James was vaguely aware that Lily was staring at him as if he had gone completely mental.

"The Hog's Head?" She asked as if she expected him to laugh and tell her that he was joking before whisking her away to a much more suitable establishment.

And a decent part of his brain wanted to do just that. There were plenty of places in Hogsmeade that were much more worthy of a first date than the rundown, dodgy, goat-infested pub run by Albus Dumblore's equally as dodgy brother, Aberforth. However, he had a plan. A plan that did not involve bringing Lily to any of those ordinary places because this was no ordinary date.

He grinned, shrugging nonchalantly. "Yeah. I figured you would expect some over-the-top, grand gestures from someone like me and I know you're a lot more comfortable with something low-key, so I figured why not?"

Lily bit her lip, eyeing the pub apprehensively. "You know, The Three Broomsticks is low-key enough," she pointed out.

"Nonsense." James waved her off, taking her by the hand and pulling her along. "Come on, you trust me, don't you?" Lily frowned and raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed and shook his head. "Come on, Evans. Have a little faith, yeah?"

"Huh, that's strange," Lily said, not moving from where she stood.

"What strange?"

"I've never seen any stray dogs around Hogsmeade before."

James froze, eyes growing wide behind the frames of his glasses. It couldn't be…

"Didn't you see it run into those bushes?" Lily asked. "It was a big black dog-"

BANG!

James spun around so abruptly that he smacked his head on the hanging sign outside the pub and stumbled backward.

Gasping, Lily reached out and caught his arm before he fell. "James, are you alright?" She asked as he rubbed at the growing bump on his head, a slew of clever swears pouring from his mouth.

"Merlin," he muttered, adjusting his glasses which had a crack clear across the right lens. "Yeah, I'm fine." His eyes darted around quickly, looking for any sign of a paw, tail, or fur lurking in the corners.

Lily grimaced slightly, gingerly touching her fingertip to the bump on James' head. "Here, hold still a moment." She slid her wand from her back pocket and James smiled wryly.

"Not going to hex me, are you Evans?"

Lily chuckled softly and shook her head. "Not this time. Episky."

There was a warm tingling feeling on his forehead as the swelling went down. Then Lily's wand was pointed at his right eye. "Repairo." The crack on the lens was gone.

"Thanks," he muttered sheepishly.

Lily smiled. "You're welcome." She looked around. "I hope that dog's alright. It's rather cold out, don't you think?"

James shook his head hurriedly. "I'm sure you were just seeing things. Maybe it was a goat or… a krup or something. And if it was a dog, I'm sure his boyfriend will be sure he's gone back home-"

"His boyfriend?"

"Owner!" He corrected himself quickly as he began ushering Lily into the pub. "I… I meant owner. Come on then, Lily, inside we go."

—-

The inside of the Hog's Head was very small and dingy and not very well kept. The windows were so dusty that you could hardly see out of them and the stone floor was covered in so much dirt and hay that there appeared to be no floor at all. Then, of course, there was the distinct smell of goat.

James and Sirius had started frequenting the Hog's Head during their secret trips into the village after Rosemerta caught on to them nicking a bottle of Firewhiskey from behind the bar at The Three Broomsticks while she had her back turned. Aberforth never minded handing over whatever the two boys asked for and never inquired much, which James and Sirius graciously reciprocated, opting not to wonder just what the old man was doing with his beloved goats.

"Abe!" James greeted briskly as he approached the splintered wooden bar and the pile of dirty rags behind it. "Good to see you, old man!"

The dirty rags in question shook themselves off. The man behind the counter turned around to reveal wiry gray hair with a matching beard and bright blue eyes that left no question as to who the man was. The resemblance to his brother could not be denied, no matter how much Aberforth Dumbledore may have wished.

"Ah, James!" The man grunted. He was a rough-looking sort, though his eyes were bright. "Such a pleasant surprise to see you here on a scheduled student visit!"

James felt his cheeks flush as Lily gave him a suspicious sideways glance. He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Er… ahem… Aberforth, this is my friend Lily. Lily, this is Aberforth Dumbledore."

Aberforth smiled and Lily returned it, reaching to shake his extended hand. "Dumbledore?" Lily repeated. "Are you Professor Dumbledore's brother?"

James cringed inwardly, cursing himself for not warning Lily that Aberforth did not get along with his brother. Much to his relief, Aberforth seemed to brush right over the question.

"So, this is the young lady you've been so enamored with, eh Potter?" He chuckled, making both James and Lily blush and avert their eyes. "Just as lovely as you said, my boy. Much lovelier than you deserve though." He winked at Lily. "He's a good chap," he added quietly. "Can I get you kids anything to drink? Bit of Firewhiskey to warm you up?"

"Butterbeer for me, please," Lily requested politely, taking a seat on one of the battered old bar stools and finally settling despite the dingy atmosphere.

"Actually, Abe, I was wondering if… er… if I could have a special request?" James stuttered, eyeing the older man hopefully.

Aberforth frowned. As much as the man was willing to turn a blind eye to the shenanigans of four young boys who just wanted to snatch some free booze for a common room party, he wasn't particularly one to grant special favors. James sighed and reached into his pocket, sliding three galleons across the bar. He kept his hand firmly over the coins, holding the man's gaze.

"Remember that time Sirius and I saw you with that goat and we didn't say anything about it?" He said in a hushed tone so that Lily wouldn't hear.

Aberforth's expression remained guarded and he crossed his arms. "Which time, exactly?"

James rolled his eyes. "You pick. You still owe me." He released the gold coins and watched Aberforth pocket them.

"What can I do for you, lad?"

James grinned broadly. "Absolutely nothing, my good man. I've already taken care of it, just need your word that no one will come out back and bother us."

Aberforth's eyes narrowed accusingly. "What'd you do, Potter?"

"Nothing me and the lads haven't done before and everything will be put back the way it was when I'm finished." James reasoned, throwing in his most charming smile as he watched the figurative gears in Aberforth's head turn. "Look, have my mates and I ever done you wrong? Just give me an hour, alright?"

Aberforth grunted and shook his head. "Yeah, alright. But that field best be back to normal when you're through, Potter! My goats eat that grass, you know!"

"You're a gentleman and a scholar, sir." James gave a mock salute and turned back to where Lily was sitting and attempting to look patient while she sipped her butterbeer. "Ready?"

Lily's brow furrowed and she tilted her head, confused. "But I thought-?"

James smirked and offered his hand to her again. "You thought wrong. Let's go."

Lily eyed him skeptically, slowly placing her mug down on the bar before she took his hand and allowed him to lead her out the back door of the pub.

Behind the rickety old building of the Hog's Head Pub and past the row of small wooden goat paddocks – that seemed to be better kept than the bar itself – was a large, flat field of grass where the many goats that Aberforth Dumbledore kept as company would usually graze and run about doing whatever it was that goats did with their lives. Occasionally, the Marauders had taken to the field for other activities when they didn't want to be seen by other students. Private dueling practices to test out new hexes, games of fetch when Sirius had too much energy to burn and no safe place to transform and run free, or even to just lay out in the summer and smoke Remus' muggle cigarettes and drink whatever they could get Aberforth to give them.

They had also found, three winters prior, that the field could easily be charmed into a thick, sleek sheet of ice that was perfect for skating on, and that was the sight that made Lily Evans gasp softly and James tried to hide his smug grin.

Lily's head snapped to the side, fixing him with an accusing glare. "I thought you said you weren't going to go 'over the top' and this was a 'low key' date, Potter?"

James chuckled and shrugged, holding his hands up defensively. "Hey, you're the one who asked about my notebook full of romantic ideas. I didn't want to disappoint. Besides, this is totally low-key compared to some of the other things I've thought of doing with you." He led her to the side of the makeshift ice rink where a fallen tree trunk made an excellent place to sit. "Let's see… I have a very elaborate plan involving a portkey that would transport us to a cafe in Paris for the evening." Lily snorted and James smirked, continuing, "That idea was nixed when Sirius pointed out I couldn't speak a lick of French and Remus said we'd probably get in loads of trouble for leaving the country while under school supervision."

"That's never seemed to stop you before."

"Hey, I'll take a detention for transfiguring Filch's cat into a tea cozy, but fleeing the country seemed a bit extreme." James winked at her, enjoying the way her cheeks were tinted pink. "Anyway, I figured that making a private skating rink was somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of what you would consider over the top." He took his wand and tapped the soles of his shoes which were instantly transfigured into skates. He gestured to the boots that Lily was wearing. "May I?"

Lily's eyes sparkled with amusement as she lifted both of her legs to rest across James' lap and he set to transfiguring her skates. "So, you made this yourself?"

James nodded. "Yeah, Remus and I figured it out back in fourth year. You know, when the lake had frozen over and everyone was out there skating on it? At least up until the squid broke through and Lockhart nearly drowned."

"Right…" Lily cracked a smile, remembering enjoying the newfound skating rink with Mary, Marlene, and Dorcas.

"Well, Sirius had been sitting out on the side under the tree, doing that whole pouty, brooding thing he always does when he isn't being given the proper attention. He nearly hexed Pete's bullocks off when Pete asked him why he wasn't out on the ice with everyone else. Turned out the poor sod was too embarrassed to admit he didn't know how to skate. Apparently, his mum thought it was a silly muggle pastime and wouldn't allow it." He tapped his wand on Lily's boots. "Anyway, we took him out here, Remus and I learned the charm to do it and we taught him how to skate so that no one would see him falling on his arse, which he did. A lot." He snickered at the memory. "But the bruised bum was better than a bruised ego in his opinion."

Lily laughed softly, swinging her legs off of James' lap. "And how about now? Can he skate?"

James snorted and rolled his eyes. "He manages. Although I think he lays it on real thick, pretending he still has trouble so that Remus will hold his hand. Prat." He stood, shakily at first, and then helped Lily up and together they hobbled across the grass to the edge of the ice. James flashed a grin. "What about you, Evans? I can hold your hand if you need me to."

Lily smirked, giving him a challenging look before she stepped out onto the ice and, without even a second to adjust her balance, took off in a smooth glide, circling around the perimeter once and ending with a graceful pirouette. She grinned back at James, brushing some windswept hair from her face. "I think I'm alright. Unless you need your hand to be held, Potter?"

Whatever fluttering creatures that had inhabited James' stomach went wild once again and he knew he must have had a pretty dopey grin on his face. He figured getting rid of said grin was a lost cause and he stepped out onto the ice to chase after her, both of them laughing.

—-

Remus huffed in annoyance. He was cold, his jeans were practically soaked through from the snow and the slush and he really just wanted to go to Honeydukes. He needed to restock his chocolate supply for the next full moon and he desperately wanted to get a warm butterbeer by the nice, warm fire in The Three Broomsticks.

Instead, he was watching Padfoot try to maneuver himself to hide beneath a bush in the field behind the Hog' Head.

"I've warmed you before," Remus growled, agitated, "You'll get fleas this way."

Padfoot made a whining sound, turning his big puppy eyes up at Remus woefully at his tone and Remus sighed. "Sorry, it's just bloody cold out here for those of us not covered in fur, you know."

Wormtail squeaked in what Remus assumed was supposed to be a sympathetic way and Remus glared icily down at the pocket on the chest of his coat. "Oh please, I'm sure it's plenty cozy in there."

Padfoot huffed at him and pawed at the spot beside him in the bushes. Remus pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know, Padfoot, I don't really want to sit all crouched up under some prickly bush on the cold wet ground."

Another pitiful whine from the dog.

"I'm not arguing with you like this, Sirius Black! You turn back and talk to me. I will not stoop to the level of crazy that is having a full-fledged argument with a dog, thank you."

More squeaking came from his pocket.

"Yes, Wormtail, I know it's already too late for that. You've been a real help by the way. Bugger both of you." He crouched down and crawled beneath the bush beside Padfoot, growing irritable when a branch snagged his hair. Padfoot barked happily and licked his face and Remus rolled his eyes, wiping away the drool from his cheek. "Yeah, yeah. You bloody owe me. And honestly, you ought to stop barking like that. Lily already caught a glimpse of you before. You're a lousy spy, Padfoot."

—-

James was sure he was going to wake up at any moment from this dream he was clearly having. He was going to wake up to Sirius dumping ice water on his head and telling him he was saying Lily's name in his sleep again.

Though, even in his dreams, his dates with Lily had never gone quite so well.

They finished skating when their legs began to grow tired and James transfigured their shoes and field back to their original forms before suggesting they move to The Three Broomsticks to grab something to eat.

"I have to say," Lily admitted as they walked hand in hand down the street. "I'm rather impressed, Potter."

James casually shrugged his shoulders, though in his mind he vividly imagined punching the air. "I told you I would make it worth your while if you'd go out with me."

Lily laughed. "Well, I did get a little nervous when we were at the Hog's Head," she confessed, her face scrunching up slightly as if she smelled something rotten. "While you were talking with Aberforth, I thought I saw a rat scurry across the bar."

Peter! Was James' first thought.

"What?!" James nearly shrieked, panic-stricken, and he lost his footing and stumbled forward, slipping on a patch of ice on the pavement. Desperate to catch his balance, he grabbed onto the closet thing he could for support which happened to be Lily's arm and they both crashed down on the ground, landing in a puddle of icy slush.

Ah, there we are. Much more like I imagined this date would go, James thought miserably as the freezing water seeped into his clothes. She'll definitely hate me now.

"Merlin, James!" Lily gasped, picking herself up off the ground and brushing herself off. "Are you alright?" She reached out and took his arm, pulling him up as well.

James groaned as he shook some ice off his pant leg. "Yeah, I'm alright. Shit, I'm so sorry, Lily. You're soaked."

"Don't be ridiculous, it was an accident," Lily insisted, her green eyes looking him over with concern. "You're sure you aren't hurt or anything?"

"I'm sure. Just a bruised ego. No worries, I handle that much better than Sirius does at least." James forced a laugh through chattering teeth as the cold started to set in.

Lily nodded, but she didn't seem convinced. "Come on then, Potter. Let's get inside and dry off, yeah?"

James sighed and took her hand again, letting her lead the way to The Three Broomsticks.

We love some meddlesome friends :D

I hope you are all thoroughly enjoying the Jily content. 3

Anyways, you can find me on Instagram and Gmail at Via889Fanfiction or my podcast The Marauders (Olivias' Version) on Spotify or Instagram at themaraudersoliviasversion.