It had been about two days, and considering the last two years and – more specifically – the past few months, James figured he'd earned some perpetual, heart-as-light-as-air giddiness, and he was milking it for all it was worth (for the record, he thought it was worth quite a lot; more than he could put a number on, that was for sure).
So during one of McGonagall's reviews for the exams that were looming ever nearer, James hooked his ankle around one of the legs of Lily's chair and yanked sharply so she was sitting right in front of him. He saw her twitch, like she was going to say something but thought better of it, and he smiled and leaned forward and whispered, "All right, Evans?"
She turned her head slightly and offered him a sardonic smile. "Well, I was –"
"No need to spit fire, love."
Lily tried not to smile for real. "What do you want, Potter?"
"Just fancied a chat with my girlfriend," James said, his breath warm as it tickled her ear. "Wait, you are my girlfriend, aren't you?" He exchanged a grin with Sirius. "Go on, Evans, tell me again –"
"Oh, Merlin." Marlene looked around to roll her eyes at James. "Give it a rest, why don't you?"
"That's very rude, McKinnon," Sirius noted, jabbing Marlene in the back with the tip of his quill. "Prongs is just trying to talk to his girlfriend."
"Right, thank you, Padfoot." James snuck a quick kiss to the spot right behind Lily's ear. "My girlfriend, who I can kiss in public now because she fancies me and she wants everybody to know."
Lily laughed. "You are so warped in the head."
James smiled. "Said my girlfriend."
There was a loud and pointed cough from the front of the classroom, and they turned their attention back to Professor McGonagall, who was surveying them sternly over the tops of her square spectacles.
"It seems to have been established," she began in an oddly strained voice, "that Miss Evans is your girlfriend, Mr. Potter. What I have yet to deduce is whether or not you've got a grasp of your examination material."
Sirius and several other students sniggered loudly, but James would not be discouraged.
"Ah, well…" James grinned and flicked his wand. "I could always make Avery and Mulciber play cat-and-mouse again, if you'd like. Would that satisfy the parameters of your deduction, Professor?"
McGonagall's nostrils flared a bit and several people could have sworn she was fighting a smile. It was true that she couldn't very well argue with one of her top students, but that didn't mean she was going to allow him to make her laugh. So instead of lecturing further, McGonagall simply turned back to the blackboard and said, "I am trying to teach a class, Mr. Potter; flirt on your own time."
James winked at Lily and pushed her seat back into place.
