Something

~~~~~

Something

Something in the way she moves

Attracts me like no other lover

Something in the way she woos me,

I don't want to leave her now

You know I believe and how...

Somewhere in her smile she knows

That I don't want no other lover

Something in her style that shows me,

I don't want to leave her now,

You know I believe and how...

(...)

George Harrison.

The library was crowded with students on a Saturday afternoon, an exceptional fact that happened only at that time of the year. Despite the bright mid-May sunlight pouring through the windows, the order of the day was hard work and revision - sheer torture for most students, who would have given anything to be outside, sleeping in the sun, teasing the giant squid, taking a stroll across the grounds, or just lazing in the warmth of this sunny afternoon.

Bloody exams.

Unlike Sirius, who muttered it occasionally under his breath, each time earning a glancing glare from the Ravenclaw fifth-year sitting next to him, James kept the phrase to himself, although he fully agreed with the principle. There he was, sitting at a table with a big dusty book about Potions opened in front of him, while he could be outside, pulling a prank on a greasy-haired someone, practising a bit of Quidditch, or spending a moment alone with Lily ...

He felt a light touch on his forearm and looked up, to be greeted by Lily's twinkling eyes smiling at him. He immediately winked back, as the familiar needles-and-pins feeling tickled his stomach. Lily had a special smile, just for him; she was a naturally cheerful person, but the expression he always read on her face whenever his eyes met hers was unique. It set him a bit apart from the others, to be on the receiving end of this particular smile of Lily's.

James tried to give himself a shake - his mind had strayed a very long way from poisons in the Middle-Ages - and let out a small sigh, resting his chin and cheek on his hand. Lily put her hand on his forearm again.

"Alright?" she whispered, running very lightly her fingers on James's skin, her smile still illuminating her features.

"Yeah," said James absent-mindedly, putting his quill down and gently cupping her fingers into his hand. "Can't concentrate - this is just nasty, so nasty I bet Walsh's exams will be about Continental European poisons in the Middle-Ages."

At that there was a small chuckle from Sirius, who looked up from his History of Magic notes, "Continental Europe? I always knew she had connections with Dracula. She must've learned her poisons there."

"I thought you knew there's absolutely no connection between vampires and poisons," came Remus's whisper from behind his book. "The best poisons came from Italy, there was a period when every single Italian witch or wizard was thought to have a flask of something deadly hanging from their belt and ..."

"Please, Professor, cut it out," said Sirius out loud, causing several people to growl and hush at him. "Don't go confusing me, I'm currently struggling for my sanity with korrigans of Brittany, Cornish pixies, and Irish leprechauns. Don't mix me up with Italian poisons."

"Sirius, I think you're annoying some people here, talking so loud," risked Peter cautiously, noting all the glares and furious mutters.

"The hell with them. Let's go outside instead."

"Sirius!" scolded James, Remus, Peter, and Lily together. Sirius shrugged.

"What? Oh c'mon, you lot, we could study in the sun, not buried here under tons of dust!"

"Why not, after all? It would definitely be nicer, wouldn't it?" Remus pointed out, looking at the window.

"I'm not saying it wouldn't be," said Lily, her voice falling back down to a whisper. "But don't you think you'll be ... distracted if we do study outside? You simply won't study at all!"

But James liked the idea. Sitting on the rich green grass, just beside her, maybe sharing her book; or just watching her pile her hair up on her head with her sleeves rolled up, like she did when she was too hot to leave it down her neck ...

"Come on, Lily ... It's silly to stay in here, compared to being outside. It's so dark and cold you'd think we're still in February or something. Mind, if you don't want to come," he added with a deliberate overdone expression of gravity, "I'm not coming either. I'm not leaving you all alone in here."

Lily's slender brows furrowed, but at the same time a smile began to tug at the corners of her lips. "All right, I don't want to play the killjoy - hold on, I'm coming."

"Thank Merlin!" muttered the Ravenclaw girl next to whom Sirius had been sitting. Sirius had just finished putting his things back into his bag; at this remark, he turned to the girl, then looked back at his friends, "Oy! Did she just say she'd like me to stay?"

"No!!" exclaimed a dozen of students.

They were answered by Sirius's barking laugh all the way down the corridor - once he had got past Madam Pince's desk.

The number of people outside was surprisingly small for such a nice afternoon: a few second- or third-years were practising on broomsticks, a couple of first-years cheered on their champions in a toad race ... Aside from them, there was nearly no one.

The five friends picked a nice spot, and sat down on the ground; James laid his cloak down for he and Lily to share, and was rewarded by a little laugh and a quick kiss on the cheek.

"That's very cute, James, and gentleman-like," she said, going slightly pink. "But that won't do much good for your cloak."

She thought hard for a minute, then took out her wand and, after a few seconds, conjured up a small tartan blanket. It was rather thin and patched, and it didn't look very square, but James smiled widely at her. "Thanks, Lily, that's much better this way!"

This time, she blushed up to the tips of her ears. James loved making her blush - her nose seemed rounder and redder than ever, her freckles showed up even more, and she unconsciously assumed a funny pout-like expression that made her look twelve rather than sixteen.

Some thoughts - a few - appear to occur to you just out of the blue, while you have in fact been half-aware of them for a very long time. The thought that crossed James's mind at that moment was more of a realisation of something he'd known for a while. I couldn't be with anybody else. I know her so well - the way she moves, she looks up when she thinks hard about something, the noise she makes when she sneezes ... I can tell when she's afraid, angry, or when she just needs silence ...

And she's seen me laugh, she's seen me asleep, scared to death, happy to the point of shouting and singing - I even let her catch me crying!

James remained silent for a second, as if stunned by the evidence that had dawned on him: I love her. I couldn't think of being with anybody else - it's her, just her ... I love her because she's her, that's all.

He turned to his friends, who were settling down, chatting and laughing with Lily; he sat next to her on the blanket, and tapped her on the shoulder. Taking a deep breath while she turned to face him, he gulped and kissed her gently, but fully on the lips. Lily's eyes popped open in surprise - it was the first time he was so bold as to kiss her that way in front of the others! - then closed, as whoops, cheers, and whistles came from the three others.

When they parted, Lily opened her eyes again; they were bright and her cheeks were pink. Without making a move out of his embrace, she asked with a smile, although her voice was very slightly quivering with emotion, "What was that for, James?"

James tried to ignore the hammering of his heart in his chest; he looked at her intently and said, "I just ... wanted to tell you that I'm very happy with you and that I love you."

He wondered for a second whether she had understood what he'd said, as he had said that rather fast; but Lily's mouth opened a little, but her eyes began to sparkle. Eventually, her smile widened and she snuggled into the arms of a delighted James. Over Lily's shoulder, above her dark red locks, he could see Peter beaming, Remus winking and smiling, and Sirius seemed to be holding back a good-natured laugh, with some difficulty.

James's heart was beating so wildly that he didn't think he could hear anything. But he did catch three little words muffled in his shoulder, from a voice he knew so well - its melody, its rhythm, the way it skipped some syllables - whispering, "Love you too."

In moments like this one, James felt like the happiest lad on earth - and he didn't think of anything else.