Bella and James walked down a few streets before they got off the beaten track of mainstream Diagon Alley.

'Where are we going?' James asked, for what seemed like the tenth time.

'A shop,' Bella said – again.

'I've never been here before,' James continued, staring around as they walked.

Bella smirked. 'Get used to it. If your gonna hang around with me, you'll be going a lot of places you've never been before.'

James laughed. 'I hope you're right.' He told her, as she turned slightly to see the smile on his face. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into a sharp right turn and then into a small shop. A bell above the door rung as they stepped inside. It had seemed small on the outside, but the shop actually travelled backwards for quite a long way, with rows and rows of clothes on rails lining the sides, and displays of shoes running through the centre. Bella saw James' jaw drop slightly, either from awe at the size of the shop, or realising what he'd actually let himself in for. Bella smirked and led him towards the back of the shop.

A sales assistant wearing purple robes addressed her.

'Miss Black,' She said in a Barbie-style voice. 'would you like to see the items I've held back for you?'

'Yeah, thanks.' Bella replied, not even trying to make her tone match the level of formality that had been previously employed. James held back a laugh.

'No need to show off the fact that you're loaded…' He whispered to her, as they followed the sales assistant into another room and out of the main shop.

Bella grinned. 'What's it for if I'm not supposed to spend it?' She shot back playfully. James shrugged. His parents kept all his money tied up in trust funds that didn't activate until he became of age, but he still didn't think he'd be able to spend money quite like Bellatrix – even if he had it to spend.

They were led into a well lit room, with a sofa at one wall, a clothes rail on another, and a small changing stall opposite.

'Would you like anything else, Miss Black?' The assistant asked her, the same slippery smile on her face, that she hoped would persuade Bella to buy more things.

'No thanks.' Bella told her, and waited for her to leave before going to scan through the rail of clothes. 'You might as well sit down, James.' She told him. He smiled at her before taking a seat on the sofa.

'Everyone's gonna think I'm your new boyfriend or something…' James said after a while. Bella picked up the dresses she'd decided on, and looked back at him.

'More like gay best friend.' She grinned at him. James rolled his eyes with a smile. 'Tell me what you think of these.' Bella changed the subject quickly, and disappeared into the changing stall.

'Sure,' James called to her. 'But you'll probably look better without any of them.'

Bella was glad he couldn't see her blush after he'd said that. She'd never been with anyone as forward as James was, but she quite liked it. Roddy would have literally died if he'd have heard anyone saying that to her, let alone if he'd said it himself. She liked how different James was. She didn't know many Gryffindors, but she highly doubted that they were all like he was.

She took the first dress off the hanger; a loose fitting dark blue one, that stopped just above her knees. She wasn't really too keen on it, but she figured it might look better on her than on the hanger. She pulled it on and turned around to see it in the mirror. It certainly didn't look much better, but it was a slight improvement.

'Let's see then!' She heard James call out. She pulled back the curtain and looked at him. He studied her for a moment, then promptly shook his head.

'You look good in everything, Bella,' He began. 'but all I can see is the dress.'

'What?' Bella asked, confused.

James raised an eyebrow. 'Too much fabric.' He said simply. She stared back at him. 'Not enough skin.' Bella smirked at him and pulled the curtain back into place to try on another one. She ignored the next dress she'd picked out – it was a longer one, and James was certain to say the exact same thing about it as the previous one. She skipped to another one, a red one, that was short even for Bella's standards. It was also quite low cut, something she was sure James would appreciate. She stared at her reflection. She couldn't help feeling that she looked more like a hooker than anything else. She opened the curtain again nonetheless.

She saw James' eyes light up the second her saw her.

'Before you say anything,' Bella told him before he had a chance to speak. 'I look like a prostitute. And I don't like it.'

'No you don't!' James protested. 'You look amazing!' He exhaled and stared at her again. 'I like this one.'

'Thought you might.' Bella muttered. 'Well, I don't, so… tough luck.' She drew the curtain and took off the hooker dress. She sighed as she thought about the other ones that were left. A black one seemed to catch her eye. She tried it on. It was short, but still longer than the red one, and it was low cut, but not enough to make her feel like she was too on show. She smiled at her reflection. There was something about this little black dress that made her feel like all eyes would be on her if she wore it – and she liked that thought.

James grinned at her as she opened the curtain once more. She looked stunning. More than stunning, she looked beautiful.

'Wow,' He breathed, barely audible. Bella beamed at him, evidently impressed with his reaction. 'get that one.' James concluded.

'Sure?' Bella asked him, pouting slightly as she mused over the dress.

'Definitely,' James told her. 'if you don't get that dress, I'll insist you go in your underwear.' Bella raised her eyebrows. She didn't doubt that he'd do that whether she bought the dress or not.

'In your dreams.' Bella told him quickly, disappearing back into the stall to change out of the dress.

'And it certainly will be.' James' voice came back. Bella grinned to herself. She took off the dress and hung it back on its hanger before putting on her own clothes once more. She was very pleased with the dress, and she was glad James liked it. She was confused though. Bella wondered why it mattered to her so much what James thought about it. Something so insignificant as a dress, and she was basing most of her decision on what his impressions of it were. She shook her head. It wasn't that it was James specifically, she tried to convince herself, it was that he'd give a male opinion about it. His opinion could represent any of the guys at school! She looked back at the mirror for a final time. Her reflection was not convinced by her explanation. She grabbed the black dress and left the changing stall before she started an argument with her own reflection.

James got up off the sofa.

'Good to go?' He asked her. She smiled at him for a moment before replying.

'Nope.'

'Why?'

'I need shoes.'

James groaned and followed her, and the black dress, back into the main shop. 'Am I getting paid for this?' He asked cheekily.

'You wish,' Bella scoffed, her attention almost entirely taken up by her effort to find the perfect set of shoes. 'We'll go for a drink after then. How's that?'

'Alright,' James replied. 'but I'm choosing where.'

Bella shrugged. 'Fine by me,' She glanced at him. 'but I'm not drinking coffee – I'm sick of it.'

James winked at her. 'Fine by me.' He repeated. Bella smiled and diverted her eyes back to the shoes. She wanted the perfect pair to match her dress, and she didn't have to look for long to find them. She spotted a shiny black pair of heels – not too tall, but just enough. She was already tall enough for her liking, so she needed shoes the right height. She picked up a box with her shoe size on. James leaned over her shoulder.

'You've got tiny feet if they'll fit.' He commented. Bella turned to give him a strange look.

'They're a size six, James. That's normal.' Bella told him, walked over to the till with her dress and shoes.

'Really?' James continued. 'God. I forget how small girls actually are.'

'What?'

'Just generally.'

'Oh? And don't tell me – you take shoes that are a ridiculously big size, right?' She said, raising her eyebrows in a slightly cheeky fashion.

James grinned at her. 'Wouldn't you like to know.' He said simply. Bella shook her head with a smile and paid for her dress and shoes, and taking back the bag the assistant put them in. They promptly left the shop, the bell tinkling again as they did so.

'So,' James said as they casually began walking back to the main strip of Diagon Alley. 'we having that drink now then?'

'Sure,' Bella agreed. 'where are we going to go?'

James paused and looked at her, a cheeky smirk on his face. 'I've got a flat in Diagon Alley.'

'And I'm the one who's loaded?' Bella shot back sarcastically.

He shrugged. 'There's a bottle of wine in the fridge.'

'You got me. Lead the way.'

James' flat was on the edge of the main street in Diagon Alley, and Bella just hoped that no one would see her going into a block of flats with James Potter – she'd never live it down. James, on the other hand, didn't seem to care who saw him with her. She couldn't understand that, but didn't question it. It was a lovely flat though, stylish modern furnishings and light airy windows. It looked very expensive.

'This place is so nice, James,' Bella commented out loud.

'Thanks,' James grinned back at her, falling back onto the black sofa and opening the mini-fridge next to it and taking out a bottle of wine and two glasses. Bella took another glance around and then sat down next to James as he handed her a glass.

'I'm starting to think you've got me down as some kind of alcoholic.' Bella smirked at James. He took a sip of his own drink and smiled at her.

'So?' He laughed.

Bella smiled at him. 'I'm not. Just so you know.'

James shrugged. 'That's fair.' He beamed at her.

'Is the flat yours then? Or your families?' She asked James.

'Gold digger?' James teased, a playful smile on his face.

'I'm just asking!'

'I know, I know,' James smiled. 'and it's my families, until I come of age – like everything else that should be mine.' He explained. Bella nodded. She silently wondered what it was like to have all these things, but know that they weren't yours yet.

'So… any one of your family could randomly appear at the door?'

James chuckled. 'I guess so.'

'And what would they say to having me sitting in here, drinking wine with you?'

'Probably nothing, actually,' James said casually. Bella gave him a look of disbelief. 'until they realised who you were.' He continued with a smirk.

'That's more realistic.' Bella laughed.

'Just out of interest,' James began, a cheeky grin on his face, and Bella knew instantly he was going to say something she probably didn't want to hear. 'are you the kind of girl who's gonna get all turned on if I say this is forbidden or whatever?'

'Fuck off, James.'

'That's a 'no' then.' James smirked. Bella found it very difficult not to smile when James was around, as once again, he broke her cold expression.

'So,' James carried on, edging a little bit closer, put his glass onto the coffee table. Bella mirrored him. 'what does turn you on then?'

'Bit soon for that, isn't it?' Bella said back with a smile. James gave her a puppy-eyes expression.

'It doesn't have to be.' James said in a voice close to a whisper. Bella leant closer to him so their lips were almost touching.

'That was too slick, Potter.' She whispered, before she sat right back, away from him. James bit his lip.

'You're really gonna make me work to get you, aren't you?' James asked her, disappointment creeping into his voice.

'Yeah.' Bella told him honestly.

'One thing, though,' James began.

'What?'

He did it so fast that Bella had no choice in the matter. He leant in quickly and kissed her. It didn't last long, but he didn't move away from her until after he spoke.

'You ought to know that I always find a way round hard work.' He told her with a smile. She couldn't help but smile back at him. He probably would have kissed her again, and she wouldn't have objected, but there something stopped them.

'James! Hey! James, you there?' A voice called from the hallway outside the flat.

'Shit…' James muttered. Bella knew that voice anywhere. Sirius. 'You're gonna have to hide somewhere.'

'What? Where?'

'I don't know!' James was beginning to panic now, there was no way he could cover up the fact he'd just been kissing Sirius' cousin. How would he even explain why she was there in the first place? 'Cupboard?' James suggested. There was a wardrobe on the other side of the room. James swung the door open hurriedly and Bella climbed inside it. Luckily there was only a few shirts hanging up, so there was enough space for her to sit on the floor of the wardrobe perfectly comfortably.

James cast her an apologetic glance before he shut the doors. After a moment they opened again, and Bella's bag joined her in the wardrobe. She bit her lip to stop herself laughing as Sirius opened the door and James almost jumped out of his skin.

'Hey!' James greeted him too enthusiastically. Sirius looked at him strangely.

'Alright?' He glanced to the coffee table. 'Drinking wine alone? Bit of a sad act, James.' He took a second glance. 'Someone else been here?'

'No. Why?'

'Two glasses – bit of a giveaway.' Sirius grinned at his friend. 'Who was she?'

'I…' James thought on his feet. 'Lily Evans.'

Bella glared at him through the crack in the wardrobe door. Lily fucking Evans. She rolled her eyes. Now that was a sad act.

'Ahhh,' Sirius smirked. 'nice one, James!'

James grinned back awkwardly. He felt guilty for lying to him.

'Get far?' Sirius asked him.

'Nah,' James shook his head. 'just a kiss.'

'How come? That's not like you.' Sirius commented, sitting down on the sofa and taking a can of pop from the mini-fridge.

'Er…' James cast a sideways glance at the wardrobe. He didn't even have to see Bella's face to know that she was giving him such and evil look right now…

'She wants me to work at it, y'know? Gotta prove something, or whatever.' James said casually, sitting down next to his friend. Bella silently decided that James was now going to have to work even harder for her, and prove that he wasn't a serial player! She then got an idea. She quietly reached into her bag and tried to find the Animi Speculum she'd bought earlier. She finally felt her hand touch the box and she pulled it out of her bag. She carefully removed the item from its box and position it so she could look through the glass and through the crack in the wardrobe. Her eyes landed on Sirius first. Completely lost, very much relies on his friends. It paused. Scared. Bella smirked. Sirius? Scared? Brilliant. She shifted the glass to look at James. Adores his friend. It paused again. Sick of him not pulling himself together, and relying on him all the time. Sirius was talking nonstop about something, and James' eyes darted back to the wardrobe. Bella was still holding the glass up, but nearly dropped it when she saw the words that were now hanging in the air between her and James. He thinks she's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. He wants her.

Bella swallowed hard, and put the Animi Speculum back into its box, deciding that it had caused enough trouble for today, and slipped it back into her bag. He wants her. Oh God. Bella stared at him, wondering whether he might know that she now knew that. He couldn't know, obviously. But she still wondered whether he did. Did she want him?

'Why don't you go out to the shop?' James said suddenly. 'Get something to eat, yeah? I've got no food in.'

'Oh… yeah. Sure.' Sirius got up. 'Back in a min, then.' And left the flat. James sighed and slumped backwards onto the arm of the sofa. Bella opened the doors of the wardrobe quietly, not quite knowing what to say to him.

'You should go.' James told her, and didn't turn around.

'Yeah, I know.' Bella replied slowly, making her way towards him. 'I'll see you at school, then.' She told him, walking straight past him and heading for the door.

'Bella?'

'Yeah?' She turned around. James kissed her again. Differently from before. This was slow and romantic… and a little bit perfect. So good, that when he broke away, she followed him a fraction of an inch.

'D'you know something?' James asked her. She didn't reply, just looked in his eyes. 'I'm going to miss you until we go back.'