Hey guys, Sorry for the long wait. I moved last week and the phone company took thier precious time in setting up our phone and internet lines.

About updating this story, i had to write for this cause it was the only one where the ideas were still fresh in my mind. I would try to update Provacative Indulgence as soon as i remember mey story line properly--sorry but other ideas are minxed up in my head. so soon, hopefully.

Those who're interested the Wedding: well itwas good, the food was awesome and my feet had hurt like hell...lol

I wanna thank you all for reviewing, its much appreciated.

I love you all and hopefully by Friday u'll have a next chapter...of what fic i'm not to sure yet...Luv yas

Me.

Oh P.S i reviewed my chapter but not really for punctuation so i apoligse if there are any although Arch did fix them in thefirst page.

Lol...byes and hope u review!


Simply Friends

Chapter 2: A Risqué Appearance

'How are the infamous Marauders? They doing okay?' Erin Reeves asked Lily as she sipped her coffee outside their favourite coffee pub in the heart of London. The quaint establishment was a part of a small chain of coffee shops that had recently come out. And it was near the dress stores where they had just bought Lily's Dress for the Gala.

Lily grinned, 'I got one of them to take me to the Gala this weekend.' Now that was a new one, Lily hadn't told her she was looking to ask them to help her.

'Really now,' Erin said, and then smiled before continuing, 'which one was unwillingly roped into doing this for you.'

'How do you know he was roped into anything?' Lily asked peeved just a little bit. Her friend was not supposed to side with any one other than her. Although, Erin saw them almost as much as she did. Her mate hadn't been keen on keeping in touch with them—after all they did cause Erin some serious problems in school but she got over it.

Erin just raised an eyebrow and Lily blew out a breath in defeat.

'Okay, fine,' Lily said and her friends smiled for her to go on. 'It took a while to convince him, and he still doesn't want to go but he said I'll owe him a huge favour since he detests these things.'

'Okay, so who is the lucky one?' Erin asked then named the most obvious one. 'Remus? He's always willing to help you out.' Erin remarked. 'Though he hardly ever asks for favours in return.'

'Well, yeah but Remus is busy so James is taking me.' Lily replied and sipped her coffee once more.

Erin just stared at her. 'Really?'

'What?' Lily couldn't fathom what was wrong now. 'What's that look for?' Lily asked. She didn't get what she said to have earned that look from Erin. It was her oh-this-is-a-big-deal look that somehow coupled with her you've-got-to-be-kidding-me look as well making the receiver feel as though she had done something wrong.

'If you don't know, why should I tell you?' Erin said stubbornly but clearly not convinced of something. 'But to me it seems like a good time to see.' she said vaguely.

'I honestly don't know why you're giving me the look, I've done nothing wrong.' Lily said, she really didn't know. Then her mate's last words registered. 'Good time? Good time to see what?'

Erin shrugged and made Lily more confused than ever.

'Never mind about that then," Lily said dropping that for now,"but as I said before I don't know why you're giving me the look.'

'Huh, yeah right. I was there Evans remember?' Erin said apparently giving herself permission in having to resort to using Lily's last name. Then she started checking off, 'I was in your classes, I sat next to you in those classes, I slept in the bed next to yours—we practically spent every waking moment together so your having conveniently forgotten your thing for James Potter is completely unwarranted.'

'My thing—James—what?' She sputtered and nearly choked. 'I have no idea want you're talking about.'

'Don't you? I saw how hard you took it when he stopped hanging around you and asking you out in sixth year. You just hadn't wanted to admit that the reason you were always hard on him was because you lusted after him like a person dying of thirst.' Erin retorted.

She hadn't thought about James in those terms since…wow it's been over two years.

Okay so it had been a long time but really her lusting after James Potter now was laughable. Not only were they friends but they've seen the other go out with other people and hadn't cared so making any kind of deal out of this little outing was pretty useless. Still she ought to defend herself.

'I did not lust after him. He had been an arrogant son of a bitch, but he's changed and we're just friends now, so whatever the past had been would stay there.' Lily said daring Erin to think otherwise but being the person she was Erin wasn't about to back down, at least not when she thought she was right. She had had no idea Erin new about any of her feelings, such as they were—were unimportant that is.

'You hated him because you wanted him and you hated wanting him because of how he acted." Erin said knowingly."The attraction has never really gone away, you just haven't allowed yourself to think of James in any other definition than that of a friend.'

Lily sniffed; Erin was way off base on this one. It had been a simple attraction that she didn't care much about, that was all—err—okay maybe it was a little more than that but there was no such attraction now.

'Lily, it was even worse for you when the two of you were head boy and girl because the more you got to know him the more turned on you got—and don't deny it.' she said from the moment Lily opened her mouth to protest.

Lily grimaced her friend knew her a little too well but all of that changed when she and James had become friends so all of this shouldn't matter now, 'I'm not but Erin, we started our friendship in seventh year so all of that doesn't count anymore. He had been sexy as sin then but I got over the whole thing.' Lily said as she thought back to two years ago. She sighed as she remembered almost drooling after him, darn it if Erin hadn't brought it up she would have forgotten about her once attraction to James Potter.

Well conveniently the way Erin was playing it to be but really the attraction disappeared because it was no more so therefore conveniently or otherwise forgetting that she'd liked him was the right thing.

In fifth year she had resorted to yelling and hexing, for him to leave her alone. She had hated what he had represented but what she had hated even more was that she had liked him. At that time she couldn't turn off the attraction to him, but now everything has changed, things are different and if she had known then that the only way for her not to be aware of him sexually was to become friends with him, she would have tried it then.

It didn't matter.

She sighed.

And it hadn't mattered—much— that from the time—before if she was honest— they were working together that he had no interest in her, other than when and where they were going to plan what for the rest of the prefects and the students. Friendship had come near Christmas and after, and then everything stayed the way it was.

But the way Erin was looking at her now made it seem that all those weird feelings were starting to come back and the usually normal boat had somehow started to rock. It was sudden this feeling and remembering these things made her feel strange inside.

No… nostalgia was all it was. Yes that was it nostalgia. There were no feelings fighting to come back…they died out contrary to what Erin seemed to think.

'Erin, don't start any of this please? I don't get why you're bring this up now. I've known James outside of Hogwarts for two years. We've been friends for so long this is no warrant to what you're saying. Why not tell me all this then when the friendship was forming? Because saying this now it too sudden and things will be awkward now.'

'Li, tell me something.' Erin said ignoring Lily's speech.

'Yeah?'

'In all the time you were friends were you ever alone together?' she asked and Lily had to wonder if her friend was suffering from a mental lapse.

'Yeah,' she said determined to prove whatever she wanted to point out wrong, 'loads of times. I still don't know what you're playing at.'

Erin went on as though Lily hadn't tacked on those last words. 'Name some,' she said.

'Okay…just last week he was the first to show up at my flat and we chatted for a few minutes, then oh and we're usually the ones sent to buy the food whenever we're all together. So there.'

'Lily I would have you know that this is the first time the two of you have been together—alone—in a date worthy environment.' Erin said and she looked at Lily solemnly.

At that face alone Lily cracked up and laughed. 'Oh come on Erin you can't be serious.'

'I am and you may laugh at this now but the two of you thrust together with no buffers in between will open up doors.' Erin was sure of this. There had been an undeniable attraction between them. They had just been too busy to see that during their friendship. They went from sparring partners to unrequited lusters to tolerable friends and finally to a good normal friendship. Though now the only step missing was to find that attraction once again.

Because the attraction between two people especially those two would be make it hard to stay buried especially as now they have an intimate thing going. They still like each other and unconsciously the game had never really finished between them.

She had never voiced her opinion and in the beginning knew that although Lily was friends with the entire group of Marauders there was only one bloke she could never remain "just friends" with and that one was James Potter.

Take Lily's dress for the Gala, it is a come get me dress. Never mind that Lily said otherwise but the dress screamed sex. She had seen it on display today and knew it then when Lily had tried it on, well that about said it all. No straight man was going to resist it.

'No way Erin, you can chant that little tune how much you want but you're not going to make me think that James and I have nothing more going for us than friendship.'

'I know I'm right and in time you'll see that for yourself.' Erin said. She knew that James thought the same way Lily did because she had seen the two of them in action numerous times. They weren't going to cross that invisible barrier of friendship unless they felt more inclined too, and with the rest of the Marauders out of the way next week things will progress the way nature intended it.

'It's not a date Erin and I don't care what kind of weird ideas you're trying to put into my head I won't think of James Potter in any other way than a friend.'

'We'll see.' And Erin smiled, in a few days she'll see whether her hunch will pay off, then they'd credit her the female with the best instincts.

James tugged the tight collar at his neck uncomfortably even as he stepped out of his flat at six thirty that evening. He never did get used to wearing such clothing. The ties at Hogwarts were fine but shirts that buttoned all the way up to his neck with a bow holding it in place was not his idea of evening wear—after all choking is never fun.

The robes over them were quite worse, he felt like count Dracula in his total black ensemble.

Why could these people want to wear casual stuff?

A jeans and a sweater never hurt anybody and all these fixings was making him feel uneasy. It had been another reason he hadn't felt comfortable in surroundings like the one he was about to spend a few hours in.

The way the high society dressed was just plain stupid and although his parents saw those things as sacrifices to be made to better the world he knew it wasn't necessary.

With a final tug his collar he rapped on her door.

When it swung open he didn't even see her face as she rushed back into her flat. 'Give me five minutes, I'll be right back, I'm almost done.' She said after she closed her bedroom door.

Okay, well he was early so it was nothing to wait.

Five minutes later Lily adjusted the sides of her dress. It wasn't her usual style but she had fallen in love with the fabric and Madam Selah had altered it to fit her perfectly. Erin just grinned and said "hot". The intense deep green velvet suited her skin and although the colour was cliché to her hair and green eyes she could help but fall in love with it.

The miniscule purse completed the look and she came out of the bedroom with her shoes already on. She smiled at him as she passed to get her wrap and robesfrom the hall cupboard.

'What are you wearing?' came a shocked and choked voice from behind her.

Stunned Lily just turned and looked at him. Was he mental? 'My dress why, what's the matter?' She didn't get his exclamation.

'You're wearing that to the Gala?'

'Yes why? I see nothing wrong with It.' she said. She had thought it actually looked high class. The dress, she knew showcased her rear end since the modest cut in front barely showed cleavage—not that she had much to show mind you—so as the fabric went over her shoulders it hugged into a V-cut all the way down to her hips where it clung before simply falling to her ankles.

James watched the fabric cling tightly to her body—which was close to perfection—her back was totally visible straight down to her hips and from what he could see she couldn't have possibly have on…

'Are you even wearing underwear?' he asked, words popping out of his mouth before he could stop them. Was she trying to kill him? No one was likely to look this good over there and he should know.How was he going to achieve his goal by finding a girl at the Gala if Lily was the best thing worth looking at?

She looked at him, clearly puzzled—though he didn't see why she should be. 'Well yeah, a little, a tiny thing really, because there is only so much you can fit into a dress like this. You have to admit though that wearing barely anything makes the dress fit nicer.' She said as though she announced to men all the time that she wears tiny knickers.

'Right,' he said even as his lungs squeezed then led the way out of the flat. There was no chance of him walking behind her; his eyes would stay attached to her derriere too much for his liking. He wasn't sure why but he didn't want to see Lily in any light other than the one where friends were magnified. He was a normal red-blooded male after all.

He chided himself. It was wrong for him to even feel a stirring of lust just by looking at her in that sexy outfit—he jsut wasn't going to look at it, or her. That will work…right.

Well whatever, his main intention for going to this stupid thing is to find a girl who would think that all that nonsense would be a waste of time and they'd get to know each other. Then maybe they'd have some quiet time later on.

He laughed to himself, okay he knew now that'll never happen but he can hope can't he?

All right this was a favour to a friend and it'll stay that way. He wasn't going to pay attention to anything anyone had to say and that included the sultry little thing walking beside him.

It's been a while since he willing zoned out on a conversation be he damn well was going to try.

James then sighed, so much for hoping it'll be an easy evening it was going to be a long night and if he wasn't careful he'd be reminded too much of the feelings his adolescent self had harboured for the red head.

Lily was nervous, though she had absolutely no reason to be. She felt as though she was going on her first date—and it was all Erin's fault anyway, putting silly ideas into her head. She had tried not to let it bother her all week since she had that conversation with her best mate but when she had come out of her room she was very aware that she was wearing next to nothing under her dress.

And James's reaction didn't help her one bit. Something akin to appreciation was shown on his face but it was gone before she was able to analyse it further.

That initial response to the dress heated her skin and although she was trying to act flippant to his question about her knickers she felt rather than knew she was almost naked under the silky piece of cloth.

Convinced her mind had played a trick on her she listened to his comment which, to her he sounded like he would have never expected her to wear something like this. More big brotherish than anything stupid Erin was telling her about so she made light of whats he was and wasn't wearing.

She had to get a grip on things; it made no sense that her thoughts kept going on this cycle because of this non-existent thing between them.

After closing her kitchen window Lily decided she'd talk to James about the whole thing. He'd put things into perspective by making a joke about it and then they'd laugh and all would be forgotten. Then they would go on being the friends they were since 7th year.

When they walked out to Lily's porch they quickly decided on the best place to apparate, which was just a building away from the Convention Hall where the Gala was taking place.

'I have to tell you I'm nervous about it.' Lily said instead to James in order to hide her growing awareness of the situation, though, this was true a little.

'Why? I thought you wanted to go to this thing badly.' James asked.

'Yeah I do, but only a few were given invitations. Each division had to award points to their staff based on their dedication to their patients and commitment to their work. Then the top three would be issued invitations. That's in the whole hospital'

'Wow congratulations, we had no idea, you should have told us something. This is a big honour Lily, I can understand the reason you had for wanting to attend this thing so badly.' James said as they walked slowly to the entrance.

'I worked hard and had no idea I was in the running for anything like that and then when it was announced I didn't feel the need to tell anyone that I was awarded for helping people. It shouldn't be anything like that.'

'Yeah it shouldn't.' James said in admiration. He'd always liked this side of her.

'The reason I wanted to come so bad was because I wanted to see how the fortunate treat people and are treated and although I was excited about being here, I am looking forward to seeing how things are.'

'But I have to tell you Lily, don't expect too much from the people here. The old blood will show you a new side to themselves and you may change your mind about the pure blood of wizarding society.'

'Well then I guess this is going to be a fascinating learning experience.' She commented.

'Yeah but I also don't want you to use my judgements in this, you have to form your own opinions of things,however I'll offer you this fair bit of warning; try and see below the exterior of a person because I can assure you that their outside persona does not match to the person they are inside.'

'Don't worry James, if everything seems stuffy we'll leave as soon as my boss has seen me.'

'Well okay lets go inside then, I might know a few people from the days my parents used to come and I'll show you around the Hall. It should be pleasant enough if we don't run into a few key people.'

Lily laughed at the wary expression James had on his face as he glanced about himself.

'I see you're very keen on avoiding them.'

'Yes and you should be too—' James said then broke off when he stared at the side of them in horror.

'What? What's the matter?' Lily asked with a puzzled glance towards his gaze. He was looking at the most gorgeous and elegant creature Lily had ever seen. Tall, blonde, beautiful and had breasts the size of cantaloupes. His look horror shouldn't have fit with what she saw.

'It's the wickedest witch of all London.' James said then turned to her. 'Lets move on before she sees me.' He said and grabbed her hand. They had only moved a couple steps when a husky cultured voice called out, 'James Potter is that you?'

'Acanthi,' James said when he turned and saw her. 'Hello.' Acanthi? Lily thought but somehow the named suited this long arching woman, who seemed to have the aura of ice.

'And hello to you too darling,' the woman said as stretched forward to plant a kiss on James' cheek. She allowed her lips to linger longer than necessary on his skin before purring, 'its been an awfully long time darling.' It was more than obvious by the suggestion she made that something had occurred between them but stretching out his arm James brought Lily closer to his side and plastered her against him.

'Not long enough,' he replied as he rested his head atop of Lily's and rubbed his cheek against her head in an intimate caress that had her holding back a sigh.

'Go with me on this ok?' he said as his lips brushed her ear. Ah a pretence, well she could do that and maybe she could see just where their relationship was.