its her hair and her eyes today [Lilykins]

[Gavin Corner]

There was no doubt in Gavin’s mind that he had done the right thing.

Asking Lily Potter out sounded like social suicide to most people. The last name alone was enough to scare off the more pretentious boys from trying to get in her pants. James played a big role in keeping those boys away from her as well. He wasn’t anything too terrifying in stature, but the name mixed with this reckless attitude was enough to make even the most cock sure students rethink their moves and run home.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Gavin Corner took no heed to these warning. His own twin had practically choked on the chocolate frog he was eating when he was told the news. Delano was used to Gavin pulling off crazy stunts. He wanted to climb up on a roof? Fine. He wanted to slide down a giant hill on cafeteria trays? Great. But wanting to date Lily Potter?! Had he gone insane?! It was well known fact that James would have his ass mounted on the wall the moment he found out. And somehow, that did nothing to deter Gavin from asking Lily out the night they had spent cuddling on the couch.

There was just something about Lily that Gavin couldn’t resist…True, he didn’t know her that well, but that was just it. He wanted to get to know her better. From what he’d met so far, she was pretty wonderful. She was sassy enough to keep him entertained, but a little more level headed than himself in ways. She was funny, smart, and not to mention had legs that could kill gorgeous. It would have gone against Gavin’s nature to not give into his own desire to spend more time with the girl.

He hadn’t exactly expected her to say yes…But then again he hadn’t expected her to say no either. That was something else appealing. He wasn’t quite sure what to expect with her. It was exciting and fun and Gavin wanted to crack the code on her. To say he had been happy she said yes would have been an understatement. He had gone back to his dormitory after getting her confirmation and sat on his brother to wake him up and tell him. Del had been less than thrilled about being woken up and even less excited about the prospect of his brother getting himself killed and then James Potter sent to Azkaban assuming they ever found him guilty of it.

True, her bringing up Olivia had caused a falter in his confidence. He had not been expecting her to bring her up at all. He and Olivia had been friends since they were in diapers. The experiment of dating took place in the summer before their fourth year, continuing on somewhat into the school year before they split up. The two had always fought like cats and dogs and dating made it no better. The break up was mutual, although Olivia reserved the rights to hate him all she wanted just for the fun of it. They had shared some broom closets the most recent summer but that was nothing more than boredom at their families’ business functions. Nothing more.

He had ignored the subject of Olivia upon her acceptance to his question and they set plans for a Hogsmeade day in the near future, namely today. This was why Gavin was standing near the front gates of the school dressed in a dark red plaid shirt with his leather jacket pulled on over it. The air was crisp and threatening of the winter months to come, causing him to zip the jacket up and shove his hands in his pockets. He was always forgetting gloves and his hands always got so cold. Too bad he could hardly ever remember anything.

Perhaps Gavin was a little nervous for the date itself…It was silly really. He wasn’t a nervous person in general and usually ran into things with complete sureness. This was just the nervousness that came with a first date. Gavin hadn’t dated a lot, though he was confident in his abilities to just hang out with a girl and try and woo her. He hardly tried, he simply believed in being himself. Some of that nervousness could be attributed to having to wait around her to show up. He was naturally restless and was resenting his own idea for them to meet at the gates. He could barely stand still for two minutes and he had showed up at least five minutes early out of eagerness. Now he was subject to his own torture.

He wasn’t sure exactly what they were going to do when they got to Hogsmeade, but Gavin was never one to plan things out. Things would happen as they happened and if they were right things would just…flow. He hoped they worked out. He was not afraid of James Potter, but Delano had made it clear that he did not want to lose his brother. Gavin was a little too niave to think that James would have no problem with him dating his baby sister…But then again, what did Gavin care? He liked Lily and she liked him from what he could tell…today had nothing to do with James. This was about them.

[Lily Potter]

The moment the words had left her mouth, an unsure feeling had filled Lily. Had she made the right decision about accepting Gavin’s offer of a date? Had she done the right thing, not for him, but for herself? Was she ready to be dating? And although through the entirety of the time spread out between that one night up until that very day, she was left with mixed emotions, she knew somewhere inside of her that she had, indeed, made the correct decision.

Although, it should be noted that there were a few times when Lily nearly approached the boy and canceled their date. No, it wouldn’t have been because she didn’t like, because Merlin knew that she had more than just a simple school girl crush on him, but more or less out of fear. Fear of getting tangled up in something she didn’t know how to handle. Fear of getting hurt. Fear of getting heartbroken. Some Gryffindor courage aye? Had it not been for her gaggle of friends keeping a close eye on her, she would have gotten away with it to. But lucky for the both of them, she was dragged off each time, a scolding waiting for her back in the common room.

And thankful she was, because she would have missed out on what she knew was going to be a great time. There was just something about Gavin that Lily couldn’t help but be curious about, yet slightly hesitant with as well. He was sweet, caring, funny, and had a good attitude. All things she had witnessed the night they shared together on the couch. But he also had this way with her that made her feel so insecure, so nervous, so… inferior… that she just was unsure about. Not to mention his confidence. He was so calm, cool, and collected about that whole evening, EVERYTHING, up until the moment she kissed him on the cheek. Never in a million years could she have acted as he had. And that too, was nerve racking. He was so much more practiced than she was. How would that affect things, if at all?

But none of that mattered at the moment. None of those awkward feelings and worries mattered. They couldn’t, else, she’d be more of a wreck than she was. Having planned on waking up early to get a head start on getting ready and figuring out what she was going to wear and do with her hair, Lily epically failed. With an unset alarm clock on her bedside table, she had woken up with just an hour to shower, to her hair, make-up, and get dressed. It was easy to say she was frazzled. She had ignored all the teasing remarks from her friends, who had simply let her sleep, and even all their questioning remarks about what James would think about his precious sister dating. Who cared right then! She had a date to get to! She’d deal with them… and James… later. It wasn’t like they mattered that much at the moment anyway. Today was Gavin’s day. Not theirs.

So in finally getting herself ready, having finally gotten a couple of the gossiping fourth years to help her decide how she wanted to wear her hair and if she wanted to wear jeans or some sort of skirt ensemble, she was out the door and heading to the front gates. Only five minutes late! Oh she hoped he’d still be waiting for her. She knew the boy had a short attention span and couldn’t sit still for the life of him (though, he behaved himself well the other night)… but she hoped that didn’t mean he would have run off without her.

Running down the hall, she two pigtail braids still wet from her shower slapping her shoulders, Lily began the awkward movement of trying to slip leg warmers on over her ballerina flats. Barely succeeding in putting the final touches of her ensemble as she reached the door, she stopped to catch her breath. No need to be breathless when she approached him, although she could be cutesy and tell him that he took her breath away. Casting the thought from her mind, she smoothed her black skirt out, tugging at it gently so it didn’t seem as short as it looked when she sprinted.

“Here goes nothing,” she said to herself, a smile on her lips as she took the leap of faith and quietly exited the school. A blast of cold air hit her face, and immediately she cursed herself for being late. Not only was she subject to wearing whatever her friends had chosen, but she was also subject to facing the bitterness with a head of wet tresses. A recipe for disaster if she knew one. But there was no time to care about that now. Because there Gavin was, waiting by the gate like he said he would. And even in her being late, he hadn’t left his post. Thank Merlin.

Pulling her coat closer to her body, the cold seeping through her teal v-necked blouse, a devious smile curled to her lips. Although she wanted to just run up to him and apologize whole-heartedly for being late, she had figured out something else. Something that seemed more… flirtatious? Walking on her tip-toes so as to remain unheard, she silently crept around him with a smile evident on her glossed lips. Oh the reaction she’d get! The thought warmed her from the pit of her stomach. Lifting her hands up, she gingerly, but quickly covered his eyes from behind. A giggle escaping her lips, she stood on her tip toes and managed to place her lips by his ear.

“Guesssss whoooo,” she whispered in a sing-song manner, a giggle once again fighting its way passed her lips. Oh how she was excited to finally be going on this date. The words to express that she just couldn’t find. But that didn’t matter now, because all that mattered was Gavin and the time she was about to spend him.

ooc: I changed my mind, I didn't like what I had written, so I rewrote the post and it turned out I didn't want him leaning against a wall. Hope you don't mind!

[Gavin Corner]

Gavin knew he shouldn’t have showed up so early. The anxiety that came with standing still was rising higher and higher in him and he had that odd sensation inside of him. Usually when the strange feeling came about he went on a run to burn off the excess energy, but today was not the day to go running away. He was to stay firmly planted there to wait for Lily who was probably going to be on-time to the date, if not a little late. Assuming their relationship progressed past this one date, she would find herself waiting on Gavin for most things. The boy had the attention span of a gnat and was constantly late to events and classes. Delano was the only reason he didn’t get reamed with detentions for being tardy. His twin was notorious for dragging him out of bed and through the halls in the morning.

Still, being early had done nothing to ease Gavin’s nerves about today. Nervous wasn’t exactly the word, but perhaps anxious was. He was so excited about spending time with Lily he couldn’t have waited up in the common room any longer…That and Del was dropping little jokes about him being eaten alive by James. What a kind brother. People who thought that Gavin was all serious and solemn were sorely mistaken. Del was quite a bit like his brother, enjoying pranks and adventuring, and could have quite the smart mouth on him. He just tended to think more and only open that side up to people he knew extremely well.

And so he waited. Turning his back from the school’s campus, Gavin turned himself to look outside the gate and at the pathway to Hogsmeade. He had been so excited when he was finally allowed to go with the rest of the students to Hogsmeade. He had practically spent all his money at the sweets shop (which his bunk mates weren’t too thrilled about) and bought everything he could in the Joke Shop. As he grew, he found something just…magical about the town. He hated in the winter months when snow covered the town. Beastly little white flakes were always everywhere, getting in his socks and making his feet cold and angry as he tried desperately to get to his favorite place. Today’s weather was nice though, a little chilly, but utterly beautiful besides that. And not a drop of rain or snow in the sky. Even better.

Gavin jumped slightly as hands came out of nowhere and covered his eyes. A smile soon came to his face when he recognized the small feeling of the hands along with the dainty skin. They obviously belonged to a girl, and upon hearing the voice he would have had to be a complete idiot to not know exactly who it was.

“Hmm, I wonder who it could be…” Gavin teased along back to her, staying put where he was as her hands continued to block his hazel eyes from seeing the path before him. He liked this about Lily. She was so playful and fun. The fact that she wasn’t nervous or awkward was already boosting his confidence about this date. The little feeling of anxiety was dwindling away with her presence there. She just seemed to be a calming force, and that was always something that Gavin needed in his life. With his hyperactive attitude most of the time, Delano was left to balance him out and calm him down. Lily had the same effect on him which was fairly rare to find in a person, and Gavin liked that about her.

An evil smirk slid onto Gavin’s mouth as he came up with a teasing comeback which Lily would hopefully take well. “Oh Professor Wellbeloved, on campus? I thought we were meeting up tomorrow night,” Gavin teasing. Oh yes, bringing up one of the best looking female professors was hilarious in his mind. Gavin would never even dream—well, take that back…He would never act upon any infatuation with a teacher, even one as good looking as Professor Welbeloved. He just wanted to tease Lily and get under her skin a little. That was simply how Gavin was. He pushed buttons and teased and taunted but all in the good sake of fun.

Raising his hands up, Gavin took hold of Lily’s to move them from his face but kept them in hand. He turned around to face her with a broad grin on his face, turning it into mock surprise as he saw her. “Oh, its you Lily! I would have never guessed!” He teased, knowing she would probably be irked with his taunting. He drove more girls away that way. Too many couldn’t handle his little jokes and ran away crying. If that was the case with Lily…then maybe he would be getting his face knocked in by James.

He let his eyes travel down her, taking in the full sight of her outfit and hair. She didn’t seem to be too dressed up and that was perfectly fine by Gavin. He had no patience for girls who took three hours to simply do their hair. Still, Lily came out looking stunning as always. She was younger than him perhaps, but simply by a year and maturity level they were right on par if she wasn’t above him. “You look lovely,” Gavin complimented her, letting her hands go to wrap his arms around her in a greeting hug. Hell, they had spent the other night cuddling on the couch, a hug was the least he could do right now. Keeping things going kept from the chances of her smacking him from the little teasing he’d done before. He found it perfectly hilarious. There was no one else he’d rather be standing there hugging than Lily Luna Potter in her legwarmers and braids.

[Lily Potter]

Dating Gavin, was it a good idea? The question had crossed her mind too many times to count. She would constantly find herself sitting in class, staring off out the window, her mind wandering off to that exact place. She would stay up at night, her quill poised over her parchment, dripping ink in one single spot, accidentally letting her mind drift off. Even when she tried to be entirely focused, she’d find herself thinking of the boy clad in crimson, his boyish smiles sending shivers down her spine. She couldn’t avoid it, avoid him, and couldn’t help but think if their rendezvous would be for the best.

Too many people warned her, after she spread the good news around the girl’s dorm, that James would be furious with her. Furious at the idea. Furious, period. For some reason, he had never gotten it through his thick skull that she was growing up and blossoming. That she was maturing far quicker than expected, and was no longer the little girl that used to crawl into his bed at night when she had a nightmare. She was an adult finally, with adult desires, and wanted to spread her wings. And for some reason, James couldn’t see that, and only kept her chained down. This date would enrage him.

And an enraged James was never one you wanted to deal with. He wasn’t like normal people when they got angry. Sure, you yell at him and he’ll yell back, you throw a punch he’ll drop kick your ass. But until the first move was made, his rage was usually silently contained to devious plotting and evil ideas that only his sick and demented mind could concoct. He’d do anything he had to if something was threatened. And with Gavin, his little Lilyflower’s innocence was being endangered. The fifth year was bound to be on her older brother’s hit list the moment he got wind of the news. And Lily had to wonder, was it worth it? Putting Gavin through all that trouble?

On the other hand, the one that neglected the fact that she had a crazy protective family, there was so much more to take into consideration. Whenever he cast a glance in her direction her knees went weak and she would all but buckle under her weight. He could reduce her, a girl once so proud and confident, to a messy puddle of nervousness and confusion. And even though she had just really started to talk to him, get a feel for his character, the school girl crush had turned into something much stronger than anticipated. So much so that turning back would only leave her wondering, why. Why was she so stupid?

Luckily, Lily knew better. She wasn’t about to let this opportunity fade away into the shadows, never to rear its head again. This could be her only chance, and dwelling on ‘what ifs’ and wondering if things were a good idea would only ruin it. She just had to take a deep breath and take the plunge. And for this boy who seemed to challenge her, yet put the smile on her face, it was all worth the uneasiness and scared tentativeness.

Standing on her tip-toes, the heels of her feet slipping out of her flats, she waited for Gavin’s reaction with a light blush coloring her cheeks. Having felt his body jump at her movements, she knew she had caught him off guard, but when she felt his cheeks turn up into a smile, she knew that he knew who it was. Everything from that point on was just going to be a game between them, and a rather fun one at that. She was sure he’d come up with a joke (and probably a very stupid and foolish one) and they’d go back and forth from there. And after just a few moments of silence, she wasn’t let down.

Hearing him start to joke about who it could possibly be covering his eyes, a giddy smile curled to her lips. She had been waiting for what felt like ages for him to speak up, but it really had only been seconds. Itching to remove her hands, her fingers wiggling slightly with anticipation, she was quickly caught off guard and taken for a rather large spin when he chose the joke in which to use. She figured he’d be playful and guess wrong just to tease. That was easy to assume. She’d have done the same! But using Professor Wellbeloved? That was going a tad too far. It would be if she used Professor Bootes… the envy of the male population. Wrong, in too many ways to explain.

Taking in a deep breath, the feeling of having the wind knocked out of her slowly leaving, she slowly slipped back into her shoes and flat onto her feet. Blinking her eyes, the astonishment wearing off, she shook her head and let herself fall back into the scene before her. Yes, Gavin had just used their Transfiguration teacher as some sort of tool to make her angry. Or tease her… or WHATEVER! Well, two could easily play that game. Though, in good conscious, she hated that she was doing it. There were already too many rumors going around. But still! She had to prove herself to him. This was one of his challenges, and taking offense to it would do her no good.

As he peeled her hands away from his eyes, and kept them securely in his own, she let a shocked expression befall her features as he turned around. Although her blush did nothing to mask her obvious happiness at seeing his face, she ignored it and let a mock apologetic smile turn at the corners of her lips. “Oh! Gavin…” she said, a little disappoint in her voice. “Opps… thought you were Dorad… someone else. Heh…” Casting a sideways glance, as if awkward about her mix up, she bit her bottom lip. “Hmm… oh well though. Looks like I found you instead,” she finished, looking back up with an elated smile. Unable to contain her excitement any further, she let the joke drop, though mentally told herself to scold him after their greeting.

Not knowing exactly how dates worked or what she was supposed to say from that point forward, she stood in front of him awkwardly silent. Should she apologize for being late? Comment on how he dressed? Tell him just how excited she had been for their date? The right thing to say and the wrong thing to say were simply things she didn’t know. She hadn’t been lectured on what was the right thing to do and what the wrong thing was. All she knew was that until the ice was broken, it would be awkward. Awkward was something Lily just couldn’t and wouldn’t stand for. And once again, Gavin came through for her.

“Thank you… er… I think. And you… you look… cute , dashing, gorgeous, butterfly inducing, knee weakening, heart racingly charming great yourself!” Giggling lightly as she was pulled into a hug, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Though, once again she felt herself conflicted. How much of a hug should she give? The casual friend hug? Or the tight squeeze hug that said just how happy she was to see his smile? But all too quickly the moment was over, and she was still left contemplating. Damnit! She hated not knowing what to do… and poor Gavin had to deal with that. Biting her bottom lip, not knowing if she should be apologetic or not, she shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m so sorry for being late Gavin, I meant to be here early… but my alarm just didn’t go off. I feel so bad. I didn’t keep you waiting too long did I,” she apologized, pulling away from him slightly. Biting her bottom lip, tentative as to what she should do, she threw caution to the wind and took his hand in her own. Although she felt a blush, once again, rise to her cheeks, it was okay. She didn’t care anymore. All she cared about was spending a magical day with the boy clad in crimson.

[Gavin Corner]

Oh yes. Gavin was quite amused by his own little joke. The problem with Gavin was that he found himself absolutely hilarious…others didn’t exactly. He had made even the most tolerant people run away in frustration at his joking nature and somewhat scattered way of thinking. His brain simply worked in a different way than others. His thoughts were rarely collected and often he was busy jumping from topic to topic. This got especially bad when he was restless or excited about something. Lily was lucky that today he was attempting to be calm and cool, so instead of his insanity, she just had to deal with his different sense of humor.

Gavin was lucky that Lily hadn’t gotten annoyed with him as most girls would have. Instead, he found himself rolling his eyes at her own little joke back. Professor Wellbeloved had simply been a joke, but Professor Boots? That prat had gotten about every best looking award there was on the planet, and was the bane of every male students existence. No one actually took Ancient Runes because they liked it, only females fawning over him were caught in that class, and a few guys who thought that being in a class full of girls would work to their advantage. Apparently they didn’t take into account the work of bringing attention off the professor and onto themselves.

“Ah, well looks like we’ll just have to hang out instead,” Gavin teased back. If he and Wellbeloved and she and Bootes weren’t meeting up then it only seemed natural that the two would hang out. Oh how funny he was. The playfulness had been a good way to start the day, even if it had been teasing about being with other people. It was nice that Lily hadn’t yelled at him right then and there. It was refreshing for Gavin to find someone just as playful as he was. Hopefully she would continue to find his joking cute and charming rather than obnoxious and annoying. That wouldn’t be much fun.

It was pretty clear that Gavin that Lily wasn’t used to doing this. She wasn’t awkward, but there was the faint sense that she was nervous, or at least a little uneasy about what was going to happen. That was perfectly fine with Gavin considering he himself was a bit nervous too. Though, somehow Lily being nervous made him less nervous. He had dated more than her, that was true, but half of that had been with Olivia and it was hard to be awkward with someone you’d been friends with since you were kids. Other than Olivia, Gavin had only gone on a few dates that panned out to maybe a week romance and then breakups due to lack of interest or not being able to handle Gavin himself.

Still, seeing Lily nervous gave Gavin all the more incentive to take the reins here and be the man. He was the man after all, and he was going to treat Lily the way every girl should be treated on a date, though with a little extra teasing and joking. Having pulled her into a hug, Gavin couldn’t help but smile at her awkward thanks for his compliment and then return of one for him. If that hadn’t proved how she felt he didn’t know what would. No matter to her though. Gavin found it rather cute the way she stumbled for words. It only made him more excited to spend more time with her.

It was funny how much internal conflict a hug could give Lily, when all Gavin did was…hug. It didn’t matter that the two were going on a date or just good friends, Gavin liked hugging and according to quite a few girls he was pretty good at it. Lily should know, good pillows usually make good huggers. Gavin read nothing into the level of emotion the hug displayed and released Lily from his grip with a smile on his face. He was rather excited for their date. He knew Del had been excited for it too, but for other reasons—namely so Gavin would shut up about it. Well, now Gavin got to have his date and then he could not shut up about that later on. Viscous cycle, poor Del.

Gavin shook his head as Lily apologized for being late. If she was late it was only by a few minutes, it had been his own fault for getting there so early. He honestly didn’t care that much either, but it was nice of her to try and apologize for it. “Don’t worry about it Lily, it was only a few minutes,” Gavin waved off the apology. Honestly, he was just excited that this was happening at all. Of course he was impatient and hated waiting for anything, but Lily? No, he could wait for Lily.

His eyes were turned away from her when he felt her hand upon his. Now that he hadn’t been expecting. She was taking his hand? Trying to steal his thunder eh? Well, Gavin had a feeling he would get back at her later for being the first one to start off the hand holding. Perhaps Gavin was a little competitive, but it was all in good fun. Besides, her taking his hand only made him smile. He was glad to have this constant reassurance that she was interested in him. He would have taken her hand anyways, but she seemed to have beat him to it and that was perfectly fine.

“Shall we?” Gavin suggested, gesturing out to the path to Hogsmeade to sign whether or not she’d like to get going or not. It had more of been for polite measure than anything, and Gavin set off at a nice walk with Lily at hand on the way to Hogsmeade. Ah yes, it would be the perfect place for a date; away from the prying eyes of the rest of the school and her exponentially large family. Besides, Hogsmeade was awesome with all of the cool places to go. Gavin had a feeling they wouldn’t have a hard time finding something fun to do.

“So I see you’re still alive since the last time I saw you, I take it James has let up a little on the practices.” Gavin said conversationally as they walked along. Little did he know that the reason James had stopped being such a dictator with the practices was because Anlon Finnigan had told him about Lily’s cuddling incident on the couch. Kind of ironic, don’t you think? Of course, Gavin was oblivious to all of this and just happy that he did not have a liquidated Lily had had to carry around in a bucket. Oh no, it was much nicer with her hand in his as they walked along the leaf ridden path.

[Lily Potter]

“Well now, it seems that you have a rather good idea. After all, why waste a perfectly good afternoon waiting on a ghost of a hope?” Joking playfully back at the boy who had caught her eye, she nudged him lightly. She knew that he was playing about Professor Wellbeloved, and was rather sure he had caught on to her own joking, hence the non-offensive continuation of the joke. But the nagging at the back of her mind told her stifle down. Making jokes about relations with authority didn’t seem first date, or for that matter any date, appropriate. As well, Lily wasn’t that much of a joker. She could sit in community circles and listen to the jokes other girls and guys played, but she rarely ever cracked one herself. She could take them without offense, but dishing them out continually felt awkward for her.

But Gavin seemed to make those simple inhibitions disappear. His blatant disregard for “polite” conversation made her comfortable with the awkwardness of stepping out of her skin. If he could break the rules and be as playful and jokey as ever, then she could by all means do the same. Right? Or was that not proper etiquette? Her friends had warned her to not be too much of anything and be just the perfect amount of everything. But for that to make any sense to the girl who had yet to experience a date would be impossible. What did “too much of anything and just the right amount of everything” mean? Aside from being the girl in all of the muggle romantic comedies she had watched, she knew next to nothing. And that made her nervous, despite the advice to not be.

She couldn’t help it though. She couldn’t help that for the better part of her life she thought guys were icky and kootie infested. She couldn’t help that after that phase she only thought of guys as friends. She couldn’t help that she had an over protective brother who deemed it necessary from a young age to bully guys away from her. She couldn’t help any of that. It was just the hand she was dealt, and Lily was left to make the best of it. Whether she sank or swam was up to her. And since drowning was not an option for the determined and stubborn Gryffindor, she was left to doggy-paddle helplessly.

Thankful that Gavin had become her rock, her object to cling onto until she was saved, she squeezed his hand lightly. It was more or less a reassurance that she hadn’t fallen below the water and had to begin a tenuous effort to reach the top. It was a reassurance that everything was still going fine and her rock hadn’t decided to let her slip. And reassuring it was. Despite the shyness she felt as she had taken his hand in her own, weaving her fingers with is, she was glad she had done it. He might have thought it forward, but she needed that touch. If not to simply realize she was still very much alive.

Lifting her free hand to flick her falling bangs out of her eyes, she let a content smile fall to her face. Even though her stomach was littered with butterflies, a tickling sensation running through her veins at any smile he shot her way, she deemed it necessary to make it undetectable. Whether or not she hid it well, was beyond her. Though she was sure a few blushes slipped through her grips and made themselves as noticeable as possible, it didn’t matter. She was trying… and that was all that counted.

Thankful as she could ever be, she followed Gavin’s lead to the village of Hogsmeade. The light pace he had set for them was perfect. It wasn’t rushed as if he felt he needed to get the date started immediately, nor was it so antagonizingly slow that even the slugs would pass them. It was perfect. She was able to eye the off colored trees and their beauty at a leisurely pace, and still feel as connected to Gavin as she had when she took his hand in her own.

Feeling her attention be torn away from the passing scenery, the redhead turned her eyes to the boy beside her. A smile of comfort crawled to her face, and a relieved sigh escaped. Was he psychic? Could he tell that she was nervous and needed a familiar topic to talk about? Or was he just that perfect polite that he cared about her life and quidditch schedule? Whether or not he had felt the obligation to try and make her more comfortable, he had succeeded. The uneasiness she held in her breath disappeared, and she was left with a swelling sense of courage. Dates and lovey-dovey stuff she couldn’t much talk about. But quidditch, well, she could talk about that forever. Especially when it involved her dictator of a brother. Who, if he had known, would have gone ballistic over the idea of her dating. Lucky for her, she was blissfully unaware of Finnigan’s tattling, and she felt free enough to once again rant.

“I guess you could say that, since I’m obviously not a deflated balloon you’re forced to drag around,” she said with a note of playfulness in her voice. Starting to lightly swing their clasped hands like she had done as a child, she felt happy. “It’s odd though. He was so caught up in getting better and being the perfect team. And now, it’s like he doesn’t care if we beat Slytherin in our next match or not. I mean, I’m not complaining, I’m enjoying my free time,” she continued, flashing a grin at him. “But… it’s like he’s gotten distracted with something else. Ya know?”


OOC: Sorry for the blah-ness of it, but it was long over due. :/

[Gavin Corner]

Lily’s joking back was taken with ease by Gavin. There was nothing he appreciated more than people who went along with his jokes. It was his favorite thing about Delano. The boy always knew when Gavin was spinning some farce and usually built right up with it. They had made up their greatest stories that way, talking about them ‘innocently’ as they passed by some first years. It was the reason so many of the first years had brought their socks to Peeves, after hearing the boy chatting about the sacred ritual needed unless you wanted to ensue the curse of Peeves. Of course, the professors had been less than thrilled to hear why the students were giving up their socks to the poltergeist, but they would not be finding out who the story came from.

Perhaps Lily was right in thinking that Gavin wasn’t a typical date. He couldn’t be suave like the gentlemen in movies who spoke carefully and asked all the right questions. If he was, then he wouldn’t be himself. But who Gavin was was a pretty remarkable person in himself. He was nothing too special, but he was a good hearted person and that was what mattered. He cared about those around him, even if at time he was absentminded, and had a light spirit that helped bring people out of their funks. Merlin knew that he didn’t always know the right thing to say, and often made things worse, but with Gavin it was the thought that counted. The fact that he could even sit down and try to help with something was a feat in itself.

It would be exciting for Gavin to find what an influence he had become on Lily’s life. Honestly, he hadn’t expected her to be so taken with him. As much as he joked about being the better twin, he always had the same boyish surprise when a girl agreed to do something with him. Lily was even more special. It was not just what her name was that made her special, but everything about her. She was fiery and everyone knew she could roll with the punches and throw her own in there. Perhaps part of the appeal was the challenge Lily brought, for Gavin had always been more interested in things that were hard to reach. Aside from that though, Lily was unlike the other girls he had met, and he could only find himself growing more and more infatuated with her day by day.

Quidditch had been a safe topic for Gavin to choose, but he had just been talking as if they were old friends. Lily looked far less exhausted than the last time he’d seen her, and sleep really did agree with her…not that he would be complaining about the night they spent cuddling on the Gryffindor couch. James could go ahead and try and work his team to death if it meant Gavin got to be used as a pillow once more. But still, it was nice to see Lily with bright eyes instead of one’s drooping with sleep.

“Maybe he’s gotten distracted with school work or something…?” Gavin suggested to Lily’s comment about her brother. He had seen the boy around several times but hadn’t happened to run into him lately. He had, however, heard him sneaking out of the Dormitory quite a few times at night if he himself was up and in the Common Room doing something or other. “Either that, or maybe he’s just realized that we’ll never beat Slytherin if the entire team is dead on their broomsticks,” Gavin joked, a broader smile cracking onto his face at the joke he’d made. Oh yes, Gavin found himself rather hilarious, and luckily for him, most of the time he was at least funny. There was nothing worse than a person who wasn’t funny, thinking they’re funny. At least he didn’t have to worry about that.

Walking down the lane, Gavin’s shoes crunched gently on the leave beneath his feet. His fingers were laced gently with Lily’s enjoying the slightly hardened hands of a Quidditch player with all the suppleness of a female’s skin. Today was turning out rather lovely, if he did say so himself. The weather was nice outside and perfect for their walk. A breeze kicked up as the pair approached the entrance to the little village which was bustling with a light crowd of people who had also thought to come to Hogsmeade in their free time.

“I was thinking, perhaps, Madame Puddifoots?” Gavin suggested, turning his hazel eyes down to Lily to see if she was taken with the idea. He would have gone anywhere really, but they had the best chance of actually hearing each other speak in there. He certainly wouldn’t object to any other suggestion, but Madame Puddifoots was at least warm and smelled decent, with out too many students there to stare at them and gossip or large crowds.

ooc; not fantabulous, but its all cutesey date Gavin could come up with >> He's mainly like CAN I KISS HER YET?