A/N: From the reviews, I would assume you'd like this to continue. I did want to add one thing. So no one gets the wrong idea, I didn't create Dragon Pox. That was Ms. Rowling's doing (HBP- Slughorn is talking to Draco about his being sorry that Draco's grandfather dying `dragon pox at his age'). I just didn't want anyone thinking I was taking claim to that cleverness.
Disclaimer: Plot is mine, characters are borrowed.
"It itches so bad," moaned Sirius as he laid in his bed. Madame Pomfrey shook her head as she circled around to Sirius' bed.
"Mr. Black, how many times do I have to charm those mittens on you?" Madame Pomfrey asked as she pulled out her wand, shaking it at a pair of discarded mittens.
"It itches!" griped Sirius as the mitten's attacked Sirius' hands and clamped down on his wrist. Sirius looked over to James for support, getting stifled laughter from behind a pair of mitten covered hands. "Some help you are!"
"Hey," James said in defense. "I know how to keep my mittens from looking like I've removed them. Pinned them to my sleeves."
"Nice try, James," Lily said as she strolled up to his bed. She giggled, the boys covered from head to toe with little green dots. She placed her books down on the foot of James' bed, pulled out her wand, and rolled up her sleeves. She charmed James' mittens back on his hands.
"Awe, come on Lily," James whined as he tried to itch with the gloves on his hands. He made a face as he looked at her. She smiled sweetly at him, patting his arm.
"Oh, I never thanked you for the socks," Lily said as she sat down on the chair. "I tried to write you but I just had a hard time putting what I wanted to say into words. They were put to good use, trust me."
"I can understand that," James said appreciatively. Sirius snickered.
"So, have you written your papers for potions class?" Lily said ignoring James' glares and Sirius' snickering. The two boys stopped.
"It itched too much," James complained.
"Worse than the time that I had fleas," Sirius said. Lily laughed.
"Ok, fine," Lily said as she drew out a quill and a piece of parchment. "Well, then. To get my extra credit, I have to stay here an hour, so I guess I'll just sit here."
James watched her writing on the parchment for a few minutes, his itching becoming too intense for him. He began to scratch the slightly raised, green speckles that covered him head to toe. He leaned towards Lily.
"What are you writing?" James asked as he reached to scratch. Lily looked up, mid sentence.
"A love letter," Lily said casually as she turned back to her parchment.
"To your boyfriend?" Sirius piped up laughing.
"I don't have a boyfriend," Lily said. "Yet."
"Ooh, Prongs, I think little miss goody-two-shoes is coming on to you," Sirius said. Lily laughed.
"You know, Sirius, I had quite a few girls voice some interest in you until I told them you had an broom accident over Christmas Holiday," Lily said as she went back to writing her paper. "It was a shame, you loosing the ability to use your… uh… strapping manliness."
"What?" Sirius cried out. He went to get out of bed to be shooed back into it by Madame Pomfrey.
"Yes," Lily continued once the woman was on the other side of the ward helping another itchy hospital patron. "It was convenient that everyone else got Dragon Pox and had to be hospitalized with you. To fake such an… itchy illness… a shame, really."
"I don't believe you," Sirius said doubtfully. He looked at Lily, trying to catch a glimpse of a smile. She continued to write her love letter.
"So, why did you wait to visit me? I thought that we were getting along," James asked as he tried to look at the page. Lily pulled it closer.
"I was stuck in detention all week," Lily said distastefully.
"Surely you're joking," Sirius said.
"What did you do?" James asked. Lily looked at him, placing her papers down.
"I… got caught sleeping in… your bed," Lily said as her cheeks turned from their creamy white to a bright pink. "I was alone, but… naked…"
"What?" Sirius said as he sat upright to get a better look at Lily.
"Naked in my bed?" James squeaked. Lily paused.
"Yeah… uh," Lily said nodding. "I was doing something… inappropriate."
"Inappropriate?" James encouraged, swallowing nervously. "Really?"
"No! You fool!" Lily laughed as she hit him with one of the books nearby. "I got detention for something else. Do you really think I'd be so bold to be naked in your bed?"
"What did you get detention for?" James asked as the color faded from his cheeks. Sirius was laughing.
"Sneaking around Dumbledore's office," Lily said shrugging as she picked up her letter and began writing it again. "He said he didn't want to give it to me, but since Severus caught me and gave me detention, he felt obligated to abide by the punishment given by a prefect."
"Why were you in Dumbledore's office?" James wondered. Lily grinned and shrugged.
"I was looking for something," Lily said. She glanced at her watch. "Lean forward."
"What?" James said as he leaned forward. Lily sat down on the bed next to him, her finger gently touching the back of his gown. She wasn't scratching his back, exactly. Her fingers eased some of the discomfort from the itching while arousing a new discomfort in him. Sirius cleared his throat, grinning at James. James blushed, shifting in bed.
"Sit still, I thought you said these itch," Lily said as James tried to pull away a bit.
"I think he has something else that could use a good scratching," Sirius piped up from his own hospital bed.
"Sirius!" James hissed angrily. Lily looked at Sirius a little confused before shifting off the bed. She looked at James and saw exactly what Sirius was talking about. James was beet red, matching the exact color of a ripe apple. Lily pressed her lips together to contain her laughter.
"Um," Lily said in a shaky voice, one that threatened to spill over into laughter. "I… uh, can't help you with that itch there, James."
"Oh, God," James said mortified as he covered his eyes with one hand and rearranged his pillow over his lap. "It's…"
"Been a while," Sirius finished laughing. Lily's cheeks pinked slightly.
"Oh, well, look at the time," Lily said looking at her watch. "I promised I'd walk with Remus to Hogsmead since you're not well enough."
"Wait, Remus is going on my date with you?" James said. Lily laughed slightly as she scooped up her stuff.
"Don't be silly, James," Lily said as she started to leave the hospital. She turned and looked back at James. "Remus is just chaperoning me and Amos Diggory."
"Wait! What?" James called in agony as the door swung closed. He looked at Sirius. "That Diggory is going on my date with my Lily?"
"Where are you going?" Sirius asked as James went to climb out of the bed.
"I'm not just going to lay here in bed while that Amos Diggory puts the moves on my Lily, especially with the rumor that he's already got a kid out there from other indiscretions," James said as he searched for his shoes.
"It's fact, not rumor, James. Hey, come back. You're naked arse is hanging out the back of your gown," Sirius called as James escaped the hospital ward. The corridors were empty, and James high tailed it back to the Gryffindor common room. He stood in his dormitory, surprised to find that it was clean. The last time that he had seen it, it was covered in sticky green slime. In a hurry, he grabbed his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's map.
"There you are Lily," James murmured under his breath as he saw her near the one-eyed witch. Lily disappeared, presumably down the passage. James couldn't believe that Remus was taking her out through one of their secret passage ways. He shook his head in disgust and ran as fast as his tennis shoes would let him.
Sliding behind the witch, James ran down the path careful not to trip on any loose roots. He could feel the dirt slipping into his shoes, his feet not protected by socks. It was a half an hour walk, and he was running, making it there in fifteen minutes. Still, it seemed that Lily was ahead of him. James carefully let himself out of Honeyduke's cellar, through the shop, and out into the cold January air. He shivered under his cloak, while making him invisible it did nothing for warmth.
James saw Remus head into the Hogshead Pub and James ran after him, peering into the dingy window. He couldn't make out any of the dark shadows and was forced to enter the pub, making the door look as if a swift January wind had blown it open. Standing there, shivering and numb, he searched the faces or lack thereof the seedier patrons. Over by the fire, which was roaring robustly was Lily, hunched over a stack of parchment. Remus was with her, his hand resting on the back of her chair casually. Their heads were close together and for a moment, on long and painful moment, James could have sworn they were kissing.
She laughed, breaking the spell. James saw that they were working on the papers together, text books on the table. James crept closer, carefully, not wanting to startle anyone or to give his position. He could feel the heat warming him from under the cloak as he stood right next to them. James frown as Lily pointed at the book, then the paper, causing Remus to lean closer to her. James mentally did the calculations, she needed only to turn her head so far to the right and the two of them, Remus and Lily, would be mouth to mouth.
"Nah, James wouldn't put that in his," Remus said shaking his head. Lily sighed and continued to flip through the books.
"I only need like one or two more sentances," Lily sighed again. James leaned over her carefully, getting a good look at what she was writing.
`She's writing my potions essay for me and in my handwriting, at that,' James exclaimed mentally.
"How's Sirius'?" Lily asked as pushed her sleeves back up.
"It fine, for him. Dreadful for me," Remus said. He held it at the strange angle Sirius held his paper when he wrote. "Do you think I should find a dog to gnaw on it a bit, or slobber?"
"Nah," Lily said as she dipped her fingers in the dripping from a forgotten barbeque chicken sandwich. Carefully she picked up the paper, leaving light smudge marks on the edge. She laughed and licked her fingers.
"Man, you have them down!" Remus laughed as he handed her a napkin.
"Only, you can't let them know I help you, ok?" Lily said quickly. "The last thing I want is for James to get it in his head that I am just going to lie down for him."
"That's what he wants," Remus said. Lily rolled her eyes.
"He'll get tired of my virginal act and move on," Lily said grinning as she placed her hands under her chin. "They all do."
"Don't count on it, Lily," Remus said. He froze and made a face. Lily looked at him.
"What's the matter?" Lily asked. Remus' nose moved ever so slightly and he looked right at James. "Remus, what?"
"Nothing," Remus said quickly as he turned back to looking at Lily. "I thought I… but that can't be. He would be THAT stupid."
"James?" Lily said. She jumped up and gripped at the air, missing James only because he had taken a step back. She was looking at the floor, watching for variances in the dust. She reached again, coming in contact with that familiar cloak. She yanked it off. "Ah-hah!"
"Lily!" James exclaimed. Lily's mouth dropped open, her cheeks turned pink, and Lily covered her eyes.
"Why aren't you were any clothes?" Lily squeaked.
"I have a hospital gown on, and shoes," James said as he pulled his gown to cover as much of his legs as he could. Lily kept her hands over her eyes and grabbed her cloak from the chair.
"For Merlin's sake, James, put it on," Lily begged. James wrapped himself in it, though it really was too small.
"What in the world do you think you are doing here?" Remus asked as James stood there, Lily's cloak wrapped around his waist long ways, wearing shoes without socks, and covered from head to toe in green spots.
"You said you were coming here on a date with Amos Diggory!" James said helplessly. Lily made a face at him, looking at Remus for back up.
"Do you see Amos around here?" Remus asked. James glanced around then shook his head.
"I was only kidding, James," Lily said. "Amos graduated last year, remember? Everyone was talking about him because he had a wizard out of wedlock."
"I feel like an idiot," James said. Lily raised an eye brow at him.
"You look like an idiot," Lily said. She brought her hand down on his hand. "You know, I am going to have to walk you back to school, and I am going to have to give you detention."
"Why are you doing our papers?" James asked. Lily blushed.
"I just wanted to help you out," Lily said. She held it for James to see. "I think I got you down."
"Thanks, really," James said. Lily stood, placing her supplies back in her bag.
"Let's get moving, James," Remus said quietly. "There are a group of goblins that are rather fond of young, virginal meat."
"I'm not a virgin," James defended as the three left the pub. Remus glanced at Lily, shrugging. Lily crossed her arms.
"We can debate that later," Lily said shivering. "Let's just get back to the school. Maybe I can sneak you back into hospital and no one will notice."
The three ran down the dirt tunnel back to the school, James in the rear of the group so that the flapping of his gown wouldn't offend anyone. Lily burst into laughter as she slipped from behind the witch. Checking that the coast was clear, Lily grabbed Remus by the hand and pulled him out.
"Run these to Professor Slughorn, straight away," Lily said shoving the essays in his hand. Remus nodded and took off toward the dungeon. Lily pulled James out from behind the witch. "Let's get you back upstairs. Do you have your map?"
"Yeah," James said as he pulled it out.
"I don't want to know where you had that hiding," Lily laughed.
"Pinned it to my gown," James said. He looked down at it. "Let's go. Snape's coming this way."
Lily took his hand and the two sprinted through the passageways and such until they came to the hospital wing. Lily poked her head in, seeing Madame Pomfrey heading through the door to her office. Lily took James and dragged him back to his bed. She yanked off her cloak and shoved him into the bed, pulling the sheet and blanket up. She threw herself in the chair, jerking a book from her bag.
"What? Where?" Madame Pomfrey sputtered as she looked at James dozing in his bed, Lily sitting beside it with a book.
"Oh, I know I said I'd only be here an hour," Lily said as she looked up innocently at the woman. "But James and I were having a lovely debate, then I had promised I would read to him."
"I could have sworn that he wasn't here," Madame Pomfrey said shaking her head in confusion. Lily touched the woman's arm.
"Madame Pomfrey, I daresay you are looking a little pale! Perhaps when the last of them are done with these blasted dragon pox, you should take a little holiday of your own," Lily said genuinely. Madame Pomfrey nodded, wringing her hands.
"Yes, perhaps," she said as she started to walk away. "Lock up when you leave, will you Lily dear?"
"Yes, of course," Lily said.
"I don't think I've ever seen you lie to an authority figure before," Sirius said as Lily put her book back in her bag. She rummaged around in it.
"I don't do it that often," Lily said. She pulled a box from her bag with a grin. "Now, James. I expect a proper date when you get better."
"No half naked running down the tunnels?" James said.
"No," Lily said. She bent down and kissed his mouth. She put the box on the bed.
"Happy belated Christmas, James," Lily said as she nodded towards the box. "See you in a week. Feel better, will you, and stay in bed!"
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