The moment I heard about the upcoming ball, I knew immediately who I wanted to go with. Sarah. She was a seventh year, with brown hair, perfect skin, and a great body. She also happened to be the most popular girl in school. Every boy with an ounce of sense had a crush on her, even if they already had a girlfriend.
Most boys at Hogwarts had decided to go with her already, even though the ball had been announced only last night, and it was lunch now. I didn't have a chance; neither did all the other boys. Except one. Ben, her boyfriend.
Cross that one off my list. Next one? Nina. Nope. What's his face, he asked her last night in the common room. I mentally went down the rest of my list, and crossed them all off for the same reason: Unnatainable.
Just as I was trying to figure out whom to go with, Sirius waved his hand in my face. "Hello…earth to James Potter!"
"Huh? Oh. Sorry," I replied. "Just thinking, is all."
"About who you're taking to the ball?"
"Uh, er, why would you say that?"
"Well, I wonder…"Sirius replied sarcastically. "Maybe it's because that's what is on every other bloke's mind."
"You have a point."
"I always do."
"Yeah, you just don't exactly make yourself clear on it. Anyway, who are you thinking of taking?" I questioned.
Sirius looked around to see if our friend, Lily, was nearby. Seeing that she wasn't, he answered. "I'm thinking of getting my courage up and asking Lily."
I patted him on the back as I told him. "Good for you! I bet that she likes you too. She's probably just can't get up the courage." I encouraged him. Sirius has had a crush on Lily for the longest time.
"But will she say yes?"
"Of course!"
"As a friend, or as more?" I knew that she only liked him as friend. I also knew that she wouldn't want to hurt his feelings, either, so she would most likely say yes.
I lied. "As more."
"And what about you?"
"No idea."
"Not that it matters. You could have any single girl you wanted!" As an afterthought, he added, "And some non-single girls too."
"As could you." It was true. Even though we were only sixth years, we were already pretty damn popular. Not that I mean to brag, but, once again, it was true. The Marauders, as we called ourselves (Me, Remus, Sirius, and Peter) had a name as pranksters. Girls seemed to like that. Don't ask me why, we just did it for laughs.
"Come on, James, just tell me!" Sirius whined.
"If you must know," I quickly searched around in my head for the first halfway decent girl that came into my head. " I was thinking of taking Hannah Phillips."
"Oooh, Jamsie boy, you've never mentioned her before n-"
I cut Sirius off. "And I won't mention her again if you call me Jamsie boy!"
"Fine, be that way."
"I will. So when are you going to ask L-" I stopped all of the sudden as I saw Lily approaching.
"When am I going to as-" I cut Sirius off again, this time by kicking him in the shins, hard.
"What the hell, Ja-"
"Hello!" Lily exclaimed cheerfully, cutting Sirius off, and taking the empty seat beside me.
"Can't I finish a godamned sentence around here?" Sirius asked.
"No." I replied. "Have you seen Wormtail and Moony?" I asked Lily.
"No, why?" inquired Lily.
"Don't take points off if I tell, okay?" Lily was a prefect, and although out friend, would often take points off Gryffindor for one of our pranks.
"Fine, fine, fine." Lily sighed.
"They're off stealing Malfoy's underwear to, umm, display on the Quidditch field."
"Oh, James, really!" Lily scolded me.
"What! He deserves it!" I cried, throwing my hands up in the air.
"And after what he called you last week?" Sirius had taken a break from his eating to argue our case.
"Okay, I guess he does." admitted Lily, filling her plate up with salad, beans, and a sandwich. Sirius was back to his eating. "But if it doesn't live up to your usual standards, I might have to report this to McGonagall."
"Trust me, it will."
"Something you're not telling me?"
"Yes." I looked over at Sirius. "How can you stand toe at all that and not throw up? One would think you're starved or something.
Between mouthfuls, Sirius replied, "It's not my fault that my stomach is a bottomless hole."
"No, but neither is it your fault that your brain is a bottomless hole, either." commented Lily.
For that, Sirius threw a roll at Lily.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"James?" That was Sirius.
"Mmm?" I mumbled, half asleep. It was about 1 AM in the morning, and Sirius was talking to me now?
"Should I ask Lily tomorrow?"
"Mmmm." I turned over, and fell asleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I did it!" Sirius yelled, jumping up and down while punching his arm in the air, a big smile on his face.
Heads turned and stared at his strange entrance to the great hall. He skipped over to the Gryffindor table, and everyone went back to their lunch. "I did it, James, I did it!" He announced again.
"Did what?" I asked.
"I asked Lily to the ball!"
"Sit," I commanded. Sirius obeyed. "I take it she said yes?"
"Yes!?" Sirius cried. "She didn't merely say yes, but she said…" He paused dramatically. " 'I'd love to.' Can you believe it?"
"Tell." I ordered.
"I went to the library, where else would she be? I searched all over, I even asked Madame Pince where she was, but I still couldn't find her! So then I went up to the common room. She wasn't there, so I came here. Then I realized lunch hadn't started yet. So I went back to the library, and found her in the back, reading a-"
He paused to take a bite of a roll, and then started speaking again.
"So I found her in the back reading a book, and I said, 'Wannagototheballwithme?' and she said 'Huh?' and I said 'Do you want to go to the ball with me?' and she said-"
I broke him off. "Breathe." He took a deep breath, and then continued excitedly.
"I'd love to' and then she said 'You came all the way here to ask me that?' and I said 'Yes' and then I came here.
"Wow." I commented. "You're sure happy."
"Am I ever!" I laughed, and continued on with my lunch.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
So Sirus had a date, and all that was left was Remus, Peter, and I.
Or so I thought. It turns out Remus had asked Marsha Degani, a sixth year. And even Peter had snagged a fairly decent looking girl, Ann Ackinson. My temper got the better of me when I found out. I was pretty ticked at them for not telling me, but in the end I got over it.
The weeks went by, and I still didn't have a date. I kept procrastinating, saying that I would do it the next day. Of course, that didn't happen. Finally, one week before the ball, I put my foot down and told myself I wouldn't go to sleep until I had a date.
I didn't sleep that night. Or the next night, for that matter. I just never got around to asking a girl. I fell asleep not only in History of Magic, but also in Herbology, Divination, and Transfiguration.
When I fell asleep in Transfiguration, McGonagall woke me up. "Mr. Potter," she announced, a stern look on her face. "Perhaps you would like to tell the rest of the class why you fell asleep, or, maybe the dream you were having?"
I chose the first option."You see, Professor, I told myself I wouldn't fall asleep until I found a date to the ball, and since I didn't ask anyone, I couldn't sleep. I haven't slept for two nights."
Suddenly, a beautiful brown-haired Ravenclaw named Kelly stood up and said, "Do you want to go with me, James?"
"Yeah, that'd be great." I told her. She sat back down, looking ecstatic.
"Mr. Potter, Miss. Seubert," McGonagall's voice rang throughout the room. "Please resume your classwork and continue this conversation after class."
We both obeyed, but my thought wasn't on the work. Yes, that's right, thought. I only had one- I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. I have a date. The phrse just kept repeating itself inside my head, like- what's that phrase that Muggles use?- a broken decord* player.
The rest week passed quickly, my eagerness for the ball to come rising. Finally, that night came.