CHAPTER 6
Under the Stars
The Heads' Common Room was dimly lit by sweet-smelling candles. The fire crackled happily, as James stood in the doorway of the balcony, his mouth wide open at Ana. In his hands he clutched some lilies, and a small note was attached to the bouquet. He wore rather formal attire, to be perfectly honest, and Lily felt her insides squirm with more anxiety than ever before. Ana, realizing that this was supposed to be a special time between James and Lily, slipped out of the room silently, but could hear the echoes of Lily's raised voice barricading the corridor.
"What-what-what is this?" Lily stammered, pointing at the flowers that his hands were wrapped around.
He twitched uncomfortably before spluttering out, "I-it's just a...Oh, I don't know. I just thought you would like it." He bowed his head down in shame. He shakily handed the flowers to her.
Lily felt a twinge of sympathy for the poor boy; going out of his way to do all of this for her was very sweet of him. She even felt like a butterfly or two were bouncing around in her stomach, but she shook it off. It was impossible for her to even consider liking James in that way. He would always be that annoying, arrogant, pig-headed boy in her class that would grow up to be just as horrible as a person. But, for some odd reason, Lily smiled at him for just a second. Abruptly, the little color that James's face held flooded a dark scarlet.
"This is very-" Lily began, as James held his breath in for her reaction. "Sweet of you, Potter. It really is." James's shoulders slumped down glumly at the mention of his last name.
"It's okay if you don't like it." James said, blowing out the candles that he could. "I'll just clean it all-"
"No!" Lily felt herself blurt out, without intention. She scolded herself for stopping him, but it seemed that he had worked so hard on this, and she didn't want to hurt his feelings.
James looked at her with wide eyes. "Really? So...you want me to leave it all there?"
"Yes, yes, I guess that would be all right," she said, hiding her faint blush by placing the lilies in a glass vase and patting down her clothes.
They stood in silence for a moment or two, not sure what to say. Lily was rather touched, and James rather anxious. He wanted everything to be perfect, and wanted this to be a night to remember.
"This isn't a date, is it?" Lily asked cautiously, sitting herself down at the couch on which she usually watched Quidditch games.
James paused before answering, "No. Not at all. I am just glad that we are finally-in some way or another-friends."
"You're ever so kind, Potter. I'm glad this isn't a date," Lily replied.
"Yeah..." James said.
Lily, realizing she had said something hurtful, patted his shoulder and said, "What I mean by that is that I don't have to act like I am perfect, when clearly I am not. You know, all the tension to impress someone really does give one the jitters."
James nodded, and grinned as if something just popped into his head at that moment. "Then let's be ourselves. Follow me; I want to show you something." James took out his hand and held it out to her, motioning for her to take it. He smiled and said, "Close your eyes."
"Oh, you're joking," Lily said, an eyebrow raised, hesitating.
"Do you trust me?" James asked sincerely, a playful look dancing about his eyes.
It seemed that her mind had no control over her words. "I trust you."
She gracefully placed her hand into his, and gently closed her eyes. James felt his heart flutter, his insides dance. He walked steadily towards the French glass door, and creaked it open. Lily shivered as a cold draft drifted towards her. James politely placed a green blanket over her. He didn't know if she knew if she was doing it, but a small smile was tugging at her mouth. When he looked back to make sure she was all right, it seemed as if nothing was as important as she. Her red hair was dangling down to her elbows, her freckles sprinkled on her face. In the moonlight, she looked more dazzling than one could even imagine. It seemed as if a shadow overcame some of her face, and it made her look stellar. It seemed as if all of his wildest dreams had come true over the past days. He was friends with her, and they were at the moment holding hands. Sirius would call him a sissy, because usually on his first "date," he would snog the girl as soon as possible. James was more of a fragile and romantic soul, wanting to take things more slowly. He wanted this whole thing to be perfect. He felt himself staring at her, lost in thought, forgetting that he was supposed to be taking her somewhere.
"Hello? Aren't you supposed to be taking me somewhere?" Lily asked, a little annoyed, but her eyes still remained closed.
James shook his head, as if it were supposed to get her off his mind. Remus told him that in muggle comics, it worked, so he decided to try it. James gently pulled her out onto the balcony, the shining stars above them twirling in the black blanket of a sky. On the marble floor, James moved the dining table to the side, with the chairs. In its place was a rugged, blue blanket spread across the floor, with one or two candles on the corners, holding it in place. He gingerly dragged her to the ground to sit down.
He laid her down, and whispered in her ear, "Open your eyes."
She felt herself gasp when her eyes finally focused to see the stars above. They danced in the dim moonlight, shining and sparkling. She smiled broadly and turned her head to look at James right next to her. He was looking up at the stars with a smug look, knowing that she was looking at him. His hand was right next to hers, only the width of a piece of paper separating them. Lily felt her heart race, like she was running a marathon. Her mind was swirling in circles, really confused and twisted. She didn't know if it was true feelings. She inched away from his hand, afraid that she would develop some deeper feelings by the slightest touch.
Lily pointed up at a group of stars. "Look at that group of stars. It looks like a bunny," she whispered with an excited tone to her voice. James felt the blood pump through his veins harder than ever before, and his heart was drumming against his ribs.
"Yeah, look at that. Oh-" James pointed out another group of stars. "They look like they formed to create a star. Do you see it?"
"Yes. It's so beautiful," Lily said, her green eyes twinkling.
Suddenly, a shooting star soared across the sky. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw James mouthing a wish. Noticing that she was required to wish as well, she squeezed her eyes shut and thought of the wish that she had always wanted. Every birthday, every special occasion, she wished for the same thing.
James, on the other hand, had always wished for a new broom, or something of that nature. But this time it was different. This time he let his heart fly, and wished for something out of the ordinary, something that would only happen one in a million times. He decided that he would always wish that same wish from now on. James knew that maybe, just maybe, if he wished it enough, and tried as hard as he could to make it happen, his wish would come true.
Lily turned her head again to look at him. His eyes seemed lost in the moment, as if he were trying to take a picture of what was happening right now.
"You know, I have never looked at the stars in this way before," Lily commented, giving him a half smile.
"Really? I used to do it all the time with Jackie. She taught me all about the stars. She got me into them," James replied, a sad smile upon his face.
"Jackie is your....mother, right?" Lily asked, ashamed that she didn't remember.
"Sister. Jackie was my sister," James said with a hint of irritation, as if she had poked a bruise that was hidden deep down in his heart.
Lily frowned. "James, I didn't mean to offend you. I just wanted to know about your sister."
"She was wonderful...my best friend," James uttered with melancholy, apparently uncomfortable. "Well, for a girl, I mean."
"Oh." Lily didn't know what to say. She didn't know a thing about his family, and she would regret her next words. "Well, what happened to her? Where is she now?"
James's eyes were the mirror to his soul. When Lily stared into those hazel orbs, she saw something screaming with agony. Something wasn't right. He fidgeted, and blinked furiously, as if he were about to shed a tear.
"She-she's gone. Dead." James struggled to reply, and Lily put a hand over her mouth.
"Oh, my goodness. James, I am so sor-"
"Forget it. It's in the past. I don't want to talk about it." James turned away from Lily and sat up.
