InsaneJournal

Characters: James and Lily
Note: Backdated to before this thread.
Setting: September 19th, 9:00 AM, at the paddocks and then some
Content: SFW
Summary: James and Lily have a 'just friends' date.


Something within James must have anticipated the morning because he woke up well before 9 AM without so much as an alarm or water to the face. He had enough time to soak in the shower, using shampoo he'd stashed in his trunk after what he'd seen of the multiple hair catastrophes from the former week, and even enough time to sort out events that would follow the morning. To be honest, James wasn't much for planning. He had plenty of ideas, but for the most part preferred to let the day lead him where it might. However, considering this was his first and perhaps only chance to show Lily he was serious about her, James decided he couldn't leave everything to fate. After all, you have to help her out sometimes. She's a busy lady! For that reason James paid the kitchens a visit at about 8:15, going out of his way to be somewhat cordial to the house elves as they prepared him a breakfast for two that would last for as long as necessary. James wasn't sure if Lily would eat or not, but just in case decided it was for the best to have food at the ready. He didn't want to give her an excuse to cut their time short. The basket prepared for them contained an assortment of blueberry (in honor of Lily's new hair colour), chocolate chip, and cinnamon muffins, little containers of freshly cut fruit, two glass bottles of chilled orange juice (in honour of James' new hair colour), and two slices of the breakfast casserole the house elves would be serving the rest of the student body any second. If it turned out Lily was among those students, James would just suck down a muffin and hand off the leftovers to the animals at the paddocks who could tolerate such foods. Doing something very uncharacteristic of him, particularly when he was around Sirius, James thanked the house elves and carried the food with him down to the paddocks. Draped over one arm he had his cloak of invisibility because, let's face it, James didn't really go anywhere without it if manageable. Rolled up through the handle of the basket was what appeared to be an ornate, ancient looking rug. This was all he needed for starters. The rest would come with time.

Once James had made it to the paddocks, he set the basket down on the ground near his feet, then propping the rolled up rug against the fence with the cloak just over the top. He didn't want to get things out of the basket prior to figuring out whether or not Lily had eaten because, well, he didn't want to appear desperate or foolish. Though today was all about allowing himself to be genuine with her, and maybe even vulnerable, James still couldn't help but maintain some of his pride in the process. It was just his way. Climbing over the fence and swinging his legs over the top so that he could sit on the highest part, James clicked his tongue to call for one of the hippogriffs. Of course it had been kept on a leash so as to prevent it from flying off, but it was still fully capable of meeting him at the gate. "Aeolus. Come along, boy," James interjected, clicking his tongue some more to get the creature to stir. He hopped down from the fence when the hippogriff began walking toward him, causing the creature to stop short and huff defensively. Granted, the animal had seen him many times before. Hippogriffs had brilliant memories. Still, James always met the animal with the same greeting, as was taught in CoMC--a respectful bow. Bending down at his waist, he folded his entire torso toward the ground, not taking a single hint of caution around the animal. Most students would keep their guard about them just in case, but James had long since become too trusting of the majestic, albeit strong, beasts. When he heard Aeolus prance his claws against the ground, James knew his mind had been made up. True to what he expected, the hippogriff was receptive to him. James smiled as he reached for the basket through the fence. He dug out his piece of breakfast casserole, deciding he could do without that morning. Breaking off a large portion in his hands, he tossed some to Aeolus who caught it before it made the downward spiral. James dared to walk closer to the creature, keeping his hand outstretched so it could finish off the casserole. The beak nipped his palm as it tended to do in such circumstances, but there was hardly more than a dull pain resulting from it. James smiled and patted the hippogriff's neck as he looked back toward the castle at the distance. "Reckon she'll show, old fella?" he spoke affectionately to the bird, ruffling the feathers on its neck upward before smoothing them down again. He knew Lily had come close to breaching a pretty intense topic the other night on her journal, and though James had put a halt on the thought process at that point in time, he truly did want a chance to discuss it in person. Yet he couldn't help but consider Lily's alternatives. After all, James knew as well as anybody else that Lily enjoyed humbling him. Standing the boy up would have been an ideal way to manage just that!