*Disclaimer*- Messrs. Fuzzbutt and Fantail do not now, nor will they ever, claim to be J.K. Rowling. They own none of the characters or situations presented by Ms. Rowling in any of her brilliantly written books.

Chapter Ten- Wonders of Winter

The feast had gone quite well, if you asked any of the Gryffindor seventh years.

Lily had kissed James on the cheek before the Feast. This, of course, is a friendly gesture. That, though, unfortunately for Lily, is not how Marlene and Emmeline saw it. "Lily Evans," Marlene chastised as the three headed up to their dormitory after the feast, "I thought you said you didn't like James."

"I don't," Lily answered. She didn't, not like that.

Emmeline gave Lily a look. "Of course not," she said, not at all believing Lily.

"Look, a kiss on the cheek doesn't mean anything," Lily pointed out.

"You never kiss anyone on the cheek," Marlene said.

"Well I don't exactly have any guy friends to do that to, do I?"

"What about Sirius and Remus?" Emmeline asked.

"They're different."

"How so?"

"They're... well, they're them."

"James is James," Marlene said.

“And he’s also not Sirius or Remus,” Lily said.

"Remus isn't Sirius or James," Emmeline countered. "Your reasoning is silly. It doesn't make sense."

"Of course it does," Lily said, although she didn't understand it, either.

"Lily, why can't you just admit that you fancy him?"

"Because I don't, we're just friends."

Emmeline scoffed. "Right, Lily, right."

Lily sighed. "I'm going to bed," she muttered. "I don't want to try even more to convince you of the truth."

"We aren't the ones who need convincing, Lily," Marlene said.

Lily rolled her eyes. When she was safe within her four-poster, curtains closed, she flopped onto her back from a sitting position. I don't fancy James, do I? No. I don't.

Right? Erg, how did this happen? How did I go from despising him to possibly fancying him in just a matter of months?

He wasn't all that bad to begin with, was he? It was just me... And now that I know what he's really like, I fancy him? Or do I? I don't know. I don't think I like him. What was it that Emmeline said once? "If you have to wonder about whether or not you like a guy, then you don't like him." Then I don't, because I'm definitely wondering. Good, that's solved then. I do not fancy James Elias Potter.

Lily smiled to herself, glad to be rid of that confusion. What if Emmeline only meant that for people who weren‘t in denial? Am I in denial?

Lily frowned in frustration.

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James was deep in thought, a grin on his face as he remembered Lily's kiss. He was walking into the seventh year Gryffindor boys' dormitory when Remus interrupted these thoughts.

"James, is there anything you want to tell us?" Remus asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You have a horribly stupid grin on your face. Almost like the grin you had on after the first time Lily and her friends ate breakfast with us." Sirius said.

"Oh, well, I'm just happy is all," James said.

"Why?" Peter asked with a smirk.

Frank rolled his eyes. "Oh, all of you just stop beating around the bush.” He turned to James. “We all saw Lily Evans kiss you in the common room before the feast."

Sirius pouted. "Frank, you're no fun. I don't know what Alice sees in you."

Frank blushed. "I'm going to ask her to Hogsmeade," he said.

"It's about bloody time," Sirius said.

"You guys saw?" James asked. He hadn't been paying attention to what Frank was saying.

"What?" Peter asked, confused at the sudden turn in conversation.

"Of course we saw, mate. We were watching you and Lily on the map. We were waiting for you to come so that we could go to the feast," Sirius said.

"More like Sirius was waiting so he could feed his stomach," Remus corrected.

"Anyway," Sirius continued with a mock glare at Remus, "we heard a lot of the conversation, too." He grinned. "Thanks, James," he said in a high voice. "For what?" Sirius lowered his voice. "I had fun," he said in the same higher voice.

"If you saw all that, why was it forever until you came to get me?"

"We were as shocked as you were, mate," Sirius said. "I mean, it's not every day Lily Evans kisses James Potter."

James grinned. "It was nice," he said stupidly.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You're such a sap."

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December came upon Hogwarts quickly, and in two weeks there was to be a Hogsmeade trip.

James, in that time, had become horribly confused as to Lily's intention. Had she meant that kiss, (yes, weeks later he still thought constantly on it), as a kiss from a friend or as more? What was he to do about it? Should he do anything about it? Lily hadn't mentioned it again. Maybe she hadn't meant to kiss him. But nothing had been awkward, had it?

"James, it's almost two in the morning, what are you doing awake?" a voice interrupted. It was Remus.

"I could ask you the same," James said.

Remus shrugged. "What're you thinking about?"

"What do you think?" James asked. It was no secret that he constantly thought on Lily.

"Are you asking her to go with you to Hogsmeade?" Remus asked.

James sat abruptly. "Of course not! She'd hate me again."

"How are you ever going to get anywhere with her if you don't ask her out?" Remus asked.

"I don't know," James mumbled.

"Anyway, it isn't as if you have to ask her to be your girlfriend or to go on a date with you. Tell her that it can be as friends, if she'd like."

"I can't tell her that. I can't ask her to go with me. She'd hate me all over again and we'd be back to square one."

"James, don't you know Lily at all by now?" Remus asked.

"Yes," James said.

"Will she hate you if you ask her to Hogsmeade?"

James sighed. "No."

"Why won't you ask her, then?"

"I'm afraid," James admitted. He couldn't ever remember admitting that seriously to anyone before.

"Of what?"

"Being turned down. If she says no, things will get really awkward. I don't want to risk our friendship."

"There can be no rewards without risks."

"Some risks aren't worth taking, though."

"What about the kiss?"

"How do I know it even meant anything?"

"How do you know it didn't mean anything?"

"See, there's the risk again. I can't risk Lily, she means too much to me."

"Do you know what you're risking by not taking this risk?"

"Nothing?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "You're risking missing out on the love of your life."

"How?"

"James, she isn't going to wait around for you forever, if she does fancy you. She'll move on, and you'll have to move on, and you will be without your Lily. She’ll become Mrs. Lily Lockhart or something equally ridiculous."

"Urgh, Lockhart?" James made a face. "That's disgusting."

Remus rolled his eyes again. "It was the first name that came to my head," he said in his defense.

"That doesn't make it any less disgusting."

"Anyway,” Remus continued, “the point I'm trying to make is that without asking her to Hogsmeade, even just as friends, you're risking just as much, if not more, than if you do ask her."

"Why can't this be easy?"

"Since when has winning over Lily ever been easy?" Remus asked.

"Never, but it seems harder now that we're friends. There's more to lose."

Remus nodded in understanding.

"James?” Remus said after a few minutes silence.

“Hmm?”

“You have to ask her.”

James did not answer straight away. His mind was whirling, but he knew Remus was right. "I know," he said.

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It was almost midnight, and Lily sat on a couch in the common room, doing her essay for Potions. Well, she was trying to, anyway. She couldn't stop thinking about Halloween. She wasn't even sure what she had meant by the kiss.

As the weeks had passed, Lily had begun doubting herself. She was unsure as to what she felt for James, and whether or not she fancied him. The side that said she didn't was for some reason weakening.

She bent over her notes again. Now was not the time to think on such matters- the essay was due the next day, and that needed to be completed.

She was distracted again, however, by soft footsteps coming from the boys' dormitory stairs.

"Hey, Lily," a voice greeted. It was James.

She smiled. "Hullo." What is he doing here, and up so late?

He wandered over to the couch upon which Lily was seated. He looked horribly pale. I hope I don't screw this up too badly.

"James, are you alright?" Lily asked. "You look sick." And nervous. Why is he nervous? James, why are you nervous?

James tried to grin, but found his mouth wasn't working correctly. Why is this so hard all of a sudden? "I'm fine," he said.

"No, you're not. You look a right state. I'm not blind. Something's wrong, and I can tell," Lily said. Is it me? He's not tired of me, is he?

James blinked. Oh, right. It's hard because she's your friend now. "I think I'm just tired," he lied.

"You've been tired before, and you've never looked like this. You seem nervous. Are you?" Lily asked.

More than I've ever been. "No. I'm not lying, Lily, I'm just tired."

Lily raised a skeptical eyebrow. "If you're sure," she said.

James nodded.

"What are you doing down here, anyway?"

James smirked. "Heard the scratching of your quill. I thought it might've been an owl and came to check. What're you working on?" James's heart pounded.

"Potions," Lily answered. "Did you already do it?"

James grinned. "Yes," he said. "I've been especially careful not to screw up in that class again."

Lily laughed, and the awkwardness seemed to disappear. James came over to the couch and sat next to her.

Suddenly he was nervous again.

"Lily, how do you do it?" he wondered aloud.

"Do what?" Lily asked. He's probably wondering how I keep my hair straight or something silly like that.

"Nothing," he muttered, his face burning. After all, he couldn't exactly answer her with a, "turn me into a nervous wreck," could he?

"James, are you okay?" Lily asked. She put a hand to his forehead. He seems sick. He feels warm. "You feel warm. Maybe you've caught something?"

James's breath caught in his throat at her touch. "No, I'm not sick, honest," James said.

She drew back her hand. "If you're sure," she said, turning back to her work. He's hiding something.

It's now or never, Potter. "There's a Hogsmeade trip this weekend," James said randomly.

"I know," Lily said. "We had to send out Prefect notices, remember?" She didn't turn up from her work, but her heart was pounding. What is he getting at?

"Right," James replied, feeling stupid. "Notices." He paused again. Ask it!

Lily gave James a look. "You're positive you aren't sick? One minute you're pale, the next you're flushed, and you seem to not be remembering certain things."

"I'm not sick," James repeated. "I- I came down here so that I could ask you something."

Lily looked up at James. Is he asking what I think he's asking?

James cleared his throat. "Well, you see, I was just wondering, if you want to that is, if maybe you'd like to, but you don't have to, and it's not as if it would mean anything unless you wanted it to, but if you want to, this weekend, maybe...?"

Lily blinked. "What? I didn't understand at all what you were trying to ask." Yes, I did. Now ask properly, James. Wait! He's asking... oh my... what do I reply? Oh no.

"Lily do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend? It doesn't have to be a date, or anything, we can go as friends." He held his breath.

What do I answer? Do I say yes? We could go as friends, that's what he said. There's no harm in that. And I liked spending the day with him last time... The corners of Lily's mouth turned up in a smile. "Alright," she said.

James frowned. "That's alright." Then something registered. Alright means yes. "Wait, what did you say?"

Lily chuckled slightly. "Alright," she repeated.

James beamed.

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Authors’ Notes: This was a cute chapter. Aw… It also marks the half-way point of CAF. Yes, there are still 9 or 10 chapters left. ;) Well, anyway, we’d really appreciate if you reviewed. Please, please, please review! By the way, we're sorry for the delay. This chapter was rejected thrice, for unknown reasons, as we didn't recieve an email telling us why chapter ten wasn't put up. Hopefully it'll be posted this time, or we'll at least get an email.