Chapter 6 – Shopping and Revelations
Sunday Morning dawned a warm and sunny autumn day. Luna and Ginny woke up and joined Professor McGonagall in her office, as she had asked in her note. Skipping breakfast entirely.
"Good Morning Professor" They said in unison.
"Morning Misses Callahan" She replied "You are going to travel by Floo to Hogsmeade for shopping, I have taken the liberty of asking our Head Girl to accompany you, Ah Miss Evans, Good Morning to you. "
"Good Morning Professor, Morning Ginnae, Lunara ready to go?"
"Sure Lils." Ginny replied unaware she was using the marauder's old nickname for her new friend.
The three of them grabbed some of the green powder and stepped into the fireplace.
"Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade" They cried out as they were transported to their destination. They stepped out of the fireplace at the Inn, dusted off their clothes and set off for the shops.
"What is this trip for?" Lily asked them "The Professor didn't mention."
Luna grimaced as she thought fast. "Clothes, our dear brothers decided to Prank us before we left. They took all our clothes out of our trunks."
"The Little Bastards!" Ginny continued with vicious glee "they are so going to get it when we see them next."
Lily laughed, "Well at least you get to go shopping! Let's go see what we can find."
The three girls spent the rest of the morning pouring thru the shops in Hogsmeade and by the time they stopped for lunch Luna and Ginny had completely replenished their wardrobe and the three girls had become close friends, bonding over shopping as only girls can. As they sat down to lunch at the Inn they had discussed families and favorite classes and dreams for after graduation and had moved on to Boys of course.
"Soooooo, Lils" Ginny smiled at her friend slyly "Are you dating anyone?"
"No, I mean I like someone But I have been so awful to him for so long I don't think there is any chance anymore." She replied
Luna laughed out loud and Lily looked questioningly at her new friend with a hurt look in her eyes. "What was that for?"
"James loves you Lily" Luna said in her slightly breathy voice "All you have to do is relax and let him. You'll see the two of you are Soul mates. That kind of a connection can never be broken."
Lily's eyes widened and her jaw dropped "How…how did you know who… I mean… are you sure?"
Ginny giggled at Lily's reaction "Breathe Lils, and don't mind my sister, Loony does this a lot. And she's always right."
"Bite Me Gin" Luna said with a smile as Ginny stuck out her tongue at her best friend.
Lily watched the exchange with a kind of envy; she and her sister were never like that. A soft pensive look crossed her face and she smiled softly "Well I guess in that case I should say yes the next time he asks me out."
Luna nodded her head fast and Ginny cheered, "That would be Bloody Brilliant!" She said sounding exactly like her brother in that moment. A fact Luna was quick to bring up before quickly dodging the roll Ginny sent flying at her head.
Now it was Lily's turn to poke at the other two. "What about you guys? Any boyfriends at home or any interests on the horizon?"
Luna blushed hotly and Ginny's face turned white.
"Oh! I sense gossip!" Lily crowed "ok out with it both of you!"
Ginny's face began to get red "No one at home anymore. We broke up over a year ago, at the end of 5th year, and well no one here yet."
Luna snorted again and Ginny shot her a dark look, but the sound had drawn Lily's attention to the pale girl. "What about you Luna? Any one caught your eye yet?"
Luna's eyes shone as she nodded. "Oh yes!" she said "But he always will."
Lily quirked an eyebrow at the odd statement but chose to ignore it, as she got the feeling Luna did that a lot. "OH! Do tell! Who is the lucky man?"
"Lupin, Remus Lupin." Luna sighed, her aqua eyes shinning and her face lit up as she breathed out his name her voice as dreamy as it ever had been.
"WOW She's Gone!" Lily and Ginny said in unison and then cracked up laughing.
The three finished lunch and Floo'd back to Hogwarts still laughing. They headed straight to Lily's room intending on spending the rest of the day going over their clothes and playing dress-up and making over Lily for kicks. Luna and Ginny shared Fred and George's invention with their new friend who was sworn to secrecy under pain of horrible hexes. Lily exclaimed over them and the girls spent the next few hours putting on makeup and clothes and twisting their hair into as many different configurations as they could imagine, while trying on as many colors as the twins had devised. They were almost ready for dinner when they heard the boys downstairs talking.
"I suppose we're ready to head down to dinner." Lily mused looking a little worried
"Stop stressing Lils. You look hot. James is going to choke on his tongue." Luna said looking her over.
Lily had found a color in the Nymphadora Hair Thingy, as Luna had taken to calling it, which deepened her bright red hair to a rich crimson that made her eyes shine like the emeralds the color was named for. It hung down her back straight and shining in the light.
She was wearing a tight black tank top with the words 'Approach with Caution' in silver letters on the front which faded every few minutes to 'This Witch Bites When Startled" and a pair of tight hip-hugger jeans with Ginny's new silver chain belt and black Mary Janes.
"Well right back at you," Lily returned, "You two could give a strong man a heart attack."
Ginny's hair fell straight to her hips with two small braids hanging down on either side of her face. She was wearing a sleeveless black half shirt with the words 'Real Witches Ride Hard and Fast' in a dark glittery red that faded like Lily's did until it read 'Quiddich Girls Rock.' Luna had laughed until she cried when they had found the shirt in the store and insisted that Ginny buy it. Ginny had to admit it looked damn good on her, showing off her belly ring she had gotten in Muggle London just this past summer, and the wizarding tattoo on her shoulder. Luna, Hermione and Ginny had all gone to a shop in Diagon Alley and gotten one after Voldermort's demise a celebration of survival. Her long jean skirt rode low on her hips and fell to her ankles; a pair of combat boots completed the outfit.
Luna had her hair in hundreds of tiny braids that reached almost to her waist. She was wearing a black tank dress that stopped at mid thigh and was decorated with shifting moon phases in silver and twinkling stars in a glittery blue. Her silver thigh high stockings were magicked in place and she wore a pair of strapy black heels that raised her height about 4 inches.
Ginny grinned evilly at her friends "Shall we go cause havoc?"
Luna smiled "Oh yes."
The girls smiled at each other and headed down the staircase to stun the men senseless.
Sirius and James were deep in a conversation about when to have the house Quiddich try-outs as they were short a chaser, and Remus was composing a note to send off to Peter, when the girls entered the room. Remus looked up from his parchment when suddenly all sound in the room ceased. A smile played at the edge of Ginny's lips as she watched the dumbfounded expressions flit across the usually talkative Marauder's faces. James's eyes were glued to Lily, as if nothing and no one else in the world existed for him in that moment. Sirius managed to pull his eyes from Ginnae long enough to prod his friend.
"Hey Prongs! You going to talk or are you just going to stare at Evans until dinner?"
Lily and James both blushed at his words and James throwing all his carefully laid plans to the wind walks toward her. "Um Lily, Youwannagooutwifmesometime?" He rushed the words out of his mouth before he lost his nerve.
"What?" She asked "Could you repeat that in the Queen's English?"
"Lily would you like to go out with me sometime" He said again more slowly each word coming out very staccato with his head down.
"I would love to James," She said to him.
But James was already turning away dejected "That's alright I underst…" he stopped mid sentence "What did you say?"
"I said I would love too James." She repeated a smile spreading across her face.
James' face lit up like a fireworks display. He grabbed Lily and swung her around the room screaming "SHE SAID YES! PADFOOT! MOONY SHE SAID YES!"
When he finally put her down her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were flushed. James gazed into her bright green eyes and murmured a soft "Lily" before drawing her to him and brushing her lips with his own. For a moment they seemed lost in each other until they were brought back to reality by Luna, Ginny and Sirius bursting out laughing as Remus voiced a hearty "It's about Bloody Time!"