Summer School

Lajo1013

Rating: G
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Lily & James
Book: Lily & James, Books 1 - 4
Published: 03/05/2005
Last Updated: 04/05/2005
Status: completed

Just a fluffy kind of piece that I wrote in response to the Summer Camp Challenge by Asparagus in the J/L forum.

Chapters

1. Summer School

1. Summer School

This was in response to a challenge by Asparagus found here Summer Camp (I hope that works!) At any rate its in the James and Lily Challenge forum here at Portkey. Its my first time writing for Lily and James and only the second story I have posted so please read and review.

A/N con't at the end….

Summer School

As a top student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lily Evans couldn't understand why her mum wanted her to attend a Muggle summer school.

“Mum, do I really have to go? I get enough schooling at Hogwarts! And Alice invited me to go on holiday with her and her family!” said Lily Evans to her mother.

“Lily, dear, Petunia is going and it would be nice for you two to spend some time together.”

“But Mum, what about Alice? I promised her I would go to the beach with her!”

“You may go after you finish the class. It's only a few weeks Lily.”

“Ok Mum, I'll go, but I'm not happy about it,” Lily said as she stormed off to owl her friend Alice.

Lily loved school, and loved to read and learn new things, but she couldn't see how a class in Home Economics was going to help her at Hogwarts. The only bright side to having to go to the class was that some of the girls she knew from the neighborhood would be there. She sat down at her desk and composed a letter to Alice Archer, her best friend and roommate at Hogwarts.

Dear Alice,

You'll never believe what my Mum planned for me this summer. I have to attend Muggle summer school! Can you believe it?? She signed my sister and I up for a class called Home Economics. They teach cooking, childcare and how to properly clean the loo. Sounds fascinating, no? Haha! The worst part is, no magic!! I won't be able to visit you until the class is over, so tell everyone I said hi! Have a great time with the others at the beach. I'll be there as soon as I can.

Love,

Lily

She tied the parchment to the leg of her owl Athena, and sent her off into the night. Lily went to bed that night dreaming of the things that she was probably going to miss at the beach. There was always a cookout, the sun, the boys, the water, the boys, the ice cream, the swimming and the boys. She knew the Potters usually went on holiday around the same time as Alice's family so she was sure that James would bring his friends along. She got on all right with Remus, as they had shared Prefect duties since 5th year. James and Sirius were complete prats most of the time but toward the end of last term, James had become a little less arrogant and loads more enjoyable to be around. Sirius, was as mischievous as always, but instead of being annoying, it had somehow become slightly amusing. Peter, bless his heart, was still the runt of the group. He still followed the others around, but he had taken to branching out and making friends in other houses.

****

Lily awoke the next morning to Petunia banging on her bedroom door.

“Lily Evans! Get up. I don't want to be late!”

Lily sighed. This is going to be a long summer. Petunia was always so uptight.

“I am coming Petunia. Keep your knickers on!”

Keeping Petunia waiting was never a good idea, so Lily got up and got washed up and dressed. She met Petunia in the foyer. Petunia handed her an apple and pushed Lily out of the door. The girls walked to the school, which happened to be only a few blocks from their house. Along the way Petunia made Lily promise not to tell anyone about what she was. “These people are my school mates after all,” she had said.

They found seats in the classroom quickly. There was no teacher in sight so it was quite noisy. Lily looked around and spied some girls that lived on their street, Beatrice Steely (who preferred to be called Breezy, thank you very much) and Victoria Rabel and Breezy's boyfriend Jack Mead. She waved to them and they joined Lily in the back row of the classroom. Lily had known Breezy and Victoria since before she knew she was a witch. However, as far as the girls were aware, Lily attended a prestigious school in Scotland. They had no idea what she was or what type of school she really attended.

“It's really good to see you Lily but what are you doing here,” said Breezy.

“I thought you attended some boarding school,” said Victoria, “in Scotland or something.”

“Yes, it's in Scotland and my mum made Petunia and I come. She said we needed to spend more time together. But I have a feeling she is going to ignore me in favor of that shabby bloke she is talking with.”

“That's Vernon. Petunia fancies him, although I don't know why. Look at him, the big prat, trying to slick his hair all back like James Dean,” said Jack. Lily didn't know Jack that well, he had moved to the neighborhood while she was away at school, but she knew she already liked him.

Lily coughed to cover her laughter. “You're right about that one. Looks like will be an interesting class.”

The room quieted down as they all watched the teacher come through the door. She was quite young and pretty and Lily assumed that was why there were so many boys in the class. The teacher cleared her throat and introduced herself.

“My name is Mrs. Terry. I will be your teacher for the next few weeks. I have attended some of the finest schools in Europe and in America. I do hope you will all come away from this class with some knowledge of culinary arts and home economics. So let's get started shall we? Pair off into groups of 4 please.”

Lilly quickly turned toward Breezy, Victoria and Jack. The foursome moved their chairs closer together. Lily noticed that Petunia was in a group with Vernon.

Their first assignment was an easy one. They were to look through recipe books and come up with an entire menu that they would have to prepare for another group in the class. They discussed drinks, appetizers, main courses, side dishes and desserts. The rest of the class did the same. Lily's group would be cooking for Petunia's group that included not only Vernon, but also another boy called RJ and a nice girl named Sarah.

The whole class had menus planned when Mrs. Terry dismissed them. She said they would shop for the ingredients in the next class period and prepare the meal in the class after that. Things are moving quickly, Lily thought, but how hard could cooking be?

Lily and Petunia walked home after they had exchanged good-byes with the members of their respective groups. Petunia was over the moon about something Vernon had said.

“…Oh and then he said he was going to get a job in the machine industry, some place called Grunnings,” Petunia gushed.

“Pet, you've gone on and on about this bloke and I'm beginning to think you fancy him. Wait `til I tell Mum! You aren't allowed to date!”

“You will not tell Mum or I will tell her that you have been sending your owl with letters to that Potter boy.”

“I have NOT! I only owl Alice and besides what do you care who I owl?”

“Then it's settled, you won't be telling Mum about Vernon and I won't mention your owls.” Petunia walked ahead of Lily in a huff.

This just gets better and better, she thought.

The class progressed quickly. The groups made and served their meals and learned about proper food presentation. Lily, after her initial reservations, was doing quite well in the class, even if it was only because she wanted to do better than Petunia. Petunia, to her credit was a fast learner and was constantly on about something Mrs. Terry had said in class that day. She would gush at supper that they were leaning to be “gracious hostesses” and that it would pay off someday when both she and Lily got married. “Every wife should know how to set a nice table and prepare a meal for 8 on 20 minutes notice, if her husband requests it,” she would say.

Lily had traded owls with Alice, each one more and more desperate for Lily to hurry with the class and get to the beach. The Potters were indeed there and James had managed to coax his parents into allowing him to bring Remus, Peter and Sirius along. Alice was having a great time hanging out with the boys and others they had met, but she kept telling Lily that it was not the same without her.

Dear Lily,

I need you here. Hurry up! Can't you ask the Professor to give you the final sooner rather than later? I swear if those boys pull one more prank on me, I am going to make sure the lot of them do NOT make it to their 7th year of Hogwarts! And I just know that they are waiting on you to get here, so they can pull their next prank. I hear them whispering and I know I heard them say your name a few times. I don't know what exactly they have planned but it's going to be dreadful. Please, please, please hurry Lily!

Your lonely friend,

Alice

Lily laughed at the letter. Poor Alice, she thought, stuck with those boys. Luckily there were only a couple weeks left in the class and whatever prank the boys were planning to play on her would just have to wait.

In class, Lily was becoming close with Breezy, Jack, and Victoria. They got together on weekends to go out to the movies and sometimes they just sat around and listened to the radio. Lily tried to avoid conversation about her school but that changed the week before the final exam.

The foursome was studying how to care for babies and toddlers when Lily heard a loud crash outside of the window. The sound was one she was not used to hearing in her Muggle life, but she would recognize it anywhere. She jumped up and excused herself from the classroom saying she needed to use the bathroom. She walked down the hall to find James, Sirius, Remus and Peter coming in the school doors.

“What the bloody hell are you doing here? You can't come in here! And what were you thinking, Apparating outside in the dustbins! Everyone in the classroom heard the noise. You four are impossible!” Lily was shocked to see them, and only slightly curious as to why they were there.

“Oh come on Evans! Alice moans and groans all day about how tired of us she is, so we thought we'd come see if we couldn't charm your teacher into letting you test early,” said James.

“And Jamesy, don't forget, Alice said Evans said that the professor is a looker,” said Sirius with a wink.

“Lily, it's nice to see you. How has your summer been? Please don't mind these two idiots. We really came because I think we are starting to scare off this new bloke Alice has been trying to meet in secret. Frank something-or-other,” said Remus.

“Lily, what's going on? We were worried when you didn't come back…oh, I see, sorry to interrupt,” said Breezy, who had come out of the class to find Lily.

“Oh Breezy, it's ok. These are friends of mine from school. They were passing through on their way to the beach and Mum told them they could find me here,” Lily covered.

The boys all stuck out their hands.

“Nice to meet you, Breezy was it? That's a very interesting name you've got. I'm James, this is Remus, Peter and Sirius,” said James while shaking her hand.

“It's Beatrice, but I much prefer Breezy, thank you very much. It's been so nice to meet you gentlemen, but if you don't mind, we were in the middle of something. We'll be done in a few minutes if you want to wait. If you aren't headed back home right away perhaps we could show you around town.”

“That would be wonderful,” said Peter.

Breezy went back into the classroom and Lily turned to them and said, “Not one peep. I better not hear one peep out of any of you. Wait right here and we'll finish up what we were doing. I mean it. Do. Not. Move."

Lily rejoined her group and looked at their questioning eyes. Breezy must have told them about the scene in the hall.

“Before you ask, yes, they are all classmates from my school. No, none of them is my boyfriend. No, I had no idea they were coming. And yes, I want you all to come with me to show them around town. Does that about cover it?” Lily said quickly.

The other three nodded.

“Good then let's get out of here, before Petunia does. She will rat me out to my Mum, I would bet 20 pounds on it.” Lily stood and collected her books; she walked over to Petunia and told her that they would meet back at home. The foursome left the class to find the Marauders where Lily and Breezy had left them.

“I suppose I should properly introduce you. This is Victoria Rabel, she lives on my street, you already met Breezy Steely, and this is her boyfriend Jack Mead.” They all exchanged greetings and headed toward the exit doors. Victoria suggested that they head to the ice cream parlor where they could sit and decide what to do for the rest of the afternoon. It was close by so the group headed off toward the shop.

The day was one of the nicest of the summer. The temperature was warm, the sun was shining and there was nary a cloud in the sky. The group came upon the shop and found it a little crowded, which was not at all surprising considering what the weather was like. Jack and Remus, who had been chatting non-stop, grabbed a couple of tables while the others waited in line for ice cream.

James leaned over to Lily and whispered, “Do they have Pumpkin Pie flavored ice cream, like at school?”

“No, get chocolate or vanilla, something normal please. And whatever you do, DO NOT mention school, the others don't know about me being a witch.”

“Oh, ok. I'll just get chocolate for all of us. It's my treat Evans.”

“Alright then, I guess we'll just go sit with the others.” Lily told Peter, Sirius, Victoria and Breezy that James was treating so they could all go sit down with Remus and Jack.

James soon joined them followed by several employees. He had purchased not only chocolate cones for himself and the other 7, but also an assortment of sundaes and milkshakes. He winked at Lily as she reached for a strawberry shake. She smiled shyly back at him.

Conversation was flowing and Lily was surprised at how well her Muggle friends were getting on with her magical ones. Sirius and James were filling her in on Alice, and what had been happening at the beach. Remus and Jack were discussing the benefits of traveling through Europe by train, while Peter was telling some long story that looked as if it was putting Victoria and Breezy to sleep.

“…And then, James and Sirius told Professor Dumbledore that the reason they didn't finish their homework was because James had to go to the hospital wing after Quidditch to have his arm mended, and Sirius was in the dungeon looking for Professor Brown. All the while, knowing full well the reason their homework wasn't done was because they were too busy sneaking to Hogsmeade for some butterbeer.” Peter drew a deep breath and laughed.

Breezy and Victoria looked at each other.

“Quidditch?” Breezy questioned.

“Dungeon?” Victoria said.

“Butterbeer???” they said in unison.

Oh they were listening, Lily thought, now what do I do? Lily grabbed James' arm, her eyes wide with shock. Peter had completely blown her cover. James just stared at her not knowing what to do or say.

Breezy looked at the horrified expression on Lily's face and knew immediately that Peter had divulged something he wasn't supposed to.

Victoria spoke up, “Uh, Lily, just what type of school do you attend?”

By now Sirius had caught on and Jack and Remus were looking at Lily. Peter was sitting there with his head in his hands, not saying anything. With all eyes on Lily, she said the first thing that came to mind.

“Excuse me, I cut my foot earlier and now my shoe is filling up with blood.” She made a mad dash for the bathroom, hoping to lock the door before the girls could follow, but she wasn't fast enough. They cornered her and wanted to know what was going on.

“Lily, what just happened out there? What did Peter say that has you so upset?” Victoria asked. She was concerned about her friend.

“Lily, whatever it is, it can't be that bad. I promise we will not laugh at you.” Breezy hugged her friend.

Lily started to cry. “I promised my mum and my sister that I would never let anyone find out about me or about my school.”

“Lily, what is it? Please stop crying and tell us!”

With a deep breath, Lily blurted out; “I am a witch!”

“WHAT?!?!”

“I attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I received my letter just after grade school and I`ve been attending Hogwarts ever since.”

“So you mean to tell me, us, that witches aren't just in fairy tales and that those boys out there, your friends, are wizards??” Victoria was shocked.

“Yes.”

“Why didn't you tell us Lily?”

“I was scared you wouldn't want to be friends with me.”

“Never be ashamed of who you are sweetie. We like you for you, not for what you are or aren't.” Breezy gave Lily another hug.

“So can you please answer something for me? What the bloody hell is Quidditch?”

Lily laughed at Victoria. “Why don't I let James explain that to you? By now, they will have filled Jack in on everything.” The girls moved to exit the bathroom. Lily was still taken aback that her friends seemed so nonchalant about this big revelation. She smiled at her friends and they returned to the table.

“Oh Lily, Lily, I am so sorry if I said something wrong. I thought they knew,” Peter was begging for her forgiveness.

“It's alright Peter. I'm not ashamed of who or what I am,” she said with a small smile, “I just didn't want to make things awkward for Petunia. I didn't think that everyone would take the news so well.”

Victoria was looking impatient and drumming her fingers on the table. “Is anyone ever going to tell me what Quidditch is?”

Everyone laughed and Sirius got a twinkle in his eye. “Why don't we show you?”

“Now how would we do that, you git, we can't exactly play right here you know,” Lily exclaimed.

Remus got a knowing look in his eye. “The beach,” he said quietly.

“Yes!” said James, “I'll owl mum and tell her that another friend is coming to stay. And Evans you can owl Alice and explain what's happened, you know she'll want to have more girls around after spending most of the summer with us.”

“Fabulous plan, but there is still the small problem of our final.” Lily looked defeated.

“Lily, you are a witch, isn't there some type of enchantment or spell you can put on the teacher to make us exempt from the test?” Jack looked really pleased (and hopeful) with this idea.

“I am sure there is but we aren't allowed to use magic outside of school and on a Muggle no less.”

“I have an idea,” squeaked Peter, “You go to your final and one of us can pull that fire alert outside the classroom. You won't have enough time to finish your test, after waiting on the fire department to come, and she can't very well make you stay after, especially on the last day of classes.”

“You sure you weren't supposed to be in Slytherin, Petey? That's not only sneaky but incredibly clever,” said Sirius patting him on the back.

“So, when is the exam?” asked Remus.

“At the end of the week,” said Breezy.

“Fine, after today we'll go back to the beach, and you won't see us until after we pull the alarm. We'll be waiting in the car lot. And don't worry about how you're getting to the beach, we'll arrange that,” Sirius said with a smile.

This is going to be so great, Lily thought. All my friends will be at the same place at the same time. It doesn't get much better than this.

The day flew by, with everyone getting to know each other and making plans for “The Big Escape” as they'd taken to calling it. Lily and her friends had taken the four boys all over town. They went to the park, the botanical gardens, the grade school where the girls had met, and finally back to the school where they were taking the Home Economics class.

It was getting late and Lily needed to get home so she could owl Alice, not to mention, she didn't want to take the chance that Petunia would make up some stories to tell their mum. The four boys bade the others goodbye with promises of seeing them at the end of the week.

Lily ran up to her room after calling hello to her Mum, and quickly jotted down a note to her friend. While she was writing there was a tapping at her window. She looked up to see an owl that looked a bit familiar. She opened the window and took the letter. She gave the owl a treat and it headed back to wherever it came from. She opened the parchment and read the note.

Hey Evans,

Mum says its fine if Jack comes to stay. Let me know when you hear back from Alice and we can make plans to come pick you lot up.

James

Lily was shocked James had followed through so quickly. She finished up her letter to Alice and sent it off with Athena.

Dear Alice,

You will never believe what happened to me! Well, yes you will, because I'm sure you've already heard all about it from James or Sirius. I still can't believe they Apparated right outside my classroom window. In the dustbins, of all places! So the reason I am writing, which again, I am sure that someone has already told you, is that I was wondering if it would be ok for me to bring Victoria and Breezy with me. Do you think your mum would mind? They know I am a witch, thanks to Peter letting it slip and they know about the others too. They won't tell, and since the beach isn't Wizards only, I was hoping that no one would even notice them. James has already asked his mum and she said it was ok for Jack to stay with them. It would be so much fun to have a few more girls around. So let me know soon what your mum says. My test is in two days and as soon as it's over, we can leave.

Love, your friend,

Lily

She didn't have to wait long for the response. Alice must have written back straight away because Lily received the letter only 2 hours after she had sent hers. It was short and to the point… “MUM SAID YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Lily called Breezy and Victoria immediately and they all started to pack. After she had gotten most of her things together, she quickly owled James back saying that everything was a go.

The day of the exam came and Lily was very nervous. She was not so much afraid of getting in trouble, but more afraid of how they were going to get to the beach. James wouldn't tell her, so she had tried to ask Sirius. He wouldn't tell so she tried Remus and Peter. No one was giving away any information except to say, “Be ready at 2:00.”

The foursome met at the playground that was halfway between the school and their respective homes. There was a shaggy black dog running loose and a bunch of neighborhood kids chasing it, trying to get it to play ball. On the walk to the school, they kept their eyes peeled for signs of James or the others. Seeing no one, they went in to take their test.

Time was moving slowly now, the minutes seemed like hours. Lily had butterflies in her stomach as the minute hand drew closer to 2:00. She had answered most of the questions on the test, so she glanced around the classroom to check on the others. Petunia was scribbling furiously about something. Probably an essay…101 Ways to Use a Frying Pan, Lily thought. Breezy was staring off into space, test paper turned over; she was finished. Vernon was still on the first page. Lily could tell because the first question was “Draw a picture of the proper place setting, if the meal being served has 4 courses and the main dish is halibut.” Lily smiled as she noticed Vernon having trouble drawing the plate. Jack was looking out of the window toward the car lot, as if he was expecting someone to pop out of thin air. They would know better than to Apparate again, wouldn't they? I mean really, Muggles can't travel that way, Lily thought. Victoria was sneaking peeks at Petunia's paper whenever the opportunity arose. There is no Anti-Cheating ward here that's for sure!

The clock inched toward 2:00. Lily cleared her throat to get her friends attention. They were alternately staring at the door and watching the clock. Tick. Tick. Tick. 1:59 and 30 seconds. 40 seconds. 45 seconds. 50 seconds. 55 seconds. 57. 58. 59. 2:00. Nothing! They each looked around curious as to what was going to happen. Still nothing! Victoria sighed and Lily shrugged. Maybe they forgot. Maybe, they were caught. Or maybe they….

The alarm sounded just then. Breezy screamed. Mrs. Terry ushered the class out the door. Petunia could be heard whining “But I'll not have time to finish my essay on 101 Ways to Use a Butter Knife.” Lily snorted, I was close. The foursome stayed close together looking for signs of the others.

Mrs. Terry spoke up, “I would advise you all to stay close. This is just a drill, and we should be able to head back to class shortly. As soon as we return to the classroom, you may hand in your exam. If it is incomplete, there will be a make up exam on Monday.”

Lily hoped someone got there soon. If they didn't get out before the class headed back inside, there was no way they would be able to escape. They were all still looking around the lot, looking for a sign of something when Jack spotted Peter.

“There they are! Let's make a run for it. Act like you are chasing that dog,” Jack pointed in the direction of a black dog that looked like the dog they had seen earlier at the playground. The dog barked at them, like he was issuing a challenge. The foursome took off chasing him. The dog was quick though and he ran straight toward Peter and around the corner.

When they got there, they saw Peter and Sirius waiting by a car. Peter was sweating profusely and Sirius was leaning against the car like he had just run 5 kilometers.

“What luck! Did you see that dog run past here? It was like he knew that we needed a distraction, so we could get away from the class and he led us right to you!” Victoria marveled.

“What are you so winded for Sirius? Push this old bucket here?” Jack said laughing.

“Alright mates, let's go before the Professor comes looking for you.” Sirius opened the doors to the car.

“Please tell me this is not a magical car!” Lily said.

Peter sighed, “I wish. But it's not. We borrowed if from some guys we know at the beach. They taught us how to drive it and we can get there properly.”

Lily was relieved. They all piled in and Victoria directed them to her house so the girls could pick up their bags. Then they would head to Jack's for his stuff, and finally then, be on the way to the beach.

The trip was uneventful. It took 3 hours to reach the town. Sirius, who was driving, dropped the girls off at Alice's and told them that they could meet down at the lifeguard tower at 7. The girls grabbed their bags and headed up the drive.

Alice was ecstatic to see them. She came bounding out the door and hugged Lily hard. Looking at Breezy and Victoria she said, “I am so glad to meet you finally. Lily has told me all about you. We are going to have such a good time.” Alice's easy-going personality made the girls feel at ease. Picking up their bags from the front lawn, where they had been strewn in the excitement of arriving, they went inside to get freshened up.

“Sirius said we should meet them down at the tower at 7,” Lily told Alice.

“Ok, Frank, the one I told you about,” Alice said with a blush, “is already over at James'. Frank, James and Remus have been working on something all day. Suspiciously quiet if you ask me.”

“I hope its Quidditch! I still don't know what that is!” Victoria said.

“I hope they have food, I'm starving,” Breezy said.

The girls quickly changed and unpacked. Breezy and Victoria marveled over how spacious the drawers and closets were. There was plenty of room in the bedroom for all four girls and their things. What Breezy and Victoria didn't know, was that Alice's mum had magically expanded things before anyone had arrived.

With a quick hello and good-bye to Alice's mum and dad, the girls walked down to the beach. Alice pointed things out along the way.

“That's where I met Frank. And over there, is where he bought me an ice cream cone. And oooh, there, that's where he took me on our first date.”

“Oh and look over there, that's where we snogged for the first time,” teased Lily.

“Oh hush! That is the soda shop that the boys spend a lot of time in. I think because Sirius fancies the counter girl. Oh and here we are. Tower 12. This is where we usually meet up in the evenings so we can go out dancing or swimming or to a bonfire.”

“Ah, ladies, good of you to make it,” came Remus' voice, “please, come this way.”

Alice was right. James, Remus and Frank had been working hard today. There were chairs, blankets, a bonfire, and a cooler full of snacks and drinks. The girls were impressed.

Alice introduced Frank to the other girls. Breezy introduced Jack to Alice. Once all the introductions were done, they all sat down by the fire. They spent the evening chatting and enjoying each other's company. The things that were taught at Hogwarts fascinated Lily's Muggle friends. And her school friends couldn't get over all the things that Muggles did without magic. Victoria made James and Sirius promise to teach her Quidditch the next day. This brought around a whole new topic, with people arguing over which team was better, the Chudley Cannons or Puddlemere United.

Lily saw that Breezy, Jack and Victoria were getting tired. She was too as it had been a long and eventful day for them. She suggested that they all go home and get some sleep so they could finally teach Victoria about Quidditch the next day.

The girls went one direction and the boys the opposite direction. The girls quietly entered Alice's house and went straight to her room. They quickly fell asleep, listening to the sounds of the ocean.

***

Morning came early for the girls. Alice's mum called them down to breakfast and told them that Lily had received an owl from someone. She looked at the other girls, wondering who would be owling her here so early in the morning. She got the letter from Mrs. Archer and sat down to read it.

Evans,

I know you weren't expecting me to owl you when we were all together last night. I was trying to pull you aside so I could ask you a question, but Remus and Peter kept distracting me. Anyway, what I am trying to say is that I would like to know if you would like to go out with me sometime. Just the two of us. You can let me know the answer when we see you in a little bit. Remus and Peter found the perfect place to play Quidditch so they'll be by to pick you up around 9. So I'll talk to you in a little while.

James

Lily was stunned. It was no surprise that James fancied her, he made no secret of that at school, but to ask her out on a date! Wow, that was a total shock. Lily showed the letter to the other girls, who squealed in unison.

“This is fabulous Lily! You can go out with James and I'll go out with Frank and we can double date!” said Alice.

“What about us though? I can go out with Jack, but Victoria doesn't have anyone,” said Breezy.

“Oh that's nice, thanks for that Breezy. And who says I have no one…there is always Sirius or Remus. Peter is a little short for my taste,” said Victoria.

“I haven't said yes yet girls. James and I have just gotten to the point where we can be in the same place together without fighting. I don't know that I want to mess it all up.”

“Well, think on it, but think quickly. The letter said that Remus and Peter would be here at 9 and it's already nearly 8. We all have to get showered and changed, so we best get a move on,” said Breezy.

The girls hurried to get ready. Alice and Lily helped the other two with the appropriate clothing. After deciding on blue jeans and short sleeved t-shirts, the girls grabbed their trainers and waited outside. Remus and Peter arrived promptly at 9.

“Are you all ready to go?”

“Lead the way Peter,” Lily replied.

Remus and Peter led the girls on a twisted route to their secret location. Once they arrived, Breezy and Victoria gasped. James and Sirius were already on their brooms with Quaffles and Bludgers flying everywhere. They watched in awe as James and Sirius both spotted something and went racing toward the ground. Breezy covered her eyes, as she didn't want to see James and Sirius crash into the ground. Sirius yelled, “I GOT IT!” and both boys jumped off their brooms.

“You can uncover your eyes know Breezy,” said James

“Now you know what Quidditch is!” said Sirius.

“That was the single most bloody fantastic thing I have ever seen!!!” said Victoria.

“Well, come on then, I'll take you for a spin,” Sirius said, holding his broom out and helping Victoria get on it.

“I think I need to go sit down and recover from the heart attack I just had. You coming with me Alice?” said Breezy.

“Sure thing love, let's go.”

Remus and Peter took off on their brooms too so that left Lily and James standing there alone.

“So did you get the owl I sent?”

Lily blushed. “Yes, I did”

“And?”

“I don't know James. We have just now, after nearly 7 years, become friends and I don't want to ruin that.”

“Oh come on Evans! Just one date. I promise, if you have a terrible time, I'll never ask you out again,” James was begging.

“Oh all right then. I'll go.”

“Great. Tonight, 8 pm, meet me at the end of Alice's driveway. Now I have to teach your friend a thing or two about Quidditch.” And with that James took off into the sky.

Victoria was screaming as James and Sirius raced around the pitch. She took turns riding with Sirius and James. Breezy even went up for a bit and James managed to get her to let go of the broom long enough to score a goal. Jack, on the other hand, was a pro. By the end of the afternoon he had already graduated the “Potter/Black School of Quidditch” and was well on his way to being the most fantastic Muggle seeker in history. Lily just sat back and watched as both groups of friends were enjoying each others company. It was better than she could have even imagined.

“Hey Lily, we should probably get back now, if you need to get ready for your date with James” said Alice, interrupting her thoughts.

“Oy! You're right. Where did the time go? We've been here all day. It must be after 5 already. I'd hate to make the others leave though, they are having such a good time. And did you talk to Frank? Ar you guys going to double with us?”

“No, I haven't had the opportunity to talk to Frank” Alice said distractedly. “ Stupid Quidditch, once they are on about it, there is no hope in changing the subject. Why don't you go and I'll wait here for them. Just let them know you are leaving so they don't wonder where you disappeared too.”

Lily yelled up to Breezy, Victoria and Jack. She let them know she was going back to Alice's for a while and that Alice was waiting on them over by the blankets and chair the boys had set up. Lily headed to Alice's thinking about what kind of date James had planned for them.

Lily arrived back to the Archer's and joined Alice's mum for a spot of tea. While they were chatting someone rang the doorbell. Mrs. Archer answered the door and came back with a box for Lily. The card said: To Lily…wear it well, wear it tonight!

Lily was shocked that James went to this much trouble. Looking at the garments in the box, she was more confused than ever about what type of date she'd be going on. She finished up her tea and headed up to the bathroom to get showered and changed. She put on the things that James sent and waited for the other girls to get back. She didn't have to wait long. By the time she got her shirt on, the girls had burst through the bedroom door.

“WHOA! Lily where did you get that top??” Breezy asked.

“James sent it over this afternoon, only he didn't tell me where we would be going”

“Well let's see”, said Alice, “He sent you blue jeans, and a sparkly halter top, dancing maybe?”

“Oooh good guess”, said Victoria.

“I'll find out soon enough, James is going to be here soon.” Lily was a little nervous. She hadn't been on many dates before and going on her first with someone who she had once despised wasn't exactly the way she thought it was going to be.

At 8pm sharp, Lilly went outside to meet James. He was already there waiting for her. The two looked up to the bedroom window and waved at the girls peeking out. James took Lily's hand and started walking toward the Boardwalk.

“Where, exactly, are we going?”

“Peter, Sirius, Remus and I met this bloke named Harrington who owns this uh, place, that we are going to.”

They walked quietly along the boardwalk for a few minutes until they reached a non-descript building. Plain on the outside, but with small windows were pulsing with music.. Lily was feeling quite skeptical until James told her where they were.

“It's a skating rink, Lily. Harrington owns it.”

“Skating?!?! You are taking me skating?!??? How did you know that I love to skate?” said Lily.

“Oh that. That was easy. Sirius turned on the charm and your mate Victoria fell hook, line and sinker. Once I knew you would like this place, I called Harrington and arranged for us to have the place for ourselves this evening. For a little while anyway.” James looked at Lily expectantly.

“What do you mean a little while?” replied Lily.

“Well after seeing how much fun everyone was having together today, I kind of …sort of…invited them to meet us here…” James's voice trailed off.

“James Potter! I could kiss you! I felt terribly guilty leaving the others behind, they are my friends after all. I wanted to cancel and Alice talked me into keeping our date.” It suddenly dawned on Lily that James must have talked to them when she went back to Alice's to change. “And she was in on this the whole time!” Lily was astounded at the lengths James' went through to please her.

James beamed and wondered if Lily really would kiss him. That way I won't have to make the first move! He took Lily's hand and led her inside.

The music was loud and fast. There were colored lights everywhere. James introduced Lily to Harrington.

“Very nice to meet you Lily. I've heard loads about you from Jamesy” said Harrington.

“ Nice to meet you too, Harrington. Thanks for arranging this for my friends and James and I.”

“Not a problem. James owes me one now.” Harrington said with a laugh.

James chuckled and said, “Yeah yeah yeah,, I'll name my first born after you…Harrington Potter!” James broke off into a fit of giggles.

Lily swatted him on the arm and shook her head. “Are we going to skate or what?”

James grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her onto the rink. They raced around the floor, and tried out all kinds of tricks. Lily could skate backward and James was good on one foot. They were laughing and having a great time. So good, they almost didn't notice the others arrive.

Lily caught a glimpse of Alice and nudged James. The skated over to their friends to welcome them.

“Alice Archer! You were in on this with him!” Lily laughed when Alice turned beet red.

“Hey Lil, I was only trying to keep the surprise. You are happy aren't you?” Alice looked hopefully at her friend.

“Yes! Are you mad?!!? I couldn't have asked for a better evening had I planned it myself!”

The gang got their skates and joined Lily and James on the floor. Everyone was laughing and giggling and racing each other. It was the best time Lily had had for a long time.

She skated off to the side toward where Harrington was playing the music. She needed a breather. As she watched her friends, Muggle and magical, all have a great time together she knew things would be different when she went back to Hogwarts in a few weeks. Never could I have imagined that all my friends would be together in one place, enjoying each other's company. And it's all because of James. Maybe he's not so bad after all.

Harrington leaned over and whispered in Lily's ear, “I'm going to hold him to it. Harrington Potter. Fine name, if I must say so myself.” he chuckled. “Better get used to it Lily, cause I see some good things ahead James and Lily Potter.”

Lily looked at Harrington with her mouth agape. He winked at her and nodded his head toward the others. Lily rejoined them. And with a look back at Harrington, whose eyes she could still feel on her back, she winked and smiled.

***The End***

A/N—Just wanted to say thanks to Terri for reading this and encouraging me to finish (finally!) and to Lainerrrrr, Breezy and Jack Morman—thanks for letting me borrow parts of you. Love you guys loads! Now read and review purty please!!!

-->