AN/ This was for my beautiful Hollie, enjoy darlin'

Beta Note/ Told you I was doing one, enjoy this and tell us any mistakes, we don't bite... much ;)

As I woke up I let out a small groan. It was today, that stupid bet I'd made with Sirius Black all came down to today. Just go to Hogsmede with James he said it's not a date, and he'd irritate me less. Why oh why did I agree? He's my friend now; I don't want to ruin that...

"Lily! Lily, get up!" A voice broke through my thoughts. It was Marley. She bounced in grinning ear to ear. I should've known she'd make me go today. She was a cruel girl but I love her though. Still I'm not going.

"Nope, not getting up." I whined, pulling the covers above my head. Marley laughed before wrenching the covers from my bed. I shivered, it was so cold.

"You have to get ready for your date Lily," Marley giggled, walking over to her dresser and pulling out numerous amounts of make-up.

"Woah, woah hold up. First, it is not a date. Second, I do not need that much make up! We're only meeting up as friends!" I burst out, goggling at the sight of all the makeup strewn out on my bed.

I do not give Marlene and Mary enough credit. They're evil! Thanks to them, I am up, dressed and about to go on a not-date with James. I should have just got up myself, at least then I'd be allowed to choose what I wear! These jeans are too tight and this top is way too low-cut! These high heeled knee-high boots are not mine and why am I wearing eyeliner? I NEVER wear eyeliner. Why would they make so much effort for this? It's not a date. That quickly has started becoming my catchphrase.

I walk over to Lily, she looks scared. I didn't think she'd be nervous. I'm not nervous; I've had this day planned for years. I just have to remember not to use the word date otherwise she'll kill me and never speak to me again.

She looks just as beautiful as I could ever imagine. Her hair has its usual slight curl and her lips are rosy pink. She's wearing heels, Merlin, glad she's not taller than me! She's facing me now but I just know... Those jeans will make her arse look amazing. I think her friends dressed her, she wouldn't wear that top normally, it's tight, but it's demure. Her shiny hair looks perfect with the soft red wool. I never thought she could look more beautiful than she did every day. Even her eyes, which I see as perfection, stand out even more. Someone's lined them with black; they shine and shimmer with endless life and light. She's amazing.

I've always fancied her a little bit but then she's Lily Evans, who hasn't liked her at some point. She denies that anyone would like her but she wasn't a guy was she? This year has been different, we're friends now. I'm head boy and she's head girl. We have to work together to make the school run smoothly or at least so I know when to play my pranks. I know she feels the change too, that's why I got Sirius to make her go on a 'friendly Hogsmede trip' with me, because I want to prove I've changed. I'm not the little boy who used to pull her hair in the corridors. I'm a charmer.

I turn on the James Potter half grin and put out my arm.

"Shall we go my Lady?"

She rolls her eyes but takes my arm anyway.

"Lead the way"

As we make our way to Hogsmede I think about how we got here, from James and Lily driving everyone mad with arguments to James and Lily on a date. Well it's not a date but people might think that it was.

I look at our joined hands (he insisted, said he wouldn't want me to get lost) and smile slightly. They fit together nicely. His hands are tanned and rough from quiddich while mine are pale and soft. But, it's not a date, we're just friends.

"So James, where too first?" I inquire as we reach the gates to Hogsmede Village.

He's grinning; this can't be good

"Zonko's." He says defiantly, the joke shop. I let out a small groan and he chuckles again. "After Zonko's we're going to that little book shop that sells quills, so just bare with me?"

How in Merlin's name does he know that's my favourite shop? He must have been doing his homework.

As we make our way to Zonko's we chat about nothing in particular, just whatever pops into our heads at the time. Conversation is loosely about the weather. It's sunny but chilled, the perfect weather in James' opinion, not mine though. I like the snow.

I know this isn't a date, but I wish it was. I wish I was paying for food, not splitting it because "that's what friends do". When we went to Zonko's she was quiet, I told her which products were used for that pranks and she laughed appropriately. But I don't think she really began to enjoy herself until we got to the bookshop. Unlike Florish and Blotts it sells old, used books and is nearly always empty. The musty smell took a bit of getting used to but after a while it was pleasant. The first thing Lily admired when we got there was a quill with colour changing ink. As she browsed through the second hand books I snuck off to buy the quill. Because she's my friend and it was a friendly thing to do. Right?

Now we're sat in the Three Broomsticks eating lunch, I look at her sipping her butterbeer and chuckle. Before I know what I'm doing I reach across and wipe the foam moustache from her upper lip. Was it too far, did I cross the 'friendship line'?! She looked up at me with her shimmering eyes and laughed.

"Don't I look good with facial hair Potter?"

Even with her teasing tone I flinch at the use of my surname. It reminded me of what we used to be and I never want to go back there. It broke my heart too much.

"Please, call me James and of course you do, but I'm the man here thank you very much!"

"Oops, sorry, I forgot... James..."

She looks so adorable and embarrassed I just have to chuckle again

"It's fine Lily, are you done eating, I've got a game for us to play!"

My cheeks are burning, I can feel them. My lips tingle where he touched them; I force them to smile and move to speak.

"A game, what sort of game?"

He grins and pulls me out of my seat. "A fudge related game!"

Grabbing my hand he quickly pays for our food (with half my money- it's not a date remember?) and we run to Honeydukes.

"Right, Miss Evans. You have ten minutes. Go and buy, what you think is my favourite fudge... GO!"

I know exactly what I'm going to get the second he says my challenge. Ginger. I know, cheeky, and a little self centred, but still, I might be right. He needn't have given me ten minutes, I'll be out in five, I just have to pay then I'm done!

Now I've sent Lily in to choose my fudge I can think of what I'm getting her... I have no idea what she likes. I know she uses apple shampoo, it smells lovely. (No, of course I didn't sneak into her shower once because I was curious. Don't accuse me!)

Maybe orange? Or chocolate? I've got it! If there's one thing Lily Evans loves to eat, it's rice. I'll make her fudge r-

"Done!" She cuts off my train of thought with a sing-song tone in my ear. "It was easy! Do I show you now, or when you're done?"

"You show me when I'm done. And I know just what to get"

As I walk into Honeydukes I swing my arse, knowing perfectly that it happens to look quite good. Not to be bigheaded or anything.

Taking my time in the shop I pick up four flavours of fudge; Orange, Lime, Apple and Lemon. Paying for them I sneak out and go round to the back of the shop. A few slicing spells and a transfiguration to turn the bags into a pretty wooden box later I have made perfect citrus fudge rice. Technically apple isn't citrus, but I'm going to win this easily.

Exactly ten minutes later James jumps over the bench and sits next to me. He has a box in his hands, fudge doesn't come in boxes...

"Okay, I'm intrugued, let's swap!" I grin confidently as I pass him the bag of Ginger fudge. Before I open the box I watch him open the bag and struggle to hold back fits of laughter.

"How did you guess Lily? I have quite a taste for ginger" he winks and I roll my eyes, then I turn my attention back to the small brown box in my lap.

As I open the lid, I'm hit with a fruity scent, it's orangey, but I can smell lime too... In the box are hundreds of grains of fudge or varied colours. I give James a confused look just as what he'd done clicks in my brain.

"FUDGE RICE!"

His eyes shine and his grin gets wider "Orange, Apple, Lemon and Lime. I call it the rice for beautiful witches."

Forgetting all about the rules of not- dates I put the rice on the bench and throw my arms around his neck. That comment was so sweet. Did he really think that?

"Okay, you win!" I squeal and jump for joy.

My plan worked perfectly, of course. She loves the rice. Picking it up I take her hand, this time she doesn't even protest.

"Time to go home then Snaps" I tell her sadly, "We have a heads meeting later"

Her face falls and for a moment she looks disappointed. But then in true Lily style she smiles again.

"Come on then, we don't want to be late"

On the long walk back to the castle we talk about what we want to do when we leave school. Lily wants to become an auror and help fight Voldemort. She wants two children, a boy and a girl. We joke about names and decide on Harry and Rose after her Dad and my stillborn baby sister. It's hard to remember that this is not a date. It just feels so perfect.

When we get back to the Gryffindor common room I stop her just before we go in.

"Thank you Lily." I smile and kiss her on the cheek.

Then before she hits me, I jump through the portrait hole and run up to my dorm. Not before I've given the quill and a quick note to one of Lily's friends Alice. I ask her to quickly put them on her bed and deny knowledge of how they got there.

When I enter the dorm I sit on my bed and begin to tell my three best friends everything...

He kissed me. James just kissed me. So much for not a date. The strangest thing is that I don't mind. After about five minutes, with my hand on my cheek I follow James into the common room, I shout over to Frank Longbottom to ask with my friends are and he points me in the direction of my dormitory.

I skip up the stairs and say my hellos as I flop on my bed. I feel something hard digging into my back. As I pick it up I look at my friends, each one is shaking her head. Alice is the first to speak

"It appeared just before you did Lils"

I open the long black box and out falls a small square of parchment. The scrawled handwriting I've grown to recognise catches my eye as I read what it says.

"Here's to 'not a date #2'. Next Hogsmede trip?

-J"

Confused and excited I look in the box. It's the quill I was looking at in the shop, the one with the colour changing ink. I give a very undignified squeak, much to the amusement of my roommates who have been watching me this whole time with confused looks on their faces.

Marlene sits on the bed next to me and looks at my fudge rice. "So," she begins "how did it go?"