Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the Potterverse...
Author's Note: I know it's not the best, but this idea wouldn't leave me. After several discarded tries, I decided it would be best as a one-shot. My other ideas will have to wait for a different plot, I suppose. This is my first fanfiction, so please, review!
Lily Evans woke with her first hangover ever. She opened her eyes slightly but shut them almost immediately. The sun seemed too bright. And was the dormitory backwards?
After a few minutes, she decided she could not ignore her brain, which was telling her to get up and work on her Potions essay. Much as she longed to stay in bed, she sat up and looked at the bed next to her. Lily's friend Cassandra was climbing out of the bed of a dark-haired somebody.
"Cass-" she started to say, somewhat confused, but the taller girl put a finger to her lips and motioned past Lily's shoulder.
Lily looked behind her and saw a most unwelcome sight: the face of a certain hazel-eyed (though they were now closed in sleep), messy-haired James Potter. Cassandra watched, amused, as Lily's face went from confused (What am I doing in the boys' dormitory? And in James' bed?) to wide-eyed as realization hit Lily. She had slept with James! With a small gasp, she ran out of the dormitory and down to the deserted common room.
Chuckling slightly, Cassandra waved a silent good-bye to the still forms of James and Sirius Black.
To Lily, the common room was a much more welcome sight than the boys' dormitory. She watched Cassandra climb down the stairs and join her friend on the scarlet couch.
"Now, Lilylove, what's wrong?" Cassandra asked innocently.
"You know what!" Lily seethed. "I knew I never should have let you convince me to come to that party! This never would have happened had I just stayed in my bloody room, studying!"
Cassandra faked surprise. "You know it's your own fault for consuming all that alcohol," she scolded.
"Alcohol? I didn't drink any alcohol..."
"That punch was spiked, darling."
"Mine wasn't." Lily's eyes narrowed.
"Sure, it wasn't spiked before you set it down on my table."
"You- your- what?" Lily was confused yet again. This has to be some kind of record, Cassandra thought. Lily's never this speechless or disoriented. Then clarity hit her. "You bitch! I can't believe you'd do that to me!" She was so angry, Cassandra was surprised steam wasn't coming out of her ears. Then, suddenly, Lily was in her arms, sobbing.
"Oh, come now," Cassandra soothed gently, rubbing Lily's back. "Surely he wasn't that bad?"
Lily smiled tremulously through her tears. "I don't know. I don't remember."
"Well, perhaps I'll have to ask him to refresh your memory," Cassandra teased.
"Do it and I'll hex you into oblivion," Lily threatened.
A guy chuckled as he walked down the stairs. Lily tensed until she saw that it was only Remus. "Morning, ladies. Lily, how was your night? Finally caved in, hmm?"
"No!" she exclaimed. "I don't know who or what the fuck possessed me last night. I. Do. Not. Like. James!"
"James, now, eh? Since when did you drop Potter in favor of this more intimate name?" asked Cassandra slyly, but Lily only threw a pillow at her. "Plus, what possessed you is called 'vodka.' Liberal amounts of vodka. I like to think it brings out the secrets in all of us."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily asked defensively.
"She means," Remus interjected, "that we knew you had a soft spot for James and we took advantage of that. That's it."
"Oh, that's all, huh? So how the hell did I end up in his bed?" she yelled.
"Lily, kindly do not shout. You are not the only one with a raging headache," Remus said gruffly.
"Oh. Sorry."
"That's quite all right," he replied graciously.
"So, Lily," Cassandra said conversationally. "How much do you remember?"
Lily screwed up her face in concentration. "Um, well, I remember James coming on to me, and I slapped him. Then I picked up my drink again-" here she shot Cassandra and Remus a dirty look- "Then I turned to talk to you two for a while and eventually James came up again. We were having an entirely civil conversation and he asked me to dance. I remember thinking 'What the hell am I doing?' James was like, 'You wanna get out of here?' But before I could answer, I stumbled out of the door after him and he caught me. After that, I forget."
"Well, to clear things up, you stumbled out of the door because I pushed you," Cassandra said in satisfaction.
"Why?"
"Because you looked like you weren't sure if you were doing the right thing."
"Oh, great, so I had a moment of clarity and you stepped in as my conscience. Just great." But Lily was smiling.
"Do you honestly regret sleeping with James? I mean, he can be a douche bag, but he's a fox." Lily giggled when Cassandra growled seductively.
"No... I mean, but- And he's- I..." Lily stuttered.
"It doesn't matter that you don't like him. Because last night was about the physical. And you know he's hot." Cassandra said this as if it settled everything.
"But, maybe... maybe I do like him."
Remus and Cassandra both stared, astonished. "You do?" they said in unison.
Lily blushed until she matched the couch she was on. "But now that he's already had me, now that the chase is over, he'll never look at me again."
"Lily, how can you said that?" Remus demanded. "Don't you realize he's hopelessly, helplessly in love with you?"
Lily stared. "Wh-What?"
"For the top in our year, you can be pretty dense, love," Cassandra said softly. "Haven't you seen the way he looks at you?"
"What are you talking about?" Lily had stopped crying, but now she was looking confused. Again, Cassandra thought. "Why would James look at me like that?"
"Because he's head over heels for you, haven't we already gone over this?" Cassandra was getting impatient.
"I don't believe you. Why would James love me?"
"Because you're amazing," Remus began.
Lily snorted. "Sure, at lessons maybe."
This time, it was Remus' turn to stare. "You have got to be kidding me. Lily, you're gorgeous."
"And funny," added Cassandra.
"Witty-"
"Charming-"
"Friendly-"
"Loyal-"
"Helpful-"
"Alright, alright, I get it!" Lily cried, embarrassed.
"I feel like a merchant trying to sell a mirror to a reluctant buyer," Cassandra commented. They all chuckled, but fell quiet rather quickly.
After several minutes, Lily asked, "So what am I going to do?"
"Do? Lily, since when have you ever had to do anything to get James' attention?" Cassandra said logically.
"Just be you," Remus added. "And his Lily-radar-"
"And by that, Remus means his dick-"
"will find you instantly."
Sure enough, as soon as James descended the staircase, he saw Lily and grinned. "Hey, Lilylove. How was your night?" he asked knowingly.
She shook her head. "I don't know, James." His brow furrowed. "I don't remember." Lily stalked towards him, looking like a cat playing with a mouse that's trapped beneath her paws. She looked into his eyes.
"Not anything?" James was dismayed.
"No. Not anything." Lily's voice was soft, and she paused, taking in the sight of James, disheveled and looking crushed.
"Not anything?" he repeated, so quietly that Lily had to strain to hear him. He sounded heartbroken. Lily noticed he was staring at the floor.
"James," she began softly, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Why don't you refresh my memory?"
James paused for a moment, his eyes searching her face, as if sure she was only joking. Then he grinned cockily, grabbed her hand, and led her back up to his bed, where they spent the day - ah - remembering.