Romantic Candlelight Dinner

"Are you sure this'll work?" asked James, nervously.

"Why are you asking us?" retorted Remus. "It was your idea."'

"Jamesie, nothing is ever certain when you're dealing with Miss Evans," grinned Sirius as he straightened his best friend's tie. "This could easily be failed plan 952, or...it might just work."

"Do you really think it will work?" repeated James anxiously.

Remus said, "Well, it's better than Sirius's idea."

"What was wrong with my idea?" asked Sirius, with a look of mock dismay.

"You wanted him to stand on top of the astronomy tower naked to 'bare it all' and declare his undying love for her," said Remus, looking only slightly amused.

"So?" asked Sirius, grinning. "I thought it was a great idea."

James was too nervous to even bother hitting his friend in the back of the head. He looked at his other friend, "Remus?"

"Gladly." He delivered a blow to the back of Sirius's head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Just shut up, Sirius. What time is it?"

"About 10 minutes before she's supposed to be here, so about 5 minutes before she'll get here."

"Right. Where's Peter?" asked Remus officiously.

"I dunno," shrugged Sirius. "I haven't seen him since dinner."

"He's supposed to be making sure that Lily doesn't find some way to weasel out of this and send one of her friends to tutor me!" James cried.

"Don't worry. She'll be here," Peter entered, chewing on a candy bar.

"Okay. I'm cool. Things are good. Right?" asked James.

"Yeah, mate. Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Sirius, for once serious.

"Yeah. Siir, this isn't some little crush. I love this girl. I always have. You know that. I know she can't stand me right now, but if I can get her to just listen then maybe we can be friends." He suddenly grinned, "Then she'll be hooked by my charm."

Remus regarded him with a little bit of a glare. His voice was almost a growl. "James Potter, don't break her heart. Don't you dare. Don't make her finally like you and then dump her. If all this is just because she's the only girl who doesn't sigh and go weak in the knees when she sees you coming . . ."

"Don't worry, Remus. It's not," Sirius responded for James. "Humor is just how James deals with stuff. Kind of like me." He's eyes were understanding and haunted.

Remus knew some of what had gone on at Sirius's house. He knew the reputation of the Black family. He also knew that humor was the only way Sirius knew how to deal with his life. Sirius had been dealt a bad card, but he'd made the best of it. Running away from home was the best thing he could have done. Remus wasn't sure he'd ever understand what had turned James to a life of humor and pranks. But it didn't matter; they were his friends. "Okay. We'd better get going, Sirius, Peter. We'll see you in a bit, James." He grinned at his friends and led Peter and Sirius out of the room, grabbing the invisibility cloak on their way out. They stood guard outside the door of the history of magic classroom.

James sighed. This was it. He was going to tell her and make her listen no matter what it took.

The minutes ticked by and 3 minutes before she was due to come, Lily Potter appeared in the doorway. "Potter, are you ready? I cant' believe this early in the school year you're already having trouble. I don't know why you're even in this class, you don't like it and you aren't good at it. At least, not compared to most of your other subjects. But let's get started now that you've dragged me out here . . " She had only just become aware of her surroundings. Her voice shook, "Potter, what's going on?" She glared at him.

James smiled his most charming smile. Even her heart couldn't resist that, right? Wrong. It only seemed to anger her more.

"POTTER! Answer me!"

"Well, I thought a little dinner before we studied might be nice. After all, you can't teach on an empty stomach, can you?" He tried to keep smiling, but it was hard. These Muggle clothes were so uncomfortable. He was wearing dashing black suit complete with tie and loafers. He'd even attempted to comb his hair and gel it back. All of this in an attempt to impress her. A failed attempt.

"I'm leaving. I should have known. This was just another of your lame attempts to get me to agree to go on a date with you," she sounded disgusted. She went to the door and tried to open it.

It was locked.

"Alohomora!" She tried it again. It still wouldn't open. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"No." James blinked, genuinely shocked. He hadn't told them to lock it. "Guys! Open up! I never said to lock the door!"

"NO!" shouted Sirius.

"What?" asked James. That wasn't part of the bargain. "Hey, let us out!" He started pounding his fists on the door.

"Not until you tell her!"

"Tell me what?" asked Lily, her eyes narrowing.

"I don't want to tell her! Come on, mates! She's scaring me!" He continued to pound.

"Sorry, we won't let you out! You can stay in there all night for all we care! If you'd gone with my idea at least you wouldn't beat locked up anywhere!" Sirius gave a bark of laughter.

James blushed and muttered, "Sorry, Evans. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm telling the truth! If you'd just listen to me once in a while, you'd know." James went and sat on the chair and sulked. They'd gone to all this trouble for her. He'd gotten his uncle to agree they could use the room. They'd cleared out all the desks and chairs. Brought in a little table with two matching chairs. Set up a dinner with romantic candlelight. Gotten him a really itchy suit that Muggles wore if they were dressing up for something special. What more did she want?

Lily glared at him. Why? Why did everything happen to me? She was stuck in here with that prat! Sure he was the cutest prat she'd ever seen but that wasn't the point. He'd been trying to get her to go out with him for as long as she could remember. But he was so immature. Okay, so his impish grin was adorable and his pout was dead sexy, but that wasn't the point. There was no way she could ever have a meaningful talk with him, or go walking together just holding hands and enjoying each other's company, or a dozen other things. Although she had to admit that he had obviously gone to a great effort tonight. Where had he gotten that suit? His hair even looked combed, though after seeing it combed, maybe it was better off how it normally was. Maybe she should hear him out. After all, it did seem as though he was telling the truth about not meaning for them to get locked in. She'd never seen him blush before.

"What's the real reason you're still taking this class?" she asked him suddenly.

"Because you are. And because my Uncle Bernard is the teacher. I already know why you're taking it. You want to write the next revision of Hogwarts, A History."

"Your Uncle Bernard?" She hadn't realized that Binns was related to Potter. "How did you know that?" She was getting sick of standing and went to the only other chair in the room, the one next to James's at the table.

"I've seen you going through your copy of it and marking things out and adding them in with red ink," he said earnestly, encouraged that she'd come to sit down next to him. "You mutter under your breath things like, 'No, the newest hospital ward was added in 1834, not 1832' and 'That was right in the second edition but they changed it in the seventh and no one bothered to correct it' when you read it."

She was shocked. He actually cared enough to pay attention? "What else do you know?" she asked. She didn't touch any of the food in front of her. Knowing Potter and his friends, he might have hexed it.

"I know that you've got a sister. And I know she's really obnoxious."

"Of course you know that. Over the summer you came and knocked on my door and she answered and I came downstairs and found you flirting with her."

"Oh. Right. I was just being friendly so she would let me inside and see you."

She rolled her eyes.

"You can eat the food. Its not poisoned or hexed or anything."

She still didn't touch it.

"You don't believe me?" He stuck his fork in a bit of everything on her plate and stuffed it in his mouth. He swallowed. "See? Nothing."

It was dinnertime now and she was hungry. She started to eat. "So what else do you know?"

"Your worst class is transfiguration. Charms is your best class. You're my uncle's favorite student. You think Sirius and I are stuck up idiots. You can't understand why Remus hangs out with us, after all he's as smart as you are. And you don't understand me at all, even though you think you've got me all figured out."

"How do you mean?" This conversation might prove interesting after all.

He leaned back in his seat, rumpled his hair, and put his hands behind his head. "You think I'm an arrogant, self-centered jock who doesn't give one whit about his education and who's going to end up fat and bald twenty years from now when my Quiditch career is over, if I haven't gotten killed or landed in jail for having a prank go too far." He leaned forward across the table, his face inches from hers. "That about cover it?"

This was starting to scare her. She leaned backward and scooted her chair about six inches back from the table.

"What's the matter?" he asked, his voice soft and concerned.

"Nothing," she tried to sound haughty. "I know what you think about me too. You think I'm a bookworm who cares only about reading and research and doesn't like to have any fun. You think I'm afraid to break the rules. You think I'm going to end up a lonely old spinster."

"Well, you're wrong. I do think you're a bookworm but I know there's more to you than grades if you'd just let me get to know you better. I know you're not afraid to break the rules. Gryffindor is for lions, not scaredy-cats. I know you're not going to end up a lonely old spinster, when we graduate from here; you're going to be my wife." He grinned.

"How can you be so sure of yourself, Potter? I can't stand you."

He decided her was sick of using her surname, it was an awful reminder of how she currently felt about him. "Lily some-day-to-be-Potter, I am so sure of myself because I know I'm right. Do you remember our first words together?" he asked.

"Yes. We were on the train and you offered to help me carry my trunk."

"What were my exact words?"

"Um . . ."

"I said, 'You're pretty. Do you want some help with that?' and you said--"

"I said, 'You don't look strong enough. This is awfully heavy' and you said--"

"I said, 'I can lift anything. And my friend'll help'. Then we dragged it into a compartment. And I asked if I got a 'thank you' kiss on the cheek. You shut the door in my face." He looked at her quizzically. "Do you remember what I told you later that night? When we first got in the castle?"

"You started talking about the train." She laughed.

"Yes. I said to you 'That wasn't very nice earlier. Slamming the door in my face. I'm going to marry you someday. That's not a nice way to treat your future husband!' and you laughed at me. The same laugh that you're laughing now. You haven't changed in 7 years."

"I guess not. You haven't either."

"I haven't?" He'd made a conscious effort in the last couple years to become an almost respectable sort of guy, the kind she would like. Not that she'd ever had a boyfriend that he knew of. She was Untouchable Evans and he was (for the most part) the Unobtainable Potter.

"You were as popular then as you are now. You look nearly the same, just taller."

"And more muscular," he said almost seriously and nodding.

She tried not to laugh. "You know all those pranks pulled by the mysterious Marauders? Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail?"

"Yeah?" He tried not to grin. Whenever they pulled a big prank, they left behind a note or writing on the wall or something that said "Brought to you by the Marauders" or "Have a jolly good day, (signed) Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail". Their anonymity got them to get a reputation of sorts without anyone (especially the teachers) knowing who was responsible.

"I think you're one of them."

He gave a fake gasp, "Me? But I'm such a good little boy! Haven't you seen my badge? It says HEAD BOY." He showed her where the badge was pinned to his suit.

She scoffed, but only to hide a giggle.

Things seemed to be going well. Maybe, if he tried to be serious, she'd listen. "Hey, can I tell you the truth? No jokes, no sarcasm, just honest truth."

"I'd like nothing better than a straight answer from you for once."

"I still think you're pretty," he grinned and tried to hold her hand. Uh-oh, he loused it up again.

"JAMES POTTER!" she stood up and stalked to the other side of the room. "I don't even know why I bothered to think you were human enough to have a real conversation!"

He grabbed her shoulder. "Why do you think I bothered to go to all this trouble for you, Lily? WHY do you think?"

"I don't know and I don't care!" she screamed.

Neither of them heard the whispering outside the door. Remus asked, "Should we go in and break this up?"

"Nah," Sirius said. "It's getting good." They were listening through the door with special devices they'd made.

"I don't care if you don't care," James's voice was low and dangerous. "I'm going to tell you anyway. I love you. There's nothing you or anyone else can do about that. Believe me, I tried. You made it clear you weren't interested and at first I did try to move on but I couldn't. I realized early on that for me, it would have to be you or nobody. You understand? You or nobody! I love you. You don't care what other people think. You're smarter than anybody I know, including Remus and Sirius; by the way, Sirius and I aren't idiots, we're geniuses. You're gorgeous. You're stubborn. You're funny. I love you, Lily Potter!" He stood, breathing heavily after his rant.

All she said was, "My name isn't Potter yet." She knew she had misjudged him. She'd known that for sometime now, at least a couple of years. But she was stubborn and since she'd said she wouldn't go out with him, it didn't matter that she knew she was wrong; she was going to stick by it. Well, her stubbornness had been momentarily melted away. A slight smile graced her lips and she came closer to him. His hand had been on her shoulder and as she came closer, the natural position of the arm made it so his arm ended up around her neck (sort of neck/back).

James suddenly found himself stiff with fear. Yet, he thought. What did that mean? Omigosh, she's coming closer to me. She's smiling. I don't think I like the look in her eyes! As she came closer, his arm naturally wrapped around her. He was thinking, What am I doing?

She was close enough to feel his breath on her face. She whispered, "Kiss me."

"What?" he asked softly.

"Consider this payback for the first day we met," she whispered. She leaned forward and closed the miniscule gap between their mouths and started to kiss him.

He thought, This is not happening! I'll wake up and this will be another dream. But at least this is a good dream. Not like the one where I found her dead in the hallway.

Lily silently berated herself, What are you doing? This is Potter! You hate Potter! No I don't, I know I don't. I love him. I love him. Not going to argue now, just going to keep kissing him.

So they kissed for a minute or two, unaware that Sirius and Remus (Peter had gotten bored of waiting and gone down to dinner some long while before) were standing in the doorway watching them. Remus just stood there with his arms folded and whispered, "Shouldn't we tell them we're here?"

"Not yet." He snapped two photos before the flashes managed to get James and Lily's attention. They glared angrily at him and Remus. Sirius grinned and shouted to Remus, "RUN!" as Lily and James came chasing after them.