Hey you guys. I updated really soon for me…but this was only kinda late cause I had to e-mail it to myself from my grandma's cause I forgot to save it on my comp before I deleted it. hangs head lol…alright, so Enjoy the story!!!
Once inside the shop, the girls all rushed for James resulting in James' almost being pulled apart. Lily, realizing that he was just at the point of splitting into two halves, jumped in.
"Girls! Girls! There's no need for this sort of behavior! We don't want to pull him apart now, do we? Besides, he's coming with me first!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the right side of the store before anyone could protest. James was massaging his shoulder where it had almost popped out.
"You've got some pretty violent friends…I guess I owe you another one…"
"It's okay. It was nothing. Besides, if you were dead, who would carry my parcels?"
"Is that the only reason you saved me?" He asked in a hurt tone, wiping a fake tear from his eye.
"Well yeah."
"How could you?" He asked in a dramatic tone.
"Oh, go jump in a lake!" She half-yelled.
"As you wish!" He gave an elaborate bow and made for the door of the store.
"Freeze! Where do you think you're going?"
"To go and jump in a lake. Just like you told me to." He said calmly.
"And the thought of dying doesn't scare you?" She asked sweetly.
"Oh, I never thought of it like that! Oh well, your wish is my command!" He started for the door again.
"You take my words too literally. Just like Cynds. Like just last week, I told her to go 'break a leg' on her Charms test, and you know what she did? She actually broke her leg so she wouldn't have to take the test. It didn't do her a lot of good though 'cause Professor Flitwick made her take it anyway after she got out of the Hospital Wing. You should have seen the look on her face when Flitwick told her she still had to take the test! It was to die for!" Both of them were laughing hysterically by now. Everyone in the store stopped what they were doing and looked over at the two students holding on to the racks to keep themselves standing upright.
"What are you all staring at? Go back to your shopping and let us get back to ours!" James exclaimed when he had gotten a grip on himself.
Lily resumed looking through the racks to find the perfect pair of dress robes. James also went off to find Lily the perfect pair of dress robes. He returned ten minutes later with a pair of silver silk robes. Lily had also chosen a pair out. They were made of an emerald satin material that looked very light and matched her eyes. Lily bounced off to the dressing rooms to try the two pairs on. She tried the emerald pair on first. When she came out, James stood up and clapped. He also noticed the approving stares the other shoppers gave her. The emerald dress went very well with her eyes and fit her indescribably well. It was a flowing gown that flared out at the bottom. The top half of the back was made of emerald netting that let her skin show slightly. The sleeves were tight to her elbows and from there, they hung loosely down to her palms. All in all, it fit her exceptionally well. She hurried to get changed into the other pair of robes, deciding that she was definitely going to buy the emerald robes.
She slipped into the silvery robes, thinking how smooth and cool the material felt. She surveyed herself critically in the mirror provided in the small area. As she stepped out of the safety of the enclosed space, James' breath caught in his throat. He had never seen anyone look as gorgeous as the vibrant redhead in front of him. The robes were tight, not disgustingly tight but tight enough, on the top and got larger from the waist down. The sleeves were made of silver, satin netting and let her arms show through, exposing how slender they really were. The robes went down a little past the bottom of her feet but with her new sandals, it would go perfectly.
"You have to buy those! I won't let you leave without buying those!" James declared after finding his voice. Lily looked at the price tag and gasped. Surely something as perfect and elaborate as these robes would be more than five galleons 18 sickles.
"Is there something wrong with them?" She asked.
"No. I think they're just on sale." James told her.
"Well okay! I'll buy both pairs. That way, I'll be equipped for next year's ball."
Lily got changed into her regular clothes and they went off to find Bella and Cindy.
The two girls were near the back of the store looking at the sale rack when Lily and James sneaked up on them.
"BOO!" They yelled as they jumped out from behind the rack. Bella jumped back but didn't scream while Cindy went into hysterics and dropped the dress robes she was looking at. She was hyperventilating when Bella and Lily regained their composure and went over to help her breathe again. She began to tell Lily and James off for scaring her like that.
"How dare you! Did you know I could have had a heart attack? No of course not! You didn't think of me at all did you? Didn't think how scared I would be, how it would affect me, how it could scar me for life-" She was interrupted by a few sniggers from Bella, Lily and James. She stopped, put her hands on her hips and stood there looking like her mother. This set the other three into hysterical fits of laughter earning stares from everyone nearby. They took a whole five minutes to calm down enough to tell Cindy that she looked like her mother when she stood like that. She lightened up after that and laughed along with them when they described the look on her face.
"Okay! Enough laughing at me! Let's go. I have to try on these dress robes." She held up about six pairs of dress robes.
"Oh yeah! I have to try these on too!" Bella showed them three pairs.
"Well let's go then!" James said.
"Yeah! What's keeping you guys?" Lily demanded.
They set off towards the dressing rooms. Cindy wanted to 'model' first so Bella, Lily and James sat down, but since there were only two seats, Lily ended up sitting on James' lap. She looked rather disgruntled compared to James who seemed to be enjoying the situation. Cindy came out a minute later wearing a pair of blood red robes that didn't suit her all that well. She asked them all what they thought and seemed disappointed when they said that they didn't suit her. She headed back in and came out a few minutes later wearing a pair of orange dress robes with frilly lace along the collar.
"It's so tacky!" Lily shouted when she saw Cindy.
"Cynds, why do you choose the weirdest colours?" Bella asked.
"That is so, erm, different?" James offered, phrasing it like more of a question than a statement.
"Well, I rather like them!" Cindy pouted before stomping off to change into her next set of robes.
"If the next sets are like the first two, she'll never find the right robes for her!" Lily whispered to the other two when Cindy had left to go and get changed. When she re-immerged, all of them gasped.
She was in a glistening foilish-gold pair of dress robes. Everywhere on the surface of the robes, someone had stitched gold roses making the robes look like they weighed a ton. Aside from the glare that the robes let off, the whole picture was an eyesore. There was a very high collar made of something that looked like an actual sheet of metal/gold with little holes in it so as to make it look like netting. The sleeves were gold and silver striped and crisscrossed. Overall, Cindy looked like a giant, gold and silver chessboard. To top it all off, the dress apparently came with a necklace. But not just any old necklace! A thick, heavy, Cleopatra-like, gold plated necklace that took up whatever space Cindy had left on her neck. She was, to put it simply, covered in gold foil, or something, from head to toe!
"What do you think?" She asked them. The three were left speechless. Not from the good type of shock, but shock that someone would actually choose to wear these dress robes.
"Well… they're…very…unusual is the word," Lily answered after a minute or two of complete shock. She nudged James in the side to indicate that he had to say something.
"Oh-erm-they're very-golden!" He exclaimed slowly before bursting into laughter along with Bella and Lily.
"So you actually like them?" Cindy asked enthusiastically.
"Like isn't the right word for it," Bella pointed out.
"So what is the right word for it?" Asked a curious Cindy.
"Do you want to know what I really think?" Lily asked cautiously.
"Yes! Very much!" Cindy responded.
"Are you sure?" Lily cautioned.
"YES!" Cindy almost shouted.
"I think they're horrible. I mean, the thought that someone would actually wear something like that is appalling! Let alone someone like you,
Cynds!" Lily said all of this in one breath and was now breathing deeply after getting it off of her chest.
"Thank you Lils!" Cindy jumped down and hugged her friend.
"F-f-for wh-what?" Lily stuttered.
"For telling me what you really thought and not just hiding it from me!" She glared at James.
"Oh no problem! Anytime!" Lily stuck her tongue out at James behind Cindy's back.
"Well, I was just about to tell you too!" James and Bella exclaimed at the same time.
"Suuurrreee you were!" Cindy replied over her shoulder as she retreated to the dressing room. The next pair she came out in didn't fit her so very badly. The were white with sparkling stars on them that made her look a lot smaller than she really was. The sleeves were short and accented her arms' length. She came out next in a pair of dress robes that the others knew she would end up wearing to the end-of-the-year ball.
She was in a pair of midnight blue robes outlined with silver material that looked like satin. The robes were a perfect fit for her. The top of the robes were pretty tight but they put a high accent on her physical form. There were also silver glittery swirls on the front of the robes, which gave them a fantastical and mysterious look. The robes came with a silver pendant but Cindy didn't want it so she threw it to Lily who caught it and started examining it. Cindy 'modeled' some more and revealed that the dress robes went very well with her sandals because her sandals were very high and she was fairly short. When she went back inside to get changed, Lily turned to the others.
"You guys, I don't think this necklace is all that it seems. The way it glows is eerie and I have a feeling that it has hidden power..." She trailed off and James continued for her.
"Oh! You mean like it may transport us to another world?" He asked eagerly.
"Well, maybe. But don't get your hopes up 'cause it may just be an ordinary necklace!" She quickly added, seeing James' face light up.
"Hello! Bella! Are you there? Earth to Ara!" Cindy yelled, waving an arm in front of Bella's face. She immediately snapped out of her trance and jumped up.
"What?"
"You can go and try your robes on now!" Cindy commanded.
"Fine fine fine!" Bella sighed exasperatedly.
She hurried in to the dressing rooms and changed into her first pair of robes. They were plain and white but on her, they seemed to have hidden beauty. She came out again and twirled around, allowing the other three to see the whole thing. They watched as she turned in all angles so that they could observe the robes from all views. The dress robes were the same width all the way down. The material looked very thick but when they asked Emily if it was, she said it was very light. They surveyed her critically and weren't able to come up with a single fault in the robes.
"You should totally buy them Ara!" Lily exclaimed after Bella had stopped 'modeling'.
"You really think I should?" She asked excitedly.
"YES YOU IDIOT!" Lily shouted, rubbing her temples. This shopping thing really wasn't for her. She got really cranky when she had to spend excessive amounts of time 'window shopping'.
"Alright alright! No need to resort to insults now!" She finished playfully.
"Oh go and change already!" Lily said, also in a playful tone.
Bella slipped back into the dressing rooms. I wish Sirius was here to see me in these robes. Did I just think that? Eewww! He is kinda cute though. No, no stick to the topic! What was the topic again? Oh yeah, to change in those robes. They are really pretty, just like Sirius. No! Gotta stop thinking that! Why can't I stop thinking about him? Think about something else. Like Lily, homework, boys, Sirius. Ok, that ends my thoughts for now! Why can't he just leave my thoughts alone! Uuurrgghhh! He makes me sooo mad! Okay, hey these don't look so very bad! Maybe Sirius will actually notice me now! Maybe he'll ask me to the ball! No! Stop it! Get out of my head, stupid thoughts! I don't want to think you! Guess I'll just step out so the others can judge me! James is Sirius' best friend isn't he? Maybe he can tell him how gorgeous I look! Uurrgghh! Here goes!
She stepped out of the room and everyone turned to stare at her. She was in a pair of peachy robes that swirled around her, even though there was no breeze in the spacious shop. Bella took a sharp intake of breath and then let it all out, relieved that the others seemed to have gotten over their speechlessness. There were two layers. The bottom layer was a shiny type of material that slid and felt smooth against her skin. It was the same width all the way down and had a small slit in the side, about up to her calves. The over layer was a light silky material, also peachy, that was stitched to the robes at the top and that was it. The way the over material swirled and made Bella look like a princess was magnificent. What was what, it left everyone speechless. Bella turned around so that everyone can survey her. When she moved, the robes seemed to move with her, almost as if they were a part of her. Bella asked everyone's opinions and she got all positives.
"They look awesome on you! It's as if they are you!" Lily stated.
"Yeah! I know what you mean! It's like they were made for her!" Cindy whispered dramatically. That was Cindy, always making, or trying to make, a scene.
"Just like Lily's pair of silver ones! That I picked out, thank you very much!" James announced proudly.
"Oh, get over yourself!" Lily retorted.
Just as Bella was going to go and change, Sirius rushed in, closely followed by Remus. They rushed up to James but stopped right in their tracks when they saw Bella. Sirius rubbed his eyes to make sure that he was seeing things. When it proved to be reality, he took some steps towards Bella. He reached out to touch the robes, almost as if he wanted to make sure he wasn't having a dream. When he came into contact with solid silk, he just tilted his head up and stared at Bella for a minute or two. Bella was starting to feel uncomfortable and spoke up.
"Would you mind so very much if I were to go and change now?" She asked, this of course was directed at Sirius.
"Yes I would mind very much but I won't prevent you," he replied, still staring at her with oggling eyes.
"Alright then," She said cautiously, and backed away into the curtains.
Sirius snapped out of his dream when she disappeared.
"Man, she is HOT! I mean, I always thought so, but now it's confirmed!" He yelled as soon as he was sure Bella couldn't hear them. Little did he know that Bella was just inside the curtains.
He thinks I'm hot?! WOW! I never thought of it! Should I go up to him and tell him I heard? He is sooooo cute! Why did I all of a sudden start thinking that. Maybe you've always thought so but have been afraid to admit it. WHAT?! That's what I said! Maybe you've always loved him. Love him! I just think I like him. Who are you? I am your conscience. I'm just telling you what you yourself are too afraid to admit. Oh my gosh, I do love him! But does he love me back? Only one way to find out.
She quickly got changed and stepped out of the curtains. She walked up to Sirius, leaned up and whispered something in his ear. He nodded his head at her , took her hand and led her away to the back of the shop. They arrived at a secluded area near the back of the shop and Bella looked around to make sure that none of the shoppers were anywhere near them. Then, she turned to Sirius and kissed him. He was so surprised that for a second or two he couldn't do anything and just stood there. Then, he kissed her back and they stayed like that for a few more seconds, before Bellahad to come up for air. Neither of them could believe what had just happened. Gazing into each other's eyes, they never noticed that James and Lily were spying on them from behind the nearest rack. When their gaze finally broke, they noticed two heads poking out of the rack and decided to go and see what they were. Bella tugged on the red hair while Sirius tugged on the black hair and out tumbled Lily and James.
"What do you two think you're doing?" Bella asked annoyed.
"Spying…" Lily trailed off.
"On that couple over there." James pointed to their right. Sirius went to check and came back with a smirk on his face.
"There was no one there!" He announced.
"Oh no! They've left!" Lily moaned.
"Hahaha! Very funny!" Bella said sarcastically.
"Wasn't it though?"
"So what really happened with you two?" James asked, seemingly interested.
"Why do y'all wanna know?" Sirius asked.
"Y'all?" Bella and Lily said at the same time.
"Yeah! It's better than 'you all'. Isn't it?" He looked at James for support.
"Don't look at me. I'm not getting into this mess!" He threw his hands up in the air.
"Traitor!" Sirius hissed.
"Can we go and pay now?" Lily asked.
"Yes! That would be the best thing to do." Bella answered.
The four of them wandered up to the front of the shop and paid for all of their robes. Lily's robes cost 13 galeons 5 sickles altogether. While Bella's robes cost 19 galeons 7 sickles altogether. They left the shop and Bella voiced something that was bothering her.
"Where's Cynds?" She asked.
"She saw Frank Longbottom and went off to join him." James said.
"I see." Bella replied.
"Hey Remus!" Lily screamed, waving her arms up and down so as to attract his attention. "Over here!"
"I think he heard you." Sirius said.
"I think all of Hogwarts heard her," James mumbled.
"Oh shut up you two!" Lily chided.
"Yes mother!" The two boys replied monotonously.
Lily muttered something that sounded strangely like "Boys!" and started signaling to Remus again. He saw her and proceeded to walk over. He reached them in a manner of seconds and turned to Lily.
"What?" He said to her.
"What do you mean 'what"?" She queried.
"I mean why did you call me over?"
"I dunno. I just want our whole group together I guess." She replied rather foolishly with a weird grin on her face.
"Right," Remus said slowly. "So anyways, what have all y'all been up to?"
"Well, this one over here-" Sirius jerked his thumb at Bella, "took half an hour trying on two pairs of dress robes. Waste of time if you ask me!"
"Well, tell me who asked you then." Bella replied haughtily.
"I mean, it's so not a waste of time!" Sirius corrected himself a little too late.
"Yeah right! Then why didn't you say that the first time?" Bella inquired politely, but not without a triumphant gleam in her eyes.
"Aaww! Look at 'em Jamsey! They act like they're already married!" Lily cooed.
"Shut up Lils! Or I'll make you shut up!" Bella threatened.
"Don't call me Jamsey!" James pouted.
"Oh grow up!" Lily rolled her eyes.
"Why don't all of you grow up!" Remus yelled over all of the arguing. "Honestly, judging by the way you act, one might be inclined to think you were all married!"
"Eeeewwww! Remus, that's sick!" Sirius shouted.
Remus flinched. "Only you would think of it that way Sirius!"
"I know! Anything else?" Sirius asked in a sickly sweet tone.
"No! Let's just go and get some Butterbeer to warm up." Lily said in a commanding tone.
"Yes mother!" All three boys said monotonously.
"Grow up! Seriously." Bella told them.
"Guess what guys?" James said, once the girls were out of hearing distance.
"What?" Remus said.
"I haven't got a date for the 'end-of-the-year ball' yet." James said in a hushed voice.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Both boys shouted.
"Yeah-" James was interrupted.
"I thought you were James!" Lily called and she and Bella started laughing.
"You are SO immature!" James sighed in exasperation.
"Look who's talking!" Lily pointed out.
James looked around him. "I only heard you talk!"
"Ha ha! I'm killing myself laughing!" Lily said sarcastically.
"Aren't you though?" James asked innocently.
"Drop it Potter! You're never going to outwit me!" Lily smirked.
"Oh yeah? We'll just see!" He grinned evilly at Sirius and Remus and followed her to the Three Broomsticks.
Hey! Sorry, I know this chapter was kinda boring but I felt like describing what type of thing the girls were gonna wear…and don't worry! You'll get some more L/J action in the next chapter! Remember…it's already written! So the more reviews I get, the faster I update! REVIEW!!!!!!! TAH for now!!!