Of Chocolate and Raindrops

Chewy Chocolate Cake

James led Lily down by the Hufflepuff common room under the cloak, up to the painting of a bowl of fruit.

                “Okay, ready?” He asked excitedly.

                “For what?” Lily looked skeptical.

                “Reach out your hand, and tickle the pear!”

                “What?”

                “Just do it!”

                Lily obeyed. The pear began to laugh, and then the portrait swung open. “What the heck?” she demanded.                                

                “Just come in!” James laughed. He climbed into the door first, then turned around to pull Lily in. She needed a bit of help, because, well, she was a lot shorter than James.

                She surveyed the room, and James tried to view it from her perspective. The room was all white, and it was in the shape of a square. There was a door in the corner, also white, but the door was only as tall as about James’ knees. There was a white couch facing an armchair on the left side of the room, and a table with four chairs circling it on the right.

                “Where are we?” Lily asked, slightly confused and a bit awed.

                “Hogwarts kitchens,” James smiled. “Found this with Sirius in the third week of second year,”

                “Of course you did,” she laughed, crinkling her nose. “Of course,”

                A house elf walked out of the white door, and bowed so low that his nose brushed the ground. “Master James, miss…?”

                “This is Lily, Lily Evans,” James grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets.

                The house elf smiled brightly. “Why hello, Ms. Evans, Wibby has heard very much about you,” he winked conspiratorially at James, who felt a slight flush enter his cheeks.

                Lily was visibly trying not to laugh, but James thought he detected a small blush in her cheeks as well.

                “What can Wibby get you?” asked the house elf.

                “I’ll have a coffee, please, and maybe a piece of chocolate cake?” James looked at Wibby.

                “I’ll also have a piece of cake, and a hot chocolate please,” Lily gazed once more around the room.

                “That is no problem for Wibby,” Wibby said proudly, and exited through the door.

                “Shall we?” James gestured to the couch and chairs.

                “We shall,” Lily lifted her chin and pretended to walk in high heels over to the armchair. James sat across from her.

                “So how are you doing?” James’ voice softened a bit as he looked at Lily.

                She shrugged. “About as well as you think I would be after that. I’ll recover, of course, but…” she sighed and let the end of her sentence drift into nothing.

                James smiled shyly at her. “It’ll be okay, Lily. I promise,” though he was grinning, his eyes looked anguished and worried, and he knew it. He hoped Lily wouldn’t notice.