James and Lily: It Took A While

Decade Chapter

Chapter Ten

~~~~~~~~~

Elle fell asleep on her four poster the minute we reached our dormitory, so I headed down to dinner alone. I had just reached the entrance hall when James Potter yelled, "Evans! Hey, Evans!"

I turned and waited for him to catch up. "Yes?"

"I was, uh, talking to, uh, Sirius, and, uh-" He bit his lip. "Anyways, I was wondering, since we had so much fun in Hogsmeade, you know, besides attack of evil Snape, if you would go on the next trip with me? I think it's sometime in December." He ran his hands through his already messy hair.

I took a deep breath. Natural instinct told me to shoot him down, and fast. But this new, minuscule part of me had a different idea.

"I'm sorry. I said I'd go with Elle. She's been needing a chance to get out of the school, and since she couldn't get out of Hogwarts last weekend, she made me promise to go with her in December. I'm sorry," I said again.

"Oh, uh, that's okay. Um, I'll go now. I already had dinner." He began to walk up the marble staircase.

"But, um," I said quickly.

What are you doing Lily? Stop. Stop NOW. MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY. I ignored myself.

"I'm not busy the next visit, if you still wanted to, uh, go."

Why were we acting like twelve-year-olds? Why why why?!

His face lit up before he could mask it with his cool façade. "Oh, uh, I guess I'm not busy. I don't know if Sirius, but uh, nah I should be free."

"Cool," I said, smiling. He was being such a dork.

"Great."

I walked away, back towards the Great Hall.

"Hey, Evans!"

I turned and saw that he had run to the bottom of the stairs. His glasses were askew and his hair even messier than normal.

"So um... The courtyard, third Hogsmeade visit, February?"

"Yes, Potter." I rolled my eyes. "I'm, uh, gonna eat now," I said, pointing towards the Great Hall.

"Okay, okay," he said, turning around and talking the stairs two at a time. I had not taken five steps when I heard the unmistaken sound of two boys whooping.

Oh, Sirius, I thought.

As I walked into the Great Hall and took my seat at the Gryffindor table, I came to bearings with what I had just done.

I. Had. Just. Agreed to. An actual. Date with. James. Potter.

And I was okay with it.

I'd just have to hope that word didn't get out. Lily Evans, six years turning down James Potter, finally says yes in seventh year. I put my head in my hands. Maybe I just didn't care.

~

The next day at lunch, Potter, Sirius, Peter, Elle, and I were joined by, most strangely, Bailey and Stella. Since the rumors about Remus, and Elle and I had started hanging out with the Marauders, they had kind of dropped Potter and Sirius for another crowd. (You don't hear me complaining.)

But I figured out why they had decided to sit with us not ten minutes into our lunch.

"So... James." Stella twirled her hair. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me on the next trip in December." She flashed him a snooty smile.