By headupintheclouds
On the Saturday following the first full week of school, Lily Evans woke up early on account of the Prefect meeting James and her had scheduled for that morning. At the fast approaching meeting, directions would be given out for discipline and rules at Hogsmeade, and the Prefects would deliver the news to the first years.
Prefects would also receive their instruction for their patrol duties, and Lily and James would be relieved of some of the duties, and they had been taking a toll on Lily's patience, not to mention schoolwork.
Rolling over, she decided to go wake up James, so she wiggled out of her pajamas and threw on her school uniform, not bothering with her robes.
Sleepily opening her door, she stole softly along the hall to James' room. She knocked softly, and then placed her hand on the handle to his door. Suddenly, it opened a crack, and an exhausted looking James Potter came into view.
"You're awake, then?" she asked lightly.
"Er, yeah." He replied, tousling his hair.
"James, don't do that!" Lily exclaimed, not annoyed in the least.
James just looked at her, bewildered.
She reached over and took his hand, pulling it away from his hair. He had an internal battle about possibly not returning her hand to her, but she had removed her hand from his before he could make that decision.
"Prefect meeting," she reminded him breezily, before settling down on the couch and staring into the flames.
He nervously joined her, but sat on the opposite edge so much that his hip hurt from being jammed into the couch arm.
"So what's on the schedule?" he asked curiously.
Without turning from the enticing flames, Lily replied, "…Schedule?"
"For the Prefect meeting," he explained.
"Ok, that. Well, we need to give out Hogsmeade instruction, and also hand out patrol schedules."
"Right," he agreed.
Both sat on the couch for as long as was possible, without missing the meeting. Grudgingly getting up, Lily asked, "Ready?"
James nodded, and both walked out of the portrait hole. "Hey there," the Veela said seductively, and James' eyes just got wide and scared, and Lily pushed him to move him from where he stood frozen.
"It's bloody weird having a portrait obsessed with me," James said uncomfortably.
Lily merely laughed at his unease, before hurrying him along to an unused classroom that Dumbledore had given them permission to hold Prefect meetings in.
They found their small group already assembled, so they blew through the instruction.
"And please remember, "Lily tied up their instructions, "just because you are at Hogsmeade doesn't mean you're no longer Prefects. Please help keep your fellow students in line, and prove to the staff that every Hogsmeade trip will not be a disaster."
They all nodded, and started to gather their belongings.
"Oh, and on your way out, please take these schedules for your patrolling duties." James roared over the din. He did not want to get stuck with a ton of duties again.
The Prefects grudgingly grabbed their schedules, and then Lily and James went off to find their Common Room again.
Upon arriving, Lily looked at James wearily and said, "That went surprisingly well, considering that we didn't plan it out ahead of time. At least not together…"
"Yeah," James agreed, although his mind was elsewhere.
Outside, the weather was quickly turning foggy, and cool breezes blew into their common room from a window.
"We ought to go meet our friends," James said softly, but with a glint of mischief in his eyes.
"Yeah, all right," Lily approved.
James grabbed his cloak, but Lily's was left on the back of the couch, unbeknownst to her.
Together, they trudged down to the entry doors, and Lily met up with her friends Lizzie, Amy, and a couple of other girls they had started to hang out with in Lily's absence.
A giggling group, they headed down to the village, and they could make out a few lights through the fog. After exiting the school gates, Lily turned around and gaped at Hogwarts. It was surrounded by an eerie mist and looked like it came from a fairy tale.
She didn't notice James mouth fall in awe. After seeing her turned around, he also turned to make sure she wasn't ogling another guy, and he caught the same view as her.
Turning back around, Lily hurried to catch up with her friends.
Lily shivered as a draft blew through her flimsy outfit. It covered enough of her, but the breeze went right through. She huddled closer to her bubbling friends, trying to warm up and chastising herself for forgetting her cloak in the Head Common Room.
A tap came on Lily's shoulder, and she turned to find James Potter holding out his cloak to her, a slight grin on his face. Lily shook her head stubbornly, and went to turn back to her friends, but James gently grabbed her elbow, saying, "Evans, take it. Please,"
She was giving in to the temperature, she told herself.
She reached out an icy hand, taking the cloak. "Potter is dressed in a far warmer outfit than me," she assured herself. With another grin, and a hand running through his messy black hair, James rejoined his friends in an appearingly animated conversation.
Pulling the cloak around her, she unwittingly breathed in his scent. It was slightly familiar, like a cologne she'd smelt before. The soft, two-sizes-too-big cloak enveloped her. Carefully lifting the hem of the cloak so it wouldn't drag though the dirty, dewy streets, she hurried to catch up with her friends.
When she arrived, they exchanged raised eyebrows at her new attire. She gave them all an icy glare, which made them burst into giggles.
"I. Don't. Like. Potter." She said through clenched teeth, and willed her thoughts to fill of Remus, but she couldn't make them, because she was wrapped in James' cloak.
Her friends skirted the subject carefully through the rest of the day, and Lily finally relaxed towards the end of it. As dark neared, they traipsed up to the castle again, and Lily waved her friends off and followed the corridors to the Head Common Room.
"Canook," she said blandly to the Veela. She shot Lily a dark glare, but swung open obediently.
She found James already inside, staring into the flames, her cloak still hanging over the back of the couch, as she'd left it. Ineptly, she realized she had to return his cloak to him. Wondering how to breech the subject, she sat down next to him, forgetting she was still in his cloak.
He glanced over at her, without her realizing, and smiled at her wearing his cloak. He brows were furrowed, the same way they were when she was meticulously labeling an Astronomy assignment, and her eyes left unfocused on the fire. Suddenly springing to life, she jumped from the couch and he quickly averted his gaze.
Taking off the cloak, she said, "Er, thanks,"
He nodded, taking his cloak, and she yawned, heading for her room.
Sighing, he got up as well. Turning out his light, he sat down on the edge of his bed, the cloak in his hand. Bringing it slowly to his nose, he smelt a trace of some unknown girly smell. Placing the cloak on his desk, he groaned at his own hopelessness and fell asleep, the slightly sweet smell of the girl he couldn't have on his mind.
A/N: There ya go. This one is longer than the last one, and I hope you all enjoyed it! I'm trying to get out another chapter of "But for all the whole world," today (crosses fingers), and hopefully start WAY away (still figuring out how to punctuate it- any suggestions? As in, capitalization, I mean) about Draco and Hermione before I have to go back to school (which will significantly limit my writing time). OH! And most of this chapter, I thought you ought to know, was a one-shot that I edited to fit into this. If you want me to post the one-shot (which is longer and different and NOT part of this story at all), just review it on there!
A/N2: By semi-popular demand, the one-shot which inspired this chappie has been posted :) It's The Cloak that Changed the World.