The Other War // James Potter & Lily Evans

disasterous dates;

Sirius draped himself artistically over one of the arms of the sofas, holding his hand to his forehead in mock exasperation.

"You know," Remus said over his current novel. "I don't think you need to be the one to freak out, James is the one going out on the date."

"This is everyone's date, Mooney. Accept it." Sirius rebutted dramatically.

Remus sighed as if giving in to Sirius argument. James stood, his nerves jittering. He pulled on the sleeves of his sweater as he began to pace the room.

"Leave." Remus said. "Go, go on," he prompted. "Lily will be on her way by down to The Three Broomsticks by now." James checked his watch and Remus was right. James had five minutes to be there, and he didn't want to keep Lily waiting. He paced a couple more steps until Remus physically guided him out the door into the Gryffindor common room, into the crowded hallway and promptly slammed the portrait in his face. The Fat Lady's fat wobbled with the force.

"Quite careful there," she said behind her. "I can't think with my brain wobbling about in my skull like that, now can I?" She grumbled the last bit to herself and James was about to point out that she didn't have a brain but for his own sake, he decided to let the comment slip.

He straightened his shirt so the collar hung out of his sweater but he pulled it all back out again and took the sweater off when he realised how uptight he must have looked. He wrapped his sweater around his waist and pulled his favourite jacket over his shoulders. It used to be his father's jacket. It was dark blue and was as long as James's mid thigh. It was as warm as an oven and James often tried to avoid wearing it, lest he ruin it. (Which, for James Potter, wasn't a rare occurrence). He hurried out the doors.

Having been cooped up in the common rooms with the toasty fire all morning, the bitter October air was nothing short of a shock. He wrapped his coat around him as if he could ward off the cold, which he couldn't and he froze as he trudged his way down to the merry town of Hogsmeade.

When Lily had sprung the date on James, he'd gone along with her flow for argument's sake but now that he was standing in knee-deep snow in the middle of Hogsmeade with his jacket wrapped so tightly around his middle he couldn't breathe, he kind of regretted not putting a little bit more organisation into the event. He shivered. All Lily had said was to meet him by the central pole at noon and as James checked his watch and noticed that it read 12:18, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Lily stood behind him, tucked under a thin jacket, cheeks rosy red from the cool air, laboured breaths coming out in puffs of white. She smiled widely and swept some hair out of her face with her fingers.

"Where are we going?" James managed.

"Well hello to you too, Potter, " she said and James grinned sheepishly in return.

"Hello." He stated.

"Hi."

"Where are we going?"

"Uh," Lily stammered, looking for an answer. "Well I can say for certain that we are not going to Madam Puddifoot's..." She trialled off.

"How about The Three Broomsticks?" James suggested with a shrug.

Lily shrugged. "Butterbeer sounds nice."

Together, the two, of them trudged through the crowd, muttering unheard apologies to people who they rudely knocked over and giggled, giggled, as they did so. Next to James, Lily shivered just as her mouth opened to say something.

"Are you cold?" James asked. She shrugged, but didn't say no. James started to unbutton his coat.

"Don't give me your coat," Lily warned.