Love Schemes

I.

"Potter! Pssst! Potter, you git, wake up!"

James blearily opened his eyes and rubbed them to focus on the figure in front of him. When he saw who it was, he bolted upright.

"Evans?! What the bloody hell are you doing in my dorm at," he checked the time, "two in the morning? Merlin!"

"I'm not Merlin, but thanks, I guess. Shove over." Lily pushed him to the opposite edge of the bed and crawled in next to him, closing the red and gold curtains behind her. "Muffliato. We need to discuss a very important matter."

"Evans, ar-"

"If this is going to work, you need to learn my name."

"Okay... Lily, are you asking me to the Valentine's Day Ball?"

"Eugh! Merlin, no!" Lily made a disgusted face and pulled a piece of parchment from her pants pocket while James laughed.

"It's about your friends."

James frowned. "What about them? Did they bother you?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "No, it's about their obvious interest in each other!"

"Huh?"

"Wow, you really are an oblivious little shit." Lily rubbed her forehead and chuckled. "You're telling me you haven't noticed anything? Nothing at all?"

"With who?"

"Sirius and Remus, of course!"

James thought for a moment, pulling at the threads coming from his blanket, the one his mother made him. "Well... I dunno. I guess Sirius is Remus' closest friend at the moment. But Remus kind of shuts everyone out, so that's not that impressive."

"But that's exactly the point!"

James tilted his head to the side, squinting at Lily, who sighed in annoyance.

"He shuts everyone out, except Sirius! This is bloody perfect!" Lily unfolded the parchment and pulled out a plastic stick-looking thing from inside of it. James furrowed his eyebrows at it.

"What's that?"

Lily blinked at him. "I- it's a fucking pen, James. How the hell do you not know what a pen is?"

James shrugged and Lily shook her head, turning back to the parchment. There seemed to be a list on the parchment. Lily noticed James staring and said, "Ideas for how to get them together." James nodded and watched her write a few new ideas on there, throwing in a suggestion every now and then.

"Ooh! How about mistletoe," James suggested.

"It's February, you goddamn idiot."

Eventually, they picked their three best options to try the next day (or really, later that day), Valentine's Day.

"Alright, we've landed on lock them in a closet, love potion, and truth or dare."

"Can you-"

"James, I've already explained truth or dare to you, like, four times. I'm not explaining again. Ask Marls or something."

"But McKinnon hates me!" James pouted.

"Make an effort. Maybe then she'll like you." Lily patted James' shoulder and took down the silencing charm, motioning for him to be quiet.

"I'll see you at breakfast, yeah? Be there early so we can discuss before Lupin and Black get there," she whispered.

James nodded and Lily closed the curtains. James heard her small footsteps retreating to the door and the quiet creak as the door closed. He leaned back on his pillows and attempted to process the conversation that had just happened.