One Shots | Jily

#3 Secrets

prompt requested by: @eveynaoxx

Secret dating doesn't have many perks - no gossiping with friends, no going on dates, and certainty no PDA - but to Lily and James, that doesn't matter so much, as long as they have each other.

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James ran a hand through his messy jet black hair, avoiding Lily's emerald green eyes. If he looked, he would surely give everything away: and all the secretly sneaking around the castle every night would be for nothing. Lily wasn't ready for everyone to know - she still feared this was another one of James 'flings', as she called them, but Lily would never understand how much James truly loved her already. It was still too early to say it, but he had known for a while now. He had known since she had come clean to him about knowing Remus' secret, and she still loved him for him.

James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Marlene were all huddled around the fire in the Gryffindor common room in mid December, all laughing and telling stories as they sipped hot butterbeer. It was the last night they would spend together at school until the new year - in fact, it was the last Christmas they would ever have at Hogwarts - but James refused to accept it was the last one they would all spend together.

As much as James was trying to relish these special moments during his final year at Hogwarts, he was inconspicuously trying to think of a way to get him and Lily away from the rest of the group: so they could finally be alone for the first time that day. It was hard work trying to act as if they were just friends when all he wanted to do was be close to her; but there they were, sitting a good 10 feet apart as if nothing had changed between them during the past month.

'-and then it reached one of its slimy tentacles out of the water,' Sirius told as if it was a scary story and they were all sitting around a campfire, not in Hogwarts, the "safest place on earth", 'and I could've sworn it muttered "come give me a smooch, Jamsie"-'

James wondered if the others realised how ridiculously exaggerated the whole story was - Sirius was describing the time in sixth year when James really had tried to seduce the giant squid on a dare after Lily's snide comment about how she would "rather date the giant squid" than him - but he supposed they did know, because they surely weren't thick enough to believe it.

Times really had changed, though. He had actually been meaning to bring up the giant squid to Lily and ask her exactly made her change her mind about her statement.

James rolled his eyes as he vaguely heard Sirius say something about how he had "been dragged into the lake" and "was on the brink of death" and that the only reason he had survived was because Sirius, being the "hero" he is, had jumped in to save him. Peter listened in awe, on the edge of his seat, while the others seemed to know Sirius was fibbing for the majority, yet they still looked interested enough for Sirius to continue.

'That's a load of crap.' James said under his breath, then, taking the last mouthful of his butterbeer and zoning out, staring across the room at the bookshelves that were stacked with second-hand school textbooks. He focused on one in particular that had been a requirement both last year, and this year - Advanced Potion Making - as he sifted through some thoughts absentmindedly: going everywhere from what he had had for breakfast, to Lily, to what he was going to do in the Christmas holidays, and back to Lily again. Maybe he should ask her to stay with him for a few days - except this would mean they would have to tell people about them, and he didn't want to pressure her.