Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. He is the exclusive property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., and anyone else J.K. Rowling has agreed to let borrow him for fun and profit, which does not include me.

Chapter 13 Nerves

A couple of nights after Sirius and James had made up James and Lily were out on patrol. James had been trying to get up the courage to ask her out all week and was determined to do it now. He had decided that when they were patrolling would be the best time as it was one of the few times when he was able to speak to her without other people around.

He hoped that not asking her out in front of large groups of people would emphasize the fact that he was not just asking her to go out with him because she was a challenge. He also liked the fact that if she rejected him the world would not, once again, be there to witness it.

James's concern over asking Lily out had not gone entirely unnoticed. James spent much of their patrol lost in his own thoughts causing him to be unusually quiet that evening, though Lily of course had no idea what the cause of it was.

Maybe he's just tired, she thought. Lily herself had been very busy for the past week between her homework and her Head duties and James had both of those plus Quidditch practices several nights a week. He also seemed to be on the verge of saying something for most of the night and Lily couldn't deny that she was more than mildly curious about what it was.

"Um, ah, Lily?" James began nervously.

What on earth could be making him this nervous, Lily wondered? He sounded even more nervous than when he was worried that he would be a terrible Head Boy.

"Yes, James?" Lily asked for James had fallen silent once more.

"Well, um, I was wondering…well, this Saturday, I mean, I know you and your friends are planning on going dress robe shopping…" James trailed off.

"Yes, and?" Lily was starting to suspect where this might be heading though he had never sounded this nervous in the past, he had always sounded quite the opposite in fact. She was also surprised to find that a part of her really was hoping he was heading in the direction she suspected.

"Well, I was wondering if umm, maybe…you'dliketomeetmebutterbeerthreebroomsticksafternoon?" he said this last part very quickly and almost incomprehensibly.

Lily looked at him, getting the gist of, but not entirely understanding what he had just said.

"Could you repeat that last bit once more?" she asked smiling. "A bit more slowly this time."

James started to run his hand nervously through his hair and then stopped abruptly remembering how much Lily hated it when he did that.

"Um," James took a deep breath. "I was wondering…if you would like to meet me in the afternoon for a butter beer at the Three Broomsticks..."

Lily opened her mouth to reply, "I…"

"Of course if you don't want to I completely understand. I know you've always said 'no' in the past, but we've been getting along so well I thought I'd give it a try. If you don't want to I promise I'll never ask you again," James rambled quickly.

Lily smiled at him and laughed, she just couldn't help it. He really was adorable when he was nervous. No, no, she had to stop thinking that!

"What's so funny?" James asked confused and trying to hide his slight annoyance. He had never been so nervous in his life. He didn't see the humor.

"Sorry," Lily chuckled. "It's just I don't think I've ever seen you like this before. I still have difficulty picturing you being nervous about anything," Lily smiled. "And I suppose I really haven't ever given you a fair chance in the past…"

James couldn't believe his ears. Was she really going to agree to go with him?

"I'm going to give you one chance, Potter," Lily said, half-serious, half-joking, poking James in the chest.

"Really?" James asked still not believing it was happening. Lily Evans was agreeing to go on a date with him. Sure she was also making it clear that this was only a trial date and if he screwed it up she'd never go out with him ever again, but still she was giving him a chance.

"Yes, really," Lily said rolling her eyes. You'd think he'd just won the Quidditch World Cup or something, the way he was grinning. "What time do you want to meet at the Three Broomsticks?"

"Um, is one o'clock okay? Will that give you enough time to go dress robe shopping with your friends?"

"Yeah, that should be fine, as long as we leave the castle on time."

James smiled, "It's a date then."

Lily laughed, still not quite able to believe that she was going on a date with James Potter. "Yes, James, it's a date, just one date."

"I get it. I won't screw it up, I swear."

Lily gave him a, mostly joking, skeptical look but James just smiled. He was going on a date with Lily Evans…Oh Merlin, what if he ruined it. James was suddenly more nervous than he'd been before he had asked her out.

Lily walked slowly up to the stairs to the girls' dormitory later that night still not quite able to comprehend the fact that she, Lily Evans, was going on a date with James Potter. This seemed to be her new mantra. It had been running through her head ever since she had agreed to go out with him only an hour before. Clearly she had lost her mind.

But then she thought back to the James that she'd gotten to know over the past few weeks and she had to admit that part of her was excited. Hard as she tried to suppress the feeling she couldn't quite deny that she liked the idea. Plus Remus was right; it was only fair to give him a chance. That was why she was doing it she decided, because it was only fair. He seemed to have grown up a lot in recent months and it was only fair that she give him a chance. Didn't Dumbledore always say that everyone deserved a chance to prove themself?

Lily walked into the dorm to find her friends once again sitting around in their pajamas.

"Hey, Lily," Katie said as Lily entered the room. "You're just in time, we're rating all the guy's in seventh year."

Lily laughed, "Sounds like fun. Oh, and I have something to tell you, but let me get ready for bed first."

With that Lily went off to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Once that was accomplished and she had changed into her pajamas she settled herself on her bed.

"Okay, so what is it that you have to tell us?" Katie asked excitedly.

"Well," Lily began slowly.

If she was going to have to tell them that she had agreed to go on a date with James she might as well have fun with it and tell it in the most long and drawn out way possible.

"The funniest thing happened when James and I were on patrol," at this the girls excitement faded slightly, they had thought perhaps James had asked Lily out, but apparently it was just a funny patrol story, not that they didn't enjoy them but…

"James was acting very oddly all evening," the girls perked up again at once.

"Unusually quiet you see, and it seemed like he kept trying to say something but then he wouldn't." Lily had the girls' undivided attention now.

"And so finally he brought up what he wanted." The room was deadly silent, the other four girls were barely even breathing in anticipation of where this "patrol story" was going.

"Well, after repeating himself a couple of times, because he was having trouble speaking coherently, he finally managed to ask me out. I've never seen that boy so nervous. He could barely string two words together," Lily finished chuckling.

"Well?! Well?!" Katie demanded.

"Well, what?" Lily asked trying very hard to suppress the grin that was threatening to cross her face.

"What did you say?!" Mary demanded again. "Come on, the suspense is killing us!"

Lily laughed and then smiled, "Well…"

"Yes, yes?" Katie said encouragingly.

"Exactly," Lily replied.

The girls stared at her in confusion for a moment and then they simultaneously realized exactly what Lily had just said.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Katie cheered.

Lily couldn't help but laugh at her friends' excitement.

"It's just one date guys, relax. I figure if I go out with him this once maybe he'll get over me and then I won't have to worry about it anymore."

"Lily Evans, you are such a liar," Katie told her pointing her finger admonishingly. "But as you at least agreed to give him a chance I'll forgive you this one time. For soon you will see the error of your ways."

Lily rolled her eyes at Katie.

"So what are you going to do about dress robes, now that you're going on a date with James?" Abby asked.

"Oh, I'm still going dress robe shopping with you guys first. James knew we were planning on it, I'm actually surprised he remembered, so he asked if I would like to meet him in the afternoon."

"See, I told you he was a good guy," Marlene grinned knowingly.

"He's okay," Lily retorted.

"Denial is not a healthy thing, Lily," Katie informed her.

"Oh, shut-up," Lily said jokingly.

"Oh, you know you want him," Katie told her grinning.

"I'm going to bed, we have class in the morning and I for one would like to be awake for it," Lily said as she climbed under the covers and pulled her hangings shut.

"You can't hide from us forever, Evans," Katie called through her curtains before heading to bed herself.

Meanwhile in the boy's dorm…

"Hey Prongs, how was patrolling with Lily?" Sirius asked grinning deviously.

James opened his mouth to tell his friends that Lily had agreed to go on a date with him but stopped at the sound of Sirius's tone. Lily's words kept coming back to him, 'I'll give you one chance Potter.' James knew Sirius would give Lily a hard time if he found out and he didn't want Lily to get mad at him for bragging to his friends and call off their date.

"It was fine," James replied. "We didn't even catch anyone out of bed."

"Well, that's good for the people who were out of bed then," Sirius replied.

James laughed and began getting ready for bed.

The rest of the time before the Hogsmeade trip passed quickly. James felt bad about not telling his friends about his date with Lily, but every time he was about to her words would come back to him and he would panic and change his mind again. He knew he could tell Remus, but he knew it would be worse to just tell Remus then to not tell any of them.

He was really nervous by Friday afternoon, however, and he needed to talk to somebody, he just didn't know whom. It was too late to owl his father and he had already determined that he couldn't tell Remus. As he entered the changing rooms for Quidditch Practice he ran into Marlene.

"Hey Potter, meant to tell you earlier but better late than never, congratulations!" She smiled at him and headed into the locker room to change.

Apparently, James surmised, Lily had told her friends. That gave James an idea.

After practice he cornered Marlene and started walking up to the castle with her, hanging back from the rest of the team.

"What's up, James?" Marlene asked.

"I assume you know about Lily agreeing to go to Hogsmeade with me?" he asked nervously. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he were wrong.

"Yes, Lily told us, don't worry. I have to say though, I'm surprised I haven't heard anything about it on the rumor mill."

"That's because I haven't told my friends," James said chuckling.

"You haven't told them?" Marlene asked surprised. While she recognized that James wasn't just after Lily because she was unattainable, she was still shocked he hadn't run to brag to his friends.

"If I told Sirius he would just give Lily a hard time about it and then she might change her mind. I'd tell Remus but then it's not fair to Peter and Sirius and if I tell Peter, he might let it slip to Sirius. His hearts always in the right place, Peter's is, but he's not the best with secrets," James explained.

"So what is it that you want exactly?" Marlene asked.

"I need advice and as I can't go to Remus…"

"Why do you need advice? You got her to agree to go out with you."

"Well, yes, but I'd like to have the opportunity to ask her out again. What should I do?"

Marlene laughed at him. Lily was right, it was odd to see James Potter this nervous. Sure he always got a bit nervous before big Quidditch matches but he hid it much better.

"Just do whatever it is you've been doing since you wrote her that letter agreeing to make peace and you'll be fine," Marlene advised.

"You're about as helpful as Moony when it comes to advice," James grumbled.

"I'm completely serious. Whatever it is you're doing it's working. Just keep it up."

"I'm not doing anything, I'm just being myself," James said, slightly frustrated.

"Oh, well, that explains it then. Seeing as you used to act like a complete prat around her. So just keeping being yourself and you'll be fine. Oh, and don't go cursing Snape while on your date or anytime she's within seeing or hearing distance and you should be fine."

James sighed.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine. She really does like you, she's just in denial. She's a bit stubborn, that girl, but she'll get over it. Just be yourself."

With that last bit of wisdom Marlene climbed through the portrait hole and bounded up the stairs to the girls dormitory to take a much needed shower.

James continued on, deciding that he would use the Prefects' bathroom instead. It would be quiet there and he could hopefully relax a bit. He didn't want to be a complete wreck tomorrow.