"I told you, I told you, I told you," Arabella said, triumphantly, as they hurried down the stairs. "I KNEW it!"
"Shut-up, Bella," Lily said, smoothing down her hair, almost nervously. "He doesn't." Arabella rolled her eyes and pushed open the door to the great hall. To Lily's great relief there was no spare seats with the Marauders or Arabella would have dragged her over and made sure she was sitting opposite or next to James. It was a miracle that she wasn't dragging her over as it was and forcing her to sit on the poor guy's lap!
"Come on Lily. Leah's over there," she said pointing to where Leah was sitting, talking to Jason Briggs, a seventh year Ravenclaw. He got up when he saw Lily and Arabella approaching and smiled at Leah before walking, casually, over to his friends at the Ravenclaw table. Three pairs of eyes followed him.
"What was he doing here?" Arabella asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh we were just talking." Leah smiled. Arabella and Lily exchanged disbelieving looks. "He's a really nice guy," she said, hiding a smile.
Arabella sighed.
"Ah young love," she said. "Such a beautiful thing." She shook her head in mock seriousness.
"Shut-up, Bella," Leah said, colouring slightly. "He's just my friend!" Arabella sighed again.
"Well we always have Ms. Evans here and James," she said, shrugging. Leah gasped.
"Why what's going on with you two?" she demanded. Lily was no the verge of glaring at Arabella and telling Leah it was nothing before Arabella butted in.
"Oh he kissed her and admitted to Sirius that he likes her!" she exclaimed, nodding.
"But it's not true!" Lily insisted. "Well he did kiss me," she corrected. Leah squealed. "But he does NOT, I repeat, does NOT like me."
"Oh you know he does Lil," Arabella disagreed. They were just starting an argument on the whole "does James like Lily or what's the story?" saga when a squeal from Leah interrupted them. They both stared at her.
"WHEN?" Leah asked. "Why was I not informed?" she demanded.
"We're informing you now," Lily said at the same time as Arabella said:
"Just today."
"Awwwwwwwww," Leah said. "So he likes you too then?"
"Yes!" Arabella beamed.
"No," Lily said, stubbornly.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"NO!"
"YES!"
A male voice from behind butted in before the argument got too heated. "Hi girls." All three spun around and found themselves facing James. Lily promptly fell off her seat. "Um can I talk to you for just a minute, Lily?" James asked. Lily got up off the floor and brushed herself off.
"Um, sure?" Lily said, trying to ignore her friends beaming faces. Lily followed James out of the hall, ignoring the whoops and catcalls that she just KNEW were coming from Leah and Arabella.
"Lily," James said once they were outside. He smiled at her. Lily smiled back, quite shyly actually. "Um, well, that . . . `incident` today . . . well it left me thinking and well . . . do you want to come to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?" Lily stared up at his flustered face. She smiled.
"Sure," she said, shrugging.
"Great!" He kissed Lily on the cheek, more in a brotherly way than anything else.
"See you tomorrow then," she said, waving and biting her lip.
"Yea." She walked back into the hall and immediately heard Arabella's voice demanding that she "get your skinny little ass over here this second and inform your BEST FRIENDS what's going on"
"Well?" Leah asked the second she sat down.
"Well what?" Lily repeated, infuriatingly.
"Well what did he say!" Arabella asked.
"Nothing much," Lily said, picking up her fork and twirling strands of pasta around and around. Both girls stared at her, faces set as if they would smash a plate over Lily's head if she didn't give them the information they wanted. Lily gave up all pretence of eating anything. "Ok, ok," she said. "He asked me out!" Arabella and Leah screamed in unison, causing half the hall to turn and stare at them.
"When, where?" demanded Leah, after shooting everyone an apologetic glance.
"Tomorrow and to Hogsmeade," Lily said, trying not to smile too ecstatically.
"Give over with the "cool" act," Arabella said, grinning. "We know you're screaming inside." Lily grinned, widely an d half nodded.
"Shut-up, Bella," Lily said, smoothing down her hair, almost nervously. "He doesn't." Arabella rolled her eyes and pushed open the door to the great hall. To Lily's great relief there was no spare seats with the Marauders or Arabella would have dragged her over and made sure she was sitting opposite or next to James. It was a miracle that she wasn't dragging her over as it was and forcing her to sit on the poor guy's lap!
"Come on Lily. Leah's over there," she said pointing to where Leah was sitting, talking to Jason Briggs, a seventh year Ravenclaw. He got up when he saw Lily and Arabella approaching and smiled at Leah before walking, casually, over to his friends at the Ravenclaw table. Three pairs of eyes followed him.
"What was he doing here?" Arabella asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh we were just talking." Leah smiled. Arabella and Lily exchanged disbelieving looks. "He's a really nice guy," she said, hiding a smile.
Arabella sighed.
"Ah young love," she said. "Such a beautiful thing." She shook her head in mock seriousness.
"Shut-up, Bella," Leah said, colouring slightly. "He's just my friend!" Arabella sighed again.
"Well we always have Ms. Evans here and James," she said, shrugging. Leah gasped.
"Why what's going on with you two?" she demanded. Lily was no the verge of glaring at Arabella and telling Leah it was nothing before Arabella butted in.
"Oh he kissed her and admitted to Sirius that he likes her!" she exclaimed, nodding.
"But it's not true!" Lily insisted. "Well he did kiss me," she corrected. Leah squealed. "But he does NOT, I repeat, does NOT like me."
"Oh you know he does Lil," Arabella disagreed. They were just starting an argument on the whole "does James like Lily or what's the story?" saga when a squeal from Leah interrupted them. They both stared at her.
"WHEN?" Leah asked. "Why was I not informed?" she demanded.
"We're informing you now," Lily said at the same time as Arabella said:
"Just today."
"Awwwwwwwww," Leah said. "So he likes you too then?"
"Yes!" Arabella beamed.
"No," Lily said, stubbornly.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"NO!"
"YES!"
A male voice from behind butted in before the argument got too heated. "Hi girls." All three spun around and found themselves facing James. Lily promptly fell off her seat. "Um can I talk to you for just a minute, Lily?" James asked. Lily got up off the floor and brushed herself off.
"Um, sure?" Lily said, trying to ignore her friends beaming faces. Lily followed James out of the hall, ignoring the whoops and catcalls that she just KNEW were coming from Leah and Arabella.
"Lily," James said once they were outside. He smiled at her. Lily smiled back, quite shyly actually. "Um, well, that . . . `incident` today . . . well it left me thinking and well . . . do you want to come to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?" Lily stared up at his flustered face. She smiled.
"Sure," she said, shrugging.
"Great!" He kissed Lily on the cheek, more in a brotherly way than anything else.
"See you tomorrow then," she said, waving and biting her lip.
"Yea." She walked back into the hall and immediately heard Arabella's voice demanding that she "get your skinny little ass over here this second and inform your BEST FRIENDS what's going on"
"Well?" Leah asked the second she sat down.
"Well what?" Lily repeated, infuriatingly.
"Well what did he say!" Arabella asked.
"Nothing much," Lily said, picking up her fork and twirling strands of pasta around and around. Both girls stared at her, faces set as if they would smash a plate over Lily's head if she didn't give them the information they wanted. Lily gave up all pretence of eating anything. "Ok, ok," she said. "He asked me out!" Arabella and Leah screamed in unison, causing half the hall to turn and stare at them.
"When, where?" demanded Leah, after shooting everyone an apologetic glance.
"Tomorrow and to Hogsmeade," Lily said, trying not to smile too ecstatically.
"Give over with the "cool" act," Arabella said, grinning. "We know you're screaming inside." Lily grinned, widely an d half nodded.