Lily sidled up to James as he sat by the fire in the common room, pouring over what she took to be a Transfiguration essay. Perching on the side of his armchair, she leant in and blew softly into his ear. He jumped almost out of his seat before laughing and pulling her down so that they were both squashed between the chair’s chubby arms.

“You know you’re not supposed to distract me when I’m working, Lily,� he said. “The Head Girl should be responsible, after all.�

“And the Head Boy should shut up and enjoy his girlfriend’s presence when she happens to take a break from her studies,� Lily quipped, snuggling against his side. “But on a slightly more serious note, did you see where Sirius just went?�

James rolled his eyes. “No, I most seriously did not.�

“Up to the dorms with Remus,� Lily said with a grin.

“So?� James began, and took another breath to continue. Then, he seemed to reconsider and let out a sigh. “Oh, you’re not talking about that again, are you?�

Lily laughed a little defensively. “I really do think I’m right, James. I mean, it would make so much sense for them to turn to each other.�

James laughed too, but darkly, sarcastically. “Explain then: where is your logic in assuming that they’re -- you know -- together?�

“There is plenty of logic in it!� Lily said, poking his chest, which was rather awkward given how she was squashed against it. “For a start, they keep disappearing off together when they think we’re all busy.�

“Which could be perfectly innocent,� James interjected.

“But there’s more,� Lily went on. “Sirius probably feels like he’s losing you to me at the moment. You can’t deny that. He’s bound to want someone else. And Remus has that thing about not wanting to be with anyone who’s not aware of his condition. Sirius would be the obvious choice.�

“Remus is bound to find someone who he’s willing to tell one day,� James said.

“Maybe, but Sirius is the easiest option. And right now, I think people need all of the easy comforts they can get,� Lily said, determined to make her point, but rather sorry to bring up the war in the middle of such an amusing conversation.

James looked away briefly, starting to tap his fingers on the plush, red fabric of the chair. “The war won’t change to people completely, though, even if it might speed up the progress of some relationships.�

Lily smiled gently. “We’re a good example of that, I suppose. But I don’t think they have been changed completely. The way they look at each other when they think no-one’s watching…�

James snorted. “I’m not so sure about that. Maybe there are reasons for them to be together, but I still don’t think they actually are. They’re best mates, for Christ’s sake! There’s nothing there.�

“Would you not say that we’re best mates, now, in a way?� Lily asked coyly, drawing him in.

“Well yeah, but--� James started.

“Then why should it get in their way?� Lily asked triumphantly. “And don’t say it’s because they’re both male.�

“I wasn’t about to,� James said resignedly.

“They’re both rather attractive males, as it happens, and I think they could make each other happy.� Lily smiled, sure that she had won the argument.

“Should I be jealous?� James asked pointedly.

Lily giggled, determined not to give in straight away.

“Lily?� James asked, his voice practically a growl.

Lily knew what to expect; they often played this game. She looked deliberately to the other side of the common room, ignoring James despite their proximity. Then, she felt fingertips brushing the base of her neck. Then another touch at her waist.

James started to tickle her.

Lily, losing control completely, wriggled and squirmed so much that she slid out of the armchair and onto the scarlet rug below.

~*~

Meanwhile, upstairs, two other people were tickling each other. Remus had found himself, quite unexpectedly, pinned to his four-poster bed by Sirius and writhing with laughter.

He knew that he had only one possible way to defend himself.

Craning his neck upwards, he pressed his lips against the tip of Sirius’s nose. The tickling fingers stopped abruptly, instead meshing themselves into Remus’s hair and pulling his mouth downwards. Remus felt lips moving against his, tenderly at first, and then with increasing urgency. He knew exactly where this would lead, and he was rather looking forward to it.

He reached out behind himself and pulled the hangings shut around them.

~*~

In the common room, Lily had regained control of herself once more, but she hadn’t returned to her perch on the armchair. Instead, she sat cross-legged on the floor, safely out of reach of James’s fingers. She could see his lips twitching with amusement, at her expense, she assumed.

“What?� she asked him. “Why are you still laughing?�

“You’re so adorable when you’re helpless on the floor,� he explained.

Lily raised her eyebrows. “You know, someone listening in could misconstrue that remark quite badly.�

James leant forward and grabbed her hands. Lily knew the look in his eyes; James never could disguise lust, even in public. He pulled, his arms strong from all the hours spent on a broomstick, and she was forced to scramble to her feet. He carried on pulling until she ended up back in his lap.

He leant even closer, his nose brushing the top of her ear. “Then maybe I should do something else to leave you helpless on the floor,� he whispered.

Lily imagined that he must be able to hear her heart pounding in her chest; it was certainly loud enough. “I’d much rather a bed than the floor,� she replied.

With a dangerously attractive smirk, James pushed her off his lap and onto her feet, getting up behind her. “That’s not hard to arrange.�

~*~

By that point, positions upstairs had been reversed. Remus was still with Sirius on his four-poster bed, but now, he was kneeling on the covers, straddling his dark-haired companion. The heavy hangings didn’t let any light reach them, and Remus thought that the darkness added a certain thrill to things. The secrecy, too, was rather exciting.

Not that extra excitement was necessary at this point.

For a moment, they were both still, waiting. Their shirts were on the floor, possibly with the odd button missing. They could worry about that later, Remus had decided. It felt like they were about to start a Quidditch match, and were just waiting for the referee’s whistle to go. Tension crackled in the air, like the murmurs of the crowd as they waited for the game to begin.

Remus moved his hands from where they had been resting on Sirius’s shoulders to hold him down, slowly lower and onto his chest. That was Sirius’s cue. Remus felt arms around his back, pulling hungrily downwards.

However, just before Remus could totally lose himself in caresses and whispered nothings, something caught his attention.

“Padfoot?� he said, his questioning tone of voice seeming slightly out of place in the context.

“Moony,� Sirius returned, his voice playful.

“I…� Remus didn’t know if he wanted to spoil the moment. “I just thought I heard someone coming up the stairs.�

Sirius smirked, apparently amused by Remus’s anxiety. “Well screw them, Moony. What does it matter, really?�

Remus wanted to object, but Sirius had pulled him back into a crushing embrace before he could frame a coherent sentence. Sirius’s use of the word “screw� had made it doubly hard for him to concentrate.

~*~

Lily was surprised at how fast she and James had managed to climb the stairs. It had taken them quite some time, but in the past, it had always taken even longer. There were a few convenient little nooks on the way where it was very easy to become distracted.

But now she was pressed against the door to James’s dormitory, groping around behind her back to find the handle. James’s hands were too busy elsewhere to worry about little things like doors. But there was the cold metal of the handle, and not a moment too soon; she didn’t think she could bear to wait much longer.

She stumbled backwards through the now-open door, pulling James tight against her. But then she was still moving and he had frozen in front of her. She didn’t need to ask for an explanation, because he had pointed over her shoulder.

Turning to look, she had to fight the impulse to laugh. Two shirts lay crumpled on the floor next to Remus’s bed. One bore a large, familiar ink-stain; the other had a piece of parchment poking from the pocket -- one of Remus’s idiosyncrasies. Then she became aware of the sounds of a mattress creaking inside the drawn curtains of the bed. She had been right all along.

She turned back around and found James frozen on the spot, his arm still hanging in the air in front of him. With a quiet snort, she stepped forward and put her hands on his shoulder, guiding him back out of the dormitory.

Before she closed the door behind them, she poked her head through it. “Sorry to interrupt, guys,� she called happily.

She wondered how long it would take for James to recover from the shock.