Author's Note: about the money changing thing, well it was written into my author's note and it turns out that I switched it to wizard exchange anyway. Whew! I feel kind of stupid now!

Disclaimer: As before mentioned in all previous chapters.

Ridiculous

By: the Bumbling Firefly

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Felicity giggled and leaned close to Michael. She delicately sipped from a straw out of the same pink shake as him with he pinky arched daintily in the air. This scene was almost to much for Miss Lily Evans.

"I can't decide whether I should sock her or whether I should vomit," Lily admitted to James as he swung his arm around her.

"Yeah, well, I'd recommend the vomit since she's pretty nasty with her claws," James advised as they began the leisurely stroll towards their unsuspecting prey.

"James," Lily gasped. "Don't be rude!" She slapped his arm leaving a nice red spot.

"I can be as rude as I want to be for your information," James said. "Don't slap me! But just to save your infinite humiliation, I'll play the adoring love slave."

"You?" Lily asked. "Playing the adoring love slave to me?"

"Hey, I'm a good actor," James wheedled.

"I'll just end up laughing hysterically," Lily declared shaking her head. "No, no."

"If you giggle we'll look more like lovers?"

"Fine but don't you ever say that again. Hello Mike, what a pleasure to see you again!" Bingo, they had reached their destination.

"Uh, h-h-hello Lily," Mike stuttered with surprise. "I can't quite say the same…" James hated to admit it but, as much as an asshole Mike was, he hadn't been quite passed over in the looks department.

"Oh well, I'm the one who spotted you," James interrupted charmingly, just in time to restrain Lily from throttling Mike. "I'm James Potter. Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure is all mine," Mike said reluctantly as he curiously eyed Lily's messy hair and James' lipstick adorned face.

"Well, er, yes," James said with a look at Felicity who was gazing at him with worship. The whole thing was beginning to make him uncomfortable, in fact that itch thing was starting up again on the back of his neck. Lily unconsciously patted it and James looked at her with real worship. How had she known about that? Weird! "I just wanted to make your acquaintance because Lily has told me a few," James broke of with a peal of laughter (concentrating on a prank he had pulled on Snape in fourth year), "things about you. Plus we have another mutual friend. How nice to see you again, Felicity. It's been two months, hasn't it?"

Felicity felt like she was drowning in James' eyes. Oh how she'd missed him! Who was that little brat by his side, anyway? "Three months and four days," she corrected. James coughed uncomfortable and pulled Lily a little closer.

"Um…yeah."

"So how have things been going for you, Mike?" Lily asked with a grin that she just couldn't restrain. Mike's expression was perfect when he realized that his date was attempting to hit on her boyfriend.

"Good, good," Mike said with an angry glance toward the unfaithful Felicity. "I'm being assigned to photographing some of the animals down in Africa."

"How marvelous," Lily enthused. James pinched her bottom- she was becoming all too interested in this Mike fellow again.

"James!" Lily hissed with a blush. O, he was so going to get it from her later. James merely shrugged and cracked a grin. Lily couldn't help grinning back at him. Damn that Potter! Mike watched the proceedings with a glower on his face. Just look at that lipstick on that Potter fellow! And look at Lily's hair! This was not the way it was supposed to be! Lily was supposed to be heartbroken for a year- how long had it been? A month? This was not acceptable!

"So it was nice running into you again," James said politely to Felicity.

"Take me with you?" she begged. James shuddered. -God no-he yelped in the safe capacity of his brain.

"I have a girlfriend now, Felicity," he replied gently. "You see her with me."

By this point both Mike and Lily's bloods were boiling. Mike was full of outrage at the humiliation his date was causing him and Lily was suddenly feeling very territorial of James and there was no WAY she was letting him get back with this trash! And she'd had the audacity to beg him for a date in front of Lily! The nerve.

"Well, we have to leave now," Lily said with forced cheerfulness as James turned his head away from the embarrassing spectacle Felicity was causing. She was starting to feel bad for putting James through such torture…maybe she'd buy him three ginger bread cookies. "I owe James some gingerbread cookies." The slight accent she placed on her words led Mike to believe that there was a sordid reason behind this. His mouth twisted into a most unbecoming grimace. Lily was quite glad that she was without him now.

"Yes," agreed James who had brightened considerably since Lily's last comment. Who needed psychotics like Felicity? "I believe you owe me two."

"Actually, I owe you three gingerbread cookies," Lily smiled. "For being so good."

"Oh…," James mischievously let his sentence dangle in the air leading Mike on some more. He had taken an instant dislike to the guy. "In that case…" He grabbed Lily's hand and led her abruptly away from the loser. He seemed as if he were polluting the air.

"James you were very rude," Lily said once they reached the bakery. "It wasn't very nice at all."

"And just who told you I was nice?" James demanded. "I have a reputation to keep up~ I'm supposed to be dark and dangerous!"

"James, you've never been dark and dangerous," Lily laughed as she paid for his cookies. "You are the one that everybody loves."

"Are you saying you love me, Miss Evans? Because I think you just did."

"I did not!" Lily blushed. "Besides, your idiotic best friend was the one that was dark and dangerous back in Hogwarts."

"Sirius? Sirius couldn't hurt a fly except…well, when…"

"When somebody did something really nasty to one of his friends. Yes, I know Potter, and that was why he was dark and dangerous. Girls swoon over guys like that."

"So they don't like me?" James actually looked so hurt that Lily felt bad.

"Of course they like you, didn't I just say everybody loves you?"

"Even you?"

"James we are not going down that road again!" Lily shivered outside in the more bitter wind. She was going to get it from Mrs. Abbot for actually going out in this weather!

"Here Lily, take my coat," James said and draped it around her without even waiting for an answer. Lily wrapped it around her and breathed in. The coat had a nice smoky mixture of cologne, peppermint, and various other things that were so…so…James.

"Evans, are you smelling my coat?" Lily jumped.

"Okay, I was NOT smelling your coat."

"It looked like it to me."

"Well than you were suffering from delusions. Why in the world would anybody want to sniff your coat?"

"That's what I want to know," James grinned. He knew, of course, that Lily had been inhaling his coat and it was such a funny thing to watch he couldn't resist comment. The tips of his fingers got warm just thinking about it.

"Well, you couldn't get it from me because I was not smelling your coat," Lily said with dignity.

"That's right Evans," James peeled of the foil covering the first of his gingerbread men. It was still slightly warm from the shop. He watched Lily watch him as he took a bite. "You want to try a piece?" he offered. "It's good."

"No, no," Lily refused. "I bought it for you."

"It's weird, this could possibly be the first nice thing you've ever done for me," James mused as he bit off the arm. He saw Lily eying it. "Com'on. I insist that you take a bite so that you don't freeze. It's nice and warm," He wheedled.

"Oh, well…um," Lily said looking at the gingerbread. The spicy aroma was killing her. "I guess so."

"I knew you'd come around," James said with satisfaction. Gently he broke off a piece. "Open your mouth."

"I can feed myself," Lily said irritably. "Just because I was sick for a week does not mean that I'm completely incapacitated."

"Sure, whatever you say," James soothed her. "Now open your mouth. I'm very picky with my food."

"Has anybody ever told you you're insane?" Lily inquired while obediently opening her mouth. "That was very good!"

"Obviously. All my food is good," James smiled smugly at her as he broke off another piece and ate it.

"That's nice James," Lily said in an absentminded way. She was actually trying to figure out another way to get a piece of the gingerbread. She knew she should have bought one for herself!

"No way," James said as soon as he noticed Lily staring at his food. "You just ate lunch and my grilled cheese was ruined!"

"I wasn't asking for food," Lily defended. She leaned over and gripped the hand that held the gingerbread. "Yum."

"Evans!" James cried in horrified tones. "Do you realize what you've just done?"

"I took another bite out of your gingerbread?"

"Yes!"

"Potter, how could that possibly bother you?" Lily asked as she brushed the crumbs off of her mouth.

"I happen to be very possessive of my food," James stated haughtily. "You bit it."

"Do I have germs I wasn't aware of?" Lily inquired archly. James mumbled something that she was sure constituted a yes. "Take that back or I'll beat you up!"

"Like you could," James sneered making a very elegant impression of Lucius Malfoy.

"Of course I could," Lily stated. "But I'm a dignified adult now and can't afford to make an impression like that on the public." James looked at Lily closely as she said it. She actually meant it! he thought with a trifle disgust. She needed to be loosened up a bit. Well he was just the man for the job.

"It's time to get back to work," Lily said flatly as they entered her place of business again. James merely nodded biding his time. As soon as they were on her level he would make his move. Not that there wouldn't be pleasing side affects either, he was sure.

"Yes ma'am," James answered dutifully. Lily sent him a shrewd look after she stepped on the revolving

stair case (a nice innovation put in by the Minister). What was he up to? She wondered.

"Hey Lily, you feeling better?" Bob McGee called to her with an enormous amount of bravado. He was an

assistant in her office and often got the most brutal yells during the day. Lily smiled at him.

"I'm better, McGee. How are the kids?"

"Good, good. The pregnancy is going along fine too." Bob smiled and crossed his fingers.

"Great! Maybe it will even be a boy this time," Lily said cheerfully. James had watched the whole display

with something akin to amusement and disdain.

"Getting friendly with the co-workers are we?" he asked thoughtfully as he followed her into her office.

"Sure, sure," Lily answered. "So what's been going on since you've been here?" She seated herself behind

the desk and began to be all business like. James wanted to smack her. After all, she was even

still wearing his coat!

"Well, O' Henry resigned. The Uhulu case was resolved…," James trailed off as he sat on the desk right

in front of her. Lily stopped stacking papers and turned to him abruptly only to find his face right next to

hers. Lily began nervous all of a sudden, sure they had been close in the restaurant but this time James

Potter was looking straight at her with something smoldering in his blue eyes- barely hidden behind the

shine and twinkle of his glasses. She shuffled her papers with a little agitation.

"Is there…anything else?" she inquired. His unique smell of cologne, peppermint, and soap was even

stronger now that he was this close to her and staring straight into her eyes. Damn it! This was no time to

be getting caught up in school girl fancies, she hadn't been this attracted to James since the Yule Tide

Ball in sixth year.

"No, nothing really," James whispered in Lily's ear. He was seducing her and he knew he was trying to

seduce her but this constant proximity to Lily was enough to drive him over the edge. Lily shivered

listening to the husky timbres. She was not attracted to him, she was not attracted to him, she was not

attracted to him. Damn it! She was attracted to him. "Will you marry me?"

Lily stared in shock. Had he just? He couldn't have. Was this just some elaborate hoax? Lily did the only

reasonable option she had left: she burst out laughing.

"P-P-Potter," she choked through tears of mirth. "You almost had me going there for a minute!"

"Excuse me?" James asked hurt. This is what shows of falling in love. "I was serious."

"James you are never serious," Lily informed him but stopped short at the look in his eye. "Were you

actually serious?" she whispered in disbelief.

"Yes," James said slowly before turning away. He didn't care that he had been rejected- no, of course not.

His heart could spend eternity smashed up on the floor, it wasn't as if it mattered much anymore. He was

a grown man! He'd survived over a dozen assassinations. Was he really going to get messed up over a

woman- Lily Evans at that? The unfortunate answer was yes.

"James," Lily said softly trying to catch his attention. He shook her hand away from his shoulder. "James,

didn't you hear me?"

"Hear what?" James asked with all the mockery of a broken hearted man. Lily's hand rubbed his back but

he flinched away from it.

"I said," Lily told him in his ear with a trace of her typical annoyance, "that I'd love to marry you."

"Joking is unappreciated," James said turning around to face her.

"But I'm not joking," Lily said. Suddenly all the fire and blaze was back in James' dull blue eyes.

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes."

"Than prove it." James stared at her daring Lily to prove him wrong. She leaned close to his face and gave

him a soft kiss on the lips. James looked at her again.

"I don't know," he said slyly. "I might need another one just to examine."

"Oh you idiot," Lily scolded with a laugh but nevertheless she pushed herself against him and kissed him

again. Except this one was full of blazing feelings and emotions formerly kept dormant for so long were

unexpectedly released in a volley of passion. James' glasses were askew as his hand crept to the small of

Lily's back and pressed her to him. Lily was in heaven floating through the air. There was something

about this: it just felt right.

Hannah peeked through the door to see her replacement kissing the replacee senseless. She shook her

head. Why was it that Lily was always the one to get the cute guys?

THE END

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Author's Note: Whew! That took a lot out of me AND it took forever. Sorry if this chapter isn't exactly up

to snuff!!