A/N: So a quick break from my new story with this other new story, ha ha. Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, I hadn't done a chapter LJ fic yet, and I had a cute idea.

Uncaught Up in the Moment

James held his wand as steadily as he could manage, his brow furrowed in concentration. It was, after all, a tricky spell.

"Leviagua!" he said clearly, determined to get it right. He stabbed his wand in the direction of the black lake, and quite suddenly, a water spout appeared in the middle, splashing over and over like a fountain.

"Very nice," Remus said.

Sirius held up a piece of parchment, which had been folded and unfolded until its creases were worn to tearing point. "Fountain: check," he read, scratching a check mark on the list with his quill. "Next is romantic lighting. Twinkly sort."

"It really says 'twinkly sort' on the list?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Yes. If Prongs is going to have the most perfect romantic moment with Lily, there must be twinkle lights!"

"Fine, twinkle lights," Remus said shaking his head. "I can transfigure bowtruckles into fairies, but I haven't the slightest idea where to get those."

"I'm on it!" Sirius said excitedly, bounding across the grounds towards the forbidden forest.

"Oh no," Remus groaned, staring after him.

"Don't worry about him," James said. "We only have half an hour left before sunset, and everyone knows sunset is the most romantic time of day. If Lily is goin to fall madly in love with me, it will be at sunset, I just know. Now I need you to cover the grounds in daffodils while I catch some fireflies."

"Why don't you just cover the ground in lilies? Lilies for Lily."

James sighed impatiently. "Because everyone knows that daffodils are her favorite flower. Keep up." He stalked off towards a keep of hedges by the lake to catch some fireflies.

"Oh, of course everyone knows," Remus muttered as he waved his wand vaguely at the ground. A tiny patch of yellow flowers appeared at his feet. He stared out across the vast, sweeping grounds of Hogwarts and groaned again. This was going to take forever.

Twenty minutes later, when Remus had managed to sparsely cover a good portion of the area in daffodils, James and Sirius came running at him, panting.

"Alright," James gasped. "I have the fireflies." He held up a jar containing a handful of blinking bugs.

"James, there are like five bugs in there," Remus pointed out.

James glared. "These little blighters are wily, ok? I'd like to see you catch more."

"Why do you need them, anyway?"

Sirius and James gave him exasperated looks. "Because," Sirius said, "Fireflies are romantic. Here. I knicked these from Kettleburn." He shoved a cardboard box into Remus's arms.

"You can't steal bowtruckles from a teacher!" Remus shook his head and eyed the quivering box and opened it apprehensively. A little twig-like sprite flew out, which James snatched out of the air with the skill of a seasoned quidditch player. "You're letting them get away!"

The three boys worked quickly to transfigure the bowtruckles into fairies and freeze them in the air. By the time they had finished, the sun was beginning to set.

"Alright, Padfoot, do you have the list?"

Sirius pulled out the worn parchment again. "Fountain: check. Twinkly lights," he glances around at the fairies and fireflies. "Check. Flowers: check. Sunset: we're getting there. Looks like it's all here for the perfect romantic moment."

"Great," James said with a grin. "Now you two hide somewhere. Lily will be here any minute!"

Remus and Sirius jogged towards the shrubs where James had found the fireflies and pushed their way to the center of the growth, where they crouched down.

James paced back and forth for a few minutes, nervously noting that the sun was going to completely disappear if that girl didn't hurry. He glanced at the shrubbery where he knew Sirius and Remus were hiding and shrugged. He thought he saw the bush wiggle a little in response when he heard soft but brisk footfalls behind him.

"Alright, Potter, I got your owl," came the apprehensive voice of his favorite person in the world. He turned to Lily and observed that she was tapping her foot in annoyance. "What is this dire emergency prefect meeting for, when you're not even a prefect? And why are we the only ones here?"

James had rather hoped she would have thrown herself into his arms instead of being all logical, but he quickly recovered. "Those are all valid questions, Lily. The real question is, have you looked around and noticed anything?" He grinned hopefully.

She gave him a puzzled look before glancing around the grounds. "There are a lot of bugs out tonight," she observed. "And it looks like the groundskeeper will have to tend to the lake; it's having a fit."

James dropped his jaw in disbelief. "You haven't noticed how romantic it is? It's sunset, for crying out loud!"

"Which means we really shouldn't be out of our dorms," she said, giving him a stern look. "Goodnight, Potter." She turned away, flipping her red hair behind her, and walked towards the castle.

James stared after her with his mouth agape. He glanced back at the shrub, where Sirius and Remus had emerged and were giving him bewildered looks.

James turned away and watched Lily leave, his face full of disappointment. She only stopped once, to pick a dainty daffodil and tuck the flower behind her ear with a tiny smile.

The other boys appeared at James's side. "Sorry mate," Sirius said, patting his back roughly.

"It's alright," James said with determination. "I'll just try something else."