A/N: Alrighty guys. Hope you all had a great Christmas and are having a good Hanukkah or Kwanzaa…here's the next chapter. And a poll question, because some of you seemed disappointed that there wasn't one last time. What is the best present (for anything….birthdays, Christmas, Hanukkah…yada yada) that anyone has ever given you? Mine is my unicycle I got for my 17th birthday…I had four friends chip in and buy me the unicycle, strawberry sheriff helmet with matching horn, and two pieces of pvc pipe to help my balance. I also like my harmonica I got for Christmas this year though. My beta has more of a non-materialistic favorite present….the gift her parents gave her to grow up and be who ever she wanted to be. So read, review, and answer the poll question. Have a good day!
Chapter Sixteen: The Hunt
James appeared on a street lined with identical houses and lawns. He looked around for a moment and searched his cloak pocket for a piece of paper.
All of a sudden, a loud 'pop' rang through the air and he was thrown to the ground with something immensely heavy holding him down.
"Get off me, Padfoot!" James cried, as Sirius stood on top of him, his black boots crushing James' back.
Sirius looked down and jumped off immediately.
"Sorry, mate."
"Bloody hell." James moaned as he rolled over and stood up, brushing his clothes off.
"You told me to apparate to the address and that's what I did." Sirius defended.
"I didn't think we'd land in exactly the same bloody spot." James commented rubbing the back of his head. He pulled out the clipping he had been searching for before the impact and pulled out the paper.
Sirius read over his shoulder. "So what are we doing here?"
James smiled to himself. "We're here to look for a house."
Sirius shrugged. "I thought the apartment was just fine, mate. I mean, the plumbing isn't that great at times—with the amount of times the toilet's been clogged up, at least—and I know it gets a bit drafty at night, but really…"
James cut him off. "Not for us! For me and Lily."
Sirius stopped rambling at once and nodded. "Oh…yeah. Forgot about that."
He smiled at James, but James could tell it was forced.
"It's not for another five months, Padfoot. Don't look so glum." James stated, leading the way down the road in search for the house they were going to look at.
"Well how far away is this place from our flat?" Sirius eventually asked when they reached the yellow house. It was identical in style to every house on the street, and both young men got an eerie vibe from it.
"An apparation away." James replied. "Or twenty kilometers if driving."
"Is it a magical subdivision?"
"Yes."
"Then why is it so odd?" Sirius said skeptically as he looked around the neighborhood.
"Because every house looks exactly alike and even the mailboxes are the same. Or maybe it's the pastel coloring of the whole damn place." James answered sarcastically. "It's just the first place we're looking at, and the price is nice. Denise should be here any minute" he added, checking his watch.
Suddenly, a middle-aged witch apparated in front of them, she was of medium stature and had short curly brown hair. She wore horn-rimmed glasses and a shocking pink cloak.
"Hi, I'm Denise Dot, the realtor for this area. You two had an appointment?" she started in a high-pitched, bubbly tone.
James nodded. "Yes, well my fiancée and I will be married in January and we're looking for a place."
Denise turned to Sirius and looked him over with a smile. "I take it you're not the fiancée?"
"No." Sirius said, giving her a charming grin.
She beamed back at him. "Well let's take a look inside, shall we?
Half an hour later, and the boys stumbled out of the house with Denise behind them.
"Are you sure you don't want it?" she asked, flashing her eyelashes in their direction.
"Yes." James said with finality.
James shoved the next slip of paper into Sirius' hand and disapparated.
Sirius read the next address, gave a wave to the woman and followed James.
"What the bloody hell." James commented as soon as his best friend appeared.
"That woman was off her rocker." Sirius added. "I can't believe she tried to kiss me!"
James shook his head. "At least she didn't pinch your arse."
Sirius, who would have usually laughed, but still in a state of horror from the shock of the violent red lips hovering over his, just nodded.
"Well what do we have here?" He asked, looking at the white cottage standing before them.
James smiled. "This is the house I was looking forward to looking at."
"It looks lonely." Sirius stated.
James looked around and found that Sirius was right. There were no houses in direct sight, except for far off there was a small red dot that he could assume was a house.
"It's only a twenty minute drive to the city, though. And Lily and I can have some privacy. And look, there's a big backyard with a fence and a garden." James exclaimed happily.
Sirius rolled his eyes at his friend and checked his watch. It was almost nine thirty. "Prongs, is there another realtor we're supposed to meet or can we just go in?"
"There's a realtor. A man though." James replied easily. "He should be here soon."
Just as the words came from James' lips, a man popped before them. He was a little shorter than Sirius and James, wore an old brown cloak that looked oddly shaped and bulgy in certain areas. He was fairly young—could only be a few years older than them—and he was smoking a cigar.
"Hullo." The man greeted them and shook each of their hands. "The name's Mundungus Fletcher. You can call me Dung."
"James Potter and Sirius Black." James stated, smiling. "Are you going to give us the tour?"
He gave them a smile before giving his cigar a hard chew and spitting. "Actually, I've got some business to attend to down in Yorkshire. A great bargain, if you know what I mean. I was just going to unlock the place for you boys. You look trustworthy."
James nodded. "All right then. We'll be careful. Will you be back soon?"
"Yeah. I'll be back 'bout half in hour if all goes well and we can talk." he said before casting a spell towards the house and disapparating.
Sirius laughed as he left.
"Bloke must be off his rocker. Leaving us to look at this house by ourselves. We could steal everything if we'd like."
"I'm sure he knows exactly what's in there, and it looks like he might have stolen from it already." James added smiling. "At least we can tour the house in peace."
They ventured in cautiously and began to look around. James fell in love with the hard wood floors and the spacious downstairs, there was a big kitchen and sitting area. He smiled to himself as they went upstairs. Lily was going to love this. He didn't care how much it cost, he was going to buy it for her.
Forty-five minutes later, when Mundungus returned, James was on his second tour. Sirius followed him, although he was bored and just talked with him. They were able to catch up, as they hadn't had a real conversation in awhile.
"What do you think?" Dung asked, grinning at them as they came down the stairs.
"I love it." James said.
"So do I have an offer?" Dung asked hopefully.
James put on a serious face and said in a very business-like manner, "How much?"
"Oh, I'd say twenty-thousand galleons would be a bargain."
James thought this over. "I'll give you fifteen and pay you tomorrow, in full."
"Deal. I'll get the papers for you and you can return them to me then."
He reached into is old cloak pocket and held out a stack of parchment to James, who took them and grinned.
"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow. Do you want to meet here or your office?" James asked.
Mundungus puffed his cigar. "We can meet here. What time is good for you?"
"Six-thirty."
"I'll see you then. Have a good night." Mundungus answered before apparating.
"Well, little Jamie-poo is buying himself a house." Sirius teased. "All of those years of playing house with Charlotte will finally pay off."
"Sod off, Padfoot," James replied, although he was grinning. "Let's go, we can get some lunch. Let's see if Wormtail or Moony will meet up with us."
"That'd be good. I haven't seen Wormtail in a while. I mean, besides last night. He's never around."
"Well, he's working and you're training, and I'm sure he has to spend time with his family. You know how his mother is, she thinks he's the ray of sunshine on a cloudy day."
Sirius sniggered as they apparated together, away from James' future home.
Later that evening, James knocked on Lily's apartment door, a dozen red roses in his hand.
Charlotte answered the door in a classy black dress, looking elegant as usual.
"Oh, I thought you were Sirius. Lily didn't mention you were coming over."
"She didn't know." James replied, smiling. "I know I'm not Sirius, but could I come in?"
Charlotte grinned and pretended to shut the door, laughed at James' expression, and let him in.
"She's not prepared at all. I think she's back in her room going over papers or something." Charlotte added.
Another knock and Charlotte's giggling let James know that Sirius was here. He smiled and went to find Lily.
He knocked on her door, but he could hear her music playing and knew she wasn't going to come to the door.
He entered cautiously, tip-toeing across Lily's room to where she sat, furiously writing and going through files.
Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" was playing loudly. James smiled and cupped her eyes with his hands.
Lily squealed and James held in his laugh.
"Guess who?" he whispered.
"Vernon Dursley." she guessed playfully.
"How did you know? Petunia is out back, but I suppose we could snog real quickly. She isn't as good at kissing as you are." James replied, releasing his hands as she turned around to face him.
"James Potter! What a surprise! I should have known it was you. Vernon's cologne is much stronger and smells like rotting begonias."
James kissed her and smiled.
"You look snazzy." she murmured.
James did look handsome. He had black dress pants on, a deep blue shirt on, and a black tie.
"You don't look that bad yourself." James smiled.
Lily stood up. "I look a mess, James. I didn't know you were coming over…if I did I would have changed out of my pajamas long ago."
"But you look beautiful." James replied, handing her the roses. "What are you working so hard on?"
"Those are gorgeous, James!" she smiled as she smelled them. "I was writing a report to Dumbledore about the Carrow and MacNair cases. Horrible stuff, I've been researching them all day."
"Well I'd say it's about time you got out. Could I take you to dinner?" James suggested.
"I haven't even showered yet." Lily replied uneasily.
"I'll wait. Our reservations aren't until seven-thirty." James said calmly, playing with a strand of her hair.
"All right, then. Make yourself comfortable…" she said as she went to get in the shower.
Half an hour later, Lily appeared in the sitting room, where James had moved once he realized Lily needed her room to change, ready to go.
She was dressed in a black dress that ended just before her knee with a plunging neckline, elegant black heels, and a silver necklace.
James sucked in his breath. She looked so sexy.
"You look great." he finally said. "Ready to go?"
Lily smiled. "Yes, just let me grab my purse. I take it we're going somewhere Muggle?"
"Correct." James replied as he pulled out his car keys. "I visited my Mum and Dad this afternoon and they're letting me borrow the Mercedes."
"Well that's nice of them." Lily replied, grinning. "We could have just taken my car though."
"Ah yes, but I wanted to drive." James commented smiling at her. "Next time I'll let you."
Lily returned with a black purse and put her roses into some water. She took James' hand and whispered, "Only if you think you can handle my speed."
James swallowed and grinned back at her. "Oh, I know I can."
Once they were in the car and on the highway for twenty minutes, Lily couldn't help but question.
"Where are we going, James?" she asked.
"Somewhere nice." he answered simply.
Lily nodded and looked out the window to see nothing but fields and a few scattered houses. "In the middle of nowhere?"
"Maybe."
Lily folded her arms. "James Potter, what are you up to?"
"Lily Evans, I have no clue what you are on about. I am simply taking a nice scenic route to our restaurant."
"Didn't you say our reservations were for seven-thirty? It's seven-twenty now." Lily replied.
Suddenly, James turned sharply and parked the car.
Lily looked up and suddenly all time was forgotten.
"This house is beautiful, James. But why are we here?"
"Well, Sirius and I decided to look at some houses today, and I was wondering if you'd like to check this one out. I think you'll like it, and it's a good price." James rambled nervously. He sure hoped Lily adored the cottage as much as he did.
"Can we check it out, do you have a key?" Lily inquired excitedly.
James grinned. "Let's check it out."
They approached the door hand-in-hand and James fumbled through his pants pocket.
He pulled out what appeared to be a pocket-knife.
"Don't you have a key?" Lily questioned.
"Well, no. But we'll be fine." James tried, hoping Lily wasn't going to stop him.
"Isn't this breaking and entering?" she asked as he pulled out the blade and started for the door. "And how is that going to work?"
"Seeing as it's practically ours, I don't call it breaking and entering. And this knife is one Sirius gave to me. It can pick any lock."
"Just don't get us arrested, Potter." Lily replied, giving in to the temptation of looking in the house. "Or I'll have to go Head Girl on you."
James grinned as he opened the door and let Lily inside. He pulled out his wand and emitted light into the dark foyer.
"This is beautiful!" Lily exclaimed as she walked in.
The foyer, once lit, showed three passage ways into the house. Lily took the one to her immediate right and James followed her.
"The kitchen is huge!" she stated with amazement.
It was of considerable size, especially when compared to her flat's kitchen. There was sufficient counter top space and a place to put bar stools, enough space for a table and four chairs, and a place for an oven.
Lily inspected it for a few moments before venturing to the room, which she assumed was the dining room. A small chandelier hung from the ceiling, and there was a big window that looked out on the backyard and garden.
"Do you like it so far?" James asked as he came up behind her and grabbed her around the waist.
"Yes, I love it." she said, as she looked up at him. "Show me the other rooms."
James smiled and they made their way back to the foyer and into another passage where they found the sitting room and stairwell.
"It's got two bedrooms and two and a half baths." James commented as she looked around. "The half one is downstairs, and there's one in the master bedroom and in the corridor upstairs."
"So we have a bedroom for ourselves and a guest one." Lily smiled. "That's perfect…for now." she added as she hugged James.
James grinned. "Well hold on, there's room for children." he said in complete seriousness. He walked over to the stair well and to the cupboard on the side. He opened the door.
"We can put our first child here. There's plenty of room!" he said. Lily followed him with her hands on her hips.
"We are not putting any child of ours in a cupboard, James."
James looked at her and then walked inside. "Why not? There's plenty of room in here. We can put a bed here…"
Lily went in after him. "James, this isn't hygienic for any kid. They'd have the authorities on us in a second."
James laughed. "I'm only kidding, lovely Lily, Lily love." He wiggled his nose and eyebrows at her and shut the door.
Lily kept her hands on her hips. "You were just trying to get me in a broom closet with you, Potter!"
"Maybe." He smirked, pulling her close. "It'll bring us back to Hogwarts days."
"We were never in a broom closet!" Lily muttered indigently.
"Oh yes, you were never one for broom closets…" James chuckled as he kissed her.
"It would have looked outrageous if we were caught!" Lily said exasperatedly when James broke apart from her. "The Head Boy and Girl, caught in lip-lock in the third floor broom closet by Mrs. Norris. And you know how rumors spread there."
James smiled again and kissed her, holding her close to him. "I love you."
"I love you." she replied in a whisper. "Don't we have dinner reservations?" she added distractedly as she pulled at James' black tie.
"Yes, for eight-thirty." James answered as he went in for another kiss.
She kissed him back and then stopped. "Well show me the rest of the house, then."
"One more kiss." James murmured.
They appeared from the cupboard under the stairs minutes later before exploring the rest of the house and heading to dinner.
Thanks to my reviewers!
James's Girl Forever, Scooter5710, melodicmoonstar89, blvd, Missing Summer, SuburbanMuse, IAMSOAP, heather gernenz, sharp-tongued, White Camellia, Kaean, Zippy-Wings, chikichiki, Jude Harrison, luv24+Alias, precious421, maraudergirl89, glowing-ice, and riduculouslyriddikulus. THANKS!
And of course, thank you to my wonderful beta.