right now. He nearly laughed at himself. After all, this was Lily, the girl he had been chasing after on and off for the past seven years. He had nothing to be worried about when it came to her. She would always keep his advances at bay.
"So, Hogsmeade this weekend, right? I guess it should be fine, I mean we are going to have to be there anyways, watching out for the third years and everything," Lily rambled rather nervously. James nodded while looking at her. "Since Sirius and Alice have decided to let their bodies get the better of them, I guess we will have no choice but hang out, if even just to protect them from their selves. It makes sense that you and I will discuss my next flying lesson, especially if I ever want a chance to become a world class Quidditch player, you know?"
"Huh? Yeah," James laughed at the subtle joke she had made. She was smiling, but it wasn't one of happiness or pleasure, it was more out of nervousness. "Hogsmeade then."
"Well, I better get in," Lily suggested as she was relieved that she didn't gush on anymore. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks rather suddenly. Up until this point, she had always felt down right entitled to be nasty to James Potter, but something had changed and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. He wasn't so… frustrating. It did help that he hadn't asked her out yet this year, at least on a romantic date, though the way that she was feeling right then she might have said yes to him.
"See you later," James said suddenly as he turned and headed away. Lily's mouth dropped open. She wasn't sure what she had expected him to do as they stood so close to each other outside of the green house. Perhaps a quick peck on the cheek? Lily blushed violently. What a thing to think about James Potter!
"Stupid boy," Lily growled as she pushed her way into the greenhouse, the door slamming behind her. James glanced back at the greenhouse, uncertain of what she had said before entering the greenhouse. He shrugged and headed back up to the castle with his and Lily's bags in his hand.
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