Gwen figured she should've known Potter would back out of such a meeting, but she couldn't help the disappointment that took over her body when she stood listlessly in the Astronomy Tower for a full ten minutes without the arrival of James.

After another two or three minutes, she sighed and, running a hand through her hair, turned to head back down the ladder.

Then, James's voice: "Doubt me that much?"

She jumped. First, she checked the bottom of the ladder, to see if he'd been on his way up. He wasn't. He wasn't on the platform, either. She glanced around.

"...James?"

"Here." His grinning head materialized out of nowhere. "Had to bring the Cloak since Mcgonagall put extra protection around our common room. We sneak out too much, apparently."

Gwen shoved where she thought his shoulder was, and he stumbled back. "You arsehole. I hate it when you use that thing."

He was still grinning as he slipped the Cloak off, gathering it up in his hands. "Only way to effectively sneak around, Gwenny. And besides, you're the one who wanted to come tonight, anyway. To find one of these evasive Snidgets. You know they rarely ever come out when people are near? They get frightened back into their nests at the sound of human voices."

     Gwen raised her eyebrows, surprised. "How would you know that?"

     James lifted his shoulders. "Read up on them. It's nothing. Don't make it a big deal."

     She smiled teasingly, before pulling him down to sit on the floor. "But you're right. They're very sporadic at ever coming out of their nests, but when they do so, it's only when the sun's down. They can see better in the dark, you know. And they're super fast; faster than a Snitch. Wizards used to play Quidditch with them, long time ago, but had to stop because they were so bloody hard to catch. And 'cause it's inhumane, of course. Also, they're incredibly silent. About as stealthy as a Niffler."

     "Ah." James crossed his legs, eyes on the open ceiling of the gazebo roof. He didn't seem any type of bothered by her facts-and-figures rambling. "So we're probably not going to see a single one, then."

     "Have faith," she said, glaring at him. "Jacob Greenwood says there's a nest up here somewhere."

     "Greenwood?" James scoffed. "That boy's a known liar! Can't believe you'd actually listen to a word he says, let alone make me miss out on my precious beauty sleep for it."

     "Merlin knows you need it," Gwen said, sticking her tongue out. "And I only want you to see a Snidget so you can understand its significance to the Niffler and draw the conclusion up yourself."

     "Can't I just look at a picture?"

     "There are only two pictures of them," Gwen said factually. "They're much too fast, kept flying off before anyone could get any better. The rest are all drawings. And no, you can't look at them on pages. Their whole allure is the fact that they literally shimmer."

     "Boring," yawned James. "I'll be sleeping. Wake me if you see one."

     He laid back, hands folded behind his head and legs crossed at the ankles. Gwen rolled her eyes, but did the same, folding her hands across her stomach and gazing up at the night sky.

     They did not see a Snidget that night—and James never fell asleep. Instead he procured a pocket-sized version of a deck for Exploding Snaps and they played each other until wee hours of the morning, when the sun began to peek at them over the mountains and warned them that it was definitely time to get back to their Houses before the rest of the castle awoke. Gwen beat James thrice, and would have beat him a fourth time had he not 'accidentally' fallen onto the game and scattered the cards around so the match was ruined. Gwen called James a sore loser, and they retired to their Houses.

     At lunch that day, Gwen received an enchanted paper crane. It landed directly in her roasted carrots.

"Oh, blimey." Walker's face scrunched up. "You've got mail, it looks like."

"I see that, Walker, thank you."

She picked up the little origami piece and gave it a once over, before unfolding its corners until it was a regular parchment again. It was a small slip, not spacious enough to host any words other than the three that were scribbled precariously onto it: Astronomy Tower tonight?

"Woah, Merlin!" Walker—who had, unbeknownst to Gwen, peaked at the note over her shoulder—widened his eyes and sat up in shock. "What the bloody hell is that?"

Gwen shushed him, glancing around to make sure nobody other than Jackie had noticed his outburst of surprise. She glared at him, the note pressed firmly against her chest. "Merlin, Walker, do you ever mind your own?"

"What's it say?" Jackie demanded, leering over the table and trying desperately to catch a glimpse. "Oh, don't be a prude about it, Gwen; I want to know!"

"Oh, she is not being a prude," Walker said, eyes still popping out of his head. "Somebody's asking to meet up with her at the Astronomy Tower tonight."

"I knew it!" Jackie exclaimed, pointing to Gwen with excitement. "You've got a secret shag, don't you?"

"Oh, my Godric." Gwen hid her face in her hands, shaking her head in complete disbelief. "You are both mental. It's not a shag, Jackie, and, Walker, I am not not a prude! It's only James—"

"Knew it!" Jackie said happily. "I knew it! Walker, you owe me fourteen—"

"No!" Gwen shouted over her words, glaring. "You shut your mouth, Jacqueline. It's just—we've been trying to see if that rumor about there being a Golden Snidget nest in the tower dome is true or not. He's never seen one in real life, and I wanted to show him. That's all."

"Right." Jackie coughed in a weak attempt to cover her muttering "Slag."

"Oh, give it a break," Gwen said, cheeks flushing, ignoring Walker and Jackie's laughter. "I'm not shagging James Potter. Never him. And if I hear either of you have told anyone about this, I'm taking your wands and shoving them down your bloody throats."

"Just like you with Potter's wand?" Walker asked innocently, while Jackie made make-believe snogging noises.

Gwen scoffed, face completely red. "I'm done with the both of you."

As she strode off, she could hear Jackie calling after her: "Oh, but Gwenny, please make sure you're at least being safe!"

Her cheeks burned even more furiously as a few of her fellow Ravenclaws heard Jackie's shout and lifted their heads in confusion to watch her hurriedly walk out of the Hall.

When James ascended the ladder to the Astronomy Tower that night, the first way Gwen welcomed him was by whacking him repeatedly on his chest.

     "Woah," laughed James, stumbling back. He put his hands up in surrender, grinning at the angered witch, eyebrows raised in amusement. "What'd I do this time?"

     "Next time you want to use some sort of subtle code for us going Snidget hunting," she said, cheeks still pink from earlier that day, "please try not to make it sound so suggestive!"

     James laughed again, harder still when he saw how serious Gwen was about the whole ordeal. He shook his head and lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Sorry about that, mate. Did your little friends read the note, then?"

     "Yes," Gwen said pointedly, "and now they think we're currently shagging at this very moment. Jackie even told me to bring this!"

     She pulled from her robes a Muggle rubber and threw it harshly at his chest, to bounce off limply and land on the ground before him. He glanced down at it, then looked back up to her, his cheekbones protruding as he tried desperately not to smile.

     "Oh, quit it," she said, exhaling a laugh. "We aren't."

     "Right, of course," he said, putting his hands up in defense. "Though I suppose there's no use in just leaving it here..."

     Gwen slapped his shoulder as he bent down to pick it back up and slipped it into his pocket.

     "Oh, you are so annoying," she said, as he laughed slyly to himself. "Let's just watch for the Snidgets, can we? Or are you going to make another suggestive joke?"

He pursed his lips, a finger tapping his chin as he feigned a thoughtful expression. Then, he clicked his tongue. "I'm all out."

"Brilliant," she said. "Then let's try this again."

The same sort of schedule took place; once more, they laid out on the platform, gazing up at the stars together in a comfortable silence. This went on for about twenty minutes before James grew uncomfortable and bored, much like a child who needed constant enrichment.

He shifted around to be lying on his side, facing her. "Why are you so set on finding one of these, anyway?"

She did not face him. "I'm not."

"You are."

"No."

"Why?"

Finally, she pursed her lips, eyes fluttering shut. "The only time I've ever seen one in person was with my father. I was four. We were sitting in out front yard, apparently one of them had crafted a nest in our big oak tree. I don't remember what the bird looked like, but it's one of my favorite memories with my father, so it can't've been too bad."

     She sighed, then shook her head and sat up. "I don't think it's going to happen, James. Maybe we should go back down and get some rest. I almost fell asleep in Transfigu—"

     "No way." He sat up as well, crossing his legs and turning towards her. "At this point, we have to find one of these bloody birds. I'll die of suspense if we don't."

     She exhaled a laugh, rolling her eyes. "I knew I shouldn't've told you that story."

     "Why?" he said innocently. "Because you knew that it meant I'd search the world if it meant you'd be able to see one of these birds again?"

     Her lips twisted to the side in an attempt to hide her smile. "That sounded romantic, James. Not getting soft on me now?"

     "Never," he promised, grinning. "We're mates, Gwen."

     She nodded, holding up her pinky finger. "And that's perfectly fine."

     He hooked his with hers and nodded along. "Perfectly splendid, even."

They did not see a Snidget that night. Gwen was dangerously close to giving up, too, but James practically dragged her out of bed the next night. (Not truly, but he'd stood outside the Ravenclaw Common Room for two hours and asked anyone going inside to tell Gwen that James was waiting for her.)

     "This is the night," he decided, as they sprawled out on the Astronomy platform. "I feel it in my little Snidget bones. We're going to see one tonight."

     "Third time's the charm," Gwen recalled thoughtfully. "Although the essay is due tomorrow. Have you worked on it at all?"

     "Nope," he said, contentedly. "I'll come up with a reason."

     "Of course you will."

     He laid out next to her. She rested one of her hands on her abdomen, the other sitting just next to James's, centimetres apart—such that she could feel the warmth from his fingers.

     "You hexed Snape earlier," she noticed, not turning to face him. "In Potions. What'd he do this time?"

     He thought for a second before replying. "Called Lily a Mudblood."

     "That was days ago."

     "Nah, he did it again." James scowled at the sky. "And in front of me and Moony, this time. That was his mistake."

     Gwen's lips twitched. "Good hex you chose, by the way."

     James chuckled. "Was, wasn't it? Love a good bogey hex."

     "You're a decent friend to Lily, you know," Gwen said, thoughtfully, slowly. "Even though you... fancied her. Is that not awkward?"

     "Well.." James pondered on this for a moment. "I dunno. Is it awkward between you and I, at all?"

     Gwen frowned. "No, I suppose not. Though I—"

     She cut herself off. James cocked an eyebrow, glancing over to her.

     "You what, Graham?"

     "Nothing," she said, thankful the darkness would cover her flushed cheeks. Desperate for a change of subject, she pointed up. "Look, it's Sirius."

     "What?" James followed her finger up to the sky, eyes narrowing. "The constellation? Where?"

     "No, the Chaser," she said, rolling her eyes. "Look, right where I'm pointing."

     "You're pointing all over the bloody place."

     "Am not. It's right there. My hand isn't moving."

     "It is; you're shaking like mad. Hold it still."

     "It's right there, James!"

     "You're going all over the place!"

     Laughing, Gwen looked to him in disbelief. "You are so thick, Potter."

     He turned to her as well, smiling quite proudly. "Why, thank you."

     Their faces were a mere few breath's width apart. Her own quiet gasp stuck in her throat, and she caught James's eyes flickering down to her mouth, then back up to meet her gaze. Her brow furrowed in the slightest, and she tilted her head, her expression almost quizzical as she leaned in—as though testing the waters.

     Their lips connected. James's hand found the back of her neck, and her mouth opened beneath his, allowing him in—in a split second, though, she pulled back, breath catching.

     "I'm sorry," she said immediately, eyes wide with shock at what she'd just done. She put her hands over her face, her knees pressed against her chest. "Oh, blimey, James, I didn't—"

     "What are you sorry about?" he mused, propping himself up on his elbows. He was smiling when she looked back at him. "Come on, Gwenny. If you're going to snog me, you've at least got to get a proper one in before you start going mental."

     She met his eyes again, a small smirk of wonderment spreading across her face. She shook her head in disbelief. "How are you always so bloody arrogant?"

     "Oh, you want to know?" He raised his eyebrows. "Keep kissing me and find out."

     Gwen exhaled a laugh, leaning over and pressing herself up against his body, connecting their lips once more in a kiss that was made up of more fire than before, less timidness and more severity. His hands found her hair and entangled themselves in it; hers, his cheeks. She was practically straddling him, their kiss electrifying. The way James held Gwen was as though he couldn't get enough of her.

     After a long, fervid moment, they broke apart, breathless and tousled.

     "We can't," Gwen said, her chest rising and falling quickly. She shook her head. "You know we can't, James."

     He nodded, running a hand through his hair, and exhaled on a whistle. "Merlin, Gwen."

     "James, I'm serious," she said, brushing her own hair out of her face. "If anyone finds out—"

     "Like they don't already know?"

     She bit her lip, sitting back on her knees. Her eyes found James's, and she found herself drawn back in, and in a moment their lips crashed back together.

     Luckily, James still had that rubber in his trousers.

VIAS CORNER :P
hwf gwames nation! sorry for no explicit sex i cannot bring myself to write that :/
also everyone say thank u vi because i almost forgot to updatw today SORRYY😝