Chapter Twenty-Three

James kicked anxiously at the ground as the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station. The small bouquet of mums he had picked just before leaving the house were growing heavier and heavier in his sweaty palms; he halfway wanted to toss them in the nearest rubbish bin. His father had suggested them, though, and his parents had been married for over sixty years before his mother had died. His dad must know what he was talking about, and James didn't want to let him down.

The train finally came to a stop, and James swallowed nervously as the students began to disembark, talking and laughing with holiday cheer. Some waved and asked after his dad; others looked at him curiously, not sure why the Head Boy was standing on the platform with flowers instead of getting off the train.

Anastasia Harrison walked by with Mitchell Bradley, the sixth-year Hufflepuff prefect, and James was almost positive she winked at him. Mitchell glowered and put his arm around her shoulder as they walked by. At the other end of the platform, Dante Avery was talking with Severus Snape and Corin Mulciber. They glanced his way, and Avery gave James a derisive sneer as he joined a small group of dark-robed wizards near the exit. He leaned toward one of them, a large, dark-haired wizard with similar features, and jerked his thumb back toward James. The older wizard nodded; Snape followed their glance and frowned.

"Aw, Prongs, you shouldn't have," said a voice behind James. A hand reached out for the mums and sniffed them; Sirius grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

"They're not for you, Padfoot," James laughed, snatching them back and putting Avery out of his mind. "They're for—"

"Me, I hope," said Lily, walking up with Remus and Peter. She arched an eyebrow at him. "You did miss dinner, after all."

James tried to put on a confident face, but his friends laughed, making it difficult. He handed her the flowers, stepping awkwardly toward her, unsure whether or not to kiss her in front of everyone, even though he rather desperately wanted to. Sirius whooped even louder as James simply pecked her on the cheek; Lily hid a small smile, her eyes twinkling.

"Thank you," she said. "They're lovely. How is your dad?"

"Yeah, how's he holding up with you underfoot?" asked Sirius. "Ready to kick you out, yet?"

James shook his head at Sirius and smiled at Lily. "He's only been back home a few days, but he's doing much better, thanks." He moved to pick up her bag, then glanced back over his shoulder at Sirius as they all began to walk together toward the exit. "In fact, he said he's ready to put you out of your Gobstones misery once and for all."

"I'll go easy on him." Sirius winked at Lily, and she laughed. "He's already had to put up with you." He stopped and raised an eyebrow when he realized where they were heading toward the Muggle exit. "Since when do we take this way home, Prongs? We can't Apparate out there, you know."

James coughed, slightly embarrassed even though it felt completely natural to walk Lily out. He did want to talk to her, after all—and maybe finish that kiss from the Entrance Hall. Remus and Peter were smirking at him, but Sirius seemed genuinely oblivious. "I'm just going to take Lily's bag out to her folks, that's all."

Sirius was silent for a moment, then grinned and clapped him on the back. "Right. Can't get in a proper snog with us lurching about, can you?"

"Real subtle, Padfoot," muttered James, sure his ears were flaming red. "Thanks."

"Not like you haven't seen it already," murmured Lily. James gaped at her: it was the first time he had heard her joke about the spell Sirius had set on them in the prefects' lounge. Sirius winked at her again, and James felt an odd protective instinct in his gut.

"I saw more than I care to see ever again, Evans," Sirius replied. "We'll wait for you, Prongs, but don't take too long, okay? I'm ready for a holiday."

"I haven't seen her all week," James complained as they walked away.

"You haven't seen us either!" Sirius called back. He headed toward the Apparition point with Remus and Peter as James and Lily hurled through the barrier toward the Muggle platform on the other side.

"How come you're not just Apparating home?" he asked her curiously. "It would be quicker."

"My parents wanted to come down to London for some shopping." She shrugged. "Then we're heading to the West End for a nice dinner."

"Dinner!" James exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "I almost forgot about dinner! I'm so sorry I missed it. Can you meet me for dinner next week? Will it be okay with them?"

Lily smiled and nodded. "I'm not sure what they'll say, but I'm of age in the wizarding world, after all. Where did you want to go?"

"I know the perfect place just off Diagon Alley. My parents loved it," said James. It mad him sad to think of his mum never going back, but he knew it would be perfect for Lily. "How about Tuesday night?"

"Tuesday would be great," said Lily. "I'm looking forward to it."

"You are?" he asked in surprise. The look on his face must have been amusing, because she laughed.

"Yes, I am," she said. "Oddly enough, given what happened last time."

"I know," he said, feeling miserable once again for leaving her alone in the kitchen. "I'm so sorry I couldn't find you, I wanted to let you know—"

She put a finger to his lips, and he felt a shiver run down his spine at her touch. "It's okay," she said softly. "We'll get it right one of these days."

James took her hand and grinned at her. "We'll get it right this time, I promise. It's a real date, and I'm not going to screw this one up. Who would have even thought it possible after all that's happened?"

He didn't say that he had thought about it dozens of times, all the way back to fourth year when he had kissed Julie Higgins and found himself thinking about Lily instead, or to fifth year when he had asked her out over and over only to have her reject him again and again. He had thought about it sixth year as well, but then he had moved on, convinced it could never happen…until he had come so close to kissing her in the hospital wing, and all he had thought about after that had been her. Even seventh year, with so many bad feelings between them, he had thought about her; he had just never seriously considered any sort of relationship with her until that fateful Quidditch match in the rain. He had lost the game, but found much more.

Lily must have been thinking similar things, for she was silent as well, and for a long moment they just gazed at one another as if suspended in time. James did not know what to say, especially when he really wanted to pick up where they had left off in the Entrance Hall, the last time he had seen her. He cleared his throat.

"Lily, I—"

She stopped him with a kiss, and without any hesitation this time, he gave into it completely, forgetting whatever it was he had been about to say. He briefly thought about how different it was from kissing Anastasia or even Cynthia—more passionate, more meaningful—but quickly pushed that from his mind as he pulled Lily close and kissed her like he'd been imagining for so many weeks.

It was perfect.

They finally came apart a bit breathless. "Huh," he said, unable to say anything else.

Lily burst into nervous laughter. "I just thought we should get that out of the way," she said. "Since we missed our chance last time. And seeing as I'm usually the one to make the first move…" She trailed off, eyeing him both mischievously and nervously.

He almost couldn't believe she was joking with him again: she was practically a different person. He remembered all the times she had reacted to him with anger, annoyance, fear, and confusion since the beginning of the term, and it seemed years, not months ago; now she was actually relaxed and having fun with him. He wondered if it were a dream, and worried that it might come crashing down with the wrong words.

"I'll try not to make you do all the work," he murmured, trailing a finger down her cheek and tucking her hair behind her ear. "Do you want me to pick you up on Tuesday?"

"That'd be right and proper, wouldn't it?" She shook her head with a smile. "No, that's all right. Let's just meet at the Leaky Cauldron. I don't know what would make my folks more nervous: Apparating on my own or with a strange boy on my arm."

James frowned at her. "Aren't you going to tell them? Or are you—"

"Of course I am," she said, taking his hand. "In fact, I'll even introduce you right now."

"Right now?" he repeated, eye wide. "Are they—"

"Right here," she finished. He looked up to see a smart, middle-aged couple walking toward them. Mr. Evans was tall and broad, with dark hair and piercing green eyes. He was frowning slightly, but her mother was beaming, obviously happy to see her youngest daughter again. Her auburn hair was cut short, her eyes a warm, sparkling brown.

"Welcome back, dear!" she exclaimed, enveloping Lily in a close embrace. "Happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas, mum." James heard Lily laugh into her mother's shoulder. She turned to her dad and embraced him as well, while Mrs. Evans stood patiently and gave James a polite smile.

"Mum, Dad, this is James Potter, the Head Boy," Lily said. James held out his hand to them both, his mouth suddenly dry. He wasn't even properly dating Lily, and he was already meeting her parents. Lily seemed to sense his nervousness and actually appeared to enjoy it. He gave her another wide-eyed look, but she just grinned at him.

"Happy Christmas, James," said Mrs. Evans. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

"Finally?" James asked, his voice sounding a bit too high to his ears. He cleared his throat.

"We've heard a lot about you," said Mr. Evans, his voice deep and rumbling and clearly implying that he didn't necessarily approve of what he had heard. Lily's father was far more gruff than James would have expected, and he felt his nerves plummet. He had been caught completely unprepared, even though he knew he could make a good impression when he was at his best; he'd been charming his parents' friends for years.

"I can't imagine it was much good," he murmured. Mr. Evans seemed to be studying James rather intently, and James couldn't help but wonder what Lily had told her parents about him. He remembered all their fights, the duel, the night in the prefects' lounge…Merlin, he hoped she hadn't told them about that…

Mr. Evans was silent, green eyes staring intently down his nose at James. Mrs. Evans patted him gently on the arm. "We know what you did in Hogsmeade last year, dear. Thank you."

James stuttered a reply, unsure what to say. Mr. Evans nodded, frowned, then spoke.

"How's your term going as Head Boy, James? You've obviously settled down a bit to earn the badge."

"Settled down, sir?" James repeated. He felt like an animal trapped in the glowing eyes of a large predator.

"I seem to recall hearing your name linked to quite a few happenings at Hogwarts, most of them involving pranks and detentions." He was giving James a very pointed look.

James swallowed hard and glanced at Lily. She still looked like she was enjoying herself, for she showed no sign of joining the conversation and helping him out. He felt like he was about to fall from his broom: he needed to get a grip and right himself, fly with the wind instead of letting it buffet him around.

"Yes, sir," James replied, trying to sound more confident and less intimidated. "I mean, yes, I guess I've settled down, although it's been a bit of a tough term, with everything that's happened…" He trailed off at the skeptical look on Mr. Evan's face; so much for confidence.

And then Lily finally spoke up. "James lost his mum over the summer," she said. Mrs. Evans immediately made a sympathetic sound and patted him on the arm again. "And he went home early to look after his dad. He's only come to the station to pick up a friend."

"I'm sorry to hear that," grumbled Mr. Evans. James thought maybe his eyes softened just a bit. "What happened?"

"He's just out of St. Mungo's…er, the hospital…for dragon pox." James took a deep breath, thankful for Lily's intervention. "He'll be all right, though. A bit tired, now, but there should be no lasting effects."

"Glad to hear he's recovering, then," Mr. Evans said. There was an uncomfortable silence as James just nodded in reply.

"James is a bit behind now, so we need to meet next week to catch up on things before the train ride back," Lily said, mostly addressing her mum. Her mum nodded slowly, but James thought she seemed reluctant.

"Where were you planning on meeting?" asked Mr. Evans.

"Diagon Alley, sir," said James, suddenly nervous again. "The Leaky Cauldron."

He was quiet for so long James thought for sure he'd never see Lily again. "Is Diagon Alley safe?" Mr. Evans finally asked. James heard the unspoken fear behind the question and couldn't blame him; after what had happened in Hogsmeade in June, any father would be right to worry about his daughter's safety traveling unaccompanied in the wizarding world.

"Yes, sir," said James. "Nothing has happened in Diagon Alley." He did not add the unspoken 'yet' to the end of the sentence, that it was only a matter of time before it did. His father had told him that the war with Voldemort and his Death Eaters continued to escalate, with more and more attacks on Muggle-borns and other enemies. Diagon Alley seemed to be the only safe haven, the one place that had not been targeted when so many others had…yet it seemed unlikely it would remain safe forever, with dark forces gaining such strength.

"Couldn't you just meet at the house?" asked Mrs. Evans, the worry clear in her voice. "We'd be happy to have you over, James."

"Mum!" Lily exclaimed. "We've been locked up in the castle for almost four months, it would be nice to get out for once. We'll be perfectly safe. There are far too many people in Diagon Alley for anything to go wrong, especially this time of year."

Mr. and Mrs. Evans exchanged a studied look before Mr. Evans finally nodded. James glanced down in surprise as Lily squeezed his hand. Mr. Evans noticed as well and raised an eyebrow, but Lily gave him a winning smile, and he just shook his head, as if used to his youngest daughter getting her way.

"James," he said, holding out his hand. "Take care. I hope the next term goes better for you."

"Thank you, sir," James replied, shaking hands with him once more. He was relieved to have survived the encounter. "It was nice to meet you."

Mrs. Evans kissed him on the cheek. "You should come around sometime anyway, James. We'd love to have you over."

"Thanks, Mrs. Evans," James said, and he meant it. For as stern as her father was, Lily's mother was warm and friendly, and it reminded him a great deal of his own mother in a way that made him sad. "Enjoy your dinner."

"Thank you, dear," she said. There was an awkward moment when they all stood there silently, as if waiting for something. James wasn't sure how to say good bye to Lily in front of her parents, but fortunately her mother recognized what was happening and told her they'd meet her at the car. Lily smiled gratefully as her parents left; James just stared after them, rather dazed.

"What's wrong?" she teased, pulling him out of his reverie. "Haven't you ever met a girl's folks before?"

"No," he murmured. "I actually haven't."

She laughed and kissed him on the cheek as well. "You did fine. I'll see you on Tuesday."

James shook his head. "Are you sure? You're parents didn't seem too keen on it, maybe we should just wait until we're back at Hogwarts—"

"No, it's fine." She shook her head. "I really want to go. It's much better than the kitchens at Hogwarts."

"Yes, it is," he murmured. "But I don't want anyone to be uncomfortable."

"I'm not uncomfortable—it's Diagon Alley. I go there every year for my books, and I was there last year at Christmas. The only thing is…" She paused and sighed, obviously reluctant to say anything. "Did you see the Daily Prophet today? Avery's brother was released from Azkaban."

James nodded. "I think I saw him back on the platform. What does that have to do with us, though?"

"Do you think…well, that he might come after you?" she asked. "For revenge?"

James frowned as he considered it. Avery had been threatening him all year, somehow blaming James for sending his brother to Azkaban, so it was certainly possible now that the elder Avery was out that something might happen. On the other hand, James was just one seventh-year student with no connection to the war, what would a Death Eater want with him? And what had hedone for Avery's brother to hold such a personal grudge? Remus had been there fighting as well, after all—as had several others. It had been the Auror Alastor Moody who had brought Pietro Avery to Azkaban.

"I'm not sure we should stop living our lives just because someone might come after us," he finally said. "If we want to go to Diagon Alley, we should go to Diagon Alley. We know it's safe—but we don't know if Avery is going to do anything. We can meet for lunch instead and just eat at the Leaky Cauldron if you'd like. Nothing's going to happen there in the middle of the day, it's been around forever."

"I know, you're right," Lily said. She kissed him on the cheek once more. "That still sounds perfect. I'll see you at the Leaky Cauldron at noon then." She turned and walked toward the exit and into Muggle London. James couldn't help but call after her. He used her surname to lighten the mood.

"Hey, Evans!" She stopped and turned toward him. "Does this mean we're…I mean, us…that we…" He wasn't sure how to ask, afraid of the answer.

Lily grinned at him. "Depends on that date, Potter. Don't miss it this time."

She left to be with her family, and James hurried back through the barrier to his friends. He could hardly wait three days to see her again, although as he thought about the look Avery had given him on the platform, he also couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't be safer to stay in after all.

End Notes:

Thanks, alpha-beta Lea! Your comments always make me smile.

And yes, I was surprised that the Evans showed up as well. But they're not doing things quite conventionally, are they? ;)

Hold on to your hats...