Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Thanks to my beta, Anna, for editing this and all of the other chapters of this story.

This story is absolutely canon. The names of the children are taken from JKR's Weasley family tree.

Just a clarification: Alice Longbottom is Neville and Hannah's daughter. Dominique, Victoire and Louis are Bill and Fleur's kids. Molly and Lucy are Percy and Audrey's. Roxanne and Fred are George and Angelina's. James, Albus, and Lily are Harry and Ginny's. Rose and Hugo are Ron and Hermione's.

Timeline: 2022-2023 School-year at Hogwarts.

Alice Longbottom was perfect. Oh yes, she was. There was no doubt about that, seventeen-year-old James Potter thought as he saw her talking with his cousin Dominique in the Gryffindor common room. There was something about her that made her that way. Maybe it was her mesmerizing blue eyes. Or her dazzling smile. Or her beautiful red hair that shined like the sun. Or maybe how she was so smart. Or the way she smiled at him; or the way she rolled her eyes when he said something stupid; or how she helped him with his homework a few hours before it was due.

Or maybe it was the fact that she was his best friend. And that he, James Sirius Potter, was in love with her. He didn't know how it had happened. One day, out of the blue, he noticed her. He noticed that she wasn't the same Alice who had played with him and his cousins at the Burrow. This was a different Alice, a more mature Alice who was confident and passionate about everything. And then the day that his roommate, Wood (everyone called him that), said that she was really pretty, he got a gnawing feeling in his stomach. And as the months went by, he figured it out.

He was madly in love with her. And he could do nothing about it.

"James? Are you alright?" he could hear someone calling. Someone with a wind-chime voice. Who had a voice like that? Oh, damn.

Alice.

"James? James?"

"Huh? What? What happened?" James asked finally breaking out of his trance and noticed that Alice and Dominique, his cousin, were staring at him. He quickly stood up from the couch and tried to smooth his black hair down, but had no avail.

"Well, you were just staring out in space. Is something wrong?" Alice raised an eyebrow at him.

"No, nothing. I was just, er, thinking."

"That's a first," Dominique mumbled under her breath. James scowled at her.

"Well, alright. Did you finish you essay for Transfiguration?" Alice continued, hugging her books to her chest.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for helping me," he replied.

"It seems that's all I do for you and Fred," Alice answered wryly. "Ready to go down to the Great Hall?"

"Actually, Alice, James has to talk with me right now," Dominique said, grabbing hold of his arm.

James stared at her, looking confused. "I do?" he asked. Dominique nodded, and smiled back at Alice.

"Oh, alright. I'll go with Fred." Alice replied looking bewildered.

"Fred has to go with us, too, sorry."

Alice raised an eyebrow at them, but Dominique just smiled at her. "Well, er, I'll see you there I guess." She shook her head, looking confused, and waved goodbye at them. James stared at her leaving. Even how she walked was so beautiful. He sighed and turned to his cousin. "What's this about, Dom?"

"You'll find out in a moment James," Dominique answered slyly.

"Everyone who's not in my family get out of the room! Right now!" Dominique shouted to everyone in the room.

"I'd love to be in your family, Dom, love," said Robert Tweedy said as he passed her with his friends.

"Get the hell out Tweedy," she retorted.

"Fine, Dom, but you know where I'll be!" he answered cheekily.

When everyone had gotten out of the room that wasn't a family member she made her announcement: "James needs our help!"

"Now what?" asked Molly as she ended an essay she was writing with a flourish and packed it in her schoolbag.

"Little James here is growing up, finally!" Dominique answered as she half-hugged him, but he wriggled out of her embrace.

"What are you talking about, Dom? I'm starving! I'm going down to the Great Hall." Louis complained and started to get up from the chair he was in, but Dominique pushed him down.

"Little James here is in love with Alice Longbottom! I've been starting to suspect for a few weeks, but today I caught him in the act of staring at her for half an hour this morning."

"Good work James. You finally realized it?" Rose asked, smiling back at him.

"You did, James? That's incredible!" Lily exclaimed.

"Oi, oi, wait a minute! Why do you think I'm in love with Alice?" James asked. How did they find out? He didn't tell anyone, even Fred, and he was his other best friend. He went over mentally over every conversation he had had with his cousins the past few weeks, but realized he hadn't talked to them a lot. Actually, now that he was realizing it, he had been spending more time with Alice than anyone else.

"Oh, come on James! Everyone knows you're in love with her. It's been happening for years. Even Fred knows it's going to happen and you know how thick he is!" Domi answered looking smug. "I, for one, know that it's going to happen before the year ends. Might even happen today!"

"What's going to happen?" James asked looking confused.

"That you're going to ask Alice out, James. Honestly, I thought you were smarter," Molly answered, rolling her eyes at her cousin's stupidity.

"I'm leaving. You are all crazy," James said, starting to leave the room.

"James, admit it's true! You're in love with Alice!"

James turned around, eying each family member present. Dom was looking exasperated. The rest of his cousins were looking eagerly at him, waiting for his response.

"So what if I am?" he asked as he went and sat on a couch and put his head in his hands. "Nothing's going to happen. She won't go for me. Not for her best friend since we were both in nappies."

"Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. Will you ever learn? That's what your family is here for," Dom said as she motioned to herself and everyone else as they gathered around him in a half-circle. James scowled. Only his family got away with calling him Jamie.

"Look, James. It's simple. You're in love with Alice. You're going to ask her out. You're going to date. You're going to get married and have many kids and make Mum and Dad and Gran and Grandpa very happy, not to mention Hannah and Neville," his younger sister pointed out.

"It's not as simple as that, Lily," James said, sighing.

"It's very simple, James. Just go and tell Alice 'Hey Alice. We're going out Saturday. On a date. You and me. Three Broomsticks. Two o'clock. Be there,'" Louis said.

"What do you know what to say, Louis? You've obviously never been on a date!" Dom exclaimed, hitting Louis on the head.

James rolled his eyes. His cousins were acting so immature, but he'd do anything to get Alice. Anything.

"Ignore them James. Just go ask Alice out, it's simple. Whatever you do, just don't listen to my socially impaired younger brother. Oh, and don't ask her in front of Nev- I mean Professor Longbottom. Remember what happened when Tobias Smith asked her out in front of him last year? I almost thought he turned into Uncle Ron, his ears were so red." Dominique said, laughing.

"He did look a lot like Dad," Hugo agreed.

"And don't do anything embarrassing in front of her. And don't mention Quidditch. Not everyone loves Quidditch like you," Rose said.

"And don't wear that cloak. It has food stains all over it. And you smell horrible! You kind of smell like a combination of mud and grass," observed Molly as she got closer to him and sniffed him.

"Look, James," Dom said, giving her cousins an exasperated look, "ignore them. They have no idea what they're talking about. Just be yourself. You know why Alice likes you? Why she's your friend? Best friend? Why she helps you? Why she laughs at your dumb jokes. Because she likes you, you idiot! She likes you for being you! So just be you. And ask her out. You never know what she might say."

"But," James whispered, looking up at his cousins fearfully, "what if she doesn't?"

"She will," a voice said. The windchime voice. Out of all the voices, Alice's. Of course. That was James' luck. He stood up shakily and made his way to where Alice was standing, looking half nervous and half faint at the same time.

"How long have you been there, Alice?" James whispered.

"Long enough," she replied, meeting his eyes.

They both stood there motionless looking at each other until someone whispered something that sounded like "Go get her, Jamie!" He was pretty sure it was Lily. He glanced towards her, and she motioned towards Alice. He turned back to Alice and gave her a sheepish smile.

"Er, Alice? You want to, er, go to, you know, Hogsmeade tomorrow with me?"

"I – I'd like that James."

"That's alright, I didn't think you- you what? What did you say?" James asked looking surprised. What had she said? Had – had she said what he thought she had said? Merlin, did he ask her out? Did she say yes? What? What the hell had just happened?

"I said that I'd like to go with you."

"You-you would? Great! I guess I'll see you in class! Holy Merlin!" James exclaimed as he bounded out of room, but not before trying to hug all of his family at the same time who were all grinning widely by now.

"Thanks Dom!" Alice said as she rushed forward to hug her as soon as James was out of earshot. "Thanks all of you!"

"Told you it would work, Allie," Dominique answered importantly. "My plans always work."