Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 107: Is This a Date?
"Hey James, do you have a minute?"
He was about to leave the Great Hall after dinner when he was suddenly called by Alice.
When he turned around, he saw Frank and Lily standing beside her.
"Yes?" James wondered what she wanted. Even though they were all part of the same group of friends, he hadn't really spoken that much with these three. At least not compared to how much time he spent with Sirius, Remus, and Peter.
"Tomorrow morning, we're going to make a shopping trip to Hogsmeade and maybe grab something to eat at the end. If you have some free time… do you feel like coming along?"
"You want to visit Hogsmeade again so soon?" He had expected that after the experience from the previous week, they would be more reticent to go there.
Alice made a troubled expression. "It's the only fun place we can visit during the school year. We can't let something like that ruin it for us."
"Yes, and if James is with us… we'll be safer, right?" Lily added.
'So I'm a bodyguard now?...' James thought.
"Sirius and Peter said they wanted to go watch the Quidditch game between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. And Remus wanted to research something in the library for a personal project of his," Frank said.
James knew this, of course. Remus was working on the map. He wanted to research some new rune formations to use.
Sirius told him about going to watch the game, but he didn't feel like wasting his morning like that.
He had planned to just spend his time at the lab, get some stuff done. But he could also do that during the afternoon.
Right now, it wasn't a bad idea to accompany these three to Hogsmeade.
The Lestrange brothers were back, and Malfoy might try something.
"Okay, I can join you. But I need to return after midday at most," James told them.
"That's no problem," Alice said with a grin.
"That's great, James. Thanks for coming." Frank gave him a pat on the shoulder. "After breakfast, at the main gate."
"We'll see you tomorrow then?" Lily added before looking away.
"Yes…" James responded.
'What's with Lily today? She's a lot less talkative than usual.' James wondered if it had something to do with what she saw the previous week.
Alice then got closer to him and whispered in his ear. "Good luck."
She left with the others after saying those cryptic words to him.
"What was that about?" James asked no one in particular.
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The next morning, James had a quiet breakfast with Sirius, Remus, and Peter.
He told them about his plans to visit Hogsmeade with Frank, Alice, and Lily while they ate.
"Really? That's good," Remus said.
"Have fun!" Peter said.
"Yeah, hehe, have fun," Sirius chuckled.
"Mmm…" James looked at them with suspicion.
'By their tone, they seem to know something that I don't.' He didn't like not knowing things.
"Well then, I'd better get going. Frank said to meet them after breakfast." James stood up.
He had already changed into some casual robes, so there was no need to make a stop at his bedroom, and he could go directly to the castle's back entrance, from where students took the road to Hogsmeade.
"Good luck!"
James heard Sirius shout at him as he was leaving.
Those were the same words that Alice had told him.
'How suspicious…' James glared at them one last time.
He arrived at the gates with no delay. Several groups of students were already gathering there, waiting to leave the castle.
But he did not spot Frank and the others.
'Maybe I came too early.' He liked to be efficient, and perhaps this morning he had been a bit too efficient.
"Ehmm… James?"
He heard someone call for him. When he lifted his gaze, he saw Lily standing in front of him. She was wearing a large winter coat and a comfy black beanie on her head. "Hi," she greeted him with a warm smile.
"Good morning, Lily." He looked around again, but still couldn't see Frank and Alice. "Are those two…"
"Sorry… they're not coming," Lily said with an apologetic expression.
"They're not? What happened?" James inquired.
"Well… they remembered they had something important to research in the library. Some project for runes."
James had to admit that Lily was a genius in many aspects… but lying was not one of them.
"I see." James was finally able to put the pieces together.
'It seems like all of our friends colluded together to interfere in my personal life.' James thought.
"Ehm… James, if you don't want to go with just me… it's fine, I understand." Lily was starting to get uncomfortable with his dry response.
"Not at all. I'll be happy to go with you." James may not have had any romantic interest in Lily, but he still cared for her, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her feelings.
"Really?" Her mood recovered immediately.
"Sure." James offered her his arm like a good gentleman. "Let's go then."
Lily seemed a bit embarrassed for a moment and moved her eyes around to check if anyone was staring at them.
"Yes… let's go." She then grabbed onto his arm, and they began to walk.
She glanced at his robes. They were made with a fairly thin fabric that offered easy movement, but did little to protect him from the cold.
"Are you going to be okay with… oh…" Lily realized before finishing the question. "Warming charms."
"Yes, they come in very handy. I can wear comfortable clothes and still remain warm," James responded.
"Why didn't I think of that?" Lily wondered.
The two of them left the gates of Hogwarts behind and began to traverse the road that led to Hogsmeade.
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