Disclaimer: All the characters that you recognize belong to J. K. Rowling. The plot of this story was greatly inspired by the movie, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
Author's Note: Thanks to Lillith Potter, lizziee, NJ MacReiley the Helpless Romantic, xxquidditchjunkiexx, Nocturnal007, thehalfbloodprincess, laurahonest, CrazzyD', Aria Sparks, onesmartgoalie, BellaLuna006, Searching For More, Whitelight72, I'm Blond. James Blond., Sarah12345, reader, Jessi-Black33, zuska1985, Jamie, featherfinger, hoolihoopgrl131, JeanMarie, Grub5000 SJ Fan, marrokinhas, Disaster Strikes Again, puppyluva, JPx3LE, Greekchic, rayolis, readerfan, potterchik, lovin potter, Flame Of Desire, Pancake278, mrspadfoot4eva, AddictedtoCookies, LandJ-SandD-Fan, Miss Myrtle360, JeminaDOTM5, cosmopolitan, serindraxx, ourlittlesecret7, Tamsididi, Rylie D, teengirl01, Elerrina, -Scp-, sam, snoopykitty, siriusforeva, Ravenclaw Steph, and Katie for reviewing! Over fifty reviews for one chapter, I LOVE you all a million times over. Sorry for not posting this earlier, but I was away for the past few days and I had some stressful computer issues (see second author's note if you would care to read them.) Also, thanks to anyone who reviewed the unedited version of chapter 12 (Magical Moments) I really appreciate it! Now, happy reading!
Lily could feel warm breathing against her neck, tickling it slightly. She slowly opened her eyes, careful not to be blinded by the bright light that filled the room. Glancing at her exposed arm, she saw a man's hand resting across her. For a moment, her heart sped up and her eyes widened, but then she remembered.
It was only James. She felt a smile press at the sides of her lips; yes, she certainly did remember last night. It was a night full of passion, lust, and love. At the same time, she felt very natural doing it with him, sex. It was as if she was meant to press against his naked body and he in return to her. They fit magically together, and was a night Lily knew she would never forget. Everything about last night was perfect. James had just the right expertise to be tender and loving, yet passionate and fierce. It was just the right combination that she craved for.
Of course, all good things must come to an end. Despite the fact that she loved lying beneath the thin sheet with James, him cradling her naked form, she knew it needed to end.
Turning in his arms, she pried herself up on one elbow and gathered the blanket to cover her body. She stared at him for a moment, taking in every aspect of his sleeping face. He looked gentle and innocent, almost like a child. His messy hair was even wilder than usual, which didn't surprise her at all, she loved his hair.
As if he knew that she was watching him, his eyes fluttered open, revealing orbs of hazel.
"Hey you," she said.
"Morning," he whispered before yawning. He loosened his arms, allowing her to be released from his grip. He stretched his tanned arms high above his head, stretching his overused muscles.
"How'd you sleep?" she asked.
"Wonderful," James replied, smiling up at her. He felt like the luckiest man alive. "How're you feeling?"
"Amazing," she answered, moving one of her soft hand into his arm. She gently rubbed her hand up and down, easing the tension in his muscular arm. "I just wish I didn't have to go."
"Then don't," she smartly said, hoisting himself up to her level and placing a light kiss on her lips.
She let out a small moan, loving the feeling of his lips against hers. "But I have to… we both have to."
"I don't want to," he whined pulling her down next to him and wrapping his arms around her.
Lily laughed at his response, but asserted, "James, we both have class in half an hour. McGonagall will kill us if we skip her class again."
"She didn't kill us last time," he countered, bringing his lips to her neck and laying sweet kisses up and down its length.
"But she will this time," Lily lazily protested.
"I don't want to go," he whined again. "And I certainly don't want you to go."
She smiled and giggled again before running her fingers through his untamed mess of hair. She felt her stomach flutter as his kisses made their way to her collarbone, leaving a trail along her body.
"How about we make a deal," he offered, saying each word in-between rounds of kisses.
"What kind of a deal?" she playfully asked.
"If I can throw this rock over the fire, then you stay. If I miss, then we will both go to class," James replied.
Lily sucked on her lower lip while she contemplated the height of the fire, which was still blazing even after the long night. He must have used a charm on it; forcing the flames to shine at a constant height. It was pretty high, but then again, James was a chaser for the Quidditch team. In the end, she decided to let him try. "Okay, fine. But if I win, then you can't start whining and demand a retry."
"Okay," he agreed. "But when I win, you can't back out of our little arrangement."
"Deal."
James sloppily held the small rock in his hand, and while still lying on the ground, he heaved it into the air. Both Lily and James watched as the rock flew upward and past the fire before coming tumbling down on the other side. The problem, however, was that it didn't clear the flames. It went through them, not over.
Sighing, James had a disappointed look across his face. Damn. He should have sat up before tossing it, then he would have made it up and over the fire with ease. "Okay, fine," he grumbled, "You win."
Staring at him as he sat up, Lily said, "You know, I saw it go over."
James leaned his entire body weight against one of his hands, which dug into the dirt's surface. His eyes glowed at hearing her words; she wanted to stay here with him just as much as he did. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips, his free hand going to the side of her face.
Breaking away from her slightly, he whispered, "You are amazing."
She giggled again before kissing him firmly on the lips. She knocked him toward the ground and bore her weight against his chest. Her hands roamed his hair just as her tongue explored his mouth.
Lily didn't know what it was about James, but she adored every aspect of him. She loved his goofy personality, his sometimes serious moments, his ability to play Quidditch, his skills in the classroom, and his passionate physical talent. Whatever it was the drove her toward him, she never wanted it to go away. She was having too much fun with James. He provided her with everything she ever desired.
Even now, after sharing a very physical, steamy, and passionate night with James, he still had her on her toes. There was never a dull moment. Just kissing him, which was what they were doing now, made her feel excited. True, neither of them were dressed, which did account for some of the excitement, but she knew it was his passion that drove her wild.
They continued to idly laze around the Room of Requirement for the next hour. Underneath their light sheet, they held onto one another, as if it would be their last chance ever. It was relaxing for them both just to lay there and gaze into one another's eyes. Just to hear the soft inhales and exhales of their partners was a soothing sound. The sweet kisses that laced each other's lips every so often were a nice way of reminding one another how much they cared. It was a lounging hour, one that came and passed too soon for either of their comfort.
Sighing, Lily said, "Okay, James. As much as I love being here with you, we've got to go now."
He groaned, but agreed, "Okay, fine… We'll go."
She laid one last kiss on his lips before her heart started hammering. One thought had never occurred to her. Her cloths were not within reaching distance. She stole a glance toward James and saw a goofy grin appear on his face; he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Do you mind?" Lily suddenly asked.
"What?" he cheekily responded.
"I need to get dressed," she informed him.
"What's your point?" he countered, a grin still plastered across his face.
"Could you shut your eyes or something?" she asked.
"Lils," he began, "I don't think we have anything to hide…"
"Oh come on," she begged.
"Lils, if you're worried about a little skin showing, you really shouldn't," he started before added, "Because I saw enough to feast my eyes for a lifetime last night."
She got a mock outrage look on her face and playfully hit him upside the head, "You're a pig."
"What?" he questioned while laughing. "It's true."
"I don't care if it is, you shouldn't say that," she protested.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I've got a class to get to and I've still got to shower," he said, changing the topic of discussion. Just then, without giving her any warning at all, he got up from under the sheet and gathered his clothes, putting them on as reached each item.
Lily bit her lip and wished she could have been that confident. After all, he was right. It wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. Still embarrassed, however, Lily gathered up their sleeping sheet and wrapped it around herself as she went and gathered her own clothing.
"See, I've out tricked you," she teased.
"Is that so?" he jokingly asked.
"Yes," she stated as she finished dressing. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go take a shower and put on some fresh clothes."
She smiled at him as she walked away, James quickly followed her. They walked hand in hand back to Gryffindor, giving each other one last kiss before departing to their separate dorm rooms.
---
After Lily's morning classes, she quickly darted for the Great Hall, wanting to get there in time for a decent lunch. As she entered the magnificent room, she quickly spotted Sam and Kelsey seated toward the middle of Gryffindor's long table.
She eagerly walked over to them and plumped down in a seat next to Kelsey, a large smile still present on her face. In fact, all throughout her classes that day she hadn't been able to wipe a smile off her face. She was still too thrilled about her evening with James.
"Where the fuck have you been?" Sam sternly said the moment Lily poured herself some pumpkin juice.
"Excuse me?' Lily asked, surprised by the harsh tone in Sam's usually friendly voice.
"I said, where the fuck have you been," she repeated.
"Last night?"
"No, five days ago," Kelsey sarcastically said, "Of course last night."
"I was with James," Lily honestly answered.
"Oh really?" Sam began. She then turned toward Kelsey and in an over-exaggerated voice said, "She was with James Potter! Of course, why didn't we assume that? Hmm… Maybe it's because she bloody hates him!"
"Calm down," Lily nervously said, looking over her shoulder as she spoke.
"Calm down?" Sam asked, her voice rising with anger. "You want me to calm down? Lily do you have any idea how fucking worried we were about you last night?"
"I'm sorry," Lily said, holding her hands up in front of her.
"God Lils, we thought something happened to you," Kelsey began, in a much more calm voice than Sam's. "We thought James might have taken advantage of you or something."
Lily blushed slightly, but repeated her initial response. "I'm really sorry guys, one thing led to another and we ended up spending the night together."
Sam sighed and slightly shook her head, "You know what, its fine… You're obviously okay… It's just been a very stressful day, or night, or whatever."
"Sirius broke up with Tracey last night," Kelsey explained. "She was up all night sobbing her bloody eyes out… I mean, the shouting crying didn't stop until nearly two, and even then all night long it was just sniffles coming from her."
Lily suddenly looked very intent and the smile dropped from her face. "Oh my God, what happened?"
"Apparently, at least this is what I've managed to gather from the situation," Kelsey began, "Is that Sirius gave her the 'You're a really great girl, but I think we're better off as friends' routine."
"Which we all know means 'I'm going to start dating other people, but whenever I need a good shag, I'll call you up,'" Sam added.
"Oh, the poor girl," Lily commented, "She really liked him."
"Yeah, but that's what you get for dating Sirius Black," Sam reminded her. "We all know the longest relationship he's ever had lasted a month."
"Besides, Tracey's pretty much the same way. I mean, she's a sweet girl and all, but let's face it, the longest relationship she's ever had only lasted two months," Kelsey chimed in. "And once that one was over she moved on and started dating someone else within ten days."
"I suppose you're right, but I still feel bad," Lily replied.
"Of course you do," Sam joked, "Now, on the brighter side of things, what happened last night with James?"
Lily felt a blush rise to her entire face. She wondered if she should tell them, after all, they were her best friends. Then again, neither of them liked James at all. They viewed him as a disgusting, arrogant, bigheaded teenager. They didn't want anything to do with him. No, they wouldn't understand Lily's newfound feelings for James.
Then again, how could Lily know for sure how they felt about him unless she was honest about the whole situation? Who was to say that they wouldn't instantly find him bearable now that Lily was dating him? No one would ever know unless Lily told them. Besides, she was sorted into Gryffindor for a reason; she obviously had some bravery in her. She could certainly muster up the courage to face her friends and tell them the honest truth.
"Okay, guys," Lily began as she nervously bit at her lip. "I've got a confession to make."
Both Sam and Kelsey stared at her with eager eyes, craving to know what Lily was about to say. What could make her so nervous that she would start biting her lip?
"I think I've started to fall for James Potter," she quickly spat out.
"What?" both Sam and Kelsey asked, hoping that they didn't hear her speak correctly.
"I think I've started to fall for James Potter," she repeated, this time much slower.
"Are you sure?" Kelsey asked, a confused look upon her face.
"Yeah, did he put some sort of curse on you?" Sam questioned.
"Or drug you or something?"
"Should we take you to the hospital wing?"
"Guys, shut up," Lily loudly said, shutting down all of their questions. "I know exactly what I just said, and it's true… He's not such a bad guy after all; he's sweet and very adorable."
"Lily, puppies are sweet and adorable," Sam stated. "James Potter is a complete asshole."
"No, you don't know him like I do," Lily replied. "He makes me laugh, he's got an amazing personality, and I don't know, there's just something about him that I can't resist."
"Lils, are you sure you haven't been drugged?" Kelsey asked, a worried look in her eyes.
"I'm sure."
"I mean this is James Potter we're talking about, right? The same guy that hexed the same amount of people that fit inside a classroom? And the same guy that asked you out more than a thousand times in the span of two years?" Sam asked, reminding Lily of everything she used to hate about him.
"I know, he used to be a prat, but he's changed so much… He's really very different. He's responsible, a fantastic athlete, funny, smart, charming… And the list goes on, it really does. I like him so much," Lily said, looking up at her friends with hopeful eyes.
Sam sighed for a moment before looking Lily directly in the eye. "Are you absolutely positive that you like him?"
"Yeah," she answered, a smile playing at her lips.
"Okay, I'm behind you completely… But if he puts just one toe out of line, his balls are mine," Sam said, grinning at Lily after her threat of decapitating a certain part of James that he would surely miss.
"Me too," Kelsey agreed, "But I'm with Sam… If that boy tries one thing, he's in the Great Lake being eaten by the Giant Squid faster than you can say Quidditch."
"The Giant Squid doesn't' eat people, you idiot," Sam remarked.
"You know what I mean," Kelsey snapped.
"Wait a minute," Lily said in an alarming voice. "That's it? You guys are okay with this?"
"Well, yeah," Kelsey said.
"Lils, we love you, and for some fucked up reason, if you decide to like a guy, it's kind of in our contract to give him a chance," Sam joked.
"Really?"
"Well, I was making up the contract, but yeah," Sam replied. "Lils, if you decided to like a Slytherin, we'd be behind you. Of course, we'd try very hard to change your mind, like we have with James, but we'd still be behind you one-hundred percent."
"Thanks."
"No problem," Kelsey remarked, before getting a devious look on her face and asking, "So, what did happen?"
Lily flushed once more, but now with the approval of her friends, she dove into her tale of last night. She told them every single detail about everything, with the exception of a few minor things. For example, she told them James enchanted an abandoned classroom, not used the secret Room of Requirement. She also left you the dirty details about their passionate night together; only giving them the PG-13 rated details.
"You had sex with him?" Kelsey hissed, her eyes widening as she spoke.
"I know, I know," Lily replied, her hands flying to her cheeks as she spoke. "It just felt so right, and he was being so sweet… I just kind of gave into it. Not that he forced it on me at all, he even double checked with me to make sure it was what I absolutely wanted. There was something inside me though, that was like 'Okay, Lily, do it.' And so I did."
"Any regrets?"
"Nope," Lily answered before adding "But jeez guys, you make it sound as if I was a virgin before last night," with a giggle. True, she wasn't a virgin before last night, but had only been with one other man before, and had only done it once. That was just months earlier, during the summer holidays with a muggle boyfriend she had.
"So, is he, you know?" Sam asked, wiggling her eyebrows up and down as she spoke.
"Samantha Claire Henderson, I cannot believe you just asked me that," Lily shrieked.
"Well, is he?"
Sighing, Lily replied, "He's amazing."
"Well, that's not what I was referring to, but that was going to be my next question," Sam teased.
Lily looked outraged for a moment, but all three girls burst into laughter. Once they regained themselves, however, Lily said, "Well, he's got large hands… And you know what they say about guys with large hands."
"They wear large gloves," Kelsey wittily finished the saying before all three girls broke into another round of laughter.
All of a sudden, their laughter was interrupted by the very stern voice of Professor McGonagall. She stood behind Lily and peered down at the red-haired girl with strict eyes. "We need to talk for a moment."
Lily gulped, but excused herself from her friends to have a private word with the Transfiguration teacher.
---
Meanwhile, James and his three best friends all came striding into the Great Hall and claimed a spot at the end of the table for themselves. They were seated far away from Lily and her friends, and none of them noticed Professor McGonagall pull Lily aside.
"I just don't understand why you found it so necessary to break up with Tracey, that's all I'm saying," Remus said as he piled food onto his plate.
"She's nice, but I don't know, not what I'm looking for," Sirius answered.
"What she didn't put out?" Peter joked.
"Shut up," Sirius said as he hit Peter over the head. "That part was very good, it's her personality. I don't know, she's not funny enough or something. I mean, she can't even dish back good comebacks."
"Oh, I see the problem," Remus teased.
"No, I completely agree with him," James said, sticking up for his best friend. "You can't be with someone who can't put up a good match with you."
"Coming from the guy with the psycho girlfriend," Remus sarcastically commented.
James grinned as images of Lily flashed into his mind. "She's not like that."
"Are you kidding? She put girl products in our bathroom and turned your bed into a zoo for stuffed animals," Sirius said.
"She's different now though," James began. "These past couple days she's been like the Lily Evans that I've been head-over-heels madly in love with for the past two years. She's cool, confident, and just an all around amazing person."
"Speaking of Lily, where were you last night?" Peter questioned, a grin plastered across his chubby face.
"I took her to the Room of Requirement," James answered, a sly smile reaching from ear to ear.
"And spent the night?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yup."
"Wow, I didn't think Lily Evans was that kind of girl," Remus remarked. He could tell just from the way that James spoke and acted toward the conversation that he and Lily had done much more than just a little sleepover.
"I know," James agreed. "It just kind of happened though."
"Well, you claim she's changed," Sirius stated. "But if she hasn't and is still a psychotic bitch, then at least you got something out of the whole dating thing."
"You're fucking bastard," James remarked, although his mannerism was quite different from the harsh words. Instead, he said it in a brotherly sort of way; scornful, yet laughter glinting in his eyes.
"Well, that and the money," Peter piped up, ignoring James's comment.
"Not so fast," Sirius snapped. "He hasn't won any money. Lily's got to be head-over-heels in love with him by tomorrow for him to win any money."
"Speaking of that," James began as he shoved a forkful of vegetables in his mouth. "I want to call the bet off."
"You can't do that," Sirius argued.
"Yes, I can," he protested. "Things are different now… It was a dick thing to do, make the bet. And I really like Lily, I'm not betting on it anymore."
"No way, you just want out because you know she doesn't actually love you and you want to keep your money," Sirius stated, a smug look upon his face. "Well, I'm not falling for your tricks, James. The bet is on and you have until tomorrow to make her fall in love with you."
"I'm not playing any tricks," James argued. "I really like and don't want her to find out about it, it'd ruin everything I have with her."
"Relax, she won't find out," Remus said, finally looking up from his Potions homework and rejoining the conversation. "That way, when we all see that she can't possibly love you, not after ten days anyways, Sirius will win his money, which will make him happy. And you'll still have Lily, which will make you happy. She won't know anything about any of it, so she'll be happy."
Sighing, James reluctantly agreed with Remus, with the exception of the losing money part. In his view, James won the money, got the girl, and the girl loved him. He was confident of his position about the event, or at least portrayed his confidence despite his natural feelings.
"Mister Potter, just who I was looking for," came the stern voice of Professor McGonagall. She snuck up behind the Marauders, making them all jump at the sound of her voice. James turned to face her and saw a bitter look upon her face and her lips were pursed closely together. She had an angry expression in her eyes, which were raised almost to the top of her forehead.
"Yes Professor?" he hesitantly questioned.
"Come here, Potter," she demanded.
Taking a large gulp, James slid off his seat and stood up to follow McGonagall to a deserted area of the Great Hall. Despite the fact that he hovered nearly a feet above her, he was still very threatened by the strict professor. She was the type of lady that could strike fear in any student with just one look.
"Now, I will tell you exactly what I just told Miss Evans," she began.
Shit. She knew about the Room of Requirement, that's the only thing this could be about. She knew that neither of them were in their dorm rooms last night. She knew that they spent the entire night together, breaking at least ten school rules. Fuck. As Head Boy, he certainly couldn't afford to get in serious trouble. No student would ever respect him after seeing that he received a month's worth of detention as well as losing fifty points from Gryffindor. Crap. Shit. Fuck. He was screwed.
"I suppose you know what this is about," she sternly said, her voice sounding fierce and professional.
"Yeah, I suppose I do," he agreed. Why fight it? That would only make things worse.
"You and Miss Evans will both serve detention with me on Sunday night," McGonagall instructed. "I expect to see you both in my office at seven p.m. sharp Sunday night."
"Are you kidding?" he asked, a bewildered expression on his face. How could he and Lily only get off with just one detention? They broke several school rules. He could recall times when he was caught out of bed five minutes after check-in time and he received a week's worth of detention to learn a lesson.
"Well, no, I'm not," she replied, her face softening as she spoke. "I would do it tonight, but we have a faculty meeting tonight at seven. And believe it or not, Mister Potter, but I'm not an unreasonable woman. I could have given it to you tomorrow or Saturday, but I figured that would be cruel."
"Wait, so it's just that one detention? I don't lose any points or anything?" he asked, cocking one of his eyebrows.
"Not unless you really want to lose House points, but I would prefer to win the House Cup for the fifth year in a row," she wittily responded, showing a side of her that James had never seen in his seven years at Hogwarts.
"Well, no, I'm just shocked, that's all," he replied.
"Mister Potter, this detention is for missing my class for the second time in nine days," she sternly informed him, picking back up her teacher attitude. "Is there something else you would like to confess to?"
James felt a flood of relief rush into his chest. McGonagall didn't know about the Room of Requirement. He was stressed out for no reason at all. Everything was going to be just fine. "Um, no, Professor."
"Alright then," she said. "Now, if you will excuse me, I've got a lesson to plan. And I would suggest you get back to lunch so that you can make it to at least one lesson today."
"Yes, Professor," he said, smiling at her as he headed back to his friends.
---
Lily glanced up at the large clock near the circulation desk of the library and noticed that it only read 7:45. Sighing, she looked down at the piles of homework in front of her. It was going to be a very long night. She had been in the library for an hour already and only completed her Charms essay. She still had a Transfiguration essay to write, practice her Defense Against the Arts skills, read twenty pages from her very boring Potions book, and read thirty pages for Herbology. Yes, she was certainly in store for a very long night.
Heaving her Herbology book on the wooden table, Lily flipped through it until she found the material concerning Augmen Dumus, a rare shrub that when its leaves were crushed and boiled in water, it became similar to a steroid. It was very illegal for anyone to consume, yet so many Quidditch players broke the law and grew the plant on their own. Of course, the punishment if discovered was awful. If caught, that player was automatically thrown off all Quidditch teams and could never return to a professional career in Quidditch. There were no second chances when it came to rare shrub.
Lily leaned her head against her palm and flipped to the next page of her book. She already knew so much about the shrub, but knew she needed to read the material anyway.
"What're you doing?" came a man's voice from behind her.
Lily whipped her head around and smiled when she saw James Potter standing there. He had a peachy grin across his face and his hair was still wet from just returning from a shower.
"Studying," she answered.
"Do you mind if I sit down?"
"Go for it," she answered as she shoved her schoolbag off the chair next to her and slid it onto the ground.
"Herbology, this looks like a boring read," he commented.
"It is," she replied. "What have you been up to?"
"Quidditch practice," James answered. "The team is really shaping up this year. The Keeper has improved so much since I last saw him practice. He said he's been going to the Pitch everyday to get in some flying time, and it has definitely paid off."
"That's good."
"And, you wouldn't believe this," he began. "But my Seeker is like a God or something. After the snitch was released it only took her fifteen minutes to track it down and grab it."
"Fifteen minutes?"
"Yeah, I know," he replied. "Last year it took her nearly an hour at every practice… I've got a good feeling about the team this year. We're finally going to win the Quidditch Cup, which Gryffindor hasn't done in eight years, according to McGonagall."
"Well, I hope you win it," Lily said.
"Me too, especially as captain. The past few years, yeah it was important to me, but I was just a player on the team. Now, however, I'm captain. And this is my Quidditch team. I'm the one whose been training them and making cuts from the team and everything else… It's just very nerve-wracking."
"Relax, you've got a long time until the Cup is awarded," Lily reassured him.
"Yeah," he said and looked back down at her Herbology book. "Are you interested in taking a study break?"
With puzzled eyes, she asked, "What kind of a study break?"
"Do you like ice cream?"
"I love ice cream."
"Then an ice cream study break."
"Yum."
"Come on then," he said, shooting up from his chair and picking up Lily's bag and setting it on the table. Lily then shoved her books into the bag and hoisted it across her shoulder. "Want me to carry that?" he asked.
"I've got it," she replied.
"Okay then, follow me."
The couple made their way down many flights of stairs and through several corridors before stopping in front of a portrait of a giant fruit bowl. James looked around and waited until he knew that no one could see him. Reaching his hand out, he tickled the giant green pear. It suddenly began to squirm and chuckle before transforming into a large green door handle.
Lily could only stare at it with complete shock. She didn't know where she was, nor was James planning on telling her, but she was very impressed. In just a matter of two days, James had already shown her two secret places in the castle.
Turning the large green door handle, James opened the door and led the way inside. The room was filled with House Elves, all of them working on different food-related projects. In one corner, a House Elf was stirring a large bowl of cookie dough, preparing for tomorrow's dessert. Another House Elf was brewing a large container of Pumpkin Juice, a tasty drink that was offered to the students nearly everyday.
"Wow," was all Lily could say.
"Well, Lils, welcome to the kitchens," James said, flashing her a bright smile.
"Wow, this is amazing," she stated, looking around the monstrous room.
"Isn't it though?" he agreed before turning his attention to one of the House Elves. "Hey, Blinky."
"Hello Mister James Potter," Blinky said in a very cautious voice. "What can Blinky get for Mister James Potter and Mister James Potter's friend?"
"Blinky, for the millionth time, you can call me James," he informed the House Elf.
"So sorry Mister James," Blinky replied, bowing his head as he spoke.
James only sighed; the House Elf would never change. He requested to be called James; not James Potter, not Mister James Potter, and not Mister James. Just James. Yet, Blinky insisted on calling him Mister James, despite all of his efforts to change that.
"Do you have any ice cream left?" James asked, not bothering to correct the House Elf again.
"Certainly Mister James, anything for Mister James," Blinky said nodding his head as he spoke. He then walked away from the Lily and James and headed towards a large door, which was assumed to be the freezer. He came back a second later and held two large bowls of vanilla ice cream topped with hot fudge, sprinkles, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry on top.
"Thank you Blinky," James said taking the two bowls from the House Elf and passing one to Lily.
"Yes, thank you," Lily said, finally speaking up.
Blinky's eyes lit up when he heard their gracious tones. It wasn't that he wasn't used to being treated nicely; Dumbledore was always pleasant and respectful of the House Elves whenever he entered the kitchens. Still though, Blinky had heard many stories from other House Elves about masters whose only form of communication with their imprisoned elves was by means of punishment.
"Oh, um, I almost forgot," James suddenly announced. "Lily, this is Blinky. Blinky, this is Lily Evans."
"It's nice to meet you," Lily told the House Elf. She had to fight every urge to stick out her hand to shake Blinky's hand. She never actually met a House Elf before, but read plenty about them. She knew that the simple act of a handshake would be very odd behavior to Blinky and would probably even be disrespectful to him.
"Hello, Miss Lily Evans," Blinky said. "If you ever need anything Miss Lily Evans, let Blinky know and Blinky will be happy to serve you."
"Um, thank you, Blinky," she replied.
"Blinky must get back to work now, but here is a table that Mister James and Miss Lily Evans can sit at," Blinky said and with the snap of his fingers, a small table for two appeared.
With that said, Blink wandered off and began to do more work around the kitchen, leaving Lily and James standing with ice cream sundaes in their hands.
"Shall we?" James asked, motioning toward the table.
"Sure," Lily replied as she sat across from James at the table. She stuck her spoon into the enormous bowl of ice cream and placed a delicious spoonful into her mouth. It was very different from muggle ice cream. Each spoonful was like a little drop of heaven placed upon one's tongue.
"I can't believe McGonagall gave us both detention," James complained.
"I know," Lily agreed. She paused for a moment before asking, "James, you've been in detention a lot, right?"
"Well, not a lot, but I've had my share fair of them."
"What're they like?"
"Wait a second, have you never had detention before?" he asked, a shocked look upon his face.
"Never."
"Ever?"
"Nope."
"Wow, how?"
Lily laughed, "I don't know, I've just never been in trouble before… Honestly, when I first heard that we received detention, I kind of freaked out a bit."
"Don't worry about it, they really aren't bad at all," he assured her. "The worst that I've ever had to do was wash all the trophies in the Trophy Room by hand. So really, don't stress out about it."
"Yeah, okay," she shrugged. "It's just, well, I've never had one in my life."
"It'll be okay," he said. "Besides, we'll be in it together, which always makes the time fly by so much faster."
"You're right," she agreed, forcing a smile.
"Besides, you haven't lived a little until you've been in detention with James Potter. So, you basically get the best kind of detention there is," he joked.
"Okay, whatever," she laughed, feeling slightly better than she previously did. Looking back on it, Lily would realize that breaking the rules was worth it. As James said, you haven't lived until you broke just one.
"Oh, and are you doing anything Saturday night?" he asked.
"Nope," she answered, a smile playing at her lips.
"Okay, well, don't have dinner that night, and meet me in Gryffindor at seven," he said.
"James?" she asked, a curious look upon her face.
"I swear it'll be a good surprise," he promised.
"Are we going out to eat?"
"Sort of," he began. Her green eyes pierced into him and he admitted, "Okay fine, in the Room of Requirement."
"Are you going to get Blinky to cook up something nice?" she asked.
"No, as a matter of fact, I'll be cooking," James informed her.
"You're shitting me, right?" she said, only in a half-joking manner.
"No, I'm really good at cooking."
"I don't believe you," she teased.
"I swear, I am," he began. Once again, her emerald eyes drove out the truth and he said, "Okay, fine, I'm not a good cook at most things. But there is one thing that I know how to cook, and I'm making it for you, if you care to join me that is."
"That would be the eleventh day of us, right?" she asked, although she already knew her statement was true.
"It certainly would."
"Alright, I'll go," Lily replied, giving him a large smile.
He grinned back at her. He knew that he needed to make Saturday night perfect for them both. He wasn't going to screw up anything at all, it was just going to be him and Lily. It was going to be perfect.
Lily, however, wasn't exactly thinking the same train of thoughts as James. Instead, her mind instantly flashed to her original arrangement. Nine days ago, she was certain there wouldn't be an eleventh day. Now, however, she was craving her eleventh day. She wondered if she should tell James about her original plan.
Would he understand? She tried to imagine what he would say if she told him the truth; that she originally dated him just to drive him away but in the process began to fall head-over-heels for him. She couldn't picture it at all. She didn't know whether he would be mad, angry, hurt, or okay with it.
Taking her chances, Lily knew she had to do the right thing. She couldn't go on lying to him. Besides, he was a reasonable guy, he would understand that she really liked him now, right? "James, there's something I need to tell you…"
However, her sentence was cut off by James jumping to his feet and exclaiming, "Holy shit, Lils. It's five before nine; we've got to get back to Gryffindor."
Lily turned her head and saw a large clock to her right. Shit. They did need to get back to Gryffindor. If they were caught outside of the dorm, they'd wind up with another detention.
Both Lily and James hollered a quick "thank you" to Blinky one more time before hurriedly running up the many steps and through the long corridors back to Gryffindor. Once inside, they both plumped down on two of the large chairs and sighed. It was 9:05. They were a little late, but neither of them were caught.
"Oh, Lils, did you want to tell me something back in the kitchens?" James asked, a curious look upon his face.
Lily bit her lower lips for a moment. It tasted salty against her tongue. She thought about it for a second before staring him in the eye and saying, "You know, it's not really important."
Shrugging his shoulder, James slightly raised his eyebrows but thought nothing of it.
Meanwhile, Lily felt her heart sink a bit. She couldn't tell him. She knew he wouldn't understand. He'd get defensive about the entire situation and never forgive her. She just knew that's how he would act about it.
Still, she smiled at him, locking up her emotions inside. She was having a pleasant evening with him and didn't want to ruin day nine of their relationship.
Author's Note 2: Hello all! I hope you enjoyed chapter 13! I've got to say, you wouldn't believe how much trouble posting this chapter was. First, my computer was being screwy and not letting my internet work. Second, it started thunder-storming so I had to turn off my computer. Third, it started hailing golf balls, which knocked the power out- for nearly five hours. Now, finally, here I am and can post it! So, I hope you all enjoyed it and please remember to review! Reviewing helps a million times with the typing process, and tomorrow's day 10!