Nah, She Didn't

~ Part 62 ~ Have A Biscuit ~

TNT - AC/DC

-Lily POV-

"James. They're my items, I can pay for them," I tell James as we stand in front of the counter at Zonkos.

"No! No. You paid for the movie and snacks," he insists. "And Madam Pudifoots."

"What? Are you seriously talking about the movies over the summer? That was ages ago. And besides, even if you had convinced me that you should pay for yourself, you wouldn't have had any muggle money anyways! And I never even use my muggle money because I'm always at Hogwarts and not at home! I'm-" I tell him.

"I'm paying," James replies firmly. And before I can protest, he slaps two galleons down on the counter in front of the cashier. "Here," he tells the cashier; a young guy who looks like he may have just graduated Hogwarts a couple of years ago.

"Alr-" the cashier starts.

"Don't take it," I demand at the cashier menacingly, with a glare.

"Take it," James says to the cashier.

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't!"

I give another piercing glare to the cashier, who's looking nervously back and forth between me and James.

"...Do."

~ ~ ~

So eventually, James had stuffed his two galleons into the cashier's money box and slammed it shut, the box automatically locking. I had grudgingly followed the prideful boy out of the shop, arguing that he should've let me payed.

We had already been to Honeydukes, so now four bags of things were hanging from our two pairs of arms.

"I could've payed for my own stuff," I mumble, glaring childishly at the ground as we walk down the street.

"Well, I wasn't going to let you," James responds.

"What, just because I'm a girl? If you think that a male always has to pay for a female, then that's very sexist of-" I tell him.

"No! It's just because you payed for the movie and Madam Pudifoots!" He exclaims.

"Okay. Fine," I say. After a while, a smile creeps onto my face. I guess I couldn't stay angry that long.

I look over at James and see him grinning cheekily at me.

"You couldn't stay angry at me that long," he chirps, reading my mind. I roll my eyes and shove his arm. I see my wrist as I do, and notice the time.

"Holy Hippogriffs! It's 5:30!" I exclaim, looking at my watch that reads 5:32 pm.

"Uh oh..." James says.

"Yes! Uh oh! It takes at least thirty minutes to walk back, and by then we'll be late for dinner!" I yell frantically. "How is it already that late? We haven't even been here that long!"

"Then we won't walk! We'll run," James announces.

And at that we both look at each other, and bolt towards the end of the street at the same time, our bags swinging as we run.

We keep on, racing past the end of the street, then past another, and another until we finally exit Hogsmeade.

I see the sunlight disappear, so I look up at the sky to see huge, dark gray clouds coming towards us.

"Bloody hell!" James exclaims, seeing the same thing as I do.

I feel the first droplet on my shoulder. Then another on my arm. Then one on my head. Then another, and another, and another, and another, and all of a sudden, it's pouring down on us.

For some reason, I feel the urge to laugh at our luck. So I do. I let out a little giggle as we continue down the street, then a stream of laughter comes from my lips.

And soon, me and James are both laughing our heads off deliriously for no very apparent reason.

~ ~ ~

We soon come to a stop in front of the big school, I guess too busy laughing to even notice the time passing as we ran.

Still laughing and panting quite a lot, we push open the large doors and stumble in.

I giggle in between breaths along with James as we walk down the corridor. That is, until I hear a very unwelcome meow, and Mrs. Norris comes striding down the hallway. As soon as she sees us she lets out a larger, louder meow (more of a screech), and suddenly Filch is stomping down the corridor towards us.

"What're you doin?" He asks gruffly. "And you're getting mud and water all over the place!"

We both open our mouths to respond, but he beats us to it.

"You know what? McGonagall can deal with this because I've got to clean up all the mud you tracked into the building," he snaps.

~ ~ ~

Filch knocks on McGonagall's door at 6:03 pm, and it seems unlikely that she would be in her office rather than in the Great Hall for dinner.
But surely enough, the professor opens the door after a moment.

"Argus. What is it this time? You need me to reprimand an owl for getting dirt on the floor?" McGonagall asks with a raised eyebrow.

"No!" Filch exclaims. "I caught these two comin' in late, soaked, and gettin' mud everywhere."

"Fine," she replies curtly, then looks around Filch's shoulder and spots us. Her eyes flash with something that I can't quite place when she sees us, and her thin, straight lips might have even curved up a millimeter. Maybe. "I will take care of them."

Filch pushes us in, and McGonagall closes the door after us, motioning for us to sit down on the chairs in front of her desk.

"Don't get caught, eh, Evans?" James mumbles to me with a small smirk. I snort.

McGonagall peers at us through her glasses, takes a seat, and then speaks.

"So you were late?" She asks.

We nod.

"Just returning from Hogsmeade?"

We nod.

"Together?"

I don't understand what that has to do with anything, but we both nod.

McGonagall pauses.

"Have a biscuit," she eventually says. James and I look at each other with raised eyebrows, but both shrug and take a biscuit from the plate in her desk. "I will excuse you in this instance, because I'm sure you both simply lost track of the time, but in the future I expect you to keep an eye on the clock."

"Uh, thanks, Professor, but why-" James starts.

"Now, off to dinner," she tells us.

"Of course, Professor," I say, giving James a look.

We both scurry out of the classroom, heading for the Great Hall.

"James, when a professor lets you off easy, you don't question it!" I exclaim.

"Well, sorry, I just-" James starts. I chuckle.

"Let's go to dinner."

~ ~ ~
NOTES: X

-Amelia