Cruel Summer - Lily and James Potter

Chapter 4 - Exasperations

When Lily had stormed off she had left James at Kings Cross Station, where it was all remotely familiar as it was where all the students caught the Hogwarts Express. James had decided to have a break from the fiery girl for a while, just to let them both cool off after their little...incident.

He walked around the unfamiliar city streets, not knowing where he was or where he was going. If he had thought there was a lot of Muggles on the way to the train, he was sadly mistaken. The city was full of them. Brimming even. Everywhere he turned they were there. Even though he didn't hate the Muggles, he did feel uneasy to him. They were so different to the Wizards and Witches he knew, and they ways were also equally alien to him.

He rounded a corner and stopped, looking at the buildings, 'Ok, I'm sure I've just been here.'

James turned back again, not wanting to think those fateful thoughts. But it was inevitable.

'Ok,' he sighed, stuffing his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans, 'I'm lost.'

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Lily was fed up.

She had browsed around a few shops but even looking at the '30% OFF' sign in the window of 'Warehouse' didn't shift the guilt she felt.

The little nagging voice in the back of her mind kept telling her how unreasonable she had been.

'Shut up!' the stubborn side snapped, 'He deserved everything you said!'

Restraining the nagging guilt momentarily she walked inside the store, her mind filled by colours, textures, and more importantly, sale signs.

Lily had just picked up a tartan style mini-skirt when she felt the air shift behind her and a sharp tap on her shoulder. She turned around fast to see James' smirking face staring back at her.

'Did you apperate here?' she exclaimed, her eyes widening at the thought, 'What if someone saw you?'

'Oh, give it a rest,' he snapped, 'there's no one around.'

Lily paused for a second then turned back to the rack of skirts, making James shift his gaze to the skirt that she was holding. He took it for her hands and looked at it.

'So, looking Scottish and wearing a kilt is in this summer then?'

Lily spun around and snatched the skirt from his grasp, glaring at him.

'It so happens that these are fashionable now actually, not like you would understand the concept.'

James smirked at her glare, 'Hit me where it hurts, why don't you?'

'Oh shut up!' she snapped, turning away and walking to another rack of clothes, 'How would you know what a kilt looks like then?'

'I'm not stupid,' he frowned.

'Really,' she whispered, 'could have fooled me.'

James noticed she still held the skirt as she picked up more items.

'Are you buying all that stuff?'

'I'm trying them on,' she replied flatly, not bothering to look at him.

James' small 'oh' was lost on her as she turned to look at an evening gown that was hanging on a mannequin, in a satin emerald colour. Lily reached out to stroke it and the material flowed through her fingers like water. It was stunning. Gorgeous material pinned together at the waist, flowing down to ripple around the feet. Strapless, she noticed.

'Oh, it's beautiful.'

She completely forgot that James was standing next to her and she gazed at The Dress with desire.