Disclaimer: I've never really gotten the point of these things. Do you really think that if I owned any of this or was making money from it I would still be here!
A/N: I am alive! I promise. This is another product of long long air-plane rides, and I must say I'm really proud of it.
Oh yes, this is only a one-shot and it shall stay a one-shot. And flames belong on Motorcycles. Keep them far away from me. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, though!
For all those who read A Fork InAn Eye: I promise I'm going as fast as I can. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? xD
Waiting For the Loo
Lily waved goodbye to her mum as she headed into the Leaky Cauldron, searching for the loo. After the long car ride, (her mum still insisted upon driving her whenever she went to Diagon Alley. It had become a tradition.) she really had to pee.
She had never used the loo at the Leaky Cauldron before, so she really didn't know where to go. She walked up to Tom the Barkeeper, and asked him where the loo was.
"Down that hall to the right, across from the men's," he said gruffly, pointing to a hallway off to the left, before turning back to a worried looking-witch with a strange hat on.
Lily nodded a "Thank you," before walking over to the hallway he had pointed to.
She felt a little out of place already in her muggle clothes, but the only wizarding robes she owned were her Hogwarts robes, and there was no way she was wearing those out of school.
Immersed in her thoughts, she didn't notice someone standing outside the men's lavatories until he addressed her.
"Lily?" James Potter exclaimed, looking shocked.
Lily turned around slowly. How in Earth had he managed to be there the exact same day she came! It was exasperating!
"Hey, Potter," Lily said, trying to be casual, but really trying to decide whether she really had to go that bad. Her bladder said yes, yes she did. She crossed her legs a little.
She jiggled the lock on the door in hopes that it wasn't locked, but she had no such luck.
"Yours is locked too?" James asked, leaned against the wall next to the men's loo.
"I guess," Lily said, turning back towards the door. She still was definitely not comfortable around him, even though they had known each other for more than six years. She figured that if she ignored him, he might go away.
Even Potter couldn't be that thick.
"So what are you doing here?" James asked.
Apparently, she was wrong. He could be.
Lily didn't know whether she should answer, or just keep ignoring him.
But in the end, James solved it for her. "Lily?" he asked, tapping her shoulder.
"Sorry," she said, out of habit. "I was dazing. What did you say?"
"I asked you what you were doing here," James said, looking a little unimpressed.
"Oh," Lily said, pretending she hadn't heard it. She may not like the guy, (or, at least, tell herself that she didn't like the guy), but she didn't really want to be rude. She was raised better than that. "In this hallway, or in Diagon Alley?"
"Diagon Alley," James said, smiling a slow smile. Lily made a mental note to eat something. Her stomach felt a bit weird. "I'm quite sure I know why you're in this hallway."
Lily laughed. She was surprised at how cool he was being. It was rather ... different, but a good kind of different.
"I have to get some stuff for this extra-credit project I'm doing," she responded.
"Really?" James asked, looking really interested. "For what class?"
"Potions," Lily said, blushing a little. She wasn't sure why - everyone knew Potions was her thing.
"That's brill," James said, ending the conversation.
They both looked around a bit awkwardly until James said, "I wonder what's taking these people so long."
"I'm sure I don't know," Lily said, folding her arms across her chest.
"Yeah," James said, again acknowledging the end of the conversation and the start of more uncomfortableness.
Lily turned a bit more to the wall, crossing her legs a bit more, contemplating whether or not she should knock, but before she could lift up her arm to do it, James said, "So, erm, are you here alone?"
Lily looked at him strangely, but still answered: "My friends are still on vacation and my parents are still weird about going into any Wizarding areas, but I'm not complaining at all." Lily found herself smiling after she spoke.
"I bet," James chuckled.
"What about you?" She found herself asking (merely out of habit and politeness, of course.)
"My mum took Sirius to the muggle zoo. They had this big argument about it last night - something about animals in the muggle and magical worlds. Mum is a secret muggle-lover." Sometime during their conversation, James had switched around so that he was standing on the other side of the door to the men's loo, facing Lily, who faced him.
"What about you?" Lily asked. "Why didn't you go?"
James looked uncomfortable. "Sirius doesn't really have a family anymore, so I thought that he might need some time with a motherly figure."
Lily put a hand on her hip and gave him a look that clearly stated that she didn't believe him. "Okay, so what's the real reason?"
"Muggle automobiles scare me, all right?" James said, looking straight into Lily's eyes.
Lily laughed, looking away. "I can't say that I'm not surprised."
James joined in the laughter, accidentally brushing up against her arm a little. That's when it hit Lily. She was flirting with James Potter! Her enemy whom she had sworn to hate forever! And right next to the door to the loo, no less! She must be going mental.
Though she had to admit - he did look kinda cute in the different type of robes than she was used to him wearing. And in the dim light, his hair did look kinda sexy ...
But no one would ever be able to get her to admit that. No way. No doubt it was one of those short crushes. It would come and go in three days, maximum. In fact, as soon as he started acting normal and pratty again, which she was sure would happen soon, she would probably get over it.
"They really are taking a long time in there," James remarking into the silence caused by Lily's thoughts.
"Are you sure there are people inside?" Lily asked.
"Maybe we should knock," James suggested.
"All right," Lily agreed, turning to knock on the door. She waited until she heard James' knock before she herself knocked. She turned to face James as she heard an "Occupied" coming from James' door and a "Someone's in here!" from hers.
He turned back to face her and said, "At least now we know that there are people in there," he said positively.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she said, but the corners of her mouth tipped up a bit.
"So," James said. Lily looked up to meet his eyes and was surprised. She had never really noticed how pretty a colour hazel his eyes were. She guessed she had never really looked into them before. "Where do you need to shop?" He asked, breaking her from her thoughts.
"Definitely the apothecary," Lily asked, listing of places from the mental list in her head. She liked to make lists. "And I'd love to check out Flourish and Blotts," she continued. "And I'd like to get a bigger cauldron."
"Well erm," James said fidgeting with the hem of his sleeves, "I don't really have any place to go today, I was just planning on wandering around, really, so maybe," James gulped. "Maybe I can accompany you?"
At the hesitant look on Lily's face, he added, "You know, because of all the attacks recently, and how safe it isn't anymore ..." he trailed off, looking as if he thought himself the lamest person on Earth.
Lily supposed it would be nice to have company - and she couldn't be rude, could she?
Just as she was about to answer, her door opened, and McGonagall walked out. "Why Miss Evans and Mister Potter. How nice to see you both here."
"You too, Professor McGonagall," Lily answered politely as the men's door opened and Dumbledore walked out.
"Hello Mister Potter," Dumbledore said knowingly. "Miss Evans."
"Hello Professor," they both answered, sharing a look with each other.
"You know, I was going to wait," Dumbledore began, his eyes twinkling merrily, "but this seems like the perfect situation. Congratulations Mister Potter and Miss Evans, the staff and I," Dumbledore glanced over at McGonagall and unless Lily's eyes were playing a trick on her, she swore she saw McGonagall give a slight nod. "We decided that you two would be the best people as next year's Head Boy and Girl."
Both Lily and James were shocked. Neither knew what to say.
"You'll get your badges in the mail soon," Dumbledore continued.
McGonagall nodded. "I trust you will both prove that our choice was the right one."
All Lily and James could do was nod. Lily choked out a "Yes Ma'am."
"Very good. I'll see you both on September first, then."
"Goodbye Professors," Lily said and Dumbledore and McGonagall turned to walk down the hall.
"Yes, goodbye Professors," James said after Lily gave him a sharp nudge.
"Oh," Dumbledore said, stopping and turning around once more. "I'm sure it would be a good idea for you two to start planning as soon as possible. How about today?" Lily could see his eyes twinkling brighter than before. Dumbledore gave a small wink to James before he turned back around and walked out of sight with McGonagall, leaving Lily and James to stare awkwardly at one another.
"So, erm, I think that's a good idea - what Dumbledore said," Lily said, breaking the silence.
"You do!" James asked a bit eagerly.
Lily laughed. "Yes, we have a lot to talk about."
She pushed open the loo door meaning to walk in, but James grabbed the door and said, "So you want to go now?"
"I'm sorry, James," Lily said, peeling his fingers from the door. "But I really have to pee."
James nodded and let her shut the door before exclaiming: "Wait, Lily!"
Lily opened the door slowly, and poked her head out, "Yes?"
James looked down at the floor before looking back up at her. "You called me James."
Lily laughed. "If Dumbledore is mad enough to make you Head Boy, then I suppose I can be mad enough to give you a chance."
James was speechless. He opened his mouth, trying to form words, but Lily just laughed and closed the door again. "Wait for me, all right, James?" She shouted through the door.
James couldn't say anything, but instead waited for her right outside the door, and when she came out, he didn't do anything but stand up and grin at her. And that was when he thought that maybe he was going a little mad as well.
Because she grinned back.