Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me.
Chapter 6
"Lily! Wait up!"
Lily turned at the sound of her name and found James rushing toward her. It was break time and Lily was on her way to the library. James was alone, an odd occurrence, as he was always surrounded by friends or fans. But what was stranger was that he called her 'Lily' rather than 'Evans'.
"What is it?" Lily asked, puzzled.
"I'm sorry I disturbed your studying last night, too. I don't know what got into me." James said, without his usual grin. He looked utterly serious.
Lily was a bit taken aback. She had never heard James apologize before. Ever.
"I also wanted to try my luck and ask you out again. I would be honored if you say yes." He added.
He sounded so… polite. Lily had never seen this side of James Potter before.
"Well, I guess your luck ran out. The answer is still no." she said, recovering her cool.
"Please, Lily, just this once. Let me show you a good time." He pleaded, taking her hand in his.
Lily was surprised at how gently he held her hand; he always seemed to be the rough sort. She considered her answer. After all, James had been trying to get her to go out with him for the past seven years. Would it hurt if she agreed? At least it would stop him from badgering her all the time. She looked at James. He was looking back at her with big, puppy dog eyes. Lily sighed. He looked so… desperate, not to mention pathetic. It was kind of embarrassing really.
"Fine, just so you'll stop bugging me." Lily answered grudgingly.
"Yes! You won't regret this." James said, giving Lily's hand one last squeeze then walking away, trying his best not to saunter. Harry had told him that Lily wouldn't like it.
Lily shook her head then continued her walk to the library. What happened to James and what had she gotten herself into?
Harry pumped his fist in the air in a silent cheer. He was watching his parents behind a huge statue of Torvald the Troubled. He knew spying was wrong but he couldn't resist seeing what the outcome of James's attempt would be.
The night before, Harry told James everything he had recalled Hermione saying about girls. He remembered the occasion when Ron asked Hermione for girl advice in their sixth year. Ron had said that he wanted to ask someone out, Harry knew full well that that someone was Hermione. Harry had been reading Quidditch Through the Ages and had put down the book in order to listen.
Hermione had said: "Girls like it when you're sincere. When you ask out a girl, you have to let her know how much it would mean to you if she says yes. Being a gentleman is good too. Open doors for her, you know, chivalrous stuff."
Ron nodded his head and jotted down what she said. Hermione seemed pleased that she had a good audience.
"You also have to listen to the girl when she talks. Girls hate it when you don't listen to what they have to say. Complimenting her would be a good step, too, but you have to mean what you say. And the cardinal rule about dating: Never kiss and tell." She added.
"Never kiss and tell…" Ron muttered, writing it down as well.
"You know, Ron, there might still be hope for you after all." Hermione said, ruffling his hair affectionately.
At that point, Ron had turned a shade of red that had amused Harry to no end.
Harry smiled at the memory and, checking to make sure the coast was clear, walked out from behind the statue. He had only walked a few paces when he was met by Professor McGonagall.
"Mr. Granger, I have been looking all over for you. The headmaster would like to see you in his office." She said, beckoning him to follow her.
Harry's heart sped up. Professor Dumbledore had probably found a way to get him back to his own time already! Feeling even happier than he was seeing his mum agree to go out with his dad, he followed Professor McGonagall to the Headmaster's Office.
"Please have a seat, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said, indicating the plush chair in front of his desk. He wasn't smiling and Harry knew that that was a bad sign.
"I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but try as I might, I could not find the door. It has simply vanished. I delved deeper into this mystery and I found some archives dating back to the 19th century." Dumbledore said, picking up an ancient piece of parchment. It was obviously still in one piece only because of a Preservation Charm.
"It says here that the door you went through is a portal in time. Long ago, before the Ministry of Magic was even formed, experiments were done here in Hogwarts to keep them from prying Muggle eyes. When the Ministry was formed, the wizards moved their research there, leaving many experiments behind. The door was their attempt to control time. They put a spell on it when they left, so that it would be almost impossible to find. It appears once, every one thousand years, at midnight for only a few minutes, then it is gone again." Dumbledore explained.
"So it's gone?!" Harry said in disbelief. He had always thought that Dumbledore could solve any problem.
"Rest assured Harry, that I will do everything in my power to find a solution to your plight. How long this will take, I do not know." Dumbledore said.
Harry sank into a depressed state. He couldn't get back; he might never be able to see his friends again. Was he doomed to be stuck in the past for good?
A/N: Keep those reviews and suggestions coming! The next chapter will be up soon, the more reviews, the more motivated I am to write!