Chapter 29
Lily's face was still flushed when they returned to her common room.
She couldn't believe the effort James had gone through for their date.
The two had lost track of time in the Astronomy Tower. Talking and laughing. And well kissing.
It was well past curfew now. At least half midnight.
James had walked her back to the stairs of the Gryffindor common room.
Boys weren't able to walk up the steps without them slanting into a wooden slide.
When they finally reached the stairs the conversation lulled.
Both realised they'd have to leave and say goodnight.
"James tonight was," Lily took a breath in as if she was trying to inhale the moment.
Savour it so it lasts longer.
", amazing."
She finished looking into his deep chestnut eyes.
Looking into these eyes Lily found herself smiling before she realised.
"Goodnight James." She said.
James leaned forward the scent of his spiced honey wood cologne parting the air between them.
He took Lily's hand in his lifting it delicately to his lips and planting a gentle kiss.
"Till tomorrow Miss Evans." He smiled in a gentleman-like manner. "Sleep well."
Lily blushed at his chivalry. Half amused and half delighted by it.
She found herself still blushing when she returned to the dorm.
Mary and Marlene were sitting up together on the top top bunk eagerly watching the door as she came through.
"Tell us!" Marlene said before Lily had fully entered.
"Everything.!" Mary added excitedly.
Lily sat down on the bottom bunk of the bed opposite and started.
After a few minutes, Lily had finished relaying the date to her friends.
"Wow!" Marlene said completely captivated her face in her hands lying on her stomach.
Like a child that had just been told a bedtime story.
Mary simply looked shocked.
Emphasising this by exclaiming things like "Well I'll be!"
"James Potter a gentleman I never."
"Where did you find him!"
Lily honestly had no answers because she herself could never have imagined that the James Potter. The boy she thought asked her out all those times as a joke, or an excuse to yet again be the centre of attention. Was truly such a romantic gentleman.
After Lily recalled the entire date to her friends Marlene smiled at her fondly.
"See Lil I told you to give him a chance."
Lily laughed at the sincerity of Marlene's voice without a tinge of "I told you so" in it.
"I told you he was mad about you." Mary shook her head fondly.
Her voice did not lack the "I told you so" tone.
"I need to find a nice guy like that," Mary said firmly.
Marlene sighed and turned to her.
"What about Fabien Prewitt?"
"I'm done with him. He tried to unhook my bra when he 'hugged' me goodbye the other day."
"Oh, Merlin," Lily said shaking her head disappointed.
"What's worse is he told half the 5th-year boys I let him see my breasts. Slimy git was charging 50 bronze Knuts for "drawings" of them."
Mary sounded disgusted as she said it.
Lily found it tragic that with all her beauty and wit people (boys) often denied Mary basic human respect.
"That little toad!" Marlene spat.
"That's it I'm cursing the little puke stain. Tomorrow at training Prewitt can try fly a jinxed broom!"
Mary giggled. The three girls were fiercely protective of each other and if any boy dared do wrong by Mary they'd usually have Lily and Marlene to deal with.
"Thanks, Marls but really there's no need I already told Rita the story and you know what she's like, by tomorrow there won't be a girl in Hogwarts that doesn't know what a pig he is."
Lily nodded in agreement. If there was one thing Rita Skeeter could do it was spread a story.
"Good thinking Mary." Lily mused.
"Yeah, it was still I would have enjoyed jinxing his broom," Marlene added sounding slightly disappointed.
"I appreciate the thought dear," Mary said comfortingly to Marlene.
Lily looked up at Marlene. She was undeniably beautiful, she was funny and good at sports. Marlene never came off as she and yet Lily had never heard her go on about boys the way Mary would.
"How about you Marls any boys?"
Marlene turned a surprising shade of crimson and shook her head wordlessly.
Lily was a little taken aback by her response it usually took a lot more to silence Marlene Mckinnon.
"Really?" Lily asked smiling at her blushing friend.
Mary jumped in almost defensively.
"Oh leave her be Lil. She's heard enough of my horror stories to be weary of boys."
Lily was hit with the strange feeling that her friends were hiding something. It felt lonely being left out of the secret whatever it was but Lily knew better than to pry about secrets.
It wasn't as if she didn't have any herself.
Her head went to the hours she spent running that morning.
The cigarettes she had smoked from the window.
The scale she used almost every day.
They weren't the only ones with secrets.
The weekdays had started to blur a bit for Lily.
She'd wake up and weigh herself.
Skip breakfast and talk to James.
Go to classes.
Do homework.
Run for an hour.
Talk to her friends in the common room as if she was fine.
Go to bed.
And start all over again.
Days were just passing moments marked by numbers numbers.
The number of calories she would eat.
The number of minutes she'd run for.
The number decreased on her bathroom scale.
Midterm was coming up for Halloween.
Lily dreaded the thought of chocolates and sweets filling her cupboards at home for trick-or-treaters.
She thought of Petunia commenting on her weight.
Having her family watch how much or rather how little she ate.
She wrote home that Wednesday to her parents saying she would stay at school over break to catch up on work.