Author's Note: Another one-shot. Cool. And unusual for me… Except for the other one… Okay, enough rambling, let's get to the story. Current mood: sick (physically as in have a cold) and weird. This with the combination of strange songs (Boys are back in town - Kiss, with We will rock you – also Kiss, We are the champions - Queen, and Because you loved me – Celine Dion… awkward…) could lead to some equally strange fanfiction. It's your own choice to read ahead, so do whatever you think best ,and safest, though it's always appreciated when you read and reply (no matter how weird). If you have time, check out my other fics, a long one called Fifth Year: Mischief Managed (James, Lily and the Marauders at Hogwarts being crazy), and another one-shot called Boy Will be Boys; Typically and Terminally Hungover (Harry and the other Griffindor boys in his year wearing off a hangover in the Three Broomsticks). Bubbles!
-Kat
Summary: James and Lily struggle through many disappointing first dates, with the hindrance of help from the other Marauders. Fluffy L/J one shot.
Disclaimer: Would I write a disclaimer if I owned it all, huh? Needless to say, I don't.
The Wonders a Simple Sunset Can Do
"So, that's a quidditch museum…" Lily said, thoroughly unimpressed.
James, who had been smart enough to keep his date with the fiery red-head a secret from his cohorts in crime, so as to avoid repeating any of the embarrassing mishaps of their other two attempts, was only thus smart. He had so far prevented any of the Marauders from interrupting the date and screwing it up royally, but had been so nervous that he had completely botched it up by himself.
The reason that this was their third first date, was that dates have to have a beginning, a middle, and an ending to be called actual dates. The first two, needless to say, hadn't exactly fit the criteria…
To sum the first one up, the day before said fiasco, James had come bouncing into the boy's dorm and singing 'she said yes! she said yes!' to the tune of the congo line song. He then proceeded to explain to his friends just what he was on about; big mistake!
He accepted the Marauders' aide to improve his plans for the date, and set off for it the next evening. All planned out by them, he was going to take her to the most romantic, expensive restaurant in the Hogsmeade area. James was so excited that he even forgot to do something stupid. Don't worry; the other Marauders took care of that for him.
James had a beautiful Lily to give her, his little spiel about how glad he was she finally agreed to go out with him was written and memorized, and he had even attempted to make his hair lie flat for the occasion… Of course, this effort had been wasted, as his hair was permanently stuck up after all of the times he had run his fingers through it in anxiety or flirting, but he knew Lily would appreciate that he tried.
So, everything seemed perfect when he set off to meet Lily at the restaurant… Until, that is, he got there. She and a whole crowd of other grumpy-looking people were grouped outside the place where the restaurant should have been standing. James hurried over to Lily and opened his mouth to ask what happened when Sirius and Peter, both with dark socks covering their faces, came charging past, hurriedly followed by some angry, shouting Italian men. Sirius shouted 'good luck on your date!', and continued sprinting away. The angry Italian men stopped chasing them and just yelled after them furiously in Italian. James put two-and-two together; the restaurant was Italian, there was now no restaurant, but a pile of burnt-looking wood and some ashes.
Lily had poked him and insisted that he explain.
"Well, Sirius was supposed to set off some romantic fireworks in back…"
"YOU TRUSTED SIRIUS? WITH FIRE?"
"Ah… Good point."
…pause for silence and angry shouts in Italian to continue…
"I should just take you back to the school, shouldn't I?"
"Oh yeah."
Lily had been furious at James for being so irresponsible as to leave Sirius in charge of any sort of ammunition, and had refused to speak to him for a whole week. As they shared a Common Room (Head Boy and Girl), it was slightly harder than it used to be to avoid him, so after much begging, apologizing, and pleading innocence, Lily finally agreed to give him another chance.
The next date was scheduled for that Friday evening. James told his friends about it, but insisted that he need no help whatsoever with any of the planning or execution. Remus thought it an extremely wise decision, given the before evidence, and thereafter took the night off from his Sirius-sitting. That was a slight oversight on Remus's part.
James had taken Lily for a picnic in the park beside Madam Puddyfoot's Tea shop. This date had seemed to be going better. They even got as far as sitting down on the picnic blanket before anything went wrong…
James opened the picnic basket and pulled out a card. He opened it and Lily read over his shoulder;
"Prongs-
Still feeling slightly guilty about last week (you know, the whole restaurant; firework thing), so Peter and I decided to refill your picnic basket.
And just so you know, the pink napkins; his idea, not mine… I'm faintly worried about that one…
-Padfoot"
"Awww… That's nice," James said to Lily.
"And vaguely disturbing…" said Lily to James.
"You're talking about the whole Peter-pink thing? Yeah we've been noticing that for a while now…"
"Well, shall we eat?"
"Definitely. I'm starved."
James pulled out two plates and the rest of the basket's contents, pink napkins and all. They dug in, James mentally thanking Sirius for finally doing something right.
Naturally, Madam Pomfrey was extremely busy that night, treating two students with minor cases of food poisoning.
James shuddered just remembering those incidents. But now, they had succeeded in getting past the eating part of their date. Of course, they had eaten disgusting museum egg salad sandwiches from the gift shop of the Quidditch Through the Ages Museum, in Hogsmeade, so it hadn't really improved the date…
"So, you want to stop by the Hogsmeade chain of Quality Quidditch Supplies?" James asked.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" Lily shouted. James and everyone near them stopped walking and stared at her. "How many flipping quidditch buildings can there be around here? In case you haven't noticed, James, I HATE STUPID QUIDDITCH! I cannot believe you! We finally get to go out without any of your stupid cronies messing it up, and you take me to five stupid different quidditch places! You didn't even think about me when you planned this date! You are still a self-centered prat! I can't believe I agreed to go out with you in the first place! I'm leaving!"
She stormed away from him in the direction of the castle.
"Lily?" he called after her. Lily turned around, glared, stalked back over to him, slapped him around the face, and resumed her angry strides towards Hogwarts.
"FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN!" James exclaimed, rubbing his cheek. "Oh sod off!" he yelled at the people gaping around him. They all put their heads down and walked briskly away. He even heard one mother muttering to her little girl 'don't make eye contact Chloe. People like that are unstable', and rushing her away down the street.
Remus was sitting in the library at his favourite table when James found him.
"Mooney, I need your help!"
He looked up over his book. "I take it your date with Lily didn't go as planned?"
"No I completely botched it – wait a sec… How did you know I had a date with Lily? I didn't tell you…"
"James, you are not a shrewd and sneaky person. Stop trying. Anyone a mile away could see it."
…Five minutes later…
"You went on a date with Evans without telling us? You traitor! How could you keep something like that from us?"
"I stand corrected…" Remus groaned.
"Yeah. Look Padfoot, I'm sorry. I just thought that maybe, once, we could get through a date without either of us ending up in the hospital wing or being burnt to crisps…"
"Well I for one am wounded," Peter scowled. He moved away from James and sat down on his bed, clutching his pink pillow. The other three looked at him warily and he discarded the pillow hastily.
"But, back to the point," Remus broke the awkward silence; "James still needs our help."
"I don't care. I'm obviously no friend of his, so he can't be a friend of mine!" Sirius huffed, drawing his bed curtains around him. This didn't help matters, as James was sitting beside him on the bed. Sirius huffed again and pushed him off the bed.
"OI!" James exclaimed. "Padfoot, what can I do to make it up to you?"
(At this point, people were listening at the door. Some sixth years had gathered beside the seventh years' room and were commenting on what they heard.)
"Nothing! It's over."
"Come on Pad, there must be something…"
"Absolutely not! I'm not having it James. You can't just walk all over me anymore. I try, but it's not good enough for you. Always choosing her over me! FINE! Go and be with your little tart! I'll just-OI! YOU WANKER! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"
James had punched him in the nose. "She is not a tart. I'm sorry but- OI! YOU ARSE-HEADED GIT!"
Sirius punched James back and rubbed his own nose vainly. "If you've done anything to mess up these lovely features, I'll give you more than a scratch on the bonse!"
"That's it! You're going down!" James leapt up and tackled Sirius off the bed.
Peter squealed and picked up his blanket again. Remus gave him another 'dude, that's just not right' look, and tried to stop the fighting.
Sirius elbowed James in the stomach. James stuffed his smelly socked foot in Sirius' mouth. Sirius bit James' foot. They kneed each other in the groin at exactly the same time.
"AHHH!" both boys yelled, rolling off each other
("Are they having a fist-fight, cause it sounds like they just kneed each other in the groin…" suggested one sixth year to the other.
"Nah… Make up sex," said the other one, knowingly.)
"Come on, you two! Stop it!" Remus shouted. He took advantage of the silence, as both boys on the floor massaged their crotches, and reasoned with them.
"Okay Padfoot and Wormtail, Prongs needs our help. Whether we like it or not, he and Lily are meant to be together. Now we can either stand idly by and watch fate fall apart, or we can do the right thing, and help him win her, because that is their destiny."
"Wait," Peter cut in. "Doesn't 'destiny' imply that it will happen on its' own because it's right?"
Remus shot him a death glare. Of all the times for Peter to start being smart…
"As I was saying…" Remus snapped, "We can either do the right thing and help our friend, or we can let this opportunity pass us by and let all our past efforts to get them together have been wasted. What do you say?"
"I'll help," said Peter forgivingly.
"Padfoot?"
"Fine. You're forgiven," Sirius said reluctantly. "But if you do this again, then it's definitely over!"
"Fair enough."
"Now, I have a plan…"
Lily was sulking in her room. She was good at sulking. Very good. She always got lots of practice when she went home for the holidays and she and Petunia were separated by being sent to their rooms. Lots of practice.
She couldn't get over how un-romantic James had been. Even on their completely screwed up other first dates, he had been sweeter and nicer. She didn't like quidditch. She was a girly girl. She liked sunsets. She liked beaches. She had already planned out her wedding. She liked champagne and fruit. She liked jewelry. None of this had been taken into account by James when he had been planning their third first date. Stupid guy.
She was curled into a ball on her bed, her back to the door. After a few more minutes she got bored. Come to think of it, she always got bored after the first few minutes of sulking. Who wouldn't? It's lying grumpily on your bed and whining in you head.
She lay still for a second because she thought she heard something. Yes, there it was again. Quiet mumbling and grunting from out in the Common Room area. Ugh, if James had brought a girl back with him… She clenched her fists and rolled over to face the door.
The was a line of rose petals leading to the door. They hadn't been there when she got to her room before.
She decided to go and investigate.
The quiet mumblings and movements from outside stopped. She crept to the door and slid it open a crack. No one was there. The sofa was gone.
Ugh, if he's rearranged my furniture… She re-clenched her fists.
She followed the rose petals with her head down. They took her in a heart shape around the Common Room, lighting up in gold as she passed each one, and lead to the door to their Head's patio. She decided to follow them outside. When she did, she found James, sitting on one end of their sofa, relocated to the patio.
He turned at the noise of the door opening, and smiled at her. She couldn't stop herself from smiling briefly back.
She opened her mouth to talk, but he stood and pressed a finger to her lips. He then lead her to the sofa and pulled her down beside him. She looked at him icily and he smiled again, motioning towards the sky in front of them. There was a glowing orangey sunset. She had to catch her breath because of its beauty. How had he known just what she'd wanted?
He slid his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his chest, smiling. An adorable black dog was visible on the ground below, with a sandy haired boy.
The door to the patio opened once more, and Peter wheeled in a tray of chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. Lily and James continued to watch the sunset and Peter left the tray there, backing back into the Head's dorm.
Lily sighed and snuggled closer to James, who nodded discretely to the dog on the ground. The dog barked softly at the short mousy haired boy who joined them beside the lake. The other boy waved his wand at a basket next to him, and a message shot into the air. All three boys smiled and saluted at the jet black haired one on the patio.
The rose petals read, 'I LOVE YOU, LILY'.
Author's Note: Awww. Finito. Bubbles!
-Kat