Hey beautifuls! I am writing this from somewhere different, which is exciting. This is currently being typed up as I sit in a pretty cottage in Cornwall where I am staying with my friends for the week. Not that it's relevant to you guys but it makes me happy enough to get you an update quicker! Admittedly, this chapter is quite a bit shorter than other recent ones, but it's more of a filler as it's just some thoughts floating around in Lizzie's head. Also- the next chapter is going to be a really long one, so I didn't think it was too much of an issue. Enjoy Bg.97 xx

"Lizzie… honey?"

Lizzie felt gentle hands shake her shoulder, making her open her eyes and sit up. As her surroundings came into focus, she realised that the empty pizza box from the night before was on the floor beside her, an empty bottle of wine on the table and her blanket was only half covering her.

Lizzie pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked it. When she did, she sighed.

"No new messages?" her mum asked from where she'd moved across the room.

Lizzie shook her head sadly.

"You know," Mrs Hartley started, "You're allowed to phone him."

"Mmm," Lizzie made a contemplative noise which her mum read as a sign to leave.

She stared at her phone for a minute longer before eventually unlocking it. She took one last deep breath before deciding to phone James. Every ring felt like it took an age. When the phone was picked up and she heard a familiar grumble on the other side, she released the breath she had been holding.

"Hello?" James asked, clearly just waking up.

"Hey Jamie, sorry if I woke you up," she said hesitantly, trying to keep her nerve after he hadn't contacted her.

"Elizabeth; no, no of course not."

"So…" A pause. "How did it go last night?"

James paused on the other end of the phone. "Shit- I never texted you, did I?"

"No, but it's okay." It wasn't okay, but she could pretend.

"No it's not. I hope you weren't waiting to hear from me."

"What? No, of course not, that's ridiculous." Bloody hell Elizabeth, at least try and sound believable.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well… it's fine."

"Hey look- what are you up to today? We can meet up and discuss yesterday properly."

It needed to be discussed properly? Lizzie sensed that that didn't bode well. "I'm free."

"Okay, sick. Shall we meet down Diagon Alley? We can go to Fortescue's?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Awesome- I'll meet you at 1."

"Okay, see you then."

And then he hung up. Lizzie looked around and pulled herself up off the sofa, shocked at herself. She had stayed up the whole night waiting for a text from a guy that wasn't even her boyfriend, in a pile of crap that looked like a person had literally spilled their rubbish bin into one room. She was a disgusting mess. Stupid James Sirius Potter making her become this disgusting mess. Stupid Elizabeth Taylor Hartley for admitting that it was James Sirius Potter making her like this.

She was in desperate need of a shower. She needed to clear her head before she met up with James. Maybe this would help give her some clarity on the situation. It could be a good thing is things went well between James and Clara, that way she could get over whatever little part of her was telling her that she liked them. On the other hand, she still wanted to explore where this thing between them, whatever it was, could go. In the five months since that initial meeting, they had come a long way in their relationship, but there were still plenty of directions in which they could go. If she was willing to try. Something tells her that she would be.

"Calm yourself, Lizzie. Just because you've now come to the realisation that maybe you feel something more than friendship- you can't just jump on that feeling. You need to go about this slowly- think rationally," she spoke to herself in the bathroom mirror- hoping that no one else could hear her monologue. It was all very strange and rather embarrassing.

She found that the shower did help, and after a lot of private arguments with herself, she felt ready to go see James- as a friend- to ask how it went with Clara. She fiddled with her wand and took a deep breath as she apparated into Diagon Alley. She used her hands to comb through her hair one last time as she walked the short distance to the ice cream parlour. As she approached, she could see James sat inside and her stomach did an involuntary flip. She rolled her eyes at her stupid behaviour.

"Hey James," she greeted him with a hug and the pair sat down.

"Hiya, how have you been?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've been good."

"Glad to hear it."

"So…" Lizzie started awkwardly.

"So…" James responded- equally as awkward.

"Your date?" Lizzie pressed.

"Yeah that. It was alright. Went to some fancy restaurant, then went to the Leaky for a pint. Then I just went home."

"And what did you talk about?"

James shrugged. "Work. Hogwarts. Our friends… Nothing that exciting to be honest- just small talk."

Lizzie started to relax but she knew that she couldn't fully until she asked her next question. "So... did you two kiss?"

James went slightly red, pausing before he answered. "Yeah, we did."

Lizzie just nodded, feeling her cheeks burn up a bit.

"But," James added. "I don't think I will be again."

Lizzie's heartbeat picked up at the hope the short sentence provided.

"Any particular reason?" she added not so discreetly.

"Just not the right kind of girl for me, I don't think."

Lizzie looked down at the table, a small smile creeping on to her face. When she looked back up, she was pleasantly surprised to see that a similar expression graced James' face. Then his face changed suddenly, as if he'd remembered something.

"What colour dress are you wearing to the wedding?"

Lizzie's face dropped. She'd completely forgotten that Rose and Scorpius's wedding was coming up in just a few weeks.

"I hadn't even thought about it, if I'm honest."

"Well, let me know when you do."

"Why?" Lizzie asked; an eyebrow raised.

"So we'll match of course," he smiled.

Lizzie's face lit up and her heart lifted. She definitely had feelings for James, and in that moment- there was hope that he felt the same way.

Not really sure about this chapter, but I hope you like it nonetheless. The next chapter is a good un so stick around. BG.97 xx