fatal love

Chapter 67

The next week was the start of October. The first Hogsmeade visit of the year was that weekend, and James was determined to get Evans to go with him. But for someone so good at Quidditch strategy, his planning when it came to Lily was bloody awful.

His mistake was trying to ask her during History of Magic. They shared that class with the Slytherins again that year, and Evans sat at the front next to Snape, while James sat with Sirius in the back.

"I'm gonna ask her," James whispered. "I'm gonna do it."

"Okay," Sirius nodded, "well, try and catch her when class ends, before all the girls surround her. Never ask a girl out when they're in a group, everyone starts giggling and it's a mess."

"Are you mad? I can't speak to her!"

Sirius gave James a skeptical look. "What exactly do you think you're gonna do in Hogsmeade if you can't even speak to the girl?"

James shook his head. "That's a problem for future me. Which one of these notes is best?" James passed him three different notes, and Sirius sighed, reading them.

You, me, Hogsmeade. Meet in the Entrance Hall on Sat.

Evans, are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend? I heard Scrivenshafts is having a sale!

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Go to Hogsmeade with me and I'll go with you

"Oh Merlin," Sirius muttered, "these are... these are all awful. James, you can't possibly think any of these are good?"

"What's wrong with them?"

"Well, the first one is an order, not you asking her out," Sirius started.

"Girls like confidence!"

"The second one is the opposite, you didn't even mention you guys doing anything together-"

"It's implied!"

"No it's not," Sirius told him. "And the last one... Go to Hogsmeade with me and I'll go with you? Really? That's the rhyme you came up with?"

James slumped. "It's not my best, I'll admit."

Sirius took pity on his best mate. "Look, you're overthinking this. You're a nice guy, but you're your own worst enemy. Just put something simple and polite."

"Like what?"

"I dunno... hey Evans, do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday?"

James grabbed his quill and another bit of parchment. "Say that again."

"No," Sirius glared.

James flipped him the v, but wrote down a message anyway. He folded into an uneven-looking heart shape, and Sirius rolled his eyes, but restrained himself from saying anything.

James got his wand out, and Sirius flinched instinctively. James looked at him in concern. "Wingardium Leviosa," he said slowly, charming the parchment and floating it over to Evans as Binns carried on with his lesson obliviously.

It landed on her desk in front of her, but unfortunately Snape snatched it up before Evans could. He unfolded it, Lily peering over his shoulder to read it.

"Bollocks," James cursed.

Snape twisted around in his chair to sneer at James, and James glared back. Lily grabbed the note back from Snape and started writing something, and Snape started whispering in her ear furiously.