"Potter?"
"Well, a little Hello wouldn't go amiss. Your late too, you know that?"
Lily had just entered the Leaky Cauldron to find James Potter in her face. Welcome back to the magical world, she thought bitterly. Maybe it was time she told Potter exactly how little a Hello he was going to get. However there was a more important issue.
"Late, for what?"
James sighed. "You forgot, didn't you. The meeting. The prefects meeting. The one, if I remember rightly, and I usually do, that you organized."
Lily froze. He was bluffing...wasn't he? James was already digging out a sheet of parchment. "Look."
Prefect's Meeting
August 17th at Leaky.
To discuss NEWT's and responsibilities during the coming year.
Dinner to follow.
Lily groaned. Then glared at James. "What are you doing with that, and here, anyway? You're not even a prefect! Are you?"
"There's a perfectly reasonable explanation, and no. They'd never make me a prefect, you know that. I'm here because Lupin is, uh, he's had to finish an essay for Potions."
Lily grinned. "I finished that one weeks ago. Handed it in on the last day of term." Lily paused to remember the shock on the Professor's face. It was very savory. "Wait... where is everyone else?"
James glanced around. "Guess they all left. Oh wait, thats because no one showed up in the first place." Lily Scowled. "Oh," James went on, "Snape showed up for a while, but then he had to make a hasty exit." The grin on James' face was a little too wide to suggest Snape had just left peacefully.
Lily pushed passed him. "Look, as much as I want to stay, I have shopping to do. I'll see you at Hogwarts, Potter." James raised an eyebrow. "Your late this year aren't you? And, I think you'll have some problems with some of your shopping, Evans."
Not really wanting to know why, she stepped out the back and into Diagon Alley. "Oh shit."
The place was deserted. "What is wrong with me!"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"... and I forgot today was the Wizardmagot's declaration, and so of course everything is shut. I'll just have to come back a day early and make my own way to the station for the train, but..."
"You could come stay with me?"
Both Lily and her father stared and James Potter. "I'm sorry, did you just say..."
"Well, I think its fairly reasonable. Lily can come and stay with us tonight, I have friends over anyhow so one more won't be a burden."
Lily just stared. This wasn't happening. She was facing a night with James, AND his friends? Dear god. But the alternative...
"But how will she get home? I can't come back to London tomorrow..."
"Thats fine, she's welcome until the train leaves." Lily choked.
"No way! I mean... there's no way I could overstay my welcome like that. I have stuff to pack at home as well. No, I'll need to be home tomorrow."
James screwed up his face in thought. "Well... we could always talk to the ministry, get your place on the floo network. Just temporary mind, It's allowed under certain circumstances."
Lily's father just shrugged. "I don't have a better idea Lil. Are you alright with this?"
As much as Lily would prefer writing a 12 foot long divination essay to this, she bit her tongue. "Ok, dad, I'll be fine. I'll phone you as soon as I know what's going on."
She walked him out to the car, giving messages for her mum and Petunia. "Oh, and don't forget to move the plant from in the fire place, Mum will kill me if I stand on it." She hesitated. "I think that's everything."
Her father gave her a quick hug then got in the car. "See you soon, Lil."
"Bye, Dad." She waved. James waved too. She scowled, but he was driving off and didn't notice.
"Great! Now, I hope you don't have much to carry. We're flying home."
Lily closed her eyes in horror. Typical. Just typical.