Starry Night

The stars were so bright that Lily couldn't sleep.

"Where are you going?" Marlene asked as Lily swung her legs out of bed and pressed her bare feet against the stone floor. The voice contrasted so sharply with the stillness of the Gryffindor dormitory that Lily froze.

"Outside." Lily pulled a dressing gown down from the hook by her bed and draped it over her shoulders.

Marlene groaned. "The stars again?"

Lily nodded.

"You'll freeze to death."

"No, I won't."

"It snowed this morning."

Lily slipped her arms through the dressing gown and fashioned the belt into a clumsy bow. "Enchanted my dressing gown," she said, patting one of its pockets. "It gives off heat. I'll be as warm as toast."

"Toast?" The light of the stars was bright enough for Lily to see Marlene roll her eyes. "That's the worst comparison—"

"Keep quiet, will you, or you'll wake the whole common room."

Marlene sighed heavily. "What time is it?"

"Dunno."

"Three? Four?"

"I said I don't know."

"Are you meeting him?"

Lily didn't say anything for a moment. "I'm looking at the stars."

"I know that." Marlene was sitting up now, threading her bedsheets through her fingers. "But is anyone joining you?"

Lily pushed her feet into the fluffy blue slippers her mum had posted her for Christmas. "Only the people who happen to be at the top of the Astronomy Tower at this hour."

"Hm." Marlene slid out of bed and hit the stone floor with a soft thud. "Right, then. Let's go."

"What?"

"You heard me. What's that dressing gown spell?"

"You're coming with me?"

"I don't want my best friend out after hours by herself. What if you need an alibi?"

"I'm Head Girl." Lily folded her arms across her chest as Marlene stumbled over a book one of their fellow Gryffindors had left open on the floor. "I'm allowed to patrol after hours."

"Not if your name isn't on the schedule."

Lily scrunched her eyebrows together. "I could say there was a last-minute adjustment."

"Who is scheduled to patrol the Astronomy Tower tonight, if you don't mind me asking?"

Lily pursed her lips. "Why do you ask?"

Marlene swept through the door and walked, barefoot, down the staircase and into the common room. The roaring fire from a few hours ago had faded away into a smoldering heap of coals, still bright but far less brilliant than the blanket of stars shimmering in the window beside it. "It's him," Marlene said over her shoulder, using a slightly louder voice now that they were out of hearing range of sleeping seventh years. "I already know it. You might as well confess."

Lily hovered on the top of the stairs. "Actually, Marley, it's a bit drafty out here. I think it might be too cold for stars after all."

"Fine." Marlene took a few steps toward the portrait hole. "Go back to bed, then. I'll go to the Astronomy Tower on my own."

With narrowed eyes, Lily came down the stairs. "I'm going if you're going," she said.

Marlene grinned and led the way into the corridor.

"Lumos."

There was a chorus of groans.

"James Potter, it is the middle of the bloody night."

James rolled his eyes. "It's one in the morning, Sirius. Don't be dramatic."

Sirius, eyes closed tightly, reached for a pillow to throw at James. "Why in Merlin's name are you making all that light?"

"Because I'm meeting Lily at the Astronomy Tower in twenty minutes and I have to look good."

"Why does it have to be in the middle of the bloody night?"

"She has this thing about the stars." James shrugged. "Says they're romantic."

Sirius let out a string of curse words involving where James could stick his romance.

"I'm serious, mate."

"He's Sirius," mumbled Peter from across the dormitory, and James rolled his eyes and shrugged into his dressing gown.

"I'm coming with you." Sirius stumbled out of bed, eyes still closed and hair bunched up in a tangled mess on the top of his head.

"No, you aren't."

Sirius reached into his sock drawer and pulled out a small bag, which he shoved into the pocket of his pajamas. "Try to stop me."

James sighed. "Why are you doing this?"

"I've been meaning to go up to the Astronomy Tower for weeks." Sirius patted his pocket gently. "I've got a load of dung bombs I want to plant there."

James wrinkled his nose. "So plant them in the morning."

"It is morning, technically." Sirius followed James out of their dormitory and into the common room. "Plus, I want to see if Lily actually shows up."

"She will." James climbed out through the portrait hole. His foot caught on the edge of the frame, jolting the Fat Lady awake. "We've done this before."

Sirius stopped halfway through the portrait hole. "Excuse me?"

"Lily and I. We've met up before."

"When?"

James shrugged and walked down the corridor. "None of your business, unless you're suddenly into voyeurism."

Sirius finished coming out of the common room and fell into a steady gait behind James. "I can't believe you didn't tell me."

"She wants to keep it a secret. At least for now."

Sirius snorted. "You're so full of it, Prongs."

"There," Lily said, pointing to the stars. "Bright. Beautiful. We've seen them. We can go back now."

Marlene was shivering. "Do you think I'm an idiot? I know why we're really here."

"It's not because of James."

"Hah!" Marlene pointed an accusatory finger at Lily. "I never said I was talking about Potter."

"Oh, please. Who else would you have been talking about?"

"So you admit there's something there?"

"He's been chasing after me since we were eleven. Everyone knows—"

Marlene opened her mouth, but the sound of footsteps on the Astronomy Tower stairs silenced her. "There's someone there."

Lily closed her eyes. "Marlene, please. Don't judge me if—"

"—both know Evans isn't even coming," Sirius Black said as he burst through the door just ahead of James. "But I've got my dung bombs, and that's—"

He stopped dead as he made eye contact with Lily.

"Evening, Sirius," Lily said. "What was that about dung bombs?"

Sirius reached to pat the pocket of his pajama shirt. "Lily," he said, eyes wide. "What are you doing here?"

"Meeting her secret lover, obviously," said Marlene through chattering teeth. "I'm freezing. I'm going back to bed."

"Thank you," Lily said. Her face was pink—from the cold or from embarrassment, it was hard to say.

"I—erm—I'll just plant my dung bombs and get out of your way," Sirius said. He extracted a bag from his pocket and unceremoniously dumped its contents onto the floor. "Carry on." He backed out through the door, clapping James—who was gazing at Lily with an expression that was equal parts apologetic and awed—on the shoulder as he went. "Erm. Good night."

"Good night, Sirius." Lily was refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

"I didn't think it would ever actually happen," Marlene said to Sirius as they padded down the stairs together. "Lily and James. They actually got together."

"What's next?" Sirius asked playfully, nudging her in the ribs with his elbow. "You and me?"

Marlene snorted. "Ask me again when you don't smell like dung bombs."

(Up in the Astronomy Tower, the stars sparkled madly over the pair of seventh years.)

Quidditch League, Finals Round 1: OTP Chaining

Holyhead Harpies, Seeker

Prompt: Write about a teammate's OTP (James/Lily); use an italicized word or phrase AND a similie ("Warm as toast")

Word Count (MacBook Pages): 1,238