The kiss between James and Lily remained gentle, and thus meant so much more to both of them. Nevertheless, Lily leaned into James�s embrace and allowed her hands to entwine their fingers in his unkempt black hair. He held her close, with both arms around her waist, nearly picking her entirely off the floor.
But finally, after what was actually only a few moments, the kiss ended. Before opening her eyes, Lily rested her forehead against James�s chin, and breathed.
Her heart was still racing, but she had never felt so calm.
She felt him chuckle, and she opened her eyes. The hazel eyes that met hers were so stunning and emotional that Lily had never been so delightfully caught off guard. She smiled up at James, enjoying the feeling of his embrace.
�And that is what I would do different,� he whispered, a chuckle toning his voice. She laughed, and squeezed her arms tighter around his neck. He pressed his lips to her hair, and tightened his own hold.
However, as he looked over her shoulder, he froze.
�Lily,� he whispered with a smile, �two other people�who are definitely out after curfew�are sharing our idea.�
�What?� Lily wanted to know. James gestured behind her and she turned in his embrace. She saw the couple further down the corridor.
They were leaning against the wall, and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Lily looked up and James and smiled. When she looked back to the couple, she squinted through the darkness. Their identities hit her like a book being dropped on a desk from a considerable height.
�James, do you know who they are?� she asked, cautiously.
�Well, it could be Nikeia and Sirius, but they wouldn�t do something so stupid; making-out in the hallways. Not when they know we are out here. And they don�t even like each other enough yet to be snogging in the hall. At least, I don�t think so. The only other two people I could think of with that type of look�� he said as he shuddered noticeably, �I don�t even want to begin to imagine them together.�
�Well, who do you think?�
�I would say it�s Stacey and Snape, but that just seems too unthinkable. She doesn�t seem like the type of person to like greasy, skinny, nose-always-stuck-in-a-Dark-book type of guys. But then again�and I can�t see clearly�but from here, he doesn�t seem to have pink robes. I did notice that Snivellus�s robes weren�t pink in the hallways,� said James, very reluctant.
�Yes, I noticed that, too. Well, should we go find out,� Lily said. She began to walk forward, but he stopped her and pulled her close to him again with a smirk.
�Before our night is possibly totally ruined�� He trailed off as he kissed her again with the same sweetness as the first time in detention.
Lily sighed happily when he pulled away.
James nodded toward the other couple and started to walk forward, his hand holding Lily�s tightly.
�Oi! You two!� he called out. The two figures broke apart abruptly and seemed to turn toward the loud male voice. �You both belong in your dormitories! Get out here, now!� To his and Lily�s surprise, they stepped out.
It was Stacey and Snape.
�Stacey?� Lily said, shocked despite knowing beforehand that it was the newest member to the Hogwarts society. �What are you doing?�
Stacey looked down at their clasped hands and then up to the sharp face of Severus. �Kissing the man I love,� she said matter-of-factly.
�Love?� Lily said. �How can you be in love? You�ve just gotten to the school.�
�Not everyone is like you; not everyone needs six years to fall in love.� Stacey gave Lily a pitying look. �My attention for James was only to get you jealous. Well, that and to get the attention away from me. I must admit it worked well. You can take that however you want.� She paused, and Lily�s brow furrowed. �But, anyway, it doesn�t take me long to know what I what� and who I want.�
�And you want Snape,� James said in disbelief.
�Yes.�
The one-word answer caused James to wince slightly.
�You were right.� Stacey looked to Lily as she spoke.
�About what?� asked Lily, holding back a scowl.
�About the library. It is a great place.� Stacey looked over to Snape and smiled.
He returned it with a smile that sent shivers down Lily�s spine. Really, it was more of a smirk than a smile, and she assumed that it was a smirk that only certain people could love. Then she thought about what that smile could mean, and if it signified love, how hard it must�ve been to keep that love a secret, regardless of how long they had been together. She then wondered just how everyone would react to a Gryffindor and a Slytherin being in love.
�Though, Severus has taught me some things. How to understand others. He�s even told me of something great. We became friends, and realized that we had something more. Isn�t that they way it happens to most people?� asked Stacey. Her eyes held a strange look. It was hard, and it seemed to dare James and Lily to go and contradict them. �Two people get over their differences and become friends, and gradually they grow into a... an intimate relationship.� She looked over into Severus�s face and he smirked again and squeezed her hand.
James and Lily exchanged a glance, both rather surprised at Stacey�s genuine sounding �confession�. It surprised them even more that Stacey�s last statement applied perfectly to Lily and James�s relationship.
�I don�t mind too much the fact that you are in love. It�s with whom you�re in love. Have you not watched him?� asked Lily, still astonished.
�He always has his nose in a book about the Dark Arts,� said James, making clear Lily�s words. �He�s a Slytherin; you�re a Gryffindor! You shouldn�t like him! You shouldn�t like what he believes in, what he stands for.�
Snape was glaring at James harshly.
�What he believes in is now what I believe in.� Stacey raised her chin and her eyes glinted with the same hardness and daring. Except now, there was something else. Something neither Lily nor James could name. �You�re so biased, James Potter. You can�t see anything outside of your own stupid ideas! I don�t care what silly house he�s in! There more important things! Things like what he believes in; it�s a great power. A great body that can help me.� The American�s eyes were hard and cold, and her jaw was set in a firm line.
Lily and James stood there, their mouths open slightly. Was she, Stacey�a Gryffindor�actually implying that she had found satisfaction in the Dark side? That she had taken his awful beliefs and made them her own?
Finally James found his voice. �You can�t mean that you�re a follower of that silly Voldemort, Stacey? You can�t be-� He was cut off by Severus.
�How dare you speak his name?! You are not worthy of that honor!� said Snape with venom. Then, two wands were pulled out and they weren�t James�s and Lily�s. Lily and James flinched slightly, but otherwise didn�t move. They were smart enough to know that two Slytherins�well, in essence anyway�wouldn�t be afraid to do something.
Snape and Stacey advanced slowly. Snape flicked his wand and James�s head was forced to the side, an ugly cut visible on his cheek. He uttered no sound as Lily gasped and turned back to the two Death Eaters, as the followers of Voldemort were called. Snape had his wand pointing to James, and Stacey�s at Lily.
�Stacey, why are you doing this?� asked Lily again.
�You have no idea what it is like to try and live up to a powerful family�s expectations. I have political leaders on my family tapestry, Muggle and wizard alike. I don�t want to feel like I�ve let my family down. I don�t want to be left behind to watch as they grow fat and powerful. Severus has told me of the great things that the followers of the Dark Lord have accomplished. I want a bit of that greatness; I need a bit of that greatness. And, well, we always need some more inter-house unity, don�t we?� she added with a laugh. Snape, too, chuckled, and Lily could hear the harshness that usually tainted his laughter. Snape flicked his wand and another cut appeared on James�s cheek.
�Stacey!� said James in a forceful voice that seemed to echo off the stone walls, even though it was low, just above a whisper. �By becoming a Death Eater and following that Voldemort, you aren�t going to become any greater! You�ll just be put under the rule of a person who doesn�t care about anything, except the hatred inside himself!�
�Just like you, Potter,� Snape snarled and once again flicked his wand. This time, James doubled over, clutching his stomach. It was as if he had just been punched in the stomach, except by something that wasn�t there.
Lily placed a hand on his shoulder and one on his back, but quickly took them away when they felt like they were burning. She looked over to Stacey, who had a smirk not different from that of Snape�s. Her wand was pointing at Lily, and the latter had a good idea of who had just burned her hands.
�James is right!� whispered Lily, clenching her fists. Her voice, too, seemed to echo around with the force of James�s voice. Snape�s words had hurt, especially since Lily figured that Snape was insinuating that Dumbledore was the leader James and Lily were following. Which was perfectly true.
�Dumbledore is a good man. He�s better than your Voldemort will ever be! The mark of the Death Eaters and your �Dark Lord� only ensures death. Unless you follow Voldemort�s exact orders, you�ll never achieve greatness; you�ll die, suffer; he will kill you! It�s been proven over and over in the happenings of these last few years! Why can�t you see it?�
�You�re wrong!� cried Stacey, just loud enough to get her emotions across, and not loud enough to draw any more unwanted attention. �With a mark I am promised an equal amount of prominence as my grandfather! The Dark Lord promises greatness, something Gryffindor can�t give!�
�That is not true!� countered James, straightening, but still clutching an arm to his stomach. �Gryffindor has graduated many great witches and wizards!�
�We certainly aren�t looking at examples of that statement,� said Snape in that low voice of his.
James moved forward, but when the two wands flicked toward him, he stopped. Then, seemingly just to show he could, Snape mimicked his previous spell and James doubled over again, gasping for air. Slowly, James spoke: �Gryffindor is a House of power. We�re not greedy or self-centered like Slytherins! I would ask you to come back, Stacey, because I don�t wish upon you the terrible things you are about to do, but I have a feeling that if you cross back, you won�t be very much safer from Voldemort.�
�I told you that you don�t have the honor to speak his name!� shouted Snape. Once again, he moved his wand, this time from left to right in one fluid movement, and James was forced against the wall, as if pushed by a giant invisible hand. As his head smacked the hard stone, he closed his eyes and steadied himself.
�I know you did. But I don�t listen all too well to what some people tell me. You, of all people, should know that, Snivellus,� stated James, in a voice that was a bit sarcastic.
Snape snarled, but didn�t move his wand. Lily dearly wished she could reach into her pocket and pull out her own wand and get back at her two yearmates for everything they had just done to James. But, she knew if she dared the movement; there would not be a good outcome. She looked away from Stacey and Snape to James. He was leaning against the wall, one hand massaging his shoulder and the other arm lying across his waist.
�Well, I�ve had enough fun for this night,� Snape snickered, and then whispered something. Suddenly, the entire hallway was covered in darkness, and a few moments later, Lily felt someone ram hard into her shoulder. She lost her balance and fell backward.
After the shock of hitting the hard floor had faded enough, Lily shook her head clear and stood up. She tried to peer through the darkness, but to no avail.
�James?� she called softly.
�I�m here, against the wall, Lils.�
Lily turned and held out her hands. She walked forward and when her hands touched stone, she called softly to James again. She jumped when she heard his voice right in front of her. She leaned forward gradually and located James�s face when their noses bumped and kissed his cheek gently. He stood up slowly and wrapped his arms around Lily, carefully placing the left side of his face to her hair, as he could feel blood dripping down the other side. Not leaving the embrace, Lily pulled out her wand, finally, and uttered �Lumos.� Nothing happened. Whatever spell Snape used was a good one, and they were forced to stand in each other�s arms until the spell wore away.
In time, the hall was once again filled with bluish light of the moon, and Lily and James separated.
Lily stroked his injured cheek. �That looks like it hurts,� she said.
James exhaled sharply in a way that said �thanks for stating the obvious.� �I�ll have Madam Pomfrey look at it. Unless, can you do that healing spell?� he asked. Lily nodded and pulled out her wand. She muttered a spell and the blood and cuts were wiped away and began healing. Soon, they were nothing more then a red spot on his cheek. When she put away her wand, a tear fell.
�Oh, James!� she cried into his robes. �What just happened? And why?�
James shook his head, with no answer, and cuddled Lily as she sobbed softly.
�Why didn�t you fight back? You would have been able to fight them�� Lily asked amid her tears.
�Because a wise girl once told me not to fight in the hallways with Slytherins,� he said, smiling grimly.
Lily sniffled, exhaling her laughter softly.
�But�� he started, �We should do something now,� he added, with no small amount of quiet venom. Lily brought her tear-stained face up to look in his eyes.
�Like what? What can we do?�
�We can go to Dumbledore! He�ll be able to do something! He could get them expelled! She couldn�t have fallen in love in a week. I can�t believe it! We should go to Dumbledore!�
�Oh, James, think! We�ll get in trouble for being out after curfew. Even if we are supposed to be patrolling. And you know Dumbledore! He won�t be able to say anything against students of his. You know that. He sees the best in everyone. And even if he did believe us, James, what Ministry official in their right mind would believe our words? The words of two teenagers; one of them a rather notorious troublemaker? And, if there is a spell or potion affecting her, something might happen if we try to remove it. You�ve heard of those situations, James. The person tries to say something� and then they can�t. And they won�t say anything ever again.� Lily�s hands were firmly gripping James�s shoulders. His eyes weren�t focused on hers; rather, they were looking off to the side.
�We can at least try to detect something. We�ll use a non-detectable spell; she won�t know,� stated James. He turned his gaze to Lily�s and it surprised her at how powerful it was. She was even more surprised at the soft hatred she found. But, slowly, she nodded.
�Fine. But� what if there is no enchantment? What then?� she asked.
James was silent and thoughtful for a moment. �Then there�s nothing we can do. We warned her that she has no second chances. But, if she doesn�t care about us, maybe she�ll care about disgracing her family. She�ll watch what she does while under the eye of Dumbledore.�
The finality of his words hit Lily, but she knew they were true.
Lily sniffled once, and then squeezed her eyes shut, trying to come to terms with everything that had happened. �No one will believe the words of two students, even if we are the Heads of our year. James, we�re both tired. Let�s just go and sleep and try to put this out of our minds. Please��
�You�re right, like usual. I�m sorry. I just� can�t watch that go on. I don�t know if I will ever forgive that� snake.�
�Shh�James, shh,� urged Lily, putting a finger to his lips� the lips that she had kissed not too long ago. She let her fingers gently brush his lips, before her arms wrapped around his neck in a tight embrace. James responded by fiercely embracing her waist and holding her close to him.
James kicked off his shoes into a corner of the Head�s common room, and he removed his black robe. He groaned as he flopped face-down onto the couch, careful to avoid putting pressure on his hurting shoulder. Then he groaned again, this time a much more strained type of groan. When Lily asked what was wrong, he turned as much as he could and looked at her. �I have a stupid Potions essay to write!� He tried to smother himself with a cushion half-heartedly.
�Well, I guess I can be nice and let you borrow my notes,� said Lily tiredly, neatly unlacing her shoes and setting them under the desk.
James removed the pillow from his head quickly and sat up. He winced from sitting up too fast and the effect it had on his probably bruised torso. �Did I just hear correctly? The One-and-Only Lily Evans, Head Girl Lily Evans, �do your own homework� Lily Evans, is allowing me, James Potter, procrastinating, prank-pulling, �go-out-with-me-Evans� James Potter, to use her notes to do my work?�
Lily titled her head at him and raised her eyebrows. �Well, if you don�t want the notes, then I guess I-�
�NO!� cried James, jumping out of the chair and stumbling over to Lily, stumbling to his knees in a not very graceful manner. He placed his hands on her knees and looked up into her eyes. He loved that green. �I do want the notes! Thanks very much, dearest Lily,� he whispered.
Lily looked back down at him, and smiled. Those eyes... she thought as she looked into the hazel irises. She then remembered how he had turned into a stag, and she looked away.
�I can�t believe everything that has happened tonight!� she said, bowing her head to rest atop James�s. He gently squeezed her knees, and she jumped slightly.
�Oh, is Lily ticklish?� he asked, an evil glint in his eyes. Lily took his hands away from her knees�which were ticklish spots for her�and held them in her own.
�James, it�s late. Let�s just go to sleep.� Her emerald eyes pleaded with him, and James couldn�t refuse. He stood up and walked over to the couch, grabbing a blanket from the back of an armchair as he went.
�Well, I am too t-t-t-tired to go anywhere else but right here!� With that, he flopped onto the couch again. Lily shook her head and smiled. She, too, stood up, removed her robe and necktie, and looked at James.
Then, did something that she would never have imagined she would ever do. She grabbed another quilt, wrapped it around herself and lay down next to James.
�What�s this?� he said, teasingly, with a hint of the old Potter thrown in.
�I don�t feel like moving anywhere tonight either.�
James chuckled, and he kissed her ear softly. She squirmed, and he chuckled again, putting one arm over her slight body.
They slept soundly that night, even though the memory of what the two traitors had said was still fresh in their minds. The betrayal of someone is always hard to bear, but one whom you had trusted�thought a friend�is even worse.
But, they were both comfortable, and had a weekend ahead of them to sort it out. What more mattered?