A/N: Sorry for everyone who was hoping for more Sirius/Arabella interaction, because he-Sirius-isn't in this chapter. Don't worry, I will be explaining why they hate each other so much-eventually. But there is plenty of James/Lily for your enjoyment.
"Lily?" Frank called as he walked into the common room. "I need your help!"
Lily looked up from the book she was reading. "For what?"
Frank sank into a chair and sighed. "Diane."
"Ah," Lily said wisely. "So what's wrong?"
"Well, I like her and I'm pretty sure she likes me…but I don't know what to do now."
"Simple. Ask her out," Lily replied calmly and returned to her book. Frank snatched it out of her hands.
"Hey!"
"Come on, Lily…please?" Frank said, giving her a pleading look and holding the book out of her reach.
Lily sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll help."
He grinned. "Great. Listen, the Quidditch game is on Saturday and we're allowed to go to Hogsmeade later, so…could you come with us?"
Lily stared at him, one eyebrow raised. "Thanks, Frank, but I really don't want to be a third wheel-or a chaperone-"
"Then you can bring your own date." Frank suggested. "Please? Lily…I can't do this alone. If you're there then you can stop me from acting like a complete prat. Please?" And with that final 'please?' he gave her a lethal dose of puppy-eyes.
Lily sighed again. "Fine," she said, shaking her head. "But you owe me."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"And you said yes?" Arabella asked, staring at Lily in surprise.
Lily sighed and flopped backwards onto her bed. "I've got to find a date by Saturday. That's three days! Bella, what am I going to do?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Lily was walking back to Hogwarts after practice, James jogged up to her. "Hey, I noticed you were a little distracted. So what's going on?"
Lily shook her head. "Sorry, it's just-my friend Frank has a date on Saturday after the game with this girl he really likes. The problem is, he's really nervous, so he managed to rope me into showing up there too, with a date."
James raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Lily, I don't think you're going to have a problem with finding a guy who'll take you."
Blushing, she smiled and looked down at the ground. "Thanks. But-I just-want to go with someone I'm comfortable with, I guess."
"Well, if you want, I'll go with you," James offered.
Lily looked up at this, not sure she'd heard him right. "You-you will? Really?"
James laughed. "Yes, really. I mean, Frank seems like a nice guy, and I can think of worse ways to spend a Saturday afternoon."
"But you don't mind? I mean, not being able to hang out with your friends…I swear it won't take up the whole afternoon-"
"Lily," James interrupted. "it's okay. Really. I'd be happy to go."
She smiled broadly. "Thank you," she said softly and sincerely, her eyes shining.
James smiled back, aware of the fact that his heart was suddenly pounding for no apparent reason. "No problem."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Lily! I just heard the news!" Karen Thompson, a fifth-year Gryffindor, gushed as she entered the girls' dormitory.
Lily and Arabella looked up. Bella was flipping through a magazine while Lily was searching through her trunk.
"Heard about what?" Lily asked in genuine confusion.
"You and James Potter!"
Arabella looked at Lily significantly. "I told you it'd be all over the school."
Lily gave her friend a look, then turned to Karen. "It's nothing, really."
"Nothing?" Karen echoed in disbelief. "Going on a date with James Potter is not nothing."
"It's not a date," Lily insisted, although with the sudden feeling that she was making a futile protest. "It's a…non-date. An un-date. As far away from an actual date as possible."
"Right," Karen said, disbelief written all over her face. "Well, your…non-date… is the talk of the school. All the girls are so jealous."
Lily groaned. "Great."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Lily, Arabella, and Frank entered the Great Hall for dinner on Thursday, a third-year Ravenclaw walked up to them. "What's it like?" the girl asked eagerly.
"What's what like?" Lily asked, bemused.
"Being the girlfriend of James Potter."
Lily's jaw dropped. "We're not dating."
"But-everyone says you are-"
"Everyone is wrong," Lily insisted firmly, dragging her friends to the Gryffindor table. She whirled around to face them. "This is terrible! One plan to spend some time together at Hogsmeade and people are already asking me if James and I are planning to elope."
"Terrible," Arabella said, a grin threatening to break out.
"It-it really is horrible," Frank agreed, then he and Bella looked at each other and dissolved into giggles.
"This isn't funny!" Lily wailed as her friends guffawed. "It's a disaster!"
Frank was still laughing, so she hit him on the arm.
Rubbing his arm in mock-outrage, Frank said, still grinning, "Lily, it's not that big a deal."
"Yeah," Arabella agreed. "Who cares what people think?"
"I do!" Lily said, her eyes huge. "Besides, it's not fair to James. He agrees to do me a favor, and then he's dragged into all this."
Just then, James walked to them. "Lily-"
She turned to face him. "James, I'm so sorry-I swear I didn't say anything about Hogsmeade to anyone-I don't know how they found out-and I'm just so sorry about all this-I know this isn't what you were expecting-"
"Lily! Calm down," James told her, then grinned. "Actually, I came here to tell you that we're having practice on Sunday afternoon."
"Oh," Lily said sheepishly. "Right."
James grinned down at her. "And about the rumors…it's not that big a deal. Really."
She smiled back at him. "Sorry-I just-well, I'm glad you're not upset. So we're still on for Saturday?"
James nodded. "Yeah, sure."
Lily smiled at him. "Great." With some interest, Frank noted that James's face seemed to go a bit pink.
As James walked away, Frank's forehead was furrowed, as if he was thinking hard about something.
"What is it?" Arabella asked.
Frank shook his head slightly and his expression cleared. "Oh-nothing. I was just-nothing."
But as Arabella and Lily argued over which of the two Ravenclaw Beaters was more attractive-"Mark Stuart. No contest." "Have you lost your mind? Eric Stanton, obviously."-Frank couldn't help but notice that James's gaze wandered over to Lily a little more than was normal.
Frowning slightly, Frank decided to just ignore it-for now.
