Lyra Black hadn't ever really been on a date before. She was supposed to go on her first one a few months before, but that obviously didn't work out. But things were different now, and she was going out with the same person who had sabotaged her last one.

And it was really weird. Lyra was going on a Hogsmeade trip with James of all people. A year ago (hell, even two months ago) he would have been one of the last people she could imagine going on a date with. Yet, it was happening. 

Lyra found herself tapping her fingers against the wall by the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Whenever someone left the common room, she would turn around so nobody could see her. Then they could only see blonde hair and her red sweater, so they could easily have thought she was one of them. 

Usually, people met for their dates by the carriages, but James had sent Lyra a note telling her to meet him outside of Gryffindor tower at eleven o'clock sharp. But she was five minutes early just to be safe, even if he was always annoyingly perfectly on time. 

So, at exactly eleven o'clock, James walked out of Gryffindor tower. On instinct, Lyra turned around in case it wasn't him and some random Gryffindor would see her there. But he recognized her instantly. "Lyra?"

"Oh, hi, James," she breathed, turning around again. She smiled brightly at him, but his mouth just opened as he gaped at her. Once again, he simply wasn't able to handle seeing her wearing red. His favorite girl and his favorite color was his favorite combination. 

And as he kept just staring at her in awe, she smiled slightly as her eyelashes fluttered while she looked down, knowing what was going through his head. "The carriages aren't gong to go on forever. We should hurry if we want to get one with no one around to see us together."

James tried to ignore the stabbing feeling in heart at her not wanting to be seen with him. He just wanted to focus on the fact that this was happening, and he had waited a long time for this. "We're not taking the carriages, love."

Lyra furrowed her brows in confusion. "We're not? You know that's only way to Hogmeade, right? Merlin, please don't tell me we're staying here. I know we've already kissed. Twice, actually. But I'm not going to sleep with you on our first date."

"That's not what I meant," the Gryffindor rolled his eyes, hoping she wouldn't always think so lowly of him. "I just wanted us to have a bit more freedom at Hogsmeade, so we're going to use a secret passage to get there."

"Like, breaking the rules?" she asked, not sure how she felt about it. She was a prefect and she was raised to never break the rules. That's not what a proper lady did. Then again, she didn't feel like she had to act like a proper lady with him. 

"You're going out with James Potter, what did you expect?" he grinned widely. He reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out an unfamiliar cloak. "Don't worry, we're not going to get caught. You're going to love this."

"It's a cloak?" the Slytherin girl frowned, her statement coming out more like a question. She didn't want to know how he was going to make sure they didn't caught with that. "Not a very pretty one either."

"It's not just any cloak, sweetheart." James held it up in front of her proudly. "This is an heirloom of the Potter family. I own it proudly and I show it to you only because I like you and I really want to snog you."

The blonde rolled her eyes, leaning forward so her hair would cover her face. She didn't want him to see the bright, red blush on her cheeks. "Alright, shut up already. What's so special about it, then?"

James was almost jumping in excitement, like a little kid at Christmas ready to open his first present. He just liked showing things to her and impressing her. "This, Lyra, is an invisibility cloak!" 

"You're joking!" Lyra knew it might have been rude, but she grabbed the cloak from his hands, but he didn't seem to mind. She wrapped it around her shoulders, looking down to see her body was disappearing. "This is so cool."

"Well, we have to get under that so nobody will see us on our way to the passageway," the bespectacled boy said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "There isn't much room under, but if we squeeze together..."

"Oh, right," she responded awkwardly, knowing that meant they would be standing very close together. She knew she shouldn't think it would be awkward, knowing they've already snogged before, but this time there would be more behind it.

She hesitantly handed it back to him. He couldn't help but think it was adorable how nervous she seemed to be. He hadn't ever thought he would able to have that effect on her, but it was heaven to know he did. 

It took a minute for them to find a comfortable position under the cloak. Lyra found herself wrapped inside of James's arms for there to be room for the both of them underneath it. She was glad she had back to him, because then he couldn't see her blush. 

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Luckily, they hadn't spent the whole trip to Hogsmeade in each other's arms. If they had been touching the whole time, Lyra didn't know how much longer she could keep herself from snogging him. He felt the same way. 

They had walked around the streets of Hogsmeade for a few minutes in the chilly weather, just talking about stories from their childhood. It turned out that they both had a bit of dirt on Sirius they could use against him. 

But then James had decided that they needed to actually do something. If they wanted to just walk around and talk, they could have spent time around the Hogwarts grounds. No, he wanted them to go by his favorite shop. 

Zonko's Joke Shop was quite familar with James and his friends. Lyra wasn't surprised, but she didn't know just how much time they spent there before the owner came up to them and greeted James by name.

Lyra found herself looking around the store, asking James to explain the different items to her. He was more than happy to, knowing them all quite well. "A nose-biting tea cup? Who'd ever want one of these?"

He brightened up at the mention of them, loving the way they worked. "It's absolutely brilliant! You give someone tea, and they think it's just a regular old tea cup. But no! Then it bites you right in the nose!"

Lyra could have listed to him talk about nose-biting tea cups all day. There was a fire within him that ignited only when he talked about pranks, Quidditch, his boys and (although she didn't know it) her. "Have you ever used one?"

"That's beside the point," he tried to wiggle out of it, but she smiled at him pleadingly and he couldn't help himself. "Twice. Pranked Wormtail with it once in third year. And last year we gave one to Dumbledore. He loved it. Even gave us house points because he thought it was so delightful."

Lyra let out a loud laugh, not her usual quiet giggle. James hadn't ever heard a laugh so wonderful. "You're joking! House points? Well, Dumbledore's a bit mad, isn't he? Brilliant, but mad."

"Well, that's best part. Can you even call yourself brilliant if you aren't a bit mad?" James reached onto the shelves and pulled out a nose-biting tea cup. "I can buy you one if you want. Try it on Slughorn and see if he'll give you points."

"I think I'll pass on that offer, thank you," the blonde laughed again. For a few seconds they were quiet as he put the tea cup back on the shelf. When he turned back to look at her, she was watching him quite strangely. 

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" He quickly reached up and clutched his cheeks, trying to cover up any possible imperfection. If Sirius had decided to hex him, he would punch him in the face. 

 She smiled softly at his idiocy. She used to think he was just stupid and annoying, but things had changed. Now, she thought it was absolutely adorable. "No, no. Isn't your birthday coming up?" 

Embarrassed, he removed his hands from his face. He put them in the pockets of his robes and straightened up, wanting to seem as confident as usual. He didn't need to ruin this any more. "It's a few weeks away. Why?" 

Lyra grinned widely, clapping her hands together in excitement. This was going to go very well. "I was just thinking about how this could be a good opportunity to buy you a spectacular birthday present."

"Remus's birthday is a lot closer than mine," James reminded her, although he suspected she knew that. If she somehow knew his birthday after trying so hard to dislike him, she would know her best friend's.

"I've already bought Remus a present! Let me get you one, please," she pleaded sweetly.  "You know you like presents. Who doesn't, honestly? That's why I love December. Both my birthday and Christmas. Presents everywhere."

He loved the excitement on her face, so he couldn't help but agree. "Fine. You can get me a birthday present."

"Wonderful! Now get out," she demanded, pointing at the door, nodding its way. He frowned in confusion. "I can't buy you a present if you're lurking around the shop. That won't make it much of a surprise."

"I could stay and help you pick something out. So you know I'll like it," the bespectacled boy suggested, reaching up to adjust his crooked glasses on the bridge of his nose. Mostly, he just wanted to stay to spend as much time with her as possible.

"That's not how presents work! I have to pick it out. I'm doing this on my own," said Lyra stubbornly, even stomping her foot for dramatic purposes. She pointed out the door. "Now get out and wait outside!"

He digressed and flashed her a quick grin before leaving the shop. He was quite worried about what she was buying for him, seeing as it could seem harmless, but then be a big prank. Although, he didn't think that was quite her style.

Then, when she walked out of the story, a bag clutched tightly next to her, he couldn't help but try to peek. She pulled the bag away, gasping. "Don't you dare try! You have to wait until your birthday, you git."

James tried to furrow his brows in anger, but quickly realized that she wouldn't be convinced. He couldn't imagine getting angry at her when she was standing there with him."Merlin, woman, you're a tease."

Lyra shrugged slightly, knowing it was true. Even if she hadn't known it, she had been teasing him for over a year already. A little flirt here, a look here and then rejection. It was enough to make a man crumble in desperation. "I thought you'd have known that by now."

"Don't worry, I love it." He smiled softly as he spoke, making it seem almost scarily sincere. She smiled back, turning her head away so he wouldn't see the blush. She felt like she had been trying to hide her blushing for hours on end. 

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James and Lyra could have gone to the place where everybody took their dates, always thinking it would be romantic when it always ended up feeling awkward. But Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop wasn't really their style.

Instead, they were both craving butterbeers, so James had suggested a trip to the Three Broomsticks. She wasn't surprised as to why when she could easily see the soft spot Madam Rosmerta had for her date. 

She had chased a way a couple in the back just so James could have a table away from the crowd when he asked for one. They were still trying to hide their date, which was only getting easier as Hogwarts students were returning to school with the carriages already. 

It didn't take long for them to start playfully bickering, as James had bought her a butterbeer, saying he was paying her back for the birthday present. She rolled her eyes. "I know you haven't seemed to quite grasp the concept. But you can't pay people back for birthday presents."

He leaned back in his chair, taking the first sip of his sugary beverage. "And yet I just did. It's fine, Lyra, honestly. I've got plenty of money to spare. I can afford to buy you a butterbeer on our date."

"Yeah, and so can I," Lyra reminded him, leaning back in her own chair to mock him, raising her glass in a sarcastic toast. "I could have bought you one, actually. I can buy you one right now so that we're even."

James wiped away a butterbeer-mustache from his upperlip, which made her have to suppress a giggle. He raised an eyebrow at this. "I've already got one, love. There's no winning this argument."

"You can never have enough butterbeer. Never!" the blonde emphasised, looking almost insulted at the insinuaton. She could have had ten in a sitting if it wouldn't make her sick. "You could live with drinking two."

"I'll just tell Madam Rosmerta not to accept your payment," he retorted, messing up his hair with his hands. "I mean, you must have noticed how much that woman adores me. I've got that natural charm, you know."

"Natural charm?" she scoffed, as if the idea was ludicrous. She couldn't admit that she had felt her fair share of that charm, and was a firm believer in it by now. "I didn't know we were calling the ability to be a git charm now."

He winked. "Then you mustn't have been paying attention."

The Slytherin girl snorted with laughter, not able to keep it in anymore. As she laughed, he couldn't help but do the same. He could see that she was slowly becoming more comfortable being alone with him. 

That's when James knew he had to do it. He had to ask the question he had been dreading the answer to ever since she agreed to Remus's proposal of going out with him. "So, I was wondering. What do you want from this date, exactly?"

Lyra frowned, confused. Mostly because of the quick shift in atmosphere. He looked more serious than usual, and she wasn't prepared to have a deep talk with him now.  "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Lyra," he said, but she still seemed confused. He sighed. "Do you want an actual relationship from me? Or do you want something else entirely? Because I do need to know."

Lyra looked down into her butterbeer, avoiding his eyes at the question, one she obviously didn't want to answer. "Come on, James. Can't we just enjoy this date for now and have this conversation later?"

He took a deep breath, trying to hide the pang of hurt that shot through his heart. It meant that everything he had hoped for, that he thought was finally happening, wasn't going to happen. "That can't be good news then."

She could still see the hurt on his face, though. She pursed her lips, knowing he deserved some kind of explanation. "Look, I know what you want from me. But I can't be with you. I can't be your girlfriend."

"And why not?" he asked. He already knew he was going to get hurt from this, now he just needed to be prepared for how much pain he was going to let her put him through. 

She only deflected the question, knowing it would open a whole can of worms that she would rather keep closed. "Why does it matter?"

"Because, whatever it is, I want the opportunity to change it," said James stubbornly. He may be prepared for hurt, but that didn't mean he was going to stop fighting for her. He had done it for a year already, and he would do it for plenty more. 

While she adored the determination of his face, she could only smile sadly. Because even if she wanted to, it wasn't destined to be able to work. "It's not something you can change."

"Lyra, could you please try to open up to me?" the Gryffindor begged, frowning more deeply than she had ever seen him frown. "You can trust me, especially if has something to do with me, which it quite obviously does."

Lyra rested her forehead in her hand for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. "I can't do that. Opening up means showing weakness, and that's the last thing a girl is supposed to do on a first date."

"First?" he asked teasingly. Maybe she didn't want to be his girlfriend, but he found an opening at least. There was a start. "Meaning there'll be a second one?"

"I don't know," Lyra shrugged. "All I want is to talk to you, and laugh with you. I want to kiss you or snog you and hold your hand. Go on dates and give each other birthday presents, but I don't want to be your girlfriend."

James raised a disbelieving eyebrow. She had literally just described wanting to be in a relationship, every part of it and she hadn't seemed to realize it. "That sounds like a girlfriend to me."

"Alright, I can see that." She grimaced as she realized he was right. "But if we're truly together, like boyfriend and girlfriend, then things will get way too serious for my situation. With my family."

James wanted so badly for them to truly be together. Because he had been crazy for this girl for so long. But he was crazy enough to take whatever he could get, especially when he realized that this was all because of her family. He had known Sirius long enough to know how much pressure they put upon their children. 

He reached out and took her hand carefully, smiling in sweet understanding. "We can talk and snog, or whatever. We can do whatever you want, love. We don't need to label it if you don't want to."

Lyra smiled in surprise. She hadn't thought he would accept her limits. But he looked at her with such perfect understanding in his eyes, the kind that she didn't think he could have, but was glad he did. 

She quickly leaned over the table, stretching to meet him halfway. She kissed him sweetly, and while he was surprised, he returned it the minute he came back to reality. It was still so strange that they were kissing. 

In that moment, James realized that he would do anything and everything she could ever ask of him, as long as she would keep on kissing him like that. 

As Lyra pulled away from him, still smiling, he sat in a daze for a few seconds. His mind was clouded by every beautiful thought he had ever had about her, but he knew he had to snap out of it. "We better get back. Dinner's starting soon."

"Let's," she agreed before taking the final sip of her butterbeer. She wasn't going to let that go to waste, especially when James had gone through so much trouble to let him pay for it.  "And James? Thanks. Really."

He was prepared to walk out, but was surprised when she quickly slipped her hand into his. He looked at her with surprise, only to find her smiling brightly at him. He had never felt more in his element as when he strolled to Hogwarts, hand-in-hand with his favorite girl. 

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A/N: Hope you're happy with a whole chapter of James and Lyra cuteness. I love them very much, and I hope you guys do too.