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“Well, that was definitely not what I was expecting,� Lily said to James as they wondered whether to head back to the common room or just begin their rounds early. They had just finished their first date and it wasn’t at all what she thought it’d be like.

“Is it a good surprise or a bad one?� asked James, but he could tell from the smile on her face that he had made the right call. Anything too typical of a first date would have certain requirements and expectations that were bound to fail.

After Merlin knows how many times, Lily had finally agreed to go on a date with James. It had taken a friendship between them, bonding over a few pranks pulled, mostly on Sirius, and a shared headship to get to that point, but it had come.

James agonized over details with his friends’ support mixed in with a touch of teasing while all Lily could do was wait eagerly for the day, her own friends gushing endlessly about how romantic he would be and how they knew it was only a matter of time before she would cave.

Now that Lily had gotten to know him properly, she realized very soon how interesting of a person he was. She had begun to notice a bit of butterflies at the end of sixth year. With a summer spent mostly apart, she thought those feelings had been squashed, but they came back the moment they met on the platform to go to Hogwarts. In fact, they had come back worse than before and made time alone with him more unbearable until he finally asked her out.

“On the whole I suppose it’s a good thing,� she answered casually.

“I guess that answer’s as good as any coming from a tease,� he replied, equally as casual.

“I am not a tease!� she cried, shoving him with her shoulder. Really, she might like him but she certainly didn’t tease him. At least not this early in their relationship.

“No, but you’re a damn flirt,� he said, giving her a sly grin. She’d been flirting with him all night - laughing at his jokes, touching his arm when she spoke to him, always leaning forward a little towards him, and that look in her eyes!

“You’re impossible,� she said, shaking her head with a smile on her face. There was no denying that, she just hoped it hadn’t been too over the top. And he started it with being all funny and nice!

“No, I think you win that one,� he responded. Looking at her, he asked both jokingly and still seriously, “I mean, how long was it before you said yes to me? And really, was it that bad? You’re not dead or covered in honey or anything . . . What made you change your mind anyway?�

“I don’t know if I should answer. You may not believe one coming from a tease and a flirt,� she replied, affecting to be hurt. The twinkle in her eyes told a different story, though.

“You see - this is what I mean!� commented James, using both his hands to indicate her behaviour. Why was she being like this? He had no idea, only that he took some pleasure in it for reasons beyond him.

“Just admit you like it and we can move on,� she said to him, grinning mischievously.

“Flirt,� he muttered under his breath.

“What was that?�

“I was just wondering if we should go back up or if we should start rounds early,� he answered readily.

“Nah, everyone will be waiting for us to return where they’ll interrogate us and we’ll be late for sure,� said Lily. Her friends had basically said as much and she was in no hurry to speed up the process. She would be attacked with questions soon enough.

“I can practically hear the lads bombarding me already,� he agreed. Would it be so hard to believe that a date with Lily would go smoothly?

They continued wandering the corridors aimlessly, mutually agreeing the common room was not an option at that moment. It wasn’t terribly busy, but they still received a few stares from the older students that were suspicious of the two having remembered their interesting past.

“Honestly, you’d think they’d never seen two people walking the halls together,� Lily said in an exasperated voice. Half of the student body were still in denial that she and James were even friends.

“Oh no, the Head Boy and Head Girl are out in the corridors near curfew!� James cried, throwing his hands up in mock surprise making Lily laugh and a few nearby students look curiously at them.

“We deserve detention for doing our duty,� she joked, both of them still laughing.

“Don’t say duty, Lil. It’s just one of those words,� said a chuckling James.

“Duty, duty, duty,� she said in spite of him, joining in his renewed fit of laughter.

“Laughing here and laughing there, someone ought to yank your hair,� came a voice from above them which burst into cackling. “Oh look, it’s Potty with the Flower. Now, now, you two behave or I might have to call a PROFESSOR!�

For reasons unknown to them, James and Lily erupted in a fresh wave of giggles, particularly when they saw Professor McGonagall hurrying their way.

“Peeves, what is the meaning of this?� the Transfiguration teacher demanded of the poltergeist who was tumbling in the air delighting in getting students in trouble.

“Nicey, nicey, or you’ll pay the pricey,� warned Peeves in a sing-song voice and wagging a finger.

McGonagall sighed, attempted to soften her stern look, and asked, “What is the matter, Peeves?�

Peeves contemplated for a moment then shook his head and yelled, “Too late!� He blew a raspberry at the group of three and flew away, cackling as he went.

“I see nothing funny about this,� said McGonagall. The other two were still stifling their mirth.

“Just a case of the sillies, ma’am,� replied James in the straightest face he could muster.

“It’s a little early to be patrolling, don’t you think?� asked McGonagall, eyeing the two suspiciously.

“Oh, we’re just killing time, Professor,� Lily answered readily. “We were already out and decided not to go back to the common room only to have to come back out again.�

“Yeah, I was just deciding whether to pull a prank or snog her before Peeves called you,� added James. He didn’t flinch when Lily elbowed him - he knew it would be coming. But he couldn’t help but smirk at the look on McGonagall’s face upon hearing that he wanted to snog in the halls.

“Mr Potter, I don’t believe either of those activities are appropriate for our Head Boy to be partaking in, and in the corridor of all places,� the professor responded. “Miss Evans, I expect you to keep him on the right track.�

As McGonagall walked off, disgruntled by the entire situation, James called after her, “You’re absolutely right, Professor. I’ll be sure to find a vacant broom closet. They’re much more suitable!�

“How romantic,� Lily commented dryly.

"I’m still her favourite,� James said to himself with a smile. He always got a kick out of playing with their teachers and he couldn’t resist. To Lily, he asked, “Killing time?�

“Well we are, aren’t we?� said Lily. Trying not to show it on her face, she wondered if James really had been thinking of kissing her, or if it was just something he said in the moment.

The truth of the matter was that James had honestly been intending to. They had a good half hour before having to start their rounds and he could think of nothing better to do with that free time.

As if reading his mind, Lily asked for the time and then said, “So what now?�

“Take that staircase?� suggested James. He had never seen it before and was curious where it led to. He couldn’t recall if it appeared on the map or not, but he wanted to know the details in case it wasn’t there and it needed to be added.

“Sure,� said Lily without pause. She enjoyed roaming the castle and had nothing better to do in the meantime. Apart from spending that time with James, that is.

“Up or down?� he asked. They were somewhere on the fourth floor, so it could lead anywhere.

Lily eyed both directions. It would be a lot easier to go down, but nothing about tonight seemed typical and climbing up could be fun.

“Up it is,� said James, stepping aside ceremoniously to let her go first. The little bow he made caused Lily to shake her head at his antics. How was it he could try and impress her so much and yet not take any effort at all?

“Prat,� she mumbled good-naturedly, pulling at his arm and dragging him with her. He could be too much sometimes, but she really didn’t mind. It was just part of his charm.

“I knew you’d like that,� he said to her, unable to keep the smile from his face and holding on to the hand still wrapped around his forearm.

“Just keep going,� replied Lily, pretending to be impatient but actually enjoying the affection. She pulled her arm free and began climbing the stairs with James by her side.

For a few minutes they ascended in silence. There were no doorways or windows so it was impossible to tell how far up they had gone, and they were forced to continue forward. After ten minutes, though, they were quite out of breath.

“We must have climbed half-way to the moon by now,� commented Lily, slightly winded.

“What do you suppose is up there?� asked James looking up. His curiosity was only piqued with the difficulty. He wouldn’t give up that easily, especially given all the trouble they had.

“James, we should head back before we’re late,� said Lily, looking at him regretfully.

He knew she was right, but wouldn’t be defeated that easily, so he said, “Fine, but we’ll come back after our rounds and go all the way up. We can use my Cloak so we aren’t caught.�

Lily agreed and the two turned around and began their descent. It had taken them about ten minutes to get to that point, so they figured it would take around the same amount of time to return, possibly less with gravity on their side. Ten minutes came and went, but still no door to the corridor appeared. They kept going for a further five minutes, but the stairway was the same as always.

“Where is it? It should have appeared by now,� said James, now a little worried of what McGonagall would say to their tardiness.

“You don’t suppose it’s one of those magic staircases that leads to somewhere different each time, do you?� asked Lily.

“Should we keep going or turn around and try again?� asked James.

Lily thought about it for a moment. If it was magic, then the exit may be just around the corner. Then again it could be another ten minutes before one appeared, time that had run out at this point.

“How about I turn around and go that way while you continue down. One of us is bound to find an exit sooner or later. We can let a professor know what happened or look on that map of yours to see where the other one is,� suggested Lily. It was the best she could come up with. She wasn’t scared, but she did find the situation a little unsettling and didn’t fancy leaving James to wander about a staircase that didn’t seem to have an end.

Sighing, James said, “I suppose we have no other choice, do we?� He, too, felt a little unnerved at the situation, and his frustration was growing the longer they were stuck.

They separated and went in opposite directions. It wasn’t long, though, before they met up again.

“How did you get ahead of me?� asked Lily, shocked to find James walking down from above her.

“You’re the one ahead of me!� cried James. “But I distinctly remember you going up, not down.�

“So if you went down, how did you get above me?� asked Lily. What was going on?

They stared at each other confused and unable to comprehend what was happening. They both agreed to try again, Lily climbing up while James descended, but they were met with the same outcome.

Lily then had the idea of having James stay put while she ascended. Once, again, as she rounded the corner she spotted him above her, lowering to sit down.

James squatted, half-way down to sit, and stared as Lily asked, “You’re not yanking my wand, are you?�

“As amusing as this situation is, this isn’t me,� he answered, finally finding his voice. “Here - let me show you.�

James stood up and gently forced Lily to sit down. The he went down the steps, moments later appearing at the top again.

“It’s like that stupid picture of the paradox stairs,� she said to herself.

“Huh?�

“It’s an illusion drawn to make it look like each side is going either up or down, but the steps are connected on a sort of loop,� she explained. “Physically speaking it’s quite impossible, however magically I imagine it more than possible.�

“So we’re stuck,� said James, just to clarify. Being stuck in a magical, never-ending staircase was not his cup of tea, but if he had to be stuck, at least he had Lily for company.

“Maybe, but I can’t imagine something so sinister as dying in a stairwell would be a feature of our school.�

“Well, then the door will have to appear sooner or later," he said optimistically, taking a seat next to Lily. “And since it’s useless trying to go anywhere, we might as well stay here.�

They sat in silence for a while, thinking of their interesting predicament and trying to come up with a solution to get out. It was such a unique circumstance that they didn’t know where to begin.

“I take it back,� said Lily, looking at James. “This is unexpected, and I hope you know I’m anticipating all of our dates to be just as adventurous.�

“This was not part of the plan,� he replied immediately. Then it dawned on him what she had said. She wanted to continue seeing him!

“The date’s not done until we’ve parted, and since we haven’t yet, we’re still on it,� she said matter-of-factly, smiling inwardly at the effect of her words on James.

He rested his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. As much as he was enjoying this time with Lily, they were still as stuck as ever and it was getting late. They should have begun their patrol long ago, in fact, it would be ending soon. Everyone would be wondering where they were. Either that or they’d assume he’d taken her to an ideal broom closet for some snogging.

“Now what?� he finally asked, cracking an eye open to look at her.

“What’s your favourite colour? And don’t say brown,� she warned him. It seemed to her that most boys chose brown for no particular reason.

Shrugging, he answered, “I don’t really have one. I like red, blue, and green, though.�

“I think mine is either purple or blue, depending on my mood. What’s -�

“No, no, no - it’s my turn,� James interrupted. “Er . . . your favourite childhood memory. Mine was getting my first broom and Dad teaching me how to fly and play Quidditch.�

“Easy. That’s when I found out I was a witch and not some freak of nature. Okay, me again . . .�

Time passed in this manner, asking questions and learning more about each other. Eventually they grew quiet again, still waiting for the door to appear. It was nearing midnight now.

“How much longer do you reckon?� asked James after noting the time on his watch. He thought someone would have noticed their absence by now and would have gone out to look for them.

“Your guess is as good as mine,� answered Lily. She was thankful it was Saturday and there were no classes in the morning. At the rate they were going, they’d be up all night and be very tired in the morning.

“Tired yet?� he asked as if reading her mind.

“Nope.�

“Well then I have an idea to help kill time,� he said, grinning mischievously.

“Oh?� she said, feigning ignorance, but leaning in ever so slightly.

“Allow me to demonstrate, he said, bringing his hand to her chin and closing the gap.

When their kisses slowed, finally coming to a stop, they were both laying on the cold floor, James’ head hovered above Lily’s with both of his hands propping him up on either side of her head. He said with a smile, “That was quite the kiss, Miss Evans.�

“I thought you might like that,� she replied, running a hand playfully through his hair.

“If that’s what you kiss like after a first date, I can’t wait for the second one,� he said, kissing her quickly on the lips once more before laying down next to her, their shoulders barely touching. If they were going to be there all night, which it looked like at this point, he figured he might as well settle down and get comfortable.

Lily grabbed the hand at her right side allowing their fingers to intertwine. “So you want more kissing -�

“Snogging,� corrected James, making her giggle.

“Yes, snogging,� she amended. “And I want more fun and adventure. I think we could handle that.�

“The only problem is that we have to leave here first,� he said, his eyes moving unconsciously to stare at a blank stretch of wall. Sarcastically, he added, “Oh the joys of magic.�

Lily sighed at the comment. If it weren’t for magic, they wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with. Then again, if it weren’t for magic, she wouldn’t have met James, and that was something she would never wish away.

James wrapped his arm around Lily as she adjusted to rest her head on his shoulder. He couldn’t imagine this night going any better, apart from being stuck in a random staircase. Giving her a slight squeeze, he kissed the top of her head before laying back and closing his eyes.

* * *

“I’m telling you, James, the founders wouldn’t have added something to the school that would starve its students to death,� reasoned Lily. Neither of them could sleep for very long on the hard ground and James’ stomach kept making noises anyway. They now sat side by side against the wall at half past five in the morning.

“Well obviously they didn’t take into account teenage boys,� grumbled James. He couldn’t believe how long they’d been in there and that nobody had found them yet.

James’ stomach gave another tremendous growl. It was enough to make Lily start to laugh. She laughed at the loudness of the sound, at the look he gave her, and at the hilarity of the whole situation they were in. James tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t resist and soon joined her fit of giggles.

“I don’t see what’s so funny,� said Sirius after suddenly appearing, pretending to look serious and crossing his arms. He was standing in a doorway that had appeared unbeknownst to the two.

“We leave you two alone for one evening and just look at the mess you’re in,� commented Remus, watching James wipe away a tear and Lily clutching her stomach.

“You just had to disappear off the face of the earth,� added Peter, the only one who couldn’t hold back a grin.

“Come on, you two, before someone hears us and decides its not too late to hand us a detention,� said Sirius, helping the two up and leading them out to the exact corridor they had left last night.

As the group of five made their way back to the Gryffindor common room, James and Lily had managed to settle down, but that soon gave out. Somewhere on the sixth floor, James’ stomach made yet another sound, even louder than before, and he and Lily couldn’t help but renew their laughter.

This had aroused someone and a noise of the flurried shuffling of feet could be heard at the end of the corridor around the corner.

The three boys exchanged a look of panic before Peter quickly transformed into a rat and headed toward the end of the corridor, Sirius gave the two a look of apology as he Silenced them, and Remus searched for James’ Cloak and covered them with it. They hurried up the Gryffindor Tower and waited until they were outside the portrait of the Fat Lady before uncovering themselves and taking off the Silencing Charm. Inside, they waited for Peter who came slightly out of breath but with a look of pride on his face nonetheless.

“It was Filch,� he told them, “but I was able to head him off. Got Mrs Norris to chase me down to the fourth floor before she gave up.� He flopped gratefully onto one of the sofas.

“Honestly, you two,� said Remus, shaking his head. “You almost got us caught.�

“Hey! You’d be hungry too if you’d been locked in some sinister staircase all night! What took you so long anyway?� cried James. It wasn’t his fault.

“We didn’t get that much sleep,� explained Lily at his snappiness. Then she thought about what that implied and added hastily, “It’s not what you think! The ground was hard so we just sat there!�

But it was no use. The boys had already imagined the worst and there was no wiping the smirks from their faces at that point.

“So you had a good night, then?� asked Sirius, the sly look on his face still there.

“Padfoot, what did you do?� asked James. It had dawned on him that the evening couldn't have gone any worse even if it had been planned. And who better to pull it off than his best mate?

“Why do you think I’ve done something?� cried Sirius, but it was no use. They all knew he was always up to something and James threw him a look as if challenging Sirius’ denial.

“Sirius, what have you done?� Lily repeated, trying to give him a stern look to bully him into a confession with her authoritative demeanour.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times and then glared at her for a moment before saying, “Serves you two right! Nobody pranks me and gets away with it, especially as many times as you two did.�

“Making us miss our rounds is hardly a prank,� James pointed out. “And we were only . . .�

“Killing time,� answered Lily.

“Exactly,� said James, trying not to make a big deal of it. But despite himself, he was impressed at the lengths he went to and the complexity of the magic.

“Oh, you didn’t miss them,� said Remus. “At least James didn’t.�

“So where was I?� asked Lily, unsure of what would follow.

“Lady problems,� answered Peter casually.

“Excuse me?� Lily couldn’t believe the excuse, and it didn’t help that James was starting to crack a smile. Wasn’t he supposed to be on her side?

“Don’t worry, Lil, I covered for you,� said Remus.

“You remember that extra store of Polyjuice we keep for emergencies, Prongs?� asked Sirius. “Yeah, I was you and had Head duties. Oh, and you have a date with Doris Midgeon next Tuesday . . . only joking, mate.�

James couldn’t believe him sometimes. He could be a real piece of work, but James couldn’t ask for a better best mate. He said to Sirius good-naturedly, “You’re an idiot, Padfoot . . . So we’re even?�

Sirius contemplated the hand offered to him. Breaking into a grin, he agreed and shook James’ hand heartily, but they both knew that this was by no means a truce and James was already planning how to get back at him.

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