Disclaimer: I do not owe Harry Potter or anything related to the HP world.
Chapter 12 ~ The Perfect Plan
The Great Hall was full of noise that evening. Everybody had heard of James release and was waiting eagerly for his arrival. The Gryffindor Table was buzzing with excitement and people kept looking toward the door every second.
When James finally made his entrance, the Hall exploded into cheers and applause, people stood from their seats and clapped him on the back as he walked toward his customary seat. The only ones who seemed to not care was the Slytherin Table, but nobody paid them any attention.
"Wow, I wasn't expecting a welcome like it." Exclaimed James as he took his seat.
"You are lucky you are well liked." Laughed Peter.
"Well, at least this is better than all the flowers and gifts you received." Said Lily in a curt tone. James was too busy waving to those around him that he didn't notice but the other did and looked at her with surprise.
"You are right, this is much better." James said as the Hall quieted.
"Hmph!" Lily grunted.
Sirius smiled mischievously and looked from Lily to James. The others, except Lily and James, noticed this and smiled secretly.
"So, are things going back to normal now that you are out of the infirmary?" Asked Katie as she piled some fruit onto her plate.
"I'm sorry to say that it won't. I have to go to the infirmary at least once a day to be examined and my parents are staying at least one more week to make sure that everything is fine." Scowled James as he looked down to his plate.
"Surely it won't be too bad." Said Emma.
"Of course it will, mother will keep her eye on me all the time, I can't move back to the Tower until they are gone, and I won't be able to have fun while they are here." He complained.
"You mean you won't get away with anything while they are here." Said Lily.
"As I said, I won't be able to have any fun." He repeated.
The rest of the group laughed while Lily only smiled. James was too busy eating as much as he could and talking to those around him that he didn't notice how quiet and aloof Lily was that night.
Dinner went on with laughter in part of the students. The teachers looked on indulgently. The Potters looked with happiness at their youngest child, he seemed so healthy and carefree it was difficult to believe that he had been near death not so long ago.
"Are you sure Albus that he is out of danger?" Asked Mrs. Potter as she looked at her son.
"He won't be hurt while he is here. I cannot guarantee what will happen to him after he leaves, but I'll make sure that he is well prepared. He is very talented, and with the help of his friends and his wits he will get far." Said Dumbledore with a smile.
"I am sure that he will, and with things as they are at the moment these young people need to be well prepared." Responded Mr. Potter.
"I fear that things will get worse. He won't stop until he has taken total control, I don't know what has kept him from showing himself, but I do know that it won't be long until everybody in the Magical World will fear the name of Voldemort." Said Dumbledore in a serious tone.
"I cannot believe that Riddle became this person, I thought he was brilliant but never expected that he could be so evil." Replied Mr. Potter.
"He is very ambitious. The thirst for power can make us do things that we would never thought we would. I'm sorry to say that he has always felt superior to others, and it was this sense of superiority that has led him to follow this path. I just hope that somebody with equal power as his own exists that can lead to his defeat." Dumbledore said.
"Do you think such person exist? This Voldemort sounds like somebody that could become undefeatable if he isn't stopped soon." Said Mrs. Potter.
"I cannot say if there is, I just hope that he joins us in time. You need to speak with the people we discussed Aliaster, we need to start organizing, the sooner we do it the longer we can keep him from becoming too powerful."
"Don't worry Albus, I will speak with them. I will search for others that might join us as well. We need all the allies we can get."
"I trust that you will find them Aliaster. Owl me when you are ready." Mr. Potter nodded to Dumbledore and dinner continued.
Hogwarts woke up to the first snowfall of the season. Classes continued as they always did, but this time James joined them. The teachers were glad to have him back, even Professor McGonagall, who always despaired from trying to keep the attention of the foursome, was seen to smile indulgently at James during the whole lesson; the fact that he was her best student didn't enter her mind.
By the time classes were done, and students met around the school to do their work, the grounds were completely covered in white. There was frost on the windows and Hagrid could be seen defrosting the equipment left in the Quidditch Pitch.
The group sat on the common room watching the snowflakes falling outside the window. Lily and James sat on the window enclosure while the others sat around them. They were laughing and enjoying their time together.
"Are you serious, she actually did that?" Katie asked giggling.
"Well, she is three years old, she doesn't know any better." Chuckled James.
"Your sister must be going crazy with your nieces' antics." Laughed Remus.
"She complains, but you can see how much she adores the girls. They sent me a nice owl yesterday, they liked all the gifts I sent." Said James.
"You sent all those gifts you got? But they were meant to be get well gifts James, it seems kind of rude to give them away." Said Emma.
"What was I going to do with a teddy, or a pair of golden combs, or a room full of flowers?" James exclaimed.
"Well, the combs are easy, you could comb your hair." Said Lily. The group laughed and James glared.
"Oh cheer up James, I'm sure your sister liked all the gifts." Said Peter.
"Oh she did, but I think that mother told her where I got them from."
The group laughed.
The week quickly passed and the group continued to meet in the common room every evening until the time arrived for the Potters to return to London and James to move back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Now James, you promised to be careful and to let us know if anything happens." Mrs. Potter urged as the elves got the luggage ready to be sent to the carriage.
"Don't worry mum, I'll owl you regularly." Replied James as he sat in a chair in his parents' quarters looking at all the bustle that the move was causing.
"Remember to take all your meals, and don't over do it when you practice Quidditch, I know how mad you are for the sport."
"I'll take it easy."
"Be sure to thank Lily for us for all the help she gave you during your convalescence. She is such a nice girl, I really like her."
"I'll thank her, and I know that you liked her."
"Maybe you should buy her some flowers or candy." When Mrs. Potter noticed the frown forming in her son's face she quickly added. "As a thank you gift from us, of course. Or do you think she would like something else?"
"I don't know what she would like, but why don't you sent her an owl when you get back home. I'm sure that by then you will think of a perfect thank you gift."
"You are right, she would like it better if it came from me."
James gave a sigh of relief.
"Now James, remember to behave yourself and to stay out of trouble." Mrs. Potter said as the room was emptied. The luggage had been taken and Mr. Potter was having a last minute discussion with Dumbledore.
"I'll try mum."
"Well now, good bye dear and remember that we want you to come home for the holidays, I'm thinking of inviting family over."
"Very well, as long as you don't invite Aunt Amelia, she pinches my cheeks every time she sees me and I can't stand that cat of hers."
"She is just getting old James, she is a nice lady."
"Easy for you to say."
"Well, we'll see, she might want to spend the holidays with her daughter in Spain."
"I'll be crossing my fingers."
"Now I must really go or your father will have a fit, he has missed too many days from the Ministry already. Good bye dear, and be careful." Mrs. Potter presented her cheek to James to kiss, which he promptly did.
"Bye mum."
James followed his mother out of the room and escorted her to the entrance hall of the castle where Mr. Potter stood waiting in the company of Dumbledore.
"Now young man, behave yourself and I'll be owling you later."
"Good bye father. Have a nice trip."
Mr. Potter gave James a quick hug and then turned to his wife who was saying good bye to Dumbledore.
James and Dumbledore stood upon the stairs watching the carriage disappear around the corner.
Lily was stepping out of Professor Sprout's office when somebody bumped into her.
"I'm sorry." James and Lily said at the same time. They laughed and together they started to walk down the corridor.
"I hope you don't mind if I go with you to the tower." Said James giving her his most charming smile.
"Of course not. Are you all set to move back to the tower?" Replied Lily with a smile of her own.
"All my things are back in the dorm. Mum and dad just left."
"Are you going to miss them much?"
"Not as much as I did when I was a first year."
"Of course. How is Minnie? I haven't seen her around."
"She's being a slave driver. She is very protective of me."
"I noticed that."
"But I've been told that all personal elves are like that. My poor son will have to suffer her when I marry."
"Oh dear, I hope he doesn't take after you, otherwise he won't know what to do with her, the poor child."
James laughed. "It's just like you to feel sorry for a child that isn't born yet."
Lily laughed in reply.
"What did Professor Sprout want with you?" Asked James as they neared the tower.
"It seems that her plants in greenhouse 7 have developed some problem and she wants me to try a charm on them."
"Oh, well, you are the best at Charms so I expect that you can solve the problem."
"Thank you for your vote of confidence. Professor Sprout said that I can collect some fruit and plants from her greenhouses when the charm has been performed, so I'm going to the tower to get some baskets."
The couple had arrived to the entrance to Gryffindor tower. As the portrait opened, they were met by their friends who had been waiting for them.
"Where have you two been?" Asked Sirius the moment he saw them enter.
"Busy." Said Lily with a smile.
"None of your concern." James replied.
"Perhaps the question should be what were you doing?" Asked Sirius in a sly tone. Both Lily and James sighed in exasperation.
"Take your mind out of the gutter Sirius, it doesn't suit you." Said James as he walked to the couch.
"Fine. But where were you? We were looking for you all over." Sirius said as the whole group was settled around the fireplace.
"I was saying goodbye to mum and dad, and you know how much mum worries." James said.
"Oh, was she too worried about her baby?" Sirius teased. Katie pinched his arm while James glared at him.
"I was at Professor Sprout's office, she needs me to do a charm for her. I'm going to get a basket, she said that I could pick some fruit and flowers from her greenhouses after the charm was done." Lily said.
"Do you need some help?" Remus asked.
"I don't think I will need all of you there." Lily smiled, "but I would appreciate a hand to carry the baskets."
The group, except for James who was lying on the couch with his eyes closed, looked at each other before turning back to look at Lily.
"Sorry Lily, Sirius and I are going to the library to do some research." Said Katie with a conciliatory smile.
"Remus and I have plans as well, he needs to see Madam Pomfrey and I'm going to keep him company. Peter is going as well." Said Emma as Peter nodded.
"I'll go with you Lily." Said James sitting up on the couch.
"Thanks James." Lily smiled happily at him before skipping up the stairs.
"Be sure to gather lots of fruit James, we could do with some midnight snacks." Urged Sirius.
"Isn't the food Minnie brings enough?" Asked James with mock surprise.
"Of course not, that's only dessert." Replied Sirius. The boys chuckled at his response.
"Maybe you should go and get your cloak James, it must be cold outside." Urged Emma. James nodded and quickly went up to the dorm to get his cloak.
"How did you get Sprout to ask Lily to do the charm?" Asked Katie turning to Remus.
"Easy, Sirius here infected the plants while we were in class, when Professor Sprout noticed I happened to mention how brilliant Lily was with charms and that she could cure them in an instant. You know how Sprout is about her plants, and she isn't good with charms so I knew she would jump at the chance of having her plants cured easily. Then Peter staged a conversation with Sirius about how much Lily appreciated the flowers and fruit in Sprout's greenhouses and that a few of them would be readily accepted as payment for curing the plants. Next thing we know she was asking Lily to stay after class." Said Remus with a shrug.
"How did you know that James would volunteer?" Asked Emma.
"Or that Lily would like some help?" Asked Katie.
"Lily wouldn't let the chance of gathering some fruit or flowers pass by. And James is so chivalrous he wouldn't let her go by herself, especially after she said that she would appreciate some help." Said Sirius.
"And now what?" Asked Peter, looking at the stairs making sure that neither Lily nor James appeared and heard their conversation.
"Now we let them be on their own for a while. The way they both act towards each other should lead to a natural pairing, if after this they don't get together then we need to think of something else." Said Remus.
The group waited in silence for Lily and James to appear. Finally, they heard the couple coming down the stairs talking and laughing together.
"We are going now, see you later." Said Lily waving at them and disappeared out the portrait hole.
"Behave yourselves." Warned James.
"We always do, you are the bad influence." Shouted Sirius as James followed Lily out of the common room.
The night was chilly but clear. The moon lighted the path that had been cleared of snow toward the greenhouses. James was carrying one basket and Lily another.
"Why two baskets?" He asked.
"One for fruit and the other for flowers." She answered.
"Taking advantage of Professor Sprout's offer huh?"
"Of course, I don't know when I will get another chance."
James laughed and Lily smiled cheerfully.
"How does this charm work?"
"It is a simple incantation, it makes a natural repellant for the infection that affects the plants."
"Why didn't she ask Professor Flitwick to do it for her?"
"Professor Flitwick was busy and Professor Sprout is not very fond of charms."
"So what have you been doing lately, we haven't talked as much as we used to."
"Well, I was not going to go to your bedroom to talk now was I?"
"I wouldn't have minded."
"I'm sure you wouldn't have, but I believe your mother would."
"Probably. So what were you doing while I was all alone in my room."
"Nothing much. All the Head Girl duties and class work."
"Sorry you were left with double duty."
"Don't worry, it wasn't too bad. If you had gotten sick while we were preparing for the festival then it would've been different."
"Lord, I don't even want to think about it."
"Are you feeling much better now?" She asked looking worriedly at him.
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey still wants me to go to the infirmary regularly to make sure there are no side effects, but so far I'm doing just fine."
"I'm glad."
The couple had arrived at greenhouse 3, where Professor Sprout kept the most exotic plants. James looked around the room looking at all the plants while Lily went to work on the charm.
Lily worked on the plants for just a couple of minutes and quickly joined James near a plant that looked liked a squid.
"Are you done?" He asked as soon as he noticed her beside him.
She nodded. "All set, we can go to greenhouse 7 now to gather the fruit and flowers."
"Good. Do you know what this is?" He pointed at the plant and quickly pulled it back when the plant moved to grab his arm.
"A Tarantella Plant, it is attracted to heat that is why is classified as a predatory plant." She responded.
"Fascinating plant." He sarcastically said.
"Come on." Lily pulled his shirt to get his attention and quickly walked to the entrance of the greenhouse.
They quickly made their way to a greenhouse that was a little far from the others, it stood alone among the white ground.
"This is perfect for a snow fight." James exclaimed.
"I'm sure it is." Laughed Lily. Only James would think of something like that.
Lily stopped laughing when she felt being hit by something damp.
"You didn't!" She exclaimed turning to look at a smiling James.
"Didn't what?" He innocently asked.
Lily quickly used her wand to levitate some snow, which she swiftly threw to James. Among giggles and laughter a magical snow fight arose. James finally tried to put a stop to it when he reached for Lily to trap her arms but he slipped and both fell in a snow bank. Lily fell beneath James, both were breathing raggedly as they tried to catch their breath.
"Give?" He asked.
"What happens if I say no?"
"You'll see."
"You're bluffing."
"Try me."
Their faces were really close, something that they didn't notice until they looked straight into each other's eyes.
Lily quickly looked away and James promptly stood up and reached down to help her up.
"Er.sorry." James said.
"There is nothing to be sorry about." Lily said.
Both turned to shake the snow from their robes trying to avoid each other's eyes.
"Shall we go on?" Lily politely asked as she picked up the basket she carried from where it had fallen.
"Yeah, let's go." The couple continued on their way in awkward silence. Each immersed in thoughts.
Was he going to kiss me? Oh dear!
What was I doing? She is my friend for goodness sakes!
The couple finally arrived at the isolated greenhouse. As the door opened it seemed like they had entered into a tropical world. All kinds of fruit trees and flowerbeds lined the outer wall. A path branched into different directions as they walked farther into the room. In the center they could see a sparkling fountain with a statue of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite in the center. The water bubbled up from the pedestal in which she stood and run down to the large pool underneath it.
"This is beautiful!" Lily exclaimed in awe.
"No wonder she keeps this secret. This is a perfect spot for lovers to hide." James said. Lily blushed as he mentioned the word lovers, and James flushed when he noticed his slip of the tongue.
"Professor Sprout said that the berries were near the center and the citrus trees along the wall. Where should we start?" Said Lily trying to fill the awkward silence that followed James comment.
"What about the berries? We are here now, makes no sense to start somewhere else." James replied.
Both turned to look at the bushes of berries nearby. There were strawberries, blueberries, blackberries. They also say cherries and plums. They started to pick but somehow more berries made their way into their mouth than into the basket.
"Oh look at these, they look ripe enough." Exclaimed Lily as she noticed some juicy strawberries. She picked some and tasted one. She closed her eyes with pleasure as she bit into it. James looked at her, and gulped. Lily opened her eyes and smiled. " They are truly delicious, here taste them." She picked another one and fed it to James. He bit into the berry and ate it very slowly. Lily's eyes widened and looked away blushing. James smiled mischievously when he noticed her rosy cheeks.
They continued to pick the berries and eating as they did. When they thought they had enough, they turned to look at the citrus trees.
"What do you want to pick?" James asked as he looked up to see how high the trees were and if he could climb them if she wanted.
"Let's try those oranges there, they are not too high up. Can you reach them?" Asked Lily pointing to an orange tree near them.
"Yes." James reached up and easily picked the oranges from the branches. Lily lifted the basket for him to place them in.
"Now what?" James asked as he finished with the oranges.
"Here let's pick some lemons as well. Have you ever eaten lemons? I like eating them with a coat of sugar." Said Lily walking to a small lemon tree.
"I haven't tried it, but I will if you let me have some of these." James said as he followed her to the tree.
"Of course you can have some. You are helping me after all." Smiled Lily. She had reached the tree and as she turned to look at James her robes got snagged by the tree. "Oh no! I can't get lose." She exclaimed as she tried to release her robes.
"Here let me help you, you are going to rip your robes if you keep doing that." Laughed James as he saw her struggle against the tree.
"I don't see the humor in it." Lily said with a glare toward James.
"Of course you don't, but you would if you were in my shoes." Chuckled James, he reached for the snagging branch but his efforts were impeded by Lily's movement. "Would you keep still? I can't release you if you are moving." He said with an exasperated tone.
"Sorry." She said and kept still while James tried to release her. Lily was very aware of James nearness. She could smell the scent of his soap mixed with the cologne that he used. She tried to keep her mind on something else, but her senses kept coming back to it.
"There you go." James said with a sigh of relief. He looked down at Lily and what he saw made him hold his breath.
Her eyes had turned smoky green and James felt like he was being pulled into the pools of her eyes. He breathed deeply and slowly lowered his head.
Their lips met. He kissed her slowly and when he felt her sigh he deepened the kiss.
Neither had noticed a small part of the glass wall that was clear, behind it five pairs of eyes were looking in on them and when their lips met, neither heard the whispered "Yes!"
A/N: I hope you like this chapter! Please review and let me know. : )
Chapter 12 ~ The Perfect Plan
The Great Hall was full of noise that evening. Everybody had heard of James release and was waiting eagerly for his arrival. The Gryffindor Table was buzzing with excitement and people kept looking toward the door every second.
When James finally made his entrance, the Hall exploded into cheers and applause, people stood from their seats and clapped him on the back as he walked toward his customary seat. The only ones who seemed to not care was the Slytherin Table, but nobody paid them any attention.
"Wow, I wasn't expecting a welcome like it." Exclaimed James as he took his seat.
"You are lucky you are well liked." Laughed Peter.
"Well, at least this is better than all the flowers and gifts you received." Said Lily in a curt tone. James was too busy waving to those around him that he didn't notice but the other did and looked at her with surprise.
"You are right, this is much better." James said as the Hall quieted.
"Hmph!" Lily grunted.
Sirius smiled mischievously and looked from Lily to James. The others, except Lily and James, noticed this and smiled secretly.
"So, are things going back to normal now that you are out of the infirmary?" Asked Katie as she piled some fruit onto her plate.
"I'm sorry to say that it won't. I have to go to the infirmary at least once a day to be examined and my parents are staying at least one more week to make sure that everything is fine." Scowled James as he looked down to his plate.
"Surely it won't be too bad." Said Emma.
"Of course it will, mother will keep her eye on me all the time, I can't move back to the Tower until they are gone, and I won't be able to have fun while they are here." He complained.
"You mean you won't get away with anything while they are here." Said Lily.
"As I said, I won't be able to have any fun." He repeated.
The rest of the group laughed while Lily only smiled. James was too busy eating as much as he could and talking to those around him that he didn't notice how quiet and aloof Lily was that night.
Dinner went on with laughter in part of the students. The teachers looked on indulgently. The Potters looked with happiness at their youngest child, he seemed so healthy and carefree it was difficult to believe that he had been near death not so long ago.
"Are you sure Albus that he is out of danger?" Asked Mrs. Potter as she looked at her son.
"He won't be hurt while he is here. I cannot guarantee what will happen to him after he leaves, but I'll make sure that he is well prepared. He is very talented, and with the help of his friends and his wits he will get far." Said Dumbledore with a smile.
"I am sure that he will, and with things as they are at the moment these young people need to be well prepared." Responded Mr. Potter.
"I fear that things will get worse. He won't stop until he has taken total control, I don't know what has kept him from showing himself, but I do know that it won't be long until everybody in the Magical World will fear the name of Voldemort." Said Dumbledore in a serious tone.
"I cannot believe that Riddle became this person, I thought he was brilliant but never expected that he could be so evil." Replied Mr. Potter.
"He is very ambitious. The thirst for power can make us do things that we would never thought we would. I'm sorry to say that he has always felt superior to others, and it was this sense of superiority that has led him to follow this path. I just hope that somebody with equal power as his own exists that can lead to his defeat." Dumbledore said.
"Do you think such person exist? This Voldemort sounds like somebody that could become undefeatable if he isn't stopped soon." Said Mrs. Potter.
"I cannot say if there is, I just hope that he joins us in time. You need to speak with the people we discussed Aliaster, we need to start organizing, the sooner we do it the longer we can keep him from becoming too powerful."
"Don't worry Albus, I will speak with them. I will search for others that might join us as well. We need all the allies we can get."
"I trust that you will find them Aliaster. Owl me when you are ready." Mr. Potter nodded to Dumbledore and dinner continued.
Hogwarts woke up to the first snowfall of the season. Classes continued as they always did, but this time James joined them. The teachers were glad to have him back, even Professor McGonagall, who always despaired from trying to keep the attention of the foursome, was seen to smile indulgently at James during the whole lesson; the fact that he was her best student didn't enter her mind.
By the time classes were done, and students met around the school to do their work, the grounds were completely covered in white. There was frost on the windows and Hagrid could be seen defrosting the equipment left in the Quidditch Pitch.
The group sat on the common room watching the snowflakes falling outside the window. Lily and James sat on the window enclosure while the others sat around them. They were laughing and enjoying their time together.
"Are you serious, she actually did that?" Katie asked giggling.
"Well, she is three years old, she doesn't know any better." Chuckled James.
"Your sister must be going crazy with your nieces' antics." Laughed Remus.
"She complains, but you can see how much she adores the girls. They sent me a nice owl yesterday, they liked all the gifts I sent." Said James.
"You sent all those gifts you got? But they were meant to be get well gifts James, it seems kind of rude to give them away." Said Emma.
"What was I going to do with a teddy, or a pair of golden combs, or a room full of flowers?" James exclaimed.
"Well, the combs are easy, you could comb your hair." Said Lily. The group laughed and James glared.
"Oh cheer up James, I'm sure your sister liked all the gifts." Said Peter.
"Oh she did, but I think that mother told her where I got them from."
The group laughed.
The week quickly passed and the group continued to meet in the common room every evening until the time arrived for the Potters to return to London and James to move back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Now James, you promised to be careful and to let us know if anything happens." Mrs. Potter urged as the elves got the luggage ready to be sent to the carriage.
"Don't worry mum, I'll owl you regularly." Replied James as he sat in a chair in his parents' quarters looking at all the bustle that the move was causing.
"Remember to take all your meals, and don't over do it when you practice Quidditch, I know how mad you are for the sport."
"I'll take it easy."
"Be sure to thank Lily for us for all the help she gave you during your convalescence. She is such a nice girl, I really like her."
"I'll thank her, and I know that you liked her."
"Maybe you should buy her some flowers or candy." When Mrs. Potter noticed the frown forming in her son's face she quickly added. "As a thank you gift from us, of course. Or do you think she would like something else?"
"I don't know what she would like, but why don't you sent her an owl when you get back home. I'm sure that by then you will think of a perfect thank you gift."
"You are right, she would like it better if it came from me."
James gave a sigh of relief.
"Now James, remember to behave yourself and to stay out of trouble." Mrs. Potter said as the room was emptied. The luggage had been taken and Mr. Potter was having a last minute discussion with Dumbledore.
"I'll try mum."
"Well now, good bye dear and remember that we want you to come home for the holidays, I'm thinking of inviting family over."
"Very well, as long as you don't invite Aunt Amelia, she pinches my cheeks every time she sees me and I can't stand that cat of hers."
"She is just getting old James, she is a nice lady."
"Easy for you to say."
"Well, we'll see, she might want to spend the holidays with her daughter in Spain."
"I'll be crossing my fingers."
"Now I must really go or your father will have a fit, he has missed too many days from the Ministry already. Good bye dear, and be careful." Mrs. Potter presented her cheek to James to kiss, which he promptly did.
"Bye mum."
James followed his mother out of the room and escorted her to the entrance hall of the castle where Mr. Potter stood waiting in the company of Dumbledore.
"Now young man, behave yourself and I'll be owling you later."
"Good bye father. Have a nice trip."
Mr. Potter gave James a quick hug and then turned to his wife who was saying good bye to Dumbledore.
James and Dumbledore stood upon the stairs watching the carriage disappear around the corner.
Lily was stepping out of Professor Sprout's office when somebody bumped into her.
"I'm sorry." James and Lily said at the same time. They laughed and together they started to walk down the corridor.
"I hope you don't mind if I go with you to the tower." Said James giving her his most charming smile.
"Of course not. Are you all set to move back to the tower?" Replied Lily with a smile of her own.
"All my things are back in the dorm. Mum and dad just left."
"Are you going to miss them much?"
"Not as much as I did when I was a first year."
"Of course. How is Minnie? I haven't seen her around."
"She's being a slave driver. She is very protective of me."
"I noticed that."
"But I've been told that all personal elves are like that. My poor son will have to suffer her when I marry."
"Oh dear, I hope he doesn't take after you, otherwise he won't know what to do with her, the poor child."
James laughed. "It's just like you to feel sorry for a child that isn't born yet."
Lily laughed in reply.
"What did Professor Sprout want with you?" Asked James as they neared the tower.
"It seems that her plants in greenhouse 7 have developed some problem and she wants me to try a charm on them."
"Oh, well, you are the best at Charms so I expect that you can solve the problem."
"Thank you for your vote of confidence. Professor Sprout said that I can collect some fruit and plants from her greenhouses when the charm has been performed, so I'm going to the tower to get some baskets."
The couple had arrived to the entrance to Gryffindor tower. As the portrait opened, they were met by their friends who had been waiting for them.
"Where have you two been?" Asked Sirius the moment he saw them enter.
"Busy." Said Lily with a smile.
"None of your concern." James replied.
"Perhaps the question should be what were you doing?" Asked Sirius in a sly tone. Both Lily and James sighed in exasperation.
"Take your mind out of the gutter Sirius, it doesn't suit you." Said James as he walked to the couch.
"Fine. But where were you? We were looking for you all over." Sirius said as the whole group was settled around the fireplace.
"I was saying goodbye to mum and dad, and you know how much mum worries." James said.
"Oh, was she too worried about her baby?" Sirius teased. Katie pinched his arm while James glared at him.
"I was at Professor Sprout's office, she needs me to do a charm for her. I'm going to get a basket, she said that I could pick some fruit and flowers from her greenhouses after the charm was done." Lily said.
"Do you need some help?" Remus asked.
"I don't think I will need all of you there." Lily smiled, "but I would appreciate a hand to carry the baskets."
The group, except for James who was lying on the couch with his eyes closed, looked at each other before turning back to look at Lily.
"Sorry Lily, Sirius and I are going to the library to do some research." Said Katie with a conciliatory smile.
"Remus and I have plans as well, he needs to see Madam Pomfrey and I'm going to keep him company. Peter is going as well." Said Emma as Peter nodded.
"I'll go with you Lily." Said James sitting up on the couch.
"Thanks James." Lily smiled happily at him before skipping up the stairs.
"Be sure to gather lots of fruit James, we could do with some midnight snacks." Urged Sirius.
"Isn't the food Minnie brings enough?" Asked James with mock surprise.
"Of course not, that's only dessert." Replied Sirius. The boys chuckled at his response.
"Maybe you should go and get your cloak James, it must be cold outside." Urged Emma. James nodded and quickly went up to the dorm to get his cloak.
"How did you get Sprout to ask Lily to do the charm?" Asked Katie turning to Remus.
"Easy, Sirius here infected the plants while we were in class, when Professor Sprout noticed I happened to mention how brilliant Lily was with charms and that she could cure them in an instant. You know how Sprout is about her plants, and she isn't good with charms so I knew she would jump at the chance of having her plants cured easily. Then Peter staged a conversation with Sirius about how much Lily appreciated the flowers and fruit in Sprout's greenhouses and that a few of them would be readily accepted as payment for curing the plants. Next thing we know she was asking Lily to stay after class." Said Remus with a shrug.
"How did you know that James would volunteer?" Asked Emma.
"Or that Lily would like some help?" Asked Katie.
"Lily wouldn't let the chance of gathering some fruit or flowers pass by. And James is so chivalrous he wouldn't let her go by herself, especially after she said that she would appreciate some help." Said Sirius.
"And now what?" Asked Peter, looking at the stairs making sure that neither Lily nor James appeared and heard their conversation.
"Now we let them be on their own for a while. The way they both act towards each other should lead to a natural pairing, if after this they don't get together then we need to think of something else." Said Remus.
The group waited in silence for Lily and James to appear. Finally, they heard the couple coming down the stairs talking and laughing together.
"We are going now, see you later." Said Lily waving at them and disappeared out the portrait hole.
"Behave yourselves." Warned James.
"We always do, you are the bad influence." Shouted Sirius as James followed Lily out of the common room.
The night was chilly but clear. The moon lighted the path that had been cleared of snow toward the greenhouses. James was carrying one basket and Lily another.
"Why two baskets?" He asked.
"One for fruit and the other for flowers." She answered.
"Taking advantage of Professor Sprout's offer huh?"
"Of course, I don't know when I will get another chance."
James laughed and Lily smiled cheerfully.
"How does this charm work?"
"It is a simple incantation, it makes a natural repellant for the infection that affects the plants."
"Why didn't she ask Professor Flitwick to do it for her?"
"Professor Flitwick was busy and Professor Sprout is not very fond of charms."
"So what have you been doing lately, we haven't talked as much as we used to."
"Well, I was not going to go to your bedroom to talk now was I?"
"I wouldn't have minded."
"I'm sure you wouldn't have, but I believe your mother would."
"Probably. So what were you doing while I was all alone in my room."
"Nothing much. All the Head Girl duties and class work."
"Sorry you were left with double duty."
"Don't worry, it wasn't too bad. If you had gotten sick while we were preparing for the festival then it would've been different."
"Lord, I don't even want to think about it."
"Are you feeling much better now?" She asked looking worriedly at him.
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey still wants me to go to the infirmary regularly to make sure there are no side effects, but so far I'm doing just fine."
"I'm glad."
The couple had arrived at greenhouse 3, where Professor Sprout kept the most exotic plants. James looked around the room looking at all the plants while Lily went to work on the charm.
Lily worked on the plants for just a couple of minutes and quickly joined James near a plant that looked liked a squid.
"Are you done?" He asked as soon as he noticed her beside him.
She nodded. "All set, we can go to greenhouse 7 now to gather the fruit and flowers."
"Good. Do you know what this is?" He pointed at the plant and quickly pulled it back when the plant moved to grab his arm.
"A Tarantella Plant, it is attracted to heat that is why is classified as a predatory plant." She responded.
"Fascinating plant." He sarcastically said.
"Come on." Lily pulled his shirt to get his attention and quickly walked to the entrance of the greenhouse.
They quickly made their way to a greenhouse that was a little far from the others, it stood alone among the white ground.
"This is perfect for a snow fight." James exclaimed.
"I'm sure it is." Laughed Lily. Only James would think of something like that.
Lily stopped laughing when she felt being hit by something damp.
"You didn't!" She exclaimed turning to look at a smiling James.
"Didn't what?" He innocently asked.
Lily quickly used her wand to levitate some snow, which she swiftly threw to James. Among giggles and laughter a magical snow fight arose. James finally tried to put a stop to it when he reached for Lily to trap her arms but he slipped and both fell in a snow bank. Lily fell beneath James, both were breathing raggedly as they tried to catch their breath.
"Give?" He asked.
"What happens if I say no?"
"You'll see."
"You're bluffing."
"Try me."
Their faces were really close, something that they didn't notice until they looked straight into each other's eyes.
Lily quickly looked away and James promptly stood up and reached down to help her up.
"Er.sorry." James said.
"There is nothing to be sorry about." Lily said.
Both turned to shake the snow from their robes trying to avoid each other's eyes.
"Shall we go on?" Lily politely asked as she picked up the basket she carried from where it had fallen.
"Yeah, let's go." The couple continued on their way in awkward silence. Each immersed in thoughts.
Was he going to kiss me? Oh dear!
What was I doing? She is my friend for goodness sakes!
The couple finally arrived at the isolated greenhouse. As the door opened it seemed like they had entered into a tropical world. All kinds of fruit trees and flowerbeds lined the outer wall. A path branched into different directions as they walked farther into the room. In the center they could see a sparkling fountain with a statue of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite in the center. The water bubbled up from the pedestal in which she stood and run down to the large pool underneath it.
"This is beautiful!" Lily exclaimed in awe.
"No wonder she keeps this secret. This is a perfect spot for lovers to hide." James said. Lily blushed as he mentioned the word lovers, and James flushed when he noticed his slip of the tongue.
"Professor Sprout said that the berries were near the center and the citrus trees along the wall. Where should we start?" Said Lily trying to fill the awkward silence that followed James comment.
"What about the berries? We are here now, makes no sense to start somewhere else." James replied.
Both turned to look at the bushes of berries nearby. There were strawberries, blueberries, blackberries. They also say cherries and plums. They started to pick but somehow more berries made their way into their mouth than into the basket.
"Oh look at these, they look ripe enough." Exclaimed Lily as she noticed some juicy strawberries. She picked some and tasted one. She closed her eyes with pleasure as she bit into it. James looked at her, and gulped. Lily opened her eyes and smiled. " They are truly delicious, here taste them." She picked another one and fed it to James. He bit into the berry and ate it very slowly. Lily's eyes widened and looked away blushing. James smiled mischievously when he noticed her rosy cheeks.
They continued to pick the berries and eating as they did. When they thought they had enough, they turned to look at the citrus trees.
"What do you want to pick?" James asked as he looked up to see how high the trees were and if he could climb them if she wanted.
"Let's try those oranges there, they are not too high up. Can you reach them?" Asked Lily pointing to an orange tree near them.
"Yes." James reached up and easily picked the oranges from the branches. Lily lifted the basket for him to place them in.
"Now what?" James asked as he finished with the oranges.
"Here let's pick some lemons as well. Have you ever eaten lemons? I like eating them with a coat of sugar." Said Lily walking to a small lemon tree.
"I haven't tried it, but I will if you let me have some of these." James said as he followed her to the tree.
"Of course you can have some. You are helping me after all." Smiled Lily. She had reached the tree and as she turned to look at James her robes got snagged by the tree. "Oh no! I can't get lose." She exclaimed as she tried to release her robes.
"Here let me help you, you are going to rip your robes if you keep doing that." Laughed James as he saw her struggle against the tree.
"I don't see the humor in it." Lily said with a glare toward James.
"Of course you don't, but you would if you were in my shoes." Chuckled James, he reached for the snagging branch but his efforts were impeded by Lily's movement. "Would you keep still? I can't release you if you are moving." He said with an exasperated tone.
"Sorry." She said and kept still while James tried to release her. Lily was very aware of James nearness. She could smell the scent of his soap mixed with the cologne that he used. She tried to keep her mind on something else, but her senses kept coming back to it.
"There you go." James said with a sigh of relief. He looked down at Lily and what he saw made him hold his breath.
Her eyes had turned smoky green and James felt like he was being pulled into the pools of her eyes. He breathed deeply and slowly lowered his head.
Their lips met. He kissed her slowly and when he felt her sigh he deepened the kiss.
Neither had noticed a small part of the glass wall that was clear, behind it five pairs of eyes were looking in on them and when their lips met, neither heard the whispered "Yes!"
A/N: I hope you like this chapter! Please review and let me know. : )