Saturday, October 8, 1977

Bright autumn sunlight was streaming through the window when James plopped down on Sirius's bed, showered and dressed after his morning run and unable to contain his huge grin. He felt that fluttery, nervous energy that he often combated by playing with a Snitch or a Quaffle, but he was too excited to bother going to his trunk to retrieve one. Instead, he sat there and stared at Sirius, hoping the sheer force of his anticipation would rouse his friend from sleep.

"Why are you sitting there staring at me like a madman?" Sirius asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "At least chuck a pillow at me or something like a normal person."

"Sorry," James said, although he did not look remotely sorry. "I'm just excited. Today's the day."

Sirius nodded. "Today's the day," he repeated with a more restrained, sleepy smile. "Are you excited at all? I couldn't tell."

"Oh, sod you. I know you're just as excited as I am. I fully expect to catch you four spying on us at least once today." He ran a hand through his hair and tried to restrain his smile, but instead it got even wider. "Bloody hell." Over the past few days the fact that Lily had said yes had come to feel more like a fact and less like a wonderful dream, yet he still had brief moments of blinding disbelief when the whole thing felt too perfect, too inconceivable to be real. Now, sitting on Sirius's bed with the sunlight pouring through the window and the prospect of a day spent in Hogsmeade with Lily, James had to remind himself of the events of the past week to convince himself that this wasn't just some daydream.

"Are you going to sit there grinning like that until I get up?" Sirius asked, and when James didn't reply but simply sat there, smiling to himself, Sirius sighed and heaved himself out of bed. "Aren't you going to go stare at Moony and Wormtail, too?"

James shook his head. "Nah, it's not as fun as staring at you."

"Lucky me." He pulled the pillow from his bed and chucked it at Remus, then retrieved it and threw it in Peter's direction. "Wake up, you prats. If I have to be up because Prongs can't stop grinning at me like a bloody weirdo, then you should be awake too." He headed for the bathroom, still grumbling, but James detected a hint of excitement behind his surly expression. Today's the day. Today's the bloody day.

He and Lily spent most of breakfast stealing looks at each other between bites of toast. Mary had curled Lily's hair again for the occasion, and James noticed she had chosen to wear his favorite sweater. He grinned and glanced away when she caught him looking, but the smile on her face suggested that she didn't mind.

"Are you going to tell me what the plan is for today, or is it still a surprise?" she asked, reaching for his hand again after letting go to inspect her curls.

"It's still a surprise," James said as he reached over and pulled on a curl, watching as it sprang back into place. "I like these, by the way."

Lily smiled. "You seemed to like it when I did it for Slughorn's party, so I thought it might be nice for today."

James admired her for another moment, until his owl dropped a letter in front of him and drew his attention away from Lily.

"Padfoot," he said after tearing open the envelope and reading part of the letter, "why have Mum and Dad told me to have fun on my date today, when I don't recall mentioning anything about a date?" He frowned across the table at Sirius, then held the letter out of reach as Mary tried to make a grab for it.

"That's because I wrote and told them as soon as Evans said yes," Sirius said as he reached for another piece of bacon. "Like you said, I'm almost as excited as you are, and I figured Dad could do with a bit of good news after that bloody awful match Ballycastle just had against the Tornados."

"Bold of you to have a go at the Bats when the Cannons just won their first match in almost a year," James said, smirking.
"Well, it seems like they're finally headed in the right direction, Prongs, which is more than can be said for your team."

"Did they say anything else about me in that letter?" Lily asked, leaning over to try to get a peek at it.

"Nope." James shoved the letter back into the envelope and jammed it into his pocket before helping himself to another piece of toast. "Just a bunch of stuff about Quidditch and the weather, quite boring, really."

"If you say so," Lily said, smiling to herself, and James couldn't help but notice how pleased she looked at the idea of his parents writing to him about her.

"Did you write to your parents and tell them about going out with me?" he asked, surprising even himself, because he had no idea he was going to ask the question until the words were out of his mouth.

"I might have." Her smile widened as she looked at him, and he realized the earnest hope that bubbled through him at her words must be evident on his face. "And before you ask, they wrote back to say they hope we have a nice time today, and then said a lot of other boring stuff about Quidditch and the weather."

James raised his eyebrows. "I didn't realize your parents followed Quidditch."

"Sorry, did I say Quidditch? I meant football." She shrugged. "Or cricket. Fill in whichever Muggle sport you prefer."

James imagined Lily smiling down at her parchment as she slipped in a mention of her date with James in between filling in her parents on her most recent Outstanding Potions grade and describing the increased responsibilities that came with being Head Girl. He was so engrossed in his daydream that he almost failed to notice when everyone stood up to leave.

"Ready?" Lily asked, reaching for his hand.

He stood and laced his fingers through hers, feeling a rush of pure joy and anticipation at the prospect of a day alone with Lily. "Ready." As they set off together, James stole another glance at her, savoring the smile that lit up her face and hoping it would remain there all day.

"We're not walking to Hogsmeade with Prongs and Evans?" Peter asked as the four of them strode along the path, enjoying the brisk autumn day.

Mary took a drag on her cigarette and shook her head. "No, we're giving them privacy," she said, then contradicted herself by glancing back over her shoulder to try to catch a glimpse of them. "But why do you have that big bag of stuff?" She gestured at the bag slung over Sirius's shoulder.

"It's part of The Plan," Sirius said. "I promised Prongs I'd go set this up for him. It involves a bit of walking, so if you lot don't want to come, I can just meet you after I'm finished."

"No, I want to see what this plan's all about," Mary said. "I don't mind a bit of walking."

"You can meet us at The Three Broomsticks when you're done, then," Remus said. "We can have a quick drink, then go to Honeydukes? And squeeze in some spying at some point, because I assume you're going to insist on that no matter how much I protest?"

"That's correct," Sirius said, grinning.

"They're going to expect us to try to spy on them," Peter pointed out.

Sirius shrugged. "That's okay, it'll make it more fun."

They parted ways at The Three Broomsticks, and Sirius and Mary continued on through the village and along the path that led to the mountain beyond. Sirius turned his face up to the sun, breathing in the fresh air and feeling a sudden appreciation for the companionable silence he and Mary often maintained.

"When you said a bit of walking, I didn't think you meant climbing a mountain," Mary said, pushing her hair out of her face as they picked their way across the rocky ground at the foot of the mountain. "I didn't reckon you were much of a hiker."

"Relax, Macdonald, we're not climbing the entire mountain." Sirius flashed her a reassuring grin and gestured at the path ahead. "It's just up here." He veered off the main path and led her into a patch of trees, stepping over roots and navigating around fallen branches until it opened up into a clearing. Little beams of sunlight filtered through the branches above and bathed the ground in a dim, golden glow. Sirius reached into the bag and pulled out a blanket, then set it out on a patch of soft moss and sprawled out.

"What are you doing?" Mary asked, frowning.

"I'm having a cigarette before I set up this bloody picnic," Sirius said, reaching into his pocket and taking out his pack of Marlboros. "I'd say we've earned it."

Mary shrugged and sat down beside him, then took the cigarette he offered her and lit it. They smoked in silence for a minute, enjoying the peaceful hush of the forest around them as the cigarette smoke mingled with the sunlight and gave the air a hazy, dreamlike feel. Sirius found himself studying the way Mary's eyes closed as she took a drag on the cigarette, a habit he always found adorable although he would never say this out loud, least of all to Mary. When she caught him staring, he grinned and shrugged.

"You look sexy smoking a cigarette. You always do."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "You think I look sexy doing everything."

He held up a hand. "Not true. Remember the other day at the Quidditch tryouts when you rolled out of your seat and I had to pull you up? That was the opposite of sexy, although I'll probably be laughing about it for the rest of my life." He stubbed out his cigarette and stood up, then reached into the bag and pulled out candles, food, pillows, another blanket, and an empty vase.

"Undetectable Extension Charm?" Mary asked, eying the pile of items that had come from the bag.

"Obviously," Sirius said, folding the second blanket and arranging the pillows on top of it. "Will you do some fairy lights or something? I'm supposed to 'make it look pretty,' but that's not really my strong suit." He tapped his wand against the vase, and a moment later it was filled with a large bouquet of flowers. "I can manage flowers, but twinkly lights and that sort of rubbish…" He shrugged hopelessly and began setting out the candles around the blanket.

Mary laughed and shook her head. "It's all right, I've got it." She put out her cigarette and took out her wand, pointing it at the surrounding branches and draping them in little twinkling orbs. By the time she was finished, Sirius had covered the blanket with rose petals and was placing a cooling charm on an old-fashioned picnic basket that now contained the food and two bottles of Butterbeer.

"Rose petals and candles?" She smirked at Sirius. "Are they going to shag at the end of this picnic?"

"Most likely not. But I figured I'd set the mood, in case they decide the time is right, you know?" He took a step back to survey their work and nodded in satisfaction. "Nice work with the fairy lights. I think this is a top notch romantic picnic, don't you?"

"It's perfect." Her eyes traveled over the clearing and fell on the wooden picnic basket. "That's a nice touch. Brings it all together."

"Yeah, I thought so." He studied her for a moment, then frowned as a jolt of panic ran through him. "If you're hoping I'm about to say this picnic is really all for us, you're going to be very disappointed. Best I can manage is nicking a biscuit or two."

She laughed, the sort of laugh that lit up her whole face and made her curls bounce. "Fuck no! I meant this is perfect for James and Lily, but it's a bit over-the-top for me. I'd be much happier sitting around in my knickers listening to Bowie, drinking wine from those tacky Cannons glasses and eating stale chocolate with you."

The fondness in Mary's voice and the joy on her face as she described that drunken summer night made Sirius's heart leap, because that night was one of his happiest memories with Mary even though it had been just a typical, silly night. He looked at her for a moment, watching the light breeze stir her curls and raise goosebumps on her skin, and he had the sudden urge to wrap her in a hug. Instead, he tugged on one of the curls that blew around her face and raised his eyebrows.

"First of all, those glasses aren't tacky, they're excellent. And also, I'm pretty sure you weren't even wearing any knickers." He smirked at her, enjoying the memory, then stopped resisting and snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her to him and pressing his lips to hers. When they broke apart, she nodded at the picnic basket.

"If you're up for it, I wouldn't mind nicking a biscuit or two," she said, and Sirius grinned, then reached into the basket and helped himself.

As they set off down back towards Hogsmeade, munching the biscuits and brushing crumbs from their clothes, Sirius's mind returned to the rainy July night he and Mary had finished off two bottles of elf-made wine and sang the entire Ziggy Stardust album at the top of their lungs. He had never considered it a date, and would die before describing it as such to anyone else, and yet it struck him that in a way this was the perfect sort of non-date for the sort of non-couple they were. He smiled as he recalled the rest of the day: he'd taken Mary flying on the motorbike for the first time, landing and pulling over to snog her in the rain, then went back to his flat and shagged her in the shower as the hot water warmed their shivering bodies. At the end of the night, they had stumbled through Diagon Alley, drunk and laughing and holding each other up, and ended up getting silly matching tattoos. What a bloody perfect day. The memory left him with an odd, lingering feeling he didn't much care for, so he lit a cigarette and focused on the smoke entering his lungs and the crisp autumn air tugging at his hair. By the time he finished the cigarette he had almost banished the uncomfortable emotions, so he grinned and draped an arm around Mary.

"Do you reckon we should get a drink first, or try to spy on James and Evans? Actually, that was a dumb question. Drink first is always the right choice, don't you think?"

"So I know Sirius and Mary are always going on about how overrated it is, but I thought we'd start at Madam Puddifoot's, because I sort of always pictured our first date there." James glanced over at Lily, trying to gauge her reaction and forgetting to pay attention to where he was going. He had to tear his gaze away to avoid running headlong into a third year, but the hint of a smile he had seen on her face reassured him as he steered them into the tea shop and sat down at a little round table by the window.

"This is the best table in the whole place because it has the comfiest chairs and you get the best view of the street, so we can spot Sirius and the rest of them if they try to spy on us," James said, gazing out the window at the various Hogwarts students chatting and laughing as they strolled down the street. "I always imagined us at this table." He frowned, afraid he had revealed too much. "Sorry, is that weird?"

Lily smiled and shook her head. "No, it's not weird. It's just, you've thought about this a lot, haven't you?" she said, reaching for his hand across the table.

James ran a hand through his hair as he thought of the notes he had missed or the conversations his friends had to repeat because his mind was with Lily in Madam Puddifoot's or The Three Broomsticks or Honeydukes rather than attending to whatever he was meant to be doing. The idea of the elusive perfect date sustained him through every rejection, because his conviction that she would say yes next time, that they would eventually hold hands across this very table, gave him the push he needed to ask again (and again, and again).

"I suppose it's a bit pathetic," he said, noticing the way the light streaming through the window illuminated the tiny spray of freckles across her cheeks. "I probably should have waited for you to actually say yes before I planned out the bloody date."

"It's not pathetic, James. I think it's really sweet."

He looked down at their hands, clasped together on top of the pink gingham tablecloth, and felt himself grinning like a bloody idiot, because how many times had he wished for this exact scene, this exact moment? The murmur of voices in the background, the scent of the tea that James had no memory of ordering, the view of the village through the window, and the feeling of Lily's hand in his: how many times had he daydreamed about all of these details?

"But what would you have done if this table had been taken?"

James cast a furtive look at Madam Puddifoot as she bustled by carrying a tray laden with steaming drinks, glad he had nipped down before Quidditch practice on Wednesday to slip the witch a few coins to ensure the table would be free for them.

"We could've just sat somewhere else," he said, shrugging. "It's just a table. But I suppose we got lucky."

"Sirius is always going on about how much he hates this place," Lily said, lowering her voice so Madam Puddifoot wouldn't overhear, "but I don't mind it. It's rather cute. Although…" She leaned closer to him and spoke in a whisper. "It does sort of smell odd in here, doesn't it?"

"It does have a scent about it. How does he describe it? Peppermint tea and raging hormones?" He grinned and shrugged. "I mean, he's not wrong." He reached over and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "But maybe if you snog me a bit you won't notice the smell so much."

She laughed, then scooted her chair closer and kissed him. The scent of her hair filled his nostrils and drowned out the stuffy atmosphere of the tea shop until he was aware of nothing but the pressure of her lips on his and the light touch of her fingers resting on his shoulder. He didn't even take the time to revel in the realization of years of daydreaming of this very moment, just enjoyed the blissful oblivion of the kiss.

"Right, we're all doing a shot, then we're going to make faces at Prongs and Evans through the teashop window. And then we can go to Honeydukes and buy out half their stock of chocolate bars. Sound like a plan? Excellent." Sirius slid a shot across to each of them, then raised his own in the air.

Remus sniffed the shot and frowned. "I don't remember agreeing to tequila. I'm not sure this is advisable."

"Sure it is," Sirius said, clinking his shot glass against Remus's and spilling several drops of tequila onto the table. "Drink up, Moony, and then you can get your precious chocolate."

Remus sighed. "Fine. But you're carrying me back to the castle later."

"It would be my pleasure," Sirius said, grinning. "Although we could probably get Evans to give you a piggyback if you're in the mood to be dropped on your arse again."

They all tossed back the shots, then Mary gathered up the glasses and brought them back up to the bar before they left the pub and set off for Madam Puddifoot's. It seemed that everyone had opted to come into Hogsmeade today, and the streets were crowded with Hogwarts students enjoying the fall weather, clutching shopping bags and munching Honeydukes chocolate bars and Bertie Botts. When they reached Madam Puddifoot's, every table in the little tea shop was occupied, but they had no trouble spotting James and Lily. When Sirius saw them sitting at the table in front of the window, he gestured for the rest of them to stop, but Lily and James were too engrossed in each other to notice anything around them.

"Look at them," Mary said, nudging Sirius. "They're so bloody adorable."

"I dunno how they can stand it in there, but they are cute together," Sirius agreed, watching as James picked up his teacup then put it back down again without taking a sip, too focused on whatever Lily was saying.

"I didn't realize Abby Gamp was dating Jeffrey Broadmoor," Remus said, gesturing at the couple seated behind James and Lily.

"Oh, yeah, they've been going out for about a month, I think," Peter said.

"Huh. I've never seen them together. How'd you know?" Remus asked, and Peter blushed and looked at the ground, but at that moment James glanced in their direction and spared him from having to answer.

"Okay, he's looking, everyone. Silly faces, everyone," Sirius said, snapping his fingers to get their attention. James gave them a bemused wave, and they responded with various silly faces, except for Sirius, who turned around and mooned the entire tea shop.

"Padfoot!" Remus said, covering his face and shaking his head. "You said silly faces. You didn't say anything about bloody mooning them."

Sirius pulled his trousers back up and grinned. "Well, obviously not, or you would have refused to even go near this place." He spotted Peter rolling around on the ground laughing and shrugged. "Pete liked it."

"Half the girls in there liked it too," Mary said, giggling and gesturing at the girls peering eagerly out the window. "I think James and Lily thought it was funny, too, except they're pretending not to be amused.

Sirius waved at James and Lily, who both wore exasperated expressions although they had not quite managed to conceal their smiles, then gave a dramatic bow for the benefit of the other patrons in the tea shop. "They're going to laugh their arses off about it later. Come on, we'll leave them alone and go to Honeydukes. Then I sort of fancy getting drunk."

"You always fancy getting drunk," Peter said as he picked himself off the ground, still chuckling.

"That's because it's always an excellent idea." Sirius cast one last glance over his shoulder at James and Lily before he led the way down the street towards Honeydukes.

"Was being mooned all part of your plan for our perfect date?" Lily asked as they walked hand-in-hand down the street.

James laughed. "Not exactly, although I can't say I'm surprised." He raised his eyebrows. "Is there anything you need to buy, or do you want to just kind of browse the shops a bit? I figure they're heading to Honeydukes next, so maybe we hit Zonko's first, then make our way down the street?"

The eager, hopeful smile on his face was so sweet that it made her want to stop in the middle of the street and kiss him, but she pushed the urge aside and shrugged. "Sounds great." She was enjoying letting him direct the course of their day, because the joy on his face as he watched his dream become a reality was one of the most adorable things she had ever seen.

They wandered through the shops, starting at Zonko's then popping into Gladrags before making their way to Honeydukes. Even though Lily had been to Hogsmeade countless times, somehow experiencing it with James made everything seem new and exciting. She browsed the shelves at Zonko's and examined a display of hats at Gladrags, stealing glances at James and noticing the way his face lit up as he watched her. When she deliberated between two types of chocolate bars at Honeydukes, he carried them both up to the counter and bought them before she had a chance to protest. They were asked to leave Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop after James drew an explicit illustration with a display quill, and it made Lily laugh so hard that she leaned against a shelf to hold herself upright and knocked over an entire stack of stationary.

"Merlin, I feel immature for laughing so hard," Lily said, wiping away tears of laughter as they stumbled through the street, attracting odd looks from several students passing by.

"I'd be offended if you didn't laugh that hard," James said, chuckling. "It was a hilarious drawing. Also, when they call their shop 'Scrivenshaft's' and put out a display quill, they really should expect that sort of illustration, you know?" He draped an arm around her. "Are you ready for the next phase of the date?"

"Does it involve meeting up with our idiot friends at The Three Broomsticks?" She frowned, not quite ready for their time alone to come to an end, but they were running out of things to do in Hogsmeade, so The Three Broomsticks seemed like the only logical option.

He grinned and shook his head. "Nope, not yet. There's one more item on the agenda before we end up there."

"Bloody hell, we're not going to The Hog's Head, are we?"

"No," he said, laughing. "Although it's not as bad as you'd think. We should all go sometime, it's a laugh."

"I feel like I should be more surprised that you've been there, but I'm not at all." She glanced sideways at him, trying to glean a clue from his face, but his expression revealed nothing. "So what are we doing then?"

"You'll see."

He led them out of the village and down a stony path that Lily assumed led to the mountain that overlooked Hogsmeade, although she could not be sure, as she had never ventured out this way. Her mind whirled as they picked their way over rocks and roots, wondering what he could possibly have in mind. Yet even the unbearable curiosity was enjoyable, because she trusted that whatever he had up his sleeve would bring a smile to her face, and it was adorable to see him sneaking glances at her as she tried to guess where they might be heading.

"This is a stupid question, but we're not technically allowed this far out, are we?" she asked, eying the steep path ahead.

"No idea," James said, shrugging. "I've never asked. It's not much further, though. We're not going all the way up the mountain, although you do get a really nice view of the village and the castle from the top."

"But why have you been all the way up there?" She followed him off the main path and into the trees, letting go of his hand so they could walk single-file.

He looked back at her over his shoulder and grinned. "Why not?"

After another minute, he held up a hand and she stopped. "Okay, we're almost there. Close your eyes."

She raised her eyebrows. "I'm not going to open them and see Sirius's naked arse again, am I?"

"Merlin, I hope not." He laughed and held out his hand. "Come on. Don't you trust me?"

The open, eager expression on his face as his eyes met hers and the familiar James Potter way that he ran a hand through his hair left her with no doubt: she did trust him, more than she would have thought possible even a year ago, more than she cared to think about. So instead of thinking about it, instead of replying, she leaned over and kissed him softly before placing her hand in his and closing her eyes.

"All right. Lead the way."

He kept his pace slow so she would not lose her footing, and his hand was warm and reassuring around hers. The short walk was tantalizing, because even though Lily knew the surprise was about to be revealed, the last few minutes of waiting only increased her curiosity until she could hardly stand to keep her eyes shut.

"Hang on," James said, and she heard him pull something from his pocket and mutter an incantation. "Okay, you can open your eyes." His voice sounded breathless and excited, and she thought she detected a hint of nervousness underneath his usual confidence. She opened her eyes and looked at him first, smiling as she saw not his usual grin, but an expression of hopeful anticipation. Her first instinct was to pull him into a hug, but then she remembered what she was meant to be looking at, and turned her attention to her surroundings.

"James…" Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes traveled around the clearing, taking in the fairy lights, the candles, the vase of flowers. She bent to examine the pillows arranged on the blanket, then lifted the lid of the picnic basket and peered inside before turning back to James. "How did you manage this?"

He shrugged. "I had Sirius come set it up for me. He was happy to help, even if he kept referring to this sort of thing as 'sentimental romantic bullshit.'"

"That sounds like Sirius," she said. James wore a hesitant smile, as if he was waiting to be sure he hadn't made a huge mistake bringing her all the way out here. She reached for his hand, struggling to put her feelings into words. "It's…"

His face fell. "I know, it's a bit much, but I just thought, you know, it should be a bit special, to make up for lost time. But if you'd rather just go back-"

"James." She held up a hand and he fell silent, watching her with an expectant, anxious frown on his face. "It's perfect."

A huge grin spread across his face, and seeing his face light up at her approval was almost better than the romantic picnic, because it really took so little to make him happy. "You like it?"

"I love it." She studied his face, memorizing that goofy James Potter grin, the way his untidy hair just brushed the ends of his glasses, the happiness that radiated from his hazel eyes. The moment was so perfect that she wanted to cement it in her memory forever. Then, she rested her fingers against the side of his face and leaned in to kiss him, intent on showing him just how much she was enjoying their first date.

When she pulled away James's face bore a trace of the same bemused, delirious happiness that had revealed his delighted disbelief the day they had first kissed. Grinning, she took his hand and guided him down onto the blanket, then opened the picnic basket and handed him a sandwich before taking one for herself.

"Would you rather Butterbeer or champagne?' she asked, pulling out a bottle of each.

"I didn't put any champagne in there," James said, frowning and examining a note tied to the bottle. "Oh, I should've known. It's from Sirius. 'Enjoy your date, you sentimental sods, and don't be afraid to show up late to meet us at The Three Broomsticks if you're having too much fun and lose track of time.'"

"By 'having too much fun' he means shagging, doesn't he?" Lily asked, hoping her voice sounded amused rather than eager.

"Yup." James pulled two glasses from the picnic basket and shrugged. "I suppose we may as well drink it, since he went to the trouble to put it in there for us." He popped the cork and poured them each a glass, then handed Lily hers and raised his own glass in the air. "To an excellent first date, even if it did include a bit of mooning."

Lily grinned and clinked her glass against James's. "To the best date I've ever been on." She took a sip, savoring the way the bubbles tickled her throat, and heaved a sigh of satisfaction.

James took a sip then froze, gazing at her with an odd expression on his face. "Is this really the best date you've ever been on?"

"Of course it is. Nobody's ever done anything like this for me." She set her sandwich down and rested a hand on his knee. "You know, in spite of all your bravado and Quidditch babble and 'All right, Evans?' rubbish, you're probably the most romantic person I've ever met."

"I'm just full of surprises," he murmured, setting down his sandwich next to hers and placing his champagne glass on a flat rock next to the blanket before reaching for her hands to pull her closer. "It's one of my best qualities, besides my athletic ability, devilish good looks, and modesty." He twined a hand through her hair and kissed her, and he tasted of champagne. "But I thought you liked my Quidditch babble."

She took another sip of her champagne before placing it beside James's glass, and her whole body felt looser and more relaxed even though she had only drank a few mouthfuls. "I do," she whispered before wrapping her arms around him and guiding him down onto the blanket beside her. The breeze stirred their hair and the fairy lights twinkled above them and it all just felt so bloody magical. The thought made Lily smile as she dissolved into James's embrace, reveling in the feel of his arms around her and the irresistible scent of his skin and the exquisite pleasure of being alone with him.

"Hey, Moony, can you hand me one of those chocolate bars?" Sirius asked after draining the last of his drink. "I need a snack."

"You just bought these to make up for all the chocolate you've stolen from me lately," Remus said, laughing and shaking his head. "You said, and I quote, 'If I try to steal any of these from you, feel free to call me an arsehole and never talk to me again.'"

"And that offer still stands, but you know you'd be bored out of your mind if you stopped talking to me." Sirius leaned across the table and fished a chocolate bar from Remus's Honeydukes bag. "Here, I'll even give you half," he said as he tore open the wrapper and broke off a piece.

"How generous of you," Remus muttered, rolling his eyes but accepting the chocolate. "Why don't you get the next round, then."

"I'd love to." Sirius crammed the rest of the chocolate into his mouth and slid out of his seat before heading across the pub towards the bar.

"No more tequila, Padfoot!" Remus called, but Sirius didn't seem to hear.

"You know by protesting you're just encouraging him," Mary pointed out. She sipped her drink and watched Sirius lean against the bar and flash Rosmerta his most charming grin as he ordered new drinks for everyone. "Merlin, he's obnoxious, isn't he?"

"And yet you stick around anyway," Remus said, raising his eyebrows at her and grinning.

"Do you think Prongs and Evans are having a good time?" Peter asked. He still had half a drink left, but he downed it when he saw Sirius approaching with another round.

"How could they not have a great time?" Mary said, standing up to grab two of the drinks before Sirius slopped any more of them onto the floor. "Even if they were forced to look at this idiot's arse."

"You love my arse," Sirius said, setting the remaining drinks down in front of Remus and Peter. "All right. Pete, I think you should give a toast."

"Me?" Peter said, his eyes widening in surprise. "I dunno what to say."

"It's a toast, just say some drunken nonsense," Sirius said, shrugging and taking his drink from Mary.

"Yeah, all right." Peter held up his drink, frowning, then said, "To Prongs and Evans. I hope they have a great first date. Or had, I suppose, since it's almost over? And to us. May we always have each other to hang around and get drunk with while James and Evans are off on romantic picnics." He glanced at Mary and Sirius. "Unless you two are off shagging, obviously. Then it's just me and Moony, which is also all right." He frowned for a moment, then raised his glass higher. "To Moony."

"And to your hand," Sirius said, smirking. "You know, if Moony is also off snogging someone, and you're left to entertain yourself."

"Shut up," Peter said, chuckling.

"That's my joke," Remus complained.

Sirius shrugged. "Figured I'd borrow it. You're bloody awful at toasts, Wormtail, you know that?"

Mary rolled her eyes and clinked her glass against theirs before downing her shot with a grimace. "What?" she said when Sirius raised his eyebrows at her. "You were all being silly and I was thirsty."

They drank their way through two more rounds, laughing and speculating about what James and Lily might be up to. Mary and Sirius were tossing pieces of ice at Bertram Aubrey while Peter acted as lookout and Remus looked on in disapproval when James and Lily approached the table.

"Prongs, did you see that shot?" Sirius asked, jerking his head in Aubrey's direction. "I landed an ice cube right in his arse crack when he bent over. Absolutely perfect!"

James followed Sirius's gaze and grinned as he watched Bertram Aubrey bolt up and dance around on the spot until a piece of ice dropped out of his left trouser leg. He turned around to glare at them, but James and Sirius both adopted innocent expressions and waved.

"Glad you lot weren't too bored without us," James said, setting down two drinks before sitting down next to Sirius and squeezing in so Lily could sit beside him.

"You should have been here five minutes ago," Peter said. "Macdonald bounced an ice cube off Stacy Tremblay's forehead and it fell right down into her cleavage."

"Nice one, Macdonald," James said, nodding and giving her a thumbs up.

"How have you four not been kicked out yet?" Lily asked through peals of laughter.
"It's unclear," Remus said, shaking his head in exasperation. "Did you two have fun?"

Lily and James glanced at each other and smiled. "I had fun," James said, "although I can't speak for Evans."

"It was excellent," Lily said, keeping her eyes fixed on James. "Really excellent."

Mary looked over at Sirius and raised her eyebrows in a way that clearly meant, Do you think they shagged? but Sirius merely shrugged.
"I missed you, Padfoot. Did you miss me?" James asked, turning to Sirius.

Sirius grinned. "Course I did. But I managed to carry on without you." He clinked his glass against James's and took a sip. "I don't suppose there's any point in asking you two for details about the, er, more intimate portions of your date?"

Lily glared at Sirius with such ferocity that Mary burst into laughter, and Sirius held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Right, that answers my question. I'll try later after you've both had a drink or two."

"Don't push your luck, Sirius," Lily warned. "I still haven't decided if I want to hex you for mooning us earlier."

"Oh, that reminds me," James said, leaning in closer to Sirius. "Guess what I overheard Abby Gamp saying about you right after you mooned us? She wasn't threatening to hex you, that's for sure."

James lay stretched out on his bed, letting himself reflect on how perfect the day had been. His body felt loose and relaxed from the alcohol, and his mind kept returning to the gratitude and delight on Lily's face as she said "Nobody's ever done anything like this for me." Despite all the times he had imagined this day, all the hours he had wasted daydreaming about finally taking Lily out, somehow the day had managed to surpass all of his expectations. He wondered if at this very moment Lily was tucked in her bed, dressed in her pajamas (he realized he had no idea what sort of pajamas she wore, but was sure they were adorable regardless), describing every detail of the date while Mary listened eagerly.

"All right," Sirius said, getting a running start and launching himself onto his bed. "Let's hear it, Prongs. I want the dirty details Evans didn't want me to know about."

"Don't harass him, Padfoot," Remus chided, but Peter was standing at the end of James's bed, leaning against the bedpost to listen.

James laughed and rolled over to face Sirius. "There aren't a lot of dirty details to tell you, honestly. I mean, we snogged a bit at Madam Puddifoot's - well, you saw, probably. And then kind of a lot at the picnic." He grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "She bloody loved the picnic."
"Of course she did," Remus said from his bed.

"She'd have to be crazy not to love it," Peter added. "Even Macdonald was impressed, wasn't she, Padfoot?"

James detected a faraway expression on Sirius's face as he nodded. "She did say it was perfect for you two, yeah." He grinned, and the faraway expression vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "So was it gropey snogging or…?"

"That's not a word, Padfoot," Remus said, rolling his eyes and sighing.

Sirius tossed a pillow across at Remus. "Shut up, it's definitely a word. And even if it isn't, so what? I can make up a bloody word if I want to. Now quit interrupting, because I want to hear the answer."

"I suppose it was a bit gropey? Or maybe, I dunno, moderately gropey?" James frowned. "You might be right, Remus. The more I say it, the more it sounds like it's not a real word."

"I suppose that means there was no shagging, then?" Sirius sighed. "I dunno, mate. I feel like a date without shagging is just sort of missing something. Like noodles without sauce, you know? Who wants to eat sauceless noodles?"

"What in the name of Merlin are you on about?" Remus demanded. "'Sauceless noodles,' what a bunch of rubbish. Sauceless sounds like another made up word."

"I dunno, it makes perfect sense to me," Peter said. "And I'm pretty sure sauceless is a word."

"It's definitely a word." Sirius turned back to James and rolled his eyes. "Anyway, sorry, you weren't finished telling us about your date, were you?"

James shrugged. "That's all right. I'd say it was great, even sauceless."

Sirius frowned. "No sauce?"

"No sauce," James repeated, shaking his head.

"Well, that's all right," Sirius said in a bracing tone. "Maybe next time."

"Yeah, you're bound to get some sauce soon," Peter said, heading over to his bed and climbing under the covers.

Remus sighed and pulled his blankets up to his chin. "You're all the absolute worst, you know that?" He sighed and glared across the room at Sirius. "Bloody sauceless," he muttered under his breath before rolling over and closing his eyes.

"This is going to become one of those things we say to annoy Moony, isn't it?" James whispered.

"I'd consider it a missed opportunity if we don't start saying 'sauceless' as much as possible," Sirius replied, grinning. "Night, Prongs."

"Night," James said, flicking his wand to turn out the lights. He let his mind return to the day's events, replaying the most memorable moments as he drifted off to sleep.