James left the hospital wing the night before Halloween. As he entered the common room, the Gryffindors all applauded their approval for his outstanding performance during the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match. James smiled and bent into a low bow, acting as if he was the hero of some tragic accident.
The applause continued as James made his way through the common room and only stopped after James had sat down in a chair that had just been vacated by a third year girl. Sirius, Remus, and Peter sat around him.
"So James up for the Hogsmeade visit tomorrow?" Sirius asked as he took a huge bite of a chocolate frog that had been one of the many given to James while he was in the hospital wing.
"Of course," James said as he bit into a Honeydukes chocolate bar. "and maybe if I'm lucky Evans will go with me."
"Don't count on it James" Remus told his friend.
"Why not? She did come to visit me in the hospital wing." James pointed out.
"Yeah. But only because Jordan dragged her there. I think she still likes you." Remus said.
"Sure that's what she wants you to think. I'm sure she came by herself and cried at my lifeless body." James replied finishing off his chocolate bar and throwing the wrapper into the fire. "Come to think of it, late one night I think I did hear someone crying." James screwed up his face trying to remember that night.
Sirius snorted, "I think you need to go back to the hospital wing Prongs."
James threw his chocolate frog he had just picked up at his best friend, hitting him between the eyes and dropping into his lap.
"Hey thanks mate." Sirius said brightly, unwrapping it and threw the wrapper back at it's owner.
"Well I'm going to ask her. Oy! Evans!" James called across the common room at an unexpecting red headed girl. Lily jumped and turned to look at James. She rolled her eyes and turned back to continue her game of chess with Jordan. James smiled. "She wants me."
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Across the common room, Lily sat with Jordan and Megan, playing a game of wizards chess. The common room had just erupted into applause. Lily turned around to see what had caused the sudden uproar just in time to see James bow to his admirers. She scowled and turned back to her friends.
"He thinks he's like god or something" Lily told her friends.
Megan and Jordan looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
"Oh my gosh Lily, can't you go 5 minutes without talking about James?" Jordan asked her friend.
"Of course I can" Lily snapped.
"Than why don't you once in a while?" Jordan snapped back at her friend.
"I do!" Lily practically shouted causing a few people to turn and stare.
"Yeah whatever" Jordan rolled her eyes.
Lily scowled as she saw four people leave their chairs and offering them to James. She rolled her eyes again, and turned back to her chess match with Jordan, who was waiting for Lily to make her move.
"Knight to H-"
"Oy! Evans!" someone shouted from across the room.
Lily turned around to see who had called her name. Lily scanned the room and saw that James was looking directly at her. Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to her chess match. "Knight to H-2" Lily completed her sentence and the small knight moved up 2 spaces and over one.
"Evans!" James shouted again.
Lily rolled her eyes and turned back around, "What do you want Potter?"
"Fancy coming to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?" James shouted at her. Behind him Sirius was eating another chocolate frog, Remus was shaking his head in exasperation, and Peter was just sitting their staring at the ceiling.
"Of course I'll go with you James!" Lily shrieked using her highest and most girly voice she could muster.
"Really!" James beamed. He turned around and high-fived Sirius.
"I'll go with you with you when the Giant Squid talks!" Lily shouted at him. The entire common room was doing their best to ignore the twos argument. They were so used to Lily and James's shouting matches, that it didn't phase them at all.
"That can be arranged Evans!" James shouted back.
Lily rolled her eyes, "When are you going to give up Potter?" Lily spat "I'm NOT going to go out with you!"
And with that Lily picked up her bag and stormed up to her dormitory slamming the door behind her.
James sat down next to Sirius.
"Though luck Prongs" Sirius patted his friend on the back.
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The following morning Lily, Jordan, and Megan woke up with the rest of the school to the sound of the howling wind and the smell of pumpkin pies being baked for the much anticipated Halloween feast that evening. Lily rolled out of bed and glanced out the window. The sky was clear but Lily saw a thin layer of frost blanketing the grounds. Rubbing her eyes, Lily turned away from the window and began to dress in warm clothes for going into the village.
"You ready Lily?" Jordan asked.
"Yup" Lily said pulling her hat on along with a pair of gloves and she already had her gryffindor scarf tied tight around her neck. She turned to face Jordan, who was standing by the door with Megan and the three of them made their way down the spiral staircase, across the common room, and towards the portrait hole.
"Hey Evans! Evans!" a deep male voice shouted.
Lily rolled her eyes, "Not again. Come on let's go"
The three had just made it out of the portrait hole when someone grabbed Lily above the elbow. Lily groaned.
"Let go of me Potter!"Lily spat at James who was accompanied, as always, by Sirius, Remus, and Peter.
"I just thought i'd give you one last chance to come into the village with me." James reasoned.
"Yeah i dont think so." Lily told him trying to yank her arm out of James's firm grip but he kept a tight hold on her.
James grinned. "I think you're making a mistake."
"Oh do you?" Lily aksed.
"Yes I do. Most girls would love to be in your position" James told Lily.
"So why dont you go badger someone else 24/7? Someone who's life depends on you asking them out." Lily answered.
"Are you saying i should go ask out a Hufflepuff? Because if you must know Evans, I'm not much of an interhouse kinda person. Because then you can only see them during breaks and meals. I prefer to go for people in my own house."
Lily gaped at James. "Are you serious?"
"No I'm Sirius silly." Sirius told Lily. James smirked.
Lily rolled her eyes, "Sirius, that joke was only funny in the first year."
"You just have no sense of humor Evans" James told her.
"Whatever. Now if you dont mind, I'd like to get to the village before Christmas." Lily said and with a big tug, she pulled her arm free and her, Jordan, and Megan made their way down the stone steps and out onto the grounds.
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The trio of girls arrived in the village about 15 minutes after leaving James and his friends at the portrait hole.
Now, they were standing at the edge of the village deciding what shop to go in, just a a cold gust of wind blew past them, making them tie their scarfs closer to theirnecks.
"Want to go into Honeydukes?" Jordan suggested.
The two girls nodded their agreement and the three set of down the street towards the candy shop as fast as they could fighting the howling wind.
The three opened the door and imediatley felt the relief from the cold. They took their hats and gloves off and fought their way through the thick flood of Hogwarts students, trying to get near enough to the shelves to pick something out.
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An hour later, the three had their hats and gloves back on and were making their way towards The Three Broomsticks where they would get a butterbeer before heading back up to the castle. It had been a cold but fun day, as they had gone in almost every shop in the village, and it had cost them almost all of their money.
Once they reached the end of the street, they pushed the door open to the Three Broomsticks and walked inside. The place was full of Hogwarts students, as well as locals in the village.
Lily and Jordan found a table and pulled off their outerwear while Megan went up and ordered three butterbeers.
Megan returned a few minutes later with three foaming glasses of butterbeer and passed one to each of her friends who thanked her and took a huge gulp.
As soon as the three girls finished their butterbeers, they stood up, put on their coats, gloves, hats, and scarves, and made their way back through the village, and up the walk back towards the school. When they got back up to the Gryffindor common room, they saw that they were not the only ones who had decided to come back to school early, as the common room was almost filled with students. So, the three pulled off their coats, gloves, hats, and scarves, and carried them up to their dormitory and through them on their beds, before going back downstairs to the common room where they played several games of exploading snap.
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Later that day, at quarter to 7, Lily, Jordan, and Megan made their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast.
The hall was already almost full as they took their seats at the Gryffindor table, with a few stragllers coming in every few minutes. The hall was decorated with pumpkins the size of small cars and live bats filled the air. The bewitched cieling revealed a cloudy night. The students were all talking loudly to one another, but when Professor Dumbledore stood up to address the school, all silence fell and eyes shifted towards the headmaster.
"Let the Feast begin"
The four house tables and the teachers table all filled magically with food. Lily grabbed some chicken legs, some mashed potatoes, and some corn, and began to eat. Slowly, the hall began to fill up with chatter and the sound of knives and forks scraping plates as the school enjoyed the feast.
Before long, the dishes were cleared away and replaced by many different types of dessert. Everyone in the hall refilled their plates with pieces of treacle tart and different varieties of candy that filled the long house tables. Finally, the last of the desserts disappeared and all the plates were left spotless, Dumbledore stood up once more.
"May I have your attention please?" Dumbledore asked as he stood up, even though the whole hall had fell silent as soon as they saw their old headmaster standing up.
"That includes you Mr. Black and Mr. Potter."
James and Sirius, who had been throwing broken pieces of acid pops at the slytherins looked up at the sound of their names. The two straightened up and turned to face their headmaster.
"Now, I know that you are all full to bursting and tired, but I have an announcement to make before you all turn in." Dumbledore began. The students all looked at eachother wondering what the announcement could be. Dumbledore waited for all eyes to be back on him before speaking, "As a special treat, this year on Christmas Day, we will be holding a dance to honor the schools 1000th Birthday. Now, this dance-"
But no one heard much more. All the girls began squealing and talking to their friends excitedly at the prospect of a dance and the guys groaned and shrunk into their seats.
"A dance?" Sirius groaned, who had began flinging more candy at theslytherins once more,"Why dont they just throw us off the astronomy tower?"
"Come on Padfoot, it won't be that bad," James told him, "and besides, just think of all the girls who will ask us."
"Ohhh. I like your thinking Prongsie" Sirius winked at James.
"You two are sick" Remus told them. Sirius and James just grinned.
Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly and silence fell in the hall again.
"Now, this dance will be for students above the fourth year only." the third years and below groaned.
"That's not fair!" a third year girl at theHufflepuff table shouted.
"McKinnely, 5 points from Hufflepuff"
The person named McKinnely did not say another word but shrunk into their seat.
"Of course,"Dumbledore continued as if there had beenno interruption, "If a student under the fourth year is asked, they may attend."
A few of the prettier and handsomer third years sat up a little straighter. James winked at a third year girl sitting a few seats over from him. He smiled as the girl turned bright scarlet and turned to face her friends. Lily rolled her eyes.
"The dance will take place at 8:00 on Christmas Day and will run till midnight. Those attending must be in dress robes. We have planned our second Hogsmeade visit for a week prior to the dance so you can pick out your chosen attire. Now," Dumbledore clapped his hands, "Bed time! Night night."
There was the sound of scraping as the benches at the house tables were pushed back and everyone left the hall and headed towards their dormitories.
"Wow I can't believe it!" Jordan squealed, "A dance!"
"Yeah me neither." Lily agreed.
"Are you going to ask anyone?" Jordan asked Lily and Megan.
"Well i was thinking of asking Sirius" Megan mumbled and turned bright red.
"Who?" Jordan asked.
"Oh, Sirius" Megan repeated not facing her friend.
"Black?" Lily almost shouted.
"Lily! Shhh" Megan hissed.
"Sorry" Lily apologized, "But why Sirius?"
"I dont know. It was just a thought" Megan blushed.
And without another word, the three girls followed the other Gryffindors up the stairs towards Gryffindor tower.
A/N: Well there you have it! Chapter 13. I hope you like it! 1 down 5 to go! Please read and review! Say what you liked, didn't like, anything!If you liked it but dont have anything to say in a review just type in "1234". :) I'd really like to getat least 100 reviews on this story. And to anyone reading That Summer, I've decided to put that one on hiatus until this one is done.
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Emma