Mid-December 1976
"Hoy, Evans! Can I borrow your Potions notes?"
Lily paused in the long, empty, festively decorated corridor leading from the library and turned to see Sirius Black swaggering towards her. Her brow furrowed in mild surprise.
"Can't Remus lend you his?"
"He wasn't in class today, or hadn't you noticed?"
No, she hadn't. As soon as she'd spotted the lascivious glare Potter was chucking her way, she'd moved to the front of the class to avoid it.
"Oh, right. What about Potter?"
"Too busy mooning over you to get any real work done," grinned Sirius with a wink as he drew up beside her. "And no, I don't want Peter's. Would you?"
Good point. Peter Pettigrew was decidedly below average when it came to note-taking.
"C'mon, Evans. We've got a test tomorrow, and I haven't even looked at the properties of Faery Fern yet. You don't want me to fail, do you? Besides, we all know what a star you are when it comes to Potions. Even Slughorn adores you, and he's the Slytherin Head of House."
Lily blushed. "Fine," she said, downplaying the compliment with a casual shrug. "I'll be in the common room within the hour. I'll give you them then. Just don't let Potter doodle on them. I don't want to get them back only to discover he's written 'Lily Potter' in Mermish, or something equally stupid. As if I'd ever marry him!"
"Don't blame you," said Sirius conversationally. "'Lily Black' sounds much better. What do you think, Evans? Will you marry me, gorgeous?"
He winked at her again, and a teasing smile played across his handsome face. Lily punched him playfully on the arm.
"What? Marry the man-tart of Gryffindor? How cheap would that make me?"
"You wound me, fair maiden!" cried Sirius, clutching at his heart dramatically. "And I, whose only desire it has ever been to perfect my technique for your sweet lips!"
"Oh, please," she said, laughing now in earnest. "Your only desire has been to snog your way through all four Houses in Hogwarts before unleashing yourself on the entire female population of Britain - witch and Muggle."
"True, true," he agreed good-humouredly. "But think of the crime it would be if I deprived womankind of the pleasure of my lips. And it would be a pleasure, you know."
Groaning, Lily rolled her beautiful green eyes. "Ever heard of herpes, Black?"
"Herpes? Sounds Greek. Is he a famous Muggle lover?" he asked cockily, and Lily smothered a giggle. "Like that Romeo bloke in your Muggle book?" Sirius snorted. "I'll beat him hands down. These lips are magic, you know."
"Such unfounded egotism, Black. Marlene MacKinnon says kissing you was like snogging a wet trout."
The claim had an immediate impact: Sirius' jaw dropped in shock. "Wet trout?" he gasped in disbelief.
Lily nodded her flame-haired head. "A wet trout. A hungry wet trout, if the claim she made about you trying to fish that Pumpkin Pasty out of her stomach was to be believed. You really ought to keep that tongue of yours in check - or at least keep it in your mouth and out of everyone else's."
That comment left him looking so dashingly devastated, that Lily felt a twinge of guilt. She'd only been teasing him, of course: Marlene had said no such thing. In fact, the girl had been so disgustingly effusive about his 'utter snogability' that it had made Lily want to vomit.
Sirius obviously agreed with Marlene's high opinion of his kissing prowess. "You're lying," he announced, quickly regaining his cocky demeanour. He flashed his white teeth winningly, refusing to believe her outrageous claim. "I gave her the best snog of her life. If she lives to be a hundred and fifty she'll never get a smacker like that again!"
"Funny. That's exactly what she said," smirked Lily, her guilt vanishing like a puff of smoke. It was fun teasing the usually unflappable Sirius Black. "Only Marlene wasn't nearly as complimentary about it as you are. She threatened to hex your tongue out if you so much as pucker your lips in her direction again. You might want to think about polishing that technique of yours before you put any more of my friends off men for life."
"Polish my technique, eh?" His gaze flickered to the arching roof above, and when it returned to her pretty face, he was grinning again. Too late it was that Lily noticed the mistletoe above them, and far too late did she recognise the mischievous look in his eyes: before she could move, he closed in, forcing her against the wall. Sirius pulled her face to his with one hand, while pinning her arm to her side with his elbow. His other arm snaked firmly around her waist, trapping her left arm too.
"Black! What the he …"
"Don't worry, Evans. I'm only doing as you suggested. Pucker up."
His warm lips covered any further protest from hers, moving across them with the thrill of a challenge being met. Lily tried to push him away, but he had her so effectively pinioned between him and the wall that movement was impossible. She didn't even have the space to manoeuvre her knee and whack him where it was sure to hurt most.
Sirius' tongue darted out teasingly, demanding access to her mouth. She clamped it shut tighter and he chuckled softly against her lips. Lily inhaled a waft of his aftershave as he rubbed his cheek against hers and, to her horror, it made her stomach somersault.
No! Not Sirius Black! The biggest slapper in Hogwarts? Was she honestly experiencing butterflies at his touch when, to him, she was no more than another notch in his very long belt?
Furious, Lily held herself as stiff and unresponsive as possible, berating herself for being so stupid, and hating Sirius for taking such a liberty. A single tear of frustration leaked its way between her eyelid and Sirius, who had been rubbing her cheek with his fingers (damn him) brushed it away.
She felt him tense in surprise then, suddenly, there was a marked change in the pressure of his mouth against hers. It became gentler, kinder and more … more …
Tender.
Lily tried desperately not to react to this new assault on her senses. She refused to angle her head to give him better access, but, damn him!, the way his fingers gently circled that one spot on the nape of her neck; coaxing, teasing, until - despite her best intentions - she had to succumb to the delicious sensation. Her head sank like putty into his waiting hand, and his fingers claimed it possessively. Fingers now circled her scalp, making her skin tingle all over.
It was sheer, unadulterated bliss.
Sirius' mouth opened once more against hers and, trying to regain control before she lost it completely, Lily clamped her lips further; but instead of the expected tongue, sharp teeth caught her lower lip gently and nibbled it delicately.
it was too much. Lily's lips parted when she gasped aloud at the pleasurably prickly sensation. The spicy scent of aftershave invaded her nostrils at the same time Sirius' tongue quickly invaded her newly-opened lips, where it explored the velvety softness of her warm, willing mouth. Her heart banged furiously against her chest as he ran his tongue over her teeth before sensuously tangling it with her own.
Butterflies which had so recently danced in her stomach now took flight and soared through Lily's veins. All scornful thoughts of man-tarts were history as, helpless to stop the motion of her arms circling Sirius' neck, Lily pulled him closer and silently invited him to fish whatever part of her last meal from her stomach that he bloody well wanted to. She lifted a hand and twisted her fingers into his thick dark hair, luxuriating in the softness of it against her touch. His scent enveloped her, consumed her, penetrating right to her bones as she breathed it deeper and deeper into her lungs.
Merlin, but if he wasn't the best kisser ever.
Ever!
A noise somewhere ahead of them pulled Lily from the delicious warmth of her heady sensations. She immediately stiffened in Sirius' hold. Bringing her arms down between them, she finally pushed him away, panting heavily as her eyes darted up and down the corridor.
There was no one in sight.
"What was that?" she gasped.
"I … I didn't hear anything," whispered Sirius, sounding just as breathy as she did. He raised a hand and traced a finger down her cheek. "Lily …"
But for Lily, the mood had been broken. Trembling with shame, she turned her gaze back to him and brushed his hand away.
"Don't. You've already made your point." She tried to push past him but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. His face crumpled in confusion.
"My point?" mumbled Sirius, still rather dazed by what had just happened between them. "Ah, my point. Look, Lils …"
"Don't call me that!"
"What should I call you?" he demanded softly. "Do you think I could possibly refer to you as 'Evans' again after what we just shared?"
Huffing in disgust, she pulled her arm free. "Don't be so melodramatic, Black. We shared a snog. End of. No big deal. Now you can run around boasting to all your friends that you've bagged the ice queen."
Her tone made his face darken in affront. "Bloody hell! Is your opinion of me really that low? Do you honestly think I'd act like such a prat?"
The wounded look on his face made her stomach fall. Damn him! Where did this sudden affection spring from? Ten minutes ago, he'd been no more to her than one of Potter's annoying friends, and now …
Why did he have to go and make her care about him?
Sensing her doubt, he cupped her chin and forced her head up. "Look, Lils. I know you think I'm just a notorious flirt with no more substance than a meringue, but please. It's not true. I mean, I thought we were just friends, but now …? It's way more than that. Next to you, those other girls mean nothing. Nothing! I'll never look at them again. Give me a chance, Lily. Give us a chance."
"Stop it, Sirius … Black! Stop it Black!" she protested, pulling free from his grip and trying to calm her whirling thoughts. "You can't even commit to taking your own notes in class. You'll never commit to a single relationship, and we both know it. It would only be a matter of time before your eyes started wandering again." His jaw hardened and she tried to soothe his wounded ego. "I don't blame you, Black. It's not your fault. It's just the way you are. You're simply not a one-woman man. I don't want to grow to care about you, only to have to start worrying every time another girl smiles in your direction - it would turn me into someone I'd hate to be. Now, please; just let it go. Pretend this never happened. It's better for both of us - particularly for you. You know how obsessed Potter is. If he found out you snogged me in the hallway …"
"This has nothing to do with James! And we were not snogging, Lils," growled Sirius angrily. "Kissing! We were kissing! We were kissing - that means you were participating as much as I was, so don't try to make it sound like you were just an observer. I know you felt what I did!"
He was right. She had felt it; but she would happily bow down and call Voldemort 'Master' before she ever admitted it. What was the point? She and Sirius were worlds apart. He was flighty where she was constant. He was glib where she was earnest. He was gregarious where she was reflective.
And then there was Potter. If he ever found out what had happened between them - if he had to watch while his best friend paraded around the school with the very girl he had fancied for years, Black would be history within seconds. Could she really contribute so willingly to the demise of such a great friendship?
No. It would never work.
"It was nothing more than a physiological reaction, Black," said Lily, mustering as much conviction as she could while she stared at his crestfallen face. "You are a great kisser. I'd have to have been made of stone not to react the way I did. But that was all it was: a physical reaction. Don't go reading any more into it than that, because you'll just be fooling yourself if you do."
Lily took another deep breath to regain her equilibrium. "I'll drop my Potions notes off on the common room table for you. See you later."
With a final, regretful, look at his handsome face, she sidestepped around him and walked off down the long corridor, desperately hoping that he couldn't hear the traitorous thud of her heart as it raced in her chest.
Lily didn't see the slump of Sirius' shoulders as he watched her fade into the distance, but she could feel the mournful heat of his stare lingering on her back. She fought the urge to turn and look at him all the way up the corridor, but succumbed to it just as she reached the corner stairwell.
But he had already left.
Sighing, she traipsed down the stairs and out onto the grounds, desperate to lose herself to the simpler pleasures of fresh air and a very long, boy-free walk.
Had she turned back again, she would have caught the livid glare of a furious James Potter as he slipped his Invisibility Cloak from his shoulders …