From Beginning to End

Chapter 35: Lillies

The winter holidays had passed as they always did, the students of Hogwarts living vastly different lives during those two short weeks.

Another Pureblood Ball, in which Sirius reverted into the perfect heir of the Nobel House of Black, only saved by the company of Stella Malfoy, had occurred.

Lucius and Narcissa had spent the majority of the ball telling every guest in the vicinity about their upcoming matrimony in July. They'd been arranged to be wed since their days in nappies, but somewhere between then and now, a real love story had occurred.

Narcissa wasn't half bad. She was just keeping up appearances along with the rest of the family. It was for this reason that she got on with Regulus so well.

Sirius dreaded the wedding. If Bellatrix and Rodolphus' back in 1969 was anything to go off of, it would be a ten hour long affair filled to the brim with traditions whose origins had long been forgotten. No fourteen year old boy could bear to stand through all that!

James, being Pureblood, attended his own party for their own inner circle in which the McKinnons too were invited given their close friendship with the Potters. Many purebloods, deemed blood-traitors with the rise of war, attended. This group included the Bones, Browns, Longbottoms, Prewetts, Shacklebolts and Weasleys. They had a jovial time and were excited to be standing up against the prejudice those they'd grown up with exhibited so unabashedly.

But alas, soon the kids were ushered back on the Hogwarts Express for the second half of the year. The holidays were over and January was slowly melting into February once again.

James paced up and down the dormitory, his three mates watching him with a mix of amusement and impatience.

There was a predicament. A huge predicament.

See, James Potter had developed quite the fancy for a certain red-headed Gryffindor who quite frankly, wouldn't have a care in the world if he were to drop dead the next day. This girl, Lily Evans, had her birthday coming up on the thirtieth and James was determined to go all out in order to impress her and subsequently score a date with the girl.

"I need something really good," he said, shaking his head and nearly wearing holes in the maroon carpet.

Sirius made a few suggestions but none of them were good enough for the Lily Evans. Sirius scoffed and threw up his arms. Apparently his relationship with Mary meant nothing as his advice was shot down constantly by his best mate. What an offense.

"Peter do you have any ideas?"

Peter shrugged. "I dunno," he mumbled. He hadn't had any moment with birds yet. How was he supposed to know what to do?

     "She likes Potions," Remus supplied, "Get her a book at our Hogsmeade trip tomorrow."

James groaned. "That's not good enough!"

"Well then what is good enough mate?" asked Sirius, "We've been at this for an hour." He was beginning to get annoyed that his Friday night was wasting away over his best mate's inability to think of a gift for a girl. They were already late for dinner and if they didn't leave within the next five minutes, there'd be no luck.

Of course Remus knew about the trick to getting into the kitchens near the Hufflepuff Dormitories, but he had no intention of sharing this fact with his friends who would surely take advantage of the secret.

     "I know!" shouted James, jumping up and down on his bed, just barely hitting his head on the posts that held the curtains. "Flowers!"

Remus raised a brow at the boy while the other two stared at him blankly needing far more context.