#c:franklongbottom

[kreachermanips]

AVALON & FRANK: instagram

Happy fucking Birthday to my partner in crime and sister of sin! It only felt right to throwback to our very first ship. The one that started it all. The age gaps and daddies and general debauchery. I love all of our ships, but mainly I love getting to write with you and having you as a friend. Love you loads and celebrate hard because you deserve it! 

@luciellewrites

[idkwhatiwannado]

How Frank Longbottom Dies

Dropped Thread: Frank Longbottom & Lily Evans

12 November 1977 - Library

“If you don’t need me for something – I suggest you bugger off, I’m not in the mood” his eyes didn’t draw away from the Prophet he was pretending to read. All he had heard was approaching footsteps which was odd considering how he was hiding away in the restricted section of the library – he couldn’t bring himself to attend the game. All he knew was that Gryffindor won and the house was off celebrating. Rumours were flying about that the team was battered but they were just rumours – or at least that’s what he told himself to stop the guilt, the remorse of not playing a game he should have been in. The team was better off – they had even won. They didn’t need him.

Lily was less than pleased when Poppy kicked her out of the Hospital Wing.  She was not one to make a fuss and she especially was not one to fight with teachers or authority figures, but she had fought with the matron.  She’d shouted and snapped and caused a fuss but in the end she found herself locked out of the the Hospital Wing with strict orders that she was not under any circumstances to return until sent for or until breakfast the next morning.  With both Sirius and James in the Hospital Wing overnight, the absolute last place Lily wanted to be was her dorm. She was worried and scared and furious and full of restless energy, all of which likely played a part in what she decided to do instead.  

She found him in the library, and was suddenly grateful for all the goodwill she’d built up with Madame Pince over the years.  It was Saturday night close to closing and so the library was empty.  Pince, bless her, didn’t even bat an eyelid as Lily stalked towards the Restricted Section.  She cast a half haphazard silencing charm in the doorway as she crossed it, not wanting to push her luck but having very little desire to be library quiet.  “I need you for something,” she assured, her voice sharp and seething as she was.   “I need for you to explain to me exactly why my boyfriend almost died today and why you weren’t there to do your bloody fucking job.”

His eyes widened as he recognized the voice – he was a dead man. He placed the Prophet aside and tried to gather himself as he met the redhead’s deadly stare, if she was capable of incinerating someone solely on her gaze alone – he would be a pile of ashes about now. “Died– James – what?” he stuttered as he stood up, his eyes wide in fear. “I wasn’t at the game – I – how bad is it?” he questioned quickly, “I quit. That’s why I wasn’t there– I don’t play anymore” he was attempting to brush aside the issue of him quitting – more intent on finding out what exactly happened. “Lily– I – I’m sorry” he murmured. Not knowing what else to say – he was lost for words.

Lily knew that perhaps she was overreacting but the fact of the matter was, as much as Quidditch was a dangerous game and as common place as serious injuries were, this was worse.  This was worse because they were playing two beaters down and Lily couldn’t exactly yell at Sirius for having one arm more or less useless because of a werewolf bite.  So unfortunately, Frank bore the brunt of her anger.  And that was not a happy place to be.  “Oh, you weren’t at the game?” she asked with more sarcasm than was called for.  “I didn’t notice.  I was too distracted, I guess, watching James plummet from his broom after a ball of iron crushed his skull because the only beater worth anything at all who isn’t currently playing with just one hand bloody well quit!!!!” Her level of sarcasm and sass was at an all time high when she was angry, her tolerance for stating the obvious an all time low.  “Where were you, Frank?  And don’t just tell me you quit.  That I figured out.”

Frank knew he should be paying attention to the screaming redhead before him but all he could think about was james lying in a hospital bed because of him. James had nearly died because of his pride and that was always going to be on him. He was going to be sick. “Lily – what do you want me to say? I quit, I am so fucking sorry and I will go and see him but I can’t take it all back and if you’re here to give me hell – it’s too late, I’m already there” he was pathetic, he didn’t have it in him to fight and merlin knew that he didn’t want too. He deserved this – he deserved to be yelled at, to feel like shit. “I was here, because I didn’t have a spot on the team anymore. Like I said before, I quit. James and I got into a spat last week, and let’s just say that we didn’t really have a chance to make up. Hence, the reason why I wasn’t playing today? Is that a good enough reason or do you want me to lie to you?”

On a regular day and in regular circumstances, Lily was a compassionate person.  She wasn’t one to rub someone’s mistakes in their faces and even now, angry as she was, she could see that Frank felt guilty for what had happened to James.  And, angry as she was, she knew that being angry wasn’t going to change anything.  “I want you to tell me what’s going on!” she answered, her tone decidedly closer to worried than angry, though still louder than was appropriate in a library.  She paused for a moment to take a breath and calm her overly frazzled nerves.  Hours spent in the hospital wing did nothing for her patience or her calm.  “I know you fought, it’s all I’ve heard about for days.  But I’m fuzzy on the why.” She pursed her lips and let out a sigh, trying to force herself to let go of her anger.  “Frank you love this game.  It’s not like you to just - quit after a bad loss and a spat with James.  If everyone quit after James acted like a prat, there wouldn’t be a team at all.  I just - look, I’m sorry I yelled.  But I’m your friend, and if something is wrong, you can talk to me.”

[ Dropped Thread ]

[idkwhatiwannado]

Study Break 2

Dropped Thread: Frank Longbottom & Lily Evans

Library - 11 October 1977

“I’m sorry, was that for me?” she asks, looking up from the book she was reading.  “I can’t my head on straight today.  What was that?”

“I asked, if you wanted some chocolate and company? I haven’t seen you in a while Lils—” he grinned as he sat himself down before her.

“Ooo Chocolate yes.  Company, well, I suppose you’ll do,” she said with a teasing grin, closing the book as Frank joined her.  He was a welcome relief from studying.  “It feels like I haven’t seen you in ages!  How are you?”

“I’ve been alright – just a bit scattered, I thought I’d visit my favourite redhead and thank her” he grinned as he propped his chin against the palm of his hand, “I took your advice — uh, with Alice. Things are better – really brilliant to be exact” he rambled, his smile never wavering.

As soon as he mentioned thanking her she raised an eyebrow as a smile slowly grew on her lips.  A smile that, at his mention of Alice, grew into a beam as she all but clapped her hands together in excitement.  “I knew it!” she yelped before she could stop herself, biting her lip when she realized that she had shouted in a library and was possibly too excited over her friends’ love lives.  “Oh Frank, that’s brilliant.  I’m so pleased for you both!”

“Lily Evans, are you trying to get us kicked out of the library?” he chuckled softly, his gaze was met with Pince’s withering stare and all he could was hold up his hands and mouth a quick ‘sorry’ to the scary woman before turning back to the vibrant girl before him, “yeah, I’m kind of pleased with it all” he smirked, “thank you – just uh, thank you for reminding me not to give up!”

“Madame Pince would never kick me out,” she said haughtily, though her smile had not faded and she did make a concerted effort to lower her voice.  She could get away with a lot with Pince, with as good a record as she had, but one more outburst like that and she wouldn’t want to be pressing her luck.  “You’re welcome,” she said with a wide soft smile, truly happy her friends had stopped making one another miserable and had realized how grand they were together.  Speaking of which.  “I sort of possibly actually also owe you a thanks,” she said her smile going a bit lopsided and biting her lip.  “You may perhaps have been right.  About James.”

“See – I can’t help but wonder what you did to get on her good side” he whispered as his gaze trailed back to the woman who seemed to be quite buried in a book, happy to not being met with a glare for once. “Ah – so, you two? Are finally together? Merlin – this is six years overdue” he laughed, he couldn’t stop smiling. He was happy for her – for them. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was James and Lily.

“Something other than being a perpetually wonderful student who never breaks the rules and always puts books back where she found them?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, smirking as she shrugged.  “You’ll never know,” she added with a wink and a stifled laugh.  “I wouldn’t say six years,” she said stubbornly.  “In my defense he was a prat for most of them.”  The smile she tried to bite back beamed across her lips and she nodded.  “But yeah, we’re finally together.  So it seems to have been a promising start to the year for both of us.”  

“Lily, if I didn’t know you any better – I would think that you were bribing her” he huffed, a pout lingering at his lips. Pince wasn’t too fond of him, he seemed to always be causing quite the ruckus when he was in here. “Yes, that’’s very true – I’m glad you waited for him to gather his wits and not be a prick!” he agreed. He knew the feeling – up until now, he wasn’t sure if he was ready for Alice. If it was the right time, if he was mature enough but now everything fit perfectly. It made sense. “Very promising if I don’t find a way to muck this up!”

She laughed at the conclusion he came to, keeping to herself how right he was.  She wouldn’t call it bribing per say, so much as having cultivated a fond and almost friendly relationship with the woman to the point where she brought her a sweet or two when her mother sent her care packages, in return for tips and tricks on all the books she needed to find the extra information none of the other students bothered to look for.  Eileen, after all, was a lovely woman when you got past her prickly exterior.  And it wasn’t her fault students were always misbehaving in her library.  “I think you’ll be just fine,” she said honestly, grinning at her friend.  “After all, you’ve always done well with her before, with the slight exception of losing your bloody mind earlier this year.”  The last was said with a pointed look concealing a smirk.  “And even then you only did it because you were in love with her.  There are worse things.”

“In my defence – Carrow got to me” he hadn’t been sporting the most clearest of minds and Carrow certainly knew how to worsen the situation for him. The thought of him and Alice still made him cringe. “I just – it’s just finally okay, you know? I don’t want to mess it up. I’m the most even tempered of people and things are so bloody crazy at the moment. I haven’t been here before– I don’t really know how to navigate the situation!”

She understood why he’d done what he did back then and she was glad it had all worked out for the better.  “You won’t mess it up,” she assured, ever the cheerleader for Frank and Alice.  “You two have been friends for ages.  This is just the same thing.  But with - perks.”  Her smile faded a little bit at his words and she tilted her head curiously.   “What’s so crazy?” she asked.  “Is everything alright?”

[ Dropped Thread ]

[idkwhatiwannado]

Real Talk

Finished Thread: Frank Longbottom & Lily Evans

Kitchens - 7 September 1977

Being Head Girl had many perks, thought Lily usually did her best not to overuse them.  She didn’t often sneak out after hours, claiming to be on rounds or something when she wanted to meet someone out of bounds.  She didn’t take or give points in revenge or pick specifically on people she disliked while turning a blind eye to ones she did.  But one thing she did do every so often was slip down to the kitchens when she couldn’t sleep.  When she’d lived in the Gryffindor tower, she’d just crawl into bed with Marlene or sit in the window seat but neither of those options worked for her now.  

So instead she made her way down to the kitchens for a mug of hot chocolate and a better chance she wouldn’t be interrupted by James or Sirius in their common room.   When she slipped in and had finished greeting the house elves, they pointed to where another student sat, telling her they would bring her drink to her there.  Lily grinned seeing who had beat her to a midnight snack.  “Bad dreams?” she asked Frank with a smile as she sat opposite him at one of the four long tables that mimicked those in the Great Hall above.

Frank was a creature of habit, his mother had always told him that predictability could get him killed—especially in the current state of the Wizarding World but he was safely contained in the walls of Hogwarts and frankly, his after curfew ritual of sneaking in to the kitchens for the wondrous stash of ice cream was definitely the least life threatening thing he’d ever do. With a tub of chocolate before him, he was more then content to spend most of the night here. Was he breaking rules? Yes, maybe so but he highly doubted the fact that he was the only one out at this hour. Besides, he needed to think.

There was so much he had to do and so little time—he needed the grades required for the Auror program, he needed to control his temper because merlin knew that if another snake referred to him as a blood traitor—he was going to lose it, he needed to not be sappily in love with his best friend and end up heart broken and most of all, he needed to keep his friends safe. He shoved another spoonful of the icy goodness in to his mouth and nearly fell off the bench when he factored in the female voice. He turned in his spot to face the redhead with a guilty expression, “no—I just needed to think” he murmured, “if I share this with you, will I be able to get out of detention?” he questioned hopefully as he gestured to the ice cream tub.

Lily had always liked Frank.  Of the seventh year Gryffindor boys, Frank was the one Lily had been friendly with the longest.  They’d hit it off in first year and that was that as far as Lily was concerned.   And so her smile was easy as he offered her the bribe.  “I was never going to give you detention, but if you don’t then I have one less person to share my mum’s Halloween cookies with this year,” she said with a smirk, quietly thanking a house elf as it brought her her hot chocolate and, causing her to grin, a spoon.  She used the spoon to take some of the whipped cream off her drink and then piled some ice cream on top of it, eyes closing happily at the taste.  

"A penny for your thoughts, then," she said after she’d swallowed.  "Or should I offer more since you were willing to risk detention to entertain them?"

"Your mum makes the best cookies" he sighed, a small smile at his lips as he handed the girl the tub of chocolate, "damn Lily, are you trying to land yourself a toothache?" he teased as he shook his head slowly, he thought he had a soft spot for sweets but she could give him a run for his money. "Definitely more, you can repay me in cookies" he grinned as he leaned back against the table, "to be honest, graduation and the aftermath has me on edge" he admitted quietly, "i know—it’s months away. We have plenty of time but the state of the world outside these walls is just uh—overwhelming?" 

"Which is why they work so well for bribes," she said with a satisfied smile as she ate her ice cream.  "What?" she asked in reference to his teasing, hand covering her full mouth until she swallowed.  "People eat ice cream with whipped cream all the time," she protested.  She took another spoonful, still with the whipped cream though this time accompanied by a smug grin before the spoon made it’s way to her mouth, as he spoke.  She leaned forward on the table as he leaned back.  Her expression softened as his words hit chords inside of her.  "No, I get it," she agreed when he’d finished.  "It’s scary to think about. We should all be planning futures and careers and I just - sometimes it feels like we won’t have that."  It was more serious, more poignant, than she had intended and she blamed the late hour and lack of sleep for the words even leaving her mouth.

"Yes, and those people are the first to whine about a tooth ache" he chuckled as he took his own spoon and took a spoonful of whip cream, "I’m a hypocrite" he chuckled with a wink. "We will" he muttered as he gave her a pointed look, "we’re going to have careers— a good life. We just might have to fight for it" he murmured with a sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair before leaning forward and propping his chin on the palm of his hand. "What does your future entail, Miss Evans?" he questioned, his curiosity getting the best of him.

She let her jaw drop in mock offense as he stole some of her whipped cream.  “Thief,” she muttered jovially as she took another spoonful.   His steady optimism was a balm on her worried soul and she forced herself to give a half grin and to try and believe his words.  She wanted them to be true, after all, and she was a firm believer that if you gave up wanting something, you’d already lost it.  His question caught her off guard and she considered it for a moment before answering.  “I wanted to be a healer,” she confessed with something of a sad smile. She’d only changed her focus of study this term, deciding that the future she could see would need people to fight for it, not wait on the sidelines to clean up the battles they were not brave enough to join. “And to fall madly in love with Prince Charming, of course,” she added, brightening her smile. “And what about yours, Mr. Longbottom?”

"I’ve been called worst—Lily, sharing is caring. As Headgirl, that should be your priority" he teased as he swiped a bit more of the whip cream before focusing on the ice cream. "Wanted to be?" he repeated, a small frown tugging at his lips, "you would have been lovely at it" he assured the girl before him quietly. Even if things had been different—been peaceful. He was almost sure that he’d still be heading down this path. Being an Auror was honourable—something he wouldn’t mind devoting his life too. "Your prince charming? Well, lily love—he might be under your very nose" he teased softly. "Being an Auror is my first priority and right up there—it might sound selfish but I want a family. I want to be with someone I’m in love with. I don’t want this war to take that choice away from me" he rambled softly, running a hand through his hair, "It sounds ridiculous—selfish even but uh— the heart wants what it wants—right?"

"I’m not Head Girl right now," she pointed out, using her spoon to gesticulate her point.  "Else I’d have to give us both detention and James would never forgive me if I benched one of his Beaters from practice."  She shrugged as he told her she’d be a good healer, it was something she’d more or less put from her mind.  Not that being an Auror wasn’t honorable or anything, the truth was she didn’t think she’d gt that far.  She knew enough about healing to be useful at that if she needed to be, she was rubbish at defensive or offensive magics, though, and that’s what she would need the most.  "Maybe one day I still will be," she allowed, imagining a life after this war was over.  She grinned at his teasing.  "I don’t know if I’d exactly call you a prince, Longbottom, though you are charming," she joked back.  Her smile softened at what he shared, reaching over to place her hand over the one that had just run through his hair, giving it a comforting squeeze.   "That’s not ridiculous at all," she said genuinely.  "I wish I weren’t so scared to want that too," she added, biting her lip.  

"James— would definitely not be pleased" he grinned, "but, Marley and Sirius would probably give you hell" he winked, it was an unspoken rule that Sirius and Frank didn’t play without one another—the only exception being when one of them was injured. Being benched was definitely not a pleasant way to kick off a season. "Hey—woah, I would be honoured love but I was actually referring to James" he teased with a wiggle of his brows. "Despite my occasional irrationality and impulsive behaviour … I value my life far too much to go after you" he chuckled. A soft smile played at his lips as he in return squeezed her hand, "well Lily love, the fact that you’re scared proves how much you want it. We shouldn’t let anyone take away our choice… if you want something—fight for it!"

"Marlene doesn’t scare me," she said with bravado, not adding that she would certainly thing twice about getting on Sirius’ bad side when it came to Quidditch.  At his mention of James, Lily felt the tell tale - and now familiar - heat of a blush creeping into her cheeks.  "I am certain I have no idea what you’re talking about," she insisted, suddenly far more interested in her spoonful of ice cream than she was in this line of inquiry.  "But I do believe that.  Alice would never forgive you if you did," she replied impishly, repaying fire with fire. She had her theories about Alice and Frank and she wasn’t above using them to get out of talking about James.  

"That’s bollocks and you know it" he smirked, "Marlene and Sirius are dangerous on their own but together—they’re a bloody nightmare" he chuckled. "Lily love— are you blushing?" he teased as he stole a bit more of the ice cream. "Alice? Alice Fortescue?’ he repeated trying his best to keep calm and not blurt out every passing thought when it came to the blonde. "Lily, she’s my mate—my best mate. Nothing more, nothing less!" 

"It is not!" she insisted.  She’d agree with him on the Sirius bit but she was adamant that she wasn’t afraid of Marlene.  She’d been joined at the hip too long to be afraid of her, even if she was in cahoots with Sirius.  She ducked her head as he pointed out her blush, resisting the urge to pluck a marshmallow from her drink to chuck at him.  "I am doing no such thing," she insisted, denying it far too intensely for her denial to do any good.  His matching denial of Alice fueled her on.   "You know what they say," she pointed out as if quoting a lesson.  "True love is friendship set on fire.  Maybe all that happy future of yours is lacking is a little spark?" 

"Alright—come on, care to tell me what’s going on between you and dear James?" he questioned, a small smile stretching at his lips. He adored teasing the redhead but all jokes aside, he was indeed curious. "Somethings are meant to be the way there are Lily—she’s lovely. More lovely then I would care to admit but like you said—she’s my friend. Once you step into that territory—you can’t ever go back!’

"Nothing!" she answered all too quickly, her smile fading as his stretched.  Nothing if you didn’t count the way he’d ignored her for a week and the way she’d ended that by kissing him in his bloody dorm room in the middle of a fight.  No.  Nothing at all.  "I mean we….well he…." she sighed.  "Nothing."  This was less adamant, and sounded more like giving in.  Her smile was soft as they broached the subject of Alice.   "The hope usually is you wouldn’t have to go back," she pointed out.   She teased quite a lot but her advice was well intentioned.  She thought Frank and Alice would go quite lovely together, they were already more than halfway there.

"Nothing always means something — come on Lily, you know can trust me. I give you my word that nothing we speak about leaves these walls" he promised as he scooted forward, curious to what had the girl all flustered. "Lily, if she wanted to be with me—she would have said so within the last six years. She doesn’t see me like that— am I happy? No. But I would do anything to make her happy—if staying the way that we are accomplishes that —who am I to change things?"

She didn’t answer right away, suddenly very concerned with the marshmallows in her hot chocolate and avoiding Frank’s gaze altogether. “James and I - kissed,” she finally forced out, the act of which more or less opened the flood gates.  “Well, I kissed him actually.”  Her speech picked up speed a she tried to explain, her words moving quicker than her mind.  “We were fighting and he said….and I just got…and I…”   She sighed, grimacing.  “Nothing was easier.  I miss nothing.”  

"Frank," she began, eyebrow raised a bit at his words.  "if you never told her how you feel in the past six years, why do you think you know so well how she feels?” 

"Did you really?" he teased quietly, the information wasn’t really new to him. James had beat her to it, he had a feeling that perhaps that was what was wrenching at her. "How did it feel? You look confused but uh, James has that affect on people — I can’t really blame you" he grinned as he propped his chin on the palm of his hand. "I just— I don’t want her to think that it’s all or nothing … once I put myself out there, I can’t take it back. Even if there’s a remote possibility that she might feel the same way —I can’t risk it. I know, it’s not very Gryffindor of me but, I can’t risk it when it comes to her!"

"Don’t tease," she all but pleaded, dropping her head to rest on her arms on the table.  "It felt fantastic," she answered, admitting it for the first time since it happened.  Her voice was muffled as she was speaking into her folded arms but she refused to look up, to face the conversation she was having.  At least not until he got snarky about it.  "Well then you date him," she said with sarcasm as she lifted her head to glare halfheartedly at him.  

She didn’t push the issue, not really.  If Frank wasn’t ready to tell Alice how he felt, that was his call.  “I think you’re underestimating how much you mean to her,” she did feel the need to add.  “But I get the feeling.”

"I’m sorry…I’m sorry" he sighed with an apologetic smile, he couldn’t help but sympathize with the girl. He was once a victim to confused feelings—it was a real eye opener. "That’s always a good thing" he grinned, "see—I would but he’s a bit too masculine for my liking" he chuckled. "I have a better suggestion— how about you date him? He’s a decent bloke, appealing on the eyes and well, if he hasn’t made it clear over the last six years … he’s mad for you" he winked as he took the mug from the girl and took a small sip. "Lily—I will trying to be open too it and if the opportunity to be with her presents itself—I will take it" he promised quietly, a small smile playing at his lips.

She appreciated that he stopped teasing when she asked, she had enough of a hard time sorting her feelings through as it was without spending all her energy on trying not to blush.  At his suggestion though, a helpless look crossed her face.  She opened her mouth once or twice to explain before deflating a bit.  “What if I do start….and I’m not….what if he changes his mind?”  That was the crux of the problem, really.  Lily had a bad history with people telling her they loved her and then turning their backs on her.  She had little interest in putting herself right back in the line of fire.  

"I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised," she said with a grin, just thinking of the way Alice had been flustered when Lily had mentioned Frank as more than a friend to her before. 

"Lily— that’s ridiculous" he muttered, "and when I say ridiculous—I don’t mean you … the very idea of him changing his mind is ridiculous. He’s waited for you for so long, do you really think he would toss you aside? Does he seem like that type of bloke?" he questioned, a brow quirked as he took her hands in his. "He adores you—he has tendencies to be a dolt but he wouldn’t have pursued you for so long if you were merely a passing fancy" he promised as he gave her hands a squeeze. "If he hurts you—in any way. I give you my word that I will take my bat to his downstair regions. Ask Sirius—it’s a nightmare" he winked, a smirk at his lips. "You are gorgeous, brilliant and everything he could possibly want in a girl, don’t doubt yourself!" 

She focused with incredible intent on his hands as he spoke, his words doing more to lift her spirits on the matter than she would have liked to admit.  She was still nervous but his confidence in the matter did more to bolster her than her own self doubts were doing to pull her down.  That was the thing with Lily.  She had a habit of believing things about herself as others laid them out easier than if she thought them herself.  Which is why losing a sister and a best friend already made her not so sure she would live up to all of James’ expectations.   She couldn’t bear to let him get close and then lose him too.  She had to smile at Frank’s threat to James’ should he hurt her, and that’s when she was able to look up again.  “Maybe you’re right,” she said with a soft smile that steadily grew.  “Thank you Frank,” she said, squeezing his hands.  “Don’t you doubt yourself either.  Any girl would be lucky to have someone like you.”

"There’s the smile that I adore" he noted, his own smile widening, "there’s a really good chance that I’m right—you should see my track record. I’m nearly always right" he grinned as he let go of her hands and tugged the tub in his direction. "I don’t know about that—I’m a bit too temperamental" he muttered, a sheepish smile at his lips. "So tell me, what’s your move? Will you tell him you fancy him or did you already have that conversation?"

She rolled her eyes as he proclaimed his wonderfulness, wrapping her now empty hands around her mug and holding it to her lips as she sipped.   “Oh, you’re right, you have one flaw.  How could anyone possibly hope to overcome such a handicap,” she teased with good nature.  If anyone knew about having a temper, it was Lily.  And as far as Frank went, there were far more fantastic things about him that balanced him out.  “Well considering when I kissed him I said ‘that’s how you tell someone you fancy them…’ I think he might already know,” she said, biting her lip as she tried not to smirk.

“Hey—most people don’t really find the quality, temperamental attractive! Some people can’t overlook it” he shrugged, a smile lingering at his lips. “Lily Evans, as dar as big gestures go—you really are a sneaky one. Really, I’m impressed” he exclaimed, shaking his head slightly as he peered over at the redhead before him in awe. Lily never seized to surprise him, “was he able to function after that or did you leave him there gawking? Tell me that he didn’t have a heart attack!” he teased with a wiggle of his brows.

"Well it hasn’t driven her away yet," she pointed out, unable to resist bringing Alice back into the conversation.  She had to laugh as he imagined James’ reaction, remembering it herself with a wide smile she couldn’t quell.  "It wasn’t so much a big gesture as losing my temper," she confessed.  "You’re not the only temperamental one here.  He all but froze when I did it and I practically ran away.  Sirius had to remind him to chase after me."

“Lily— why are you so determined? Not that I mind but uh—why Alice? Why pair me up with her, sure I have feelings for her but as far as I’ve come to know … they aren’t necessarily mutual” he muttered as he quirked a brow. “Well, to be honest—I always thought that our of the spur of the moment he’d be the one to make the first move… you must have caught him off guard” he chuckled, shaking his head idly, “if a girl I fancied for quite some time laid one on me … I might have had a heart attack!”

“I’ve not paired you up,” she protested, though it wasn’t entirely true.  “I’m just - making an observation. Alice deserves a good man in her life and I think the two of you would be aces together.”  Not to mention she had seen the way Alice’s face turned seven shades of red when the idea of dating Frank had been mentioned.  Frank may not think the feelings were mutual, but Lily had more than a few suspicions.  “Well he did sort of make the first move,” she said scrunching her nose and looking down at her hot chocolate.  “He might have kissed me on the train,” she admitted, adamantly not looking at Frank.  “So technically he was first.”

“Lily, I am flattered that you think that highly of me and I will definitely keep that in mind” he murmured, a smile at his lips. “Bloody hell—I love you two but merlin, you two are hopeless” he sighed, shaking his head slowly as he stood up, straightening himself out. “Lily, as far as I can tell —he’s completely mad for you and giving it a go with him would definitely not be a mistake, I would spend the entire night convincing you of that but it’s late—very late” he murmured as his eyes darted to the clock. “Come on—let me walk you back to your dorms!”

[ Finished Thread ]