A Fine Line

Dear Francis,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and soundness of mind. Merlin knows Mr. Black and Mr. Potter are probably dying for that five hundredth detention, but I hope they have not gone to the lengths they went to last year. I still don't think my eyebrows are the same color.

Anyway, I digress. I'm writing to inform you that I'll be returning to school in a week's time. Charlotte's mother is coming from Ireland, and being as she still makes me uncomfortable after ten years of marriage, I decided it was time to return.

I sent word to the Ministry, and in a week's time, you are a free man. Until then, Godspeed and good luck.

Sincerely,

Prof. Geoffrey Davis

Professor Longbottom folded the letter and placed it on his desk before looking around at the students in his class. A few of the Slytherins snickered, but most of the class remained perfectly still.

"I'm sure," he began, "you all will be glad to see me go."

Sirius nudged Alice in the ribs and she glared at him. "Stop it," she hissed, pushing his elbow to his side.

Sirius leaned in, covering one side of his mouth with his hand. "Are you going to miss him?" he asked, still looking straight ahead.

The way he said it made Alice's stomach flop. "No," she lied, her eyes trained on Frank as he leaned against the desk.

"Liar."

She slowly turned her head to look at him. Despite the fact his hand squished the side of his face up, when he smiled at her, it was a very nice smile. She whipped her head around so fast she thought she might have whiplash. This is Sirius you're talking about here! Stop it!

She opened her textbook and pretended to read the pages that were assigned, but she couldn't help but look over at him. He had his arms folded on the table and his head down, trying to sleep. She smiled softly and turned back to her work.

The class let out, but before she could make it to the door, she heard, "Miss McCoy, could you stay here for a moment?"

Alice's eyes widened, and she could feel her neck flush. "Um, sure," she replied, walking back into the classroom.

Frank rose from behind his desk and crossed his arms. "I'm issuing you a detention," he told her.

"What?!" she exclaimed, dropping her bag. "Why?"

"For public displays of affection," he replied, leaning against the blackboard. "It's against school policy, so I'm required to punish you accordingly."

"What are you talking about? I don't think there is any rule like that!"

Frank stared at her calmly. "I'm the professor. I think I know the rules."

Alice was boiling. "I don't do that kind of thing anyway!"

"I believe Mr. Lupin would disagree," he cut in.

Alice thought she heard a little resentment in his voice, but that was pushed to the back of her mind by her anger. "We weren't doing anything!"

He smiled and looked down at his shoes. "It didn't look that way to me..."

"So are you punishing Remus, too?" she asked angrily, marching to the front of his desk.

Frank shook his head. "We had a long chat."

"Why couldn't we just have a long chat? This isn't fair!"

Frank leaned forward, placing his palms flat on his desk. "Detention, McCoy. Seven o'clock."

---

Lily sat on the Gryffindor couch next to James. Despite the fact they'd been dating for close to two weeks, Lily refused to publicly acknowledge their relationship. She wouldn't hold his hand, or even walk close to him in the corridors. Those types of things just made her uncomfortable.

James lifted his hand, and for a brief millisecond, it hovered over hers. He changed his mind and dropped it back down to his side. He bumped his knee against hers and leaned in. "Does this make you uncomfortable?"

Lily looked around the common room, hoping no one just saw that. "James!" she hissed, pushing his knee as far away from her as she could. "Stop it!" She wanted to slap off the ridiculous grin he had on his face. "I'm serious, James. Knock. It. Off."

"I'll knock you off," he told her, taking the hand that was pushing his knee and taking her other. He was trying to push her off the couch, but for such a little thing, Lily was a firecracker.

"James!" she squealed, leaning back as she tried to fight him off. She kicked her foot up and used it to push his stomach back. She brought her other foot up, and using both her legs, she pushed him off of her. She wiped her hair off her face and smiled. "I win."

"Lily, you would not believe what just happened!" Alice roared as she stormed through the portrait hole. Lily and James scrambled to sit up, and tried to act like nothing happened. "I just got a DETENTION!" Alice bellowed, standing in front of them. "A sodding detention for something I didn't even do!" She uttered a frustrated scream and pulled at her hair.

Lily stood up and moved carefully towards Alice. The last time Alice was this upset, when Lily tried to calm her down, Alice had bitten her hard on the arm. "Now there, Alice, detentions aren't all that bad--"

"Don't give me that!" Alice howled. Lily winced, surprised Alice wasn't foaming at the mouth yet. "My detention is with Frank!"

"Oh." Lily was at a loss of words. "Well, then that shouldn't be that bad, should it?"

"It's. Going. To. Be. HORRIBLE!" Suddenly losing all her rage, she flopped into an armchair.

"Well, now you're just being overdramatic," Lily told her, sitting on the edge of the armchair.

She patted her shoulder, and Alice leaned her head against Lily's arm. "I don't want to go," Alice mumbled, crossing her arms and furrowing her brows. "It's not fair."

"Now," James began, standing and crossing over to Alice's chair. "You know, we, as in Sirius and myself, can always accompany you during this detention." Lily threw him a pointed look, but James ignored it. "We do have our ways, you know."

"I know." Alice sighed and gathered her things. "But I think it would be better if I just handled this on my own." She headed towards the stairs, but she turned around just as she reached the first step. "I don't want to come back and find a bunch of little Potters running around, though."

Alice sprinted up the stairs as a rather large book was thrown at her head. Lily huffed, getting nervous as she realized she and James were alone. James cleared his throat and ruffled his hair before moving back to the couch. "Alice sure knows how to empty a room," he remarked.

Lily stood in front of him, feeling awkward now that they were alone. He gave her a nervous half smile and patted the spot next to him. She sat and leaned into him as he put his arm around her shoulders. Maybe this won't be so awkward after all...

---

Lily and James had left the common room when Alice came back down. Well, a broom closet might be full tonight. She exited the room slowly, not wanting to get to her detention early.

She shuffled down the corridors, head down, hands in pockets. She hadn't thought to bring her homework; she just planned on sitting there and staring out the window, no matter what Frank said.

"Ahoy, McCoy!" Sirius skipped up next to her and offered her his arm. "I'm here to escort you to your detention."

Alice managed a small smile. "I think I can handle this," she told him, continuing her slow shuffle down the corridor. "It's just at the end of the corridor."

Sirius shrugged. "Well, I can walk you there."

The end of the corridor came too soon for Alice. "I do not want to go in there," she confessed, finally looking at Sirius. "Not at all."

Sirius patted her shoulder comfortingly. "I know, I know. But someone has to suck it up for the greater good, right?"

"What greater good?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I was just trying to make you feel better."

"Well, thanks. It almost worked," she told him, turning around and reaching for the door. She looked back at him one last time. "If I don't come back, I've thrown myself out the window."

Sirius saluted her. "Godspeed, McCoy."

Alice entered the room and shut the door behind her. "Good evening, Miss McCoy," Frank greeted, not bothering to look up from The Daily Prophet. "Have a seat." Alice sat in the desk at the very back of the room. Frank peered over his newspaper. "You can come closer, I don't bite."

Alice moved up one seat.

Frank folded his paper and placed it on his desk. Alice's throat tightened a bit as she looked at him. He'd taken off his robes and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. She couldn't explain it, but it felt like the temperature had suddenly spiked a couple thousand degrees. "Sit here," he ordered, pointing at the desk directly in front of him.

It felt like it took her feet a million years to walk to the front desk. Her mouth was dry and her palms were sweating. Just let me get out of here without ripping his clothes off. She sat down and folded her hands on the desk.

He smiled. "Much better." He went back to reading his paper.

Alice exhaled a little louder than she'd meant to. She wiped her hands on her robes and crossed her legs, tapping her foot against the leg of the desk. She absently drummed her fingers on her thigh and traced figures on the desk, trying to avoid looking at Frank.

He folded his paper again. "You can stop that now."

His voice jolted her out of her concentration, and her head shot up, looking him straight in the eyes. "Sorry," she whispered. She cleared her throat and repeated, "Sorry."

He pushed his paper aside. "You know, in a week, I won't be your teacher anymore." Alice nodded dumbly, not knowing what any of this had to do with her incessant fidgeting or her detention. He continued. "Alice, I have a confession to make. This detention really isn't for what I said it was for."

All of a sudden, Alice's head began to spin. "Wh-what?" she stuttered, blinking and shaking her head slightly. "What are you talking about?"

His ears turned pink and he ducked his head, avoiding her eyes. Her heart squeezed in her chest. "I don't know how to say this," he told her quietly, looking back up. "After this week is up, I'm taking a job in Hogsmeade, at The Three Broomsticks."

"And--?"

"And," he continued, inhaling sharply, "I wanted to tell you."

"Why?"

He chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "Wow."

"Wow what?" she demanded, placing both her feet on the floor and standing up. "What in Merlin's name are you trying to say?"

"I want you to come visit me." All the air left Alice's lungs. She felt like she had just been hit in the chest with a brick. She fell back into her chair and stared at him like he'd just grown another head. "Well," he began, scratching the back of his neck. "That wasn't the reaction I was hoping for."

She opened her mouth and closed it, then opened it again. She realized she had nothing to say. "Look, I know I was an arse earlier," he said, rising from his chair and coming around. He was in front of her desk, and Alice realized how unattractive she must look with her mouth hanging open, so she closed it. He squatted in front of her, and she couldn't take her eyes off him. "I like you, Alice. I know that is completely inappropriate coming from your teacher, but in a week, I'll be a barkeep. So when I say it then, it will be slightly more appropriate." He rose and looked down at her. "I just wanted to make sure you'd be there so I could tell you."

Alice's eyes were ready to pop out of her head. She wanted nothing more than to jump up and down and squeal like a little girl, but she restrained herself. "Wow," was all she could make herself say.

He ducked his head and smiled, "Yeah."

The silence was overwhelming, but neither seemed to be able to think of something to say.

After what seemed like an eternity, Frank spoke. "You can go now, if you want."

Alice stood up and smiled. "So I'll see you in Hogsmeade?" she asked shyly, trying to keep her smile from growing too big.

His smile was so wide, it looked like it would crack his face. "You will," he promised.

Alice reached out and touched his sleeve, softly, and let her finger trace down his arm. When she touched his fingers, she curled hers around his pinkie finger before letting go and turning to leave. "Goodbye, Frank," she said softly, before she opened the door.

"Goodbye, Alice."

She stepped out into the corridor and dared one last look back, just before the door closed. When it shut, she closed her eyes and smiled until she felt like her cheeks would explode. She felt like skipping down the corridor, but she settled for a fast walk instead. By the time she reached the Gryffindor common room, she was out of breath and still smiling. She waltzed up the girls' stairs and threw herself on the bed, giggling like a mad schoolgirl.

---

"Who got in her knickers?" Peter asked as Alice glided up the girls' stairs. She was smiling and humming, and it looked like she'd gone crazy. "She's awfully happy."

"I don't know," Remus replied, turning the page in his book slowly.

Sirius, who was playing Exploding Snap with Peter, looked up. "Maybe Longbottom confessed his undying love for her," he suggested, feeling his stomach flip as he said it. He ignored it and continued playing.

"Wasn't she really upset about her detention before? Maybe she realized how fun they are," Peter added as the card blew up in his face. "Damn."

Sirius laughed. The next card blew up in his face. "Double damn."

Remus just shook his head. He hated the noise the cards made, but even he had to admit that it was sort of funny when it blew up in someone's face. He wasn't feeling too well; a full moon was coming up and tomorrow night he'd have to go down to the Shrieking Shack for a couple of days. Sirius, Peter and James promised to visit, but Remus wasn't so sure James could tear himself away from Lily. He was happy for his friend; he really was. He just didn't know how James was going to explain to Lily why he had to go.

"My head is starting to hurt," Remus announced, closing his book and slowly rising from his chair. "I'm going to go up to bed."

"Okay, Moony. Get a good night's sleep, tomorrow is going to be a bitch," Sirius told him, diverting his attention from the exploding cards long enough to look up at his friend. "We'll be there, I promise."

Remus smiled and nodded. He turned around and went up to bed. Sirius was right, tomorrow was going to be a bitch.

---

"Ow! James, don't put your elbow there!"

James sighed and gave up. There was no way they could comfortably move in this broom closet. Ever since they decided to take their recreational activities here, getting comfortable was a pain in the arse. "Lily, that's a broom, not my elbow."

"Lumos," Lily whispered, frustrated with her inability to see. "Oh, it is." She pushed the broom towards the back and sighed. "This was a bad idea."

James laughed. "You're the one that wanted the privacy!"

Lily's wand went out and she leaned into James. He put his chin on her head and held her for a moment. "Let's just go back to the common room. We can just find an empty corner or something. Of course, there's always your bedroom..."

Lily punched him, or at least what she thought was him. "You make it sound so dirty," she replied, looking up at where she thought his face would be. She could practically see his smile. "This was a really bad idea," she admitted, turning towards the door and blindly feeling for the door handle. "Oh, Merlin. What if we can't find the handle?"

They found it and began the walk back to the common room. The corridor's only light was from the torches, and it wasn't very bright. "It's a good thing we're Head Boy and Girl," Lily whispered, holding onto James' arm as they walked. "I wouldn't want to get caught here this late."

"Are you afraid of the dark?" James asked.

"No, what makes you think that?"

"You're strangling my arm."

"Oh," Lily replied. "Well, I'm not afraid of the dark."

"Then let go of my arm."

Lily stared at him. "I think not. I don't want to lose you."

James laughed. "Fine, then don't." They passed the Defense room, and in a brief moment of mental clarity, James flung the door open and pulled Lily in. "I think this is more private than the common room would be," he suggested, closing the door gently behind him. "Besides, this is symbolic."

"Oh really?" she asked as he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. She took his hands and squeezed. "And how's that?"

James chuckled. "I was sitting right there-" James pointed at a desk in the very back, "-when I promised myself that, someday, somehow, someway, I would get you alone in this room."

Lily smiled. "Oh, really now?" He backed her up against the wall and she giggled. "Now, now, now," she told him, running her hands up his sides. "Someone's getting a bit frisky."

"Do I have to beg?" he asked, "Because I will get down on both knees and beg my little heart out."

"Now, what would your friends say if they heard you say that?" Lily replied, her hands on his shoulders. She was trying to keep a few inches in between them, but that was becoming hard to do.

James laughed and ducked his head to her neck. He inhaled and breathed out, tickling her neck. "They'd say, 'Oh, that Evans, she finally broke the poor thing.' Just remember, you break it, you buy it."

She leaned in, meeting him halfway. "I better get a receipt," she whispered.