If Only

Lily Evans slowly pulled an emerald studded brush through her long red hair and stared into the reflection of her bright green eyes.
"Hurry up, Lily! Since when are you vain?"
Lily grinned. "Oh, and you've never had your moments, Patricia?"
"Nope!"
Lily snatched a pillow from her bunk and threw it at her best friend and dorm-mate, Patricia Patterson. "Oh, come off it--you're the vainest little creature on this planet!"
"Hey!" shouted Patricia. "You'll smudge my lipstick! I finally got the right shade--I call it Cranberry Seduction."
"Oh? And who do you plan to seduce? Marty Gordon? Joshua Finnigan? Severus Snape? Sirius Black?"
"No! I'm too good for them all."
"Right," grinned Lily.
The third occupied bed's curtains slid open. "Will you please all quiet down? I'm trying to read my book."
Lily sighed. "What book?" she asked the girl, their third dorm mate Katrina Oliver.
"Life Sucks?" asked Patricia, grinning.
"No, In the Darkest Hour."
"Oooo, a classic."

"Actually," snapped Katrina, her black hair falling over her face, "It is a classic with protestors. It's about the wizarding world after nuclear war."
"Oh," said Patricia, brushing a strand of platinum blonde hair back. "What a fairy tale."
Lily snorted. "Yes, what."
"It's not meant to be a fairy tale," said Katrina, obviously annoyed to the stop. "It's supposed to convince you non-believers that there will be nuclear war one day and it ain't gonna be pretty."
"I'm sure," grinned Lily, It was her turn to get a pillow in her face.

~~~

The trio, accompanied by Gina Tuario and Beck Lional, entered the Great Hall haughtily. For Lily, it was just her aura. The other three just liked all eyes on them. Katrina slouched but looked as if she strutted in, surrounded by those who did.
As the five seventh-years walked along the pathway beside the Gryffindor table looking for seats, heads turned. It was the way the girls walked, confident and high, making all others glare angrily. The sort of thing that makes you immediately think, "Snobs!"
As they approached the nearest set of five seats in a row, Lily's confident aura disappeared. Right across from the five seats sat Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black...and James Potter.
"Er..." she said to her friends as they neared the seats. "Let's move down past these. There's some over there; we could hear Dumbledore better..."
"Lils, its morning. I have a feeling Dumbledore'll be too busy with his honey on toast to make a speech. In your seven years here, has he ever made one in the morning?"
Lily sighed and went to reply, but shut her mouth as they had reached the seats. She sat across from Peter as it was the seat furthest from James, but he still grinned sheepishly at her when she reached for a slice of bread.
"Hey, Evans."
"Potter, if you want to win the girl, you should at least call her by her first name."
James shrugged her comment off. "So--you thought about it yet?"
"About what?"
"That Hogsmeade trip. Have you decided whether you'll go with me?"
"James! I've told you flat-out that I won't go with you. Six times!"
"Eight," said James automatically.
"Eight," said Lily.

~~~

"I can't believe I gave in. I can't believe I'm going on a date with him!"
Lily sighed. She had spent the past hour screaming into her pillow, moaning and complaining. Not to mention narrowly dodging many blunt objects aimed at her head.
"Oh, for goodness sakes, Lils," snapped Gina. "Every girl at Hogwarts is just dying to date one of the Marauders. And you have one chasing after you! How sweet is that?"
"Sweet?" asked Lily. "Drooble's is sweet. This is coconut pepper drops."

~~~

The morning of the date arrived--and Lily considered faking sick. PMS was a perfectly good excuse not to go to Hogsmeade, wasn't it?
No, she told herself. James would probably come back, get down on his knees and present her with a mega pack of Milenda's Feel-Good Aspirin and a box of heat pads.
"Wakey-wakey, lover girl!"
"Shut up, Patricia!"
Lily then realized that she was still lying on her bed, eyes shut, and her velvet red covers pulled over her head.
"Get up, Lily!"
"I'm up, I'm up."

~~~

"Patricia, I am absolutely not wearing Cranberry Seduction! And I think this Evergreen Shimmer eye shadow is a bit too much. I don't want to be painted, for goodness sakes."
Patricia laughed and drew a thick layer of burgundy lipstick over Lily's lips. "You look wonderful!"
"Patricia, I look like my aunt Henrietta."
"She must be beautiful, then."
"She looks like a pug dog wearing Cranberry Seduction."
There was a soft knock at the door. Lily stood up, eager to get away from Patricia and her pot of Lavender Kisses crème blush.
She pulled the door open--and screamed.
Sirius screamed too.
Finally, when she had run out of breath, Lily stopped. Sirius didn't.
Slap.
He stood horror struck, his mouth still wide open, eyes huge. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a clown?" he finally squeaked.

"Not telling," grinned Sirius, his wide eyes having returned to their normal mischievous selves. "Wait 'til Prongs finds out his date's a pug dog in lipstick..."

"Patricia, get me out of this makeup. Now."
Patricia sighed. "Fine, Lily, but I think you look...ravishing. Who cares what Sirius Black thinks?"
"Now!" snarled Lily. "What's the spell?"
"Vanish," muttered Patricia, pointing her wand half-heartedly at Lily's face.
"Oh, c'mon, Trish, that's not the spell!"
But sure enough there was no makeup on her face when Lily spun round to look in the mirror.

Ten minutes later Lily had left her dorm room, no makeup on her face. Patricia had wanted her to try some Shimmering Water lip gloss, but she felt like a disco ball in it.
With a deep breath, she started down the spiral steps.
"Oh, Prongs," exclaimed a gleeful voice as Lily emerged into the Common Room. "Here's your date, Lily Pugens---I mean, Evans."
James punched Sirius lightly on the arm. "Shaddup, Padfoot," he muttered harshly. Sirius just grinned.
"Er..." said Lily, shooting Sirius a look that could silence anyone but him. "I guess we should go, then?"
"Right, said James, standing.
I'm going out with James Potter, thought Lily. And to her great displeasure, she felt slightly giddy.