A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed last week: FudgeFanatic, IFlipForHarryPotter, SiriusBlackIsAwesome, MKaseyM, 97 Diagon Alley, TonksReincarnation, past decembers, GinnyEvans4, Maddaz a Hatter, TriniNotIndian, PotterheadFairy, Maximilien Robespierre, Jess the Enthusiast, BalloonsInTheSky, Issalicious, Evisawesome, I Hate Being A Muggle, Elless, jamespotterthefirst, superpig909, and RidingonRumbleroar'sback!
January 13, 1977, 8:34am
Hogwarts Express
LE: Still alive, I see.
JP: Miss Evans, to what do I owe the pleasure?
LE: Boredom, mostly.
JP: Oh. I see. Fine.
LE: Joking, Potter—I thought you of all people would recognize a joke when you heard one?
JP: A real one, yes. Yours? Needs some work. But that's why you have me, right?
LE: I suppose. Oh, and Benjy says to tell you he's very flattered, but he doesn't think of you that way.
JP: Er, what way?
LE: The way you think of him.
JP: What?
LE: Oh, come on, Potter, you can't lie to me. You told me you were jealous that I was going as his date to the wedding, remember?
JP: Oh. Right. That. Yes, I was—am. Hmm, sorry to hear that. I'll have to come up with a way to win him over. I'm very good at winning people over, you know.
LE: I do.
JP: So, how was the wedding, by the way?
LE: A lot of fun! I'm sure you would have been bored out of your mind, except for the part where Benjy's mum was drunk.
JP: I do like drunk people. Although what makes you think I'd have been so uninterested in the rest of it?
LE: I don't know, a wedding seems like too formal a party for you.
JP: You just told me Fenwick's mum was inordinately pissed.
LE: But that was the exception. Plus, mother of the bride—she's entitled. Or, well, at least that's how Benjy tried to justify it. I'd hope my mum wouldn't be so…embarrassing.
JP: I'll make sure she isn't.
LE: Please tell me you did not just propose marriage, Potter.
JP: What? No! Not that you aren't, you know, an eligible…er…woman. Or however they say it. Any man would be lucky, etc, etc. But no, I'd at least have to ask you on a proper date first. And we all know how well that's gone in the past. So…no. I just meant at your wedding, you can assign me to keep an eye on your mum.
LE: And what makes you think you'd be invited?
JP: Please. You'll need me there.
LE: Will I? Why?
JP: To keep an eye on your mum.
LE: I don't know why I was expecting a serious answer.
(10:03am)
LE: So I saw earlier that you were pretending to work on Potions—I thought you promised me you wouldn't leave everything to the last minute anymore?
JP: Stalking me, are you?
JP: And come on, Link (you thought I'd forgotten that, didn't you?), don't I get a break for the holidays?
LE: Well, I thought it was only fair to return the favor, what with you showing up at my house unannounced on Christmas. And yes, I had thought—or hoped—you'd given up on the nickname. Is it too late to apply for another?
JP: I'll have to check with the Secretary of Nicknaming (me), who'll have to take the request to the Nicknaming Committee (all me), and if they vote to approve it, the Head Nicknamer (also me) has to sign off as well. They're all a very tough lot—you'd better have a flawless application, Evans.
LE: Hmm, well I think I might have an inside contact on the Committee, will that help me at all?
JP: It might. But the policy on bribing is very strict. You've got to be careful.
LE: Oh, I'm a very crafty person.
JP: Really? You hide it well.
LE: Mmhm. Some might go so far to refer to me as a delinquent.
JP: Sounds serious. Still, I'm not sure it will be enough.
LE: Well, this Committee member—I happen to know exactly what he likes.
JP: I, um. Oh. Er—you do?
LE: Yes.
JP: And what is that?
LE: My Mum's famous Christmas biscuits. Of which I currently have a large basket sitting beside me.
JP: That…would probably work, yes.
LE: Would this Committee member like to accept his bribe now, or later?
JP: Stay where you are, he'll be right over.
January 14, 1977, 9:13am
Transfiguration
JP: She had 'a lot of fun' at the wedding.
SB: Merlin, this again?
JP: Yes, this again!
PP: I thought Moony said it didn't matter because Fenwick has a girlfriend?
JP: Irrelevant.
SB: Well, it's a little relevant.
JP: Oh, that's rich coming from you, Padfoot.
SB: We're not talking about me, though, are we? Look, just ask Evans to go to a wedding with you—problem solved.
JP: I don't know anyone who's getting married.
PP: Ask her to marry you.
JP: You're both rubbish at this. Where's Moony when you need him?
SB: Trying to recover from the trauma of discovering that you let him kill a deer last night.
JP: Oi, that was far more traumatic for me!
JP: Still, he's not going to be too happy with us for that, is he.
SB: 'Us'? There is no 'us' in this, Prongs.
PP: I certainly can't be blamed.
JP: Pricks. That's what you two are.
(10:53am, Potions)
JP: Although, funny thing, I may have sort of accidentally almost proposed to Evans on the train.
SB: ….
SB: What.
PP: How d'you 'almost' propose?
SB: Or 'accidentally' propose?
JP: I don't know, it was a very weird moment.
SB: Well, you'd better get your head on straight, Prongs, we've got that match against Slytherin coming up.
JP: All right, that is irrelevant.
SB: It was very relevant that day you and Evans made this whole mates thing official and Gudgeon got you six times with the Bludger in practice.
JP: That was unrelated.
SB: Six, Prongs.
JP: All right, perhaps there was a slight correlation.
PP: You'd better not marry her.
JP: I'm not, at the moment. But for argument's sake, why not?
PP: Because of the Bludgers.
JP: What?
SB: Yes, you're right, Wormtail.
JP: Right about what?
SB: Well, if the thought of being mates with Evans led you to six Bludger attacks, you'd probably accidentally walk off the edge of the Astronomy Tower if she ever agreed to marry you.
JP: Impossible. I'm never up the Astronomy Tower.
PP: Aren't we pulling that prank next week? With the fireworks?
JP: Oh, right. Fine, no proposing to Evans until after the fireworks bit. Satisfied?
SB: You always leave me satisfied, Prongs.
January 18, 1977, 8:24pm
Library
LE: Working hard, or hardly working?
JP: Hello, Evans. And working hard, of course, after you berated me so harshly.
LE: I did no such thing.
JP: You did. Yet now you're insisting on distracting me with mindless chatter. You secretly want me to fail, is that it?
LE: You won't fail, Potter. You'd have to show up to class with your eyes blindfolded, hands tied, and recovering from a mild concussion to fail.
JP: Which is a roundabout and slightly confusing way of calling me brilliant?
LE: Yes.
JP: Never thought you'd admit it, Evans.
LE: Well, you know, even I can't delude myself forever, I suppose.
LE: You got me thinking, you know.
JP: Merlin help me. I go through life trying to do the exact opposite.
LE: Try to be serious, Potter.
JP: I can't, I'm James.
LE: Oh my God, Potter, that joke does not even approach amusing.
JP: You're right—it's only funny when Sirius is around to sigh loudly at it. Anyway, how did I inadvertently cause your mental wheels to spin?
LE: With that talk about death, and what you want to do before you die.
JP: Oh, that. You can forget about that, I don't know where it came from.
LE: Too late, it's been on my mind ever since. And I've decided I don't know. I really have no idea what I want to do after school. Which is quite frightening, at least for me. I'm not very good at...being impulsive.
JP: So you came to me for advice on it?
LE: No, not really. Just in the vain hope that maybe you don't have it all figured out, either.
JP: Lily.
LE: James.
JP: Of course I don't.
LE: I thought you wanted to play Quidditch?
JP: Well, yes.
LE: That's more than I've got. I mean, there is one thing—but it's just…I don't know, you'll probably laugh.
JP: Try me.
LE: I—well, eventually—I'd like to get married and have a family and everything. But that just seems so…normal.
JP: That's a stupid reason not to do it, though, don't you think?
LE: But that's not all I want to do.
JP: I'd never dream it was.
LE: I just don't have the rest of it exactly…specified, yet.
JP: Okay.
LE: Yeah. Okay. Thanks.
JP: Er, you're welcome? Although I'm not quite sure what for.
LE: Just…it helped. What you said.
JP: Oh. That's good. Nice to know I can give advice without being aware of it. Handy.
JP: And you're not normal. Very abnormal, in fact.
LE: You couldn't have picked a more flattering adjective?
JP: Extraordinary, outstanding, phenomenal, distinguished, exceptional…shall I go on, or is one of those sufficient?
LE: Those will do for the moment. Now, get back to work, Potter.
JP: I'm worried my cheekiness is beginning to have an adverse effect on you, Evans.
January 20, 1977, 9:00am
Ancient Runes
LE: Um, Marlene?
MM: What? Is it time to go?
LE: No, I just…I think…
MM: You think…
LE: I think…um.
MM: Okay, I'm going to go back to my nap; you let me know when you actually manage to get the words out. Or if Professor Dunstan happens to turn in my direction.
LE: I think I might…sort of…fancy Potter. A little. Don't scream.
MM: LILY CELESTE EVANS YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HARD I AM BITING MY FIST RIGHT NOW.
LE: I have some idea—I can see the impressions of your teeth from here.
MM: AHH!
LE: Okay, just get it all out of your system.
MM: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
LE: If you breathe a word of this to anyone….
MM: Yes, yes, obviously—I've seen you hex people before. Potter, mostly, in fact.
MM: Ironic.
LE: The very definition of it.
A/N: All right, I'm going to be very busy this weekend and next week, so no promises on the weekly update thing. I'll do my best, because you are all lovely and deserve it :)