A/N: Here we go. James and Lily's date. Word count: 2,054

Interlude 4

Lily Evans

Getting to Know Each Other

Lily fiddled with the drawstring of her jacket's hood. She'd dressed casually for her and James' date like she'd seen other girls do in Hogsmeade, but she didn't feel confident in her choices. Perhaps she should have put on something nicer. She wasn't sure what, exactly, since she didn't want to be too formal for the Three Broomsticks either.

As she waited for James in the common room, she forced the doubts from her mind. She knew how long James had wanted to go on a date with her. Surely he wouldn't complain about her clothing choices. Since when did she care what he thought of her anyway?

She didn't, in the long run. It was just his initial reaction that had her uneasy. As much as she could handle James' rejection, she didn't want to see disappointment on his face when he saw her.

James descended the stairs, and Lily's heartbeat quickened. She watched as his eyes scanned the room. When he found her, he smiled and waved before pausing as if unsure that had been the right reaction. Lily smiled back, comforted to see that he didn't know what to do with himself either.

Standing, she met him in the middle of the room.

"Ready to go?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Of course," she said with a smile, trying to conceal the way her hands were fidgeting by holding them behind her back. "Let's go."

She couldn't help but grin when he visibly swallowed. She led him out the portrait hole to avoid him seeing it.

"You know, Potter?" she called over her shoulder. "I like you a lot more when you're not acting full of yourself."

He laughed but didn't say anything in response.

"Have you seen the latest Quidditch scores?" James asked.

Lily crinkled her nose.

"I don't keep up with professional Quidditch," she said. "I don't think I could name a team."

James sighed, running a hand through his hair.

They'd spent the past ten minutes searching for something to talk about, and it had been for naught. She and James had lived different childhoods, which had led to different interests. Lily held onto a number of the Muggle things she'd loved before Hogwarts, but more than that, none of the wizarding interests she'd fostered since coming to Hogwarts were those held by James either.

She took a sip of her butterbeer as they descended into another bout of silence.

During prefect duties, most of their conversations had been about the task at hand or school work. It was remarkable how well that had covered their inability to have a casual conversation.

After a few moments, James regained some of his confidence. Forcing a smile onto his face, he leaned forward, gaze determined.

"You said you like Muggle things then?" he asked.

"Of course," Lily said, rolling her eyes and smirking. "I did grow up as a Muggle who had interests."

James ignored her mocking tone.

"What kinds of Muggle things do you like?"

Lily shrugged. She wasn't sure how this was going to help her connect with James.

"Lots of the usual things: music, TV, movies. I still make sure to go to the cinema a few times every summer and Christmas."

James frowned, prompting Lily to raise an eyebrow.

"Have a vendetta against Muggle films, Potter?"

James shrugged, leaning back in his chair.

"Not a vendetta," he said. "I've never seen one, but Remus explained the idea once. It sounds a little strange, doesn't it? Like a photograph, but it talks too? That's neat I suppose, but are they really more than an hour long? How do you not get bored sitting there for that long?"

Lily laughed, too amused by the idea to think about harming James' pride.

"Because the story is interesting," she said. "A novel is longer than a short story, but that doesn't mean it's boring."

From James grimace, she knew he wasn't convinced by her argument.

"If you'd seen one before, you wouldn't have this problem," she said. "Not if you watched a good one at least."

James smirked, some of his arrogance returning. He crossed his arms against his chest.

"All right then, Evans. What movie will be the one to convince me that Muggle movies aren't half bad?"

Lily watched him until he was shifting uneasily under her gaze. She ran through movies in her mind and came to the only one she could think of that might convince him. (Admittedly, many of the movies she loved most were ones that James might not have found appealing. She wasn't sure what his tastes were. Not yet.)

"Star Wars," she said, deciding that it was the safest bet if she wanted to win. "It came out this year, and it's been popular. You might like that one."

"What about you?" James asked. "I can't imagine you liking a movie about a war. Or at least that's what it soundsー"

"That is what it's about," she said. "A war in space. It's set in a different universe where humans live on a bunch of different planets. It's part of a Muggle genre called science fiction."

"So there are those strange ship things that Muggles have? Like the ones they send to the Moon?"

"Not exactly," Lily said. "There are spaceships, but it's fiction. All the technology is supposed to be futuristic technology, not like the things Muggles actually have. That's part of the fun. The spaceships in the movie are a lot different from real ones. Think stuff that people want to believe will exist in the future but doesn't yet."

James hummed though Lily wasn't sure that he fully understood what science fiction was or why people would watch it.

"I'll watch this weird Space War movie."

"It's Star Wars, James. You can't watch it if you don't get the name right."

"Star Wars," he corrected. "Over Christmas holidays, I'll figure out the Muggle cinema."

"There's not much to figure out just to watch one. You pay for your ticket and sit down in a seat inside the theater. If you can figure out Muggle currency, you should be set."

"Surely I can," James agreed with a large grin.

Suddenly, he froze, having caught sight of something behind Lily. Stiffening as she feared the worst possible eavesdropper, she turned and instantly relaxed when she saw Remus, Sirius, and Peter around a table on the other side of the pub.

Turning back towards James, she saw him watching his friends with a frown.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "It's a public pub. They're not bothering us."

She left it unsaid how grateful she was to know it was his friends who'd taken to spying on them instead of a certain Slytherin who she knew had likely heard about her date somehow.

James gave a distracted nod, but it was interrupted by him scowling in the direction of his friends. Lily turned again to find Sirius watching them with a smirk. He gave a large wave when he made eye contact with Lily. Remus shook his head across from his friend, head tilted downward in embarrassment. Peter offered her a smile, but it was nervous, like he hadn't wanted to get caught up in spying on them any more than Remus had.

Lily smirked before turning back around. She could tell that James had become distracted. His eyes remained on his friends, cautious as he waited for Sirius to do something to draw greater attention to himself.

"Want to go for a walk?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, sure," James muttered, eyes wide from surprise.

Downing the rest of her butterbeer, she pushed her chair from the table and stood. James rushed to follow after her, looking dazed as he did so.

They walked along the streets of Hogsmeade until they reached a side street with fewer students. They weren't alone, but it was better for a casual walk when you wanted to have a conversation. Most of the shops along the street didn't appeal to the students who had descended upon the village. There was one selling gardening supplies and another cookware.

"How are things with Alice and Marlene?" James asked. "I haven't spoken to either of them since last year."

Lily frowned, biting at her lip as she considered how to answer. Mary, after all, had dismissed her concerns as ridiculous when she'd raised them to her.

"They say they're fine when they write, just busy."

James came to a stop, turning to face her. His lips were turned down in a frown.

"You don't believe them," he said.

It wasn't a question.

"I suppose not," she admitted. "Their letters are strange, even when I can't figure out why I think that. Alice is an Auror trainee. Of course she's as busy as she says. And it's not weird that Marlene would be either. It's not them being busy that's strange. It's more how vague they are about it? I'm sure there are secretive parts of Auror training, but even though we write regularly, I feel like I don't know anything about their lives anymore."

"That's what it's been like with Frank," James said, "but I keep telling myself it's probably just the Aurors' rules."

"Maybe," Lily agreed. "I could buy that for Alice and Frank, but Marlene is a chronic oversharer. She's always telling me things I'd rather not know, and now I couldn't even tell you what the job is that she says she has. She writes like she's done nothing, yet she says she's busy."

"You think it has something to do with the war?"

Lily glanced around at the other students, taking in how happy they looked despite what was happening beyond Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. She wasn't naive enough to think that Dumbledore hadn't placed security around the village before letting the students leave the castle, even if it went unnoticed.

"Maybe," she said slowly, though her real answer was a resounding yes. She wasn't sure how many of her thoughts she was prepared to share with James yet.

She watched him, taking in his reaction. He was a pureblood. She didn't expect him to understand how fearful she was of life after Hogwarts when she would no longer benefit from the school's protection.

"I want to fight."

Lily stared at him with wide eyes, taken aback by the tight jaw and determination in his eyes that went with his words.

"You're seventeen," Lily said, voice trembling.

James let out a quiet growl.

"Why does everyone keep saying that as if it matters? The Ministry considers me an adult, and we need all the people we can get fighting against Voldemort. Why shouldn't I be allowed to fight?"

"It'll put a target on your back," Lily pointed out. She gripped her hands into fists to stop them from trembling. "You could be safe if you didn't—"

"I shouldn't have that luxury when other people don't," James said sharply, causing Lily to cringe.

His face softened.

"Sorry," he said, reaching out as if to comfort her but stopping before he touched her, letting his hands fall to his sides. "I didn't mean to sound harsh. Especially not to you. I just hate the thought of not being able to do anything."

"I understand," she said.

And she did. If there was one thing she knew about James Potter, it was that he wasn't one to stay out of a situation whether he belonged in it or not. Even if getting involved held the possibility of death apparently.

"I'll fight too," she confessed. "I'm not sure I ever had a choice, but it doesn't matter in the end, I guess. I'll fight."

James didn't argue with her or tell her not to like she'd been worried her friends might if she made the confession. He merely gave a short nod and tried to smile at her, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Do you want to go to Honeydukes before we go back to the castle?" he asked.

Lily gave him a small, grateful smile.

"That sounds great."

Their grins widened as James held out his arm for her to take, and she giggled as he pretended to be an old-timey gentleman as they walked, including calling her "milady" and bowing to random, confused passersby as they went.