I don't know why I decided to go to Diagon Alley again. It is utterly pointless. I've been here six times in the past two weeks. Why you may ask? Well… my best friend Ally told me the elusive James Potter would be working at the Quidditch Shop. Leave it to me to believe her even thought I know Ally is such a gossip that the information couldn't possibly be true.
I don't even know why I like him. Rumor has it that once a month on every full moon, He, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and that rat Peter Pettigrew go and get stoned in the woods. I don't know that this is true, but it is a likely story. It's not likely their up to something constructive or helping someone out there.
It all started in second year. James Potter had the cutest face… these milky brown eyes with just tiny specks of gold in them. Naturally everyone soon can discover a good secret, because as soon as I decided I was interested in James, so was everyone else. So I admired from afar. I eventually didn't like him anymore… until last term. I had people coming up to me and saying that James liked me… Trust me I was flattered but if you hear of all the people he had gotten together with, you wouldn't want to date him either. I know I shouldn't believe everything I hear, but how can I not when everything I hear about him is so believable.
Well, back to me and Diagon Alley. I bustled down the wide street, people were chatting and buying herbs for potions, buying school things, or just shopping for the fun of it. In a way I was just shopping for the fun of it because I had bought my things weeks ago and just forgot to buy some ink for my quills, which I could easily nick from the storage cabinet at Hogwarts… but honestly, I don't like to steal… or maybe I just wanted another reason to come back here. I couldn't say that Petunia was happy to drive me all the way over here seeing as I cannot just apparate; she never wants anything to do with me, big sisters suck.
I stepped into the cool interior of the store, a woman with brown hair and brown eyes was smiling at me.
"I'm just waiting for my Son… takes forever to package and order for his own mum." She said to me. I had know idea why she was talking to me, but I smiled and shrugged anyways as I made my way further into the store.
The floors were stone and the windows were freshly cleaned. I browsed the shelves… of course there was nothing to my interest, it was a Quidditch shop for heavens sake. I looked hopefully over at the register and like the past 5 times, he wasn't there, what made me think the 6th time would be any different? I decided to just have a look around… again… for the 6th time. I walked over to the books, I needed to know everything there was to know anything I could about Quidditch, especially if I was going to become friends with the elusive James… who was an asshole… who played cruel tricks on the poor git Snape… who hexed people in the halls just because he could. Why do I like him! He is a jerk! I picked the book up anyways.
I opened the book up. I had a feeling sooner or later the man who worked behind the counter would just make me buy it seeing as I've spent so many hours in here reading it. Suddenly before I knew it I was tumbling to the ground and grabbed the bookcase for support.
"Bloody hell!" A male voice said as he came tumbling down next to me, his box landing on my head.
"Gahh… ouch!" I managed to sputter as I lay on the ground.
"Sorry Miss, you okay?" I hear the boy mutter as he hurriedly lifted the box. My stomach did a summersault… I knew I knew that voice.
"Well, hello Miss Evans." James pulled on my hands and I staggered to my feet.
"Sorry." I mumbled. All the Quidditch information I had obtained must have still been lying on the floor. I turned to mush and I couldn't talk.
"What are you doing here?" He said grinning, his pretty, pretty eyes staring into my green ones. I looked away embarrassed. I never actually thought I'd see him here… what was I thinking? I have nothing to say to him.
This was such a dumb idea. Why didn't I think about the chance of him talking to me? I thought maybe at school I could use my genius Quidditch knowledge on him but not here. Not now… when I'm so unprepared… in muggle clothing. Clothing that was at least a size to small… the jeans bit into hips, fat hanging over the waistband. Why didn't I donate these when I had the chance last week? It would have saved much public humiliation. And what about this green Beatles shirt? No wizard has ever heard of the Beatles, not even muggles care about them anymore.
"I am… waiting for someone…" Gosh, what the heck is wrong with me! Waiting for someone? Is that a great way to let the guy know you're unavailable even when you're available?
"Ally? I saw her here a few weeks ago with her parents I think. She was just ranting about how much you love Quidditch. She said you two meet here all the time." Damn… Memo to self: Kill Ally.
"Yeah…"
"What did you think of the game last weekend? Ireland was awesome."
"Yeah," OH! I know someone on that team, Casey Bran… well at least I remember his name on the list in the book. "Yeah, Casey Bran did great!" I exclaimed to him. I got an odd stare.
"Casey retired 10 years ago." Gulp.
"Erm… I have to go." My face was so red.
"Sorry…" He called as I hurried off.
"Wait come back!" I smiled to myself. I didn't want to stop.
"No, Evans come back." I stopped and turned around.
"Yes?" I asked… I had a feeling he maybe wanted to go out or something.
"You still have that book." I stared at the book in my hands. I handed it to him and walked as casually fast as I could out of there. Humiliation complete. My god I'm so retarded.
I walked into a dress robe store. My list said I needed one, and I had one from last year, but maybe I'll find another one, a better one, because my green one is gross. It bunches up around the waste and makes my belly look bigger than it is. The hem shows signs of wear, from where it dragged on the floor during the Christmas Ball last year that Rosaline Barclay organized. I need another one, and all the best ones for the Ball were made months in advance and sold galleons cheaper. I'll just buy one and tuck it away on my wardrobe at school until the Ball.
I walked down the aisles and touched the fabric. Before I knew it I had 4 in my hand and decided it would be a good idea to try them on, so that's what I did. I walked up the lady reading Witch Weekly at the back of the store, she looked friendly.
"Wow that green ones nice. Show me when you try it on!" She said as she looked at the dress which was one of my favorites. "How many?" She asked.
"Four." I told her and she pointed in the direction of a little changing cubicle near the front.
I walked inside and closed the door carefully and stripped off my clothes. Gosh… when did my thighs get so big? I tried not to stare, but how could you miss it? I was a big pink blob with stick straight red hair that went to the middle of my back. I yanked the first dress on. A feeling of discouragement landed over me as it became tight around my hips. I tugged harder. It came up and I inserted my arms through the holes. I had one word for how that dress made me feel. Breathless. Not breathless as in, wow, but breathless as in, too tight, can't breath. I sucked in and yanked the dress down over my hips and put it back on the hanger. I tried 2 more, but with similar results. How much weight had I gained this summer?
I grabbed the last dress and pulled it on. It was stunning. It had a daring neck line that showed off what little cleavage I have, it had little emeralds sown on the front down the neckline. I pulled emerald green silk fabric up more and tied it neatly around my neck. Wow. It made my legs look a little longer, or less stubby… whatever. My skin looked creamy against the fabric and my eyes looked great. I almost wasn't aware at how far apart they were. I stepped out of the cubicle and showed the woman reading Witch Weekly.
"Wow that's brilliant." The girl said to me.
"Thanks, I think it's great too."
"I second that." I turned sharply. James stood there with the woman from the Quidditch store. The store wasn't that big so of course, even though his mum and him were just coming in he saw me twirling for the clerk.
"Um… Thanks?" I said unsure. Was he lying?
"You should buy it" He said. I looked at the price tag. 900 galleons? What the heck? Lie, lie, lie, think of a lie… don't tell him you don't have enough money.
"I'll ask my mum to come back for it. I'm short a few galleons." What a great lie. It would have worked even, but everyone, including James knows my parents are muggles. Smooth Lily, real smooth.
"Yeah, okay." He said with a smile. I might even have taken the smile as one of approval if I hadn't been lying through my teeth… and the thing was he knew I was lying through my teeth, I could see it in his eyes.
I just dropped my head and stalked back into the changing room. I hurriedly put my clothes back on and hung the dress back up. I gathered the dresses and opened the door. The lady was chatting idly with James, so I hung up the garments and left. I was glad to leave, seeing him talking to that girl made me jealous anyways.
A/N: Well. This is my first Lily James fic, so please don't flame me. I do accept constructive criticism though. Also, Lily probably is out of character now, but I'm not to aware of what her personality is so right now in this fic she is going to be smart, witty, funny, and secretly smitten with James. Please review.
