Over the next few weeks, Lyra felt her happiness levels grow. Not only had her friendships with Polly and Alice grown, so too had her relationship with Jake. They weren't officially going out, and he hadn't made a move to kiss her, but it felt like it might be going in that direction. They would always hang out at the weekend together, whether walking around the grounds when the weather permitted or around the castle on rainy or colder days. When they walked, his hand would sometimes brush hers and it all gave her butterflies. Added to that, that she never saw him with any other girls, and it made her feel…special. So much so, that she hadn't once thought about liking James as more than her best friend which meant that she really did like Jake. And this made her incredibly happy. It helped her deal with the fact that she saw less of James, that they had barely hung out since she'd told him they could only be friends and not best friends. She would sometimes find him looking over at her at dinner and she would smile and wave and he would always return it, and true, she did really miss him at times, so much so that sometimes she would find herself writing to him, asking him to meet her but then she would stop, remembering he had Lily. And she was moving on with that part of her life right now too. Jake was…he was great. Sometimes she had to work hard to think that he did like her, despite his status as one of the most popular boys in school and Gryffindor quidditch captain. How he liked her she had no idea but, as the girls had told her, right now she was running with it.

And with this positive attitude, as October rolled in, so too did the quidditch season. Jake was training hard and when the day came for the Gryffindor Slytherin match, he had admitted to her the night before that he was nervous. This was a big game for them, knew that this would determine how the other Gryffindors and indeed all the other quidditch players would view him. Their walk around the castle that night was jittery, Jake full of nervous energy but she had reassured him as best she could and, better yet, he had asked her if she was coming to the party that night, almost assuming she was. Word had gotten around the sixth years quickly that they were now invited to post-quidditch events like this, and all the girls were excited, busy planning their outfits with Polly insisting she'd heard some rumours that Jake was planning on making his move on Lyra that night. She was incredibly nervous and was downplaying it with her friends, but she found herself hopeful that maybe he would, that maybe he did like her that way.

The morning of the quidditch game, Lyra found herself dressing with extra care, not that she was likely to see Jake as he would be nervous this morning and then likely with the Gryffindors for the rest of the day but still, she thought it would help make a good impression should he catch her eye or anything. Rosie had helped her to curl her hair and then Polly insisted on a bit of make-up which had been kind of them, and she felt genuinely excited to watch the game. She had also managed to speak to James in Potions on Thursday and wish him luck and even dared to give him a quick hug. She was sure it had made him happy, knew how much he liked a hug and his smile afterwards had been infectious, putting her in a good mood for the rest of the day.

"So, Ly, I've been thinking" Rosie started as they were finishing up their breakfast, the noise in the Great Hall exceptionally loud, in that way it only ever was on match days. Lyra turned her attention to her best friend, finding her smiling in that mischievous way of hers.

"I'm scared right now" Lyra told her, Polly and Alice laughing as Rosie leaned in conspiratorially, making the others do so too.

"I think you should speak to Jake before the game, you know, wish him luck" Rosie said, Lyra frowning at this.

"I did that last night" she reminded her; indeed, she had, and it had led to Jake giving her that big beaming smile of his and an incredibly tight, prolonged hug which had sent the butterflies surging.

"Yes, but today it's important. And he's been telling you how important this is for him. I know he'd like it if you did, it would show him that you're interested too" Rosie added, making her blush.

"She's got a point. You should Lyra" Alice egged her on but she was unsure, eyes darting to the Gryffindor table where the team were gathered, looking like they were having an in-depth conversation. Lyra definitely didn't have the courage to just stroll over there.

"But I can't just go over there" she told them, feeling slightly sick at the thought.

"Okay but if he looks over you could sort of signal him?" Polly suggested, the other girls nodding.

"Great idea! Yes, you can just sort of, nod him over to the entrance" Alice added, sounding very enthusiastic.

"I don't know" Lyra bit her lip, feeling nervous at the idea of doing all this. She wasn't sure she could do it, it all seemed like a rather…Gryffindor thing to do.

"Come on Ly, you got this" Rosie encouraged but she felt her heart thumping wildly. The girls didn't push it for which she was thankful, but she still felt her eyes constantly drawn back to Jake. She doubted he would even look but if he did…could she bring herself to speak to him in so public a setting? The eyes of the school would be on him and, by extension, her if they spoke. As she mused this, her eyes widened when he did indeed look over, straight at her, as though he knew exactly where she was sat. He gave her a smile, one she hastily arranged on her face to return, seeing his own widen. Beside her, Polly nudged her and, taking a deep breath she gently jerked her head to the side, seeing Jake look at her questioningly. She blushed but did it again and was rewarded when he nodded, saying something to the team before he got up.

"Yes Ly!" Rosie looked elated as Lyra quickly stood, Polly and Alice wishing her luck as she went out, hoping she didn't look too obvious…or this didn't come across too keen. Jake had, very helpfully and kindly, stepped to the side, as though he knew she wouldn't want a big scene caused for which she was thankful.

"Morning Lyra" Jake greeted her with a big smile, leaning casually against the wall. He drew some attention and Lyra did her best not to focus on those people watching.

"Morning Jake, I just…well, I wanted to wish you good luck" she blushed when his smile grew wider and then pushed off from the wall. He quickly wrapped her in a hug, making her smile as she put her arms around him, daring to tuck her head against his chest; usually she stood on her tiptoes to perch her head on his shoulder but today…today she went for his chest. His hold on her tightened, making her glad she did it, feeling one hand gently run a line up her back.

"Thanks Lyra" he murmured quietly, Lyra feeling her smile widen before she started stepping back, Jake giving her the space to do so, and she saw him still smiling widely. "I'm looking forward to spending the evening with you" he said quietly, making her blush.

"I'm looking forward to it too. I'm sure you're going to be great" Lyra told him, just as they heard people calling his name. He looked past her, back into the Hall before looking back to her. "Go, good luck" she said again, Jake bending to press a kiss to her cheek…much closer to the corner of her mouth than usual which made her blush, sent her heart rate up but smile widely.

"Thanks Ly, see you later" he smiled at her, giving her a wink before he disappeared and Lyra needed a moment to compose herself before she went back in, totally oblivious to the stares following her…especially those from a certain James Potter.

Lyra had found the match genuinely entertaining…doubly so when James caught the snitch and earned Gryffindor the victory. She was ever so pleased for him, clapping loudly, eyes finding him and Jake hugging afterwards which made her smile. Leaving the Gryffindors to their celebrations, she spent the afternoon in the library with the girls, finishing off their Transfiguration assignment before they had a quick dinner and then made their way back to the dormitory to get ready. Lyra was incredibly nervous, wondering if Jake would want something to happen. Surely now that he was captain of the winning team, he would want to be with someone more popular? More pretty? Although she let the girls talk her into a nicer outfit than she perhaps would have usually gone for, she still wasn't sure anything would happen. Jake would probably be too busy to talk to her anyway, too busy speaking to other people…other girls. And that would be okay because he was entitled to. It would hurt her because she did genuinely like him, but she couldn't, wouldn't, hold it against him at all. Her preoccupied mind meant she had zoned out of everything until they were all of a sudden at the party, the noise hitting her once they crossed the threshold.

"You fancy a drink Ly?" Rosie asked, taking her by the hand and leading her through the crowds. Lyra felt too nervous now and so shook her head, the others taking a drink, but Lyra withheld, doing her best not to scan for Jake but she was failing miserably. She found him, predictably, in a crowd of people, talking and laughing. Lyra turned to the rest of her friends and knew they saw what she did.

"I bet he'll come over soon" Alice told her before she was then almost immediately distracted by 'hot guys' (to quote her) and that was the other two also distracted as they talked about who was hot, who was with who, general gossip as Lyra did her best to tune in and not feel nervous about Jake. She found herself fidgety, ensuring she had her back to Jake, so she didn't have to see him with anybody else, wondering if this really was a good idea.

"Ly" Polly hissing her name startled her, making her jump and she looked up to find the girls all wide eyed, before smiling, flicking their hair. A hand on her back made her whip around, Jake appearing with a big smile.

"Hi Ly, thought I saw you over here" his hand crept around her waist, making her blush but smile, heart racing.

"Hey, congratulations! You were great Jake" she told him, smile widening when he smoothly pulled her around to him and in for a hug. She was pleasantly surprised by the move, putting her arms around him in return.

"Thanks Ly" he murmured close to her ear, only making her blush more. Merlin she was so embarrassing, not sure why Jake was spending his time with her. As it were, at that moment somebody called his name and Lyra quickly pulled away, only this time Jake kept his arms around her.

"You should probably go" Lyra told him, aware they were starting to draw attention.

"I'd rather hang out with you" he replied with a smile which made her heart skip, butterflies surge as he signalled his friends but stayed right where he was, Lyra turning to her friends who were all grinning at them as Jake moved to stand next to her, arm still around her waist.

"So, how you all enjoying yourself?" Jake asked them and as they chatted with complete ease, Lyra honestly couldn't believe her luck. He talked to her friends effortlessly, bringing her into conversation constantly, arm staying around her the entire time. He would laugh and joke, making small comments referencing their time on their own like they had their own jokes. And she liked that he made her feel special, that he seemed to know how to draw a laugh and a smile from her. Lyra was just keeping her fingers crossed that he might want something more.

Eventually Jake got dragged away although he had scrunched his face as he went, making her laugh as he promised that he would come back and find her. As such, she found herself enjoying the party even more, finding that Jake would often catch her eye from across the room and smile at her. It made her hope that he wouldn't take too long about coming back to find her and indeed, it was only about half an hour later when she was moving around the room to get a drink when Jake snagged her hand.

"Hey, wanna have a minute or two on our own?" he asked her, voice low, making her smile and nod shyly. Jake though just smiled at her and led her through the room, the pair managing to be sneaky about it as he led her into the quiet of the corridor. However, they were only out there for a moment when they heard footsteps.

"Oh shit, Ly come on" He pulled her, Lyra getting the giggles suddenly, Jake attempting to shush her, but he was laughing as he darted into an empty classroom. He shut the door quietly and then backed away, taking Lyra by the hand, and pulling her gently with him. He tucked them into a corner, pulling her against him in a move which made her blush, Lyra's giggle subsiding as the footsteps got louder. Lyra's breath caught as they heard the footsteps get louder…and then passed, Lyra breathing a sigh of relief.

"I don't think I've told you how good you look tonight" Jake murmured, drawing her eyes up to him, finding him watching her. Her heart rate went up as he moved a hand to brush a strand of her hair aside. Lyra wanted to say something but didn't think she could right now, and Jake must have sensed this as he chuckled before he leant forward and gently pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes fluttered shut as she put her arms around him, Jake pulling her more tightly against him as he deepened the kiss, sending the butterflies surging through her as they stood and made out. It felt like everything she had been wanting for weeks now, enjoying the feel of him, how he held her until he pulled away, slightly breathless but smiling.

"So, I've kind of been hoping that you'd maybe want to be my girlfriend?" he asked, sounding nervous despite her just making out with him.

"Really?" she blurted before she could think about it, Jake chuckling as he nodded.

"Of course" it was said with such confidence that she blushed again. "So, will you?" he pressed, Lyra smiling as she nodded. "Merlin you're great" and with that he was kissing her again, Lyra letting herself get caught up in the moment…with her boyfriend.

James had noticed how Jacob and Lyra spent the party together, how he was always touching her and how she seemed to enjoy it. They were talking and laughing and what's more, Jacob spent time with not only Lyra but the other girls too. He had been temporarily distracted by Lily who wanted to do a lot of making out, not that he was complaining, but then she went to have a dance with the girls, leaving James to look around for Lyra…only to find her not around anymore.

"Her and Richardson left about half an hour ago" he whipped around so quickly he thought he might have cricked his neck, rubbing it slightly as he saw Remus grinning.

"What?" he asked, Remus's grin widening.

"I said Lyra and Richardson disappeared and have yet to reappear" it took James a while to process that, wondering if she was okay, whether he should go looking for her…when his eyes snagged the attention at the door and found his best friend reappearing, hand in hand with Richardson. And what's more, Lyra was looking distinctly…ruffled and the smile on Richardson's face…shit on both of their faces. James only had to wait five minutes for the news to reach him; Jacob and Lyra were official. He wasn't sure why he wasn't immediately happy for his best friend, why he had to force the smile when the guys all discussed it. Even Lily wanted to talk about it, how it was good for Lyra to be seeing someone. James nodded along but he truthfully wasn't sure what he was feeling…and why he was starting to get this sinking feeling in his stomach whenever he looked around and saw Lyra and Jacob together.