The blades of grass melted together like a wave as James flew over the field. Lily was mesmerized. Watching James fly was like watching a mermaid swim. It was natural and with ease. Yet there was a powerfulness to the elegance in which he soared. Lily sat in the bleachers, Peter and Remus to either side. They hadn't said much to one another. She didn't mind. Lily could sit and watch James soar all day long.

She gasped as James narrowly scraped past a bludger.

"Hey you Mutt, don't you know you're supposed to go after the ball?" James called after Sirius.

"Aren't you supposed to be paying attention to the whole field? Or did you just become captain to look good for the ladies?" Sirius yelled back.

Peter laughed. Remus chuckled. Lily did not. She didn't know why that retort bothered her, but there was something about James trying to appeal to other girls that didn't sit right with her. James looked over and saw the contemplative look on Lily's face. He flew over to them.

"Don't worry Lily, I really became capton just to tell Sirius how dumb he looks when he tries to do broom tricks for applause instead of actually doing his job," He said with a smile.

"You can do whatever you want," She replied, her cheeks heating up as she realized her disapproval had been obvious.

The practice went by rather uneventfully. James couldn't help but look over his shoulder at Lily from time to time. She seemed content. Not happy, just content. He liked having his friends there to watch her, but he desperately craved time alone with her. The sun would be setting soon and James had an idea.

"Round up!" He called out to his team.

All the members flew down to the middle of the field, each hovering a couple of feet off of the ground.

"Immobulus!" Sirius called out, stopping the bludger in mid air.

He quickly scooped it up and brought it down to the chest, locking it down with chains as James began to speak.

"Good practice everyone. I am letting you all go early," His announcement was met with cheers, "Tomorrow is the trip to Hogsmeade so I want you all to have fun, but remember Sunday is an extra long practice. So don't get too bent out of shape in town. We have a game this week and we need to be ready. Slytherin is going to be ready for us, so we need to make sure we can exceed their expectations."

The team flew down and began to walk towards the locker rooms. Sirius flew over to James before turning in.

"Ending practice early?" He said while wiggling his eyebrows, "Any special reasons?"

"Sod off," James said while mounting his broom and turning towards the stands.

"Hey guys," Sirius called out, "You boys want to get out of here?"

Remus took this as his que to leave and dragged Peter along. Lily sat quietly unsure of if the invitation included her or not. She decided by the generalization of "boys" that it did not include her and she turned to grab her coat. As she turned back around she was startled to see that James was floating not two feet away from her. She gasped.

"Do you know how to fly, Lily?" He asked.

"Of course I know how to fly," She said sheepishly, "We all have broom class."

"Well, yes we all had class. But outside of class have you ever flown? Like really flown?"

"There's not a lot of chances to fly a broomstick in muggle towns. And I don't own one."

"Do you want to fly with me before we go in?" He asked.

Before Lily could give an answer, James summoned a second broom. He grabbed hold of it as it flew over and held it out for Lily.

"I'm not very good at flying."

"Just hold the broom in both hands tightly as you mount it." He offered, "Good, now lean forward and just let yourself go."

Lily's breathing hitched as she leaned her full weight onto the broom and stepped off of the bleachers to take off. She had flown before, but not in a while and she certainly hadn't flown to the same heights that James had. Brooms just weren't necessary in muggle life. Shakily, she swayed up to where James was hovering.

James took this as a sign that she was ready and began slowly moving back towards the middle of the field. Lily stayed by his side, matching his pace. They flew slowly at first, not really saying anything. Silently testing their limits. As Lily continued to stay by his side, James quickened the pace. He flew vertically up the stands and out into open air. Although he had picked up his speed, Lily continued to follow. They flew past the stands, weaving in and out of several small towers. They glided over the lake. Lily reached down to touch the gold reflection of the sunset, sending ripples through the still water. James quickened the pace even more as they circled back to the field, going higher and higher into the sky. The tip of Lily's nose turned a rosy tint of red. Her cheeks looked alive and her hair fluttered in the wind. They came to a sudden stop about a hundred feet in the air.

Their eyes locked. The sun was setting, only small fragments of the wispy orange undertones flitted across the sky. Still they said nothing. Lily didn't really understand what was going through James' mind, but she knew if she stayed very much longer looking into his eyes, that she would be in danger of acting on some of the intrusive thoughts going through her mind. Without breaking eye contact, she gradually began her decent back to earth. James, circling around her, matching her speed.

The spell was broken as their feet hit the ground and the realization of their time together hit. Lily dropped the broom and turned to leave.

"Lily?" James called after her, breaking the silence.

She froze, her heart pounding.

"Go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?" He asked, his heart pounding.

Although he had asked her to Hogsmeade countless times before, she had never allowed him the pleasure. But this time seemed different. This time it seemed like it might be a yes and although James wasn't sure why, he knew it would kill him more than ever if it wasn't.

"Yes," she said quietly before scurrying away without turning back.

A smile larger than a hippogriff quickly took over James face as he watched her leave.

"Yes!" He yelled out as soon as she was out of sight, "She said yes!"

James Flew through the air, hooping and hollering as he looped around. He swerved through the stands, backflipped off of the teachers post, and raced towards his bedroom. The boys heard James calling and had the tower window waiting for him as he arrived. James barreled through while crying out loudly.

"She said yes! She said yes to me!"

"Ahooo!" Sirius howled as he jumped off of his bed.

Peter scurried over to the huddle, eager to be a part of the celebration. James threw down his broom and began to jump around wildly. Although he was on his own two feet, nothing could keep him on the ground at that moment.

"James?" Remus called out, "James!"

James slowed down, but couldn't stop hopping about. He met Remus's gaze.

"What did she say yes to?" He asked with a laugh.

"Who cares?" Cried Sirius, "In seven years that girl hasn't even said yes to lending him a quill! Whatever it was, it's a miracle!"

"She's going with me to Hogsmeade!" James said as he finally collapsed down onto his bed with a smile, "I have a real date with Lily Evans."

—

"I have a real date with James Potter," Lily announced as she collapsed on her bed.

Cries of excitement and outrage filled the room as every girl quickly dropped what they were doing to gather around Lily's bed. Each eager to hear the details of her announcement.

"How did this happen?" Alice asked,

"Well, I think it's a date," Lily said, slightly unsure.

"You think? How do you not know?" Asked her one of Lily's bunkmates.

"Don't be mean,"Alice said defensively.

"Yes, don't be mean!" Lily cried.

"But seriously, what do you mean you think it's a date?" Alice asked.

"Ok, well, he didn't say it was a date. Like, he didn't say, will you go on a date with me to Hogsmeade. It was more like, ``Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?" Lily said in her best imitation of James Potter's voice.

"Well what were the details? Did he say it like today with the quidditch practice? With like the whole four of them?" She asked.

"No it was just us."

"Just you? You were hanging out at the quidditch field just you and James?" Alice squealed, "What happened tonight? Start at the beginning."

Lily sighed. It really hadn't been her intention to go through the details that led up to James asking her. But at the same time she was confused. She had no idea what any of this meant. James had ignored her for a year and then suddenly was dragging her to practice and to town? It didn't make sense.

"Well, I went to watch practice with Remus and Peter."

"And?"

"And then they left and it was just James and me. He asked if I knew how to fly and then I said yes-"

"Lily! You should have said no! You should have had him show you!" Alice said exasperatedly.

She knew Lily was struggling, but this seemed to Alice, like basic knowledge. If you like a boy then you have to give him an opportunity.

"No, I'm not dense. I know how to ride a broom. I'm just not a star quidditch player. Anyways, we rode brooms together for a little while and then he asked me to go to town with him tomorrow."

Alice was shaken to her core, but she didn't want to overwhelm Lily. What did that mean? They rode brooms together? What was going on between the two of them? She had a million questions, but thought it better to narrow it down to just a few.

"So, you said yes?" Alice clarified.

Lily nodded into her pillow.

"Alright, then. You have a date with James Potter tomorrow," Alice confirmed.

The girls all began to whisper and to wonder. James Potter. He had always been a coveted catch, but no girl had ever stood a chance and they knew it. Still, they had all dreamt of what it would be like to go on a date with James. He was handsome, funny, and such a charmer. And yet, to their dismay and relief, Lily had never shown interest.

As things quieted down and the night carried on, they all laid in their beds with thoughts of James Potter swirling around in their heads. What would tomorrow hold?