Happy Christmahanukwanzakah! Now get reading! It's a biggy.

CHAPTER 8: FIRST DAY

PART UN

I don't know what possessed me to do it. Of course, I must've been off my rocker. But that's kind of what happens when I'm around her. I find myself doing things I wouldn't normally do. So all I could do was smile goofily as I slid my hand in hers. I figured she'd probably knock my lights out, but a surprising thing happened when I made my move- she looked up at me and smiled. It was then I assumed she was off her rocker as well.

It was almost too good to be true--walking down the hotel corridor with Lily's hand in mine. I'd glance down at her every now and then, to make sure it wasn't all a dream, and then smile to myself as I remembered the night before. I was happy she didn't remember anything or else I would've been slaughtered before breakfast. I couldn't help but reminisce on the way her lips had felt against mine, or the way those emerald eyes had glistened afterwards. She was addictive.

The hallway was surprisingly quiet, and in the back of my mind, I wondered where everyone else was. Weren't we all supposed to be on the same floor? I hadn't seen a soul since we had arrived. I was too lost in thought to even realize we had stopped walking and were now standing in front of the elevator. I'd been doing that a lot lately. Lily cleared her throat in an attempt to get my attention which wasn't at all necessary-I had been openly staring at her for the last fifteen seconds. She nodded pointedly towards the "level down" button as if to say, "You git! Push the damned thing!" So, I did. Almost immediately the doors slid open to reveal a young man and woman, probably in their early twenties, standing next to each other and talking quietly. When they realized the lift had stopped, they both turned to face us. The woman abruptly looked down at our hands, giggled, and nudged her male accomplice, who looked up and winked at me, as if to say, "You sly dog." I suddenly felt Lily drop my hand as if she'd touched a burning stove and watched her walk into the lift. I followed suit, feeling only slightly awkward that I was standing next to a couple of complete strangers who had just seen me holding hands with a girl. I felt like I'd just been caught having sex or something. As the heat swelled in my cheeks, I pushed the "ground level" button and clasped my hands behind my back, while trying to whistle along with the speaker box music. Lily had maintained a safe distance from me, standing at the opposite side of the small compartment as we descended. She was blushing madly, and even after we had successfully reached the lobby, a pink hue was still present on her cheeks.

Although Lily was much shorter that me, I found it slightly hard to keep up with her as she practically lunged toward the main doors. We were out into the cold, open air before I realized something--I didn't have a clue where this blasted thing was being held. A slight panic rose up in me as I looked down at her.

"Lily-"As if reading my mind, she pulled a folded bit of parchment out of her pocket and opened it up, revealing directions to the convention. "That's a map," I said without thinking as I pointed to the paper.

"Good job, James. I didn't know you had it in you," she said without looking up. Suddenly, her eyes left the map and she looked to her left, than up to the road in front of us before rolling her eyes and mumbling something incoherent as she glanced back down at the parchment. She seemed frustrated with me.

"Well, I mean . . . well, I uh just, um, didn't know how we were gonna--"

"Stop your insane muttering, Potter. I'm trying to concentrate."

Potter? What the fuck?

"When and where did you get that?" I was slightly jealous. I never received a map. Relax, James. Play it cool.

"Does it really matter?"

"Um, yeah it does. Why didn't I get one?"

She sighed.

"I received it from Professor Dumbledore before we boarded the train. I don't know why you didn't get one . . . but it was probably on the account that he didn't feel you were, shall we say, trustworthy enough to keep up with it," she said in a haughty voice.

"Me? Not trustworthy enough? I should think I'm very trustworthy, on the mere fact alone that I've been having to keep up with you."

"Oh shut it, Potter. The map says we need to go left and turn right at the next crosswalk. Can your tiny brain comprehend that, or do I need to write it down for you?"

"No, I think I can . . . hey, don't you insult me, Lily Evans! Let's not start this again. Give me the goddamn map if you think I can't remember," I said as I reached to take it from her. She swatted my hand away.

"No, Potter. Because reading a map requires a bit of intellect, and seeing as how you have none, I do believe we'll be much safer if I did it." With that, she turned on her heel and began walking down the sidewalk. I immediately trailed her. Was this her way of flirting? Or was she just mad at me? Or . . . no, it couldn't be. She couldn't possibly remember last night after all, could she?

Shit.

No, this is definitely about the whole "hand holding" thing earlier, I told myself. I knew one thing for sure: girls were damn confusing. I mean, her bitterness was completely one-sided. She'd done it all herself. I didn't provoke her in any way. Must be the hangover.

So, because I was smart and didn't want my head blown off, I let Miss Priss take care of the directions. I went where she told me to go, and didn't respond to any of her questions or insults. Maybe it would all die down.

Oh, how wrong I was.

"Potter, I told you to follow that road . . . turn left, turn left!" She was practically screaming at me and if she'd known how much attention she was drawing towards herself, she would've shut up. I, on the other hand, wanted to look at a window display for a muggle shop that specialized in something called "wigs." I assumed their purpose was for muggles who had lost their hair. There was one particular manikin sporting a hot pink do I found quite amusing. I held my ground as she tugged on my jacket, which almost made me lose my balance a time or two, smiling all the while as she continued to wail at me. When I believed she had made a fool of herself long enough I picked up walking, but my anger towards her was rising.

"Okay, now once we get past this building, we have to take an s-bend path past a pastry shop at the corner of Doushels. And for the love of Merlin, please don't decide you want to go . . . "

I'm going to kill her.

"...in and eat because we don't have enough time for that. Besides, you're getting fat."

She just insulted my physique! I am NOT fat.

"Oh, and Potter. If you do anything to embarrass me or our school at this convention, I swear to God I will-"

That was it. I'd had enough of her bitching. I quickened my pace so that I was walking next to her, and ignoring her blatant protests, grabbed her by the arm, pulled her into a nearby alleyway, and flung her against the wall.

I felt the anger I was harboring dying to explode." What the hell is wrong with you, Evans?" Yeah, I know. I said it.

"What do you mean, what's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?!" She said heatedly as she brushed her sleeve where I had touched her, as if I had left germs that were going to poison her. It was coming…I could feel it. I couldn't hold it in any longer. It 's all because of-

"YOU!" I spat out. My brain yelled KABOOM. She looked mildly surprised. "You're what's wrong with me, Lily Evans. Every blasted thing you do! Ever since we left the hotel, all you could do was bitch at me." I ruffled my hair in frustration as I turned my back to her. She remained silent. "This morning before we left, you were different. I thought for a moment you'd finally pulled that stick out of your ass and loosened up. But I guess it was hopeless. So I'll ask you again-- what the hell is wrong with you?" My angry voice echoed through the alleyway, and it only made me feel worse when I turned around and saw she was hanging her head so low I couldn't see her face.

Everything was quiet for a moment. I began to recognize the faint smell of garbage that laced itself over the alleyway, and the light trickling noise of a leaky faucet that was attached to one of the walls. I could hear the distant sound of traffic, and the music of a muggle radio floated out through one of the windows overhead. It was dark in that alleyway. So dark, in fact, I was surprised I could see the tear that escaped one of those emerald eyes as Lily looked back up at me.

"I'm sorry, James. I don't know what's gotten into me," she said pitifully. I, on the other hand, and was starting to feel sick at the fact that I had made her cry. I hadn't even recognized the way she had addressed me.

"Lily, I'm sorry. Don't cry. I didn't mean to-"

She let out a blubbery laugh. "You didn't make me cry, James. I just realized how horrible I've been to you today . . . and, well . . . I'm sorry." With that she let out a burst of tears.

If you think that was awkward, wait till you see what I did next.

I felt horrible that she was crying and that I couldn't do anything about it. I felt like I'd made her this way because I'd raised my voice at her. She was still leaning on the wall where I had left her, but she seemed weak and small in that moment. I had never seen Lily Evans cry before and the mere thought of it was making me sick. She was always so strong, and I thought I would be dead before the day I saw her break down. I walked over and leaned on the wall right next to her and awkwardly patted her back to comfort her.

Then, something completely unexpected occurred. One second I was patting on her back, and the next she had grabbed me tightly and was hugging me as if her life depended on it. Her arms were wrapped around my waist and her head was buried in my chest, and I could feel her hot tears soak through my shirt. As if by instinct, my hands found their way to her back, and I rested my chin on top of her head as she cried. I never really understood why she was crying; it was a battle inside herself she was fighting. Was there something I didn't know? Possibly. But it was for her to know and for me to forget.

I didn't know what to say to her, so I just held her. I held her until her shuddering had gone away, and her chest, which was heaving before, became steady with regular breathing. It was all I could do.

Now, I don't want to get all sentimental here, or you all will think I'm whipped, but she felt like she fit perfectly in my arms. After the shock wore off that the Lily Evans was desperately clinging to me, I enjoyed comforting her, and the way her hair smelled as I kissed the top of her head. I loved how I could make her feel better with just a hug. I loved how I could draw small circles on her back with my fingertips, and she wouldn't yell at me for touching her. I think I might have even truly loved her at that moment. Tell me about crazy.

When it seemed she had calmed down enough, I loosened my grip on her body. No matter how much I enjoyed holding her, I was scared to death we would be late to the convention and if we were late, she'd flip her lid. I felt her slide her arms from around my waist and I sighed as I realized it was over. But then I felt her hands pressed against my chest, and for a moment I was falling…until my back collided with the brick wall of the alleyway. It seemed much darker now; only a few rays of sun graced her face, illuminating her eyes, her lips, a few stray auburn hairs that had escaped their holds. I hardly knew what to do with myself as I saw her face getting closer to mine.

And then, for the second time in my life, I felt Lily's lips against mine. But this time, it was different. Behind it all was tenderness and innocence, things that were missing last night. The first kiss was full of lust and a deep primitive hunger. It was purely physical. But in this kiss, I felt a connection with Lily's soul. It seemed, as I skimmed her jaw line with my fingertips, that I could read her thoughts. I could feel her pain, I could sense her weaknesses, I could see her as the real Lily. She even tasted different, and it was exhilarating to discover the new way in which her lips moved against mine, or the way her tongue traced lightly over my lips. But before I had time to fully react to her forward action, she pulled away.

I was surprised to find that a slight shiver ran down my spine as I felt her hot breath on my ear.

"Thank you, James."

That was all she said. It bewildered me how delicately she had said it, and how pure it was. There was no longing in her voice, but simple gratitude. She stepped away from me before turning and walking towards the entrance of the alleyway. I stood there for a moment, trying to regain my bearings and ask myself if this was real. Did that just happen? The look in her eye as she glanced back at me suggested it was no dream.

"Are you coming, or do I need to drag you to this convention?" she bantered.

"Uh-"I cleared my throat before continuing. "Yes, Lils. Coming." She stopped and waited as I jogged up to her.

"I think you'll be needing this," she said as she thrust a piece of paper into my chest. "But don't take your power lightly."

Looking down, I took the parchment from her hands and opened it up. The map of London gleamed back up at me.

"Now, dear director, where are we headed?" she inquired sweetly.

"Due north, Skipper." I smiled down at her. She returned it.

"Ay ay, Captain!"

◦◊○◊◦

I looked from the map to the old, abandoned shop we were currently standing in front of.

"This can't be right. We've followed the directions to a tee." To me, a convention center seemed like it would be much more grandiose than an old rundown store. Where had we made the wrong turn? My frustration was mounting.

"James, it says on the back of the map what we're supposed to do when we get here. It's like Saint Mungo's. It's hidden from the muggle world." She tapped the back of the parchment with her finger and I flipped it over to see a full list of instructions on how to enter.

Before beginning entrance process, please observe surrounding areas in the off chance a stray muggle may view your actions.

I glanced around. Nope, no muggles here.

Step 1: Place the tip of your wand on the map and recite, "revealo". A password will appear on your map.

Done. Caput Draconus.

Step 2: Standing in front of the shop's window, place the tip of your wand on the glass and say the password aloud.

I walked to the glass pane. "Caput Draconus".

Step 3: The glass has now become passable. Step through the glass and continue to the front desk for entrance.

"Come now, Lily. We have to walk through the glass." I held out my arm as she looped hers into mine and we walked through the barrier together. A curious tingling sensation crept over my skin as we passed through, but it was soon over. We were now standing in a grand hall with ceilings at least thirty feet high.

For the first time on this trip, I was actually looking forward to this convention. In the hall were hundreds of witches and wizards, all buzzing around excitedly as they stood in line at the entrances. Curious as to what lay ahead of us, I pulled Lily along with me as I walked to the front desk, just as the map had instructed me to do. A barmy-looking man with glasses sat behind it, staring at us intently.

"Names, please?" He inquired.

"This is Lily Evans and I'm James Potter. We're students from Hogwarts."

"Ms. Evans and Mr. Potter--Hogwarts," he said while pointing his wand to a large book on the desk's surface. Immediately, the cover flipped open and pages went flying as the search for our names began.

"Bah! Here we are! Evans and Potter. If you both would please sign here," he signaled as he heaved the massive book up to where we could reach it. We both signed our names on the dotted lines, at which the man slammed the book shut.

"Please roll up your sleeves." He requested as he stepped out from behind his desk. He was short man, slightly stubby, with a scuffy walk. Lily and I did as he asked.

"These marks are what guarantee your entrance to the convention. They are magicked to appear when you enter through the barrier as you just did a moment ago, and to disappear when you depart." With that, he tapped the bend of our arms and a small maroon star appeared, slightly bigger than the end of one's finger. "Welcome to the International Wizarding Convention, and enjoy your day, Ms. Evans and Mr. Potter!" He scurried behind his desk, pressed a button, and suddenly two glass doors appeared. I looked at him quizzically.

"Well, go on then!" he exclaimed as he motioned us to enter. I grabbed Lily's arm once again as she stared up at me and we walked through the doors together.

"Well, he was quite an interesting character," she said after we had successfully made it through to the other side. We were now standing in the middle of a bright white building, with thousands upon thousands of what seemed to be kiosks. I had never seen anything like it. It was like we were in a whole new world, with everything magical we could possibly think of at our fingertips. Everywhere we turned, things were being purchased. Far ahead, I saw a whole wall full of candies. There were broom stores, cauldron galleries, live fashion shows, dozens of book shops…it was like Diagon Alley had exploded a million times over in this building. I was so amazed, I found my mouth was hanging open. To my left, I heard Lily voice her astonishment.

"Wow…. This is insane, James! Where do we even begin?"

"Um…I have no idea." We both stood there for a moment, soaking it all in as thousands of witches and wizards raced by, some even younger than us, giggling as they opened a chocolate frog boxes or murmuring to each other about the latest in cauldron accessories.

"Well, we can't stand here all day, now can we? Come on. We'll start on this side and work our way across." I was still staring blankly off into space as I felt her hand grab mine and begin pulling me along with her.

As we crossed through all the busy shoppers and vendor's booths on our way to our first stop, I looked down at Lily. She was smiling as she looked ahead, and in that moment there was nowhere else I would've rather been. I decided to make the best out of today, even if it would be long and I'd probably be bored out of my mind by the end of it. She would have fun, and that was all that mattered.

I was having a hard time controlling myself now that she had kissed me. Somehow, that moment had seemed to open up a whole new realm of possibilities. I wondered, secretly, if she would protest to more kisses. Would I be able to kiss her whenever I wanted and get away with it? Was our relationship more than just a "friendship"? Would I be able to touch the small of her back, or hug her if I wanted to? Of all of these things, I was uncertain. This was new and uncharted territory.

"Alright, here we are. Shall we begin?" she inquired as she looked up at me with a smile. We were now standing in front of a book kiosk.

"This is perfect. Come on."

◦◊○◊◦

We'd spent nearly three hours there before I couldn't contol myself any longer. When we had entered that book shop, I had glanced over to a far kiosk and observed a great crowd of spectators gathering around what appeared to be a broom. I had desperately wanted to go see it; I was in need of a new broom, after all. But, I had controlled myself. We will get to it eventually, I told myself. Be patient, James. And I had been…for the most part. But it seemed to take Lily forever to look through all the shops and I was getting more impatient by the minute. Finally, I cracked.

"Lils, there's something I want to go check out. Do you mind?" I asked as I walked up behind her.

"Oh no, James. You go ahead," she said without tearing her eyes out of the book she was currently reading. "I'll meet up with you later."

"Alright. Thanks." I turned and left her, walking quickly to where I had seen that broom. I felt my giddiness increase with every step and when I finally reached the display, I let out a small laugh. The new Nimbus! Several small children were gathered around the glass box that held my interest, pressing their noses against the panes and exclaiming their glee.

"Wow!"

"Cool!"

"I wish I could fly…."

I felt like one of those kids in that moment. I wanted it…had to have it. I walked over to the store vendor to ask the price.

"Excuse me, sir. How much are you asking for that new Nimbus?" He let out a small laugh.

"'Bout 500 galleons, mister. Ya willin' to pay that much?" I thought about it for a moment.

"Well, I've been in need of one for quite some time now. I've heard this is a spectacular broom."

"Oh, well o'course it is! Best there is."

"Well, then if you don't mind, I'd like to purchase it." I pulled out a bit of parchment from my pocket and wrote down my address. "Would you please bill and send it to this address?" The man looked at it skeptically for a moment before nodding his head.

"Sure thing, mister. Thanks for the business."

"Have a good day, sir." I nodded my head before turning around to search for Lily. It took me only a few minutes before I found her—that red hair could be seen from practically anywhere. But when I approached her, I noticed she wasn't alone. I stopped dead in my tracks. She was talking to a man; a tall man with light brown hair and an air about him I didn't quite like. He didn't look old—maybe eighteen or nineteen at the most. She had on a shy demeanor and I could tell from the look in his eye, he was flirting with her; a burning sensation grew in my stomach when I noticed she was flirting back. Naturally,I wanted to interrupt them before anything else could happen, so began walking towards her again, quickening my pace.

"Lily!" I said as I approached her. When I was next to her, I threw my arm around her shoulder and looked at the bastard she was talking to straight in the eye. "Who's this?" Smiling, I looked down at her as I gave a shoulder a squeeze. What could I say? Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Oh, um. James, this is Collin McAlister. He's from the Ministry…an intern. Collin, this is James Potter."

"I'm escorting this beautiful young lady during her stay in London. Please to meet you, Collin." I put on a fake grin as I stuck my hand out.

"Pleasure is all mine, sir. You are quite lucky to have Lily's company. She seems to be a fine lady." He smiled at her as he gave my hand a firm squeeze, which I was returning tenfold, and I could feel her shoulders rise and fall with deepening breaths. Not good, James. Pull out. Pull out!

"Well, if you'll excuse us…Lily and I still have quite a bit to see before we head home to our room tonight. Coming, love?" Again, I gave her shoulders a slight squeeze.

"Um, yes James. Well, nice meeting you, Collin. Have a wonderful night. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked.

"Why of course! I shall look for you. Goodbye, Lily. Have a good evening." He took her hand in his and kissed it gently. It was taking all my strength not to beat the shit out of him(and to keep from puking). I looked down into her face and noticed a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Okay, well. Come on, Lily," I said as I began to pull her away from that Collin bastard. We'd only made it a couple of feet before he yelled back at us.

"Where are you staying?" he inquired to her. Lily whipped around, removing my arm in the process, and replied, "Harrington Hotel, room 317. Call the front desk and they'll connect you." She was smiling again.

"Alright. Goodbye, Lily!" He turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd.

"Goodbye," she all but whispered. Distract her, dammit!

"Well, her was a curious fellow, wasn't he?" I said uneasily.

"What do you mean by curious, James? He seemed quite a gentleman to me." She still had that dazed look in her eye. How come she'd never had that look when she was with me?

"Oh yes, Lily. Just strutting right up and talking to you. He just wants in your pants." What? It was true…

"James Potter! I can't believe you just said that!" There was only a hint of anger in her voice, but it was covered up with amusement.

"What? It's true-just stating the facts, is all." I nodded my head in silent agreement with myself. She stopped walking and crossed her arms over her chest, looking quite putout.

"What makes you think he wants in my pants?" She began blushing when she said this.

"Well, for one thing…it's all most guys think about. I can tell you, I'm a man. Second, he had that look in his eye—you know, the "I wanna fuck you hard" look?" Her jaw dropped at this. "Thirdly, he's a bastard."

She was quiet for a moment. "What makes him a bastard, then?"

"Because he was talking to you. Believe it or not, Lils, I care a hell of a lot for you. It makes me just a tad bit upset when I see a guy trying to take advantage of you."

"Um, well thank you, James…I guess." She looked down at her feet and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"Anyway, I want you to watch out for guys like that."

"Well, I don't think it should be your concern who I fancy and who I don't." She said it dryly, but I could tell she was trying to keep peace. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

If only she understood how much I cared about her.

"Well, are we gonna stand around here all day or are we gonna finish looking around? Hmm?"

"Yeah, sure." But I could tell her mind was somewhere else. It was pissing me off.

I suddenly realized the magnitude of the situation. I was in a competition now—a competition for Lily's heart. And I was determined to win.

Consider this your Christmas present.

So, the ending wasn't supposed to be much, because if you could tell from the title of the chapter, this is only the FIRST part of Day One. Part Two will be coming shortly.

This chapter was also slightly like a 6 month anniversary present I gave to myself. It's kinda hard to believe I've been writing it that long...

And now that I come to think of it, it's also a celebration of 12,500 hits to my story. Woohoo.

La la la la la…review if you wanna! Hope you enjoyed it. Happy holidays.

--Emily

PS—Just in case you don't ever look at my user profile, I made a LiveJournal that will keep you all up to date on what I'm doing (writing-wise). Check it out at: emily-b-ff (dot) livejournal (dot) com.