Rolling and massaging his shoulder, James entered the common room. He had spent most of his detention not only avoiding Lily�s eyes, but scrubbing the floor, desks and chairs of the Potions room. His shoulders and knees were both sore, but they held nothing to the soreness that sometimes came after a good Quidditch match. He crossed the nearly empty room to the boy�s staircase.
�James?� said a voice, from behind him.
He turned, and located the speaker. Nikeia was sitting on the couch, reading something.
�All right?� he asked, walking over.
�Yeah, just doing some reading. What are you doing here? Don�t you have your own common room?�
�Got some stuff on my mind; figured that tossing ideas around upstairs with the guys would help clear it.�
Nikeia snorted. �Yeah, talking with Remus might. I have my doubts about Peter and Sirius, though.�
James laughed and nodded. �They have their moments.�
Nikeia glanced around, and pulled a sheepish expression. �Don�t� don�t tell them I said that. I do like them, it�s just��
�Don�t worry. I agree with you. But, I�m sure Sirius is flattered that he�s getting attention from such a lovely young woman. No matter what she says.�
Nikeia blushed slightly. �Yeah, well� When doesn�t he get attention from young ladies?�
James�s smile faded, and he sighed. �I�ll get Remus to talk some sense into him. For you.�
Nikeia laughed. �You do that, James.�
He lifted his chin in �goodbye� and continued on his way up the stairs.
At the landing to the seventh year boy�s dorm, he decided to be just a bit devious. He pulled a small black ball from his bag, flicked it with his finger and rolled it under the heavy door. A few second later, he heard a pop and fizzing. He snickered, and stood up straight in front of the door.
�Prongs, you idiot!� shouted Sirius, as he pulled open the door. He punched his friend in the shoulder.
�Padfoot, shut up! You�ll wake the fidgety little first years.� He clapped his friend on the shoulder as he entered the room.
A light haze filled the quarters, along with the vile smell of a dungbomb.
�Prongs, you had to set one off, didn�t you? Your week�s not complete without it, right?� asked Remus, pulling his wand from the bag beside his bed. He flicked it twice, muttered something under his breath, and the haze vanished and smell went with it. Remus had found the spell in the back of a pretty old book�medieval, by the look of it�one day in the library. It was a handy spell; one that the Marauders kept to themselves. Such a lovely little thing would eliminate the fun of many of their pranks.
�Thanks, Moony ol� man. And yes, you�re right,� admitted James, pushing aside some robes and books and such in order to flop down his old bed. He discovered, however, that it was just a bed in the same position of his old one. His bed must have been transferred to his new dormitory.
He glanced around at the various flotsams that had been thrown on the bed. �Nice to see you�ve put all available space to use.�
Frank, who was flipping through the Daily Prophet, laughed. �It�s mostly Sirius�s stuff.�
�I�m sure it is.�
Sirius had moved back to sitting on the floor, where he and Peter had started a game of Exploding Snap. Peter had a smudge of soot on his nose, denoting that he has lost their last game.
�I had to replace the useless nonsense that filled the bed last year with more this year,� drawled Sirius.
James picked up an old pair of gloves and threw them at Sirius. They slapped his face with a very satisfying sound.
�All right, before you two get carried away�� started Remus, glaring at James. He was now sitting on the edge of his bed, turned toward the Head student. �We didn�t get to finish our conversation from earlier today...�
�What conversation?� asked Frank.
�The one we had before Defense,� filled in Sirius, chucking the gloves back towards James, even as he placed a card on the stack.
�And you couldn�t call me over to join in?� questioned Frank, frustrated that he had not been included.
�You were busy chatting with Alice,� said James, teasing.
�And Lily, if I remember correctly,� tossed Remus.
James groaned, and flopped back onto the bed.
�I take it that the conversation had something to do with Lily then,� determined Frank, nodding once.
Remus returned the nod, and still glared at James.
�Well, then, can someone please fill me in on what the conversation was about?�
Peter looked up, curious. The deck chose that moment to explode, covering both young men in a puff of smoke.
Sirius knocked over the few remaining cards, effectively announcing his sudden disinterest in the game, and turned his attention to the conversation. Peter sneezed.
�James kissed Lily during their first detention. Git.�
Remus transferred his glare to Sirius, while Frank�s eyebrows got lost somewhere in his curly brown hair.
�Really?� he asked. �Why? What happened?�
�Yes; because he�s an idiot and couldn�t think before he acted; and the git tripped on some water, fell over, took Lily with him, and when they stood, he laid one on her.�
�Sirius, you�re not helping.� Remus was holding his head in his hands so his voice was slightly muffled.
�I explained the situation; how is that not helping?� Sirius said, throwing out his hands.
�It�s more the manner in which you� Oh, never mind.�
�Well, but isn�t that good, James?� inquired Frank then.
�No!� said the dark-haired man gruffly. He sat up on the bed, and looked at his friends. �Because now� now I�ve ruined everything. I might have actually almost had a chance this year! I was determined to be on my best behavior! Instead, I acted without thinking and did something really stupid. She�ll just see me as even more arrogant now.�
He grabbed a pillow from under the pile of discarded items and smashed it over his face.
�Prongs, relax,� ordered Remus. The other man just groaned.
�Listen, James,� said Sirius, with a tough tone of voice. �You�re right; you have been different this year so far. But you can�t change everything about yourself. Yeah, you�re impulsive; that�s who you are. Kissing her�kissing Evans�might actually be the thing that will get that girl to see reason. Beyond the reason written in the textbooks she loves so much.�
�Sirius!� cried Remus and Frank.
�Shut it,� responded Sirius. �That girl�s been a part of you since second year. Yeah, you�ve treated her more like a challenge in the past�just a girl to get to snog you in a broom closet. But you have tried to change. And since I�m assuming you didn�t attempt anything more than a kiss, I think she�s noticed that you�re trying to change.� He paused. �You did just kiss her, right?�
James threw the pillow at Sirius. �Yeah, that�s all!�
�All right, then. That�s a change for you. You may have acted on your passion-� (here, he rolled his eyes) ��but you controlled yourself. So stop twisting your knickers.�
The dorm was silent for a moment.
�Sirius� who are you, and what have you done with Padfoot?� asked Remus.
Frank nodded. �Yeah, where did that come from?�
�I�m not completely stupid!� announced Padfoot, throwing up his arms again. �And don�t worry, that�s more than enough intelligence from me for the next month. I�m going downstairs.�
�Downstairs?� asked Peter. �What�s downstairs?�
�A girl I want to talk to,� was all he said as he picked himself off the floor. He ran a hand through his hair and started for the door.
�Sirius!�
�What?� he asked, turning to face James.
�Thanks, mate.�
Sirius paused, then smiled at his best friend. �Yeah, well� If I can see the difference in you, that redhead better be able to.� He started to walk again, but Remus stopped him.
�Padfoot? Take some of your own advice. Control yourself. That girl down there isn�t like the others�and she doesn�t want to be treated like them.�
Sirius was silent, his hand on the doorframe. He looked down at his bare feet, then up at his friends. �Yeah, I know. I don�t want to treat her like that either. Any girl who can toss a come-back as quickly as she can and be as sarcastic and beautiful doesn�t deserve to be treated like any other girl.� He nodded once, then left the dorm room.
Silence fell for a few moments, broken only by Peter organizing the deck of cards into a neat stack.
�Well,� said James. He sat up again, and sighed.
�It may be strange,� began Remus, �but what he said�aside from that last bit which was amazingly out-of-character�actually made sense. You�ve made your effort. Just keep up with it. No, your action wasn�t very intelligent, but I think in some sense it was the honest move.�
James smiled. �Thanks, guys. I just� She really has been a part of me. And I want her to remain.�
The other men nodded, understanding enough.
�You�ll do fine, James,� offered Frank. �Now, how about another game of Snap?�
The next night, Lily left the Heads� common room where James was doing homework on the couch in front of the hearth. She had had enough of the thoughts and questions in her brain, and was ready to talk to someone.
Only a few people were in the Gryffindor coming room. She slipped up the staircase to the girl�s dormitory without being waylaid, and entered the seventh year room.
�Nikeia? Josey? Alice?� Lily asked into the quiet room.
Three heads looked around their own bed hangings and smiled when they saw Lily. Nikeia, Josephine and Alice were all in the dorm. Josey was painting her nails, while Alice was reading a novel. Nikeia was lying on her stomach, watching Josey.
�Hey, Lily. Welcome back,� Nikeia greeted.
Lily smiled, and impulsively threw herself on to her old bed.
At least, she thought it was her old bed. �Wait a minute� this isn�t mine. Where�s my bed?�
All three girls shrugged.
�No one has stolen it, Lily. We promise.�
Josey laughed. �Maybe the one in your room is actually your bed. They probably switched it for you.�
Lily slapped her forehead. �That makes a lot of sense. Of course, they did that.� She fell silent, her cheek flat against the too-soft bed.
�Hey, you all right? You�ve been a bit out of it lately,� observed Nikeia. She patted the space on the bed next to her. Lily moved across the dormitory and took the offered place on Nikeia�s bed. This moved her closer to the other girls, and she loved the feeling of having them around her again. Of course, they had meals together, and a few classes, but there was something about sharing a room that warmed her.
She sighed. �Yeah, I�m all right. Just� well�� She trailed off.
Alice put aside her book and moved forward onto her stomach. �What is it, Lily?�
�Well, it�s about Pot�� James.�
The other three girls shared knowing looks. Lily didn�t catch them. She was occupied with a loose piece of yarn from the afghan on the bed.
�When isn�t it about James?� asked Josey, teasing.
Lily chuckled. �I guess he does have a way of getting to me, doesn�t he?�
�That might be an understatement,� laughed Alice.
Nikeia nodded in agreement, and flipped onto her side to look at her redheaded friend.
�Well,� Lily said, �He got to me during our first detention. We both slipped on some water�that was James�s fault, by the way; the spilled water.�
�Of course it was,� responded Nikeia, nodding.
�I landed on top of him. I guess he actually was protecting me, but regardless. It was pretty funny, really. Slipping, and falling� I started laughing and he was stumbling over his words. He helped me stand up and, well, he...�
�Lily, did he�� began Nikeia. Lily unknowingly gave her three friends the same look James had outside the classroom.
All three girls stared. As one, they said, incredulously: �He kissed you?�
All Lily could do was nod.
�Oh, King Arthur!� gasped Nikeia, rolling over onto her back and covering her face. Josey, wide-mouthed, was holding the nail polish brush suspended over her toe, and Alice had buried her face into her pillow.
�And now, I�m just so confused,� Lily said meekly.
Nikeia opened her eyes to look kindly at her friend, urging her to continue.
�He seems like his changed. He�s� a bit more mature, maybe? He�s certainly working harder, and hasn�t complained about going on patrols since our first. I saw him take notes the other day in Potions.�
�He was helping Sam with Transfiguration yesterday,� put in Alice.
�Exactly. He doing some things that he�s never done before, and less�far less�of some things he always did. He musses up his hair maybe once a day and he hasn�t asked me out once� He even wipes the bathroom mirror clean after he showers.�
The other girls stared at Lily for a moment after that tidbit of information. Smiles tugged at the corners of their lips.
�Maybe that�s just to better see his reflection, I don�t know!� said Lily, frustrated at her statement and the chuckles coming from her three friends. �He squeezes his toothpaste from the top of the tube, by the way.�
By the end of that sentence, Lily had joined her friends in laughter. She didn�t even know why she had volunteered such a fact. She didn�t even know she had noticed this habit of his.
When they settled, Josey asked, �What was being kissed by James Potter like?�
Lily was silent. She had thought about it so much� �It wasn�t anything near to what I thought it would have been like. It was�it was sweet. He just held me and gently kissed me. It almost doesn�t even seem to have actually been a kiss� Except�� She trailed off again, then started on a new train of thought: �If he really wanted to get with me just because I was a challenge, he wouldn�t have kissed me like that, would he? It would�ve been more� more forceful, right?�
Nikeia, for one, just shrugged.
�Maybe,� offered Josey, �it was just a reaction.�
�Yeah, that�s what he said; that he just got carried away. But, I don�t really think so. That kiss was not getting carried away.�
Suddenly she grabbed Nikeia�s pillow and buried her face into the light purple fabric.
�I�m just so confused about him.� Her voice was muffled coming through the pillow.
Alice spoke first. �I do think he�s different, Lily. Something about this summer must have changed him. And, if I may be honest...�
Lily lifted her head from the pillow, and looked to Alice.
�I think he�s always really liked you,� she admitted, her soft voice softer still. �It�s just that before, you were just a challenge to him, and I think that was his whole purpose in the beginning. But now� I�ve seen him when he looks at you. Such a thoughtful expression.�
Josey nodded in agreement.
�Frank mentioned that he was in their dorm yesterday night,� Alice continued, �talking about something. Of course, Frank wouldn�t tell me what, but I�d bet it was you.�
Lily smiled wanly. �But what do I do?�
�What do you want to do?�
�That doesn�t help me at all, Nik.�
�Think about it.�
Lily did. �I want to know what�s going on with him. I think I want to get to know this Potter� this James.�
The other girls nodded.
�Then, just try to get to know him.�
�Oh!� she cried. �But what if he gets all cocky again? What if this is all just a show? An illusion? Just something to catch me off guard before� using me, or something like that?�
Nikeia pressed her hand to Lily�s knee. �I don�t think it�s an illusion. Sirius was here last night�well, in the common room-�
�I saw that, by the way,� interrupted Lily.
Nikeia blushed faintly, but continued with her own train of thought: �Sirius mentioned how James has changed. I don�t think Sirius would�ve said anything had he not been honest; not been sure. He�s not one to repeat things that are obvious, so to mention something like this��
Lily nodded, agreeing. If Sirius had noticed the difference�
�You know, Lily�� A smirk came onto Josey�s face as she spoke. �I think all of us had this idea that one day you would get so fed up with his constant nagging that you would throw your arms around him and snog him silly. And then you�d be the happiest couple in Hogwarts, prancing about on clouds!�
�Oh, gee, thanks a lot!� cried Lily, throwing the pillow at Josey. She laughed, but caught the bundle of feathers. Alice and Nikeia laughed wildly at the exchange of words.
Lily was still shocked, but she was chuckling on the inside. �Did you really think that, Jo?�
The blonde smirked and nodded. �Wouldn�t it have been romantic?� She pressed her hands to her chest happily and sighed.
Nikeia grabbed the pillow from Josey, and hit her again. �You�re such a sap.� She paused. �It would have been incredibly wonderful though.� She sighed. Alice was nodding.
Lily rolled her eyes. �I�m so sorry I wasn�t able to provide your romantic scene earlier!�
�There�s still time,� snickered Josey. The other girls joined her snickering.
Lily sobered. �No, in all seriousness. I couldn�t do that. I don�t want to jump into anything. It would be much too impulsive.�
The other girls became somber again, and nodded slowly.
�Well then. Just take it slow,� reiterated Alice.
�It�s a chance you�ll have to take; getting to know him. And if it is all a sham�and we don�t think it is�it�s not like you don�t have experience with the old Potter,� started Nikeia.
Lily exhaled sharply in laughter. �Experience, I�ve got.� She looked at her friends. Suddenly she froze. �Why in the world am I thinking about this so seriously? I shouldn�t be at all! He�s still James Potter, an arrogant boy with messy hair!�
The other girls laughed. Nikeia pressed a hand to Lily�s arm. �Relax. You�re the type to examine every angle. It�s just natural for you.� She paused and winked. �Though, it could be that you really do want to see what it�s like to be a close friend of James Potter.�
Lily scowled, but didn�t say anything.
�Whatever that�s supposed to happen will happen, Lils,� said Alice, wisely.
Lily sighed. �I�m glad I came to you guys. I miss being here.�
�So come back to us!�
�It is tempting� But I like my own quiet room. Plus, I can sit in front of the fire whenever I want�I don�t have to worry about some silly third year spilling ink on the carpet, or a fifth year lounging on the couch. And I don�t have to walk through the halls to the prefect�s bathroom.�
�Go ahead, make us jealous!� Josey scoffed.
Lily winked. �Plus, it makes coming back here to talk so much more special. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all.�
They shared a chuckle, and Josey pressed her hands against her heart dramatically again.
Suddenly, Lily turned on Nikeia. �So, my friend. What�s this about you and Sirius?�
Josey and Alice repeated Lily�s sentiment. Nikeia blushed again, but started to explain. �I understood vaguely that it had something to do with something James said. I didn�t get the whole story. But, he came down into the common room last night. It was pretty late, so I guess it was after he had talked with James, who had gone up to boy�s dorm a while before. Anyway, Sirius asked me to Hogsmeade and I said yes. I�ve always been interested in him, I suppose. You girls know that. I�m just flattered that he asked me. But more so that he sat down and talked to me before asking me� I guess there�s something going on with the guys in this school.� She laughed. �Maybe they finally start to mature when they reach seventeen, eighteen.�
The other girls nodded and sighed.
�But Lil, when did you see Sirius and me last night?�
�I came to see if I could find you girls. I saw you and Sirius cuddled on the couch-� she shot a teasing look to Nikeia- �and I didn�t want to interrupt so I just let you guys sit there.�
Nikeia nodded. �And, why didn�t you tell us about him kissing you earlier?�
Lily shrugged. �I guess I didn�t really find time. What with the detentions and classwork and all that��
Nikeia accepted the reason. Next, she flipped over again and stared at Alice. The shorter girl seemed to sink into her pillow underneath Nikeia�s teasingly harsh stare.
�And you, Miss Walker. What�s all this with Frank? Tell us about that!�
Lily chuckled, and awaited Alice�s response.
The rest of the night was spent in lovely companionship. After Alice, Josey was teased about the various boys at whom she had been caught staring�mostly Quidditch players, no matter their house.
It was only when Lily was starting to fall asleep (on Nikeia�s pillow) and the other girls were curled under their covers, that they called it a night. Lily thanked them again through her yawn, and returned to her own common room.
Lily walked back along the hallway, and sighed when she finally passed through the portrait hole into the Head�s dorm. She went to see if James was still up.
The fire had died low, but James was still on the couch. He was not awake, however; he was lying lopsidedly on the couch, asleep.
Lily smiled gently at his peaceful face, and again admitted to herself that he really was quite handsome, despite his shirt being untucked, his tie and robe in a heap on the floor, and one pant leg stuck into his sock. The other sock even had a hole in the big toe. His head lolled backward over the arm of the couch and his mouth was slightly open. It made her chuckle. He had fallen asleep reading his Transfiguration textbook.
She pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and laid it gently on him. James started as the blanket settled upon him and opened his eyes. Apparently, he had just fallen asleep.
�Evans?� he asked his voice rather groggy. �What are you doing down here this late?�
�Well, I could ask you the same question, but I see you�re doing homework,� she said, looking down at the spilled bottle of ink on the carpet and parchment. �Or were anyway.�
�Oh,� said James, shifting under the blanket slightly to pick up the bottle and remove the spilled contents of the bottle from the navy carpet with his mahogany wand. �Yeah, I guess I just dozed off for a bit.�
Lily smiled and sat down. She gestured to his book. �Do you really find Transfiguration that boring to study for?�
�No, it�s probably my favorite class. It�s just that it�s late and I�ve been working on that essay for McGonagall. I�m sure you�ve already completed it.�
Lily chuckled, and shrugged. �Yes, I have and yes, I can understand your pain. It was quite a fun essay to write,� she sighed, rather sarcastically.
�It�s an interesting topic, just a bit too dense for me right now.� James sighed and threw the book onto the floor. �You remember doing homework for Binns? That was torture,� he said, stretching out along the couch and pushing the blanket over his shoulder.
Lily rolled her eyes, then pressed her hands together and tilted her head atop them, miming sleep.
�What? When have you ever fallen asleep while doing homework?� asked James, skeptical.
�When it came to History of Magic, it was very tempting.�
�I seem to remember your pen always moving at the speed of a Nimbus 1001 during class,� stated James, a questioning sound to his voice.
�Well, someone had to take notes for the sake of the ghost.�
James laughed. �Yeah, I guess that�s true.� He paused. �But, back to before, what are you doing here?�
�Can I not sit in my own common room?�
�You know what I meant. I thought you had gone to bed when you left earlier.�
�Oh, I just went to talk to the girls. I wasn�t really planning on spending so long talking to them, but it was nice.�
�I�m glad,� James said, nodding. He tried to surreptitiously rub his eyes. Lily pretended not to notice. It was nearly midnight, and essays were pretty tedious this late. She wouldn�t begrudge him his tiredness.
�I went to talk to them about you, actually.�
James�s head snapped up and he looked at Lily. She noticed that, even though he had been surprised, he still showed signs of fatigue.
�I didn�t know what else to do. I had been thinking about you since our first detention.� She was looking down at her hands. She didn�t want to see his reaction. Not yet. �I� I�ve noticed changes in you since you ki- since we slipped. I guess I just wanted to get things off my chest. To get their opinion.� She looked up now. He was also staring at his hands, but his brow was furrowed. There was, however, a slight upward tilt to the corner of his lips.
�What�s this, Lily Evans admitting she was thinking about James Potter?�
It was a statement that definitely harkened back to the Old Potter, but Lily found she didn�t mind. She chuckled at the tease, and shrugged, deciding to respond in kind. �When that Lily Evans gets unexpectedly kissed during detention by a guy she had vowed to dislike forever, you better believe she�d started thinking.�
James smiled, and chuckled. �You�ve got me there. When this guy finally kissed the girl he�s wanted to kiss for a long time you better believe he was thinking about how much he screwed up.�
Lily started shaking her head. �You didn�t screw up. It� it was an impulsive move. But not an unpleasant mistake, I suppose.�
James smiled faintly again, and had to suppress another yawn. �Oh Merlin, I�m sorry. I�m not used to studying until midnight.�
�Actually, you fell asleep before midnight,� she quipped.
�It was close enough,� James stated testily.
Lily ceded. �Well, I guess I can say that I�m proud of you, then. It�s nice to see you finally taking on some responsibility.� She smiled broadly at him. He inclined his head back to her.
�Good night� James.�
��Night, Lily.�
Lily stepped into her bedroom, and leaned against the closed door. She smiled softly, glad that they had been able to chat.
She heard footsteps pass her door, and then heard James enter his room. She faintly heard him start to laugh. She chuckled inwardly, and got ready for bed.