The next morning, the whole school was gathered around the bullitin board, whispering. Ruth and Lily passed by on the way to breakfast, and decided to stop and have a look.

"What does it say?" Ruth asked.

"I don't know, I can't see." Lily replied. "You're taller, you have a look."

Ruth stood on her tip toes and tried to read over the heads of the crowd. "well?" Lily asked.

"Ok I can see it." Ruth said. "It looks like the next hogsmead visit is in three weeks, and...beauxbatons is arriving early!"

"What?"

"Hold one, lemme read more...it says that the school is having heating problems, so they're arriving at Hogwarts earlier, and staying for longer, or at least until after the problem is fixed."

"Heating problems? At a wizarding school? Why can't they just fix it with magic?" Lily asked.

"I dunno. Strange isn't it?" Ruth said, and kept on reading. "They're arriving in a week. That's about it."

Ruth and Lily continued into the great hall for breakfast.

"A week..." Lily said.

"Yup, a week." Ruth said. "How exciting."

"I guess, I've never met anyone from a different wizarding school before."

"I have, only once, on vacation in Greenland."

"What were you doing in Greenland?"

"My father's job. He had an archeology project in Greenland so my whole family went along."

"I see...but it's short notice isn't it? I mean the fact that beauxbatons is coming in a week."

"I guess..."

Meanwhile, the boys had just gotten in after looking at the bullitin.

"Hogsmead. Three weeks." Sirius said to James.

"I know, I know." James knew he was talking about asking Lily out. "I'm gonna do it today."

"Good." Remus said. "Wait any longer and she'll forget your name."

James laughed, and looked over at Lily. He had forgotten just how much he had missed her. He wanted to talk to her, but didn't know what to say. She must think I'm an idiot, asking her out and then not talking to her again he thought. When he saw her walking out of the great hall, he followed her. "I'll be right back." He said to his friends.

He chased after her onto the grounds and yelled "Lily!"

She turned around and saw him. Then she told Ruth to go on down to the greenhouses, and she'd meet her there later since they were early anyways.

"James." She said with a smile on her face. "Haven't heard from you in a while." She laughed.

"Yes, I know." He laughed too. "I'm sorry about that, I've been busy."

"Really..."

"No. I have to be honest. I wanted to talk to you, but I was scared."

"Scared? of me? why?"

"Well maybe not scared, but, it's just that, I've asked you out so many times, and I've wanted you to say yes so many times, and now that it's happened, I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?"

"I hope you'll forgive me for not saying much after Halloween, but I just don't know what to say. I was so happy after I found out you felt the same way that..."

"Sh..." Lily put her finger on his lips. "Don't say anything. I understand." Then she kissed him. "I was worried that you had stopped liking me for some reason."

"Never." He smiled. "So would you like to go to Hogsmead with me?"

"Of course." She replied. "We should go now. Don't want to be late for herboligy."

"No, of course not." And they walked down to the greenhouses, hand in hand.

At that moment, Lani came out onto the grounds with Caroline and Malorie.

"Lily Evans and James Potter." She said angrily to her friends. "So they finally got together."

"They look so happy." Malorie cooed.

"Shut up you dim wit." Lani said to her, making it obvious that Malorie didn't fit in with her and Caroline as much. "This disgusts me. What could he possibly see in her?"

"Well..." Malorie started.

"That was a retorical question idiot." Lani barked. "Lily Evans, so beautiful, so smart, so PERFECT." She said sarcastically, as she saw Lily beaming at James. "You may be James Potter's new girlfriend now, but not for long...not if I have anything to say about it. Ms. Evans, you better watch...your...back!"