The scream of "Oh bloody hell!", closely followed by the distinct sounds of gagging and repeated spitting came from the bathroom down the hall. Then there were a few loud crashes and slamming, muffled every now and then by the sound of running water. The door creaked open, and out stumbled a soaking wet Sirius. The light yellow towel spotted orange by bleach stains tucked around his waist, soapy water running from his hair down the indentation of his back in a slow, steady stream. A blue toothbrush handle hung from his mouth, toothpaste foam fizzing on both corners and some high on his left cheek. A few stifled words of something being fucked up and a horrible way to start a day came out of his mouth, mingled with saliva and fizzing paste, before he stumbled into his room and closed the door, leaving soggy footprints in the thick shag carpet behind him.
The next time Sirius emerged from the bedroom at the end of the hall, he was dry, clean, dressed, and wearing a regular old smile. The one he reserved for "the ladies" was sleeping off its hangover from last night, and would soon be getting ready for another, what he hoped, long, lady filled night.
"Where we off to first, my deer old chum?" he asked as he pulled out a carton of orange juice.
"Well, Lily's at her mum and dad's for the weekend for her mum's birthday, so we don't have to avoid the shops near her flat. I thought we could try Sanne's Sophisticated Sparklers first. The stuff in their windows is really shiny, and girls love shiny things. The shinier the better, right?" James looked uncertain about this thought, and Sirius figured he was looking for some sort of reassurance.
"Of course!" answered Sirius. Giving up the search for a glass, he unscrewed the top and drank from the carton. After one gulp he began to gag. Once he regained control of his reflexes, he explained what had just happened to the worried looking faces of Remus and James, "I just brushed my teeth, so the taste of toothpaste is sti- was still in my mouth. Then I drank orange juice and-"
"Oh." Understanding by similar experiences, both of the worry looks faded and were replaced by disgusted twists of the face that was memory.
"Anyway, continue James. Sorry to have interrupted." Continued Sirius, with a half-hearted wave of the hand and another gulp of orange juice, which ended in one or two hacks and another, not so violent, grimace.
"James," began Remus, starting slowly so as not to offend the overly-excited man that was leaning against the kitchen counter, grinning like a fool, "if you don't mind me saying, I do understand where you're coming from when you say girls love shiny things, but maybe you ought to rethink that just a bit. First off, Lily is not a girl, she is, in fact, a woman. And secondly, Lily doesn't strike me as the kind of woman who would want a blinder on her finger."
James stopped to think over Remus' words. He realized that, like always, in the end Remus was nearly always right. Thinking about it harder, he revisited his fondest scenario, but this time he tried to be less romantic and more realistic with his daydream. Before, his dream started with James flying down and dismounting his broomstick to go claim the newly won quidditch World Cup. The stands were chanting joyously, "Potter!" "Potter!" "Potter!". James waving at his fans, taking it all in. Then he would spy Lily, and she would be glowing with love and pride. She would run for him, and he would hand the cup to a fellow team member so as to free both arms. Then he'd scoop Lily up off the grass and swing her around with their foreheads pressed together. She would giggle and he would grin uncontrollably. Then, he would set her down lightly on the ground, their foreheads still pressed together, James holding her as if he never meant to let go. I love you, he would say. She would grin and reply, a little short of breath, I love you too. Then they would kiss. He would then take a step back, reaching into the neck of his shirt as he did so. He would pull out a small silver chain, and hanging off of it would be a gold band encrusted with diamonds, and in the middle of it all would be a massive diamond. (James had gone between three or four carats for the center piece, but never really made a final decision. He figured he'd end up getting the five, or even a six, because nothing was too good for his vivacious kitten.) He would then take the ring off the chain as he slowly bent on one knee. She would start to cry, before he could even begin to speak, and cover her rosy face with her whitening hands. He would clear his throat and raise one of his hands, she would gingerly place her hand in his. He would then go on and recite the words he had been practicing for months, fumbling every now and then, watching her fight back the tears. Lily, since I laid eyes on you, I knew you were something special. I didn't know how to get that through to you, but I never gave up. For some reason, whether it was to get rid of me or because you saw something you thought you might like, you gave me a chance. Now, it is my intention to marry you before you see what a mess you've gotten yourself into. Lily Evans, if you see it fit to go against everything good you stand for and believe in, be my wife. Make the rest of my life as happy as you have made these past fourteen months. Then, through the tears she had stopped trying to fight back, she would nod her head vigorously and whisper that one word he would have never believed could sound so beautiful. He would then slip the ring onto her finger and stand up, still holding her hand in his. The crowd, who was watching so silently, would applaud, and all the women would 'aw'. Then James' team would hoist them up onto their shoulders and they'd be carried out of the stadium, never letting go of each others hands, laughing, loving.
James shook his head, and (thinking about this scenario reasonably), realized that there were many faults with it. First off, he was at least a year and a half away from joining a professional quidditch team. Secondly, it would take him a year or so more to get to get his team to the world cup. And seeing as how he wanted to marry Lily and start a life with her as soon as possible, he would have to scratch that idea altogether. As for the ring, with Remus' realistic ideas on Lily's taste of jewelry, he had much to consider. First and foremost, he thought to himself, I have to find out how big a carat is.
