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Chapter 14: Hogsmeade
James took Lily to the kitchens. She'd never been there before and found it amazing. The house elves were more than happy to make them whatever they wanted.
"This is amazing." Lily said.
"It is pretty awesome." He agreed grabbing a sandwich from the plate they were sharing.
"But won't we get caught?"
"I never get caught remember." James said. Lily raised her eyebrow.
"Really? Then you just decide to go to detention because it's so much fun?" James laughed.
"Okay, so I get caught sometimes. But most of the time…"
"Most of the time you get off." Lily agreed.
Later that night Lily laid in bed thinking about that evening with James. She just loved the times they spent together. She just wished that it was more often. She eventually fell asleep.
Lily was sure the next Defense Against the Dark Arts class things would be different. So when he came in and just said 'hi' Lily's was a little let down.
"Okay today we're having an exam. Now I know I didn't warn you, but this way I know you are actually learning rather than faking it for the real exams." Professor Dunken said as he passed out the exams.
"If you finish early I suggest you study, but you're free to do what ever you please." This gave Lily a little bit of hope. Unfortunately however the quiz was more than two hundred questions. So she got to work with little hope of finishing by the end of class.
It began with simple questions they had learned their first year to things they hadn't even covered yet. It was impossible. By the end of class only three students had finished: James, Lupin and a girl named Kendra who sat in the back. Lily stayed after to finish the three questions she had left by which time James had disappeared.
"So how was Slughorn's party?" Ivy asked her.
"Okay. There were lots of interesting people there." Lily answered.
"How did it go with James?"
"Alright."
"Did you talk?"
"A little."
"Only a little?" Ivy asked. Lily frowned.
"Yeah,"
"More than hi?" Ivy pushed.
"Why are you so interested all the sudden?" Lily asked.
"I'm not. I'm just a little curious you know."
"Okay. Well yeah we said more than hi."
"That's good. See you later."
"Wait, where are you going?"
"Um, to do this thing. I told you about it last night!" Ivy said.
"No. You didn't." But Ivy had run off down the hall. Lily had been doing her head duties the night before. And the one before that she'd stayed late at the Library where she'd run into James. Then the night before that one was the night of the kitchen break in. "Whatever." Lily mumbled to herself going to the common room.
On her way up she ran into Mary.
"Oh, hello Lily. Are you heading up to the common room?"
"Yeah I was actually."
"Oh good. Do you think you could grab that plant I had to grow for Herbology? I was going to talk to Professor Sprout about it, but then I left it in the dorm and I'm afraid she's going to leave right after her class so I'm in a huge hurry."
"Sure. I'll meet you down." Lily agreed.
"Thanks so much!" Mary said scurrying away. Lily found the plant that really just looked like a dead weed. When she arrived at the green house she found Mary talking to Remus while James stood off to the side. Remus too had a pot with a dead looking weed in it.
"Oh Lily good. Remus's plant is doing the same thing as mine, so we just figured we'd talk to Sprout at the same time. Thanks again for grabbing this for me." Mary said taking the pot from her. "I guess I'll see you at dinner then."
"Sure." Lily agreed as Mary and Remus went into the green house talking about their plants.
"And then there were two." James said.
"This seems to be happening a lot." Lily said.
"A very lucky coincidence."
"I'm not against it." Lily shrugged looking over at the green house. Mary was looking past Professor Sprout to them, but when caught looking she looked away.
"Are you going to be waiting out here for Mary?" James asked.
"No. Are you?" James shook his head.
"No, I have a Charms essay I have to do. See you around." He left and Lily followed going instead to the common room.
____________________________________________________
The morning of the Hogsmeade visit Jamie woke Lily up.
"Look!" she said bouncing on her bed. "My mom sent me makeup!"
"Awesome." Lily replied rolling over.
"Come on! You just have to let me try it out on you!" Jamie insisted.
"Try it on yourself." Lily grumbled.
"But then I can't see what I'm doing."
"Use a mirror."
"But it's not the same."
"Then use Ivy." Lily suggested.
"You know she won't let me. Besides all you have to do is sit there. Please Lily?"
"Fine." Lily agreed figuring there was no way she'd get to go back to sleep anyway. "But first let me change."
"Done! Do you think you could shower before we go too? Just wondering?"
"Whatever. Give me half an hour." So Lily took a shower, allowed Jamie to play dress up and give her a make over, hair included. All this at the price of missing breakfast. Lily wasn't thrilled.
"I missed breakfast!"
"But you look great!" Jamie disagreed on there way out of the castle.
"I don't need to look great! The only boys there are Hogwarts boys. I don't need to impress them!" Lily was nearly shouting.
"Yeah, but…You agreed!" Jamie argued.
"I didn't think doing my makeup meant missing breakfast and being shoved into muggle clothes! Or having my hair ripped out!"
"Good morning Lily." Ivy said.
"What the hell do you want?"
"I thought I told you to wake her nicely." Ivy said to Jamie.
"I tried." Jamie shrugged.
"I need food." Lily said.
"Oh, here." Mary said waiting for them by the front doors of the castle. Mary offered half a bagel.
"Thanks." Lily said taking it. Surely there'd be food in Hogsmeade. They walked down to the carriage talking about what places they wanted to visit and what they'd buy. Once they arrived there they headed to the Three Broom Sticks where they were meeting this other group.
James waved to her when they walked in. She smiled back giving a small wave. They'd been talking in Defense Against the Dark Arts when there was time and finding themselves left together by their friends.
"There they are!" Jamie said. She led the group to, of course, the Marauder's table.
"Hey Mary." Sirius said. Mary sat down next to him while Ivy took the seat beside her and Jamie leaving the seat beside James open for Lily. Somehow she wasn't surprised.
"I bought you one." Sirius continued talking to Mary. He handed her a butterbeer.
"Aw, thank you." Mary said quietly taking the bottle from him.
"Did you want to go walk around?"
"I'd like that." She agreed. Lily already knew that Mary had been planning on going off with one of them, but never in a million years would she have thought that person was Sirius Black. The two of them left together.
"That's so cute." Ivy gushed.
"Uh huh." Jamie agreed.
"I'm going to go order." Lily said. She went up to Madam Rosmerta ordering a muffin and butterbeer. Rosmerta handed her order to her, taking the money.
"Enjoy." She said.
"Thanks." Lily said. She went to the table to find that James was the only one left.
"I'm beginning to think this is planned." He told her.
"Why do you say that?" Lily asked, although she'd been thinking the same thing.
"Well all their secret meetings, the run-ins and us 'just happening' to be left alone." James said.
"Like now?"
"Like now. And that day in the common room."
"And at the green house,"
"Slughorn's party, and twice at the library." James listed.
"They must really want us to be together." Lily said breaking off a piece of her muffin.
"They must." James agreed taking a drink of his butterbeer. Lily bit her lip knowing that she wanted, for some illogical reason, to be with James. He leaned in.
"Do you want to come with me to Hogsmeade?" He asked. It was a little late and although secretly she'd been waiting for this moment for the past month she said, "Yes." James grinned at her. She ate her muffin grinning back.
James looked out the window where people were talking and walking by. In the mix were their friends, trying to inconspicuously watch them. And then James got a glint in his eye.
What are you thinking about?" Lily asked him almost done with her muffin.
"I have an idea."
"What?" She frowned. He looked over at her.
"Fight with me."
"What?" She demanded.
"Trust me. Just yell at me." Lily laughed. "I'm serious."
"Fine. You useless scumbag!" she shouted standing up. "Don't talk to me!"
"Why would I want to talk to you!" he yelled back. He glared at her leaning in. "Meet me behind the joke shop."
"Not on your life Potter!" she screamed back.
"What's your problem?!"
"You! You egotistic Toerag!" she marched out of the Three Broomsticks leaving her butterbeer. From the corner of her eye she could see James slam his bottle down. After several seconds he followed her out. He took a different direction, but met her behind the joke shop.
"So why was I yelling at you?" she asked. He looked around.
"Because, it will be more fun this way." He explained. "See, if we act like we're hating each other, our friends will be throwing us together more often, so we get to get them back, and spend time with each other without the nagging."
"That's very smart Potter." He gave her half of a grin.
"I thought so."
"So what do we do now?"
"Now we decide if we should go up to the castle or stay here and drive our friends crazy."
"I say we go up to the castle." Lily said leaning toward James.
"I like your idea." He agreed. "So you march up to the castle and I'll meet you in the astronomy tower. No one will see us there."
"How will you get there? People will see me walk up and wonder why you're following me."
"I won't be walking up there." He told her. "But it might take a while, so be patient." Lily nodded. James grabbed her hand leaning toward her. He kissed her cheek sending chills down her spine. "Wait for me." He whispered in her ear.
"I will." She whispered back. He smiled at her.
"You might want to wait. You're blushing pretty bad." He warned. This just made her face burn more. "I hate you." He said in a tone that sounded like he was saying 'I love you'.
"I hate you too." She replied with a laugh. James left walking into the joke shop through the back door. Lily walked around the side so it looked like she came out of Gladrags.
On her way back to the castle she met up with Mary and Sirius.
"Where are you going?" Mary asked.
"Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. I'm running low on ink." Lily answered. "I'll meet you back at the castle."
"Okay. Hey, where's James?" Mary asked.
"How should I know?" she said in a voice she hoped implied that she was angry at him. Lily left having to stop at Scrivenshaft's to get that ink. She hoped they didn't realize that she had to turn back around to go to the quill shop.
There were only a few other people there when Lily arrived. It was easy enough to find the ink she wanted. Simple and black. But then it had to look like she'd browsed a bit so she got new stationary and quills as well.
She purchased her items then left heading straight to the astronomy tower.