A/N at end of chapter :)

"ALICE, NO!" Lily screamed. "You can't wear that to Hogsmeade! That's my nicest green sweater!"

"Lily Evans, don't you get snippy with me. Not today. Not Hogsmeade day. I cannot handle additional stress on today of all days! Besides! This is not your nicest green sweater. It is your only green sweater. And I will be borrowing it because you are not allowed to wear this to Hogsmeade," Alice responded with a smirk.

"Wh-what?" Lily stammered. "Why not?! I was going to wear it with my nice brown trousers and those boots from Clarks and a headband and -"

"I know exactly what you were planning on wearing, Lil, I've only seen you in the same outfit about a hundred times before." Alice smiled lightly at her and Lily's reflection in their shared dorm mirror. She slid in a pair of feather earrings and fastened them at the back of her ear lobe with a charm. "Green on top with your sweater and eyes. Brown on bottom with your trousers and shoes. Red hair. You look like an apple tree, Lily. It's time to branch out - get it? BRANCH out? Wow I'm hilarious"

Lily just stood there, listening. Was Alice right? Did she look like she belonged in an orchard when she wore her favorite outfit?
"Well alright, smarty pants, what should I wear to Hogsmeade then?" Lily beckoned to her now fully accessorized roommate.

Alice grinned from ear to ear. "Ah, I was hoping you'd ask me that."


"She's late," James whispered to Sirius, barely audible over the roar of the Great Hall. Everyone was chattering away about the exciting trip down the hill to the shops and restaurants that made up Hogsmeade. "She's never late. Is she ditching me? Fuck, this is like 3rd year all over again."

Sirius looked at James with a bewildered expression on his face. "Mate, she asked you. She's probably doing exactly what you did this morning and is currently trying to get her scarlet tresses laid just perfectly all for your benefit. Only issue is she likely didn't wake up at FIVE IN THE BLOODY MORNING to get ready. So maybe she's running a little late. It's fine. Calm the fuck down!"

Logically, James knew Sirius had a point. Lily had asked him to Hogsmeade. She wouldn't just bail. She wouldn't just not show. No way.

He sighed. He hadn't been this nervous about Hogsmeade since he had first asked Lily to accompany him on their first trip all the way back in Third Year. She said yes, and then never showed up at their designated meeting spot. He supposed he should've seen it coming, since she hated his guts.

Also because she had never said yes before, and she had this weird gleam in her eyes while they talked about the weekend.

That was the first day he realized Lily was capable of retaliation and cruelty. And now he was worrying that she'd set him up again.

"Sirius, I'm just not sure, I'm so nervous and I've got this feeling in the pit of my stomach and -" James was silenced the Sirius's right hand as it covered his lips and nose, while the left hand whipped James' head around to look at the entrance of the Great Hall.

The roaring around him from the other students seemed to grow and expand and fill his lungs and ears and heart with white noise. There she was. Lily Evans. Looking beautiful as always, but also a little more beautiful than usual.

"Wow," James whispered to no one in particular. "Fucking hell."

Sirius let go of James' face.

He tried to will his feet to move, to run towards her, but couldn't. Instead, he watched her walk down the middle aisle of the Great Hall, towards him, heel-toe-heel-toe-heel-toe.

She was wearing a black dress he had never seen her wear before and had her dark green peacoat draped over her arm like a waiter in a fancy restaurant. Her legs were pale under the black fabric covering her thighs and hips and stomach and chest, the weather not yet cold enough to warrant the thermal tights she normally sported all through winter. The dress covered her arms down to her wrists, feigning modesty. She reached behind her as she walked and adjusted the hem of the dress, pulling it lower over her thigh. She let go and pushed hair behind her ear.

When she was less than five feet away, she quietly said "Hi."

"H-hi Lily."

"This might sound like a stupid question but do I look okay? Alice dressed me this morning and this is her dress. My thighs are a little thicker than hers so I keep having to adjust it and I'm worried I look like a total -"

"You look amazing," James managed, the words scraping out under his breath and in a huskier tone than usually sees the light of day. He cleared his throat. "You look beautiful. And the dress is really nice."

Lily smiled and lowered her head shyly.

"Alright tossers, if you don't start acting more your age and less like a pair of infatuated first years, I might just have to ditch my own date and chaperone you all day. Neither one of you is gonna get laid if you just talk quietly all day. You talked more before, back when you hated each other!"

James turned as slow as melting ice towards his best friend, cheeks a blazing red. "Sirius. Get. The. Fuck. Away." He smiled as sweet as sugar. "Please."

Sirius laughed, saluted the pair, and sauntered away, probably looking for whichever person he'd convinced to buy him a butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks.

James turned slowly back towards Lily. "Sorry. He's like that."

Lily smiled a full, real smile. "I know, I've only known the twat the past 6 somethin years. It's alright."

"He's right though. I am acting like a first year. I'm not sure why I'm so nervous for today, but I couldn't sleep properly, and I woke up around 5 just to get ready," James admitted. "I just want today to go well, the past few weeks have really changed things between us and I don't want to fuck it up again."

Lily smiled again and took a few steps closer to her date. "You won't."

She reached up and touched his cheek, running her thumb in a light circle over his cheekbone and down to the deepening dimple as he smiled with her.

She laughed. "Now, loverboy, let's get our asses to Hogsmeade! I need a drink and a snack and probably, in a little while, if you play your cards right, a kiss or two."

James joined her laughter and tried to hide the red in his cheeks as he let his date and coworker drag him out of the Great Hall and towards town.

A/N: Hey guys! Wow I'm so bad at updating. Mostly because I never work on this story. I had a free moment today and I felt like writing, so I did. And I'm glad I did! I love this story and I love writing it and working on it, I just don't have the motivation most of the time to do so. Which leads me to my one request: If you like this story! Please let me know! Please review! Tell me what you like! Obviously follow the story if you want to read more, I do intend on finishing it, it just might be a little slow because I am SO busy with school right now.

Life update! I moved to North Carolina and I'm now studying Musical Theatre! I also turned 21 in June (woot woot), broke off two different relationships, and am now learning how to live in temperatures lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit (LITERALLY! Florida doesn't get this cold and I've been there 4 years)

Anyway thanks for reading and I love you guys and I'll see you next chapter!

-Chloe