[On Hiatus] It Was Meant to Be (A James and Lily Story)

Chapter 41

Warning: A bit more colorful language in this chapter compared to others. Apologies in advance.

"Oi, Evans!" she heard the unmistakable voice call across the table.

Suppressing a grin, she turned towards him. "What d'you want, Potter?"

James grinned at her, one corner of his mouth lifting higher than the rest. This all-to-familiar action caused Lily's insides to warm as she desperately tried to fight the urge to smile.

"Go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"Oh, alright, if I must," she replied, nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

James pumped an elated fist in the air. Lily rolled her eyes in exasperation and turned back to her conversation with Mary and Alice.

"Wow, that was a dream come true," Mary commented.

"What?"

"I'm just saying. He's been asking you to Hogsmeade for what? Three years? And you finally said yes? This day needs to go down in history."

"I'm just glad I got to witness the whole rollercoaster ride of your relationship in person," Alice chimed in.

Lily huffed and crossed her arms. "Some friends you are."

Alice laughed and threw her arms around Lily's shoulders. "You love us just the way we are."

Mary shrugged and stood from the bench across her. "We are also supposed to be working on that Defense essay, so show me some of that love by giving me all the answers."

Alice snorted and rose from beside Lily, slinging her bag onto her shoulder. "Get a move on, Lils."

Lily gulped down the last of her toast and wrapped a muffin in a napkin for later. She stuffed it into her bag and ran down the length of the Hall, trying to catch up to her friends.

The three of them walked to the library, catching up on the latest Hogwarts gossip (Lina and Chris, who knew?). Once they got there, they spread out their textbooks on a table close to the Defence section. Lily pulled out her parchment of notes from their class, using her quill to mark the important information. She noticed Alice had already begun to write her essay, her quill tracing long, swoopy letters into the parchment. Mary, on the other hand, had started reading the textbook, a crease forming between her eyebrows.

Lily smiled, feeling completely at ease. She loved studying with her friends. Alice and Lily had been friends since first year, and when Mary had joined, they had all fallen into a comfortable routine. They were all smart enough to figure out their work on their own, but something about having people around you while you worked made Lily all the more serene. After their OWLs, they had split off into different subjects, but Defence was still a class they all had in common. And so, every Saturday since their sixth year, the three of them had always made time to complete their Defence assignments together.

Mary studied her from across the table, her fingers still marking pages in her textbook. "Lil, where d'you think James is taking you for your Hogsmeade date?"

"God, as long as it's any place except for that horrid Madam Puddifoot's, I'll be content."

"Frank told me we're going to Honeydukes for our Christmas shopping," said Alice, her eyes never leaving the parchment.

Lily frowned at the realization. "Mary... I'm so sorry."

Her blonde friend looked at her in confusion.

Lily continued, "It completely slipped out of my mind, but you're gonna be so lonely at Hogsmeade on your own! I'll tell James to spend the day with his mates, and then you and I can go grab a pint at the Broomsticks or something."