Catching the Flower, Keeping her Near

Chapter 2

You're on

James sighed; he was sat in the common room, the centre of attention. Tomorrow was the last Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor against Slytherin. As the team's captain, naturally, everyone was fussing him and chatting to him; that is everyone except Lily Evans that is. The young witch was once again sitting working over the other side of the common room, probably to get as far away from me as possible, he mused. Excusing himself from the other Gryffindors, he moved to where she was settled.

"Hey, Evans," he greeted.

"What, Potter?" she snarled, not looking up from her parchment.

"Hey, I only said hello," he said, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"But you came here for a reason, didn't you?" she snapped, "or was it just to annoy me?" he looked into her beautiful emerald eyes so filled with hate for him. She was tapping her quill impatiently, longing to be rid of his infuriating presence.

"I have an offer for you," he started giving her his handsome signature smile.

"Fire away," she said, feeling she would regret it. She knew that James did not need her permission to continue and had a feeling that even if she had told him to 'get lost' at this point, he would have still persisted. Besides, she was slightly curious as to what his offer would be, not that she would want anyone to know this fact.

"I'll bet you anything for one date," he said.

"What do you mean 'for one date'?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"If I win, you have to go on a date with me," he told her.

She looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, "oh come on, Lily," he said, his eyes softly pleading with her, "it's only one little date," he pronounced each word carefully for emphasis. "I bet you I will score at tomorrow's match."

"No, Potter, if we're betting for a date here, I bet you can't make me fall in love with you," she said, pushing her hair out of her long face, "Alright?"

"Well, that's not exactly what I had in mind," he told her truthfully, gazing at her with longing hazel eyes.

"That's my final offer, Potter, take it or leave it," she growled, flicking anxiously at the pages of her textbook.

"Fine, you're on," he said, holding his hand out and they shook on it.

"Will you leave me to study now, Potter?" She asked.

"Okay," he said, smiling softly to himself, "see you later."

James walked slowly over to Sirius, "How'd it go, mate?" Sirius asked, pushing another Gryffindor, longing to speak with the Captain, away from James.

"Not exactly as planned, but I do have a bet set with Evans that if I win I shall have a date with her," he told his best friend.

"What's the bet?" Sirius asked, putting an arm round his mate's shoulder.

"That I can't make her fall in love with me," he replied, running his hand through his dark hair.

"I thought the whole point of the bet was to get a date, to make her fall in love with you," Sirius commented amusedly.

"Yeah," James said sadly, "I guess it didn't quite work out that way."

"So where does it go from here, James?" Sirius asked.

"Well, I guess I jump straight to the last part and make Lily Evans fall in love with me," James groaned, "and at the same time make Voldemort love muggles and muggle-borns," he continued sarcastically.

"Come on, Captain, you best get some sleep, you'll need loads of energy for the match tomorrow," Sirius said. James nodded, taking one last look at Lily before turning out the common room to the head's dormitory.

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Lily watched James walk away and dropped her eyes to her book once again. She could tell James was less than happy about the bet she had forced him to make. That didn't really matter though, but what had she been thinking betting with Potter that he couldn't make her fall in love with him? That was like inviting the annoying Head-boy to ask her out yet again, and I definitely don't want that, Lily thought bitterly, I don't even like Potter that way, do I?

She watched him across the common room, surrounded by other students. He had his annoying smirk peeled to his face and was ruffling his dark hair in that way that made him look so very attractive, no stupid, Lily corrected her train of thought. James Potter will not and never has been attractive to me, she reprimanded herself sharply.

He was talking to Black, one of his just as, if not more, exasperating friends. James turned to glance at her, his hazel eyes meeting her emerald ones for a moment. She felt a gentle blush creeping up her cheeks and growled lightly at herself. This was Potter, for Merlin's sake, and she was not about to let him win the bet.

James blew her a soft kiss, before turning out of the portrait hole, presumably to the Head-Students dormitory. She sighed softly at his show of affection before she could stop herself. She closed her book; there was no way she could continue working with her head full of thoughts about James Potter. She decided to follow the Head-Boy's example and go to bed; perhaps a long sleep would help clear her thoughts of him. She stood and stretched before leaving the emptying common room.

I would like to thank my bestest, bestest mate, Hana for her help with the new idea for the bet and proof reading this chap.

Please, please review, but thanks anyway if you're reading!

Love as always, SG xoxo