Lily brushed her red hair out of her eyes as she flipped through the magazine. It was a lazy Saturday and having finished their homework, Alice and Lily decided a celebration was in order. So, they snuck some ice cream (courtesy of James, being good friends with a troublemaker had its perks) into their dorm and were currently laughing at muggle magazines.
"How did you survive eleven years a muggle, Lily?" Alice asked, around a mouthful of chocolate ice cream.
"The same way I survived James for six years," Lily replied dramatically, making Alice giggle. "A lot of perseverance, strength, and ice creams," Lily said, raising her bowl in the air.
"So how is James doing?" Alice smirked, wiggling her eyebrows. Lily laughed, imagining what people would say if they saw this side of 'sweet,' 'quiet' Alice.
"Ow!" Alice exclaimed, after being hit by a pillow, courtesy of her best friend.
"That's what you get for suggesting something about James and me," Lily said, looking through the magazine once more, feigning nonchalance.
"I'm sorry, but an hour of patrolling every night? You have to admit it sounds suspicious," Alice said, and Lily threw another pillow at her.
"We're just friends, Alice!"
"C'mon, admit that you like him, just the teeniest bit!"
"I like him a lot. I don't fancy him at all!" Lily said adamantly.
"Why not? He's funny, charming, sweet, and you've got to admit he's easy on the eyes," Alice earned another pillow to the head. "Where do you get all of these pillows?"
"I keep them on my bed for dire situations like these," Lily responded mock seriously.
"What's so dire about this situation?" Alice asked cheekily.
"My lame excuse for a best friend is insisting I fancy the person I used to hate, and now like, and who used to fancy me, and now doesn't," At this, Alice rolled her eyes. She smoothed down her rumpled flannel pajamas and cleared her throat, a clear sign that she was about to rant at her best friend.
"Is that what you think, Lily? That he doesn't fancy you anymore? Have you seen the way he looks at you? Or the way you look at him? Anyone who has eyes could tell you that he fancied you! Do you have any better excuses?"
"We have too much history. It would be awkward." Alice didn't miss the light blush when she mentioned the sneaky looks the redhead gave to James, but decided not to mention it. There'd be plenty of time for teasing when Lily and James were going out.
"It's not awkward being friends, is it? And if you both want it to work you can make it," Lily groaned at Alice's words.
"Why do you always have to be so sensible? Fine; I admit it—I have the smallest crush on James," Lily relented, bending her head low over her bowl of ice creams so her friend couldn't see her blush. For the millionth time, Lily cursed being a redhead.
"Yes!" Alice cheered, pumping her fists in the air. Lily, though she had bowed her head, didn't miss the glint of light coming from Alice's hand.
She snapped her head up quickly in surprise, while Alice obliviously continued eating her ice cream, all the while hiding her right hand. Finally, she noticed Lily's staring.
"What?" She asked. Lily, before Alice could stop her, rushed to her friend's bed and jerked the slender hand from behind Alice's back.
"When were you planning to mention this?" Lily asked accusingly, eyebrows arched, gesturing to the diamond ring on Alice's finger.
"I'm so sorry Lily, it was just this morning at Hogsmeade, I swear, it was just so sudden I wanted to keep it to myself for a while and you know I would have told you eventually—" Lily cut Alice off with a fierce hug, which her friend gladly returned, both eyes shining with tears of joy.
"When's the wedding?" Lily asked excitedly, making Alice smile softly.
"Not for a while. I still need to graduate, and Frank has to finish the Auror training program, we were thinking maybe in two years, in the spring," Alice said shyly, and the two best friends hugged again.
After the shock had settled in, they resumed their ice cream consumption, until Alice lifted her head from her fourth bowl.
"Lily, can you promise me something?" The mischievous glint in her wide blue eyes was lost on Lily, who flipped the pages obliviously.
"Sure, anything for Miss Engaged," Lily teased.
"Ask James out for the next Hogsmeade trip tomorrow. Now that I'm marrying Frank, we have to get started working on the two of—"
Alice never got to finish her sentence, as four pillows hurtled through the air in her direction.
A/N I didn't manage to put an Erin in here this time—believe me, I tried!—but this is for Erin. Who probably doesn't want it anyway, since it's sort of…meh.
Reviews are nice :).
