Chapter III

Halloween

((James POV))

I had no idea why Lily hated me so much. When I asked the Marauders, they all snorted.

"You're bigheaded," Peter informed me.

"He's right," Remus said. "You would never consider what she wanted if you two were in a relationship."

"She's crazy," Sirius said simply.

"I agree with Padfoot!" I said, punching the air.

"Then you'll never get Lily," Remus informed me. "It's that sort of attitude that shows her you're vain. And for that, she doesn't like you."

"Maybe she would, if you'd be nice to her," added Peter.

I scowled. "I am nice to her!"

"He is nice to her!" piped up Sirius.

"Remember fifth year?" asked Remus.

"When you set off a dungbomb under her chair in Arithmancy so everybody thought she had an accident!" Peter said, tears of mirth coming to his eyes.

"She deserved it," I muttered.

"Yeah!" shouted Sirius, his fist coming down on the table (we were eating breakfast). "She deserved it."

"Did she?" Remus asked. "She was only telling the truth."

"She told me she would rather go out with the giant squid!" I shouted. "I am much more attractive than the giant squid."

"He is much more attractive than the giant squid," Sirius agreed.

"Shut up."

He quieted.

"You're at it again," Remus reminded me.

"Yeah, well, I try not to."

Just then, Lily walked in, her wavy red hair fluttering behind her. Her cloak was fastened in front of her chest, her Head Girl badge pinned to one side. Her green eyeswere always glittering. Long lashes, rosy cheeks, slender figure...she was prettier than any girl I'd everdated.I could have sworn she met my eyes for a moment. Lily slid into a seat beside her friends, Pansy and Rose.

"Should I ask her if I could walk her to class?"

"Yeah," Peter replied, snorting. "If you wanna get smacked."

So we received our course schedules, noting that we had Charms first, and headed in the direction of Professor Flitwick's class.

That day was pretty normal, and I had asked Lily out three times, each receiving a no. So, during our nighttime patrolling, we didn't talk much.

Right before we went to bed, I stood in front of Lily's bedroom door and said, "Will you go out with me, Lily?"

"No, Potter, now let me through."

((Lily's POV))

For some reason, James was getting more and more annoying. He wasn't as rude, though. Why? He never liked me much before.

I think he asked me out at least twice a day all through September. Sometimes I just wanted to say yes, just to see what he would do. Probably snog me in a broom closet. I tried getting the image of James and I kissing in a broom closet out of my head.

In mid October, it was time for the first Hogsmeade visit. James seemed very enthusiastic about this. All through the week before the Hogsmeade weekend, he kept cornering me between classes, asking me to go with him.

"You know what I've noticed?" Rose asked me on our way to Defense Against the Dark Arts class on that Friday. "He hasn't gotten a single girlfriend since we've come here."

This came as a bit of a shock. Why hadn't I noticed?

I was considerably less resentful to him after that.

In Hogsmeade on Saturday, I bought a load of toffees and other sweets at Honeyduke's with Pansy and Rose. On our way to the Three Broomsticks, I saw the Marauders through the window of Zonko's Joke Shop. They were stocking up on more dungbombs, I supposed.

When the eventful day ended, I found myself patrolling the halls of Hogwarts with James again. He seemed too tired from running around Hogsmeade to ask me out again, which I was entirely too grateful for.

In the Common Room we shared, as we were about to go to bed, I looked over at James.

"Goodnight, Potter."

He looked startled, and then a grin spread across his face. "Goodnight, Lily."

Halloween night was eventful. The whole of Hogwarts disguised themselves for the feast. I went as a vampire, Pansy went as a sphinx (she transfigured her body into that of a lion's), and Rose went as a veela. She put some sort of spell on her hair so it was longer and silvery. Several people turned to look at her in awe.

James went as a Quidditch player from Ireland, I saw. He looked at me, his eyebrows raised. I ignored him, and proceeded to the Great Hall.

Live bats were flying around, and glowing jack-o-lanterns were immobilized in midair. We seated ourselves, Rose and I helping Pansy into a sitting position, and then looked up at the Head Table.

Dumbledore, who was dressed as what looked like a hippogriff, stood up, his arms spread out so everybody could get a better look at his costume. "Dig in!"

Food appeared on the plates. We all ate, complimenting each other on costumes. James, who was sitting across the table and only a few seats away from me, looked my way.

"Your costume is very nice, Lily," he said.

"So is yours," I added in a little bit of an irritated voice. He seemed to have caught on, because he didn't bother me again.

"Why don't you just go out with him?" Pansy asked in an exasperated tone as she tried eating with: a fork. Eventually, she settled for sticking her face in her plate and eating like an animal.

"I've said it before," I told her severely. "He's a great, arrogant idjit that cares too much about getting a girlfriend than keeping one."

"He's changed, though."

I gritted my teeth. "He just can't stand being turned down."

A/N: Didja like my idea of dressing up for the Halloween feast? Yep, I thought that up all by myself. Isn't that spiffily niftified? Read and review, peese!