YES
My story starts and ends with a word. This word is not exquisite nor beautiful, boisterous or profound. My word is so common that people use it every day, not even caring in the least. It's just one simple word. But that word can make or break someone. It can ensure happiness or take it away, just like that.
Maybe I never realized how important that word was, or maybe I was just too stupid to see how much meaning could be stored in those three little letters. But either way, that word has shown me just how important it can be. And that word is 'yes'.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. The journey for that wonderful word would be one of laughter, love, friends and old people.
As I was sitting there, eating my steak and kidney pie, I wondered why old people smelled the way they did. It was kind of soapy and clean but dilapidated and forgotten at the same time. It just smelled so…old. But then a scary thought occurred to me. Here I was, in top condition, at my peak in strength as Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and all-around nice guy. Would I end up smelling like old people too? I hoped not. I wanted to smell nice for my entire life. I guess smelling like an old person is inevitable, just like dying. However, that is very unlike my loveable, lovely, luscious, libidinous Lily (or just Lily for short). She always smells nice. But then again, everything about her is nice. Her hair seems to be woven out gold and her eyes— I just can't get enough of them: round and as green as the mysterious sea glass that washes up on small little beaches. And when she gets irritated with me, she has a muscle in her jaw that always twitches. How adorable is that?
So, as I was contemplating old people and Lily, I didn't notice Uzuri Zahiv, one of Lily's best mates, go over to where she was sitting. Uzuri once told me that her name means beauty and I think she fits that description perfectly. She's originally from a rural part of Kenya. Her parents were dirt poor and her mother was paralyzed from birth, instantly bringing shame to her family. But Dumbledore knew all about Uzuri's special powers before she knew herself! She taught herself English just so she could come here. Quite a nice girl too.
Anyway, I overheard them talking about a Halloween Dance. Uzuri is the head of the dance committee at Hogwarts and she always asks Lily's opinion on the ideas for the committee-thing. My ears perked up when I heard Lily disagree with Uzuri. But being my normal annoying self, I just felt like I had to put in my two-cents.
"Why don't you like Uzuri's idea, Lily?" I asked. She must have a reason. Plus, Uzuri's my friend too and as her friend I can stick up for her.
"What?" She was clearly taken aback by my question and interest in their conversation.
I repeated my question a little slower this time.
"I know what it means Potter. Why do you care?" Lily asked lightly.
I just shrugged. "It sounded like a good idea to me."
Her face was getting really red. Oh look! There was that cute little flinching muscle in her jaw!
"I just feel like another theme would better suit the dance," She said, choosing her words carefully.
"Like what?" I was genuinely curious.
She thought for a minute, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "Maybe a costume party."
Uzuri's eyes got wide and she began furiously scribbling something down in her notebook. "We should have a Muggle Halloween party!" She enthused.
Lily nodded back, looking all exited. "Of course, I'd have to get streamers and punch and a ton more stuff than normal. Would you like to help me with this dance Lil?" Uzuri asked.
Again Lily's face twisted into a frown as she thought, probably checking her mental calendar. Then she smiled, "Yes."
A few weeks later there was talk all over Hogwarts about the Muggle Halloween Costume Dance. Whoop-dee-doo. I could seriously care less about one bloody dance or another. They all meant the same thing to me: nothing. When I asked Sirius what he thought about dances, he just shrugged and said "I dunno mate, look at it as opportune snogging time."
"Thanks so much for the insight Padfoot," I said back sarcastically.
"Anytime James."
Merlin's beard; today is not my day.
But then it just got so much better. My wonderful, adorable, brilliant, hilarious, sexy Lily came walking my way with one of our fellow seventh year's named Paolo Gallagher. She was giggling and blushing while he was flicking his annoying Italian hair out of his ugly Italian eyes. At least I thought he was ugly. Apparently most of the female student body thought otherwise. He was incredibly buff and tall, with an accent that put most girls in a tizzy. And I hate the prick. WHAT WAS HE DOING WITH LILY?!
I walked over to them. "Hello Lily, Gallagher." Oh yeah, I am the essence of cool. Cool as a cucumber. Cool as an ice cube. Cool as a—
"Hey Potter," Lily said, greeting me back friendly…ish.
"So, uh Lily. Do you want to go to the dance with me?" I asked her.
"Actually James, I was about to ask Paolo here the same thing." She looked up at Paolo. How sickening.
Fortunately for me, Paolo got this pained expression on his face. "I…can't Lily. I am how you English say, unavailable."
"WHAT?!" Lily and I simultaneously screeched.
"If you don't want to go with me, I'll understand," Lily said somewhat miserably.
That made me mad. Why would he make such a sweet, beautiful woman so sad? "You can't say no to Lily! That's so cruel!" Wait just a minute, did I say that? What's wrong with me?! I want Lily to be my date! Not his!
Lily looked just as surprised as I felt. "At least uh, have an, uh, explanation," I said, trying to cover up my previous outburst.
Now it was Paolo's turn to blush. "I'm taking someone else."
"Who?" I demanded. Shut up already James!
If it was Possible, Paolo was blushing harder. "I'm taking…Theo," He said.
My mind seemed to be made of silly putty. Then it clicked. "But…Theo is a…guy's name." I said slowly.
Paolo nodded. Huh. That explains a lot…
Lily's eyes became wide saucers. "Oh…Ohhhhh. I had no idea."
Paolo just shrugged. "I can't hide who I am."
"More power to ya," I said. Then I turned to Lily. "So, about that dance?"
"I…he…it's…" And with that, she hurried off to her next class.
Merlin's beard; today is really my good day.
Today is the day of the dance. I can't say I'm particularly excited, but the rest of the Marauders are going, so I might as well. I not only heard that it's a Muggle Costume party, but to get in, you have to wear a mask. Kind of cheesy, I know, but that a Hogwarts dance for you.
My darling (a.k.a. Lily Evans) hasn't answered my constant offers to escort her to the dance ever since I started asking her a week ago. She's even been avoiding me! Me! Maybe I'll see her tonight…
"James, mate! Are you almost ready?" Remus asked me.
"Yeah. I'm ready."
We all stood there, looking at each other. Sirius was wearing a big box that said TO: WOMEN / FROM: GOD on it with a black mask; Remus was dressed as a knight with chain mail draping around his body; and Peter was dressed as a banana. I'm not even kidding. Peter Pettigrew is obsessed with bananas; it's just a well-known fact. What was odd was he was wearing a brown mask on his face instead of a yellow one. When I asked him why he said that a banana's sweet spots are brown and since his face is so sweet, it would be brown too. Okaaay…
I personally had the best outfit. I had charmed some old robes to look like the Chudley Cannons uniform, which is my favorite Quidditch team ever. What was really cool was that I charmed my actual Quidditch goggles to become tinted, so only I could see out of them. Plus, for once in my entire life, I controlled my crazy black hair so no one will be able to tell it's me!
"Onward!" I yelled, marching out the door.
It's been two hours and still no Lily. Why won't she come? Okay Jamesie, just relax, I reasoned with myself. And stop pacing! I ordered my feet to stop their persistent shuffling. Then someone ran into my shoulder.
"I'm sorry," I said, rubbing the now sore spot.
"It was my fault," said the girl, shrugging it off. I had never seen her before. She had long blonde hair put up in a twist with a graceful feather tucked into the back and an intricate beaded face mask. Her dress fanned out at the waist, just like one of those old fashioned dresses that the former Queen of France wore. What was her name?
"Who are you supposed to be?" I asked her.
"Marie Antoinette," Came her silky reply.
Bingo.
"You look great," I said. It was the only time that whole night I had forgotten about Lily.
"Thanks, so do you. Are you supposed to be a member of the Chudley Cannons?" She asked.
"Yeah. Do you like them?"
She rolled her eyes. "Of course. Not loving the Chudley Cannons would be like forgetting how to breathe."
I'm starting to like this chick.
"Want to dance?" I asked her, a wave courage coming over me.
She didn't even hesitate. "Yes," She said.
"I don't think I've seen you at Hogwarts before. What house are you in?"
"Oooh, not telling," She said, smiling mysteriously. "What's your name?" She asked me.
"Oooh, not telling," I said, imitating her. She laughed.
We talked forever, sharing stories and talking about our lives. For once I felt like I could relax around a person of the opposite gender. She was really nice, and made me laugh hard. I could tell that she was enjoying herself just as much as I was enjoying myself. Laughter danced its way across her eyes and smile, never once flickering. By the time it was five minutes until one in the morning, we had covered practically everything there was to know about each other.
"I think," I started, trying to concentrate on my words and not on the deliciously fruity smell of her hair, "That we should take off our masks at one o' clock so we can see who the other person is. And then maybe this Saturday…wecouldgotoHogsmeadetogether," I mumbled.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that," Mystery girl said.
I took a deep breath. "Maybe this Saturday we could go to Hogsmeade together. You know, on a date. What do you say?"
"I say yes," She tucked her head back under my mine. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, life is SWEET!
The minutes passed slowly. It was agonizing but thrilling at the same time. Finally the most painful five minutes in my life were up.
"Okay, on the count of three we'll take our masks off," She said.
"Okay," I agreed.
"One," said Mystery Girl.
"Two," I whispered.
"Three!" She said happily.
We both pulled of our masks. And I gasped. The gorgeous blonde was—
"Lily?"
"James?"
What? Did I miss something here? It was Lily all along?!
"Your hair," We both said simultaneously.
I shrugged. "I actually combed it for once."
Lily was nervously twirling her a few strands of hair around her index finger. "I just used temporary hair dye."
"I think red suits you better," I said, desperately trying to think of something else to say. We just stood there for a few minutes in an awkward silence.
Then, of course, a slow song came on. Slowly, Lily came over and put her delicate arms around my neck. We stayed like that, holding each other as if in a dream.
Lily looked up at me. "Are we still on for Hogsmeade this Saturday?"
"Yes," I said automatically. But something else was gnawing at the back of my brain. "Um, Lily?" I really hope I'm not pushing my luck on this one. "Can…can I kiss you?"
She hesitated for a minute and I looked away, knowing her answer: no. She gently pulled my face down to hers and kissed me lightly on the lips. And then she said the best thing ever. That's right, she said yes.
A/N: It's corny, I know. But corny can be good sometimes. At least I like to think so. What do you think? If you liked this story, I wrote another called: Marauders, Mishap, and Me, Marley. Thanks for reading my fic!
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