Lily walked through silent hallways to the Owlery. She had promised to write her parents, and had finally found time to do so the previous night. She did mention her fellow Head student, but had not desired to elaborate much on him. She had not forgotten her first detention.
When she reached the Owlery, she had to bite back a groan when she saw the black-haired menace that she had written about.
�What are you doing here?� asked Lily, surprising Potter. He turned around and smiled.
�Aren�t I allowed to mail a letter to my parents?� he asked, stroking the owl on his arm. It had a letter on its leg and looked very eager to get out and fly.
�You should let that owl go before he bites your finger; though maybe that would be a good thing,� Lily quipped with annoyance.
Potter smiled once again and released the owl into the dusk. Lily walked to her right and looked for an owl. A pretty brown one turned its head and hooted. Lily smiled and held up her arm to the owl. The brown swooped down and lighted atop Lily�s woolen jacket sleeve.
�So, what are you doing here?� asked Potter. Lily walked to a window, attaching the letter as she went. She threw a look to James and responded.
�Am I not allowed to mail a letter to my parents?� she mimicked.
�What are you writing about? The newest essay we have due in three weeks?� asked James, ignoring her verbal jab.
�If you�re going to make a snappy retort as least try to make it truthful; we don�t have a essay due in three weeks.�
James flushed slightly.
�And no, I did not write about essays; I didn�t even mention one. I merely filled them in on the past few weeks and how I am stuck working with an arrogant, self-centered, annoying, persistent boy.� She gave him a meaningful look and he gave an angered smile.
�Do you really think I�m that bad?� he asked as he started to walk to the door.
�Well, you can�t deny that those adjectives describe you quite well most of the time,� retorted Lily. She ignored the part of her brain that opined that she was being slightly unfair.
��Most of the time?�� asked James, with a smirk on his lips. �What am I the rest of the time, then?�
Lily groaned and continued to walk.
�I also don�t think that's quite fair. I just wrote about how wonderful who are: so brave, respectful, law-abiding...� James smiled at another groan from the female Gryffindor, and followed her quietly.
When they reached Professor McGonagall�s office she led them to the Transfiguration classroom. She left them there to clean the entire classroom without magic and without any help again. James and Lily worked in silence, for the most part, only talking to ask for a rag or for help moving a desk.
In three hours, McGonagall returned to a much better looking classroom. The floors were once again clean and the shelves dusted. She smiled and told them she would see them tomorrow. James and Lily decided to do their rounds now before returning to the dormitories. It was after ten, so the rounds were pretty uneventful. Lily managed to stumble up the stairs a few times as she was so tired. James just put out an arm to steady her and she just nodded in thanks, not caring who stopped her fall.
Things had been a bit awkward since James kissed her. Their few conversations, including the one in the Owlery, were tense. Part of Lily even enjoyed the fact that Potter was finally silent more often.
The part that had said she was being unfair noticed that Potter actually had been acting differently in general� Even now, he stopped his hand from disheveling his hair. He had also been keeping his smart comments to a minimum.
The two Heads said very tired �goodnights� at their bedroom doors and fell into their beds as soon as they were undressed.
The next day was Monday, and the Marauders were talking over breakfast about something Lily was sure she was going to disapprove of, though she could not hear them. Nikeia and Josey had persuaded and begged Lily to sit with the Marauders and, in fear of her ears falling off, she had consented. She had thrown up her hands and sat down next to Samuel and Monica, the two first years, who were sitting side-by-side next to James. They were enjoying their time at Hogwarts thoroughly and couldn�t begin to express their enjoyment.
�See, Miss Evans and I were right!� said James, smiling down at the first-years as he ate breakfast. �We told you two you would like it and you do.�
Sam and Monica smiled and ran off to the library to do some work before classes.
�Now look at what you�ve done!� said James, wearing an expression of mock surprise. �You�ve turned them into studying bookworms! They�re running off to the library at every chance they can get.� He glared at Lily with a teasing expression, but Lily, even though she knew he was mostly joking, slapped him hard on the arm. She walked away, her bag over her shoulder. Sirius looked at James.
�Why do you do stupid things like that?� he asked, looking confused.
�You do want her to like you, right?� Remus threw in, holding back a smile.
�Well, yeah, but I didn�t think she would get that weird over that! I wasn�t even being serious!� said James, rubbing his arm.
�Please, don�t ever become Sirius. We wouldn�t be able to survive,� put in Nikeia.
�Darling Nikeia, there is only one of me; there will only ever be one of me,� informed Sirius, his hands flat on the table as he leaned forward slightly to Nikeia.
�Thank Merlin for that,� she said, smiling. Sirius grinned, and went back to eating.
After breakfast the seventh years walked to their first classes. For James, it was Potions with Professor Slughorn. Once again, he praised Lily�s wonderful ability in Potions. James also attempted to compliment her, but she just threw him a raised eyebrow. He continued to make the very difficult Amortenia potion, which smelled like wind before rain, broom polishing oil and the clean scent of a certain someone.
Their next class was Transfiguration, in which James and Sirius excelled. They had, after all, succeeding in becoming Animagi. McGonagall complimented the two after class, which was not something she did often. The boys made the most of it, and bowed deeply to her. She merely raised an eyebrow and turned back to her desk.
�James, what happened during detention?� Remus asked, as three of the Marauders walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts. �Lily�s been a bit odd lately.�
�Yeah, I would say colder than usual, but there are times when she actually seems to be nicer,� put in Sirius, setting his bag onto the floor. He winked to a passing blonde. She giggled, and kept on walking.
James rolled his eyes at his friend�s behavior. �I�ve noticed. Well... during the first one, I dropped a book on a bucket and the bucket tipped over. Then I slipped on the water, and Lily did, too...�
�You slipped?� asked Remus. �The only thing that happened was you two slipping?� He looked doubtful.
�Well, not exactly.� James ruffled his hair in agitation.
�James� what happened?�
He ruffled his hair again, and gave a pointed look to his two friends.
Remus�s eyes widened, and Sirius�s mouth dropped open.
�Oh no!� Sirius said. �Please don�t tell me that you did what I think you did!� he cried. He looked to James expectantly.
James nodded sheepishly.
�You kissed her!?� he said quite loudly. A few people turned to stare at his raised voice but turned back to their own conversations. After all, a Marauder kissing a girl wasn�t that strange. Though the number of kisses had gone down in the past year�
�Prongs, you�re such an idiot,� started Sirius, rather harshly. James glared at him.
�Well, yeah. I know it was stupid, and she slapped me good for it. I just� I had her in my arms and� I didn�t know what else to do. I obviously wanted to. There was a look in her eyes��
Sirius was looking at him blandly. Remus was smiling slightly.
�Maybe you�ll find out what it is to want just one girl one day, Padfoot.�
Sirius frowned and shifted uncomfortably.
�We didn�t even talk during the last detention.�
Their conversation was ended for, at that moment, the door opened and the class filed in.
Later that night, James and Lily walked down to McGonagall�s office again. This time, they were sent to clean up the Potions classroom. Some first year must�ve made a pretty bad mess; either that or Slughorn was just being lazy in telling the kids to clean up. James would bet on the lazy card; chunks of uncut potions ingredients littered the floor, and there were pumpkin juice stains and sugar granules on his desk.
James and Lily once again worked in near silence for a while, washing desks, shelves and the floors. Finally, James put down his rag and turned to the girl.
�Hey, Evans?� he asked, tentatively.
She spared him a brief glance before turning back to the desk she was cleaning.
�I�m sorry for making you so mad. I just� I just don�t know what-�
�Potter, stop!� said Lily, rinsing out her rag. �I�ve heard this and I don�t need to hear it again. What�s done is done and it can�t be undone so just stop dwelling on it.�
�Except I can�t!� said James. He immediately regretted it and smacked his wet hand against forehead. Lily looked as if she wanted to do the same thing, except to James, not herself. �I�m sorry! That just came out!� He shook his head again and went back to scrubbing a particularly stubborn stain on the floor with a great amount of vitality.
Lily continued cleaning, feeling a mixture of emotions. He was a Marauder, first and foremost, and therefore went against the grain. But this new confusion of his was rather endearing. He had never apologized so much, and he had rarely stumbled over his words in the past. He hadn�t even asked her out since that night; not once. She had also noticed him sitting with Sam, Monica and a few other first years in the common room the other day. Apparently, he had been helping them with Charms class work, for they all had their wands out and were following his movements. He had also started applying himself to his schoolwork. He may have just been writing silly notes, but if she being hopeful, she would have thought he was taking notes in Potions the other day. Writing in the margins of his book, of course, but still; taking notes. And he certainly worked hard during detention.
And she still couldn�t stop pondering over how it felt to have been caught and held by him. Nor could she remove of the feeling of his kiss from her mind.
She decided that she missed being able to talk to her friends. She decided to find Nikeia and Josey later, and chat.
And that was what she did, or tried to anyway. In pajamas and wrapped in her robe, she walked down the hall to the common room of the Gryffindors. She recognized the back of Nikeia�s head from over the back of the couch, but also recognized the head connected to the shoulder on which Nikeia was leaning. She looked very comfortable leaning against Sirius as they sat together in front of the fire. Lily smiled and walked back to her own common room. She wouldn�t bother them now. Another day of stewing in her own thoughts wouldn�t hurt. Much.
James, however, had no desire to stew in his thoughts any longer than absolutely necessary. So, right after he got out of detention, he made his way to his old dormitory. His friends would be a great help to his muddled mind. Maybe.