A/N: Holy crap, this is a really long chapter. Sorry, but there really isn't any way to make
this shorter. Well, no, I take that back. I made it as short as I possibly could, and it is still long. Anyways, thanks
for reading and don't forget to review, will you?! Oh, thanks to the person that mentioned that James is really a
Chaser and not a Seeker (in real life). For this, I needed him to be a seeker… you will see why.
Disc.: Didn't make the world, just using it for my own devices.
***
Chapter Twenty
Like any news that was supposed to be a secret, the news of Lily and James' second attempt at a date spread like wildfire among the students of Gryffindor, then the entire school. It made James worried that she would blame him for the information getting out, but she made no mention of it. He figured she thought it had to do with them doing night patrol together. While completely uneventful, it hadn't gone unnoticed.
"So, James," a sixth year Gryffindor said as he took a seat next to James and his friends. "What kind of prank can we expect on this date? Where are you taking her?"
"Sod off," James said as he pushed the boy's hand off his shoulder. James rolled his eyes as the boy glared at James and walked away.
"I still can't believe she gave you a second chance," Remus said.
"I still can't believe you trust her to plan the whole thing," Sirius said raising an eyebrow. "She didn't give you a single hint?"
"Nope," James said shrugging.
"Aren't you worried?" Sirius asked. James laughed.
"Why should I be? It's Lily," James said. Sirius shook his head.
"You're nutters to think she wouldn't try and pull something," Sirius warned shaking his head again. "Those goody-goody types are like ticking time bombs."
"Stop it," Remus said to Sirius. "You're going to scare poor James off."
"No he's not," James insisted. "I'm not scared of Lily."
"You should be," Sirius said lowering his voice as the aforementioned girl walked in the common room. She slowly looked over at them, a smile crossed her face, and she continued toward her dormitory. "See, she's pure evil."
"Shouldn't you be out teasing some fifth year girls?" James asked. Sirius grinned; a slight blush crept up his cheek.
"Ah, well, I've pretty much drained the dating pool dry, and I refuse to go younger than a fifth year," Sirius said shrugging. "And the two Slytherins I tried out nearly bit my, well, they nearly bit me."
"Only you," laughed James. Sirius shrugged.
"Fancy a ride before dinner?" Sirius asked. Remus and James laughed.
"You had better mean on a broom, Sirius," Remus said as James stood. Sirius grinned and shrugged.
"Ok, sure," Sirius said. He glanced over at the still silent Peter who now had his mouth hanging open in shock. "Sod off, Peter. It's a joke. I love James, I just don't want to give him loving."
"You're wicked, you know," James teased as the three older, cooler boys left Peter sitting on the chair. The poor boy had never been one who got jokes quickly, and it took him a moment to recover before he jumped off the chair to follow them out of the common room.
The four boys found their beds warm and welcoming when they finally turned in that night. James was already dozing off when he heard the insistent taping on the lead pane window. Sighing, knowing no one else intended to answer the window, James climbed out of bed wearing just his golden snitch boxer short and walked across the cold floor. He threw the window open allowing a large barn owl to swoop in and perch at the end of his bed.
"Okay," James said in a low voice as he walked back to his bed. Tied with a little piece of leather rope was a small piece of parchment. James went to untie the parchment, the owl biting his knuckle hard. James jerked his hand back, placing his injured knuckle in his mouth for soothing purposes. "Stupid owl…"
"Don't insult that one," mumbled Sirius sleepily. "He bites."
"Thanks," James said shaking his head. He attempted futilely twice more before he was able to remove the parchment. The owl hooted indignantly at James' rough handling and soared out the window. James rushed to the window, slamming it closed before the blasted bird decided to come back.
James headed over to his bed with the parchment, lit his wand, and unrolled it from its' tightly scrolled shape. He read it carefully, recognizing the elegant and graceful handwriting of Lily Evans. For a minute, while the meaning of the message settled in his brain he focused on the delicate curls of her lettering, so different from the heavy handed way that he stabbed at the parchment when he wrote. He reread her message to him.
"Sirius," James whispered.
"Hmm?" Sirius replied.
"My date with Lily is tomorrow," James said as quietly as he could. He could barely contain his excitement.
"That's nice," Sirius mumbled. It was silent in the room before Sirius bolted upright in his bed. "Wait, what? Tomorrow?"
"Yeah," James said laughing. "She owled me a note."
"Really?" Sirius said as he threw a shoe at Remus to wake him up. Remus jerked up, looking around angrily for the culprit. "James' date is tomorrow."
"What? Really? Does she say what she has planned?" Remus asked forgetting that he had been pelted in the head with a shoe. James looked down at the letter.
"No," James said. "It just says to dress comfortably."
"I wonder what she has planned," Sirius said suspiciously. Remus laughed.
"Why do you always assume that people are up to no good? Just because you almost always are doesn't mean that they are too," Remus said. He thought a minute. "I wonder when she had time to plan anything? She's been so busy with rotation schedules, tutoring schedules, class work, and a long list of other duties."
"I don't know," James said shrugging. Sirius was pouting.
"I don't care," Sirius said. James laughed and threw his arm around Sirius.
"Don't worry, Sirius," James said. "You can be our gardener when Lily and I get married."
"Pshft, like I care," Sirius said sniffing. He broke into a grin despite himself. "Remember, it's just one date not a wedding proposal."
"I know, I know," James said as they all retreated back to their prospective beds. James looked up at the canopy of his bed for a long time wondering what in the world she had planned for them. Knowing her, it would be very detail specific and he wondered where she found the time to do any of the things she did.
James sprung from bed like a tightly wound spring. He had managed to nod off only a few hours before day break, and it was insanely early for James to up on a Saturday when there was no Quidditch. Sirius barely opened his eyes as James headed straight into the shower. He was whistling merrily and even Remus made a face. James was usually not a morning person, so the chipperness that he emitted was slightly annoying. Still they couldn't blame James. He was going on a date with Lily that she had arranged, so they knew it would be perfect.
It seemed to James that two thirty would never come. He felt like a bundle of energy and nerves, and his good mood was rubbing off on everyone. Even Peter seemed perkier than usual, and he had been a little annoying up until recently. James couldn't believe how much of a girl he was becoming. He had changed his shirt and sweater at least a dozen times before settling on a simple button down shirt, sleeves rolled, and a sweater vest. He'd just have to remember his jacket. He had tried on three pair of corduroy pants, two trousers, and a few jeans before settling for his favorite pair of jeans. He wanted to do as she said and dress comfortably, but he wanted to look good too.
He looked at Lily as she sat in the common room, reading her book while Alice merrily chit chatted about some random thing. She seemed nonplussed about the whole thing, as if it was an everyday thing: her going on a second date with James Potter. She looked normal enough, jeans and a sweater. Her hair was down, and she was nodding at Alice in the appropriate spots to make Alice believe she really was listening. James frowned. Knowing Lily, she probably really was listening and reading her book.
"Ok," Lily said finally in her sweet but I-have-heard-enough tone. She handed her book to Alice and stood. "Are you ready?"
James nodded, swallowing nervously. He couldn't say anything, just stand and depart from Sirius who was whispering for him to run like hell and Remus who was cheering him all the way. James waved good bye to them, rushing back to grab his jacket off the chair he had just vacated. Lily didn't say much of anything. She waited patiently as she pulled her own jacket on and zipped it closed.
"Sorry," James said grinning. "Guess I'm a bit nervous."
"Really," Lily said raising an eyebrow. "I would've never guessed."
James laughed and followed her as she walked out the front door of the castle. There was new snow on the ground and the sound of it crunching below his feet filled the silence that spanned between them. Lily and James walked side by side, not doing much of any talking. Once outside of the walls of Hogwarts, Lily stopped abruptly causing James to nearly knock her to the ground. He caught her arm in his hand and kept her from falling.
"Ok," Lily said as she brushed her hair out of her face. "So, have you ever done a side-along before?"
"What?" James asked as he processed what she had said. He nodded. "Yeah, why?"
"Because you're going to side-along apparate with me, James," Lily told him as she offered his arm. He hesitated, having second thoughts.
"Isn't it against school rules to apparate away from the school?" James asked. Lily smiled.
"Never took you as one who let rules define you," Lily said. She nodded. "It is, but I've already cleared all of these activities with Professor Dumbledore. You're perfectly safe."
"Why do I have to do a side-along? I am of age, too, you know," James said almost proudly. "I will be eighteen in March."
"Well, I'll be eighteen in January and you don't know where we are going. Just shut up and let me be in control, will you?" Lily said as she took his arm. He thought about pouting but she did have a point. There was no use in him trying to apparate when he didn't know where they were going. He thought he could always ask her, but by then he was already feeling that strange sensation behind his navel.
It was dark when James' feet touched the ground. He continued to hold on to Lily's arm though it was obvious that he could let go. She let him remained gripped to her arm and said nothing, waiting for him to speak first. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist.
"Where are we?" James asked quietly. "And why is it so dark?"
"Afraid I might have killed you?" Lily teased. She didn't wait for his reply. "It is so dark because it is only six thirty in the morning here, and where we are is Peru."
"Why are we in Peru?" James wondered aloud. Lily laughed as she lit her wand. They were standing outside of a large building.
"We are in Peru so that you can spend the entire day playing Quidditch with the Peruvian Fight Fish," Lily said as the door opened. A man in green and gold Quidditch robes opened the door, grinning.
"Welcome," he said with a thick American accent. "I'm…"
"David Kelley, the best damn seeker there ever was!" James exclaimed as he vigorously shook the hand of his hero. The seeker smiled and nodded at James.
"I like to think so, though Lily tells me that you're on fair seeker yourself," Kelley said as he scratched his arm.
"You… you talked about me?" James asked turning to Lilly. "How do you even know…?"
"I interned here in my fifth summer, instead of going home for the summer holiday," Lily told James as the two of them followed the professional Quidditch player. "I earned a little money and I learned so much about business management."
"This is Quidditch!" James said shaking his head.
"It's also a business," Lily said. He didn't hear her. They had just walked into the morning meeting of the Peruvian Fighting Fish. Fourteen professional Quidditch players, the team manager, various other support staff, and the mascot, a Peruvian Fighting Fish in a glass bowl were sitting around casually. They all greeted James warmly, as if he had been a part of the Peruvian Fighting Fish.
"This is so awesome, Lily," James hissed at her as they were both given honorary uniforms: James' number was his favorite number, 11, and Lily's number was 7. She smiled, glad he was having a great time. The two of them headed to the change room. James glanced over as Lily pulled off her sweater, it clinging to her shirt. He grinned. Not only was he going to spend the day with his all time favorite team, he had also inadvertently saw a good bit of Lily's bare back.
"I hope you have fun," Lily said as she pulled her own uniform on, not looking at him. She began strapping the shin guards, as well as the wrist guards. "You'll be playing with the main team. I'll be playing against you with the reservists."
"I didn't know you can fly," James dumbly as he pulled his shirt and sweater off. Lily blushed at his unabashed exposure of a Quidditch defined chest.
"Of course I can fly," Lily said scowling. "I can also play Quidditch quite well for someone who wasn't born on a broom stick."
"I didn't know that," James said.
"What you don't know about me, James Potter, could fill the super dome," Lily said. James frowned.
"The what?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Hurry up," Lily called as she left him alone in the change room. He pulled his uniform on and headed out, fastening his own guards. He was greeted by David Kelley.
"So, you're going to replace me against the reservists today," Kelley said as he handed James a broom.
"Is this…?"
"My personal broom, yeah," Kelley said laughing. James looked like he was in heaven. "Be careful with it, though. She's a fast one."
"I think I can handle it," James said as he fingers caressed the hand carved handle.
"You're a bit on the lighter side of me, so you'll be fine," Kelley said as he patted James' shoulder. James joined the team on the pitch. He felt like he was going to explode from excitement when the whistle was blown and the fourteen players hit the sky.
"Make me proud, Potter!" Kelley cheered from the ground. James could hardly stand it. He was playing on a professional Quidditch team with professional Quidditch players, and his hero was cheering for him. He looked around, trying to glimpse the bit of gold of the Snitch. He could see Lily playing chaser and he cringed as a bludger was hit from one of his team mates right at her. It made contact with her thigh, but she pressed on and scored another point. James turned from watching her and looked for the snitch.
Across the field, a whole two and a half seconds before the reserve seeker saw it, James saw the glint of the snitch. Without a second thought, James shot through the air like a bullet shot from a gun. The reservist never had a chance, but still he had to give it his all. James' hand closed on the snitch and the game had been won. They all returned to the ground. David Kelley came up to James cheering.
"I knew you wouldn't let me down," Kelley said congratulating him. James couldn't even pretend that approval from his hero didn't put him on cloud nine. "You are a fantastic Seeker. Have you thought about going pro someday?"
"Only like every time I close my eyes!" James said excitedly.
"With the right manager and the right trainer, you'd give me a run for my money," Kelley said laughing as the two of them started talking techniques. James still had the snitch clutched in his hand tightly. Lily stood back, watching the excited little boy twinkle in James' eyes as he spoke candidly with his all-time favorite player.
After a quick lunch with the team, where James practically hung on every single word that David Kelley said, the team was back out for practice and drills. James and David Kelley practiced Kelley's signature move where he'd go into a sharp roll and do this kind of tumble while catching the snitch or avoiding a bludger. James was having the best time of his life.
Then he began to feel guilty. Lily had obviously put a lot of thought and effort in planning this date. She had known a lot about his likes, and she had used her connections to bring him together with his hero. He sat on his broom for a moment, watching her as she narrowly avoided one bludger just to fly into another. She shook it off, listening as the chaser, Blanche Velasquez, explained something about maneuvering. Lily seemed to be having a great time as well, but James couldn't help but feel bad about it.
"Cheer up," David Kelley said grinning. "She really likes you."
"What?" James asked.
"Oh, she plays like she doesn't but that's just the game that strong women play," Kelley said laughing. "I married a strong witch myself. She can kick my butt twelve ways to Graceland and back, and still I know she loves me like no other."
"This is our second date," James said making a face. "She was in charge of this date. I really blew out first date."
"Ah, well," Kelley said. "I've never been good at those things. My wife, superb, but me? Social retard, you know?"
"Yeah, me too," James said as he watched Lily successfully avoid the two bludgers. He cheered for her loudly, whistling. She beamed.
Dressed back in their regular clothes, they left the Peruvian Fighting Fish with promises that they would be back to visit them soon. James held David Kelley's bag, a signed gift from the hero himself, with their uniforms folded safely inside. The golden snitch was tucked safely in his pocket, his memento of playing pro, even just for the afternoon. Lily grabbed his arm and apparated away from where they were, stopping in a quiet villa. It was dark now, close to midnight their time.
"Where are we?" James asked. Lily stepped close to James.
"We are in the Villa Nuevo, New Village," Lily said quietly. Her breath tickled his ear. "It is located in the southern part of Spain."
"Why are we here?" James asked. Lily grinned.
"Dinner," Lily said as she nodded toward a little café that was still open. She smiled at him, taking his hand, and leading him inside. They were seated quickly, and hot steaming authentic Spanish dishes were brought to their table. James spent a good bit of time talking, but he didn't dominate the conversation that he was aware of.
"What do you think that you will do one you leave Hogwarts?" James asked as he took a sip of water.
"I've been accepted at several top Auror schools," Lily said as she looked at him. "What about you? What do you think you'd like to do?"
"Honestly? Play Quidditch," James said. Lily laughed.
"Well, you'd be well suited to," Lily said. "You seemed to have really impressed David Kelley, and I know he doesn't impress easily."
"Really?" James asked.
"Yeah, really silly," Lily said playfully. She made a face. "Naturally, I impressed him as well, but not for my Quidditch skills."
It had begun to rain, and despite the warmness of the coastal air, Lily and James found themselves shivering as they ran from the restaurant to the nearest inn. Lily shook her head, disappointed that the rain had spoiled her otherwise perfectly plan. While there was no risk apparating into a rain-drenched area, there was risk trying to apparate out.
"This sucks," Lily said shaking her head as she walked to the little man behind the counter.
"Hola," said the little man.
"Un noche, por favor," Lily said. He nodded and handed her a key. Lily took James by the hand and lead him up the stairs.
"I didn't know you spoke Spanish," James said. Lily laughed.
"I don't. I know like five phrases," Lily said quietly. "One just happens to be `One night, please'."
"My, my Lily," James laughed.
"Sod off, James. I plan to use it to back pack through Europe after this year is done while I am on Summer Holiday," Lily said. She laughed and pulled her soaking wet jacket off and hung it over the chair. She repeated with her sweater, leaving her tee shirt clinging rather well to her form. James swallowed nervously. "Don't tell me that this makes you nervous. I'm not catching my death because you are body shy. I don't think you should catch your death either. Surely you've seen worse."
"Ok, but what are you going to change into?" James asked as he slowly pulled off his sweater. Lily reached into her little purse, something James hadn't noticed until that moment. She pulled out a pair of shorts and a tee shirt.
"I always carry a spare," she said as she pulled her shirt off, her back turned to him. He about fainted from the sight of her. She peered at him over her shoulder. "You really do need to grow up. It's just my back, and hell… I am even wearing a bra you fool. Surely you've seen the flesh of a woman before?"
"Not you," James said. Lily laughed as she pulled her dry shirt into place.
"No, I imagine you haven't," she said as she pulled her jeans off quickly and pulled the shorts on.
"Won't we get into trouble for not returning to Hogwarts?" James asked as Lily pulled some clothes for James to wear. "Oh, I can't wear that. It's pink."
"No, I sent word to Professor Dumbledore, and it's the only thing I have in here that is big enough to fit you," Lily said. She rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand, waving it over the shirt. It promptly turned blue. "Better?"
"Yeah," James said as he stripped his clothes off. He laughed. "You fancy a look?"
"Uh, no, thanks. I saw enough in the changing room, thank you very much," Lily said. "It's really late, and I think we should just go to sleep."
"Ok," James said as they both pulled the covers back on the bed. "Now, Lily. Just because we are both consenting adults means you have the right to do anything you want with me. We're just friends on a date, you hear? You keep to your side of the bed and no trying to feel me up."
"As if I would!" Lily said shaking her head as she climbed into bed. She laughed.
"Good night, Lily," James said.
"Good night, James," Lily laughed as she rolled to her back and fell asleep.
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