Illicit Love

Illicit Love

Chapter Two

Hogsmeade

James looked at Lily, whose eyes were now wide.

"I - I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that."

"No - you didn't." She lifted her head and pressed her lips to his again.

They had only really known each other for three days, spending every minute (save nighttime) together since the day they "met" in the Owlery. Now this?

Going fast? Yes.

Unwanted? Hell no.

Oh...such sweetness....

Lily pulled away and looked up at James meekly, smiling slightly. Both she and James were noticeably pink even in the dark. James smiled back, his eyes sparkling. He seemed to realize that they were going too fast for how long they had really known each other, but he didn't seem to stressed about it either, Lily couldn't help noticing.

"Let's get out of here," James said. "I'll ask Sirius which book it is in the morning. Then I'll poke fun at him."

"But leave that until breakfast - I want to witness this."

James took her hand in his and they walked through the corridors slowly.

"You know what's strange?" he asked her after a moment of peaceful silence.

"That I'm here with you now when last week you'd never said more than five words to me?"

"Have you taken to hanging out with Trelawney lately?"

"Well, you'll see I haven't discarded Divination yet." She smiled. "Actually, I was thinking the same thing."

"Well, you'll see that I haven't discarded Divination yet." She winked at him. "Actually, I was thinking the same thing. And I think that under this cloak we are so close I can actually hear your thoughts."

"No, really, though," James said. "Just one week ago you were only another prefect and a girl in all my classes, but I had never talked to you at all and now we're sneaking around together."

Lily rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like we're shagging mates or something of the like."

James smiled. "I know.... It just seems dramatic to me that it changed that drastically. Buttercup," he said to the Fat Lady.

James walked Lily up the steps to her dormitory, hugged her and kissed her lightly on her cheek, then she slipped form under the cloak and into her room.

"Where have you been?" Louisa Jamison, a dorm mate, demanded, her hands on her hips. "Have you any idea what time it is?"

"Well, I'd imagine nearly midnight..."

"Yeah, where were you?"

"Chill, Lou," Lily said. "I was just in the library with James."

"James?" Louisa asked.

"James Potter?" Alisa Leone asked, pulling back her hangings. "You were in the library in the middle of the night with James Potter? What were you doing in there?"

"Just looking for a book," Lily answered with a shrug.

"I didn't know he talked to you. I saw the two of you at breakfast together too! What's going on?"

"Nothing, we're just spending some time together."

"Friends or more than?" Louisa pressed.

"I'm not sure yet." She explained the conversation at breakfast and the events that occurred in the library.

"He kissed you? Twice?"

"Well, actually, he kissed me and then I kissed him," Lily explained. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?!" Alisa produced a Teen Witch Weekly magazine from underneath her pillow and flipped through it. "'James Potter,'" she read aloud. "Is the only son of multimillionaire Charles Damian Potter, former Quidditch Player turned businessman. Potter the elder made his money buying and selling companies and investing in both Muggle and wizard stock exchange. This makes James Henry Potter the heir to the Potter's multiple estates and millions.

"'James enjoys Quidditch...' blah blah blah...." She looked up. "See?"

"Give me that!" Lily grabbed the magazine. She skimmed the rest of the article, taking note that the magazine had dubbed him one of the Twenty-Five Sexiest Wizards. "He's not even graduated yet!" she exclaimed. "This is ridiculous!"

"Well, his love affair with an American President's witch daughter kind of made him famous and his father is the richest wizard in Britain - second or third (can't remember which) in the world."

"This can't possibly be true," Lily tried to reason. "They're full of it. I mean, Sirius isn't even in here and I think he's just as sexy as James. And how did they get a picture of James without his shirt?" (Not that Lily was technically complaining about that...)

"Well, first off, Sirius's not as rich as James. Secondly, he's a half-blood."

"What does it matter that he's not a pureblood?"

"It's like racism in the Muggle world, Lils," Louisa said. "Blood matters. Sirius'd get eaten alive by the press. It's just the way it goes in this day and age."

"That's absolutely stupid!" Lily huffed. "Sirius Black should be number one on this list. I'm going to bed."

"Amen to both of those."

* * *

Lily sat next to James and across from Sirius the next morning at breakfast. She noticed that Sirius looked a bit grim, so she decided to comment on it, knowing fully well what it was that was upsetting him.

"Rough night?" she asked, winking at James.

"Unbelievable!" he replied. "I was in the library with the hottest girl ever when someone ratted on me to Filch!"

"Wait, there's something wrong here..." Lily said, apparently thinking. "I wasn't in the library with you last night." Both boys chuckled. "Actually, I saw that in the prefects' book your name was down for detention. I was wondering about it; but what cracked me up the most was when she threw her knickers at you for a gift."

"That was written in the prefects' book? Wouldn't prefects write in it and not Filch? I didn't even know there was a prefects' book."

"Oh, there is," James said. "And Filch can't write in our book; besides, there were two prefects there." He smiled slyly and realization spread across Sirius' face.

"I can't believe you were spying on me!"

"We weren't - it was just a coincidence."

"Anyway, what were you two doing in there?" Sirius asked.

"Looking for the damned book you put in there. I picked up the wrong one and it burned my hands, so I screamed." He took a swig of orange juice. "So, it's the last Hogsmeade weekend of the year...what are we going to do?"

"Zonko's," Sirius replied.

"Agreed," came the simultaneous agreement of Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, who were seated on either side of Sirius.

"Lily?" Sirius questioned.

"You're inviting me?" she asked.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Well, actually, I've got to pick up a few things - my sister's birthday is coming up. I wouldn't want to spoil your manly-man weekend anyway. You probably have to pick up some prank supplies that will last you for the summer."

"Then would you grace us with your presence for a drink at the Three Broomsticks?" Remus asked. "The drinks are on us...."

"I suppose I can make a shining debut," she said, smiling at the warmth they were all showing her. She had always known they were charming to everyone, but it was strange having them all charm her.

The quartet got up from the table and said they'd get an early start on their shopping and meet her at the pub at two-seventeen pm. ("Why 2:17?" she had asked. "Why not?" came Sirius' reply.) James kissed Lily lightly on the cheek and exited the Great Hall.

"Lily Evans, you lucky hag!" Louisa Jamison said. "I can't believe it! I overheard everything, of course."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Really, it's not that big of a deal."

"You're joking, right? You're going with all of them for a drink?"

"Do you want to come?"

"Me? That's like asking if I want to have tea and crumpets with the Queen Mum!" Lily rolled her eyes again. "I couldn't possibly...."

"Well, if you're sure. I thought I saw Remus checking you out in Herbology the other day," Lily lied.

"Now I really can't go!" Louisa cried.

"Well, at least you could go shopping with me. I've got to get Petunia a gift and Mum some of those chocolates from Honeyduke's or she'll have my head!"

"All right, I'll go - as long as you check out the new swimwear."

"Fine by me," Lily replied.

The two Gryffindor girls got up from the table and exited the Great Hall and out of the castle to the town of Hogsmeade.

* * *

After a long four hours of shopping with Louisa, it was nice to go sit down at the Three Broomsticks with the sixth year Gryffindor boys. Shopping was a blast and Lily treated herself to a new bikini after her girlfriend urged her to try it on.

She did have to admit that it looked good on her. She felt a little exposed, yes, but she knew she would never wear the yellow two-piece. Though, it did look good with her dark red hair and bright green eyes.

Lily walked into the pub fashionably late (2:20 - she didn't want to be too late, besides, what kind of a time was 2:17?) and saw James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter sitting at a table in a corner of the room, which was quite unusual, as James and Sirius were usually sitting at the bar, flirting with the very pretty barmaid, Madam Rosmerta. And even she couldn't resist the charm of the ten-years-younger-than-she boys; always laughing at their jokes and imitations and the like.

The above said quartet stood when they saw Lily approaching. She had never seen a sweeter gesture from any sixteen- and seventeen-year-old boys. Sirius as well James kissed her lightly on the cheek, and Lily accepted Sirius' kiss despite the fact that he hardly knew her.

"So - what did you get me?" he asked, sitting down again and grabbing the sack Lily still held.

"Actually," Lily said, plopping into a chair, "I brought a box of chocolates for us."

"Really? How sweet of you. What's this?" Sirius held up a piece of yellow material like it was something poisonous. Lily blushed when she saw that he held the top part of her bikini. "Wearing a yellow brassiere wasn't something I thought you'd ever do."

"Don't be ridiculous, Siri, it's the top to a swimsuit," she informed, snatching the piece and placing it back into the shopping bag. "Not that I'll ever use it, but Louisa talked me into it. What about you guys? What'd you get?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Peter said, patting her arm and acting as if he was talking to a toddler.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Fine. Let's all keep secrets. I just happen to know who has crushes on each of you."

"Stop trying to flatter us out of our secrecy - we never tell," Remus said, smiling.

"Don't you worry," James said. "We've got loads of secrets and we usually don't disclose them. You're not the first to be rejected from getting the honor of being the All Knowing of Things the Sixth-Year Gryffindor Boys Do."

"Well, that makes me feel loads better," Lily said sarcastically. "I'm glad I got rejected because I'd be expelled just thinking about the things you four boys do."

"We're flattered," Sirius said, patting Lily on the back.

The drinks arrived and the five teenagers sipped in silence for a minute.

"So. Now that our drinks are here, I'll start a conversation. What are you all doing for the holiday?" Lily asked.

"Scotland," Peter said. "That's where Mum's family is."

"Bahamas, baby, here I come!" James exclaimed excitedly.

"Nothing so far," Remus said, looking thoughtful.

"Visiting my dad in Brazil," Sirius answered. (Brazilian father...so that was where he got his tall, dark, and handsome from. Yum.) There was a hint of uneasiness in his voice.

"Anything wrong?" Lily asked.

"Well, first of all, I have to fly on an airplane." Lily noted that the three other boys looked horrified at the idea. "I haven't seen my dad in five years and his English isn't that great; and I haven't spoken Portuguese in three."

So. He spoke Portuguese. Smart man, to know different languages. Rumor had it that he also spoke Irish Gaelic. His self-motto was, after all, "I'm half Irish, half Brazilian, and a whole lot of sexy!" That made three languages altogether and one completely self-confident seventeen-year-old boy.

Not that anyone was complaining. It was sometimes nice to see someone humor himself with a little self-assurance.

And not that it wasn't true anyway.

"So, I'm assuming your father is a Muggle?" Lily asked. Sirius nodded. "Well, at least one of your parental units is magical. I've got two Muggles for parents." She sipped her drink.

"You're Muggle-born?" Remus asked incredulously. "I had no idea!"

"Me either," Sirius said. "You're the smartest witch of our year too."

"I got an inkling of an idea when you said you had a sister," James said. "If she was magical, I would have known who she was, younger or older."

"Let's get some more drinks, eh, James?"

"Sirius, we've got half a bottle of butterbeer per each of us," James said, confused. Sirius kicked his shin under the table. "Ow!"

"That'll be gone soon. Let's get more."

James nodded and the two got up and walked over to the part of the bar farthest from the table they recently occupied.

"So," Sirius said. "Lily's a Mudblood?"

"Don't use that word about her," James snapped, glaring at Sirius. "You know very well that you like her despite her blood."

"Of course I do," he said. "But I'm just trying to get you to open your eyes, James. I realize that love knows no blood, but you can't exactly bring her home to Daddy, now can you?" He raised an eyebrow and turned his back on his best friend and walked towards the table.

"Where's the drinks?" Lily asked as Sirius sat down.

"James is getting this round," came his reply.

Several yards away from the table, James was deep in thought. So deep in thought that he didn't notice a photographer take a seventh snapshot of him and walk blithely out the door.