"Alice, help me!" came Lily's groan of frustration from her wardrobe. "I've nothing to wear." she moaned. Always a best friend Alice came to her aid, pulling a knee length dress from her closet and handing it to Lily, whilst fossicking for a pair of shoes under Bella's bed.
"There you go." smiled a satisfied Alice, turning to the mirror.
"Now more importantly, help me," came Bella's voice from the bathroom where she was desperately trying to curl her hair using a bunch of hot rollers. Lily laughed at her, tugging the dress down over her head. It fitted fairly well, just above the knee, and Lily let her hair fall loosely on her shoulders. "Pass me my lipgloss?" questioned Alice from the bathroom, trying to tug out Bella's curlers. "The pink one," she replied in answer to Lily's 'Which one?' "Why didn't you just use magic?" she asked Arabella, pulling the last roller out. Bella shrugged her shoulders in reply, laughing along with Lily.
"I know this really good curling charm," the red head told Alice, "I got it out of witch weekly, the latest edition. With a flick Bella's head was suddenly curly and Alice set about fixing it into a sort of half up half down look. Alice was the true hairdresser among the three. While still academically gifted, she was a right whiz with a straightening charm.
"She'll be here prongs. Stop messing your hair around." advised Remus in response to James' waiting techniques. "How about you go get a carriage." commented James dryly, ushering his friends into a horseless cart, and slamming the door after them with a promise of meeting up later that night for a butterbeer in their dorm.
"Going without me?" came a voice from behind him, and he spun with lightning speed to see Lily Evans standing before him, looking just as beautiful as she did everyday to him.
"I was just getting us a carriage." he smiled at her, motioning for her to accept his proffered arm.
She accepted his arm and they made their way to a coach closest to them.
"Where are we going today?" she questioned, seating herself opposite him. He looked into her brillian green eyes and found himself almost unable to reply. "Uh, Ive got a surprise waiting for us, but you're going to have to trust me." he said, grinning slightly at the thought of what awaited them in Hogsmeade.
The trip to the small town went by very quickly, and soon enough the pair were walking towards the shrieking shack. "Why are we going towards the shrieking shack?" Lily asked, "Everyone knows its haunted." she said with a bit of fear in her voice.
"Its not haunted," laughed James thinking about their monthly trips to the little shack, laying in wait for Remus to transform. She looked dubious, so James grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "Trust me." was his reply, leading her up a set of narrow steps towards the entrance. What seemed like seconds later the duo had reached a door, and swinging it open James led them through to an immaculately clean room, a stark contrast to the previous surroundings of cobwebs and dust.
Before them was a loveseat built for two, with squishy cushions, and a rug on the floor, which held all types of candy. In front of that was a projector, and a massive screen that seemed out of proportion in the small room. "Gosh Potter," she gushed, leading him to the loveseat to get comfortable, "You have really out done yourself this time!" James smiled over at her, and subconsciously moved a bit closer, slinging his arm around the back of the couch. Contrary to what he expected, Lily snuggled closer to him, breathing in his scent. A mixture of peppermint and something else she couldn't identify. The credits started rolling for the start of the film from a projector to their right, and Gone with the Wind commenced.
"You like muggle movies?" asked Lily incredulously. He merely nodded, reaching for a jelly snake, offering her the bowl. She pulled a green one out and sucked on it thoughtfully. Was this really the James Potter she had known and disliked? Over the past month she couldn't seem to find any traces of him left, instead a reliable, considerate individual remained. The movie played out, and at the end James stared down at Lily, wondering what would happen next. She leaned up, and he inched closer….
TBC