A Month of Potter
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.
Summary: Discouraged by Lily's continual refusal to going out with him, James constructs a plan to ask Lily out every day for an entire month.
Posted: 09/06/14
Author's Disclaimer: I must make it clear that this is a complete dramatization fic. In no way do I imagine James Potter being this bold/infuriating/immature in his attempts to woo Lily; this is merely an idea that popped into my head and I wondered just how many proposals I could come up with for James to use on Lily.
Author's Note: Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and the reviews I received for the first chapter. I would love for some feedback on some of these ideas because they are immensely fun to write and of course, feedback drives my writing. Thanks! Also, I've posted the link to my HP/Marauder tumblr in my profile.
Day 11
Sirius woke up the following morning with Lily's words still echoing around his skull, etching into his memory like a chisel on stone. He lied stationary for a few minutes, staring upward at his bed-hangings, unwilling to get out of his bed. But the shifting sounds of his friends roused him and he peered out to see James tearing through his trunk.
"Morning, Prongs," he called through a yawn.
"Hey Padfoot," James responded, continuing his thorough search through his trunk. At long last he pulled out what he had been looking for, making a victorious whooping noise, and hastened toward the door. "See you lot in a bit, I've got a meeting."
Sirius' eyes widened slightly in shock at James' retreating back, astounded by his friend's apparent indifference to the conversation from the previous night. As the door snapped closed behind James, Sirius' eyes met Remus'.
"What do you reckon that was about?"
Remus shrugged, "Not sure but I expect we will find out soon enough, won't we?"
Sirius nodded, finally dragging himself out of his bed and rummaging for his own clothing. When they caught up with James after breakfast, he was annoyingly cryptic about his plans, and remained so during their morning classes. It wasn't until they returned to the Gryffindor Tower for their free period after lunch, that it became apparent what their friend had done.
"What's going on here?" many of the Gryffindor's asked as they gathered around the portrait hole.
"What's the hold up?"
"Who the bloody hell is blocking the portrait?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius saw James' face split into a wide grin. Normally Sirius would be pleased to hear of his friends antics, but he found he didn't enjoy being excluded from a prank, which was clearly what had happened.
"Prongs, what did you do?" Remus accused, having caught the look on James' face also.
"And why didn't you clue me in on it?" Sirius said, indignantly. "It's been ages since we've pulled a prank and—"
"It's not a prank," said James soothingly, ignoring Remus' accusations. "Not really at least."
Before they could question him any further, they turned to see Lily and her friends ascending the corridor toward them. They were jovially conversing as they drew nearer the Marauders, but when the girls noticed the long queue, their jokes ceased.
"All right, Evans?" James called.
She raised an eyebrow at him as they approached. "Fine, Potter. What's going on here? Remus?"
"I don't know, Lily," Remus replied, shame seeping through his words.
The sudden approach of the seventh year Gryffindor prefect Dorcas Meadowes saved Remus from further scrutiny. There was something purposeful in her walk, and as she approached, her eyes began shooting daggers in James' direction, which did not go unnoticed.
"Just been to see Dearborn," she explained, without greeting. "He's told me the password has been changed to 'Go Out With Me Evans.'"
As if they were a pack of hunting dogs happening upon the same scent of prey, the group within ear-shot turned their face toward James' in unison. His smirk went from joyful to sheepish under their eyes, but he did not apologize.
"Really, Prongs? You couldn't have thought of anything more original?" Sirius inquired, the first to break the group's stunned silence.
"I, for one, can't believe Caradoc would go along with this! Some back-bone our Head Boy has… What did you do to him?" Lily's voice was humorless as she rounded on James. James' smile remained unwavering, much to Lily's chagrin.
"When I asked Dearborn about it, he said it was just for today, that berk. Also, you're an idiot, Potter," Dorcas informed him before pushing her way through the crowd to share the new password.
"She's right, you know," Mary said, her eyes still narrowed at James disapprovingly. The girls turned away from him as the queue began to move.
"Hey Evans," he called to her retreating back. She exhaled impatiently before turning to look at him. "Was that a no then?"
"Of course it was a no," she replied sharply.
James nodded his understanding. "That's what I expected."
"Then why did you even ask?" she retorted back quietly. But then she found that she was really not interested in why James Potter did anything, and she spun back around to follow her friends into the common room, leaving James alone with his three mates. They shook their head in his direction as they, too, clambered through the portrait hole.
Day 12
"Some mates you lot are," James informed them, for what felt like the hundredth time since the previous day. He and the Marauders were trudging along toward Defense Against the Dark Arts after lunch the following day.
"I don't recall any of us agreeing with your barmy ideas, Prongs," Peter said fairly. "None of us are really keen on the idea of you asking Lily out every single day."
James rolled his eyes, though they were focused on the girls walking ahead of them. "That is beside the point! We're supposed to have each other's backs in times of need."
Sirius snorted at James' melodramatics. "Time of need, Prongs?"
"Yeah, Padfoot, certainly," Remus responded automatically for James, trying very hard to not roll his eyes, too. "Prongs clearly is in need of Lily. Though isn't he always?"
James scowled at them as he dropped into his seat near the back of the classroom. He muttered darkly to them as they joined him, "Gits, the whole lot of you."
Before any further harassment of James could take place, Professor Bones' old knobby figure came blundering into the room. He held a stack of parchment loosely under his arm and slammed it forcefully onto his desk upon arriving in front of it.
"Need someone to pass these out. How about you, Mister Potter?"
It was unusual for any of their professors to single out one of the Marauders to pass out assignments, lest they blow something up while they're doing it, so James was rightfully surprised to hear Bones volunteer him for the task. Though he was not displeased.
"No problem, Professor," he answered respectfully. With his friends in awe, James' quick dive into his bag for a bit of parchment went undetected. After stowing it carefully into his pocket, he straightened up and walked to the front of the class.
As James went from row to row passing out their graded essays, Professor Bones spoke to the class, in a mixture of praise and crossness as he reviewed their scores and explained common mistakes. James, a clear task in front of him, paid Bones little attention. His scores in Defense were usually top marks, as it was his second best subject just behind Transfiguration. Finally, a grin planted firmly on his face, he reached the tables Lily and her friends sat at.
"Good afternoon, ladies," he greeted, sifting the papers through his fingers to find their names. "Not too bad, McKinnon," he commented, much to her agitation, and her momentary flare created just enough distraction for him to slip the bit of parchment underneath Lily's essay as he placed it on her desk. "There you are, Evans."
To her surprise, he made no further comment and immediately turned to the next table to continue his task. Lily eyed the parchment in front of her, delighted to see an O staring back at her, and though she had read it a dozen times already, she pulled the parchment close to her and began reviewing her own words. As her fingertips touched the edges of the parchment, she noticed a small note that distracted her from her review.
"What's that? Has Professor Bones written you additional comments?" Marlene wondered, leaning over Lily's shoulder once she had noticed the parchment.
"Not from him, no," Lily answered quickly. "Who else?"
"Ah, the pig." And with that Marlene went back to her own parchment, wholly uninterested in what she already anticipated the parchment to say.
Evans,
Hello. I am writing to apologise for yesterday. I meant it all in good fun, and I truly didn't intend to inconvenience or disrupt anyone's day. And I really am sorry if I disrupted yours. Really. I am.
J Potter
Lily was slightly taken aback by the apparent sincerity of the letter…until her eyes flew down to the miniscule post script:
PS Maybe I can make it up to you on Saturday at Hogsmeade, yeah?
At this, Lily tore her eyes away from the parchment and turned to search for James. He was still milling about, passing out most essays with commentary and perhaps a few jokes, as the current table of Hufflepuffs he stood before were shaking with silent mirth, and his mouth was curved upward in the typical James Potter way. She continued to watch as he made his way around the room, stopping once she realized her stare had drawn a few curious looks from her classmates.
It was only when she saw James retreat back to his seat between Sirius and Peter, that she dared to catch his eye again, which was far easier this time because he was pointedly looking at her too. She stared at him, and vaguely wondered what he thought she was going to say. If her eyes or face said anything other than 'No' she made amends quickly by shaking her head vigorously toward him. To her slight surprise his face fell, an event she hadn't often witnessed in the previous six years; but it went away as Sirius captured James' attention, bumping a quick elbow into his ribs, drawing James' eyes toward something on his essay.
Day 13
"Evans!"
She let out an audible groan from behind her hands, which were clamped tightly to her face as if in agony. The Transfiguration homework in front of her was already one second away from being torn to bits in her frustration, and then to add Potter's presence on top of it all just seemed too much to bear. But before she could even respond, she heard him crash, all limbs and messy hair, into the seat across from her. When she had sat down to try to do homework on a Friday night, she should have anticipated being interrupted and distracted.
"What do you want?" she annunciated, coldly and clearly, and a wiser man than James might have flinched at her icy tone.
But James was known for his intellect in Transfiguration and Quidditch strategy, not for his wisdom.
"Wormtail, that is, Pete and I were just having a rather good-natured discussion—"
"You mean an argument," Lily cut across, her hands still covering her face.
James fought back a grin, "Yeah, all right, an argument, and we need you to settle it."
She dared peek through her hands at him, and instantly regretted seeing his face alight with what could only be trouble. She sighed, bringing her hands away from her face, dropping them onto the table and folding them together in a business-like way.
"What do you mean I need to settle it?"
"'Cause you're Evans," he informed her simply. "Who better than you to give an absolute ruling?"
She thought he might have a point, she certainly had a firmness to her when dealing with him. Maybe he knew about her intermediary position within her group of friends: she often played delegate and peace-keeper over the course of their adolescence. But how and why Potter would know that was beyond her, and she didn't revel in the idea of questioning him about it.
"I'm afraid to even ask what the 'good-natured discussion' was about," she told him after a long moment.
"Pete reckons my eyes are a dull brown color, but I've insisted that they're hazel. Y'know, my mum always told me they were hazel like hers, and not some mucky brown color—"
Lily sighed, utterly exasperated. "You've come over here to bother me and distract me from my homework, to talk about the color of your eyes?"
James clearly didn't see the problem, "Err…yeah? Come on, Evans, I just need you to tell me the color since I can't very well have my mates staring into my eyes."
Lily eyed him warily as he inched his seat closer to her, a hopeful and wistful look falling upon his face. "You need me to tell you what color your eyes are?" she repeated, clearly skeptical.
"Right, Evans, have a look."
His face was inches from her, and she could feel eyes staring at them from all around the common room as she watched him gently remove his glasses from his nose. She held firm to her place as he continued again drawing nearer. When he stopped, his eyes dilated, focusing in on hers, but despite the growing pupils his eyes were unmistakable. Lily herself may have assumed them to be a light brown color, but now discovered she would have been terribly wrong. Green specs surrounded his otherwise brown eyes, and she felt her stomach give an uncomfortable lurch when she realized how long she had been gazing into them.
"They're—they're hazel, Potter, indeed. Does that satisfy you?"
James had only pulled away about an inch after her proclamation, and he had just put his glasses back onto his face when he smirked at her question.
"Yeah, thanks, Evans. I knew I could count on you. Of course, I would be more satisfied if…" His eyes averted from her emerald jewels to her cheek, and she saw him lean down before she could react. The kiss was miniscule: a quick brush of his lips on the edge of her cheekbone, but it had been enough.
"What—what was that for?" she sputtered out, unceremoniously wiping her sleeve across her face.
"Just a quick thank you. Although, I am the proper old fashioned type, so you really ought to let me take you to lunch next weekend for a real thank-you—"
"Potter," her voice warned, its tone low and dangerous.
The message had been received, and he quickly clambered off the chair and took a step back to where his friends were lounging.
"Thanks, Evans." He began walking back over to his laughing friends, but turned quickly to add, "If you would like any help with that homework, just let me know. I finished it two days ago."
She gave him a look that read, not a chance, but he simply shrugged in response and walked away from her. Staring decidedly back at the paper, she cursed herself for actually wanting his help. Well, she didn't actually want it, but maybe perhaps needed it. Not that she would give him the satisfaction of knowing such a thing, or give herself any reason to have those striking hazel eyes close to her.
Across the room, James sat down on the sofa next to Peter, as his friends questioned what he had just been up to. He gave a noncommittal answer, leaning toward Peter for the bag of sweets they were currently splitting, and had Lily not been so determinedly set on ignoring them, she might have notice that the color of James' eyes was clearly never a matter of conversation between them.
Day 14
The day was perfect.
The sun was bright and the grounds were growing warm as March went on: a perfect day for Quidditch. The whole school gathered around the stands, enthusiastically awaiting such an important match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. With only one match after this one, Gryffindor needed to win this by a mere hundred points to secure at least second place in the cup race. James Potter was boisterously confident in the changing room before the match, jovially shouting encouragement to his fellow teammates as they loaded their gear on.
"Right," he cleared his voice, once he had finished talking up the Seeker Stebbins for the third time. "I'm going out to the pitch now, got something to take care of real quick. You lot meet me near the entrance of the field in three minutes."
Without waiting for their nods of assent, James bolted out of the locker-room and into the sky. He could see the stands filling up nicely, and a quick survey told him most students had already found their seats among their house-mates and were impatiently anticipating the start of the match. His eyes raced over to the Gryffindor stands where he found a flash of red hair in between two brunettes and he smiled. All going to plan so far as he reached his destination.
"Let's get on with it already," came Mary's voice, many, many feet away from James Potter. Her excitement was palpable and it got Lily on the edge of her seat too. She turned to Lily conversationally, "Idiot he may be, but the boy can sure play some Quidditch. I just know we're going to win the cup again this year!"
"Definitely," Marlene agreed, leaning over Lily to speak to Mary. "I overhead McGonagall talking to Sprout about the match. Very fond of the idea of keeping that Quidditch trophy in her office, she is."
"Naturally," Mary said, looking up as a blur of red flashed across the field. "Now what's he been up to?"
"No idea…"
But at that moment, Ravenclaw commentator Benjy Fenwick's voice erupted over the stadium. "Hello! Wonderful day for Quidditch, eh?" His prompt resulted in raucous applause from the crowd. "Before Gryffindor and Hufflepuff take the field, I was ask to relay this message. James Potter would like to dedicate this match to Lily Evans, and request she join him in Hogsmeade next weekend to celebrate their victory – rather bold, don't you think Hufflepuff? – so what'll it be then Evans—"
"NO!" answered the brunettes in unison, before Lily even opened her mouth.
"That was a no… Bad luck, Potter," Benjy continued, clearly aware of Lily's response, "although I think I heard a couple yeses from my own house if you're interested—"
"FENWICK THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH—"
"Right you are, Professor. Now, here comes the Hufflepuff team, led by Captain…"
"How thick is he?" Mary asked, as if she had not just previously spoken so fondly at the idea of James Potter winning them another Quidditch Cup.
"Kind of funny," Marlene said after a long moment, receiving a sharp glance from both Lily and Mary. "What? He's nothing if not bold."
"He's mental," was all Lily said. Their conversation ended as the Gryffindors around them exploded into applause. The Gryffindor team soared onto the field, and the match began.
Day 15
Lily's eyes were closed, her smile joyfully relaxed as she lounged on her four-poster bed. The silence of a Sunday after a Quidditch match was delightful to her, as most students were exhausted from the celebration of the previous day, or were milling about finishing up the scraps of homework they had ignored due to their fervor for the sport. Lily, however, had completed her homework already, and was enjoying some well-earned alone time up in the sixth years girls dormitory before there was an annoying tap, tap, tap on the window.
Her eyes fluttered open, narrowing against the dimming light of the setting sun as she reached the window. Resting on the sill was a tawny barn owl, which hopped in purposefully once she lifted the latch open.
It flew over to her bed, proudly perched with its leg out. It was an odd time for mail, nearly supper, but she hastened over to untie the two pieces of parchment. One was rather larger than the other and she unrolled the smaller one first to find messy scrawl. His of course.
Hello Evans!
I hope you enjoyed the Quidditch match yesterday, and of course the victory you inspired us to – she could almost hear his cheeky little voice as she read —As a thank you, I've included a signed photograph of yours truly.
Please accept my gift, and my invitation to Hogsmeade this upcoming weekend. Sirius and I eagerly await your response.
J Potter
P.S. The owl is named Sirius. My stupid git of a mate named him, and by the time I had thought of a more suitable one, the bloody owl wouldn't answer to anything else.
Lily, an eyebrow arched, pretending to be unamused by the anecdote of Sirius and the owl that was forming in her mind, unraveled the second, larger parchment. It was a wizard's photograph, with a grinning James Potter, no doubt in his Quidditch robes. Signed near the bottom was more scribbled handwriting,
To my future girlfriend.
With love—really strong adoration,
James Potter
She stifled a laugh at the crossed out "love", amused that James would rectify the proclamation in such a boyish way. Nevertheless, she scribbled down a resound no and tied it to owl Sirius' leg, watching as he darted tenaciously out the still open window. She was marveling at how James had an owl so entirely committed to him when she heard her name coming from the stairwell outside the dormitory door.
Hastily, she threw the photograph into the dresser next to her bed and stood up, right as Marlene appeared in the doorway.
"Lily!" she repeated, waving her friend forward. "Come on to dinner with us. Mary's starved and they're having her favorite and she's going to be very cross with you if you prevent her from having the three helpings she so desperately wants."
"All right, I'm coming!" She made to follow Marlene, laughter coming from both of them as they went. The photograph, still crammed away in her dresser, was driven from her mind.
Day 16
She hadn't felt it coming on, which only made the morning filled with vomiting that much worse. Madam Pomfrey had told her she had eaten something she was mildly allergic to, and her body was reacting in turn, as she spent much of the next Monday morning hauled up in the girls' lavatory hugging the toilet bowl. She had been given a potion to settle her stomach but she was certain it had long since joined the left-over food. She had insisted that Mary and Marlene leave her and go to their classes, as Lily couldn't afford to fall behind, and she would have to rely on their notes to catch her up. Still, it was an unpleasant morning that lingered long into the afternoon hours, and though her friends stopped by after lunch she spent most of the morning alone.
Around three, it seemed her insides had settled, as she had now gone a complete hour without getting sick, and she was grateful to wash off and then clamber back into her cozy bed. The pillows and blankets surrounded her wonderfully, and though she was told to visit the Hospital Wing once the vomiting stopped, she couldn't resist succumbing to more sleep, unaware of the events unfolding between her friends and James Potter.
"How is she doing?" he had demanded of them after lunch.
"She's doing fine, James," Marlene assured him, a mixture of laughter and pity in her voice.
Neither she nor Mary had ever seen James concerned about anything besides Quidditch before, and the change was not something they particularly reveled in. His hair seemed wilder and his eyes darker, and while this was not unflattering to his appearance, it was unusual and added to his frenzied voice.
"Why isn't she in the Hospital Wing like a normal sick person?"
"Lily doesn't need to be in the Hospital Wing, James. Madam Pomfrey's already been to our dormitory to see her, and she said Lily just needs time to rest," Mary told him, her voice holding uncommon patience.
James gave them a sharp look before shuffling over to his seat in Charms, where he relayed the little information he had gotten to his friends. Mary and Marlene watched him go, the charm they were required to practice as forgotten as the open books in front of them.
"He's in a bit of a state, isn't he?" Mary commented once she knew James was not in ear-shot any longer.
"Yeah, he is. Wonder what that's about. A normal person would react like that when he cares about a person…but this is James Potter we are talking about."
Marlene's words hung in the air between them, and they both continued to watch James until he twisted in his seat to grimace at them, as if he'd been burned by their stares. They hastily went back to reviewing their textbooks as they felt James' attention leave them. Twenty minutes passed with both girls scratching vaguely on their parchments, before they were interrupted again.
"Can I get her anything to make her feel better?" came James Potter's low voice again, as he crouched near the side of their desk. Professor Flitwick was busy talking to a group of Ravenclaws but James didn't want to draw attention to himself. Mary and Marlene looked bewildered at his words.
"What?"
His next words were impatient. "Lily. Can I get her some food or a potion or anything to make her feel better? I'm a blighter when it comes to brewing potions, as you both might be aware, but I can nip some from Pomfrey with some help from the lads. Can you two find out after class?"
Their mouths gaped at him, which drew a contemptuous look to his face, making him look angrily handsome. He drummed his fingers along the table, staring between the two of them expectantly. "Well?"
"We'll check on Lily as soon as class is over, James. Calm down, will you?"
He nodded, his face softening, then straightened his long limbs out, standing. "Good. Please let me know. Thanks," he added dutifully, once again returning to his friends.
Mary and Marlene couldn't bring themselves to stare after him this time, and immediately turned to each other.
"Has he gone mad?"
"Hasn't he always been mad?"
"What was that about anyway?"
"I don't understand him."
"Maybe he really does fancy her," Marlene offered, and the look on Mary's face told her it was a conclusion she herself was drawing, though she was opposed to actually muttering the words. The conclusion of the class was quickly approaching, and they had long given up on accomplishing their charm.
"We have to tell Lily, right?"
"We at least need to placate James or he might crash through our dormitory window to see her." Marlene's words bounced around Mary's mind, and as much as she wanted to be disgusted by them, she couldn't help but give Marlene a small smile, which Marlene quickly returned.
When class ended, they saw James shoot a pointed look their way, and they nodded back at him in assurance as they left the class. When they arrived back up to the girl's dormitory, they found Lily bundled up in her bed, sleeping peacefully.
"She looks a lot better," Marlene whispered, as they closed her bed hangings once more.
"Yes, but I don't think that'll subdue him," Mary murmured softly back. Marlene nodded her assent as they silently made their way back into the stairwell. "We might as well let him get her something, right? Maybe some soft bread and ginger tea, for when she wakes?"
"How do you suppose he'll get that?"
"He's James Potter, doesn't he always do things like that?"
"I suppose you're right about that," Marlene ceded, as they entered the common room and saw James sitting at the table nearest them. His face clearly said well? as they approached him. "She's sleeping James, though she looks loads better than she did this morning. We reckon she would enjoy some ginger tea and soft bread for when she wakes though."
"I'll be back," he promised, drawing himself off the chair, throwing a quick nod to his friends as he clambered out of the portrait hole.
"Hey Sirius," Mary called, as she and Marlene walked over to him, but Mary had gotten the attention of all three boys, causing them to drop their separate tasks and turn to her. "What's going on with your friend?"
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, and the girls could see the same confusion in both Peter and Remus' faces.
"He's being extra barmy today."
"Oh well, Evans is sick, isn't she? That'll get him in a state any time." Peter and even Remus gave a small nod to them as he said this.
"Why?" Mary asked before she could help herself, causing the three boys to laugh. "Why are you laughing?"
"That was a rather stupid question, Macdonald. No offense, of course. James fancies her, what do you expect?"
"He gets his nurturing side from his mum," Peter told them, drawing laughter from both Sirius and Remus.
"Don't let him hear you say that, Worm," Remus cautioned softly, throwing a furtive look toward the portrait hole that had just opened, admitting a group of third years to the common room.
"That's it then, is it?" Marlene clarified, ignoring the additional commentary. "He really does fancy her, then?"
"It's not a game?" Mary added.
The laughter from the three boys faces immediately vanished at this, and their pointed stares were enough to tell the girls that they had been mistaken in their assumption about James.
"The guy might be a few ingredients short of a potions set, in some ways, but he really does like her," Sirius said, earnestly.
"He doesn't quite know how to go about showing it all the time," Remus continued, "but he's trying, at any rate."
"And for the record," Peter cut in, drawing their eyes to him, "we didn't give him the idea to ask her out daily, that idea was entirely his."
"We're sorry if it's driving Lily mad," Remus added. "And he's definitely going to still ask her out today, even though she's sick."
"Because he's got this idea that his persistence will pay off in the end… but he's well intentioned, our friend. And we can assure you of that," Sirius finished.
Mary and Marlene stared between them, but were interrupted by the reappearance of James, whose arms were laden with an entire tea kettle, a cup, and three loaves of bread. It seemed staged, after the conversation they had just had – or perhaps it was just a prime example of the truth his friends had just been telling them.
"Let me just grab a bit of parchment," he told them, as he set the kettle, cup, and bundle of bread onto a table near them. The girls watched as he hastened to write a note to Lily, carefully folded it, then cautiously placed the assortment of items into their outstretched hands.
"We'll see you lot later," Marlene told the boys, and it came out as a promise more than a statement. James nodded his thank you to her, then watched as they walked out of sight.
It wasn't until around seven that Lily woke up, while Marlene and Mary sat a few feet away on Mary's bed practicing the charm they had failed to accomplish during class earlier.
"What's all this?" came Lily's soft, half asleep voice out of nowhere. Mary and Marlene jumped off the bed toward her, and when they opened the curtains they saw Lily's face surveying the small note that they had not, out of respect, read, despite being sorely tempted to.
"James got all this for you," Marlene cut in. Lily's eyes left the parchment to look at her friend. "He was in a bit of a state about you today."
"A bit of a state is saying it lightly, Mar," Mary informed her, a small smile playing on her lips. Lily looked, in bewilderment, between her friends.
"Am I still dreaming, then?" Lily questioned. "You two are a bit too cheery at Potter's antics. I mean, did he fly his broom up here or—?"
"Err, no, actually. He gave us all this to bring up here."
"And you did?"
"Well sure," Marlene said timidly. But her tone was light and almost affectionate as she continued, "During Charms, the berk kept asking us to tell him a way to make you feel better. This was what we came up with."
"Oh," came a soft sound from Lily's mouth. She peered once more at the parchment. He told her he hoped she'd feel well soon, with help from the tea and bread. Added hastily at the end was another hope that if she should feel up to in on Saturday he wished to take her for a butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks.
"What's it say?" Mary couldn't help herself from asking, breaking the silence as Lily reread the note.
Lily shrugged, "Well wishes and a date proposal."
"Ah," Marlene responded, and Lily became aware that neither of her friends seemed keen on giving their opinion about the request. Marlene didn't even do her usual exhaled scoff of 'pig'.
"I'll have to find a way to thank him for the tea while still making it clear that I am uninterested in going to Hogsmeade with him. Why I even need to constantly remind him is, quite frankly, beyond me. He's a hopeless case, isn't he?"
"You have no idea," Marlene murmured in an undertone to Mary.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," Marlene quickly said, as Mary stifled a giggle. "I'll go tell him you're turning down his request."
"All right," Lily said, confusion etching the syllables. "Do thank him for me, though. It was uncharacteristically nice of him to worry about me."
Marlene nodded, casting a glance at Mary as she walked out the door. Lily really had no idea, did she? Then again, neither did they until a few hours previously. Marlene found her conversation with James unpleasant, though it didn't occur to her why until they had parted again for their respected dormitories. She realized that maybe a part of her had started rooting for James, driven a little by his genuine concern for Lily's well-being. This was something she didn't intend to tell Mary, though she wondered if Mary herself might have a similar feeling; and it certainly wasn't something she would tell Lily.
Day 17
Lily, James happily noticed, was back in full fighting form the next day. So much in fact that she actually sought James out before the beginning of their Potions class.
"Potter," she greeted, in a voice far kinder than he usually heard when Potter was on her lips.
"Good morning, Evans. Glad to see you looking better," he told her earnestly.
"Thanks, I am feeling much better." She paused, assuring their complete privacy before continuing. "I just wanted to thank you for the tea and bread. It was very thoughtful for you to get them; Marlene and Mary told me you were concerned."
"I was," he affirmed, unabashed. "When I heard you were ill, I checked the Hospital Wing but you—err, yeah, I'm just glad you're better." He had gone too far, and he hoped his quick mumbling went unnoticed by Lily, but it had not. She was looking at him as if she had never seen anything quite like him before.
Nevertheless, she tore her eyes away from him after a growing moment and simply nodded at him, before hastily returning to her friends. Marlene gave him a small smile, and his own face split into a grin as he looked down to his cauldron. He hadn't expected Lily to agree to a date yesterday, given the circumstances, but he appreciated Marlene's apparent change of opinion toward him, and, after all, some good inspiration had come out of it. He knew he never would've come up with his proposal if Lily hadn't felt ill.
Back at Lily's own table, Mary's eager voice met her as she sat, "Did he ask you out again?"
"No," Lily replied firmly, a look of confusion crossing her face. "Should he have?"
"Well, he's at it every day, isn't he? I just wondered," Mary recovered, turning to go through her potions set and pick out the ingredients. Her mind recalled Sirius' words from the previous day about James being a few ingredients short, and a smile erupted over her face.
"What are you smiling at?" Lily demanded to know. Marlene had caught sight of her too, but thought she might know why a smile had appeared.
"Just a potions joke Sirius Black told me yesterday," she answered cryptically, and Marlene's own lips curved upward.
"Oh Merlin, I can't get sick anymore, if you lot are going to depend on the Marauders for company," Lily told them, with a roll of her eyes. Their conversation ended as Professor Slughorn began his quick lecture, and as the noise of shuffling hands and cauldrons grew, they remained soundless. Thirty minutes into potion-making, when Lily's needed to simmer for fifteen minutes, she approached Professor Slughorn quietly.
"Sir, I was wondering if I could be excused to use the loo."
"Of course," Slughorn responded, as if Lily was allowed to do almost anything she wanted. "I've meaning to ask you Miss Evans if you are free Sunday night. I am having a dinner party and would be delighted to have you there."
Lily had been invited to enough Slug Club parties to know that his gentle invitation was actually a summons. "I'll be there, Professor."
"Wonderful!" Slughorn didn't attempt to hide his happiness.
Lily gave him a small smile in return, then hastened from the class, vaguely aware of Potter's eyes following her back, and entirely unaware of his smile.
She walked to the nearest lavatory, but found it oddly occupied by Moaning Myrtle.
"Hi Myrtle," she greeted, more out of necessity than want as Myrtle was floating near the door and Lily found no pleasure in the idea of having to walk through her.
"It's you!" Myrtle greeted. "Finally. I've been waiting ages for you to show up."
Myrtle gleefully shot through the air, moving aside for Lily who took a few steps toward the stall door. "Me? Why have you been waiting for me?"
"He told me about the charm and I've been aching to see how it works," Myrtle explained easily. This did not alleviate Lily's confusion, and Myrtle was uncharacteristically perceptive to this fact. "That handsome Potter bloke, he's charmed the sink for when you use it. Go on! Look!"
Lily's eyebrows had stitched together now, confusion replaced with skepticism. She hardly thought Potter would harm her with a charm, but wasn't entirely convinced what ever he had done would be safe; she had seen many of his pranks go awry over the years. Nonetheless, she suddenly found herself in front of the sink, and spun the faucet. Three squeaky turns later, nothing but water had flooded into the basin and Lily felt strangely disappointed. But then—
"Ooh," came Myrtle's girly coo. "So that's it."
Lily looked around to see Myrtle staring forward, then turned herself to see the mirror in front of her had fogged up. Slowly letters were being written onto the mirror as though an invisible hand was drawing them with its fingers. "Hogsmeade? - JP" was all the invisible hand wrote. Lily thought she might've felt as impressed as Myrtle looked. She wished she could find a way to ask Potter what charm he had cast without clueing him in to how fascinated she was.
"Pity he puts in so much work just to get turned down," Lily said dismissively to Myrtle, who immediately broke into a long line of aghast indignation ("—if I was ever asked out by a boy like James Potter, oh could you imagine the look on stupid Olive Hornby's face?—"). Lily ignored her as she used the lavatory, and continued to do so as she actually washed her hands. She threw one last glance at the mirror, which had changed to now read, "Say yes, Evans!" and stifled her own laugh as she ventured back to the Potions dungeon.
She should have suspected it, but was still slightly taken aback by James' stare as she walked back into the room. She worked to erase the smile from her features as she avoided his gaze. His eyes never wavered from her, and they grew as he watched her she swing around the back of the class to pass his table on the way to hers.
"Clever charms work, Potter."
"I'll teach you after lunch on Saturday?" he offered, to her rapidly retreating back.
"It's not that clever."
James understood this to be a no, but there was something in her tone that couldn't quite destroy the grin that eclipsed his face. Lily, busying herself back at her cauldron, felt Potter needn't know that she was lying. It certainly was that clever. At least, that's what her own smile seemed to indicate.
Day 18
Wednesdays were horrible days. And for Lily Evans they always had been.
Without fail it was generally the most difficult day of the week for her, class-wise, and after a full schedule she was typically involved with the Charms club or with tutoring someone in the library. It made for a very exhausting day, and this year she had rounds piled onto her plate. Some times she enjoyed the solace and silence that came with charging around the corridors on her own, but most times she just felt she was wasting hours that could be better spent studying or sleeping. She threw an exasperated look toward her watch as she rounded the corridor on the fifth floor.
Suddenly she was not walking alone though, and she let out a small groan.
"Evening, Evans!" His cheerful voice hurt her ears.
"Hello, Potter. What do you want?" Although she was sure she already knew the answer.
"Just figured you could use some company. Don't be cross with him but Moony told me you patrol Wednesday nights and I figured—"
"Moony?" she cut him off. "What's that?"
"That's our nickname for Remus, of course," he explained impatiently. "Long story, but that doesn't matter. How are you doing this fine evening?"
She threw a quick look out of the corner of her eye but kept her pace steady as he walked beside her. "I'm tired, Potter, to be quite honest. This is the longest day of my week and I'm not really in the mood for company."
"Come on, Evans, it could be fun! What are you looking for on rounds anyway? Remus said he sometimes finds younger students lost and out of bed, and occasionally he happens upon older students in rather…iniquitous positions," James said, raising his eyebrows suggestively as she turned to look at him.
"It's not funny, Potter… it's actually very unpleasant to break up snogging couples," she informed him. Then softly added, "As I'm sure you know from being caught once or twice yourself…"
"What was that?"
"Nothing, nothing," she muttered, relieved that he hadn't heard her.
His eyebrow arched skeptically, but he went on. "I'm sure it's unpleasant for you, but I hope we catch someone. I'm up for a bit of fun!"
"What do you mean 'a bit of fun'?" Now she looked at him uncertainly. She knew James and his mates were notorious for their pranks and their late night adventures, but she couldn't straighten her face out quickly enough to look disinterested in his jovial suggestion.
"Oh you know, embarrass them a little? Nothing hurtful," he added quickly. "They have to be a bit thick to get caught snogging, I suppose, so a bit of embarrassment isn't too bad, is it?"
"You really are hopeless," she replied, shaking her head, but it was diminished by her growing grin. "You aren't even supposed to be here, and you're going to waste your time walking around looking for snogging couples?"
Her voice seemed incredulous, causing his features to morph in obvious confusion.
"It's not a waste of time to have a laugh with you, Evans," he said sincerely, but she would not catch his eye.
That was just stupid of you, she thought to herself, you've completely set him up. And now it's awkward.
But before Lily could respond, she heard a soft noise come from behind the tapestry they had just passed, and she stopped abruptly. James had strode two steps ahead of her, but upon realizing she had stopped, backpedaled to her side again.
"What's going on?" he whispered, his senses heightened in excitement. At this Lily felt her pulse unwittingly speed up, the excitement between them tangible.
"I think you got your wish," she whispered, turning to look at him again. They were closer now than she could ever remember being, even closer than the night when he asked her to look into his eyes. Her eyes focused on his, and for a moment she was taken aback. She had never given his eyes much thought, even after the other night, as they were always behind his spectacles and generally of no concern to her, but in the lantern light that hung directly above them, she became slightly entranced by the mixture of green and gold. She turned away quickly, and if he had noticed her prolonged stare, he did not comment on it. "What should we do?"
"Leave it to me," he whispered back, placing his index finger to his lips as he crept silently forward, his robes brushing past her arm as he went. He was aware of the immense amount of trust she was placing on him, and he did not want to disappoint.
Lily watched as he inched right up to the tapestry, stealthily prodding his wand through the slip of drapery. He threw her a smirk once more before his wand let out a loud BANG. Immediately the corridor filled with the screams of the –their unsuspecting victims, and James quickly tore the tapestry back so he and Lily could get a proper look. He could feel Lily stifling a giggle as she peered toward the third year students.
"Now really!" she reprimanded, and James was impressed that she kept the smile off her face. "You two aren't even original. James Potter, here, was snogging behind this tapestry while you two were still being tucked in by your mums!"
Indignant though he was at her assertion about him, James couldn't help but laugh. The third years threw themselves into the corridor, frantically begging Lily to let them off with a warning, and James was surprised to see her oblige.
"Just this time, all right? And get back to your common rooms before Professor McGonagall finds you, because then you'll be in real trouble."
When the third years had scurried out of sight, Lily let her face soften in laughter. James gladly joined in.
"I have to admit, that was pretty brilliant, Potter," Lily complimented a few minutes later when she had regained her composure and continued walking down the corridor.
"I've been known to have a brilliant idea on the occasion." James looked at her bright cheeks and couldn't help himself. "Though I imagine my most brilliant idea involves you and I at the Three Broomsticks this Saturday—"
Her face fell slightly as she shook her head. "Not going to happen, Potter." Her pace began to quicken slightly, and it made James a little anxious. "You should head back to the common room. My rounds are almost up and you shouldn't be here anyway. Especially if your intentions were just to badger me for a date."
"Oh, well… Sorry to have bothered you, Evans."
And without any further preamble, he spun around on his heel and headed in the opposite direction. By the time Lily turned around to look at him, he had already disappeared.
Day 19
Lily sat with Marlene and Mary, at the table they usually reserved in the library the next evening. They were determined to get most of their schoolwork done before the weekend, so they could enjoy the trip to Hogsmeade with little guilt. As the years went on, they were prone to fits of anxiety, particularly the previous year with O.W.L's, when they went down to Hogsmeade instead of holing up in the library to get good quiet study time in.
They had been at it for a few hours already, and were pleased with the progress they were making together, though Lily thought their work was accomplished so quickly because of the slow scrawls they could hear around them from their fellow classmates. Most of the students in the library were fifth year and above, and all seemed to have an unwritten agreement to keep their voices quiet if they even spoke. Even the Marauders sat a few tables away, scrolls and inkwells and books scattered between them, with looks of concentration on each of their faces.
A few hours in though, James, unbeknownst to Lily or her friends, was growing anxious.
He cast a nonverbal silencing charm around them and turned to interrupt his friends from their books. "Are you lot finished yet? This is getting boring," he complained.
They were used to James casting charms in the library. He hardly ever felt like whispering, which he told them actually drew more attention than just out-right speaking. He looked over their scrolls to find them nearly done and toed the floor impatiently as they finished their sentences.
"We're nearly done, Prongs," Sirius assured him, unnecessarily fact checking something he'd written. "Go play with Evans if you're bored."
"Padfoot," came Remus' reproachful voice, placing his own quill down as if prepared to drag James back to his seat if he had taken Sirius' suggestion to heart. "Lily's busy, Prongs, don't go messing around with her now."
"I still haven't asked her out today," James pointed out, though once Remus saw that James remained firmly in his seat, he withdrew his quill again and found the place he had left off.
"I hardly think the library is the place for that, Prongs," Peter warned, casting a glance around for Madam Pince, but she was swooping around elsewhere. "We're surrounded by classmates, and heavy books, both of which hurt if—"
But these words, intended to dissuade James from thinking about asking Lily out, inspired him, and he tossed his bag onto his shoulder roughly as he stood up.
"Good thinking, Wormtail," James commended, clasping a hand on Peter's shoulder as he wove his way around the tables and into the vast aisles.
"Now look what you've done," Remus complained, through Sirius' chortle. It only took five minutes for Sirius to abandon his nearly finished essay in favor of looking around for his friend. He knew all too well the expression of an inspired James, and it caused an excitement within him that he couldn't shake.
Across the library, Lily became aware of the silent but significant movement from the Marauders table. She supposed they had cast a silencing charm to prevent them from disturbing the others, for which she was grateful, but she couldn't help but look around when she noticed Sirius' eyes glued to their table. She searched further along and noticed Potter was missing. It became clear to her, a moment too late, that he was up to something.
Just then a solid book landed in front of her, an encyclopedia, as it turned out. The book was sturdy, brown, and quite old, with the letter G written on the front of it in what once was a shiny gold color. She, Mary, and Marlene all turned about searching for where it had come from but to no avail. Confused, Lily tenderly shifted her fingers over the front cover, wondering if there was a note or message inside somewhere, but as she lifted it upward, another book came over and smashed it closed as it landed next to it. Another encyclopedia, from the same edition, but the O version, which was impossibly bigger than the G, with its gold letter even more faded.
It wasn't long before her friends' curious looks became slightly amused, as another encyclopedia's O edition came flying behind the next. Then a U and T and W, and when an "I" came bustling through the air toward her, she finally realized what was happening. The books laid side-by-side but then became stacked as they broke into words: GO OUT WITH ME. By the time the E came soaring onto the table, Lily's face was beet red and the students around her were staring at her, some in confusion, others in annoyance.
Lily finally jumped out of her seat, whispering in exasperation, "Potter, where are you? Stop that this instant, you tosser!"
He crept into view from behind a nearby book shelf, clearly intent on keeping a safe distance between him and Lily, but before she could get close enough to him, Madam Pince appeared.
"What in Merlin's name! Miss Evans, you are allowed to have three books off the shelf at a time, unless you get my clear consent! After six years, I think you ought to know that—"
"It wasn't me," Lily insisted, taken aback by the anger that was being directed at her. Mary and Marlene looked wildly at James, who was quick on the uptake.
"It was me," James declared, coming into view, a knight without his steed. "I'm sorry, Ma'am, I was looking through the encyclopedias and I kept moving them around trying to find the right one and—"
His lie was pathetic.
"You were looking through encyclopedias for what, Mister Potter?"
"Err…I was looking for information on Patronuses and—"
"Patronuses, you say? Well, Mister Potter that would be in a book with the giant letter 'P' on the front. The letter you write whenever you write your own name," Madam Pince explained to him coolly. Lily looked around to see both his and her friends barely containing their laughter. She herself might've found Madam Pince amusing had she not just been verbally bashed by the librarian.
"Oh, of course it is," James muttered, slapping his hand atop his forehead as if he suddenly realized his mistake. At this Lily's lips twitched upward, but she managed to stop her smile. "And, look, I had been so close all along with these 'O' editions, hadn't I?"
"Mister Potter, I suggest you leave before I get Professor McGonagall." His sass was not lost on her, and, as he didn't fancy spending his Hogsmeade hopefully-a-date-with-Lily trip in detention with McGonagall instead, he straightened up quickly.
"Right, I'm sorry. Shall I put those—ah, no, right. Sorry. I'll just be going."
He walked past the fuming librarian, not stopping to say anything to Lily or her friends, but when he was out of Pince's eye-line, he threw a wide grin and a thumbs up over to Sirius, Remus, and Peter. At this, the boys crammed their homework into their bags and went to follow him. As they walked past the girls table, Remus muttered a quick apology to Lily, who waved him off, but Sirius lingered behind as the other two carried on.
"Would you like me to relay a response to my insane mate?" he asked Lily, the grin on his face matching both of her friends'.
"Tell him he's an idiot," Lily replied, her voice forcibly cool. "And that he was right to take the fall, considering it was his fault Madam Pince was angry with me."
"Should I also tell him you'll see him on Saturday morning, then?"
Lily shot a glare toward Mary who could not hold back her laugh at this. "I'd much rather be yelled at by Pince again," she replied, her voice actually going cool now.
But Sirius leaned down closer to whisper in her ear before leaving, "No you wouldn't."
Once he had gone, Lily pointedly stared at the homework in front of her, only looking up every few minutes to send glares over to Mary and Marlene, who did not hide their amusement. After about thirty minutes though, her glares stopped.
Day 20
It had finally happened. Friday March 20th marked the day where Lily finally broke her allegiance with Professor McGonagall. It would become an infamous day for the Gryffindor sixth year girls, as Lily would inform them that finally, Professor McGonagall had shattered the unspoken truce between them when she partnered Lily with Potter for an assignment. A rational part of her knew that Professor McGonagall was doing what she felt was best for Lily's overall success in the class by partnering her with the most talented and intelligent student. But that rational part was miniscule compared to the growing indignant part of Lily who would've settled for literally anyone else. Her mind even went far enough to think that failure might be a better option, but this thought lured her back into reality, just as Potter slammed into the chair next to her.
"Hello, Evans, or should I say partner?"
She grunted her response, towing her bag onto the desk in front of her to retrieve her textbook and writing supplies. Out of her peripherals she saw Potter procure his own materials and then cheerfully wait for her to finally acknowledge him. Begrudgingly, she suggested that they split the written portion in half, so once they finished they could compare notes and construct a more thorough write-up. To her shock and gratitude, Potter agreed instantly to her plan and opened his textbook to the correct section.
At this Lily was torn between amusement and skepticism, and she was sure it showed on her face as she threw small glances his way. It was dreadful being partnered with him; he distracted her easily as he shifted about in his seat, or scratched a note here-or-there on his parchment. Time crept by, despite her wildly moving mind, and she found that she had gotten nothing accomplished.
Frustrated, she turned to him, "Potter, out with it already!"
Even being addressed by his surname didn't break his concentration, and she watched as he finished reading the last sentence of a page before setting the book down to look at her. "What are you talking about, Evans? I've just found a very good bit of information we should expand on—"
"Oh, come off it already. Aren't you going to ask me?"
"Ask you what? I thought we were going to discuss the best facts to put into the essay together after we'd done the research, weren't we?
She hadn't bought his confusion before, but part of her was wavering now. He looked utterly baffled as he questioned her; but it was too late, she had already drawn the conversation this far, and she knew he wouldn't be able to let it go if she didn't see it through.
"I'm not talking about the assignment, Potter. You're going to ask me to go with you to Hogsmeade tomorrow, we both know it! So get on with it already, yeah?"
James felt a smile growing on his face, and she wished to curse it out of existence. "I didn't think you'd be so eager considering what happened yesterday, but I'll play along. Dearest Lily Evans—"
"No!" she interrupted, grateful to get it over with.
"Well that was certainly rude. I hadn't even finished my question yet, if you hadn't noticed!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," she muttered, unapologetically back to him. "Go on, finish."
He cleared his throat pointedly, his attention fully on her face, the green flecks in his eyes in full view as he spoke. "Dearest Lily Evans, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"
"Well done, Potter. No."
"It's not nice to get my hopes up with your eagerness for me to ask, only to say no, Evans. Bad form." He watched as she rolled her eyes in response, then returned, unperturbed, to the place he had left off in the textbook.
This only infuriated Lily more, although she hadn't the faintest idea why. They remained seated side-by-side as the rest of the Transfiguration period went on. He was infuriatingly helpful, and mastered the spell after only two tries; then he even managed to help her achieve it on her sixth try. By the end of the class, when they had finished their assignment magnificently, Lily found herself in the worst mood yet. And later on in the day when her friends questioned her incessantly for an answer to her sullen mood, the only thing that popped into her mind to say to her friends was, "McGonagall is a traitor."
Day 21
It was finally here, the Hogsmeade weekend that had been in the forefront of her mind for nearly three weeks, although it was often put there unceremoniously so by Potter's unrelenting proposals. Still, the excitement was a childish excitement and it filled the entire sixth year girl's dormitory. They all knew it was stupid to get into such a tither about going to Hogsmeade when they had been going for over three years now, but it was impossible to not get excited. However much they loved the castle, it was still nice to get a break from ghosts and secret passage ways and enjoy normal shops.
More than that, though, Lily saw this as the end of Potter's nagging proposals. She had refused every insistence he had made, in person or otherwise, and now that the day was upon them and he had magnificently failed at getting her to go with him, she felt assured that his game was over. She ignored the little part of her that was impressed and even somewhat thrilled by his requests. Though she was not inclined to say yes, it had been a fun topic of discussion over the last few weeks when she, Marlene, and Mary laid about their dormitory.
"What will Potter do next?"
"How had he even come up with that, anyway?"
"I still can't figure out what charm he used."
The discussions nearly always ended with laughter, and left them feeling light-hearted as they fell asleep or went down to dinner. So in some ways, she would miss the proposals, albeit in an insincere and twisted way. At one time, she relished the idea of turning Potter down, of tossing his proposals back in his face, and sure, some of his antics were still arrogant or troublesome, but then she knew not all of them had been. Some had been genuine, a couple even sweet.
Lily tried to clear her head of these thoughts as they walked onto the bright, warming grounds and headed toward the village they would spend a blissful afternoon at. It was tradition for Marlene, Mary, and Lily to go to The Three Broomsticks first, and no matter how crowded it got or how long they had to wait, they always went there to start their visit off with a butterbeer. As soon as they pulled open the large wooden door of The Three Broomsticks, they knew today would be no different.
Mary and Marlene led the way through the crowd of students, forcing themselves through to the bar, as Lily searched for a vacant table. To her immense surprise she found one tucked in the furthest corner of the pub, with three chairs already around it. She hustled through the crowd of students, and luckily claimed the territory as her own before anyone else had thought to sit there. She had gone out of sight from Marlene and Mary though, so as she sat she kept an eye out for them.
"Good morning," came the unmistakably cheery voice of James Potter, and had she not be so elated with finding this table, she might have groaned.
He swiftly sat beside her, brandishing a tankard of butterbeer toward her. Because he often slammed into chairs or slunk into them with tangled limbs, she took notice of the suave way in which he now slid onto the seat.
"Drink up," he said once he realized she wasn't grabbing for it. He pushed the butterbeer closer to her.
"What are you doing here?" she queried, her eyes narrowing.
"I'm offering you a butterbeer. I bought it specifically for you," he informed her, his smile growing.
"But I said no, Potter," she reiterated stupidly. "You've asked me and I've already said no. Just because you show up here doesn't make this a date."
He looked around at her words, as if expecting a sign set upon their table, indicating it as such. She must have realized what he was playing at, because her eyes narrowed even more when he finally turned his attention back to her.
"What's a date anyway? A bloke and a bird out enjoying each other's company with a nice beverage? By that criteria, we actually are on a date, Evans."
Lily snorted, "Even if that were the case, Potter, this is hardly a date. We may be a bloke and a bird with nice beverages, but you should note that I am certainly not enjoying your company."
"You accepted my butterbeer, and you haven't asked me to leave," he pointed out.
"First off, I would be a fool to pass on a butterbeer, when I'm fairly certain you haven't poisoned it. Secondly, go away, Potter."
He laughed despite her, and because of her. "Come on, Evans, it wouldn't kill you to spend an afternoon with me, would it?"
"It might. And I tend to err on the side of caution when dealing with my own safety."
James' laugh caused Lily's mouth to twist upward. "I can appreciate your sense of self-preservation, but lighten up. We're already here, Evans, may as well enjoy it."
"I'm here with Mary and Marlene, and they should be along any moment with more butterbeers."
"I wouldn't count on that," James told her, tipping his hand slightly.
"What does that mean?" Lily questioned, setting down her butterbeer and turning to look at him. His smile faded behind his own butterbeer.
"It means nothing," James back-tracked. But Lily had already gotten to her feet, leaving the butterbeer forgotten on the table as she broke through the crowd.
Her head moved around manically, and James followed closely behind her. Finally she spotted Marlene and Mary sitting down with the Marauders. When she approached her friends, laughter still etched in their features, looked up to see her.
"There you are!" Mary exclaimed, as she and Potter stood properly in front of the table. "Sorry, we lost track of time talking to the boys. They said James was off to find you."
"I was over there with a table for us," Lily told them, her thumb pointing behind her.
"Why don't you ladies stay with us?" Sirius offered, barely hiding the glance he threw at James. There was a clear plan between them, a plan that perhaps involved his friend entertaining hers, to give Potter time to find her. To Lily's amusement, the plan had clearly failed.
"No thanks. We would prefer a day with just us girls," Lily answered, as her friends extracted themselves from the booth.
And with Mary and Marlene in tow, Lily led the way back to the table still empty in the corner of the pub. Upon seeing the abandoned butterbeers still atop the table, she swung back around grasping the drinks in hand and bustled over to the bar for a new one. She was aware of James' eyes on her back at the bar, and threw a quick look behind her to see that it had just been a fleeting look. She exhaled, thinking again that she had witnessed James' final attempt fail.
Little did she know how very wrong she was.
Like it? Hate it? Leave a review – really, even a simple "update!" or "don't!" would sincerely help me know if anyone even wants another chapter.