"MINNIE SAID THE WORDS SHUT UP? SHE ACTUALLY SAID THEM? IN THE CORRECT ORDER AND EVERYTHING, WITH THE ACTUAL INTENT OF MAKING YOU -- James Charlus Potter -- SHUT -- UP-- ?!"
James rolled his eyes.
"I bloody love that woman," Sirius crowed, "I love her more than the bloody earth itself."
Remus chuckled, shaking his head.
"I should've shirked off taking my disapparation lessons, you lot are having a spiffing go of it. Mine were boring as watching a demiguise orgy."
Lily made a face, leaning 'round James to look at Sirius, then her eyes lit up and she grinned, "Because they'd be invisible."
"Right." Sirius elbowed James, "I fucking like her."
"You love me, shut up," Lily answered.
"I do. Only woman I've ever loved."
"Besides Minerva McGonagall," Lily said.
"Yes, besides Minnie, of course." Sirius nodded.
They were standing in line in Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, which was actually quite busy because it was rather hot outside, and the queue went out the door. Peter was of the door frame, leaning against it with Sirius and Remus still outside and James and Lily just inside. He was smiling, listening to them all talk and banter. It was this he'd missed most of all since summer had begun and he'd been all by himself. Now, he felt like he was wrapped up in a blanket of friendship and he was really happy for the first time since saying goodbye to the lot of them at the platform fresh off the Hogwarts Express.
"Evans," James said, grinning, "Remember last time we were here?" He flushed. "Did I really ruin the blouse?"
Lily looked at him, "Oh, Potter you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say those words." She wrapped her arms about his torso.
"What?" James looked confused.
"Bit of a sore spot," Sirius replied, smirking.
Remus asked, trying to lean 'round the doorway to see, "Can you prats on the inside see if they've got the Forbidden Forest Fudge on the menu today?"
"They always have got chocolate on the menu, Moony," Sirius said, smirking.
"Yes but the Forbidden Forest Fudge is dark chocolate and the Chocolate Frog is just your standard milk."
"He's literally being a nerd about chocolate colour," Sirius said, "Merlin have mercy on my wand."
"That what you say in bed, too?" Lily asked slyly.
"SLAYED BY THE DRAGON, I HAVE BEEN!" Sirius wailed and he feigned falling against the open door at his back, clutching his heart.
"The foridden forest is on the menu, Moony," Peter offered helpfully, having spent the past several seconds of banter reading the menu for the flavors of the day. "They also have Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Ice Cream!"
"My luck I'd get bogey flavored," Sirius muttered.
"That's not pistachio!" James mocked Sirius.
The pair of them cracked up, Sirius knocking James's shoulder with his fist. "Good one, James."
James grinned.
Lily looked Remus, "Honestly. How do two intelligent people like us end up with idiots like these?"
Remus said, "I'm just glad I'm not alone in this predicament anymore."
Peter said, "Wendy likes Pistachio ice cream."
"Nobody really likes it, Peter," James said, "They like the novelty of it being green."
"Well if she wanted just green ice cream she could get the sour apple or else the lime."
James didn't reply, he just looked up at the board as they all shuffled in further enough so that Sirius and Remus could step inside at last. "Ayyyy they have buttered popcorn on the menu! I know what I'm getting." He looked around, "You lot ever tried the --"
"Buttered popcorn with a drizzle of caramel," Lily finished, "It's your favorite."
James looked surprised, "Yeah. Wow, you remembered?"
"I pay attention, Potter."
He grinned. "Hey, did you lot know that --"
"Lily Evans in your girlfriend?" finished Sirius, interrupting James. "Yes we bloody know already."
Peter shook his head, "It's still so weird."
"Don't worry, Wormy, you'll get used to it. Not only used to it, but they'll eventually make you want to vomit," Sirius said.
"Vomit," Remus piped up. "That's the flavor Bertie Bott's Ice Cream I'd end up with if I ordered that."
"Wonder if it's chunky?" James snickered and Lily smacked his arm.
It took them some time before they reached the counter, but it was utterly worth the wait. The closer they got, the better smelling the rich ice cream, hot fudge, and freshly baked cones started to get and by the time they reached the counter Peter, at least, was practically salivating, and shaking with excitement.
"ODAIR HE IS!!!!!!" Sirius shouted as they approached.
Jasper Odair was behind the counter.
"Hey! Look what the dragon carried in!" Jasper said, beaming when he looked up and spotted the lot of them. "My goodness, it's all four of you - and Lily Evans, too!" Then his eyes met James's. "How've you been, mate?"
"Been alright," James said, smiling, "Never better actually."
Jasper eyed the arm that James had instinctively tossed about Lily Evans's shoulders the moment he laid eyes on Jasper Odair. Pink striped apron or not, Odair's biceps were still a bit much to overlook -- indeed Remus was eyeing them in appreciation, and he and Sirius shared a moment of nodding in approval at them (Sirius leaned in and whispered Shall I start lifting weights more often, Moonpie? in his ear and Remus turned red as the Jelly Slug Sherbet). "Hmm, something happen since I last saw you here, Lily?" he asked, smirking.
"OH JASPER, yes, a bit," smirking, Lily said, "I made Headgirl."
James made a face. "Uh excuse me..."
"Oh yeah, and I'm snogging James Potter now," she said flippantly, smiling and her eyes twinkling.
"Headline with that next time, love," James whispered.
Jasper laughed, "Oh come off it, Potter, the girl's smitten."
"Smitten you say?" James looked to Lily. "Is that so?" Lily blushed.
"Oh yeah," Jasper nodded knowingly. "Her and Marlene Mackinnon were in not long ago and it was Potter this and Potter that." He shook his head, "No other bloke on the earth stands a chance against you."
It was James's turn to grow a bit pink in the face and he cleared his throat, "Well, anyway, the lot of the order is on my galleon," he said, waving to himself, Lily, Peter, Remus, and Sirius, "So whatever they order..."
Jasper nodded, "You got it. What's everyone taking?"
"FORBIDDEN FOREST FUDGE," Remus cried from the back.
They all laughed. "Moony's a bit addicted to chocolate, Odair," Sirius announced.
"Are you sirius?" Jasper asked, smirking.
Sirius grinned as wide as could be. "Why? Do you find that hard to believe?"
Jasper laughed, shaking his head, "Bloody hell, you've bested me, I can't think of a single answer to it that's funny."
"Too bad," Sirius said, "We had a good bit going there for a moment."
Jasper handed Remus his ice cream and Remus eagerly went to get them a table while Jasper went on, scooping up various flavors for the others - Jelly Slug for Sirius and Raspberry for Lily and a bowl of Butterbeer for Peter - finishing with James's Popcorn with the Caramel drizzle. As James dug out his money from his coin purse, Jasper cleared his throat, and James looked up. "Yeah?"
"Take care of her, eh?" Jasper said, nodding side long at Lily, who had gone to sit with the others at the table by the window that Remus had gotten for them. She was laughing as Sirius told a joke and Peter giggled so hard he had tears in the corners of his eyes. The way the sun caught her, it made her glow like some sort of radiant creature. "You're really lucky."
James nodded, "I know." He dropped his money on the counter - with a generous tip. "I don't know how I got so lucky, but I will not stop thanking every god, witch, wizard, star, and moon."
"Good. You shouldn't," Jasper said, "And whatever you do, Potter, don't let her go. You'll regret it all your life if you do."
James watched Lily a moment, then turned back to Jasper. "What made you lot break up in the end?"
"She was in it for another bloke," he replied.
"Who?" James asked.
"You, you thick idiot," Jasper replied. He slid the money across the counter and into his till, "Have a good day, James," and he turned to the next customer.
James walked over to the table and sat down, feeling like he was in some sort of trance. When he dropped into the chair next to Lily's she smiled at him, then, seeing the way he was looking at her, she asked, "What?"
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head, and he leaned in and kissed her mouth softly, tasting the raspberry on her tongue.
"See what I'm talking about?" Sirius said, "Vomit."
Remus looked up, a ring of chocolate about his mouth. "You didn't seriously get the Bertie Bott's did you?"
As they all laughed, James put his arm around Lily and hugged her into his side.
It was in Flourish & Blotts, where they went to get their school books after Fortescue's, that Peter's wrist began to burn. He scratched at it while the others were looking through the shelves, following after Lily and James without really paying attention to what they were looking at. He tugged at his jumper sleeves, using the scratchy wool to itch the burning. Peter's eyes followed James's wrist as he reached for a book on a high shelf, staring at the watch with a sort of obsession building within him.
If he could just get that bloody watch then Voldemort would leave him alone.
If he could just get that bloody watch then this painful itching in his wrist would stop.
If he could just get that bloody watch then he could hang out normally with his friends again and it would be like old times, like it was at Fortescue's.
If he could just get that bloody watch then everything would be alright.
He slipped his wand out of his pocket.
James was commentating to Lily about one of the textbooks they'd been assigned for Defense Against the Dark Arts, the pair of them speculating what Professor Urquart had been thinking assigning such a dark looking book... "Perhaps because it's our seventh year?" James said.
Lily shrugged, "It jut looks more like something Durmstrang would study than Hogwarts."
James looked it over. There was quite a bit within about casting dark spells as defense against attacks. James made a face at one page that described a hex that would shatter a bone into so many pieces it might as well have been made of glass. The illustration that accompanied it looked terrifying. James made a face, "Blimey."
Lily nodded.
Peter suddenly dropped a book he'd been holding and James looked up from the text book, startled by the sound and sudden motion as Peter leaped forward to collect the book from about James's feet. "Sorry," he muttered.
James waved his off and turned back to the textbook.
Peter clutched the book to his chest, looking rather nervous. Then, "I - I'll be right back." And he dashed away.
Lily stared after him. "Odd."
"For Peter?" James said, "Have you met him? Nothing he does is odd for Peter. He just us the walking epitome of odd."
Lily said, "Yeah, but he's acting odder than usual even."
James looked the way she was, as though expecting him to still be right there. "I s'pose," he shrugged. Then he took the book Lily was holding and added it to his pile. "I'll carry this for you," he offered, smiling.
Lily smiled back because that bloody grin of his was just too much to resist, and she said, "Why thank you, Potter."
"Quite welcome, Evans," James answered, and they continued their books shopping.
In the toilet at Flourish & Blott's, leaned against the wall, his heart racing as he reached into his jumper pocket and withdrew James Potter's watch, holding it out before his face, eyes wide, hands shaking. He stared at the smiling cartoon mouse as the hands tick-tock-tick-tocked their way around the watch face.