"I can't believe this!" Lily yelled. It was the day of the trip and she was trying to get ready, with the help of her best friend, of course. Unfortunately, her hair wasn't flattening the way she wanted it to, the sweater she picked out the night before had been suddenly attacked by doxies and her left shoe was missing. "What was I thinking?! What am I going to do?"
"Lily, calm down. I traded some of my very best, and very favorite, perfume to Henrietta for some of her hair serum. The other sweater looks better on you anyway, it brings out your eyes until they sparkle. And-" She waved her wand and something shot out from under Lily's bed into her hand, "-I found your shoe. Plus, it's a lovely, crisp day out there and you are going to have a great time. Just relax and enjoy each other's company."
"How can you be so perky at a time like this?"
"I've seen you and Potter interact since first year and have been waiting all this time for you to finally get off your high horse and accept him. This is what Christmas is probably supposed to feel like. Do you have a problem with my perkiness?"
"Yes." Lily grumbled as she pulled the sweater over her head, causing her hair to get even frizzier. As she worked the serum through her mane, she thought of something. "You're going with Black then, are you?"
"Yes, and Lupin, and Pettigrew."
"What are you going to wear?"
"Why does it matter? It's just the guys."
"Yes, but they're still of the male species, are they not? You still have to look your best."
"No, I don't. Boys don't judge their friends the same way girls do. You see, Lils, I'm not hanging out with them because I'm half-in love with them. That's the way friends are, and if you didn't know that..." She took a few steps away. "...I'm just not that into you, no offense or anything, I just don't see you that way."
"Stuff it, Katie." She said the name as though it were an insult. "And what about Black? Don't tell me you haven't got a thing for him."
"Half of the female population has a thing for him. I, however, do not. We are friends, and if we're friends that flirt every once in a while then so be it." She said, waving a dismissive hand.
"Really? Because you two definitely have something going for you; you two would be good together."
"What's wrong with you? Sirius and I are friends." (If we're friends that enjoy a good snog every once in a while then so be it. She thought to herself.) "Just friends. And if people have a problem with that they can kiss my-"
"I get it." Lily raised her hand as though to shield herself from her friend's words. "Such vulgar language. Help me with my make-up?"
"Hmm, I would, but I'm assuming that you want to look pretty today, and I would probably poke one of you eyes out due to my lack of hand-eye coordination."
Do you want to know what's sad? The fact that that statement was completely and utterly true. Where have I failed to make you a woman?"
"I am a woman, very few men have such a nice pair of-" Lily held up her hand, telling her to stop.
"I get it. But when just remember this when you need help preparing for your date with Black."
"Right." She rolled her eyes. "And in second year you just knew that you were going to marry James Potter."
"Nobody thought that!"
"I did." This resulted I Kate being hit in the face with a rolled-up sock. "You had better hope that was clean."
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Sirius and James were just rolling out of bed when all of that was happening in the girls' dorm. James was awake because he was so nervous about blowing it with Lily, and Sirius was up because James kept pacing the room and wouldn't give him five damn minutes of peace and quiet.
"James, if you don't stop pacing I'm going to take your new broomstick and shove it someplace very uncomfortable." Black snapped.
"What if I do something stupid?" James asked, his face contorted in worry.
"No offense, mate, but I think she's expecting it."
"What should I wear? Fist impressions are the most important after all."
"And you sure blew that one." Sirius muttered under his breath. "Just don't wear what you've got on now."
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" James took the defensive.
"You're still in your pajamas." James looked at his night-wear and blushed slightly.
"I knew that."
"Sure you did." He swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "Since you refuse to let me finish that dream I suppose I'll get out of bed."
"Sorry, mate."
"You'd better be. It was the brunette, and you know how well she can bend." He pulled on some casual clothes that he had strewn across the room the day before in an effort to find his broom polish.
"I thought that was the blonde."
"Nah, the blonde's the one with the huge-"
"I get it." James said, looking positively green.
Sirius turned so that he was on his left side, his right, his back, his stomach, and even hanging half-way off the bed, but he couldn't get back to sleep. And the girl of his dreams was calling him back to her! He mentally cursed James to oblivion and got up.
James stared at Sirius' empty bed without actually seeing anything as Sirius got dressed. He was too busy wondering what he could avoid doing to keep Evans from giving him a hand-shaped bruise across his cheek.
"What you've got to do with Evans," Sirius said as he searched his trunk for a clean pair of socks, "is act like you're interested in her interests and feelings and what-not. Don't talk about how we hexed Snivelus the other day, and don't talk quittich. I know, I know that it's all you know, but you don't want to bore her to death, resulting in a lost date and a funeral. Funerals, though the first three letters of the word spells fun, are not amusing in the slightest. There is loads of crying and remembering rubbish about a person and pretending that it was a loss. Not fun."
"Good to know." James nodded in all seriousness.
"Where are my damned socks?" Sirius yelled suddenly, his head and upper-body inside the trunk. "Ah, there they are." He pulled himself out and cradled the socks as though they were his long, lost child...or like James would a broom-stick. "I'm going to breakfast now, care to join?" He watched his friend's face darken and scrunch. "On second thought, you shouldn't eat. If you're sick on her, it would be your funeral."
"What about you, though?"
"Hm?" Sirius started to search the bottom of his trunk for a pair of clean socks.
"You and Keaton."
"What are you blathering on about?"
"You and Keaton, today...in Hogsmeade?" He asked, no traces of joking on his face, which shocked Sirius more then anything.
"Kitten? She's replacing you in Hogsmeade, why?"
"Oh, really? Because there are some rumors going around-"
"When have the rumors been right?
"They've been amazingly accurate about you."
"Until now."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"Why?"
"What do you mean, 'why'?"
"Why is she different to you then any other girl here in school?"
"She's not." Sirius defended childishly.
"Yes, she is. You're normally not such good friends with a girl until you've, you know. You two haven't, that I'm aware of. In either case it would make her different." Sirius gave a skeptical look.
"How would it be different if I had slept with her then any other girl?"
"Since when have you been with a girl and not told any of your best mates? Face it, Sirius, no matter how you look at it, you see her differently then the others. I can't wait to see the day that the great Sirius Black, a gift from the gods to all women, realize that he's in lo-"
"Don't say it! Do not say that word. I've already told you, mate, I'm not going to settle down until I'm too old to get ladies, which translates to never. I will never be a one-woman man. Besides, Keaton and I are just friends."
"Sure. You're also the one that told me that Evans would never say yes." James said smugly.
"Yeah," he barked out a laugh, "Hope you don't mess that up. She just happens to be friendless today, that's all. If we end up in the shrieking shack, shrieking, so be it." Sirius gave his friend a sly grin. "Besides, we have an opportunity that you don't, and a date would just ruin that, she'll see it too."
"What are you talking about?"
"I would say 'you'll see' but you won't." Sirius gave one last smirk and waltzed out of the room, socks in hand.
Sirius quickly strode out of the room, threatened by what James had just told him. He pulled the socks onto his feet on one of the chairs in the common room and ran out portrait hole to breakfast, leaving James to feel nauseous again.
James was starting to worry about what his friend could possibly be up to. He was very scared for his date, lest it be sabotaged.
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"Hey!" Kate said as she sauntered over to the four boys at the Gryffindore table later. "Are you three ready for some fun, courtesy of moi!"
"What did you have in mind?" Remus asked, a bemused smile on his face.
"We must use all of our espionage skills to see what happens on a certain date with two certain head-people."
"Did you say something, Kate?" Lily asked as her and James finally made it over to the group.
"No, nothing dear. You two go have fun." The young couple smiled and headed for the doors.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Sirius called after them as Kate grabbed a quick piece of toast.
"What wouldn't you do?" She asked skeptically.
"We want a show, don't we?" His eyes twinkled mischievously. "Quick with the toast, Kitten, we've got some work to do."
"I'll just eat it on the way. Why do you have your school bag?"
"Don't let your eyes fool you, it's what's in the bag that matters my dear, and that is a secret that must be kept until a later time. Quickly! They're getting away!" He grabbed her hand, running off so quickly she dropped her breakfast on the table. Remus an Peter quickly followed.
"Accio toast!" She said. It floated to her and she caught it in her mouth, as both hands were occupied. Once she put her wand away she took the toast from between her teeth and let herself be half-carried, half dragged to the small village.
Once they stopped, they were across from the Hog's Head, Lily and James had just entered a little shop down the street.
"What do we do now?" Peter asked shyly, if not a bit stupidly. Sirius gave him an 'are you serious?' look while Kate was wondering if he was joking and Remus had that same bemused smirk on his face. He knew exactly what the other two were planning.
"We're going to follow them, of course!" Sirius said arrogantly.
"Hmm, but how will we avoid getting caught?" Kate asked no one specific. The three boys looked at her and smiled, they had no intentions of being seen.
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Author's Note/Message to Readers (that's you!)
I don't own Harry Potter characters. '
Now that that's out of the way, I would like to publicly thank: eloquent dreams, whatsername104, and EmSyd for reviewing the last chapter. And The Awkward Turtle for reviewing when they can. Here you go guys, you can all have my wondrous imaginary cookies.
Oh, and just so you know, when you review, I get chapters out sooner. Don't ask why, I think the reviews just get me in the mood to read. And you don't have to just say that you liked it (which is still good by the way) but you can tell me why you did, or didn't and I'll see what I can do. Just don't be mean please. Being a jerk won't make me write any better. Thank you for you time!