auction - the three broomsticks
211 words, by gdocs
This is it. It's James' first date with Lily. His heart is beating fast and his hands are sweating, but as soon as he walks into the Three Broomsticks with Lily, he feels calmer.
If Hogwarts is a second home to him, then the Three Broomsticks is a third home. James has been there every Hogsmeade trip, without fail.
It's where him and Sirius and Peter realised that Remus was a werewolf. It's where they, hunched over stacks of paper, read up on how to be Animagi. It's where they celebrated with Remus when they survived their first full moon together.
It's where they snuck to after they made the Marauder's Map and figured out the best way to get there. It's where Remus, Peter, and James sulked in a corner, watching Sirius go on a date with Marlene. It's where Remus and Sirius had their very first date while James and Peter sulked together.
It's where James offhandedly asked out Lily for one last time — and she actually said yes.
It's where Sirius, just during their last Hogsmeade trip, brought him, mournfully saying that it'd be their late date ever.
So yeah. As James walks into the Three Broomsticks for his very first date with Lily, he feels calm.