Chapter 28 : Just Maybe Baby

"Lily!"

Lily looked up from her book to find Scarlet jumping up and down in front of her, whining.

"Scarlet," she replied, calmly setting her book on her lap.

"Will you do me a favour?" she asked, in a sickly sweet voice.

"Maybe," Lily replied carefully. "What's the favour?"

"Will you come into Hogsmeade with me this weekend? To shop for dress robes for the ball? Caitlin mentioned you were looking for new ones," Scarlet explained.

"No, I said to Caitlin, that I might, might get new ones, depending on how much money I had." Scarlet gave her a puppy dog look. "But alright, I'll come and have a look with you, see if anything catches my eye."

"Awh thank you Lils!" Scarlet squealed, giving her a hug before she ran up the girl's staircase. Lily gazed suspiciously after her.

"Now why do I think there's more to that than she's letting on?" she asked shrewdly, just as Alice and Caitlin joined her sitting beside the window in the common room. They both looked at her pitifully.

"That's maybe because there is," Caitlin said simply.

"She doesn't want you to look at dress robes, she wants you to help pick out a Valentine's present for Robbie," Alice explained.

Lily let out a throaty growl that startled a first year girl sitting near them.

"Can't you go with her instead?" she pleaded with them. They both shook their heads. "But don't you need to get presents yourself?"

"Got mine ages ago," Alice shrugged.

"And I'm not buying one," Caitlin said matter-of-factly. Lily waited to hear about the latest argument between Sirius and her. It must have shown in her face. "Oh, we're not fighting again," Caitlin assured her. "I just don't see the point, and besides, I'd rather spend money on myself for the ball."

"Alright then," Lily sighed. "I guess I'll have to go with her."

Lily admitted defeat, realising that having to go and shop for Valentine's presents would be bad enough, but doing it with indecisive, incomparably bad-tasted, and downright girly, Scarlet would make it ten times worse.

"So what about your dress robes for the ball then?" She tried desperately for one last chance of getting out of going with Scarlet. "Do you not still need to get them?"

"No, I'm just wearing the ones I bought for the Yule ball," Caitlin smirked at her, knowing exactly what she was at.

"And my mum's making me mine," Alice explained.

"You're the only one that needs to get new ones Lily," Caitlin added.

"No, I don't," Lily protested. "I have perfectly fine dress robes!"

"Lily," Caitlin looked at her sternly. "The last time you wore those robes was in 5th year. You need new ones!"

"Fine," Lily huffed. "Fine, I'll go with her, even though I don't even have a boyfriend to shop for Valentine presents for!"

It had been about a month since Lily and James had had their conversation in his room, about just being friends, and about three weeks since Lily had decided that she had had enough time to sort herself out and would like nothing better than to be more than James' friend. Realising this had been quite easy, conveying it to James, however, was another thing entirely, and Lily had so far resisted Caitlin's advice, which was to make the first move herself.

"Could be worse," Caitlin reassured her. "You could be doing that instead."

James and Peter had just entered the room, closely tailed by Avril.

"Jay, there's just something else I need you to look at for the ball," she was shouting very loudly over the common room, as James did his best to shake her off.

"No one calls him Jay," Lily scoffed.

"Wonder why?" Alice mused.

"Uh… because it sounds crap?" Caitlin suggested. "He's the least "Jay" type person I've ever met in my life. Way to go Avril, give him a crap nickname. That'll make him go out with you!"

Alice and Lily looked at each other, slightly concerned about Caitlin's little rant. Over the past month Caitlin's behaviour had got much better, and she was almost back to normal, but she had yet to actually admit her parents were dead, and everyone was waiting for a blow-out at any second.

"I just hate her so much," Caitlin added, seeing the looks on their faces. "Hello Avril."

Avril had just walked across the room to join them, after James had sprinted up the boys' staircase to get away from her.

"Hello," she said rather formally, setting a roll of parchment on her lap as she sat down with them. "Just things I have to organise for the ball," she explained, although nobody had really asked.

"What were you asking James?" Alice asked, ever the polite one, pretending she was interested.

"Just something about the decorations," she replied haughtily.

"Why?" Caitlin asked mimicking her.

"Because it's a ball Caitlin, and decorations make it look better," Avril drawled.

"I know," Caitlin replied, desperately trying to keep her cool. "I meant why are you asking James?"

"Because he's the head boy, and I thought he'd like to be involved," Avril replied.

"Well Lily's head girl and you haven't asked her," Caitlin pointed out. "And Lily would probably care more about the decorations than James would. She wouldn't care a lot, obviously, but she would still care more than James would."

"Caitlin, I don't see the point in talking to you when you're like this," Avril said patronisingly, as she got up again. "Maybe I'll try again when you're in the right frame of mind – although Merlin knows when that will be," she added in an undertone.

"And what's that meant to mean?" Caitlin screamed as she jumped out of her seat.

"Caitlin, ignore her," Lily warned.

"Yes, Caitlin ignore me, just like you ignore everything else," Avril added wickedly, just as she walked off to her dorm.

"How did you even get into this house anyway Avril?" Caitlin roared after her, Lily trying to push her back into her seat. "Did you bribe the sorting hat?"

"Caitlin," Lily scolded.

"What? Everyone knows she should be in Slytherin!" Caitlin said loudly.

"Just leave it!" Lily hushed her.

She fell back into her own seat and leant back, closing her eyes to try and get some peace. When she opened them again she noticed James walking carefully across the room, desperate not to be caught by Avril. He took a few steps past Lily and then turned back round, pointing at her.

"There was something I meant to ask you," he said thoughtfully.

'Please Merlin, let it be to go out with you," Lily found herself fantasying.

"Oh it doesn't matter; I can't remember what it was now. Couldn't have been that important," he said cheerily. "I'll see you around."

Lily hit the arms of her chair in frustration as he left.

"Hang in there kid," Caitlin whispered. "It'll all come good in the end."

"Lils, what do you think of these?"

Lily was busy looking through the bargain rail of a robe shop in Hogsmeade. Scarlet was calling to her from near the window.

"Yea, it's great, get that one," Lily called back, half-heartedly.

"Which one?" Scarlet called back.

"Uh, the red one," Lily hazarded a guess.

"Lils, you're not even looking," she called angrily. "They're both pink!"

"Alright, I'm coming now," Lily yelled frustrated. She hastily grabbed a robe from the rack and walked over to the Scarlet. "Oh that one definitely," she said, pointing to the slightly less fluorescent of the two, and then turning away quickly before the colour blinded her.

"Ok," Scarlet said chirpily. "What one are you getting?" she asked, as she bundled up her choice and got ready to go and pay for it.

"This," Lily answered, holding up her choice, which she hadn't really looked at until now. It was a pale blue robe, which next to Scarlet's extravaganza of pink looked very plain. For one night though, Lily decided it would do, and more importantly it was only 10 galleons, whereas Scarlet's was nearer to 70 and at the moment money for tight for Lily.

"Are you sure?" Scarlet asked timidly. She seemed to have noticed the robe's slightly dull nature. "I mean are you not going to try it on first?"

"No," Lily said sharply, a bit hurt by Scarlet's insensitivity to her cash flow situation. "This one will do."

The girls went to the counter and paid for the robes, where the sales woman kept them for about half an hour talking about the excitement that was always caused by balls at Hogwarts, and how she remembered her last ball there.

When they finally got outside, the cold February wind hitting Lily's face made her immediately think of a warm seat by the fireplace in the Gryffindor tower.

"So are we done?" she asked Scarlet hopefully, knowing exactly what the answer would be.

"Well there's just one more shop I need to visit… you don't mind do you?"

"No, not at all," Lily lied as she and Scarlet turned into a small gift shop. She was at once overwhelmed by a waft of sickly perfume coming from the scented candles.

"Scarlet I think I'm going to sit down for a while," she said, spying a small armchair near the counter. The smell had given her a severe headache and she felt very dizzy.

"Oh but I thought you could help pick out a gift for Robbie?" Scarlet said pleadingly.

"I really don't feel well," Lily insisted as she sat down.

"Oh ok," Scarlet said dejectedly. "I'll come back and get you in a minute then?"

Lily nodded slightly, as she leant her head back into the chair and closed her eyes. She tried desperately to convince herself she didn't have a headache – mind over matter and all that – but it didn't work. There was now something buzzing near her head that was making the pain worse. Opening her eyes, she looked about, ready to furiously crush whatever was annoying her so much, but when she saw what it was she found herself transfixed.

Just across the shop from her, sitting on a shelf, was a small wooden ornament of a quidditch player, sitting on a wooden plinth. Every so often the player would stand up, sit on the broom he had in his left hand, and chase a tiny wooden snitch about, never getting too far from his plinth.

Sitting watching this display over and over again, Lily suddenly heard Caitlin's voice in her ear.

'It'll all come good in the end.'

'Not unless I take it into my own hands it won't!' Lily thought determinedly.

Jumping up quickly she grabbed the quidditch player off the shelf and walked purposely over to the counter.

"How much?" she asked the plump shopkeeper.

"2 galleons and 15 sickles," she answered sweetly.

"I'll take it," Lily answered, looking through her bag for her purse.

"Would you like it wrapped?" the shopkeeper asked cheerily.

"Yes and could I get a gift tag as well?"

The shopkeeper gave one flick of her wand and the ornament appeared fully wrapped in red paper, with a matching gift tag.

"Is that everything?"

"Yes, thank you." Lily handed over the money, which the shopkeeper received with another cheery smile.

Lily turned round to find Scarlet standing directly behind her in the queue.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing towards the package in Lily's hand.

"Nothing, just something for my dad," Lily said quickly, hastily shoving it into her bag.

"Ok," Scarlet replied, giving her a wary look.

"Did you get something for Robbie?" Lily asked, desperate to get Scarlet to concentrate on something else.

"Yea, this." Scarlet held up something that Lily couldn't really describe other that it was very furry and very pink.

"He'll love it," she giggled. "Can we go back now?"

"Yea just let me pay for this."

The week leading up to the ball was pure mayhem at Hogwarts. Valentine's was usually bad enough, what with the black market trade of illegal love potions, spells and talismans, but with the added excitement of the ball, Lily, James and the prefects had a lot to deal with.

Lily felt she couldn't go five minutes without having to separate two pupils fighting over who was going to be who's valentine, and she had given up trying to pinpoint who was selling what to whom. The only thing that kept her going was the small package safely nestled under her bed, and the thought of what she was going to do with it come Saturday.

Every time she saw James she couldn't help but give him a small knowing smile, which she was sure he was picking up on, but the only time they really saw each other was running through the corridors between classes, trying to calm the students down, so she hadn't been able to talk to him about it.

Lily was finally able to sit down in the common room that Friday night at about half ten.

"Sorry and you are?" Alice asked, seemingly bewildered, as Lily sat down in the armchair next to her.

"Ha ha, very funny!"

"You've finally given up then?" she laughed.

"Well, its Friday night, its past curfew, so if they want to carry on – sod them, let Filch sort it out!" Lily ranted.

"Good for you! Where's James then?"

"I think he's still out there. Poor bloke doesn't realise he's fighting a losing battle," Lily yawned.

"Well pet, I think you should head on up to bed. You'll need all your beauty sleep for tomorrow!" Alice said excitedly.

"Ok," Lily laughed at the sight of the usually sensible Alice getting excited by a ball. "Goodnight then."

Lily walked to her room that night with a smile on her face, and spent a good few hours tossing and turning before she could get to sleep, filled with excitement and worry of what the next day would bring.

On the morning of the ball, Valentine's Day, Lily sat in the Head's common room and waited… and waited… and waited. James had got up and left earlier on, leaving Lily plenty of time to do what she needed to. All she needed now was for him to come back, which he didn't seem very intent on doing.

She had really wanted to be there when he came in, but Lily was a very impatient person, and she had a lot of other things to do that day. Deciding that enough was enough, she was just about to leave the Head quarters when – finally – the portrait door opened, and a very sweaty, but exuberant James bounded through it.

"Where have you been?" Lily snapped a bit loudly. "I mean, you've been gone all morning, I was a bit worried some of the love struck children had got you," she covered herself.

"Quidditch practice," James replied, seemingly oblivious to Lily's slightly odd behaviour. "We haven't had time during the week, so I called a practice this morning."

"I bet they all loved you for that!" Lily exclaimed. "Especially Caitlin, she usually takes a full day to get ready for a ball."

"Yea well, I don't think that's going to bother her too much," James sighed.

"What do you mean?" Lily said sharply.

"Caitlin's not going tonight," James said gently.

"WHAT! What do you mean she's not going! She's been going on about this for weeks! Oh just wait 'til I get a hold of Sirius Black! I bet he's behind this! He's always hated balls!"

James caught Lily by the shoulders just as she was about to run down the staircase.

"Listen to me," he said, maintaining a gentle voice. "This has nothing to do with Sirius. This is Caitlin's decision. If she doesn't want to go, she doesn't want to go, so just leave it!"

He let go, and Lily went and sat huffily down at one of the desks.

"I'm going to go have a shower," James told her unnecessarily. Lily grunted in reply to him as he went into his room.

It took about two and a half seconds before James came flying back into the common room again, and about another three, before Lily could see through her temper to realise why he had.

He was holding a hastily unwrapped wooden quidditch player in one hand, and a small card in the other.

"Seems I have a gift," he said suavely, although his face showed he was in complete shock. "Wonder who it's from?"

Before he had come into the room and told her about Caitlin, Lily had been perfectly willing to tell him it was her and jump gleefully into his arms, but now –

"Avril?" she suggested.

"Don't think so," James replied, rather annoyingly Lily thought.

"Why not? I mean she's the one who's totally in love with you James. She trails you everywhere you go."

"Yes, but there's not enough dashes for Avril," James said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean not enough dashes?" Lily asked haughtily.

"Well the card reads 'To James, I think I've got it sorted now. Love dash dash dash dash.' There are five dashes for Avril so it couldn't be her. Now who do I know that only has four letters in their name?" he said pointedly.

"You know James, I have absolutely no idea. Maybe Peter's changed his name to Pete. Now if you don't mind I have work to do…" Lily turned briskly round in her seat and concentrated hard on a blank piece of parchment sitting on the desk.

"Lily?"

She looked up to find James kneeling down beside her, resting his chin on the side of her desk.

"Yes James?"

"You know the ball tonight?"

"Yes James."

"You know the way we can't bring partners?"

"Yes James!" Lily said exasperatedly. "Is there any point to this?"

"I was wondering if maybe you'd like to not go with me?" he said with a cheeky smile.

Lily felt her hard exterior melting, and an equally cheeky grin spread across her face.

"Well?" James asked again.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't," Lily teased.

"But maybe you would?" James said hopefully.

"Maybe," she teased again.

"Maybe yes?"

"Just maybe."

James stood up looking rather pleased with himself.

"Well maybe I won't see you there then."

He started to walk to his room again.

"Maybe!" Lily shouted just as he was about to close the door.

He turned round and gave her a small wink.

Didn't take too long that time. Next chapter should be along shortly. I'm planning to get the story finished before 16th July!
Flame of Desire: Thanks for reviewing!

MJshunpike: Thanks for reviewing. I know, I hate fics where they just start randomly making out because they've had a massive fight – nobody does that. Hope your story is coming along!

elements-of-the-soul: Ok there will be a definite ending-ish. There's 40 chapters in this story and it will have its own little ending and then I'm planning to do a sequel up until Harry is born but I'm waiting until the Half-Blood Prince comes out before I start that one. Don't panick I know exactly where I'm going with this story, I have it all mapped out in a little notebook.

man eating plant: Thanks for the review. I guess I just thought it was crap because nothing really happened in it.

rae1112: Uh ok then.

CaptainOats+PrincessSparkle: Sorry about you missing whatever that programme is. There not actually together yet, so technically it's going to take them to chapter 29 before they sort themselves out.

JEsika: Hope you enjoyed that chapter.

Ruinsul: Hope that update was quicker for you. They're together next chapter I promise.

Stargirlr: Thank you very much! I've never been told it was heart-fluttering before.

BurningIce22: Next chapter ;)

SuggaLollies: Well I hope you weren't waiting too long for that update. Exams are tough yea but I'll try and update more regularly.

Alantie Mistaniu: Nope no aliens, just evil evil school work. Should be updating more regularly now though.

Luvin'it: Thank you so much. I quite like it myself. Tell everyone you know! I want more reviews!

leanne: You know you wish you had my talent!

ruberduckysrfun: Only Lily's mum is dead. Happy Belated Birthday btw. I'm glad you can now enjoy the story legally! Nobody feels sorry for Avril she's a cow!