Written In The Stars
1. Preparation
"Argh!" James Potter threw the offending comb across the room and stared exasperatedly at himself in the mirror.
"I thought you were combing your hair, not attempting to pull it out." A grinning Sirius Black came into the room.
"I am! It just won't lie flat!" James frantically ran his hands over his hair, trying to smooth his trademark sticking-up tuft.
Sirius looked alarmed. "James, calm down. Look, Lily has seen you a million times like this and besides, I'm sure she thinks it makes you look cute." He smirked. James glowered from across the room at him.
"This isn't an ordinary date, Sirius. You know that."
"Yes, but all the same, if you make too much effort, she'll suspect something. You want it to be a total surprise don't you?"
"Well…yeah, but…"
"This will be the one thing in life Evans isn't prepared for. I can't wait to see her face."
It was James's turn to look alarmed. "But you're not going to! You're staying right here."
"I know, I know. James, you seriously need to calm down. I meant when you came home to celebrate, that's all."
"Oh."
There was silence for a minute whilst James pulled on his jacket. He took one last long look at the mirror, which assured him he looked reasonable, and turned to face Sirius.
"She'll be waiting…I better go." His face looked torn between meeting Lilly and running away to hide.
Sirius nodded. "Go get her," he said in a typical movie-style way.
James raised an eyebrow.
"I always wanted to say that."
"I knew it."
James grinned. "Well…see you later, I hope."
He was about to Disapparate when Sirius spoke.
"Hey, James?"
He turned. In Sirius's outstretched palm, lay a small, square, black velvet box.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"