James was absolutely bricking it as he stood waiting for Ivy outside her Ancient Runes classroom. Fridays were always a good day for him with only Care of Magical Creatures in the morning and then that was it for the rest of the day. As such, Fridays were usually the day he spent sorting out the quidditch team but today…today was all focused on Ivy. Since she'd smiled at him in the Great Hall, she'd made more eye contact with him than she had been, even giving him a soft hi in the corridor when they happened to walk past each other which had left him idiotically elated. Remus had said he thought Ellie might be partially responsible, reminding him she could easily have been in the common room when he'd blown up at Lily and announced to what felt like the entirety of Gryffindor that he liked Ivy Richardson. James hadn't even considered this, having been too caught up in the moment for thoughts like that but he considered it all now as he waited. He was incredibly nervous, still not sure whether she would agree to spending some time with him, but he was at a point where he was more than willing to try, having held back for a week now.

At last, the bell rang, and he braced himself, trying to look casual and relaxed as he leaned against the wall, the corridors starting to fill. It was a few moments later when the door to her classroom opened, the first few sixth years openly staring at him and muttering. James tried his best to ignore them and pretend he hadn't noticed as he kept his gaze trained on the door, Ivy finally appearing. Elsie spotted him first and nudged Ivy, a smile appearing on her face as she did so. When Ivy spotted him, she stopped suddenly, causing somebody behind her to almost bump into her but it seemed she barely noticed. James smiled at her and pushed off from the wall, grabbing the bag at his feet as he went and slowly came over to her.

"Hey" his heart was thumping so wildly he felt sure everybody would be able to see it beneath his jumper.

"Hi" Ivy replied quietly, softly, a small blush on her face as she fidgeted with the straps on her bag.

"I was um, wondering if you wanted to hang out now? For lunch?" he questioned, gripping his bag strap himself as he was sure his hands were shaking with nerves. Ivy herself looked nervous but Elsie gave her another nudge and at this Ivy nodded, blush deepening as James felt his spirits soar, smile widening.

"Great!" he exclaimed, wincing slightly at the eagerness but Ivy's smile widened, and he would take the keenness if it made her happy. He gestured her with him, Elsie snagging Ivy's bag before giving her a push and James a big smile before disappearing, leaving the two of them to it. "I've got some food for us" he motioned to the bag as they went, nervously saying something as he wasn't sure what else to say. Ivy just nodded, still looking nervous herself as they made their way down the marble staircase together, people around them looking but neither really noticed. James and Ivy were both too preoccupied by how closely they were walking together, how close their hands were to brushing.

At the foot of the stairs, James continued onwards, and he saw Ivy hesitate before coming with him.

"Outside?" she questioned, sounding slightly concerned and James turned to find her frowning slightly, snow starting to fall now but he had thought it would be…romantic.

"Sure. I've got layers and fire" he told her with a smile, hoping she'd go with it. She still seemed hesitant, but she nodded, James beaming as he was hoping they would be able to talk on their own as they made their way outside, leaving the crowds behind them. Beside him, Ivy shivered, and he dared to step a little closer to her so that their hands brushed now, making James's heart falter and he could have sworn Ivy was blushing. He would have liked nothing more than to hold her hand, but he wasn't sure if it was too much too soon after what had happened and so resisted, barely but enough to see them to the cover of the tree by the lake. It was starting to snow a little heavier now, James quickly putting the bag down and getting out a thick blanket he'd asked Twitch for, the house elf being only happy to help him out with it all. He then quickly grabbed his quidditch jumper he'd added, turning to find Ivy watching him, blush appearing as she took in his offered jumper.

"Thought you might want some extra warmth" he told her, hoping she'd take it. Ivy glanced at him, nodding which made his smile feel stupidly big as she took it, her fingers grazing his as she shrugged off her robes and then put his jumper on. He moved towards her, Ivy's gaze snapping to his. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to her sleeves just as he had the first time. Ivy seemed to remember as she smiled and nodded, James hoping his hands weren't shaking as he gently turned up the sleeves, lingering a little longer than perhaps he should at the prolonged contact between them. He did, however, tear himself away to get out the jar of blue flames Remus had provided and set them in the middle before offering Ivy his scarf which she also accepted and allowed him to put on. They were stood incredibly close by now, James wanting only to hug her, kiss her and he was unable to keep his gaze from darting to her lips, wondering how she would react.

"Ivy I'm sorry about what happened" it came out before he had a chance to consider it, going against what he had planned. He could see the flicker of hurt ghost across her face as he said it, but she didn't move away from him. "I shouldn't have used you, or anybody, in any sort of plan and I know it was wrong but…Ivy, I really like you" he admitted, her eyes widening slightly at this news and the blush returning to her face. "And I went about it the wrong way but…I meant what I said at New Years, about telling my friends about you because I really like you" her blush deepened, eyes darting down in what he knew to be slight embarrassment. "I don't deserve a second chance, but will you give me one? Because honestly, I cannot stop thinking about you and I only want to be with you Ivy" he told her, gently lifting a hand to her face and tilting her head up. Her eyes were wide, small smile appearing as he ran his thumb over her cheek.

"You want to be with me?" she asked, so quietly but her words made his smile widen as he nodded.

"Of course, I'd be mad not to. Everything we did together was real for me Ivy, all the time we spent together and how happy I was…I only want to continue to be like that" he said, Ivy's own smile growing.

"Promise you'll be honest with me?" Ivy asked, fairly at that as he nodded, using his other hand to cross his heart.

"Completely promise" he said, Ivy smiling widely at him, and he realised now was his moment as he gently leant down and kissed her. She reciprocated immediately, James feeling his spirits soar as he wrapped an arm around her, Ivy's own hands coming to wrap around him as they stood there making out in the snow, James feeling happier than he could ever remember feeling.

James eventually slowed down, pulling away as he smiled at her, a smile which really did give her butterflies. She had been heartbroken but everything she had been told had made her think about it and she truly did like James. So much so that she was willing to take this risk, yet another she would take which came prompted from being around James.

"So, I'm hoping this means you'll be my girlfriend?" he asked her, making her blush, heart thumping. James Potter was asking her to be his girlfriend. In the snow. Which was so romantic it increased the rate of butterflies. Ivy nodded shyly, James just giving her that big beaming smile before kissing her again, pulling her tightly against him as she wrapped her arms around him, wanting to be as close to him as possible.

"Merlin Ivy, you've made me so happy. Honestly, I feel like a bit of an idiot I'm so happy" his comment made her laugh as they stood there, Ivy doing her best not to ruin it by shivering, but the cold was really setting deep into her bones now. "And obviously idiotic enough to suggest a bloody picnic in the snow" he grimaced, making her laugh again.

"To be fair, it was quite a romantic gesture" she conceded, seeing how his eyes lit up at this.

"I did think it was romantic. And I wanted it to be special, memorable" he told her, making her blush again; would she ever not blush when James said things like this to her? She wasn't so sure. "But I also don't want my girlfriend getting a cold and being ill" he added, Ivy's heart skipping at the term. James Potter was her boyfriend. "I know I wanted a picnic but…are you okay if we go back to the Hall for food? I'll come and sit with you at the Ravenclaw table" her eyes widened, not only was he her boyfriend, but he also wanted to sit with her at her table for food.

"Are you sure?" she asked, that doubt never really going away.

"Of course! Come on, we'll save a picnic for another time. I'll put a better plan together for our next date, promise" oh he was so cute, Ivy finding a surge of courage to kiss him, James surprised but wrapping her tightly in his arms, evidently pleased by her reaction.

"Our next date?" she queried when she finally pulled apart, James not letting her go far though as he nodded, cheeky smile on his face which she really liked seeing.

"Of course. We've done flying, the roof, the kitchens, I'll have to think of somewhere else for the next one" the fact he considered all those dates made her feel all funny, made her smile widely as he kissed her again.

"Right, your nose is frozen and even that very slight ink smudge you have on your cheek looks like it's freezing off you" he chuckled as she blushed, but he just brushed his thumb over her cheek, smiling at her in a way which made her want to get a cold just so she could stay on her own with him. James, however, quickly packed away the blanket and fire before taking her hand, interlacing their fingers and pulling her back up to the castle, walking closely beside her the whole time.

"I've really missed you Ivy" he murmured to her when they approached, making her smile.

"I've missed you too" she admitted, James pausing them on the steps to kiss her again.

"You okay with walking into the hall together?" he asked her, looking at her closely. She really did appreciate how he was checking on her and even though she was absolutely terrified of walking in, hand in hand, with James Potter (her boyfriend) she was really pleased he wanted to make such a bold statement so quickly. Ivy though, nervous beyond words, couldn't speak so just nodded, James holding her hand tightly, pulling her close to him as they made their way in. Ivy did her best to ignore the whispers as they walked past people in the entrance hall, James just striding in with a confidence she envied. The whispers only grew, Ivy all too aware of the eyes on them as James steered her to the Ravenclaw table, finding Elsie and giving her an enthusiastic wave before pulling Ivy down with him.

"Hi Elsie" he greeted her, keeping hold of Ivy's hand for the time being.

"Hi you two" Elsie was grinning at them, Ivy blushing as James pulled her closer to him. "Well Ivy, I think the red and gold weirdly suits you" Ivy's eyes widened as she realised all too late how she was wearing James's quidditch jumper and scarf, James though just chuckling.

"It does, right? Well, Ivy, you better get used to it because when I'm playing you have to wear my scarf now, you know, for luck" he told her, seeming perfectly at ease with the current situation, evidently easily ignoring the whispers and eyes around them.

"Well, James it's bloody good to see you smiling again" Ivy jumped, amazed enough to ignore the people around them for now at the arrival of not only Remus and Sirius but Ellie too. All three sat, looking just at ease as James did at the Ravenclaw table.

"He's been so dam miserable Ivy, I cannot even put it into words" Sirius told her, with a familiarity which was unexpected, James picking up a roll and throwing it at him which made the others all laugh.

"Don't deny it, you have been" Remus chipped in, Ivy seeing Ellie nod her agreement.

"And snappy" she inputted, Remus and Sirius grinning as they nodded.

"And-"

"Yes, alright thanks, you've made your point. Ivy gets the idea" James interrupted Sirius, shaking his head at him. "Honestly, ignore them" James whispered to her, loudly so the others could hear she was sure as he brushed a kiss to her cheek, making her blush.

"So, assume you two are all official? What, with Ivy decked out in Gryffindor colours" Sirius remarked, Ivy sure she was the same colour as this jumper right now.

"Which suits you, I might add" Remus interjected with a nod and a smile.

"Totally should have been a Gryffindor Ivy. I feel so surrounded by…blue all the time" Ellie said dramatically, making the boys all laugh.

"Back to the point, yes, Ivy and I are going out" the way he said it, proud, sitting up, letting go of her hand to put his arm around her shoulders made her smile, even though they were in the Great Hall.

"Thank Merlin for that. Right, let's see what the food situation is like over here" and just like that, the others were occupied, all talking about the 'Ravenclaw food' Elsie entering their conversation and remarking she was sure it was the same as the Gryffindor table. A gentle squeeze on her shoulders made her turn to James, finding that he had been watching her.

"You okay?" he murmured, Ivy turning to him and nodding. "Sure? Even with this lot?" he jerked his head to his friends and Ivy once more nodded. She knew he appreciated it as he smiled widely, eyes darting to her mouth in a way which made her blush once more.

"I'm happy that I'm with you James" she told him, his eyes lighting up, smile widening.

"Me too Ivy, you make me incredibly happy" he gave her the quickest, softest of kisses before pulling back, smiling at her in a way that made her forget all about other people in the hall.

"Come on lovebirds. We only have half an hour until Charms" Sirius's remark made them both turn, all their friends smiling at them as they both nodded. As Ivy helped herself to food (James keeping his arm around her the whole time) she felt a swell of happiness and comfort she hadn't felt in a long time at Hogwarts. Surrounded by people who evidently supported her and who, she hoped, she could count as friends. Well, friends and a boyfriend.

A/N: Thanks to everybody who has favourited, followed and reviewed this story :) Your support always means a lot :)