6 April 1977, London

[lilium_evansiae]

Lily is quite relieved when she looks out the train window and sees the outskirts of London.

Of course, now that she's reached London, she has to deal with her interview, but at least that's something to do. The problem with this trip is that there has been entirely too much thinking and entirely no doing of anything.

Now there will be plenty of doing things, starting with finding James, who is meeting her at Euston Station. She had mentioned, one afternoon at Hogwarts, that she wasn't actually sure how to get to Diagon Alley from the Muggle train station and did he know the closest Tube stop? And James had assured her that he would meet her at Euston Station and make sure she got to Diagon Alley safely and on time and not to worry about it at all.

The train rolls to a stop, and Lily picks up her handbag and makes her way with the jostling morning crowd out onto the platform.

All she has to do now is find James.

Or, more likely, wait for James to find her.

(He's showing an amazing talent for it, recently.)

Comments

[lilium_evansiae]

It's a very nice effect.

And made all the nicer, somehow, by the fact that Lily knows he doesn't do this every day. Because that means he's gone to the effort to figure this out for her.

(Does she have the most wonderful of boyfriends or what?)

She follows James toward the Tube platform, staying close at hand.

It would, after all, hardly do to get separated.

Besides, she likes staying close to James.

[alotofgood]

The tube arrives, pinging as the doors open, and then pinging again when the doors close, a voice reminding them to 'mind the gap' as they enter.

It's warm inside, almost humid with the heat of many Muggles packed in together. And it's dreadfully crowded.

But it's an experience, and James is rather proud that he's accomplished this much so far.

Wait until they transfer to the Northern Line.

[lilium_evansiae]

James is doing brilliantly.

And James continues to do brilliantly, especially with transferring to the Northern Line.

He even manages to find Lily a seat on the very crowded second train.

It's not the best arrangement for talking, but no one really talks on the Tube, anyway.

[alotofgood]

It doesn't take them terribly long to get to Charing Cross; and by Leicester Square, a good deal of people have left the train anyway.

James hovers in front of Lily, however, standing while gripping one of the overhead handles for balance.

There's an announcement for 'Charing Cross Station', the train comes to a slow pace, and then James is helping Lily towards the door that pings open.

[lilium_evansiae]

"Thank you."

James really is a gentleman when he chooses to be, isn't he?

And if they wait just a moment on the platform, most of their fellow travelers will have gone before Lily and James head for the Way Out, and up into the (Muggle) London streets.

[alotofgood]

Up where the skies are clearer, and the weather is a little warmer than London's used to, James quickly makes note of their current location so he can properly direct them towards the Leaky Cauldron.

Then he turns to Lily and smiles.

"Are you all right?"

[lilium_evansiae]

"I'm fine," Lily says. "Perfectly fine."

Because of course she's fine.

Really.

Completely.

Oh, God, she's not fooling him for a second, is she?

"I ...

"It's ... "

"Do I look too much like a Muggle?"

Her clothes are perfectly neat and respectable, but there's no denying they're not robes.

"I don't have any robes, except my school ones and my dress robes and neither of those seemed appropriate, but I don't know that this is, either, now. It seemed all right this morning, but I was in Milton then.

"I don't know how to do this, James."

[alotofgood]

James doesn't mean to laugh, but Lily's being kind of ridiculous, and mostly ridiculously adorable — because here she is, about to be brilliant in her first wizarding interview, and she's nervous.

It's endearing.

And he doesn't laugh to be mocking.

He takes a breath, then places his hands on Lily's arms, to steady her.

"Lily," he starts, "you'll be brilliant. You look fine. No one expects you to dress like the rest of them do, besides which no one but our parents' generation really goes around wearing robes all the time anyway."

Case in point: himself. Not a single robe-like thing on him.

"You got this interview because you are brilliant. Not because of what you wear."

[lilium_evansiae]

"And now my boyfriend is laughing at me," Lily says, though he's got a smile out of her, anyway.

Because he's James.

(And, all right, because he's right.)

"I think brilliant might be a tall order today. I might have to aim for reasonably competent.

"She won't ask me to prove I can brew anything too difficult, yeah?"

[alotofgood]

"You can handle it," James says, without preamble, before adding — to assuage her fears more than anything — "But no. I don't think she will. Honestly, I suspect you'll just have a brief chat before she tells you when you ought to come in for your first day."

That's how confident he is that she'll get it.

[lilium_evansiae]

"Right.

"And if I accidentally blow up the shop, you and the others'll stage a great escape from Azkaban, yeah?"

'Cause if ever there were people Lily believes could break out of Azkaban, they would be the Marauders.

"Or if I don't blow up the shop, you'll take me for ice cream when this is over?"

No matter how it comes out?

[alotofgood]

"I will do whatever you want me to do when you've finished," James promises.

He's still sure it'll go smashingly.

"I am yours."

[lilium_evansiae]

Lily kisses him, briefly, and then rests her forehead against his for a second.

"Thank you."

A second passes, maybe two, and then she says "Right. I suspect being late would be a terrible start to things with Madame Magnus, so lead on, James."

[alotofgood]

"Ah.

"Of course."

James grins, not at all dazed by the moment — really.

They head towards the Leaky Cauldron, their pace fairly brisk.

He wouldn't, after all, want to make her late.

The pub-and-inn is soon quite easy to spot. And then, it'll be a short hidden-back-door's trip to Diagon Alley.

[lilium_evansiae]

It's a longish walk down Diagon Alley, though, before Madame Magnus' potions shop comes into view.

They are promptly on time.

Lily squeezes James' hand for a second, looking at the shop window, then takes a deep breath and summons up a mostly confident (if slightly determined) smile.

"I'll see you after, yeah?"

[alotofgood]

James leans in to kiss Lily's cheek briefly — for luck, of course.

Then he draws back and returns the smile.


"Of course," he says. "I'll be here.

"Good luck."

[lilium_evansiae]

"Thank you.

"Here goes nothing, then."

He get one last smile, over Lily's shoulder, before she steps into the shop and lets the door swing shut behind her.

[alotofgood]

Waiting has never really been James' strong-suit.

He can do it if he wants to but he's not exactly good at it. And he doesn't like it either.

He fidgets. He loses his ability to concentrate on anything. It makes him vaguely irritable sometimes.

His attention wanders ... from the ground, to the events happening in other storefronts, to the people hustling and bustling about along the cobblestone road.

At one point, James even heads to a couple of shops before promptly returning to Madame Magnus'.

Long story short, it's not the most fun of waits, but he doesn't want to miss Lily once she's done.

So he does it.

[lilium_evansiae]

And if he hadn't, he'd have missed the positively radiant Lily who comes back through the door to the shop some time later.

"Hello, James.

"So ... d'you think you can stand having me coming down to London all summer?"

[alotofgood]

James looks up from staring at a particularly interesting piece of fluff floating past.

Her expression says it all, but her words are even better.

He beams.

"I take it it all went well?" he says casually — calmly.

But it's obvious he looks about ready to burst with boyfriend-y pride.

[lilium_evansiae]

Lily nods.

"It went brilliantly, yeah. Madame Magnus is wonderful. I liked her a lot. And she was so easy to talk to.

"All I have to do now is pass my Apparition exam so I can get here, and I've got a job.

"And a boyfriend who owes me ice cream."

[alotofgood]

James' beamy smile does not fade right away.

In fact, it turns into something of a quick grin, before it's replaced with utter solemnity.

Mock solemnity, but solemnity nevertheless.

"Ah, of course," he says. "The lady doth deserveth her reward for being so ... well, brilliant."

He laughs.

"You'll get the largest cone you eat.

"Congratulations, Lily. I knew it'd go very well. Not once did I have any doubt about it."

[lilium_evansiae]

Lily reaches out to take his hand.

"You know, I wish I had half the faith in me that you do, sometimes."

[alotofgood]

"It's all right," James assures her, his fingers gently clutching hers. "I plan to be there whenever you need that extra half more faith."

You know, and maybe a bit extra.

"I'm proud of you, Lily."

[lilium_evansiae]

That's good.

Lily likes having him there.

She likes it a lot.

"So tell me something, James.

"Are there any wizarding taboos about kissing your boyfriend in the middle of the street on Diagon Alley that I should know about?"

Because she really wants to, right about now.