Unbridled Fire

Intense colors and lights danced upon the walls of the room, dazzling and almost hypnotizing its occupants. The revelry from the day was mirrored in the eyes of the Gryffindor youngsters, resembling today's dramas, youthful passions constantly oscillating from extreme to extreme. The red and gold shades, promotions of merriment and child-like valor, seemed to Lily Evans, to have a drug-like effect on her peers. While in most instances endearing to Lily, the crimsons of the common room, currently reflected onto her sheet of blank parchment, annoyed her to no ends.

She stared at the empty page, for a seemingly inestimable length of time and snorted in frustration. Blocking out the sounds of the common room, she began to run her fingers through her hair in thought, but stopped abruptly, as though recalling a to mind a distasteful image, and turned to glower at a group of four boys seated in the far corner of the common room.

Lily looked away, just as one of the boys looked up at her. He had been, apparently, deep in thought a moment ago, whilst his two friends, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, were conversing in loud tones. Now, James had his head in his hands, still looking unusually contemplative as he gazed upon a head of auburn hair.

Trying to, once again, take solace in her studies in order to ignore the emotional highs and lows of the day, Lily referred back to The NEWT Guide to Transfiguration and started to read. As Lily absorbed the information from her textbook a tranquil feeling slowly overcame her. After having read enough to sufficiently begin her transfiguration essay, she slowly unscrewed the top to her ink bottle, and picked up her pen.

At a sarcastic comment of Remus', Sirius abruptly broke out into piercing laughter, drawing James' gaze, reluctantly, away from the girl sitting at a table across the room. Lily's attention was also incited, but she consciously avoided looking in the vicinity of the noise. However, due to her lapse in attention, a droplet of ink splattered from her pen onto her paper, and she subtly cursed. James chuckled unobtrusively. Unfortunately, Lily noticed this, and whipped her head around to glare at him. A smirk played across James' lips and he ran his hand through his hair. Excessively irked, she, once again, returned to her work.

The smile on James' face lowered, and he scrunched his eyebrows, annoyed and confused. Remus, who had noticed the charade, made drew the conversation away from himself and towards Peter and Sirius. As the two began to talk, Remus sidled over to his other friend. He nudged James, startling him, and inclined his head towards the aggravated girl. James, understanding wordlessly, sighed got up from the couch, and walked towards her.

Lily felt and conveniently ignored the tingle playing on the back of her neck, informing her of the presence of another. James slowly put his hand on her shoulder and she stiffened noticeably. She upturned her eyes to meet his, and along with the fury, was a perceptible vulnerability apparent in their jade depths.

"Lily - " James began, but was interrupted.

"No, Potter. No. I'm tired. I'm tired of all of this. I'm tired of these games ... of ... I'm tired of your immaturity, and of ..." she trailed off, looking away. Lily looked back up at him, her anger gone and said softly, "You can't play with me like this anymore, James. You can't play with my emotions."

James' face contorted, "Lily, I ... I'm sorr - "

"I have to go James." Lily got up abruptly and went to the common room entrance. She placed her hand on the doorknob, paused for a moment, then opened the door and left.

James gaped, slightly reminiscent of a fish, and then turned around to find everyone in the room staring at him. He raised his eyebrows jubilantly, broadly smirked, and exaggeratedly bowed. Heads flittered back to focus on whatever they had been doing before the escapade, excepting those of James' three best friends. Sirius grimaced in understanding, Peter stared dumbfounded, and Remus got up to go to his friend. He put his arm around James.

"Jamsie-boy," he began comfortingly. Then, in a burst, he shoved James towards the portrait, where the common room entrance was located. "What the hell are you still doing here? Get your ass out there and follow her!" James nodded, and looked back at Sirius and Peter, who were grinning at him and trying not to laugh.

"Yea James, Git!" Sirius made a shooing motion with his hands. James sighed and left the room as all three of his friends burst into laughter. He turned back and stuck his tongue out at them right before the door slammed shut.

Once outside the common room, James looked to his right and left. He took a step to the left, assuming Lily would take to her usual after-hours haunts, the library, deserted Great Hall, or a certain dark and gloomily concealed hallway. Instead, he turned right, heading upstairs in the direction of the astronomy tower. He started to sprint, hoping to catch Lily as soon as possible, and upon rounding a bend to the next stony corridor, he caught up with her walking swiftly, close to the wall, and apparently unaware of her surroundings. He grasped her shoulder.

"Lily, please! I'm sorry; I really am. I ... I just don't know what to do. I'm not good with this sort of thing, you know? I ..." James trailed off nervously when she turned around, but slowly regained his confidence as she looked at him expectantly, and stuttered, beginning again and running his fingers through his hair. "I just don't know what to do." His eyes pleaded with her, and he continued when he didn't receive a response. "You've gotta understand? I'm trying, I really really am. I just ... don't know where to begin, or how to ... well," he gestured vaguely with one hand, "all this sort of stuff. You know, relationship, I guess."

Lily sighed, softening for a moment. Suddenly, her eyes hardened. She cried out in exasperation. "God! I don't know what to do. You infuriate me so much! You and your .. your ... mood swings, and immaturity, and, and your inability to take anything seriously! And your taunting and ..." Lily continued on her tirade, looking off to one side.

All of a sudden, James leaned in to her, and kissed her, softly. The frustration, passion, and anger welled up inside Lily, and she kissed him back, with an intensity worthy of a hurricane. James kissed her back, placing his hands against the wall behind her, to prop himself up. She placed her arms around his neck, pulled him closer, and ran her fingers through his hair as she had so often seen him do. They ferociously devoured each other, releasing every pent-up emotion and feeling. Slowly coming to reality, and relaxing, James pulled back slightly.

"You know, Lily, I ... I love you."

"I know, James, I know. I love you too."