James stared forlornly at the fireplace. His brow was furrowed, and his lower lip stuck out, he was pouting unconsciously. With a silent sigh, his hand automatically went through his hair, as he pondered on his thoughts.
Remus was watching James from the doorway, leaning his figure on the doorway, his head cocked sideways, wondering what was bothering his fellow Marauder.
Finally, after a moment's hesitation, Remus pushed himself off the doorframe, and sat down beside James on the couch. "What's wrong, Prongs?" He asked gently, making himself comfortable on the couch, purposefully not meeting James eye to eye not wanting to seem intruding.
"Nothing's wrong," his monotonous voice sounded in the otherwise deserted Head Common Room. "Except that I can't get Evans to go on a date with me," he sighed frustrated, and he ran a hand through his hair again.
"Oh," Remus said, almost breaking into a grin and stopping himself just in time. That, he mused, is impossible. For the past six years, every single day, James tried to ask Lily out, and he had to admit that it was getting from amusing to irritating. If he had been in Lily's shoes, he would have snapped at James just like her. So he didn't blame her-whoever in their right mind would accept a date when it was practically screamed out in public?
Remus and Sirius had given up on tutoring James on how to approach Evans. However times they tried to teach him, James would just muddle it up somehow, and with a cheeky comment on how attractive she looked that day, he would end up being shouted at by Lily.
"Mate, it is just the starting of seventh year, maybe she'll agree." Remus tried to reassure his friend, but, to no avail as James did not stir from his position on the couch.
"You know what?" James said suddenly, startling Remus, "I want to try to stop asking her out. You know, call a truce to be just friends."
Remus' mouth dropped right open. But James took no notice. "Because I just realized… in my seven years of knowing her, I don't know anything about her except that she is beautiful." James admitted.
"I want to know more about her," James concluded, transfixed at the fire. Then, he suddenly broke into a happy grin as he pointed at the flames of fire at the fireplace. "You see, the flames look just like Lily's hair," he exclaimed. "Fiery," he said.
Remus recovered from his shock, and a pleasant smile graced his gentle features. No hurt trying, he shrugged his shoulders.
At the corridor of the Head room, Lily had to blink a few times to process what James had just said. She hadn't intentionally overheard them, she just came out of her room to get a hot coffee on that cold day, and then she heard what James had said. A smile tugged on her lips, finally James was making sense. But she wouldn't forget how he annoyed her for the past six years, or so she hoped.