The First Date

Oneshot #11

By: freak.on.a.leash.13

Lily Evans was not panicking because she had nothing to wear. That would be something silly that some love struck little girl did. She was merely throwing all her clothes about the room, unable to decide what to wear.

Not that she wanted to look good for James Potter. He was James Potter, he could take her as she was. Just because she was going on a date with him, did not mean she actually liked him. Much.

Her best friend told her she was in denial. She denied being in denial, then proceeded to deny that she was in denial about being in denial. To say the least, by the end of the conversation, Lily's friend had been very confused.

As was Lily. Why had she said yes to James again? A moment of weakness, that was all. Sure, he could be charming, and witty, and attractive, and completely likeable……….no, wait he could not. Her denial was a very good friend now, one she wouldn't be letting go of soon. Or so she hoped.

She had agreed to meet James at Hogsmeade, at least that way the whole school wouldn't know they were on a date. However the whole school did know. As was proof of several girls from Gryfinndor asking was it true, were her and James really a couple. Lily had told them all no, and they shouldn't be spreading rumors. That only seemed to fuel the fire.

Arriving at Hogsmeade, at the Three Broomsticks where her and James were supposed to meet, she noticed he was not there. Which was fine with her, really, because it was an excuse not to go, no she was not the least bit disappointed.

But maybe she should find out where he is anyway. Only to fuss him out for not showing up. Not to give him a chance to explain.

The best place to look would be with his friends. She approached Remus first, who was chatting with Peter over butterbeers.

"Have you seen James?, we had a-meeting, and he didn't show."

"You mean your date?" Peter asked.

"Keep it down, there are enough rumors flying around, who did he tell the whole school?"

"No, but he did tell Sirius and that's almost as bad." Remus replied.

"Great. Do you know where he is?"

Both boys said no, and Remus advised her to ask Sirius.

Lily was willing to take this advice, until she found Sirius, who had a blonde Hufflepuff entwined around him. Lily hated to break it up, but she did need to find James…

"Sirius." she said politely, hoping he was surface. Although, he seemed to not need much air, as he wasn't listening, or to far involved to hear.

"Sirius." she says a little louder.

"Sirius!"

That causes him to jump, and he breaks away from his date, looking up at her. The girl is glaring at her, and Lily sends her an annoyed glance. As if that girl she be mad at her, she should be grateful, she looked like a -well not like a nice girl making out in public that way.

"Do you know where James is?"

"He said he was meeting you."

"He wasn't there." Lily answered, going red. She would kill James, she would.

"Oh, right. He got in a bit of trouble, so he might be a little late."

"What sort of trouble?" Lily said darkly.

"Nothing important, just you know, he had to talk his way out of a detention, I was supposed to tell you, but I forgot-"

"Obviously." lily says dryly looking at the girl.

Sirius looked at her, a guilty look passing his face.

"Well, I'm going to go find James, have fun. Oh, and Sirius, you do know she's only a fourth year."

"You told me you were a sixth year!"

"Err-"

Lily leaves, deciding that's one conversation she doesn't want to hear. She makes it back to the Three Broomsticks, to see James panting, hands on knees waiting for her.

"You're late!" she cries, glaring at him.

"I had to ah-"

"Talk your way out of detention?" she finishes.

"Er- no. I had to do my detention, and sneak out here. Its not easy you know, good thing I have my cloak-"

"What?! You snuck out here?!"

"Calm down Lily, nobody knows, its not that bad."

"Its against the rules!"

"But I broke them to see you, for you."

"If you cared so much for me, you wouldn't have gotten detention the day of our date!"

"It wasn't my fault, really, it was Sirius's idea, me and Peter just went along."

"What idea?"

"Nothing."

"James-"

"It doesn't matter, I got caught and they didn't so I got detention."

Lily glares at him a moment, and decides since he did come all this way, on foot, just to see her, she could forgive him just this once.

"Okay. Where are we going?" she replies, and he looks stunned, as if he expected more of a struggle.

"How'd you know about my detention anyway?"

"Sirius. He told me you wanted him to tell me."

"Yes, but he was supposed to make it sound better."

"I'm sure he would if he had the time, but I found him and interrupted-things-and he told me."

"Interrupted what?"

"Things you and I won't be doing on our date."

James looks a tad disappointed, and Lily smiles. Not because she wants him to want to kiss her. No, she does not. She needed her denial.

James is looking at her, and seeming to struggle to know what to say. Suddenly a thought hits Lily and she laughs.

"Potter, are you nervous?"

"No, I'm not-" he starts to deny.

"Its sweet." she adds.

"I'm nervous, terribly nervous. Do you want to hold my hand to make me feel better?"

Lily rolls her eyes.

"I'll take that as a no."

"Where are you taking me? The Three Broomsticks isn't very romantic."

"It's a surprise." James declares.

"You don't know where you're taking me do you?"

"I do. It's just, it was hard to plan, with being in detention and all."

"Excuses, excuses."

"Wait here just a minute." James says suddenly.

Lily waits, and a few minutes later James grabs her hand and is dragging her toward a secluded area, outside Hogsmeade.

"James, we can't leave, we'll be in trouble! James give me back my hand!"

James turns and looks at her.

"You play by the rules far to often. Rules are meant to be broken love."

"Don't call me love."

"Yes dear."

"James!"

They finally arrive at the spot James was taking her to. It is a secluded area, a tree beside a small pond. It has a fairly romantic air about it, as if it was meant just for them. Lily can see there is a picnic set up beneath it.

"How did you find this place, its so pretty." she gushes, then she narrows her eyes at him.

"You haven't taken other girls here before?"

James avoids the question, and grabs her hand leading her to the picnic he has set up. It even has candles.

"You didn't answer me."

"Ah-I-I- only a few times."

Lily sits down, staring at him in stony silence.

"None of them were as special as you Lily."

"I suppose you say that to all of them."

"Lily, really, you mean more to me. I never gave anyone else a candle light dinner. Or flowers." he says, flicking his wand and a bouquet appears, and he hands it to Lily.

"There lilies." she says.

"They're your favorite right?"

"Only because my name."

"Right."

Lily sits a minute, thinking if James really has brought only a few girls there before, and telling herself she really doesn't care, when suddenly one the candles tips over, and her robes are caught on fire.

"James!"

He has her robes put out and her lifted to her feet before she can even attempt to find her wand.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I suppose you've never had that happen before?"

"No, that's a first. Are you sure you're fine."

"Yes." she says, noticing how close they are. When he lifted her, he had grabbed her by the waist and his hands are still there, and their bodies practically touching. It makes her nervous, if he noticed what would he do? Would he try to kiss her? Not that she wanted him to, no not at all, maybe once, only once, just to see what its like….

James suddenly notices Lily noticing, and says her name. There is a longing there, a edge of desperation, as if he wanted nothing more in the world than to kiss her. Lily thinks she understands the feeling, because she never wanted to be kissed more badly in her life. Something in her eyes gave her away and James knew without a doubt that he could kiss her.

So he leaned in, closer and closer, until,

"James, do you hear that noise?"

He almost groaned, if that was her excuse then he wasn't about to listen. Besides, it wasn't like her to make excuses, she would have shoved him away by now…

"Does it matter?" he says, pulling her back closer to him, until their lips are almost meeting, then Lily screams.

"Lily calm down! If you didn't want me to kiss you should have just said so!"

"No!, No! Its in my hair!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Bees!"

James looks up to see a beehive directly above his and Lily's heads.

"Lily, stop screaming, Lily don't swing your arm that way you're gonna-"

But it was too late, Lily had swiped at he bee and hit the hive, sending the whole thing crashing toward the ground.

"James, do something!"

Using magic was pointless, the bees were to quick, so he resorts to swiping at them with his hand, as Lily does the same. Both are backing up, trying to keep away form the bees, when suddenly Lily stumbles, and starts to fall.

She grabs James arm to keep from falling, but since he was to busy with the bees to notice, he only falls with her. Both go crashing into the pond, James hopping up first.

"Lily, Lily where are you?!"

A hand extends from the water and he pulls her up. She stands dripping wet before him and starts laughing.

"Lily, I know this is bad, but I promise my dates usually aren't this awful."

"First I was almost burnt to death, then I was attacked by killer bees, and now I've almost drowned. It was exciting to say the least." she says still laughing.

She doesn't know why she finds it so funny. Its almost as if the cosmos are trying to prove her theory that her and James don't belong together. First he almost missed their date, then they were interrupted right before they could kiss, and now she was soaking wet. It was a horrible disaster, and she is relieved. Relieved that she wasn't woed by the dreaded James Potter, and now she has a good excuse next time he asks her out. Or, maybe not relieved, but at least it goes to show he is normal, and he does have issues as well as anyone else, besides the obvious mental ones.

"I can't believe I stressed over what to wear, and this happens. Do you know I spent all morning trying to chose my outfit?" she confesses, simply because the irony of it.

"You did?" he asks then he is laughing to, because she is and seeing her laugh makes him want to laugh.

"Why?" he says, hoping she will give him the answer he wants to hear.

"I can't tell you, I'm in denial." she says laughing.

"About what?"

"About you."

"You plan on coming out of denial anytime soon?"

"Not unless you force me."

Both look at each other a moment, then James reaches out and grabs her hand pulling her closer to him.

"How can I do that?"

"Well, by-" she starts, then takes her hand out of his and brings her lips an inch form his-and pushes him down.

"I'm sorry, that was just to good to pass up-ahh!" she screams as James pulls her down along with him.

A massive water fight ensues, complete with Lily trying to dunk him. After a few minutes of this, James grabs her pulls her against him. She instinctively wraps her arms around him, though its more due to that he managed to get her under water four times while she only got him once.

It was light and fun, then something changes as they look at each other. Lily doesn't like the shift, suddenly she's feeling nervous again, and her denial can't help her, once you admit you are in denial, its pretty much over.

"Do you realize how ridiculous we must look?" she asks, hoping to retain some of that lightness.

"No ones around to see." he says, still as serious.

Then he is looking at her lips and she is finding it hard to breathe, because she knows he is about to kiss her.

"James, don't."

"Why not?"

"I'm in denial remember?"

"You said I'd have to force you out."

"But-" her words are caught off as he captures her lips with his.

He half expects her to push him off, but she doesn't instead she responds with a fever that surprises him, who knew good girl Lily Evans had it in her? She not only has deepened the kiss, but she has wrapped her legs around his waist. Then she pulls away.

"This is going to fast, I don't even kiss on the first date." she says quickly.

"Lily-" James says laughing at the panic on her face. She has closed her eyes and he can see her mentally talking herself down, Probably some speech about how she is supposed to hate him, etc. He bends down and kisses both of her closed eyes, and the fly open, gazing into his.

"I think I may be losing my mind." she says solemnly.

James laughs again and places a gentle kiss to her lips.

"Why is that?"

"Because, I just kissed you!"

"Yes, I know, I was there, it was nice. If you wanna go again-"

"No!"

"Lily." he says, lifting her so she is standing on her own two feet again.

"Its okay to change your mind about me. I understand you need your denial, but I need you."

She looks at him for a second, then smiles.

"You really aren't that bad."

"Glad you finally figured it out."

"Finally? No you were bad before, you've changed, you grew up."

"You inspired me."

"Is that just a line?"

"Lily, I've already got you to agree to go out with me, and managed to kiss you without you causing extensive body harm, do you really think I need to use lines?"

"There's no need to be arrogant Potter."

"Sorry."

"I'll forgive you this time."

"Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you out of denial yet?"

"I'm halfway there." she admits.

"Does that mean you'll go out with me again?" he asks.

"Am I guarantied that it'll be safe?"

"You have my word."

"For what that counts for."

"Lily."

"Yes, I'll go out with you again."

"So, how long until you're completely out of denial?"

"I don't know, maybe you should kiss me again-"

James was all to happy to comply.