So I'm going to try and update every Friday. Try. We all know that when it comes to updates I'm not very good at it. This story was done for a muggle au prompt and is slightly based off of my own experiences (you know, when I actually venture into the outside world)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted! You're awesome!

Seven's the Charm

When James agreed to help out at his aunt's bookstore over the summer, he expected it to be dreadfully boring. It was only after the first few days there did he realise just how boring it actually could be. He only agreed because his ailing aunt had asked him to. Sure, he had Remus over to help out (the bloody sod practically knew the title of each book, its author and probably even its original published date) but this was something that Remus would actually enjoy, because he loved books.

James on the other hand, not so much.

He would prefer to be outside, getting burnt in the sun as he and Sirius invested themselves in some form of shenanigans or the other.

Unfortunately for him, today Remus had ditched him in favour of doing something of the sort with his mother (James couldn't remember the specifics of the conversation they had in the phone last night other than the fact of Remus not being there with him.) and so far, it was shaping up to be a truly awful day.

First, when he went to get his usual morning coffee, he had a terrible mishap involving himself, a little redhead and hot tea down his front. The small shop was packed enough as it was, forcing James to squish himself into the queue waiting to collect their drinks. He was standing to close to the girl and when she turned, she bumped into him, the hot beverage inevitably sloshing over the brim.

"Oh my gosh," she gasped, taking half a step back. "I'm so sorry; I didn't see you there."

James muttered an oath under his breath, pulling the wet fabric away from his chest. There was now a lovely brown stain on the white t shirt Brilliant. "S'alright," he said, grabbing a fistful of napkins and trying to soak up the mess. "I was standing a bit too close."

The liquid was burning hot and James, who was more preoccupied with trying to not get himself scalded, missed the grin she threw his way. "Place is packed; can't blame you for that." The girl bit her lip and tried to get a better look at his ruined shirt. "I'm sorry about your shirt. No one deserves to have an AC/ DC shirt messed up."

That caught his attention. "You know who-" but by the time James looked up, the girl had already disappeared into the crowd with a swish of dark red hair.

As a consequence of the incident in the coffee shop, he had to stop back home for a clean shirt, causing James to be late for work. Aunt Ellie gave him quite an earful when he walked in twenty minutes late. The worst part of his day so far was the mere fact that they were having spectacularly good weather for once and he was cooped up inside a stuffy old bookshop doing nothing. And it was nothing; there were probably a grand total of four customers for the day so far, an all time low.

James was very tempted to lock up shop early, but he didn't want to risk Aunt Ellie giving him another lecture. She may be old and sick, but she could still give a damn good stern talking to, especially if it concerned her store. This bookshop was her pride and joy.

It was just after lunch and James was scrolling down his phone absentmindedly. There was nothing to do and he was counting down the minutes until four when he could wrap up and leave. He was so spaced out that he didn't hear when the door to the shop opened with a little tinkling sound.

"Excuse me?" a hesitant voice asked. "I'm looking for-"

James' head snapped up, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose as he did. He knew that voice. It was the same voice that rushed through hurried apologies this morning at the coffee shop.

The redhead blinked. "Oh, hello," she said easily after a moment of silence. She glanced down at his chest for a moment before her eyes flickered back up to his face. "I see you've changed your shirt."

A hand jumped into his hair. "Er, yeah," he said slowly. James cleared his throat. "How can I help you?"

It took the girl a few seconds to process what he was saying before she dug her hands through the pocket of her shorts. She pulled out a scrap of paper and handed it to him. "It's for a friend," she said. "Her birthday is coming up and I thought I would get a collection of Tennyson's work for her; she loves that stuff."

He scanned the paper quickly before looking back up to the girl and saying, "I think we have some left in the back," he told her, leading the way to the back wall of the shop which was panelled with classics. He began searching the titles.

"I never caught your name," he said offhandedly as he craned his neck to get a better view of the higher shelves.

"Lily," she replied, leaning against another shelf as she watched him search through numerous leather bound copies of books for the one that she requested. "And yours?"

"James."

She watched as he grabbed the footstool before asking, "I don't mean to be nosy, but how come you're working here? You don't really seem... like the type." She put the last part as delicately as possible, obviously intending not to offend him.

James shrugged. "I'm not; my aunt wanted some help so my mum volunteered me."

Lily hummed noncommittally and he stepped down from the stool empty handed. "Looks like we don't have it out here. I'll check the backroom, but that might be a while. You could come back tomorrow," he suggested.

She nodded. "All right then. See you tomorrow, James."

After some digging around for at least half hour (he should really take an inventory) he finally found the book that Lily wanted. She came back the same time as she did yesterday and took the book with a smile.

"I'm sorry if I made you miss your friend's birthday," he said sincerely.

She brushed off his apology with the wave of a hand and placed a cup of coffee down on the counter along with several packets of creamer and sugar. "For you," she clarified at his quizzical look. "After I spilt mine all over you yesterday."

He rolled his eyes, though a smile tugged "Get over it already; it was an accident."

"I probably messed up one of your favourite shirts." She did, but James wasn't about to tell her that. "Now drink your coffee and tell me how much I need to pay for the book."

He rang it up on the register and within minutes she left the store with a bag clutched in her hand and the lingering smell of floral perfume that imprinted itself into James' mind.

Lily showed up the next day with another book title written on a scrap of paper. James took it with a quirk of an eyebrow and a cheeky, "Weren't you here yesterday? And the day before that? Missed me, eh?"

She scoffed at him and called him a prat, though a grin shined throughout their bantering. She left the store again with a bag clutched in her hand and James tracing his fingers over the loops of her messy scrawl.

Again, she showed up for the fourth consecutive day at the bookstore, but unfortunately for the both of them, it was a Saturday and the store was exceptionally busy. Remus tended to her while James patiently tried to explain to an old lady that they no longer carried the 1992 version of the book she wanted as it was revised several times after. She left in a fit, calling James a speccy git and causing Lily to laugh at his face.

She left the store with nothing that day.

This became a routine somehow. She would show up to the bookstore not a minute after a quarter past one and chat with James, sometimes leaving with a bag, but more likely than not. Sometimes she would bring him coffee, and sometimes he would buy one for her. Remus noticed their interactions and said nothing, though James saw him walking around the place with a stupid little knowing smile that made him go mad.

At the end of the first week of their newfound routine, Lily slipped James a piece of paper with her number written on it in her customary messy scrawl.

At the end of the second week of their newfound routine, James had found out that he name was Lily Evans, she was his age (though two months older) she had a sister and so many other things.

At the end of the third week of their newfound routine, Lily practically knew James inside out. She knew about his family and friends, his favourite food and why he absolutely hates ducks (though she won't stop taking the mickey)

At the end of the first month of their newfound routine, she leaves with a piece of James' heart.

At the end of the fifth week of their newfound routine, James can't take it anymore.

Their playful bantering ends up taking on flirty undertones by the second week and before the sixth week is up, he pushes her up against the cookbook section and snogs her thoroughly like he'd been meaning to ever since she slipped her cell number in his pocket during the first week. Books get knocked off the displays but they can't help to care because her hands are tangled in his hair, tugging gently while his are settled dangerously low on her hips, settling over the barest sliver of skin shown between her top and jeans.

It was only later when James was repacking the shelves did Remus admit to hearing them. He chucks a textbook at his sandy haired friend who dodged it and laughed.

At the end of the seventh week of their newfound routine, James and Lily are dating.

(And having snogging trysts in the bookstore but that's another matter.)

Don't forget, if there's an AU prompt you'd like to see me write, you can tell me below in a review.

:)