It was a well known fact that James Potter, shameless son of a bitch and master of all things ridiculous, did not dance.

James was familiar with the sensation that came with making an ass out of himself. In 6th year he went to double Transfiguration on Halloween dressed as Professor McGonagall herself, a colored cardboard cat attached to his back that popped up over his desk when he ducked behind it. He carried on across the quidditch field and pranked his way through Hogwarts castle without the slightest blush. And yet, James Potter refused to do any more than wiggle his ass in the presence of company.

The Gryffindors were a rowdy lot, all things considered, and no one could say they hadn't tried to make him dance. Even his best friends couldn't coax a proper step out of them, despite their best efforts. Marlene McKinnon, whose family had lived next door to the Potter's since before either of them were born, had tried particularly hard over the years to encourage him. Whenever someone cranked up the old gramophone that they regularly smuggled out of the storage closet on the third floor, she made it a point to dance up on him as much as possible. Unfortunately the various ends of those attempts didn't involve any fancy footwork. She had been so ridiculous once that James picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and dumped her rather unceremoniously out of the portrait hole and into the hall. It took the raging blonde a few weeks, but she eventually forgave him.

As for the marauders, most considered James and Sirius Black (whose friendship had become infamous rather quickly) equals when it came to outrageous behavior. Sirius, however, did not have the same prudent feelings towards letting loose on the dance floor as James did. He had made his own attempts at getting his best friend to bust a move, but ended up just as unsuccessful as poor Marlene. James simply couldn't be pulled into dance-offs or set to fits of random dancing, even when firewhisky loosened his limbs. He just didn't do it.

A few days had passed since Gryffindor slaughtered Ravenclaw in their most recent quidditch match, and remnants of the party that had ensued still lingered throughout the house. Sirius was sporting a rather neat bruise over his right eye from a fall. Alice and Frank were caught making out in the stairwell that led to the boys dormitory, and neither could so much as make eye contact with the other without a furious blush creeping up their cheeks. The hand-drawn banner that had been carefully hung over the fireplace was now hanging by only one side. And the gramophone, which was clearly not missed by any of the professors, was still sitting rather precariously on a table in the corner of the room. Without an occasion to use it the students didn't have much interest in it, and no one wanted to get caught returning it to its rightful place. So there it stayed.

James, who had played in the match against Ravenclaw and loved a good party more than the next person, had missed out on the festivities. As Head Boy he was forced to go from victory on the quidditch pitch to rounds through the school. It was a complete drag, especially considering that he and Lily were forced to do those rounds on opposite schedules. And it didn't help that he was exhausted. His workload, Head Boy duties, and Quidditch schedule kept him scrambling, and he had to make time with Lily whenever he could. Even if that meant just sitting together doing homework. It felt like a cruel trick, as far as he was concerned. He spent years trying to get her attention, and when he finally had it they could hardly see each other. Talk about a giant 'screw you' from the universe.

So it became something of a ritual that the two of them got together to do homework. They sat on the floor at the coffee table in front of the fire, their books and parchment so spread out that they overlapped. It was nearly always late when they finally had the time, the common room thoroughly emptied, yet Lily always agreed. James could tell she was just as wiped out as he was; after all, he had more activities but her course load was more intense.

"This essay is going to be the death of me." Lily groaned, her head slipping between her folded arms to hit the table. When she spoke again her voice was muffled, but no less pained. "How much can I really say about toadstools?" It was going on 1am, but James knew Lily's whining was unnecessary. Her essay would earn her an O, to no one's surprise but her own. Some of their friends might have rolled their eyes at her, but James couldn't. He could be just as bright as Lily was, but she tried much harder than he ever had. So rather than sighing or shaking his head, James leaned over to run a hand soothingly over her bright red hair.

Lily picked up her head to look at James and pulled her arms in so she could lay her head on them. His rectangular, wire framed glasses were low on the bridge of his nose from reading, his brow still slightly furrowed as he broke his concentration. Yet in that moment he was looking at her so lovingly that any thoughts of herbology simply melted away. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes, sorely tempted to fall asleep against the table. James wouldn't have stopped her; she deserved the rest.

The gramophone in the corner caught James' eye as he went to set his chin in his hand, and he paused for a moment in consideration. When he stood up and left Lily's head suddenly untouched, she made a muffled sound of indignation. "Come back." She opened one eye to see him towering over her. James merely smiled and leaned down to peck the top of her head. "One second, I'm coming right back."

He walked over to the gramophone, stretching as he went, and then picked up a small pile of vinyls thrown rather haphazardly next to the player. He sifted through them briefly, picked one, and put it on. After a good bit of cranking the gramophone began to play a song that was soft and lilting, and James couldn't help but smile. It would knock her right out. However, he heard her groan as he was walking back to the table, and before he could protest Lily was picking up her head and getting to her feet. "No. I can't go to sleep, I have too much to do." She said, giving James a look. She knew exactly what he was playing at. Not that it stopped her from yawning loudly or reaching her arms over her head in a stretch.

"Thanks for trying, though." Lily said, walking forward so she could wrap her arms around his waist. She rested her head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. In turn, James wrapped his arms around her and put his chin on the top of her head.

Lily was the first one to start swaying to the music, moving from one foot to the other as her arms attempted to drag James along. Stubborn and hesitant, James didn't automatically concede to her will. He fought it first, but there was something in the tensing of his muscles that suggested a mental debate. Slowly he began to loosen up. His posture softened until, eventually, he was moving along with her. The music stopped rather suddenly, and James broke away for a moment to wind it back up, letting the sound flood the empty common room once again. Once back at her side James held out his hand, smiling at Lily as she faked a curtsey and moved forward to take it.

Rather than falling into the same embrace as before, James took her hand and moved it to his upper arm, and put his own gently behind her back. She gave him a curious look and tried to question it, but before she could say a word they were in motion. He led her slowly, his socked feet moving without hesitation across the carpet. Lily, on the other hand, had her eyes to the floor in an attempt to follow the pattern of his footsteps. Once she nearly had it she looked up, and found that James was being thoroughly entertained. Her emerald eyes narrowed, taking him in as they continued to turn around the common room.

"What's all this?" She asked, skeptical. "From what I've heard the great James Potter doesn't do dancing." James took her hand and led her into a gentle spin, and then brought her back with ease. Lily fumbled her way back into the rhythm of their steps.

"I try to avoid it." James retorted gently. The answer didn't quite appease Lily, who scoffed. "Then how are you doing this? Right now?"

There was a brief moment of silence before James shrugged his shoulders. "When your elderly mother, the woman who gave you life and keeps a roof over your head, asks you to go dancing with her - I mean, can you even say no?" There was another short pause before he conceded, "The answer to which is actually yes, yes you can. Over and over again until you're hoarse. But she's going to drag you by the ear, and I can tell you there's no getting out of it at that point." He spun her again, a little faster, but she didn't stumble. Lily brought herself neatly back to him, smiling brightly.

"Well aren't you just the sweetest little Mama's boy I've ever seen." She fully expected the heavy eye roll that she got in return. "And that is exactly why no one else knows. I do have a reputation to uphold, you know." Lily stopped dead in their dance to put her hand under his chin, startling James slightly. "I really do think it's sweet." She reached up on her toes to give him a swift kiss on the lips.

With the quirk of an eyebrow James pulled Lily against him and dipped her without warning, a cheeky grin across his face. "I didn't get to practice this one. My poor mum might have broken a hip." Lily gasped and quickly put her arms around his neck to stabilize herself, but just as quickly she was wearing a matching smile. They both leaned in at the same time, though they barely had a moment before a voice broke between them. "Can you turn that bloody thing off?" It was Marlene, her blonde hair disheveled and her eyes narrowed by either sleep or irritation. It was impossible to tell.

They both turned towards her, though they didn't properly orient themselves right away. "Gross. Get a room." Marlene wrinkled her nose as James pulled Lily up and against his side. "We had one, until you showed up." Marlene's eyes all but went to the back of her head, but without another word she turned on the step and marched back up to the girl's dormitory. As they heard her door close, the music from the gramophone came to a soft stop.

Lily sighed and patted James' stomach before untangling herself from him. "Well, I guess this toadstool essay is just going to have to wait until morning. I need to sleep." When James checked his watch he was stunned to see that it was already past 2am. He started helping her pick up the table, putting away their various books and parchments for the night. He didn't notice that she was looking at him from the corner of her eye, even when she casually said, "So, you don't want anyone to know that you can actually dance."

James slowed in his movements for a brief second, but continued with only the barest glance in her direction. "Right. Preferably." Lily rolled up her essay a little slower. "But what if an occasion required it. Like, if we got married. Just as a...random example. Your cover would be blown, wouldn't it? Completely soiled." James closed his last book and took an extra second to straighten his pile before he finally met Lily's eye. The look on her face was innocent enough, but there was a challenge in her gaze that wasn't lost upon him.

Without any suggestion as to why, James reached over and pulled her essay out of her hand. She watched as he set it down and turned on his knees to face her, feeling a soft fluttering in her stomach as he took her hands in his. "Lily," She couldn't place his tone, but his eyes were practically boring into hers. "If I get the privilege of marrying you, I swear that I will dance like no man has danced before."

The redhead immediately burst into a fit of laughter. It was a genuinely sweet sentiment, but the intensity of his gaze had made it just….ridiculous. He knew it, too. He kept the deeply sincere and almost wide-eyed expression as he tried to make her look at him through her laughter. "No, I mean it. I will boogie down and I will not care who is watching. The boys? Marlene? Hell, Professor Dumbledore. They can take it all in. I will be unstoppable in my celebration of our love."

Lily almost snorted and gave his shoulder a light shove. "Well that's good to know. You know, just in case." She was still giggling when he took her chin and swiftly kissed her forehead. "I'd do anything to make you happy, love."

The force of the kiss she returned to him was so unexpected that it actually knocked him back onto his butt. James managed to throw an arm out behind to keep himself from being completely flattened, but Lily didn't seem to care either way. She put her hands on either side of his face and gave him one long, lingering kiss, before peppering the rest of his face with them. When she pulled back from her assault she was shaking her head. "Merlin do I love you, James Potter."

She gave him one last quick kiss before she climbed off of him and stood up. She was breathing a little heavier than before, but tried to cover it by leaning over to pick up her things. Still on the ground James looked a little dazed, maybe, but also certainly pleased. He used the table to help himself off of the floor, and then took his own books and papers under his arm.

Without needing to say anything else they walked side by side to the stairs, and then up until they were forced to go their separate ways. They said their goodnights, and James turned to make his way up to the boy's dorm. Lily, on the other hand, had paused. Her foot lingered on the next step as she turned to say, "I can't wait to keep finding out new things about you. Maybe...forever?" She pushed a bit of her hair behind her ear and blushed scarlet before she took off up the stairs, and the sound of her door coming to a soft close echoed down before James could even move.

His heart was hammering away in his chest, and it took everything in his power not to book it up the girls stairs, slide be damned, to kiss Lily until the sun came up. Bemused, James ran a hand slowly through his hair and dragged himself up to his room. When he collapsed in bed he stared up the canopy of his four poster for a long time, his thoughts flying at a mile a minute, until he fell asleep with his glasses still on and a stupid grin across his face.