Harry Potter Isekai - Marauders Era

Chapter 9: Pleasant "Date"

Chapter 9

Marlene's POV

I get up at 8am to get ready for that "date" and by getting ready, I really just mean to do my normal routine and eat breakfast before meeting with James. It's not a real date and he's showing me what he would do for another girl on a date to seek a second opinion. No need to take it too seriously. Or at least that's what I thought until I went down to see James waiting for me not too far from the Ravenclaw tower's entrance. He was dressed in a really nice deep blue robe and black slacks. We make eye contact as soon as he notices someone within his eye view.

"Morning McKinnon. Are you ready to go? Wait, are you wearing that?" My eyebrows creased together in confusion as I looked down at my own outfit: a gray and purple sweatshirt and sweatpants.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"That's not a date outfit! McKinnon!"

"It's not even a real date. What's the big deal?"

"You! No! This won't do! If we're going to do this, we're going to do this right! We can't half-arse our way through this experiment. Now go back and get changed! Go!" He ordered with finality. I glared but said nothing as I marched myself back up to change. What do people even wear on dates? It's cold outside and I reckon it may snow later.

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After being satisfied with my outfit, James leads me to the carriages that will lead us to Hogsmeade. I was surprised when our first stop ended up being the new tea shop. James opened the door for me to head inside as well as held the chair for me to sit before sitting down himself. I looked at him with pleasant surprise.

"What?" He smiled knowingly, making me giggle. "It's only the beginning but by the way you are looking at me, I'm doing a pretty good job so far. Now I have to warn you, don't fall in love-" He swiftly dodges the swing of my right arm, "with me."

"Make another cheeky comment and I'll end this date now." I warned him.

"Oh come on, McKinnon. It's only a joke. A. Joke."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Do you think Lily will have that mindset too?" My question made him shrink slightly.

"Yes ma'am." James answers submissively, making me crack a little smile and laugh. He looked at me making eye contact before we both laughed out loud. "You should keep in character, McKinnon. You are right, Lily probably won't take my jokes as kindly as you."

"I'll do my best." I smiled.

After the fit of laughter, we fell right into a comfortable atmosphere. Our conversations ended up more pleasant than I would have imagined. We talked about many different things as we munched on finger snacks of sandwiches and pastries while sipping on tea. We spoke about our interests in different magical creatures and our friends' antics. We spoke about our plans for the future after Hogwarts. James dreams of being an auror during the day and coming home to Lily as his future wife. He hopes to one day have three to five kids who will all love quidditch and they would play together in their yard with the rest of the Marauders. It's sweet, really. I do hope that the future will change for them and they will survive the Halloween attack to make it happen. I told him about my wanting to live a peaceful life with my parents in the future.

"You don't have any other dreams?"

I shrugged, "Whatever happens, happens, I guess. I'm pretty simple. I treasure my parents and just want to be with them. You love your parents too, I reckon. I heard they love you greatly."

"Yes! They're great – a bit on the older side compared to most so I want them to live as long as possible." Harry Potter's grandparents... How did they die again? Was it from old age or from an illness?

"How are your parents' health?" I asked curiously.

"They're healthy! Pa's still working as an auror even now. He's head of the auror department, although I think he may pass it on to a subordinate in a few years or so." He looks up in thought.

"Since they are up there in age, you should probably advise them to take precaution on contagious illnesses going around. Take any prevention potions early if needed."

"Ah! I heard there were some small cases of dragon pox in the countryside. You think that might be a risk?"

"Maybe. You can never be too careful." I said, hopeful. I don't remember exactly why his parents died in the original series but maybe this might make a difference, even if just a little.

James nods in understanding, "I'll write to pa and ma. Just in case." I nodded along with him.

We finished up our date after going to get more parchment and quills as well as stopping by Honeydukes for some sweets. James even bought me a variety of sugar quills and chocolate wands, as a "thank you" for the day. Honestly, it was enjoyable and I think Lily is very lucky to be on this date – once she says "yes" to James in the future. If I remember correctly, they don't get together until 7th year. He's still got some time to go now that Lily and Severus are together – maybe that was why they didn't get together until their last year.

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James's POV

Today was super fun. Marlene McKinnon may be Lily's stand in for today's date but I found that we had more in common than I ever thought. She's easy to talk to – once she's no longer going for my head – and she really does give good advice. We decided not to go to Rosmerta's for any butterbeer and instead opt for going to places that were more quiet for conversational purposes. I never had a Hogsmeade trip like this one before. I truly do hope Lily will give me a chance to experience this as well.

We were walking in the middle of the alley when we noticed cold, wet drops on our heads. Looking up, we see the first snowfall for this cold season. I look over to see Marlene smile beautifully as she holds her hand out to feel the snow. Wait, "beautifully..."? I shake my head from the thought and smile back at her as she looks into my eyes. They're also green – her eyes – but they're different. While Lily's green eyes are bright and enchanting, Marlene's eyes are soft, warm and understanding; it's like she can see into my soul.

"Potter?" Her voice snaps me from my trance and I notice our position. Without realizing so, I have moved closer to her, closing the huge gap between our bodies. Our faces are only inches from each other. She looks up at me, confusion present on her face as she tilts her head cutely to one side. Wait, cutely? I backed away immediately and coughed awkwardly into my right fist.

"Y-yeah?" I didn't mean to stutter but it came out as so.

"You okay?" I look at her again as she stares at me with genuine concern.

"Y-yeah. Let's go, before it gets bad." She nods in agreement as we continue to walk back to the carriages to head back to the castle.

What was I thinking? What was that?