Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day

CHAPTER 1

For the umpteenth time, Lily had walked out of Transfiguration leaving hordes of gawking onlookers in her wake, including me, James Potter, idiot extrordinaire, rubbing a sore spot on my face.

"Geez James, how do you do it?" said Remus as we walked down the hall after class.

Despite having the pain in my jaw, I smiled. "I know, I must have a gift or something."

"No, I mean, how DO you do it? She comes in, happy as can be. Then you go and open your big yap and soon cutlery begins to fly!" Remus replied, waving his arms for emphasis.

Wanting to leave this situation, I said, "I have Potions now."

"Go, go. Before you cause any more damage."

I walked into dreaded Potions class wondering how on the planet Earth I was so... bad at the simple act of communication.

Transfiguration had started as usual. Lily's assigned seat was in front of me, and she sat down in a confident manner which said, 'Bother me today and DIE!'

I apparently did not get the secret memo, and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, Evans."

"What, James?" she hissed.

"Well, someone forgot to take their Magical Midol this morning."

"Shut up you twit!" she hissed again. Obviously pissed at my remark, but I didn't notice. So I tapped her on the shoulder again. This time she ignored me. I simply REFUSED to be ignored.

I tapped her on the shoulder again, this time with feeling.

She whipped herself around, glaring at me with passionate hatred.

"So, do you want to go to the Valentine's Ball with me?"

Her eyes flared, she got up and stared at me with more passionate hatred. The teacher and the whole class fell silent. I got up as well, hoping for a yes.

"Well?" I asked.

Then she did something completely unexpected. She walked around my desk and socked me in the jaw.

"Hah!" I crowed triumphantly. "Sissy punch."

Actually, it hurt like hell. But I would never admit it. Not to her. Not ever.

Her best friend, who was sitting next to her, got up and ushered her out of the room, before she started using her feet.

I flopped myself on my dorm double-poster bed in the Gryffindor Tower.

It was February 13^th. According to my clock, it was exactly six hours and thirty-seven minutes before one of the most horrible days of the year: Singles Awareness Day.

Okay, so you may know it as Valentine's Day, but not for me. For me, each February 14^th comes as an awareness of the many couples in love all around me. The fact that I am not allowed in their little happy bubble is the icing on the cake. That day, every year, stung like rubbing salt on an open wound.

I've seen the way the younger girls at Hogwarts look at me. They think I'm a fine slice of Gryffindor beef. Batting their eyelashes, dropping books and things and flirting openly just adds even more to my hatred of Valentine's Day.

But...the one girl that I truly love, Lily Evans, ceases to notice me. I always ask her to go to the Valentine's Day Ball, and every year, she says "No."

Obsessive, maybe. Oh the irony! Oh the rejection!

As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about the incident in Transfiguration.

I wished that it all never happed. I didn't really want to be Lily's enemy, not by a long shot. She was a ray of sunshine, making everyone around her feel a little more special when she was around.

I would have given anything to make it right, to be her friend instead of mortal enemy. But even if I was given an unlimited amount of time, would she still be able to forgive me?

I slept uneasily that night.

At six o'clock, my dreamless sleep was broken by an annoying radio announcer.

"GOOD MORNING WIZARDING WORLD! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Hope you have someone special to snuggle up next to, because it's going to be cold outside! Snow tomorrow morning, though..."

SMASH!

I slammed my fist into the clock. It broke into several pieces, and the shards of metal sliced my hand.

I cursed and swore all the way to the sink. I picked out the remaining pieces and washed my hand out. I ran back to my room, and ripping up and old white shirt to wrap my hand.

I examined my handiwork while muttering to myself, "Good going Ex-Lax."

I got dressed and took one final look at my shattered alarm clock. I'd fix it later.

I almost didn't want to go outside of my dorm that day. But I still had one last chance this morning to get Lily to go with me to the Ball.

"It's going to be a loooong day," I thought.

I had no idea.

CHAPTER 2

As I walked toward breakfast, I tried not to notice all of the happy couples walking hand in hand, the heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, the flowers, and the teddy bears.

Is it just me, or do all these couples seem to come out of the woodwork just to annoy single people like me?

I was so engrossed in my thoughts I was smacked in the face by the rather large door to the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Oops...sorry Prongs." It was my best friend, Sirius Black, who was on the other side of the door that had caused my forehead to throb in pain.

I got up and kept walking into the Great Hall. The voices of all the love-struck people in the room seemed to rip my inner ears apart.

"James...?" I heard faintly behind me. Everything started to get all blurry...

I woke up as soon as I hit the ground.

Sirius turned me over on my back and splashed water on my face.

"My head has taken the beating of the year, Sirius..." I smiled sheepishly at him. "Thanks for not slapping me to consciousness..."

I saw Remus's head appear into view. "Let's get you to Madam Pomfrey." He gave Sirius a nod and they picked me up and took me through the maze of corridors to the hospital wing.

"James..."

No response.

"JAMES!!!!"

"Ahh! What?!" I shot back up a hospital wing bed. My head hurt so I laid back down.

It was Madam Pomfrey.

"You had better stay in bed today, Mr. Potter. I'm very sorry to make you do this and miss the Ball..."

"The Ball! Madam Pomfrey, what time is it?"

"Whatever time it is, it doesn't matter since you are staying in bed until tomorrow..."

There went my chance to ask Lily to the Ball. It was getting to be twilight outside, and I was very tired. I wondered what color her dress would have been. I drifted off into a quiet sleep...

"GOOD MORNING WIZARDING WORLD! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Hope you have someone special to snuggle up next to, because it's going to be cold outside! Snow tomorrow morning, though..."

My head shot up from the pillow of my bed. "They must be playing yesterday's tape. Stupid announcer." I thought. I decided not to smash the clock this time.....

I stopped and thought for a moment. "I never fixed the clock last night..."I looked at my hand. Nothing. Not even a cut nor the bandage. I jumped out of bed and looked at my old shirt, unripped. Then another thought, "I went to bed in the hospital wing last night, why did I wake up in my own bed?" I looked at my bed. Yup, it was real.

Then just out of curiosity. I looked at my dorm mate's calendar, he never misses a day, and it confirmed my worst fear.

It was February 14^th. Again.

"AAAARGH!!" I yelled.

Immediately there was a banging on the wall. "Hey! Will you two keep it down in there?" came a muffled shout. "Some people are trying to sleep!"

Two? Us? Oh. Eep! But my ego would rather let my neighbor think whatever he wanted about my sex life...or lack thereof.

"Sorry!" I yelled back.

I got dressed, and made my way down to the Great Hall. Like I did yesterday... or today?

Valentine's Day be damned!

When I nearly reached the huge doors to the Great Hall, I sidestepped just in time to see Sirius swinging it open with full force.

"Glad I missed that. Now I see how much that hurt. Ow." I thought.

"Hey Prongs! I was just gonna go find you. Breakfast has already started. You really need to set your alarm clock to an earlier time."

We sat down at our usual spot on the Gryffindor table. I eyed where Lily was sitting, which had been all too close to the place where I fell like a ton of bricks. But I'm guessing she didn't remember that, because the day is repeating itself. On this, I wasn't too sure.

"Hello James!" said Remus, and I acknowledged him with a nod.

"I guess he can't remember that he and Sirius took me to the hospital wing just yesterday, or today," I thought. "Just for an experiment..."

"Sirius, think of a number," I said.

"Okay."

"What is it?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Just tell me..."

"1,874."

"Thanks." I took a piece of toast and left.

I went back up to my dorm and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

"GOOD MORNING WIZARDING WORLD! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Hope you have someone special to snuggle up next to, because it's going to be cold outside! Snow tomorrow morning, though..."

I got up and, rather than smash the alarm clock with my fist, I threw it out the window and listened to the sweet sound of it breaking into a million pieces on the ground below outside the tower.

Then I went back to bed and rolled over. And stayed there until I fell asleep again.

"GOOD MORNING WIZARDING WORLD! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Hope you have someone special to snuggle up next to, because it's going to be cold outside! Snow tomorrow morning, though..."

"What the...?" I mumbled.

I grabbed the clock and ran down to the kitchen. The house-elves were busy on the other side so I took a pan, filled it with water, put the clock in it, and put on to high heat and left the room. I heard an explosion right as I opened my door, and I went back to bed.

"GOOD MORNING WIZARDING WORLD! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Hope you have someone special to snuggle up next to, because it's going to be cold outside! Snow tomorrow morning, though..."

"AAAARGH! THIS IS NOT FUNNY!!!!" I screamed at the heavens.

"Well, we're not laughing either. So shut up, you idiot!"

"GO TO HELL!!!!" I yelled back at my neighbor, whose identity was still unknown to me. Honestly, I didn't care what my neighbor thought about me.

I jumped out of bed, terrified. "This can't be happening!" I opened the window and stood on the ledge and without any second thoughts, took a swan dive to the pavement.

"GOOD MORNING WIZARDING WORLD! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Hope you have someone special to snuggle up next to, because it's going to be cold outside! Snow tomorrow morning, though..."

Horrified, I sat straight up in bed. I looked myself over. No broken bones, not a scratch on me, nothing. I began to consider my options. No matter what I did, I would wake up the next day here, in my bed, like nothing ever happened. I could die and nothing would happen. I could rob Gringotts, and nothing would happen. No aftermath, no consequences. I could say anything I wanted, to anyone, and they wouldn't remember it the next day.

And best yet, I had as long as I needed, maybe even an eternity of Valentine's Days to make things right with Lily.

"This could be interesting after all," I thought as I got ready for the rest of the day.

CHAPTER 3

I whistled as I walked down to the Great Hall, not really caring that I have seen all of it so many times before that Hogwarts on Valentine's Day was permanently tattooed on the back of my brain.

I spent a couple Valentine's Day's planning. (Time-continuum, the perfect asset for a marauder...) For once, I had seen the Valentine's Ball. I memorized all of its movements, who dances with who, what is where. But I had also noticed that Lily never appears at the Ball.

I decided to try actually talking to Lily one day.

I ran down as fast as I could to the Great Hall when I woke up, so I could beat Sirius opening the door at exactly 6:16.

I did beat him. I walked in and Sirius was about to get up but saw me. I could make out him saying, "There he is," to Remus and Peter.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lily," I whispered in her ear as I glided by. This got a rise out of her. She got up out of her seat and tried to speak, but then confusion registered in her green orbs.

"You...you called me Lily," she stammered.

"She's so cute when she's confused," I thought.

"Well, it's your name, isn't it?" I replied.

"Yes, but you never call me that."

"And I've never done this either..." I said, closing the gap between our faces.

Now, I intended to give her a granny kiss, that's all, I swear! But one such as me cannot resist strawberry lip gloss.

As soon as I pulled back a bit, she slapped me with full force. This I should have expected.

"How DARE you!!!" she yelled.

"Oh, Lily," I said, smiling my best megawatt charmer. Thinking of something perfect to say, "I love you."

"THAT"S NOT THE POINT!!! You...you... just don't go kissing people you hate like that."

"Now what ever gave the idea that I hated you?"

Confused and angry, she stormed out of the Great Hall, and I sat down to eat breakfast. But soon after I felt like a real idiot for what I did.

I only had one class that day. It just had to be the one class I had where Lily wasn't in it. Oh well.

Professor Forestier asked to speak with me after class.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked innocently.

"No," he said. "In fact, your test scores are all up. Your grades are very impressive, even for you, Mr. Potter."

"They ought to be, I've taken the same test 23 times already. No...wait. 19. I skipped this class four times."

"What? That's impossible!" The professor's eyes widened in astonishment and confusion.

"Nope, I'm stuck in a time-loop."

"A what?"

"A time loop. This day, February 14^th, keeps repeating itself. I've smashed my alarm clock, threw it out the window, boiled it until it exploded, I've taken a swan dive off the Gryffindor Tower and wake up the next day without so much as a scratch on me! I've tried to destroy my clock, but the bloody thing keeps coming back! It all comes back! All of it! THIS DAY WILL NEVER END!!!!" I moaned and yelled.

Professor Forestier looked at me with raised eyebrows. "So... you're in a time...loop?"

I nodded my head.

"And you took a swan dive off the Gryffindor tower?"

"And died...and lived," I added.

"You seem to be under a lot of pressure, James. This part of the semester is particularly difficult for a lot of students." He eyed me closer. "Perhaps you need a break..."

That night I slept at St. Mungo's, only to awake the next morning to...

"GOOD MORNING WIZARDING WORLD! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Hope you have someone special to snuggle up next to, because it's going to be cold outside! Snow tomorrow morning, though..."

The main thought in my head was not to get myself killed, thrown in a mental institution, or get slapped (again) today.

I rolled over in bed, pleased that I had the free use of my arms once again, and also pleased that I wasn't even stiff from the forced confinement at St. Mungo's.

February 14^th was beginning to get better for me, and maybe it's not the worst day after all. The way things were going, it might be the only day of the year.

I was starting to like the fact that I could do anything I wanted, and no one would remember it the next day. I skipped Potions often; I mean, what's the use of taking the same test every day?

Without Potions, several hours of my daytime were free. As long as I didn't commit suicide, or fall back asleep, the day would continue. If I did, however, the day would just restart itself at 6:00 a.m. And I would be stuck listening to that radio announcer, which was getting really old, really fast.

Those were the rules, as I understood them anyways...

CHAPTER 4

It took me five Valentine's Days to work out the timing for when Lily comes running down the girl's staircase to the Common Room.

I'd been tailing her for about thirty days to found out how long it takes, without my interfering, to get from the staircase to the Great Hall. Yes, I know stalking a girl is creepy, but it's only to get to know her better, and that she's the one I love. Soon I found out her favorite flower (lilies, who would have thought?) and favorite color, etc.

So one day when I got everything right and memorized, I went downstairs and sat in the big armchair by the fireplace at 6:04 a.m.

I knew she came down the stairs running like a bat out of hell at 6:07:23, thinking she's late for breakfast, but Dumbledore didn't conjure the food until 6:25:45.

Sirius didn't burst out of the Great Hall doors until 6:39:06. So I knew when to duck.

Around 6:06 I got up and stood next to the entryway where she couldn't see me.

6:07.

"Oh! I'm so bloody late!" I heard hurried footsteps come down the steps.

22...23.

"Actually, you're not."

"James?!"

"Lily."

Flustered, she stared at me.

"W...what?"

"I said, you're not late. It's only seven after six."

"You...you called me Lily."

"It's your name, isn't it?"

"You never call me that..."

"Evans was getting a bit too manly for you..."

She stared at me still, flustered...still.

"Shall I escort you to breakfast, then?" I held out my arm.

She looked at her watch, then at me, then at her watch again. Then her face scrunched up like the way it does when she concentrates. I love it when she does that...

"That would be nice..." She was still staring at me like she was wondering whether or not I was the real James.

We walked in silence until we got to the Great Hall entrance. I opened the door and let her go in. Sirius hadn't even gotten up, as expected. Lily took her usual seat and began gabbing to her friends about the previous ten minutes, which was absolutely fine with me.

I got Sirius to skip Potions with me that day to go out and ride our brooms around on the Quidditch field. Since Lily was in Astronomy, I had hoped that she would see me flying around from the Astronomy tower.

Sirius and I were having a good time and all, but we were still bored, and I couldn't see the Astronomy tower anyway. Things were very boring.

"Sirius..."

"Wha?" he called back.

"I'm bored."

"So am I..."

We laid there on our brooms facing the sky about fifty feet from the ground. This situation would seem frightening to most people, but not Sirius and I.

"Race you through the Forbidden Forest?"

I looked over to him and grinned.

I flipped myself around and flew through the highest scoring hoop and over the wall of the stadium. Sirius was tailing me, but I raced across the open field of grass separating the stadium from the forest.

About two minutes later, we were deep into the forest. Everything was darker, almost like night time. I couldn't see much, I didn't even think I could've seen a Snitch in there if I wanted to. I turned my head around to see if Sirius was still behind me and...

"GOOD MORNING WIZARDING WORLD! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Hope you have someone special to snuggle up next to, because it's going to be cold outside! Snow tomorrow morning, though..."

Okay, so I knew that ramming myself into a tree doesn't work.

Everything went fine until I went to the Quidditch field. So I decided to repeat yesterday's morning since that worked okay. I let my male ego take over again when I decided to go to the field.

"So that Lily can see me fly... she's seen you fly at all the Gryffindor games, genius!" I thought.

I hit myself in the head. Oops... I remembered that I had resolved to do no more damage to my head from here on out.

I had been consumed in my thoughts too long. It was 6:06 and I wasn't even out of bed yet! By the time I would get downstairs Lily would have already gone. Oh well... always tomorrow.

I slugged my way downstairs. On my way I saw the same people that I always pass when I'm late, it was a breeze for me to walk down the moving staircases because I had already memorized their movements.

I sat down, rather fell in my seat at the Gryffindor table.

"Hey Remus..." I muttered. Remus, who was sitting across from me, muttered a sleepy "Hullo," back.

I took a couple jabs at my breakfast. I thought I would use some previously acquired information.

"Sirius, think of a number, any number at all..."

"...'kay..." He continued to eat his pancakes with strawberries on top.

"It's 1,874," I blurted out, still looking at my plate.

Sirius immediately dropped his fork.

"How...how did you know that?"

"I asked you on Valentine's Day."

"No...wait. Today's Valentine's Day, and you've never asked me to pick a number...ever."

"But it's true," I said. STILL looking at my plate.

"No...really," he asked. "How did you know I was thinking of 1,874 of all numbers?"

"I'm in a time-loop."

"Yea...sure James," said Remus. Peter was listening intently, wanting to get every detail.

"Prove it," said Sirius. Sirius never doubts me. This time I finally looked at him.

"Alright," I began. "Look over my left shoulder, do you see a Ravenclaw boy with square glasses and brown hair?"

They all looked and nodded.

"He's been working up the courage to ask Helen, the girl six from his left to the Valentine's Ball tonight. Of course when he asks her at 5:34 this evening, he will be rejected and told that she's already going with David, the guy already sitting next to her."

It was amusing enough to see their baffled faces, but I continued on, "Lily isn't going to the ball tonight for some still unknown reason to me. I always DIE before I find out.

"You are all going to end up going to it." I eyed the three of them. "You, Sirius, are going to dance the last with Patricia, then go and snog in the second floor corridor. You, Remus, will feel an itch coming on if you know what I mean. Oh, and Peter will be at the buffet the entire time.

"And let's not stop there." I could feel anger coming through my veins, all the anger from all the failing days I had to watch her say no, or my dying before I got to ask her. "I've been taking the same Potions test every day for about six months worth of Valentine's Days. You want the answers, I can give them to you now..." I pointed to the temple of my head and recited, "A, D, C, C, D, B, B, C, A, D, A, C, B, D, C, D, B, C, A, B, C, D, C, D, C, B, D, C, A!"

I got up and threw my napkin down on the bench and threw open both doors as I stormed out. It took a lot out of me, but that was exactly what I needed.

I needed a break from the memorization, the continuum of time surrounding me, the inability to follow through with plans to... to...

"GOOD MORNING WIZARDING WORLD! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Hope you have someone special to snuggle up next to, because it's going to be cold outside! Snow tomorrow morning, though..."

"Stupid clock," I mumbled into my pillow.

That night I tried to stay awake as long as I could, but it was useless. I was tired and my brain had had it. I quickly got out of bed and dressed and was down to the empty common room by 6:04, just as I had the morning I got it right.

Maybe today I would get it right...

CHAPTER 5

Today I thought that I would actually GO to the Valentine's Ball as a guest. Maybe if I asked her nicely, she'd go with me.

6:07.

I got up and stood by the entryway.

"Oh! I'm so bloody late!"

22...23.

"Actually, you're not," I said, just as I did before. I tried so hard to act like I hadn't done this before...

"James?!"

"Lily."

Flustered, she stared at me.

"W...what?"

"I said, you're not late. It's only seven after six."

"You...you called me Lily."

"It's your name, isn't it?"

"You never call me that..."

"Evans was getting a bit too manly for you..."

She stared at me still, flustered...still.

"Shall I escort you to breakfast, then?" I held out my arm.

She looked at her watch, then at me, then at her watch again. I had never noticed that her hands were as perfect as they come, the kind that you would make a plaster sculpture of to put in your parlor room.

"That be nice..." She was still staring at me like she was wondering whether or not I was the real James.

I fought back the déjà vu and instead of remaining silent the entire time, I spoke up. "Lily..." I began. However, I couldn't think of what I should say next. All I could really say was, "...thanks."

"James, what's gotten into you?" she asked, stopping her feet abruptly.

"Well...I..." I stammered.

"You're nice all of a sudden..."

"Well," I said, searching for the perfect thing to say, "I realized I wasn't being nice to the one girl I love above all the swooning airheads in this school."

"That..." She paused. "Was so nice of you..." She paused again. "...to say."

"And I was thinking if Miss Lily Evans would come with me to the ball tonight even though I have said some awful things to her..."

Despite my being in a continuous time-loop, time seemed to stop at that moment. My heart raced, I've never heard her say the word 'yes' before. It's always been 'no' or 'no way' or, 'are you out of your bloody mind?'

"I suppose I..." she said, now looking up at me, "...yes. I suppose you deserve a chance."

YES! I felt like I could do another swan dive of the Gryffindor Tower, but then that would ruin this already perfect day. So I ruled that option as a definite no.

"Thank you Lily." I managed to sort the words out in my mangled mind just in time to say it.

"So how are you?" I added. A conversation seemed to be in order at this point.

We continued to walk together to breakfast, carrying on a conversation.

I actually went to Potions today to write down all the correct answers of A,D,C,C,D,B,B,C,A,D,A,C,B,D,C,D,B,C,A,B,C,D,C,D,C,B,D,C,A, on the test. I finished in record time, things fly by when you're having fun. The best part was Forestier's face after I handed it in. He obviously suspected cheating was involved, but I smiled at him as if he never put me in St. Mungo's.

As much as I was thrilled to have Lily's friendship, it hurt me like a dagger in the chest knowing that she would forget it all in the morning and we'd be enemies again.

The afternoon afterward, I spent most of my time figuring my plans to make this a night she wouldn't forget.

The ball was supposed to start at 7, but after a previous week of observing, it never really got going until 7:30. That would be the time to make an entrance.

In our conversation leading to breakfast, we arranged to meet in the common room at 7:30. I was there at 7:27. Being three minutes early seems to have some luck with me.

"Hyacinthus elicio!" I muttered and waved my wand over the common room and the room filled with lilies of all kinds.

At that moment, Lily came down the stairs in a forest green gown, which matched her eyes exactly. Her hair was up in a traditional style, and somehow she managed to look more beautiful than ever. Around her neck was a pearl neckace with earrings. She looked perfect, I wanted to take a picture of her and keep it forever, but it wouldn't be there tomorrow.

"You look stunning, Lily."

She smiled at me. Swan dive, I thought.

When she came down the stairs, her shoes didn't clunk clunk clunk down the stairs. This affirmed my thought that she was not over-dressed, nor underdressed for that matter, like the girls I'd seen already at the ball. Lily had class, a modest girl not afraid to show her values. Perfect in my eyes.

Here eyes re-focused from me to the common room filled with lilies. Her eyes lit up with excitement and surprise.

"James Potter..." She smelled one of them.

"You like them?" I asked.

"I love them, they're my..."

"...Favorite," I interjected.

She stopped and stared at me like she was about to slap me again.

Uh oh, I thought.

"You...JERK!" she snapped. "You've been spying on me, like some creepy stalker"

"Of course not!" I lied.

"Then how would you know when I come down from the staircase in the morning and the fact that you know my favorite flowers are lilies?"

I could stretch explaining the lily part because it's her name, but I couldn't think of why I knew I was by the entryway right as she came down. For once in my life, I, James Potter, didn't say anything.

"GOOD MORNING WIZARDING WORLD! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Hope you have someone special to snuggle up next to, because it's going to be cold outside! Snow tomorrow morning, though..."

Groaning, I sat up in my bad, my cheek still hurting from when Lily slapped me yet again in place of "Goodnight." It wasn't so much as physical pain, but by memory. "That girl is IMPOSSIBLE!" I yelped.

"So are you, but you don't hear me yelling about it at six in the morning!"

"SHUT UP! Mind your own business!" I yelled back at my cranky neighbor.

Even if I did have an eternity to make things right with Lily, would that be enough? I sure hoped so, and I was determined to find a way how.

CHAPTER 6

I skipped Potions yet again to do some major research. I looked up ballroom dancing. Since there's nothing magical about it, I had to. I had to show myself to be a civilized human being instead of what I thought was a wreck of a person.

I did some more snooping on Lily to find out more about what she likes. This time I would be more careful about letting her know about my knowledge.

I thought for hours about what I would do. Then it occurred to me that I should just be myself. I should stop being the illustrious James Potter that she and everyone thinks I am. I was beginning to look at myself from her point of view. What I saw, I did not like.

I grabbed my invisibility cloak and walked to the statue of a witch with one eye.

I put the cloak on and ducked behind the statue, waiting for Lily to walk by on her way back from Astronomy.

And there she was, right on time.

"Psst...Lily."

She looked all around looking for the someone who was calling her. It was kind of amusing to see, but I grabbed her arm and pulled her inside.

Seeing that it was me, she tried to protest vocally, but I clamped my hand over her mouth and said, "Shh...come with me." With that I muttered, "Dissendium," and pulled her inside along with me.

"JAMES! What is...?"

"This is a secret passageway to Hogsmeade that nobody knows about except Remus, Peter, Sirius, and me."

"Why...?"

"I want to show you something...Lumos." The tip of my wand lit up and she and I could finally see. I slung the invisibility cloak over my shoulder and took a few steps in the opposite direction as the one-eyed witch statue.

"This isn't very gentleman-like..." Seeing that she had no choice, she walked along side me for the long walk through the passage to Hogsmeade.

"No, it isn't. It's more James-Potter-like, and I'm very sorry."

"You're forgiven, but what are we doing here?"

"I said I wanted to show you something."

"You know I've already been to Hogsmeade, so what is there to show?"

"It's a surprise."

"You'll like it." Actually, I knew she hated surprises. But I would take the risk.

"So how are you?" I asked.

Lily laughed. Probably surprised because the James Potter she knew wouldn't want to know how she was, just if she'd go to the ball with him.

"Fine..." she said.

"Lovely."

"And you?" she added.

"Peachy." I love that word!

She giggled again. At least I now know she has a sense of humor. Her laugh was so contagious that I started to laugh as well.

"And how's your mother?" Simple inquiry.

"She's peachy..." she said in a monotone. "Why do you ask?'

It suddenly struck me that she was taking it offensively on the terms of mud/pureblood scenario. The whole mud/pureblood scenario made my blood boil of the nerve of some people to think that way.

"It's my standard second question in a polite conversation. I didn't mean to offend you..."

"Oh, all right."

"No really, I didn't," I protested her accepting my apology so quickly.

She was still silent with her eyes on the ground.

"I think the term 'pureblood' should be erased from the world's vocabulary. It's awful having to hate people because of their family lines."

"Yes...it's terrible."

"Shall we change the subject?"

"Yes let's. I'm not too chatty on that issue."

"So how was Astronomy?" I asked, although I knew the answer full well.

"Boring. It's hard to study the sky in daylight."

At this we laughed again.

"I'd rather do that than be stuck in a dungeon studying Potions of all things. Horrid subject really."

"The professor likes everything just so."

"Yes..."

We paused for lack of conversation for a moment then Lily blurted out, "Oh, tell me what it is!"

"No."

"Please?" She put her hands on my shoulder and just hung there pleading. "She's adorable when she does that," I thought.

"Wait until we get there. It's nothing life or appearance threatening. I promise you that..."

When we reached the end of the tunnel, I motioned for her to be quiet again, but not physically. After muttering 'Nox' to douse the light on my wand, I creaked open the trapdoor and helped Lily out.

"I never knew about this..."

"No one does..."

She smiled again, and we snuck from the backroom of Honeydukes, the sweet shop in Hogsmeade, to the front. We weaved our way through the small crowd buying sweets for their loved ones and scurried out the front door.

After walking down the street, no one looked twice at us, the two Hogwarts students out of school.

I led the way to the Three Broomsticks, opened the door for her and we sat down at a small, round café table in the corner by the frosted window.

"This is nice..." she said, looking out the window at the little wizarding town.

"It's not my surprise."

"Oh. I thought this was it."

"Gotcha."

"What will you two be having today?" the young waitress came up and asked us.

Lily looked at me as if I was to order first.

"Two scones and your best hot cocoa," I said. I knew Lily like hot cocoa, but I figured I could get away with it.

The waitress came back rather quickly with our order. Along with the hot cocoa were two spoons with chocolate that had melted and hardened on the end. I held it up and examined it, unable to figure out what it was.

"What is this thing?"

Lily gave a snicker. She took her spoon and put it in her hot chocolate and started stirring, when she took it out, most of the chocolate had melted away.

"It's a stirrer," she replied in answer to my question. "For more chocolate flavor..."

"Oh. I'm a dolt when it comes to fancy tea shop trinkets."

We maintained a steady conversation about school and relatives, I learned a lot more about her than I could in a day of stalking. She had a sister named Petunia, who from the looks of things she was quite the wench.

She was afraid of flying, she hated Muggle television, and just liked to take cat naps and read books in sunny windows.

"What about you, James? You haven't told me anything about you."

"Well, then I shall tell you."

"Family?"

"A mixture of traditionalism and a horse's behind, next?

"Gryffindor Seeker?"

"Bloody good fun."

"Magic or Muggle life?"

"Magic. Makes things a whole lot easier to do and to explain. Social classes aren't to dandy though, next?"

"Worst subject? Everyone else doubts you have one."

"Potions. I hate Potions with a passion."

"He's human, ladies and gentlemen!" she yelped quietly.

"What the...?"

"Everyone in the school believes you are some sort of god! They look at you and see this prat waltzing down the hall with no troubles nor a care in the world. To them your life is perfect, all the younger girls think you are a fine..."

"...slice of Gryffindor beef? Yes, I know about that one. It angers me, deeply."

"You're a better man than I thought James Potter." She looked at me with her beautiful green eyes. I thought they were more beautiful when they didn't look at me in hatred.

"You have just dazzling green eyes."

"Thank you."

"Is that your favorite color, green?"

"Yes, it is."

"Tell me, did you plan on going to the Valentine's Ball this evening?"

"Actually, I hadn't."

"Why's that? I'm sure you would have... a great time." I caught myself before I said 'had'. Close call.

"Dancing isn't one of my better points. Besides, there's nothing more boring than going and getting dressed up to watch other people dance."

"Not if they're dancing with you." Maybe the best way to go about asking her was indirectly.

"What makes you so sure?" She took a sip of her drink.

"Because I was planning on asking you to go with me." This was it...

She coughed and nearly sprayed me with hot chocolate. "So I'll go with you to the ball, and we can dance so I don't worry about being bored from watching other people dance?"

"If you like..."

"All right, then. I'll go with you."

I let out a small 'yay' with comical arm movements to go along, and we laughed at my poor impression of my old self.

"Maybe we can make fun of them as well!" I added.

"Oh yes! That will be very fitting." We giggled some more at that little table in the corner by the frosted window in the Three Broomsticks until mid-day.

I still had not shown her my surprise, yet she not nagged me about it, so I guess she forgot. But it was still going to be a surprise!

Half-complaining the we still hadn't had enough chocolate, we walked back to Honeydukes for more since it was after all, Valentine's Day.

I bought two Chocolate Frogs and a few trinkets to take back to Hogwarts for future pranks with the Marauders.

We talked some more as we walked down the street to the corner where a park bench sat. Lily had never eaten a Chocolate Frog before so I would have to show her the proper way to eat one.

After a simple demonstration of opening the box, letting the frog out in your hand, then whacking it with the box to stun it long enough to eat it, Lily gave it a go.

And failed miserably. So I shared my stunned frog with her.

"James, don't you think we should be getting back?" she asked.

"It's about 4 o'clock," I said looking at my watch. "Ball doesn't start until 7, but honestly it shouldn't really get any fun until after that."

"You're right. So what shall we do until then?"

"Uh... we could do one of three things. A: sit here in the cold. B: go back and lolly-gag around the school. Or C: I could show you my surprise."

"Goodness! I forgot about that. Let's do that first."

"All right, then."

I took her back to Honeydukes and lingered there until there was a crowd again, then slipped quietly into the back and slipped back underground. We made it back to Hogwarts with everything.

After stopping in the common room to return my cloak, and she could get her coat (which I instructed her to do), I led her outside towards the Quidditch field.

"Tell me, why do you hate flying?"

"I fell off first day of training."

"That's not the best reason I've ever heard..."

The Quidditch field came into view, and it struck Lily what my idea was.

"Ooooh no. No. No. No. No. No."

"I said you'd like it."

"You didn't hear me...I HATE FLYING!!!"

"I swear on pain of death. You will not fall as long as you're with me."

"On pain of death?"

"Yes."

"Still no. No. No. No. No. Nooooooo!" I picked her up off her feet and carried her the rest of the way there despite her protests. She said she wanted me to put her down.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

She rethought her command and realized the consequences of me actually putting her down... as in dropping her on her backside. Which wouldn't feel too great since the ground was frozen solid.

When we got to the field, I put Lily down on her feet. She looked around while I went to fetch my broom (and borrow from Sirius) from the Gryffindor locker room.

When I returned, she had her back to me looking at the stands.

"James..." I heard a soft sniffle coming from her. She turned around and faced me with her sad eyes with two tears coming down.

"Lily..." I dropped the brooms where they were and hurried over to give her a hug.

"James... I know...I don't want to ruin your surprise for me, but I just can't...I...I just can't."

"Lily...I..." I didn't know what to say. I'd never made her go to tears.

I Summoned the broom to hover low to the ground for a place to sit. Lily still had her eyes covered with her hands as she sat down on what she thought was probably a railing.

"We don't have to..." I said.

She looked up at me, eyes wet, cheeks blotchy and red. She gave a weak smile.

"It's not just that... I haven't been on a broom since then and..."

"Now you'd be lying if you said that."

"What do you mean?"

I looked down at the railing and said, "It's more like a chair than a broom, don't you think?"

She looked down as well and found it funny that she was actually on a broom. She was between crying and laughing when I got up from it and left her sitting on it. I took the other broom and laid my back on it as I did before when I was out here with Sirius.

"It's also good for taking a nap and things..." I said. Lily giggled, still red-faced and teary-eyed. "I do this often..."

"You just come out her and lay on your broom and take a nap?"

"Oh no! If I did that, I'd plummet fifty fifty feet. I stick close to the ground."

She smiled at me, and I continued my monologue. "However, it is great fun to fly around if you look past the danger and all."

"I'd like to fly and not be worried about falling."

"Music to my ears!" I sang. I looked at my watch. Drat. "Do you want to head back now? It's six-thirty."

"Oh my! It is? We need to get back quick, I'm going to need some time getting ready you know."

"Then let's hurry." I started to walk, but she eyed the broom she was still sitting on.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!" she screamed.

I had bewitched the broom to follow mine as we raced the distance to the castle doors.

When we got there, I helped her dismount and fought off the urge to comment on her windswept hair.

"That was..." Her eyes were wide open and she was kind of shaken from the ride. "BLOODY good fun!!!! What time is it?"

"Six forty. You better get going, Cinderella."

She ran up the stairs, not waiting for me. I stood around in the foyer of the Great Hall, looking at the paintings on the wall. Most of them looked at me strangely for actually stopping to admire them.

At seven, I got back to my dorm and got ready and dressed for tonight. Wizard's dress robes were old fashioned and odd. Mine made me look like I was one of the three musketeers, pants, vest, and really corny half-cape thing. It was supposed to be tied from under one arm and only the cape part would be over my right shoulder (1). Most of it was black, but it was blue in some parts. I'm no expert on fashion, but that's what I wore. Fashion is stupid.

I'd said I'd meet Lily in the common room; from there I'd escort her down to the ball.

At precisely 7:25, I came downstairs to the common room. I wasn't worried whether or not I would screw today up as well.

CHAPTER 7

At seven-thirty on the dot, I heard soft footsteps on the staircase. Lily came down the steps looking more beautiful than I remembered. Even though she was in the same green dress, she seemed to shine like a coin right out of the mint.

I held out my hand and helped her down the last few steps.

"You look stunning, Lily."

"So do you. I think it's nice to see people in clothes other than the uniforms everyone sees everyday."

"Couldn't have put it better myself."

We walked out of the lily-less common room and walked to the Great Hall. Upon opening the doors, everything was where it should've been.

I didn't give Lily enough time to admire the newly decorated Great Hall before I took her to the dance floor and joined the flow of waltzing couples.

"So who do we mock first?" I asked.

"Hardly anybody. Everyone looks so nice," she replied.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes..."

"Is it because you are never asked to dance that you despise the activity so much?"

"Can't hide anything from you..."

"Have I said that you look stunning?" I asked.

"I believe you have, yes..." she replied.

"Well, I just wanted to say it again."

Despite having little experience in ballroom dancing, she caught on quickly. I'd never seen her so happy that night. Even the jealous and ever-watching eyes of the other girls couldn't tarnish her happiness.

The evening ended at eleven o'clock, and everyone left the Great Hall with their Valentine.

We went back to the common room to say our goodbyes, but I couldn't leave on this note, and have to wake up tomorrow like it never happened.

When everyone left the room, and gone to bed with or without their Valentine, Lily looked at me with sad eyes.

"Well, thank you James. I guess I should..." She turned to walk up the stairs, but I grabbed her hand. I wasn't going to just let her go like this.

"Lily, I have to tell you something important."

Yet again, she gave me a confused look. After sitting down on the enormous armchair, which fit both of us, I asked her, "What do you know about time loops?"

So I did explain, as best I knew how. At first, her expression was disbelief. As I supplied plenty of evidence, by the end of the tale I could tell that she was convinced.

"So...your Potions teacher put you in St. Mungo's, you took a swan dive off the Gryffindor Tower, and turned the common room this common room into a garden of lilies...for me?"

I saw the question in her eyes and knew right then that words were no longer necessary. I caught her lips in a kiss. Yet Lily wrapped her arms around my neck and drew me towards her. My heart danced in my chest, and I knew I wouldn't get slapped this time. We stayed there until I had to break the kiss or suffocate.

"I love you, Lily."

"How could I not say the same after all this?"

Despite my sheer happiness, a thought entered my mind that turned everything into despair.

"What's wrong James?"

"Tomorrow you won't remember any of this. I'll have to start all over again, and you'll hate me again."

"I could never hate you." With that she kissed me.

The grandfather clock in the corner chimed loudly, signifying midnight.

"Well, it's after midnight," I said.

"I don't care, I'm staying."

And she did stay. We stayed on the armchair in front of a roaring fire together and I wrapped my arms around the red-head beauty as if I'd never let her go. I fell asleep smelling the sweet scent of her hair, feeling her heart in sync with mine, dreading with uncertainty the morning ahead.

CHAPTER 8

"GOOD MORNING WIZARDING WORLD!" the radio announcer echoed in my head.

"Ugh! It's too early!" I heard a female voice groan, and I felt a body roll over and throw something at the grandfather clock.

"L-Lily!" I stammered. "Quick! What day is it?"

"February 15^th. What? You think I was going to let a silly little thing like a time-loop stop me, did you?" She gave me a butterfly kiss on the cheek. "Oh! Look, it's snowing!" she added after looking out the window.

I remembered the announcer from early Valentine's Days who had said, 'Snow tomorrow, though...' and knew that it was indeed February 15^th.

"Come' on, let's go down to breakfast," she said. But she was unable to get up, held fast by my arms.

"Nope. I'm never letting you go."

"But we'll staaaaarve!"

At that moment the common door portrait door slammed behind someone that was staggering in. Lily and I turned to see who it was.

It was Sirius.

The three of us exchanged glances of awkwardness. Lily and I were still dressed in our clothes from the ball in each other's arms in the oversized armchair, and Sirius was half frozen and covered in snow.

Sirius was the first to speak. "James, where's my broom?"

EPILOGUE

Dumbledore smiled as he watched the happy scene unfolding in his pensieve.

An older James Potter walked up behind him in his office. "I take it everything worked out?"

"Just as you said it would, James," replied the old wizard.

"For the record, how many Valentine's Days did it take?"

Dumbledore grinned. "Some things must remain secret even from you James."

"I guess so. Well, I will see you soon Albus."

He nodded as James left, and he continued to watch his old student's past self through the pensieve. "Besides, James would be humiliated to know he spent 1,874 Valentine's Days to get it right," Dumbledore thought.

Footnotes

(1)- Same cape like Lockhart's in Chamber of Secrets film during Dueling Club scene. I don't know what they call it.