Liquid Luck [Sirius Black]/editing

Chapter 136

James's P.O.V

A glorious window of opportunity has opened up for me.

Lily is sitting alone in Transfiguration this morning. Padfoot and Keeks are busy filling Dumbledore in on everything that happened this past week leaving me and Evans sans seatmate. French, I think smugly to myself. Pads would be proud.

"Hi!" My voice comes out embarrassingly high-pitched. I didn't even know my voice could do that. I clear my throat. "Is it alright if I sit there, uh, here? This...chair?" Whatever the fuck that was.

Lily hasn't heard a single word I said. Thank God. "Hm? Just one second please." Internally, I am squealing with delight. Her voice could grow flowers.

I am in awe of her penmanship. Her right hand moves gracefully across the parchment leaving behind a precise string of words. Class hasn't even started and she's already knee-deep in her notes. She is so damn intelligent, it's a huge turn-on for me. I shift from foot to foot, impatiently invading her workspace until she lifts her green eyes.

All of her attention is on me and damned if I don't love that. "Sorry," she says sheepishly. "What did you ask?"

I think better of embarrassing myself a second time with words so I simply drum my fingers against the seat beside hers.

"Oh, yeah sit." Her hair curtains her face as she leans back over her notes, but I swear I saw her lips twitch.

I plop onto my chair with a grin so big it could rival a child's on Christmas morning and angle my body towards her. She captures my heart again every time I look at her. I'm staring. Keeks would call me a perv right about now. I look away and awkwardly try to decide what to do with my hands. I put them on the table we share. No, this feels weird. I put them in my lap. Even weirder. How the bloody hell do I act normally?

Lily glances up at me for the first time since I sat down. A blush burns my neck and cheeks. Flustered, I cross my arms over my chest and flash her a flirty smile. She rolls her eyes, her lips twitch again. Oh? She used to be annoyed by my advances, now she pretends to be. My heart skips a beat.

A little progress is still progress. I'm an impatient man but I can be patient for you. I could wait an eternity for you, Lily-Flower.

Stupid Padfoot and his stupid mouth made me promise to only ask her out one last time. But that doesn't mean I can't ask her to hang out, right? Friends hang out. After class, I will ask Lily Evans on a friends-date.

*

After class, I leg it like a fucking coward.

Conversations halt and eyes gravitate to me as I pass them by. It's obvious why they usually do, I am exceptionally good-looking. But today, if the conspiratorial looks are anything to go by, they are not looking at me for me. The nosy sods have been speculating what the hell happened between Lila Taylor and the "it couple" of Hogwarts. It's not much of a surprise though. People were bound to gossip after Keeks beat that bitch to a bloody mess in front of the entire school. That girl is a force to be reckoned with.

"Potter!"

I shake my head free of thoughts and whirl around to see that feisty little redhead of mine weaving her way through the overcrowded hall to get to me. She's so cute, looking all frustrated with our peers. I love the fire in her. I watch in pure amusement as she shoves Evan Rosier out of her way. Her hostile gaze meets mine and her face instantly becomes flushed. She gives me a you saw that, didn't you look and I nod my head, biting my lip.