Disclaimer: Not JK Rowling. Own nothing. Don't sue, please.
Rating: PG-13
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"Do I look okay?" Lily's friends giggled as she adjusted her hair in the mirror one last time, and she glared good-naturedly at them.
"You look fine, Lil," said one with an air of over-taxed patience.
"You always do," added another. "And Potter's been after you for years... he isn't going to care if your hair's an inch or so out of place."
"That's not the point," she retorted, going slightly red and turning back to the mirror. Her hair still didn't look quite right... maybe she was taking this a little too seriously. "It's got nothing to do with James." That prompted another round of giggling; she waited with her hands on her hips until they had finished.
"You may have to rescue me around lunchtime; we're meeting his friends in the Three Broomsticks. Why I agreed to that I have no idea."
"Come on, Lil, they aren't that bad. I'd have lunch with Sirius Black any day. Or anything else, for that matter..."
She snorted. "You and half the school. The only good thing about having lunch with Sirius would be if he's too busy eating to talk. Knowing my luck, he'll just do both. See you later."
James was waiting in the common room. He turned at the sound of footsteps, but he did not look at all pleased to see her. Instead, he looked rather... cross. She scowled back at him, wondering why he could not even manage a smile, and then caught sight of his three best friends on the other side of the room. Sirius and Peter were laughing uproariously, and although Remus was trying to persuade them to leave, he looked very much as though he too was having trouble keeping a straight face.
Remus had just got Sirius to stop laughing and was herding him and Peter towards the door when Sirius noticed her standing there. That set him off again, making it very plain why he had been laughing in the first place. Remus rolled his eyes.
"Come on, Padfoot," he said, though he was still grinning himself. James glared at them over his shoulder. Sirius just laughed even harder, but Peter finally sobered up and helped Remus to forcibly remove their friend from the common room.
As the Fat Lady swung shut behind them, Lily walked over to James and was relieved to find that with his friends out of the way he was capable of smiling at her. He did have a nice smile, all things considered. Though that was not why she had asked him to go to Hogsmeade with her. She was not shallow enough to fall for a nice smile. All the fussing with her hair suddenly seemed very stupid; his was as much of a mess as always.
Finding something to say was suddenly much harder than it should have been. "What was that about?" she asked; it was all she could think of. "As if I didn't know."
James shrugged awkwardly. "Oh, well..." His eyes darted around, looking anywhere but at her. "Um... shall we wait a couple of minutes for them to be out of the way before we go down?"
"A very good idea," she agreed quickly. She had never met anyone quite as annoying as Sirius, and Peter was such a drip... Remus was all right, quiet compared to the others, but even so there was no use expecting much sense out of him when he was with his friends.
Silence fell, broken only by James shuffling his feet slightly, and as it stretched on Lily cast around desperately for something to say. What did James talk about? The only things she could remember hearing him say were about Quidditch, and she knew next to nothing about that. And she was not prepared to spend half an hour listening to him talk about it, either.
"So, um..." she began, with no real idea what she was going to say, but James spoke at the same time and spared her the trouble of thinking of something.
"I heard there's a new bookshop opened in Hogsmeade," he remarked, his voice sounding strained. Plainly he had been struggling for a topic of conversation as much as she.
"Oh. Oh... that's... good."
He shuffled a little more, embarrassed perhaps, and one hand rose to his hair before dropping quickly back to his side. "Padfoot will have trouble keeping Moony out of there," he added, as if that explained why he had commented. "I think he spends more on books than anything else... except maybe chocolate."
Lily raised her eyebrows; she knew Remus liked reading, but chocolate? He hardly seemed the type; as far as she could tell he scarcely noticed what he was eating at mealtimes, and he was far too thin for someone who ate that much chocolate.
"What is with those stupid nicknames, anyway?" she asked. Moony had to be better than Loopy, which is what they had called poor Remus in first year, but why Sirius accepted being called Padfoot, or James Prongs... She supposed Peter did not have enough backbone to object to Wormtail, but it was hardly flattering. And there seemed no reason for any of them... Remus could go a little vague at times, but not really enough to deserve being called Moony, and as for the others...
"Oh, it's just an old joke that stuck," said James. "I reckon the coast is probably clear now," he added. "Do you want to head down?"
"Sure," she agreed. James pushed the Fat Lady open, but waited for her to go out before climbing through himself.
That warranted another raised eyebrow. "So you can be a gentleman, when you choose," she said, surprised.
He laughed. "When I choose," he agreed. The corridor outside the common room was empty, but James looked all around anyway, scowling again. Checking for his friends, she supposed. Whatever he was looking for, he seemed satisfied when he did not find it, and headed towards the stairs, pausing at the top for her to catch up with an almost confused look that made him look a lot sweeter than he had any right to.
She hurried along with her head down, sure she was blushing, and they made a few more stilted attempts at conversation before they reached the Entrance Hall and Filch, who was checking the students leaving against his list of those with permission.
There was still quite a crowd waiting to go out, but they seemed to have timed their departure well; there was no sign of Sirius, Remus or Peter. Filch glared at James as they passed - he and his friends had probably lost count of their run-ins with the caretaker by now - but let them through with no comment. A couple of giggles told her that her friends were still around, and she glared at them, but James did not seem to have noticed.
"Come on," he said, sounding slightly impatient, and they started down the road to Hogsmeade.
Rating: PG-13
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"Do I look okay?" Lily's friends giggled as she adjusted her hair in the mirror one last time, and she glared good-naturedly at them.
"You look fine, Lil," said one with an air of over-taxed patience.
"You always do," added another. "And Potter's been after you for years... he isn't going to care if your hair's an inch or so out of place."
"That's not the point," she retorted, going slightly red and turning back to the mirror. Her hair still didn't look quite right... maybe she was taking this a little too seriously. "It's got nothing to do with James." That prompted another round of giggling; she waited with her hands on her hips until they had finished.
"You may have to rescue me around lunchtime; we're meeting his friends in the Three Broomsticks. Why I agreed to that I have no idea."
"Come on, Lil, they aren't that bad. I'd have lunch with Sirius Black any day. Or anything else, for that matter..."
She snorted. "You and half the school. The only good thing about having lunch with Sirius would be if he's too busy eating to talk. Knowing my luck, he'll just do both. See you later."
James was waiting in the common room. He turned at the sound of footsteps, but he did not look at all pleased to see her. Instead, he looked rather... cross. She scowled back at him, wondering why he could not even manage a smile, and then caught sight of his three best friends on the other side of the room. Sirius and Peter were laughing uproariously, and although Remus was trying to persuade them to leave, he looked very much as though he too was having trouble keeping a straight face.
Remus had just got Sirius to stop laughing and was herding him and Peter towards the door when Sirius noticed her standing there. That set him off again, making it very plain why he had been laughing in the first place. Remus rolled his eyes.
"Come on, Padfoot," he said, though he was still grinning himself. James glared at them over his shoulder. Sirius just laughed even harder, but Peter finally sobered up and helped Remus to forcibly remove their friend from the common room.
As the Fat Lady swung shut behind them, Lily walked over to James and was relieved to find that with his friends out of the way he was capable of smiling at her. He did have a nice smile, all things considered. Though that was not why she had asked him to go to Hogsmeade with her. She was not shallow enough to fall for a nice smile. All the fussing with her hair suddenly seemed very stupid; his was as much of a mess as always.
Finding something to say was suddenly much harder than it should have been. "What was that about?" she asked; it was all she could think of. "As if I didn't know."
James shrugged awkwardly. "Oh, well..." His eyes darted around, looking anywhere but at her. "Um... shall we wait a couple of minutes for them to be out of the way before we go down?"
"A very good idea," she agreed quickly. She had never met anyone quite as annoying as Sirius, and Peter was such a drip... Remus was all right, quiet compared to the others, but even so there was no use expecting much sense out of him when he was with his friends.
Silence fell, broken only by James shuffling his feet slightly, and as it stretched on Lily cast around desperately for something to say. What did James talk about? The only things she could remember hearing him say were about Quidditch, and she knew next to nothing about that. And she was not prepared to spend half an hour listening to him talk about it, either.
"So, um..." she began, with no real idea what she was going to say, but James spoke at the same time and spared her the trouble of thinking of something.
"I heard there's a new bookshop opened in Hogsmeade," he remarked, his voice sounding strained. Plainly he had been struggling for a topic of conversation as much as she.
"Oh. Oh... that's... good."
He shuffled a little more, embarrassed perhaps, and one hand rose to his hair before dropping quickly back to his side. "Padfoot will have trouble keeping Moony out of there," he added, as if that explained why he had commented. "I think he spends more on books than anything else... except maybe chocolate."
Lily raised her eyebrows; she knew Remus liked reading, but chocolate? He hardly seemed the type; as far as she could tell he scarcely noticed what he was eating at mealtimes, and he was far too thin for someone who ate that much chocolate.
"What is with those stupid nicknames, anyway?" she asked. Moony had to be better than Loopy, which is what they had called poor Remus in first year, but why Sirius accepted being called Padfoot, or James Prongs... She supposed Peter did not have enough backbone to object to Wormtail, but it was hardly flattering. And there seemed no reason for any of them... Remus could go a little vague at times, but not really enough to deserve being called Moony, and as for the others...
"Oh, it's just an old joke that stuck," said James. "I reckon the coast is probably clear now," he added. "Do you want to head down?"
"Sure," she agreed. James pushed the Fat Lady open, but waited for her to go out before climbing through himself.
That warranted another raised eyebrow. "So you can be a gentleman, when you choose," she said, surprised.
He laughed. "When I choose," he agreed. The corridor outside the common room was empty, but James looked all around anyway, scowling again. Checking for his friends, she supposed. Whatever he was looking for, he seemed satisfied when he did not find it, and headed towards the stairs, pausing at the top for her to catch up with an almost confused look that made him look a lot sweeter than he had any right to.
She hurried along with her head down, sure she was blushing, and they made a few more stilted attempts at conversation before they reached the Entrance Hall and Filch, who was checking the students leaving against his list of those with permission.
There was still quite a crowd waiting to go out, but they seemed to have timed their departure well; there was no sign of Sirius, Remus or Peter. Filch glared at James as they passed - he and his friends had probably lost count of their run-ins with the caretaker by now - but let them through with no comment. A couple of giggles told her that her friends were still around, and she glared at them, but James did not seem to have noticed.
"Come on," he said, sounding slightly impatient, and they started down the road to Hogsmeade.