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Warning! Mushiness ahead! You might want to reread Chapter 14- the beginning of 16 before reading this. Enjoy!
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Lily stormed down the stairs and into the common room, as James was just coming in the portrait door with his other three friends. Seeing him brought many confused thoughts into her head, stopping her in her tracks. Did James really still like her? He hadn’t denied it last night. Did James expect her to behave differently towards him now? She would, of course, but she wasn’t sure of the nature of the change. Lily considered dashing back up the stairs, but he had already spotted her.
“Hey Lily!” He called. “Ready to go to breakfast?”
Lily swore softly under her breath. After her involuntary eavesdropping last night, she wasn’t sure if she was absolutely ready to face James yet. She swallowed nervously, quenched her fears, and followed James outside the portrait, not meeting any of her house- mates’ eyes.
Once she was sure that the door was firmly closed behind them, she said quietly, “James? Could we talk for a minute?”
James shrugged. “Why not? What about?” A student walked passed the pair on the way to breakfast.
“In private?” Lily requested. James nodded again, grabbed Lily’s arm, and pulled her into a nearby broom closet before she could protest.
Lily looked at the dim, swaying light, and shifted uncomfortably. That small action was a bit hard, as the broom closet was very tight, and she was partially pressed up against James.
“Err… look, Po- James. I just wanted to… to thank you for helping me out last night. And I’m- I’m-”
Feeling a little dazed, and a bit shocked that Lily had actually THANKED him made James slightly unaware of how close the two of them were. Slightly.
Lily was having some trouble getting the unfamiliar words out of her mouth. “I’m- well, I wasn’t entirely justified in yelling at you when you told me that dating Diggory was a bad idea.”
James laughed. “Lily? You must be the only person I know who can apologize without saying ‘I’m sorry’.”
Lily smiled. “Well, I guess it’s just not in my nature. I never thought I’d see the day when I apologized to you though.”
James stopped. “Hey! What’s the matter with me?”
“Oh please!” Lily said. “You practically made my life miserable in first year!”
James frowned. “Oh yeah. I did. I guess I’ll just have to make up for it this year, right?”
Lily laughed a little bit worriedly. Her back was against a wall, and James was leaning in closer to her. “I guess you will.”
James put an arm on the wall over Lily’s shoulder, and bent down slowly. Lily looked up at him, not quite understanding.
Ever since fifth year, James had dreamt about being in close proximity with Lily Evans. And in his dreams, one thing had always happened. His dream became a reality.
He kissed her.
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Alice waited in her bed until she saw Alex head out of the dormitories, probably to meet Sirius. She slowly slid out from under her covers and eased her trunk lid open. Digging through her messy array of books, clothes, robes, and old magazines, Alice grabbed a box from the bottom of the pile.
Alice placed the box on her lap, took a deep breath, and opened it. An assortment of pictures smiled up at her, each sporting Frank’s cheerful face. She shuffled through the snapshots, notes, and letters (all having to do with Frank, of course) until she found what she was looking for, and let her mind take her through her memories, to the day of a Hogsmeade trip, last year.
Flashback
Alice sat in front of the warm fire, contemplating what on earth had transpired with Lily during her meeting with Remus in the Three Broomsticks.
A shadow fell across her face, and she looked up. Frank was standing in front of the fire, trying to find something to say. “Frank?” Alice asked. “What are you doing down here?”
“Erm…” He said nervously. “Well- you see- I was in Honeydukes- during the Hogsmeade visit- and I… I thought that… er… you might like- well, I hope you’d like them-but you don’t have to- well, no one could force you to- but anyways-” Frank babbled on a bit more, trying to redeem himself, until he just held something out to Alice.
She stood up, and took the box he offered her. It was a candy container that simply read:
For That Special Friend
Alice peeked into the box and saw a solitary chocolate egg. She looked up at Frank who coaxed her along. “Go on, crack it open!” He was grinning now, most of the nervousness gone. There was no turning back now.
She turned to the small table in front of the crimson sofa, and tapped the egg. It instantly cracked open on the wood, revealing what lay inside. The fire glinted off the golden necklace as Alice held it up and gasped.
A heart locket hung on a thin gold chain. Frank stepped up next to her, and gently took it from her hands. “I’ve been trying to find a way to tell this for awhile, Alice, and this seemed like a good way.”
Alice nodded wordlessly, a lump growing in her throat. Inside, however, she was leaping for joy. Did he mean…
Frank moved behind Alice, and fastened the gold chain. Alice’s stomach filled with butterflies as his hands touched her skin.
“You see, Alice I… I really l-like you.”
She turned around to face him. His eyes searched hers for a response to his confession.
Caught up in the moment Alice did something completely out of character, threw her arms around Frank’s neck, and kissed him squarely on the lips.
End Flashback
Once again, Alice felt the bliss of her first kiss, on the night she and Frank finally got together, as she hugged a small box to her chest, bearing the inscription:
For That Special Friend
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Author's Notes:
I do have two questions. Who is your favorite character/couple? What is your favorite quote/moment? Why? I'm just a little curious!