Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JK Rowling, except characters and events
you can't recognize as being part of the Harry Potter series.
A/N: Heya! Well, thanks for the reviews for that last chapter, much appreciated. You know how I said that there would be a birthday party for Sarah in the next few chapters? Well, let's just say that its been indefinitely postponed. This chapter is, as expected, Lily and James' 'first' date. Have fun! Sorry about not having enough 'Grace' for you guys, but I'll try to fit some more info about her in somewhere, though maybe not in this chapter. Uh, I think someone had some complaints, I can't remember what about any more, but let me just remind everyone that this is a FANFIC, so I'm not writing it like a novel. It's not going to perfect, because for me, it's a writing exercise, and I'm lucky I have you guys to help me out in refining my writing style. But please don't expect me to make this something that's worthy of being published, because then it wouldn't be fun for me to write!
Also, I haven't put anything about Voldemort in, because I just can't write dark fics; so let's just keep this happy, shall we?
Chapter Eight
The Not-So-First Date
James Potter eyed himself once again in the mirror, admiring his perfect jaw line, and gorgeous eyes. Man, was he hot or what? A tiny seed of doubt unfurled in his mind. Was he hot enough for Lily?
He shook his head furiously, messing his hair up even more. It would be fine. She had said yes, right? That had to mean something.
"James, are you ready? We're about to leave," came Remus' voice from the lounge. Sirius and Remus were dining at the girls that evening. Sarah had convinced them to watch some crazy muggle 'movie' and they had dubiously agreed. Andrea was coming over as well.
"Yeah, coming," James called back. With one last look at the mirror, he had turned and strode quickly into the lounge.
Sirius wolf whistled.
"Nice," he grinned.
James raised a hand self-consciously to his hair.
"You think?"
He was clad in loose black pants, and a metallic shined blue shirt, with a black jacket over the top.
"You look fine, James," Remus said reassuringly. "Stop worrying about it."
James nodded, trying not to frown in nervousness.
"Ready?" Sirius asked, before, with a 'pop' he apparated.
James and Remus followed him and the next minute, they stood in the girl's living room.
Sarah, wearing black pants and a t-shirt, knelt in front of a big black box that James recognized as a TV. She was fiddling with some knobs on the front and then, with a white flash, the front of the box was suddenly filled with moving pictures and sounds.
"Whoa!" Sirius breathed, dropping to his knees beside her. "That is so cool!"
Remus smiled at seeing him reverting to his childhood speech.
"Hey guys," Andrea called from the kitchen. "Would someone help me with the snacks?"
"Yep," Remus said, walking around to the kitchen area and taking a bowl of dip from her hands. "Might I say how lovely you look?"
"You might," she grinned, running a hand self-consciously over her jeans.
"Lily's in her room," Sarah told James. "She's dressed, so you can go in there. It's the second door to the right off the hall."
James smiled and nodded. The hall was dark, and it took him several moments before he finally remembered to use his wand for light.
There was the faint sound of music coming from inside Lily's room, and he knocked quickly, trying to slow down his heart.
"Come in," Lily called, and, running a hand once again through his hair, James entered.
"Hi," he breathed. Then his words ran out.
Lily looked great. She was wearing grey, pinstriped pants, hugging her hips and ending in a flare, and a pink turtleneck over the top. Her hair was loose around her face, and she had indulged in a little makeup, including eyeliner around her almond shaped eyes.
"You look great," Lily said, grinning at him. "I love the shirt."
James opened his mouth but couldn't come up with any words to describe how perfect she looked. Suddenly a gurgle of laughter erupted in his throat.
"I half expected this to be like our first ever date," he said, grinning sheepishly.
Lily smiled mischievously.
"I still have that top- the one that says 'Boy Bands Must Die'. If you want, I can wear it!"
James smiled, and reached out a hand, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"I've never seen you more beautiful than this," he said, strangely un-James like. "You look perfect."
Lily looked away, embarrassed.
"You've changed James," she murmured. "You're not the cocky, confident boy you used to be. Now, you're... you're mature."
James looked down.
"You always said I was too cocky. But I guess I have changed. Haven't we all?"
Lily smiled sadly.
"Change is inevitable."
James nodded slightly, just as the door opened, and Grace walked in.
"Hey. You guys going soon?" she asked, nodding her greeting to James.
"Yeah, just about to," Lily said, turning quickly and grabbing a bag off her bed. "Why?"
"They don't want to start the movie until after you've gone, otherwise we'll have to pause to say goodbye," Grace explained. She followed them out of the room.
Sirius, Remus and Sarah were sitting down around the TV, and Andrea was carrying a tray with mugs of hot chocolate over to them.
"Leaving?" Sirius questioned, raising his head to see them.
"Yeah,' James confirmed. "You guys have a good time."
"We will," Andrea assured him. "And you too."
Lily quickly made her goodbyes, and then she and James were finally ready to go. With one last smile at their friends, the two apparated to a busy muggle town square.
James had decided to take Lily to a muggle restaurant, and he was beginning to feel a little dubious as to what her opinion might be. She was muggle born, of course, but that probably meant that she knew more about what the good restaurants were as compared to the shoddy ones.
Lily however, was absolutely delighted.
"I love this place!" she exclaimed. "I used to come here with Petunia before...well, before we grew up, I suppose."
James smiled sadly at her, knowing how much Lily had loved her sister, and how much Petunia now hated Lily. It had hurt her a lot when they were still in Hogwarts, but she seemed to be coping with it now.
"Shall we go in?" he said, offering her his arm. She smiled up at him, and took it in her hands.
In side, the restaurant resembled dusk. It was lit only by candles, and soft music played in the background. But for this, it wasn't a particularly formal restaurant, so the people sitting at the tables weren't overly dressed up or anything. It had the cheerful air of polite comfort.
That night became one of James' most fond memories. It was full of laughter, and soft cheerfulness, and occasionally, when Lily looked at him, he could sense a little love in the corner of her eyes. Love that he knew was his.
As for Lily, she was suddenly reminded, all over again, just how much she loved James. When she watched him grin, and make jokes, and look at her as if she was the only woman alive, she just wanted to make him hers and only hers.
By the end of the evening, they were both so enraptured with each other that they were feeling almost light headed.
James walked Lily over to the counter to pay, and he pulled out his wallet.
"That will be $67 dollars, sir," the lady behind the counter said, smiling at him.
He unzipped his coin purse...and his heart dropped. Four sickles rolled around in the bottom of the pouch, and but for that, he had nothing. He had left his money at the flat. All the muggle money he had gotten changed from galleons. All sitting innocently on his bed!
"Uh...Lily?" he said, biting his lip.
"Yeah?' she said, raising an eyebrow.
"I, uh, kinda...left my money...at home," he finished, shifting his feet nervously.
Lily looked at him for a second. Then she grinned and broke into laughter.
"How could I have ever thought that you changed?" she said, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "You're definitely the same, forgetful old James!" she pulled out her own purse and laid down two fifty-dollar notes on the counter.
After the lady had given them her change, they walked outside. The moon had risen now, almost full. In two days, it would be Remus' changing time. A huge clock tower in the middle of the square told Lily that it was almost ten o'clock.
She turned to see James gazing at her. She slipped her fingers between his and they walked for a time like that, aimlessly, just wandering the square in silence.
"It feels like I stepped back in time," Lily finally remarked. "Back to when we used to walk around Hogsmeade like this."
"No," James said quietly. "This is even more beautiful. You don't know how much I regretted breaking up with you."
Lily sighed, and lifted her face to gaze at the stars.
"Please," she whispered. "Let's not talk about that. Tonight...it's been so wonderful. I don't want to ruin it." She turned to look into his eyes. "Let me keep this as a perfect memory."
"Not until I've said sorry," James said firmly, stopping and turning her around to face him. "Lily, I should've talked things through with you before letting you go. It was wrong of me to assume I knew best, when really, it's always been you who knows best, and me following your lead. I never give you the credit you deserve, but I think that if we hadn't started going out in Seventh year, I...I just don't know how I would have survived. For the past three years, it's been killing me that I haven't seen you. I...I never stopped loving you."
Lily opened her mouth to say something, but then she realized- there was nothing to say. He had told her what she had longed to hear for three years.
"Thankyou," she whispered, and he smiled.
And that's how they began.
Back at the girls' apartment, Sirius had started talking about their last year at Hogwarts.
"That was really rotten of McGonagall to not let you guys stay in our room," he whined, shaking his head morosely.
"I think she caught on that Lily and James were an item," Andrea said. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against the single seater sofa that Remus was sat in.
Grace was sitting next to Sarah, who was leaning against Sirius on the three seater. The movie ('Miss Congeniality' to Sirius' delight) had finished half an hour ago, and they were waiting for Lily and James to return.
"Those First year boys were pure evil, though," Sarah said, shuddering. Sirius pulled her closer to him, and she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah, well, I was disappointed that she didn't at least give us the sixth years- nooo, she had to give us stupid second years, didn't she! Man, those girls were annoying." Sirius sighed.
Andrea nudged Remus a little, waking him up from his brief doze.
"Are you tired?" she asked, tilting her head back.
"No, I'll be ok," he smiled wanly.
Grace looked around at her friends, and smiled slightly. Who would ever have thought, back in Hogwarts, that they would actually become friends with the boys that they had once hated. Now, she couldn't imagine what Sarah, Andrea and Lily would do with out them. As for herself, although she often gave of an air of 'not caring', all Grace wanted was for her friends to be happy.
It seemed as if finally, they were.
A/N: there'll be more on that later! So, please review this one, do you think I could get fifteen before I update? Sorry this took so long, I had visitors over all weekend, so I hardly got a chance to write. And sorry again for typos. You should all be pretty good at deciphering them by now!
Please review,
Jaizar
A/N: Heya! Well, thanks for the reviews for that last chapter, much appreciated. You know how I said that there would be a birthday party for Sarah in the next few chapters? Well, let's just say that its been indefinitely postponed. This chapter is, as expected, Lily and James' 'first' date. Have fun! Sorry about not having enough 'Grace' for you guys, but I'll try to fit some more info about her in somewhere, though maybe not in this chapter. Uh, I think someone had some complaints, I can't remember what about any more, but let me just remind everyone that this is a FANFIC, so I'm not writing it like a novel. It's not going to perfect, because for me, it's a writing exercise, and I'm lucky I have you guys to help me out in refining my writing style. But please don't expect me to make this something that's worthy of being published, because then it wouldn't be fun for me to write!
Also, I haven't put anything about Voldemort in, because I just can't write dark fics; so let's just keep this happy, shall we?
Chapter Eight
The Not-So-First Date
James Potter eyed himself once again in the mirror, admiring his perfect jaw line, and gorgeous eyes. Man, was he hot or what? A tiny seed of doubt unfurled in his mind. Was he hot enough for Lily?
He shook his head furiously, messing his hair up even more. It would be fine. She had said yes, right? That had to mean something.
"James, are you ready? We're about to leave," came Remus' voice from the lounge. Sirius and Remus were dining at the girls that evening. Sarah had convinced them to watch some crazy muggle 'movie' and they had dubiously agreed. Andrea was coming over as well.
"Yeah, coming," James called back. With one last look at the mirror, he had turned and strode quickly into the lounge.
Sirius wolf whistled.
"Nice," he grinned.
James raised a hand self-consciously to his hair.
"You think?"
He was clad in loose black pants, and a metallic shined blue shirt, with a black jacket over the top.
"You look fine, James," Remus said reassuringly. "Stop worrying about it."
James nodded, trying not to frown in nervousness.
"Ready?" Sirius asked, before, with a 'pop' he apparated.
James and Remus followed him and the next minute, they stood in the girl's living room.
Sarah, wearing black pants and a t-shirt, knelt in front of a big black box that James recognized as a TV. She was fiddling with some knobs on the front and then, with a white flash, the front of the box was suddenly filled with moving pictures and sounds.
"Whoa!" Sirius breathed, dropping to his knees beside her. "That is so cool!"
Remus smiled at seeing him reverting to his childhood speech.
"Hey guys," Andrea called from the kitchen. "Would someone help me with the snacks?"
"Yep," Remus said, walking around to the kitchen area and taking a bowl of dip from her hands. "Might I say how lovely you look?"
"You might," she grinned, running a hand self-consciously over her jeans.
"Lily's in her room," Sarah told James. "She's dressed, so you can go in there. It's the second door to the right off the hall."
James smiled and nodded. The hall was dark, and it took him several moments before he finally remembered to use his wand for light.
There was the faint sound of music coming from inside Lily's room, and he knocked quickly, trying to slow down his heart.
"Come in," Lily called, and, running a hand once again through his hair, James entered.
"Hi," he breathed. Then his words ran out.
Lily looked great. She was wearing grey, pinstriped pants, hugging her hips and ending in a flare, and a pink turtleneck over the top. Her hair was loose around her face, and she had indulged in a little makeup, including eyeliner around her almond shaped eyes.
"You look great," Lily said, grinning at him. "I love the shirt."
James opened his mouth but couldn't come up with any words to describe how perfect she looked. Suddenly a gurgle of laughter erupted in his throat.
"I half expected this to be like our first ever date," he said, grinning sheepishly.
Lily smiled mischievously.
"I still have that top- the one that says 'Boy Bands Must Die'. If you want, I can wear it!"
James smiled, and reached out a hand, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"I've never seen you more beautiful than this," he said, strangely un-James like. "You look perfect."
Lily looked away, embarrassed.
"You've changed James," she murmured. "You're not the cocky, confident boy you used to be. Now, you're... you're mature."
James looked down.
"You always said I was too cocky. But I guess I have changed. Haven't we all?"
Lily smiled sadly.
"Change is inevitable."
James nodded slightly, just as the door opened, and Grace walked in.
"Hey. You guys going soon?" she asked, nodding her greeting to James.
"Yeah, just about to," Lily said, turning quickly and grabbing a bag off her bed. "Why?"
"They don't want to start the movie until after you've gone, otherwise we'll have to pause to say goodbye," Grace explained. She followed them out of the room.
Sirius, Remus and Sarah were sitting down around the TV, and Andrea was carrying a tray with mugs of hot chocolate over to them.
"Leaving?" Sirius questioned, raising his head to see them.
"Yeah,' James confirmed. "You guys have a good time."
"We will," Andrea assured him. "And you too."
Lily quickly made her goodbyes, and then she and James were finally ready to go. With one last smile at their friends, the two apparated to a busy muggle town square.
James had decided to take Lily to a muggle restaurant, and he was beginning to feel a little dubious as to what her opinion might be. She was muggle born, of course, but that probably meant that she knew more about what the good restaurants were as compared to the shoddy ones.
Lily however, was absolutely delighted.
"I love this place!" she exclaimed. "I used to come here with Petunia before...well, before we grew up, I suppose."
James smiled sadly at her, knowing how much Lily had loved her sister, and how much Petunia now hated Lily. It had hurt her a lot when they were still in Hogwarts, but she seemed to be coping with it now.
"Shall we go in?" he said, offering her his arm. She smiled up at him, and took it in her hands.
In side, the restaurant resembled dusk. It was lit only by candles, and soft music played in the background. But for this, it wasn't a particularly formal restaurant, so the people sitting at the tables weren't overly dressed up or anything. It had the cheerful air of polite comfort.
That night became one of James' most fond memories. It was full of laughter, and soft cheerfulness, and occasionally, when Lily looked at him, he could sense a little love in the corner of her eyes. Love that he knew was his.
As for Lily, she was suddenly reminded, all over again, just how much she loved James. When she watched him grin, and make jokes, and look at her as if she was the only woman alive, she just wanted to make him hers and only hers.
By the end of the evening, they were both so enraptured with each other that they were feeling almost light headed.
James walked Lily over to the counter to pay, and he pulled out his wallet.
"That will be $67 dollars, sir," the lady behind the counter said, smiling at him.
He unzipped his coin purse...and his heart dropped. Four sickles rolled around in the bottom of the pouch, and but for that, he had nothing. He had left his money at the flat. All the muggle money he had gotten changed from galleons. All sitting innocently on his bed!
"Uh...Lily?" he said, biting his lip.
"Yeah?' she said, raising an eyebrow.
"I, uh, kinda...left my money...at home," he finished, shifting his feet nervously.
Lily looked at him for a second. Then she grinned and broke into laughter.
"How could I have ever thought that you changed?" she said, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "You're definitely the same, forgetful old James!" she pulled out her own purse and laid down two fifty-dollar notes on the counter.
After the lady had given them her change, they walked outside. The moon had risen now, almost full. In two days, it would be Remus' changing time. A huge clock tower in the middle of the square told Lily that it was almost ten o'clock.
She turned to see James gazing at her. She slipped her fingers between his and they walked for a time like that, aimlessly, just wandering the square in silence.
"It feels like I stepped back in time," Lily finally remarked. "Back to when we used to walk around Hogsmeade like this."
"No," James said quietly. "This is even more beautiful. You don't know how much I regretted breaking up with you."
Lily sighed, and lifted her face to gaze at the stars.
"Please," she whispered. "Let's not talk about that. Tonight...it's been so wonderful. I don't want to ruin it." She turned to look into his eyes. "Let me keep this as a perfect memory."
"Not until I've said sorry," James said firmly, stopping and turning her around to face him. "Lily, I should've talked things through with you before letting you go. It was wrong of me to assume I knew best, when really, it's always been you who knows best, and me following your lead. I never give you the credit you deserve, but I think that if we hadn't started going out in Seventh year, I...I just don't know how I would have survived. For the past three years, it's been killing me that I haven't seen you. I...I never stopped loving you."
Lily opened her mouth to say something, but then she realized- there was nothing to say. He had told her what she had longed to hear for three years.
"Thankyou," she whispered, and he smiled.
And that's how they began.
Back at the girls' apartment, Sirius had started talking about their last year at Hogwarts.
"That was really rotten of McGonagall to not let you guys stay in our room," he whined, shaking his head morosely.
"I think she caught on that Lily and James were an item," Andrea said. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against the single seater sofa that Remus was sat in.
Grace was sitting next to Sarah, who was leaning against Sirius on the three seater. The movie ('Miss Congeniality' to Sirius' delight) had finished half an hour ago, and they were waiting for Lily and James to return.
"Those First year boys were pure evil, though," Sarah said, shuddering. Sirius pulled her closer to him, and she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah, well, I was disappointed that she didn't at least give us the sixth years- nooo, she had to give us stupid second years, didn't she! Man, those girls were annoying." Sirius sighed.
Andrea nudged Remus a little, waking him up from his brief doze.
"Are you tired?" she asked, tilting her head back.
"No, I'll be ok," he smiled wanly.
Grace looked around at her friends, and smiled slightly. Who would ever have thought, back in Hogwarts, that they would actually become friends with the boys that they had once hated. Now, she couldn't imagine what Sarah, Andrea and Lily would do with out them. As for herself, although she often gave of an air of 'not caring', all Grace wanted was for her friends to be happy.
It seemed as if finally, they were.
A/N: there'll be more on that later! So, please review this one, do you think I could get fifteen before I update? Sorry this took so long, I had visitors over all weekend, so I hardly got a chance to write. And sorry again for typos. You should all be pretty good at deciphering them by now!
Please review,
Jaizar