4 weeks until the ball...
"What are we going to do about food?" Lily mused, looking over at James. The pair sat at the coffee table in the Heads' dormitory, the surface of the table covered with books and sheets of parchment. The pair had been working for the past hour in silence, the wood in the fireplace crackling occasionally. It wasn't the most ideal way to spend a Thursday night, but there were worse alternatives.
"Ready for an after dinner snack?" James teased, looking up from his Potions essay. "We can always go get some hot chocolate."
Lily rolled her eyes, finishing her last translation for Ancient Runes. "You know that's not what I meant," she retorted.
"How am I supposed to know what you meant?" he laughed. "We haven't said a word in the past twenty minutes and you suddenly mentioned food. I thought about dinner."
"Oh I meant food for the ball," she explained, leaning against the side of the couch. "It's also on our never ending list of things we have to organize. What are we going to do about it?"
James shrugged his hsoulders, running a hand through his hair. "Not much we can do unless you plan on cooking for everyone. Can you cook, Lil?" he asked curiously.
Lily nodded, "This and that. I won't be making an extravagant five course meal but I won't starve to death. I guess that counts."
"And you do it the muggle way? No magic?"
"No magic. I was raised a muggle, remember?" Lily teased. "What about you? Can you cook at all?"
James laughed loudly, shaking his head. "Mum says I can't manage to boil water properly the muggle way."
Lily laughed with him, her green eyes sparkling with amusement. "You've got to be kidding me. How are you supposed to make tea if you can't boil water?"
"Magic obviously," he answered easily.
"Nuh uh," she said as she stood, stretching her arms overhead. She smoothed down her sweater before closing her textbooks, cramming them back into her bag. "We have to fix this now. I've got some hot cocoa mix in my trunk; we can go down to the kitchens and make some."
James gasped dramatically, "Are you suggesting we sneak down to the kitchens?"
"I'm suggesting a practical lesson for Muggle Studies," Lily answered cheerfully, her feet padding lightly up the stairs to their bedrooms.
He stared after her in amazement, shaking his head. As much as he and the Marauders joked about corrupting their prim and proper Head Girl, they never thought they'd actually be able to do it. 'Just when I think I'm over her, she goes and does something like this,' he thought ruefully, running a hand through his hair. 'I'll never get over her now.'
"Ready, James?" Lily asked as she came back down to the common room, pulling him from his thoughts.
"I'm always ready to break rules," James answered, offering his arm in mock seriousness. He barely restrained his surprise as Lily looped her arm through his, batting her eyelashes coyly.
"We're not breaking the rules; we're just bending them slightly," Lily answered sweetly as they exited the common room. The halls were mostly empty; the only movement came from the occasional student and the paintings as they moved from one frame to another.
James laughed, "That's what we used to say before we just admitted we were breaking rules. I think Moony still says it from time to time."
"Speaking of Remus, has he asked anyone to the ball yet?" Lily asked. "Or do you know if he's planning on asking someone?"
"He hasn't asked anyone yet, but I don't know if he's planning to. Why, are you planning to ask him?" he teased.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Remus would be a lovely date, but no," she retorted. "There's a Ravenclaw girl in my Ancient Runes class who fancies him, Maria. I was going to play matchmaker if he didn't have anyone in mind."
"Might as well tell him then," James answered. "Or he'll choose to go alone. Padfoot said he's already been asked out three times."
"Why am I not surprised?" Lily said with a snort. "Charming bastard. What about you? Have girls been falling over themselves to ask you out?"
James blushed lightly, his free hand ruffling his hair. "Err, one or two," he admitted sheepishly.
Lily stopped walking momentarily, causing him to stumble. "Oh," she answered faintly, looking down at her feet. "Did you say yes to either of them?"
"They weren't my type," he said with a shrug. "Guess I'm gonna have to wait for the right type of girl to ask me out."
"And what is the right type of girl for James Potter?" she asked, her voice recovering its former humor.
'Well I asked you out for years, so I think it's fairly obvious,' he thought sadly. "I don't know yet," he murmured. "But I expect I'll know when I find her. What about yourself? Asked out any blokes yet?"
Lily blushed brightly, causing James to laugh. "No, I haven't. It's a bit more nerve-wracking than I thought it would be. I thought you lot just went up to us girls and blurted out whatever came to mind."
"That's because you didn't get to see the hours of mental anguish and whinging to our mates," he quipped. "But you shouldn't worry so much. I can't imagine anyone turning down the Head Girl. You just have to find a way to narrow down your options a bit."
"And I'm sure you have a method for that," she laughed.
"As a matter of fact, I do. It can't be any of the Slytherins; those snakes definitely aren't good enough for you," he began.
"And I'm sure thye'd love a chance to hex the muggle-born Head Girl," she answered tartly.
James snorted, "As if they could. It probably shouldn't be a Ravenclaw. They're nice blokes and all, great Quidditch players, but they'll talk your ear off about books and school when you should be relaxing."
"But of course," she said in mock seriousness. "What about Hufflepuff then?"
"Hmm, they're good too I suppose," he admitted reluctantly. "But they can be a bit soft at times, you know? Let you walk all over them. You need someone who can stand up against your forceful personality."
"My personality is not forceful!" Lily exclaimed indignantly. "I just…don't take anyone's nonsense."
"Alright, that's a fair way to call it. Still, you may want to stay away from a Hufflepuff. No, for you, you'll need a Gryffindor," James declared. "Probably a seventh year so you have things in common to talk about."
Lily reached forward, tickling the pear on the painting as she laughed. "A seventh year Gryffindor bloke. You've narrowed down my options considerably." The portrait swung open, revealing the kitchen bustling with house elves. "I suppose I should thank you, shouldn't I?"
"I suppose so," James laughed. "Now that I've taught you how to pick a date, teach me how to make hot cocoa the muggle way."
"Oh Potter, you're in for a real treat," she said excitedly as she tugged him into the kitchen.
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