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"How are you going to ask Lilly to the ball?" Remus asked James when the four griffindors were laid on there respective beds on a lazy Saturday morning.
"I don't know. I wan't to do something special. Show her that I do actually care and it's not just hilarious jokes all the time."
"Awww." Cooed Sirius. "James Potter has gone all soppy on us."
"Shut up Sirius." Mumbled James, his cheeks had a tint of red to them."
"Awww, is ickle Jamesy-wamsey all embarrassed." James rolled over on his bed so Sirius couldn't see him and so he couldn't see Sirius' huge grin.
James turned and threw a pillow at Sirius who just laughed and threw it straight back hitting James right in the face.
Peter had been ignoring them and instead been thinking up a solution for James. "Why don't you leave something really romantic in her dorm. That way it won't be in front of everyone if she rejects you and she'll think it's a really sweet gesture that you went to so much effort rather than just asking."
"Wont work." Remus piped in. "The stairs won't let us into the girl's dormitory." James sighed and the room fell quite. "Unless.." Remus said after a pause. "Sirius, do you think you could get up the stairs?"
"What? Why me?"
Remus sighed as if it was obvious. "Because you're not a guy. The stairs stop anyone who's male, you should still be able to get up."
"James sat bolt upright in his bed. "Remus you're a genius!"
"Wait, don't get your hopes up. We're not completely sure that's how the stairs work. They may only let girls up. Or just keep out everyone who isn't supposed to go up there. I might not be able to get up them. Remember, Remus tried in our first year and they didn't let him up."
"Yeah, but Remus is a guy." Peter pointed out.
"I know I know, but it just shows that they don't work by knowing your sex. It doesn't mean that the stairs can tell your gender. So we don't know how they work."
James picked up his watch from his bedside table. "Right well it's about time for breakfast so I suggest that Sirius stays here and tries out the stairs when everyone's gone to breakfast then comes and joins us to let us know how it went."
"Uggh fine." Sirius grumbled. "But you better save all the best foods for me. Remember I'm only doing this because I'm a great friend." Sirius grinned and flopped back preparing to spend a little longer in bed.
***
Sirius came to join James, Remus and Peter ten minutes in to breakfast. Before Sirius had the chance to even sit down James pounced. "Did it work?"
"All right, give me a chance to at least sit down first mate." Remus and Peter were trying not to laugh at how obviously eager James was. "And to your question as to weather I got up the stairs." Sirius paused more to annoy James than for dramatic effect. "Yes, yes I did. That, my friends, is the perk of being an agender griffindoor."
***
Later that day James made a trip to Honeydukes to buy the fanciest chocolates he could. He also persuaded Remus to teach him a charm that would read his card aloud in his voice when opened. All in all James was pretty impressed with himself, now he was hoping that Lilly would be just as impressed.
***
Sirius was late to breakfast again the next morning. James had instructed his friend to place the gift and card on Lilly's pillow for her to find when she went back to the dormitory. The four friends left breakfast unusually early that morning so they could be back in their dorm by the time Lily returned from breakfast herself. James was really nervous. Peter, Remus and Sirius had even given up teasing him, it just wasn't as fun when James was too nervous to come up with witty responses.
After a short while, which probably felt a lot longer to James, they heard voices in the common room as the rest of the griffindoors came back to their dormitories. They all strained their ears so that they would be able to hear any response to their plan. There was a loud sequel and a loud clatter of footdalls before, "James!" called a voice up the stairs.
James rushed to the door recognising the voice as Lily's. His friends filed out after him. They were greeted at the bottom of the stairs by a large crowd of girls who were all looking at Lily at the front of their group.
"James Potter. I don't know how you did it because all the girls promise it wasn't them but I am impressed. And yes, yes I will go to the ball with you." The crowd had grown even bigger and every one cheered and whooped glad that the pair had finally gotten there senses together and made something of their feelings. Sirius just smirked and retreated back to the dorm with Peter and Remus as James went to sit on one of the common room sofas with Lily.