Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot. I'm not that brilliant (;

Chapter 2: Sausages and Whip Cream

Surprisingly, I woke up in a very cheerful mood the next morning. I pulled my hangings open, and let the bright sun shine down on me. I could hear the birds singing and the slight breeze rustling the leaves on the trees. It was gorgeous out. I got dressed, and I made my bed. I didn't want the house elves to have to do much work on my bed. I ran into the bathroom, brushed my teeth again for good measure and put my books in my bag.

As I was walking down to the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, I saw Justin getting up from it. Oh, that retarded fool. I didn't want anything to do with him. Oh, shit. Lily, he's walking over here. Get ready.

"Hey, um... Lily. I just wanted to tell you that I'm so, so, so sorry and I really want us to get back together. I made a mistake. A huge one. Can you forgive me?" He asked, pleading. Oh, wow. Really? I already knew what kind of a person he really was, and no way was I going to fall for those pleading baby blue eyes, or that charming smile ever again. All eyes in the Great Hall were on me now. I knew my answer before it came out of my mouth.

"Justin, you know what? I made a mistake too-" His eyes widened and his face started to break into a grin. "My mistake was ever loving you." I finished, with a smirk on my face. I stalked off to the Gryffindor Table as the Great Hall broke into a chorus of "Ooooooooh"'s. Justin stood there, like a lost dog. Good. He deserves it. Then he ran out of the Great Hall, before any further humiliation.

"Ooh, Lily. I never knew you were so feisty!" Sirius Black told me as I sat down across from him, beside Gen. Why does Gen always choose spots next to the most annoying people?

"Shut up, Black. I never knew you knew anything." I shot back.

"Oh, yeah? Well-" Sirius started, but he was cut off.

"So, what did I miss? I just saw Justin Adamson running outside while I was coming down." James said. I looked up at him and smiled. I couldn't help admiring the way his teeth glinted in the sunlight. How his eyes twinkled when he grinned. No. No, Lily. Stop it. You're going mad. You'll be sent to St. Mungo's if you keep this up.

James was laughing. I assumed someone had told him about what had just happened."Nice one, Lily." he said.

"Oh, thanks." I said, dreamily. Then I tried to remember how my name sounded, rolling off his tongue. Merlin's pants! Lily. Listen. You... Have... To... Stop... This... Nonsense.

"Lily?" Gen was saying.

"Huh? What?" I asked her, annoyed. Why did she have to stop me from admiring James? She would pay for this.

"I said, Amos and I are going to go play Quidditch later. You wanna come?" Gen asked, a dreamy look passed over her face as she said Amos Diggory's name.

"Oh, uh... no thanks. I have to go to the library." I replied, improvising.

"Nice excuse, Lily. You have nothing to do in the library. We haven't got any work yet. You are coming down to the pitch with me and Amos at 7:30, whether you like it or not. Alright?" She told me.

"Fine, but I"m only going to watch," I said. I liked Quidditch, but I wasn't any good at really playing it. I was only good at running. I was a terrible flier. And I was afraid of heights. And I was about as clumsy as a pig on roller skates. "Hey, Black. Pass me a sausage. And whip cream. Gen wants some." I said.

"Well, Lily. I don't know if you knew, but putting my hands down in someone's pants might be considered as being gay. And that will not be good for my reputation, but you can always borrow mine," Black said, grinning and winking. "As for whip cream..." We all looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

"Black, that was utterly disgusting." I said, trying to regain my breath. Then, we all started laughing again.

"Well, Padfoot. I think it's time." James said.

"Prongs, I agree." Black said. The Hall suddenly went pitch black. "What happened?" I said, trying to make out something, anything in the utter darkness. Then, it dawned on me. James and Sirius. Oh, god. Not again. Then, everyone burst into panicked screams and laughter. Suddenly, the lights turned back on, and there was a chorus of gasps from the whole hall. Everything was red and golden. All of the Slytherin's faces were painted red and gold. The professor's robes were red and golden. The banners that were always hung up for the end-of-year feast were hung up in Gryffindor's colours.

"SIRIUS BLACK AND JAMES POTTER!" Professor McGonagall raged into the hall. After a moment or two, which seemed to last forever, two amused-looking boys stepped out of the crowd.

"Aw, Professor, what gave us away this time?" Sirius asked innocently.

"THIS!" Professor McGonagall yelled into the deafening silence. She turned around and where her butt was supposed to be, there was a huge kiss mark. Every single person in the hall burst into raucous laughter. Even Professor Dumbledore was chuckling. Professor Mcgonagall's cheeks turned red.

"Off to class all of you. Anyone that has Transfiguration this morning, has a free period to fill up that time," Professor Dumbledore said. "Move along, now. Not so fast Mr. Black and Potter. I would like to see you in my office." James and Sirius, who had been hurrying out the doors, turned back to face Dumbledore. I had to admit, that had been an awfully amusing prank. I knew exactly what Professor Dumbledore was going to do. 50 points from Gryffindor, a week's worth of detentions, and he would secretly congratulate them for their amazing work.

I walked outside to Greenhouse 3 for Herbology and set my bag on a seat and got my tools out. Professor Sprout had told us that we would be juicing snargaluff pods. My partner, James, wasn't here right now, and he was the one that did all of the physical stuff. So, I pretended to be busy taking out and polishing my tools until he came. Him and Sirius sprinted into the room and James came and stood beside me.

"Sorry, Lily. Dumbledore kept us." James said.

"So I noticed. It's okay, though. Don't worry. Did you get the usual lecture?" Lily asked.

"Yup. And he secretly congratulated us. Then, he winked. Odd man, Dumbledore." James said.

"But he's a genius." I said, as James got to work, getting the pods. This was sixth year work, but our plants hadn't been delivered yet, so we had to do this. It was boring and dull work, but whatever. At least I was with James.

Overall, it was a very slow day. At 7:25, I got ready, in a new outfit I'd gotten from Grandma. I know what you're thinking. Old, knitted sweaters, but my Grandmother hates knitted sweaters, unless they're good-looking, but this outfit, it was gorgeous! There were white skinny jeans, with a white and red striped shirt and a cute white cardigan over that, with white flats with a rose made out of cloth stuck on it. I think I had gotten the whole colour-coordination thing from my Grandma.

I walked outside, and I actually got a few wolf-whistles. I blushed when Peter Thompson, number two on the List, called me "Hot stuff" and I looked straight at all of the girls that gave me a look as I walked past them, onto the Quidditch field. I met Gen there. She was waiting for Amos. We sat down in the grass, waiting. I never liked sitting down in the stands. The seats were always cold and hard. We talked and Gen told me the latest rumor. When she said it, I gasped and I shrieked, "NO!" Then, James ran onto the Quidditch pitch with a puzzled face. I ran there to meet him.

"James, I know, Gen just told me. Who started it? Who in their right mind would think that I would go out with you?" I said. James looked hurt. "No, I didn't mean it like that. Just please, I'm stressed, things slip out of my mouth. Please don't hate me. I'm just getting used to being friendly. Don't be like Justin. I just said that because of the whole -Lily-hates-James-Potter thing. Please, please, please-" I said in a rush, but he put his finger up to my mouth, to make me stop blabbering. He pushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"Shh, Lily. It's alright," Then, he pulled me into a hug. It was the most, heart-warming hug in my life. He was so warm. And I loved his smell. Mm... I could stay here all day. "It sounds like a good idea, though. Lily, for the one thousandth and twenty-second time, will you go out with me?" James said into my hair.

"Yes!" I blurted. He pulled out of the embrace and held my shoulders at arm's length.

"Really?" he asked, awed.

"Yeah. Sure." I said, trying to look calm.

"Why?" he asked. His sudden question threw me off guard.

"Because... You're a nice person. I never gave you a chance to prove yourself before, and now, I'm glad I did because I can see what you're like." I said. Hoping, praying that he would hold me in his arms again, and tell me he loved me.

"Well, do you want to go out next Hogsmeade weekend?" He asked, grinning.

"Sure," I replied. "September 21st?"

"Yup, that's the one. Mind if I watch Diggory and gen play with you? I have to see what the Hufflepuff captain plays like. You know, the competition." He asked.

"No problem, come on. You can sit with me." I said.

"Can we not sit in the stands? I hate them. They're always cold and hard." He said.

"Oh my god. I don't either. At Quidditch games, I always want to sit on the ground. Once in first year I actually asked Professor Dumbledore. He said maybe someday else. It was so embarrassing." I told him. We both laughed. Our laughs sounded nice together. He took my hand and we walked over to the Quidditch Pitch. I noticed how or hands fit together sat down on the grass. Somehow, the grass had gotten softer. Somehow. Then, Amos Diggory came, nodded at us, with a puzzled face and walked off to greet Gen.

James and I talked and laughed the whole time. I felt like I could tell him everything and he would understand. We understood each other. We thought alike. After, I climbed upstairs with a huge, sort of dazed grin plastered over my face. That had been one of the best evenings of my life.

The next few weeks passed by in a daze of homework, gossip, dirty looks from almost everyone in the school and James. James, James, James. I couldn't stand a second without him. In the Head Dorms, we would fall asleep talking by the fire. He was such an amazing person. The fact that James and I were going out was the most-talked-about topic in all of Hogwarts. As I entered Transfiguration yesterday, Professor McGonagall didn't give me her usual smile, but a disapproving look. Even the teachers knew about it. So did the portraits and the ghosts.

Finally, it was September 21st. I was fretting. What should I wear? What should I do with my hair, so that the wind won't blow it out of it's hairstyle? Merlin! lily, calm down. Call Gen. Now. I took that advice. I quickly sent a patronus to Gen. In about two minutes, Gen ran into the room, looking flustered and, well, like Gen.

"Gen! Oh my God! Help me! What should I wear? What about my hair? Hey, that rhymes! Oh, God, Gen. Help me!" I cried.

"Lily, calm down. It's only a date. Wear -" Gen started.

"Only a date? It's my first date with James Potter!" I said, exasperated. But I took Gen's advice. I'd learned that in the first five minute that I met her. But now, it wasn't the time to be cherishing memories.

"Okay, Lily. I understand that it's a big deal for you, but you just have to trust me on this one, okay? And calm down. Wear the black sequined tank top and the black sequined flats I gave you for your birthday last year. And then wear your white skinny jeans, tuck your shirt inside the pants, yeah, that's right and wear the white cardigan your Grandma gave you. Perfect. And leave your hair be. It looks gorgeous." Gen finished. I ran over and strangled her in a hug.

"Gen. I don't know how many times I'm gonna have to tell you this, but Merlin's pants, I love you to bits and pieces." I said, letting her go.

"Lily, I don't know how many times I'm going to have to tell you this, I know, and I love you too," Gen said. "Now, go. You'll be late!"

"Hold on," I said, rushing into the bathroom and applying red lipstick, eyeliner and mascara. I ran out of the bathroom. "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous." Gen said.

I ran downstairs to meet James. He let out a whistle. "Phew, Lily. Someone looks gorgeous, as always." He said, putting his arm around me. I blushed at his comment.

"And so do you. Let's go." I said, and we set off in the cold late September wind. James, being a gentleman, offered me his jacket. After a lot of insisting that I wear his jacket, he draped it over my shoulders. We walked to Hogsmeade, and walked straight inside the Three Broomsticks. Inside the warm pub, we ordered two butterbeers. When Madam Rosmerta came with the drinks, she said, "So, James, finally got her, eh?"

"Yup." said James, squeezing my hand. I smiled up at Madam Rosmerta. I had never been too close with her, but I had gossiped with her more than a few times. She was attractive all right, and she got all of the boys to flirt with her too. How did she manage it?

"Now, you two have fun, right?" she winked and left. We smiled at her as she left.

"Merlin, I love how she's so nice. She lets us do whatever she wants. Came down here with Sirius once, and she let us have a glass of firewhiskey." I felt my eyes widen.

"Firewhiskey?" I asked.

"What? One glass doesn't do anything!" James said innocently. We laughed. I loved his deep, masculine laugh. It made shivers tingle up and down my back.

"Alright, alright. But you're underage!" I said.

"I know, I know. So, what d'you wanna do?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know... Oh yeah! Have you ever been to Madam Puddifoot's?" I asked, amused. I knew he wouldn't know about it, and I knew he would hate it. I just wanted to see what he would do for me. I wonder...

"No. Where is that? It's not too far away, is it? We only have an hour left." James said.

"No, it's not far away. And since when did you start caring about time limits?" I asked, suspiciously raising an eyebrow.

"Never mind. Let's go." he said.

"Okay. Follow me." I told him. Oh, this was going to be fun. If he didn't walk out. We reached Madam Puddifoot's and I opened the door, leading into the stuffy room with the frilly tablecloths and smiling couples.

"Ohmygod." I heard James mutter.

"What was that?" I asked. I knew perfectly well what he had said. The truth was. I had never liked this place either. I just wanted to see his reaction.

"Oh, nothing," he said. "Let's find a seat." Wow. I was impressed. Aw, he would do this for me. Lily, what did you expect? I didn't know what I'd expected. Him to walk out? Lily, you're a fool. Why would he do that? Because he doesn't like me?Why did you think that? Oh, I don't know. It's a feeling every girl has.

I stopped the mental conversation, and focused on my pink menu. "What would you like, miss?" a handsome waiter asked me.

"Oh, um... a coffee, please? And what about you, James?" I asked.

"Oh. A coffee, please." he said, uncomfortably. The waiter came back about five minutes later with our drinks. We made small talk while we drank. When we left, I decided to tell him.

"Hey, James?" I asked.

"Yes, Lily?" he said.

"You didn't really like that place did you?" I inquired.

"Um... It was certainly... er, frilly?" he said. This was amusing.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't like that place much either. But you passed the test." I said, smirking.

"You dragged me over to that horrible little tea shop for a test?" he asked, flabbergasted. "Are you satisfied the results?"

"Very, very much," I said. We laughed. I looked up at him. He smiled. I smiled. We walked to Hogwarts. I didn't know where I was going. I let James guide me. When I looked, and saw where we were, I asked James, "James, what are we doing here?" We were in front of the tapestry of tapestry depicting the attempt of Barnabas the Barmy to teach trolls ballet.

"You'll see." James said, smirking. I hated it when people don't tell me things. I was not a patient person. James walked three times across the tapestry, and to my amazement, a door formed there.

"James, what's going on?" I asked, startled.

"Nothing, Lily. Relax. I have a surprise for you," James said, calming me. I don't know how he did that. "Now, close your eyes." he put his hands over my eyes. We walked a few steps forward, and then stopped.

"Okay, open." James said. I gasped.

"Ohmygod, James." I whispered.

"Do you like it?" he asked, nervously.

"Like it? I absolutely LOVE it! How did you manage it? It's gorgeous! " I said. It was a kind of a room. It had candles all over it. Was that a ceiling? It looked exactly like the stars outside. Of course it wasn't the real sky. It wasn't dark outside yet. Then, there was the little picnic he had set up. It was so cute. On the side, there was a little garden leading up to the small white gazebo.

"Well, I had a little help from Sirius and Remus. But, I did most of it myself," he replied sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "Wanna eat?"

"Sure." We walked over to the mini-picnic and sat down. After we had stuffed ourselves, we walked into the gazebo and sat there for a while.

"Lily, I wanted to tell you something." James said, he was serious right now. What's happening?

"Go on." I told him.

"Lily. I really, really like you. I've been in love with you since the moment I saw you in the train compartment on the way to Hogwarts in our first year. And I still do. You don't have to go on testing me about it, so I'm telling you now. I've asked you out a thousand and twenty-two times. And somehow, miraculously, you said yes. Now, you may think that I'm a stupid fool, and I'm lying and you may say anything about me and I will accept it. But I just wanted to say that I love you, and I'll never stop. Even if I tried." James said, emotionally.

"Oh, James. I just started liking you. I'm still learning, stumbling, tripping across the scars love has drawn out on me. I've noticed that from all the guys I've been out with, you've been the best one. I think that this is the for-real one, you know? You're the most realistic, smartest, most amazing person I've ever met in my life. And I don't want to lose you." I finished our deep conversation with a sigh.

"Uh, I think we should get going now. It's after-hours." James said.

"Really?" I asked, startled by the time. It read 11:30 on James' watch.

"Yeah. Let's go to Head Dorms." James suggested.

"Sure." I replied, swiftly. Lily, you just had a really, really deep conversation with James Potter! What's happening? I told the voice in my head to shut up. I don't care. I loved James and nothing could stop that. We walked up to the Head Dorms holding hands. When we reached the portrait, I realized how sleepy I was. We walked into the room and James lay a blanket and cushions down on the ground by the fire.

"Wanna sleep here?" he asked.

"Sure." I replied. It couldn't be too bad. No, it wouldn't be bad at all. It would be fun. We lay down on the ground holding hands. I noticed how this relationship was stronger than any other one I had ever had. We were deeper, too. I loved our relationship, but I had to make sure that we didn't go too fast, but then again, I was terrible at waiting for things to happen. But I hated it when things happened too fast. It was all up in your face and you had to wait for it to clear up.

"I'm just going to go change, 'right?" I told James.

"Sure, I'm gonna go do the same." he said. We climbed up the staircase and went to our rooms. I changed into my long black shorts (they reached up to my knees) and they were deliciously comfortable. Then I wore my hot pink tank top. I walked downstairs and saw James sitting down against the couches on the ground. I felt my jaw drop. He was only wearing his boxers, and let me tell you, he is a fine fellow. I could see every bit of toned, tanned muscle in his upper body. He looked gorgeous! Stupid, stupid hormones.

"Oh, hey," he said, calling me over as he saw me walking down the stairs. "It took you long enough" he winked.

"You-your-your- " I managed to sputter.

"What?" he asked, confused. "Do you want me to go put a shirt on? I usually sleep like this. It makes my body feel less trapped." he said.

"Oh- oh, no. You don't have to do that. I'm good." I could feel the goosebumps on my arms as I walked nearer and nearer to him.

"Okay." he said, putting his arm casually around my shoulder as I sat down next to him. His arms were so warm. And oh, my go. His smell. It made my brain go haywire.

"Lily? Lily, you want to go lie down? You look tired." he insisted. I knew better than to disagree, so we both went to lie down on the warm blanket. Lily, do you realize what this could lead up to? Yet again, I found myself fighting with myself. I know it sounds odd. No, wait. It is odd. Who fights with a little voice in their head? I thought I was going crazy. Mental. Psycho. What was wrong with me? Okay. Lily, stop it right now. enjoy the night. Cherish the moment. It may never happen again. No. No. No. It had to happen again. It just had to. And I burst into tears.

"Lily, Lily. Whoa. What happened? Hush. Stop crying. Come on. It's okay. Everything's going to be all right. I'm right here. I'm not leaving." James said, soothingly.

"James. I'm scared. I-I don't want to lose you. I-I d-don't want to lose anyone. It's so t-t-terrifying with You-Know-Who on the loose, and everything's so crazy around here these days. I don't want to loose you," I sobbed into his shoulder. "I wanna- I wanna sit here again and- and talk to you again and - Oh, I don't know. I'm just really, really w-worried!" I could tell he couldn't handle the situation and he hadn't handled the situation much in his life.

"Shh, Lily. It's all going to be all right. I'm not going anywhere," James said. We sat there for a while, me, with my arms around his neck, crying and James, rubbing soothing circles on my back, trying to calm me down. "Are you okay? You wanna lie down?" he asked cautiously. I nodded. I didn't want to cause more trouble.

"James, before I die, I want you to know this. This has been one of the most wonderful, entertaining nights ever, and I love you too." I said. Tears filled my eyes again, but I didn't dare let them slip out. I would loose control. And that would not be good. At all.

"Lily, come on. You're not going to die. Anytime soon, at least. And Voldemort's not going to come anywhere near us when Dumbledore's around. It's okay. And this has also been one of my favourite nights ever too. And I really appreciate you giving me a chance, even though I was such a prat and didn't deserve one." he said. We both laughed weak, and terribly fake laughs. And then, we both fell asleep in each other's arms in the Head Dorms on September 21st. That was one of the most miraculous days of my entire life.

So, tell me how it was. Good, Terrible, Too cheesy? REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW.

Surprisingly, It didn't take me such a long time to write this one. I should have made it longer, yes I know, but it's the best I could do in about 3 days, what with school going on and stuff. I know what you might be thinking, skinny jeans weren't created back then, but I looked it up and apparently, Levi Strauss introduced skinny jeans in the 1800's. And you might be thinking that this fic is going too fast, but you wait and see. Teehee.

Sorry, I just gave something away, but if you're smart, and if you're a good author, you would've known something was coming. (: Every story has a good problem, and a good ending, and a good plot.

See you soon (if you review),

AshleyPotter