And I wanna learn from your pa
I wanna steal your attention like a bad outlaw
I wanna stand out in a crowd for you
A man among men
I wanna make your world better than it's ever been
And I'm gonna love you
Like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust
Making memories of us
~Keith Urban
"Hey, Prongs, we missed ya last night!" Sirius shouted. James awoke with a start.
"Wuzzat? Whozzer?"
"Haha, wake up, sleepyhead!"
James groaned and opened his groggy eyes. Staring down at him were his two best friend's faces, shadowed heavily but grinning.
"Where's Wormtail?" he asked.
"The great dolt's probably still down at breakfast, if you want anything to eat, you better hurry up!"
He let himself remember last night's events and sighed again. If they find out what I told her...
"Geez, what's wrong with you, Prongs? Evans turn ya down again? We've only been back at school for a couple of weeks!"
"No, actually, I haven't asked her since we've come back...maybe I should take a stab at it today," James replied thoughtfully.
"Ah, that's more like you. Today's Hogsmeade! Perfect!" Sirius said. He then whacked James with a huge pillow. “Come on, get up!”
"Yeah, we better hurry up if we're going anywhere, with or without anyone else, everyone'll be leaving soon," said Remus.
James dragged himself out of bed and pulled on a shirt and some pants. "You going with anyone, Padfoot?"
"Nah, I'm too good for all the girls here," he replied haughtily, running a hand through his dark hair. "None of them are hot enough to be with my sexy self."
"Oh, I see," said James, snorting when Sirius turned his back. He pulled on his robe at last and stood up. "Well, I guess we're off then!"
The three strode down the steps and out into the courtyard, where the bright sunlight dazzled them. They melted into the crowd and fell into step with one another, chatting.
"Better find Evans, mate, or we'll already be in Hogsmeade!" said Sirius. James shaded his eyes with his hands and searched through the crowd. After a few moments, he spotted her.
"I'll be right back," he said, already striding towards her.
Lily saw James out of the corner of her eye. Lily’s friends, Tara and Cam, glanced at each other and quickly disappeared from view, much to Lily’s horror. "Hello, James," she said politely. "Thought you better remove from my memory what you told me last night, eh?"
"Err...actually, no," he admitted. "That's not the reason I came at all. Though I must say, I feel no regret at all as far as telling you about....well, you-know-what."
She looked at him with a smile. He really has changed since last year, hasn't he?
"Well. The reason I came." He cleared his throat. "You wanna go to Hogsmeade with me? I know it's a bit late to be asking, but I thought, you know..." He trailed off into nothingness.
For the first time ever, she seriously considered his request. “He's handsome and popular...and now courteous? What's not to love?” she thought. Haven't you thought something very similar before?
"James." She looked straight up at him, straight into his eyes. "You're turning out to be a great guy this year. But...I just don't feel ready. I don't think I would feel comfortable. I would love to be your friend but...only that. We just started being friends, and I don’t want to take the risk of ruining our friendship because we took it too far too fast." Why, Lily, why? Why'd you turn him down? You know you want to...
"Hey, that's cool and everything too," he said quickly. "You're welcome to hang out with us today at Hogsmeade, though."
She smiled at him. "I'd like that."
Smooth, Prongs. Very smooth. You scared her off! Just great! The two soon reached the rest of the Marauders, and Sirius glanced at James questioningly.
"Lily's gonna hang out with us today..." he said quietly.
"So where are we off to first, anyway? The Three Broomsticks?" Sirius asked, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen. The others nodded their agreement and they all headed for the pub.
Lily found herself feeling strangely happy that she would be spending the day with James, but when she looked over at Remus, her characteristic green eyes filled with tears as she remembered. Turning her attentions to James would mean letting go of everything she had previously believed. Quickly shaking it off, however, she tuned in to Sirius and James's conversation.
"Now, really, I think the Seeker is obviously the most important position! I mean--" James was saying.
"No, no, you've got it all wrong," said Sirius. "The Keeper is more important than the Seeker; without the Keeper, the Snitch wouldn't get enough points to win the game!"
Lily shook her head at them "That's just the point," she interjected. "All of the positions are important to the game. That's why Quidditch is played as a team, and not just by individuals." Both fell silent, as if to ponder her words. Right as she finished saying this, however, they arrived in the front of the Three Broomsticks. James, in an uncharacteristically gentlemanly fashion, held the door open for her, but let it bang shut in Sirius' face.
"Whoops, sorry Sirius mate, didn't see ya there," he said apologetically, winking at Lily. "That's...five butterbeers, please," he said to the waitress. They slid into the booth, but no one could think of anything to say.
"Did you finish that homework for Muggle Studies, Remus?" asked James. Remus shook his head. "Nah...haven't even started it. I was gonna do it tomorrow. Don't get it, anyway. What's the point of teffylones? Seems awfully complicated, when you can just go and see the person…" He looked thoroughly confused, and Lily took pity on him.
"No...it's telephones, and you can use them to talk to people who are far away. They don't have two-way mirrors and Floo powder and Apparating and Portkeys like we do, so that's what they use as an alternative. They’re not complicated at all…remember, Muggles don’t have magic, and they’ve had to find other ways to do the same things we do."
Remus smiled and nodded. "Ah. I get it now!"
Lily grinned. "I was raised by Muggles...otherwise I'm sure I'd be just as confused as you." Their butterbeers arrived and they fell silent as they sipped them. By the time they were done, it was growing dark, and the five students traipsed back to the Hogwarts castle.
James, having a sudden idea, grabbed his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag. "Hey, you guys...I'll meet you back up in the dorm. I have to go...check on something," he said mysteriously. Pulling it on over himself, he disappeared from view.
He ran back up and into the castle and went straight to the Gryffindor common room. He hadn't played enough pranks this year, and he wasn't about to pass this perfect opportunity up.
A/N: Oooooh, it's a cliffie. This was mostly a filler chapter, a few amusing parts here and there but nothing really important. Next chapter is much better, I promise! I will update as soon as I possibly can, but in the meantime, please R&R Many thanks!