James felt his heart leap in his throat at the mention of Lily. So she's told them, eh? Not surprising at all.
"It's been a bit difficult. She's gone out of her way to make sure she doesn't talk to me at all. We haven't even had a decent head meeting." It seemed to be getting worse and worse, the more James thought about it. This silence between them was driving him crazy and if he had to go one more moment without talking to Lily, he was sure he would go mad.
And then, Marlene said the magic words. "Go talk to her. Do that confident thing you do. You know, it really does turn her on."
Something cracked inside James, or rather, hit him rather abruptly in the head. All this time, he should have realized that all he had to do was be himself. He had tried showing off, and that didn't work. He tried giving her space, but it was clear she wasn't about to budge an inch. So, James decided it was time to take matters in his own hands. As he thought, a wide smile spread on his face, almost cynical.
"Oh, Marley, I love you!" He suddenly kissed her cheek and laughed. "I gotta go." He snatched the plans from her and tucked them away. "I'll go over these plans and I will tell you what I think later... And I'll send you an owl shortly! You've given me the greatest idea!"
With that, James darted off to his room faster than anyone had seen him run before, not caring if he bumped into anyone along the way.