Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything, so don't sue me, k

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything, so don't sue me, k? Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and the idea of a Private Actress belongs to Michiyo Akaishi, a mangaka

Private Actress

Chapter 7: The Second Date

It had been a few days since the family dinner, and there was relatively no progress in the assignment. The rumors about James dating a girl were dying out because they hadn't seen James her after that date. I guess they probably figured that it was a one-time thing. I had to do something to remedy that.

If it was really needed, I, myself, would ask James out for our second date, but I thought it would still be okay to let things go about this way. Of course, appearing in public was necessary; I just didn't want to do it right now, so forgive me for procrastinating. Besides, it doesn't have any effect on the assignment. I was professional enough to know what and what not to do.

I was currently sitting in our Social Studies class, and we were discussing about the Renaissance period. Actually, we were reporting about it, and the reporters were in front, boring us to death. The seats were arranged in a U-shape to make space for them, and since there was no particular seating arrangement for this, everyone was seated with their friends. It was inevitable that they didn't sit in their own seats.

Of course, being the loner that I am, I didn't have any friends to sit with, so I was alone in the corner. This wasn't a problem for me; I actually preferred it this way.

I looked at the bored faces of my classmates who were trying to amuse themselves, or at the least, wake themselves up. The lesson—or rather, report—was utterly boring that even I couldn't stay awake. What was the purpose of this anyway? I could easily read everything in our book.

In an attempt to shake off the sleepiness that was quickly spreading throughout my body, I focused on just observing my classmates. Doing this did not only shake off my drowsiness, but this practice also developed my observation and perception skills. Those were in needed in a job without so much instruction, where everything can go wrong anytime if I wasn't careful enough. One would never know what could come up on the job.

My eyes started to wander around the classroom, looking for the lucky victim who I will 'analyze' for this boredom session. While doing this, I noticed that most—if not all—of my classmates looked bored. Some of them were even sleeping already, but they weren't that obvious to gain the teacher's attention. Good for them since this teacher had a sharp tongue for students who 'slack off' in her subject.

I looked at each of my classmates, trying to see if there was anything interesting or unusual. My eyes continued to assess each one of them, until they landed on the unflattering figures of James Potter and his Marauder friends.

Just looking at him brought memories back into my unwilling mind.

Memories of our kiss.

Believe me, those memories were best left forgotten. Surely enough, I felt regret as I woke up the morning after. It was completely unprofessional of me to kiss him when it wasn't needed, when all I could reason was 'payback'. How could I let myself do that? But after a few days of hating myself for it despite knowing fully well that I had enjoyed it for that time, I had accepted it and moved on. It was irritating, though, to be reminded yet again of my moment of impaired judgment.

I cleared my mind of anything remotely related to it, hoping to maintain my positive countenance. After a while, I looked at them again, wondering why my eyes were drawn to them, but after I saw them in their seats doing what they appeared to be doing, I thought it was a wonder that it was only I who was drawn to their figures.

The Marauders, who were intelligent even if they did not study, were taking down notes. At least, they appeared to be doing so. That in itself was ironic. I had never seen any of them make the effort to even act scholarly—well, maybe except for Remus, but that was already expected of him since he was the serious one in the group.

Knowing that because of previous observations, I concluded that they were in fact not taking down notes but were actually doing something else.

I looked at them intently but still not being too obvious to be called on by the teacher. I knew I was being nosy, but this scene piqued my interest more than any other activity going on inside the classroom. See? It was fun to observe people and guess what they were doing. It certainly pulled me out of my state of boredom and sleepiness.

After a few minutes of just observing them, I finally knew what they were doing and why exactly they were 'taking down notes'. It was pretty simple to figure it out, actually. I had to say that their gravest mistake was to actually pretend to be scholarly, which everyone knew they were not. They were just talking to each other, having a private conversation. I guess they acted like this to keep the teacher's attention away from them.

I was about to find another person to observe since I had already figured them out, but again, I noticed something strange about them, particularly the arrangement of their seats. Sirius and Peter's seats were in front of James' seat, and Remus was beside him. Admittedly, it wasn't that strange, but they were so close to each other that I found it suspicious.

One moment, they all looked serious in their discussion, then suddenly, almost everyone laughed with the exception of James who looked embarrassed. Sirius and Peter were suppressing their laughter, and Remus looked amused. Seeing their reactions made me curious about what they were talking about.

They were all looking at James' notebook with a twinkle in their eyes showing mirth. What was interesting about that notebook? I looked at James to see what he was doing. Then, I noticed that his hand was suspiciously under a notebook on his desk, and there was a pencil case above it, like its purpose was to hide the notebook—or his hand—from the teacher's view. Hmm, I wonder what that could be.

By now, the group had given up their pretense of taking down notes with Sirius and Peter looking bored and Remus still looking serious as he continued typing in his laptop. It was only James who looked anxious about something. Well, if I wasn't curious before, I would definitely be curious now. What could possibly make James, someone with a carefree attitude, be anxious, and even more, to let the feeling show on his face? Granted that only I noticed it, but still.

I wasn't able to answer the question myself as I felt a vibration in my pocket which distracted me from what I as doing. The vibration was only for a short while, so I guess I just got a text message.

Although I could wait until the break to read the message, I decided not to. After all, as I had said before, the only people who knew my mobile number were my manager and the people involved in my current assignment which were Elizabeth and James. All of those people were important and were needed to be replied as soon as possible—well, maybe except for James, but you get the point.

With literally years of practice, I got my mobile phone from my pocket and quickly hid it from the teacher's view. I put it inside my pencil case, so that it wouldn't be suspicious if I looked at it from time to time. I looked if the coast was clear, then I proceeded to read the message. So, who sent me the message this time of the day?

As I read the name of the sender, I blinked. Once. Twice. Was this for real? On the screen flashed the name...

James Potter

I quickly looked at the real person in this classroom with an incredulous look on my face. Of course, he didn't notice my expression—or me, for that matter—but I was surprised that he was the one who sent me the message. I quickly read it, curious of its contents.

Hey Lily, what are you doing?

I inwardly raised my eyebrow at that. The message was so simple that it was not worth being anxious over. I replied to his message.

I'm in school, so what do you think am I doing? Why are you texting me? You're lucky I could afford to reply to you now, you know. Please don't forget that I'm also a student.

I assessed my reply. It was admittedly not short, but it conveyed a little of annoyance, and still I was able to inquire about the reason of his text. I sent the message and looked at him to see his reaction.

I didn't have to guess if he received my message—his eyes lit up, and he looked a little bit excited as he told his friends that I replied. With his friends watching out for the teacher, James sent his message, trying to look inconspicuous. Honestly, I felt a little anxious for his reply. Why? I didn't know, but I very well knew that I shouldn't be. In an attempt to clear my head of all its anxiety, I looked up to the reporters in front, purposely distracting myself.

In the corner of my eyes, I saw my mobile phone lit up inside my pencil case, indicating that it received a new message. Seemingly looking for something inside my pencil case, I read his reply.

I just wanted to text you. Are you free after class?

Just reading it, I already knew the real purpose behind his sudden interest to text me. He did it in the middle of class, too. Couldn't he at least wait until it was break time?

Maybe, maybe not. Why are you asking?

I inwardly smirked at my reply. I was making things harder for him, but I didn't feel any remorse for it. It was unusual though, for James to take the indirect approach. It was more like him to just ask me out since he was confident he wouldn't get rejected.

I waited for a few seconds for his reply. When my mobile phone lit up again, I quickly looked at his message. Of course, I still did everything inconspicuously. I wouldn't want the teacher to notice that I wasn't paying attention at all.

I was hoping we could get together after school. --hint hint, wink wink--

Now that reply was more of his character. I inwardly laughed at his message.

I don't get your hint.

My reply was short and cryptic. Although it was obvious on what he was hinting at, I decided to be dense. As I had said, I intended to make things harder for him to ask me out. Besides, why didn't he just ask me directly? I had already witnessed how he asks girls out. Why would this circumstance be different? It made me a little curious.

Okay, fine. I'll do it right.

Now, I was confused. What will he do right? I looked at the real James to see his expression, searching for at least a hint in his face. Then, another message came in.

Lily, please go out with me after school today? Please?

As I read his latest message, I inwardly grinned in triumph. He finally asked me out. He was so stubborn. Honestly though, his message made me smile on the inside.

But just before I could reply, the teacher called our attention with her loud voice. I looked in front of the classroom to see what was going on. The group who were reporting had finally finished.

"Thank you group four. Please give them a round of applause," the teacher said loudly, trying to 'wake' us all. I was actually startled by her sudden interruption, and I quickly removed my hand from my pencil case where my mobile phone was. As usual, only some clapped in response, and they weren't even enthusiastic at all. All of us were bored and sleepy. I, like the others, didn't even bother to clap.

"Please arrange your seats and bring out a size two. We'll have a pop quiz about everything that was reported today," she continued. Because of that, a lot of groans and moans were heard inside the classroom as they moved their chairs. Who listened to the reports anyway? I certainly didn't. They were so boring one couldn't think straight. Luckily, I studied what they had reported last night. I hoped that knowledge would suffice for this pop quiz.

Regarding James, I decided to reply to his message after the period. Besides, he would also be occupied with the quiz. Since after this period was lunch, I figured I would reply to him then. Plus, I would leaving him in suspense waiting for my reply.

Now, that thought was amusing.

"Please pass your papers to the front. Monitors, please pass towards the teacher's table," my teacher said, signaling the end of our test. I really was thankful that I studied, even though I didn't know there was going to be a test. I couldn't say the same though for some of my classmates.

I looked at the clock, wanting to know how much time we had left for the period., and I felt relieved that it was almost time. I was hungry, and I wanted to eat lunch.

"Please read chapters 18.1 and 18.2 about the Scientific Revolution. Discussion tomorrow," my teacher said as she also saw that it was almost the end of her period. She opened her mouth as she started to dismiss us from class when the ringing of the school bell interrupted her. She looked sheepish, and some of my classmates laughed softly at her antics. This was one of the reasons why I liked this teacher. Even though she was strict with her students, she knew how to laugh with us. She also knew how to laugh at herself, like now.

When the bell stopped ringing, she finally said the words most of us were waiting to hear since the start of her class.

"Class dismissed."

And with that, everyone stood up, packed their things, and immediately went to their friends. I guess they wanted to discuss the answers in the pop quiz. Well, I don't know, and honestly, I don't care.

I was fixing my things slowly, waiting for the people to go out of the classroom. Since I tried to be nonexistent in this class, I usually the last person to go out. Even though I was hungry, I wouldn't like to risk someone noticing me or something. Oh, the things I do for my job.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed that the Marauders were still inside the classroom with little indication that they'll go out of the classroom soon. This was strange as I knew Sirius and Peter had a big appetite, and they were always the first ones out the door for recess and lunch. Instead, they were talking by the corner where James was seated.

Okay, I had enough of observing them throughout the period, so I really tried to mind my own business, but when I accidentally heard my name from James' lips, it was hard for me not to eavesdrop on their conversation. Who wouldn't get curious with such provocation? I was a curious person by nature. They were definitely talking about me, and I wanted to hear what they would say. My hunger could wait.

I went to my locker at the back of the room and pretended to clean it up. It was my excuse to be near to them so that I could hear parts of their conversation. They wouldn't notice me anyway.

"So, did she reply yet?" Sirius asked in a casual tone. I bet he was also curious about my reply.

"Yeah, Did she agree?" This time, it was Peter to ask James.

"Well," James started to say, but he paused first before continuing. "There's still no reply."

I secretly smiled at that. I detected a hint of nervousness in his tone. Maybe Remus also noticed that and tried to pep him up a little bit.

"Maybe she'll reply during her lunch break. I don't think she'll not reply," Remus said to James, subtly trying to cheer him up. In the corner of my eye, I saw him pat James' back. I thought it was a manly way of comforting his best friend. I continued to look at them through my peripheral vision.

"Yeah, you're probably right," James said with a little bit of relief.

"Come on, let's go. I'm hungry," Peter said to his friends.

"You're always hungry, Pete," Sirius said jokingly. The other two Marauders laughed. James stood up from his seat

Knowing that their conversation was done and they would soon notice me if I stay any longer, I quickly closed my locker and went out the classroom as quietly as possible.

I proceeded to go to the school garden to eat. It was a place most—if not all—students didn't know. Since they didn't know of it, no one ever came there except for the people who maintain it, but they hardly counted. It was the perfect place to isolate oneself from others, plus, it was peaceful there. I was thankful that I found this during my first year of high how he school. I came here during break instead of the cafeteria since it would be wiser of me to do so. I did want to stay unnoticed after all.

I sat down by the foot of the tree which was my usual spot. I took out my packed lunch and started to eat. I also brought out my mobile phone, looking at it as I ate. I entertained the idea of him being anxious of my reply. That seemed impossible. Surely he didn't think I'd refuse, did he? There was no reason to decline. It would be good if we were seen together more often, so really, his worry was unnecessary.

As I looked at my mobile phone, I contemplated on whether or not to reply now or later. Actually, it didn't really matter; I was just delaying the inevitable, but thinking back on how anxious he was of my reply, I decided to just send the message later. Let him be anxious for a little while. He obviously wasn't used to that feeling, and one didn't know how many times he made me anxious because of his behavior, so this was only a kind of revenge.

Well, he couldn't do anything about it, now, could he?

When I had finally finished eating, I looked at my mobile phone again, thinking about the same thing as earlier, but as much as I wanted to make him wait longer, I thought it wouldn't be fair to him. There was also a possibility that he wouldn't concentrate in class, but thinking like that would be a little conceited for me. Well, there would always be a next time to annoy him, right?

Sure. Where do we meet? Are your friends reading any of my messages?

There, I finally replied to his message. I quietly laughed as I pictured him quickly reaching his phone, wanting to know what my reply was. Although it was quite conceited of me to think that he was eagerly waiting for my message, I think I wasn't wrong about that, given on how he reacted to my earlier messages during class time.

Now, I was just relaxing under the tree, waiting for the school bell to ring. I closed my eyes, wanting to rest for a moment before I go back. I still had at least 15 minutes before the time.

After a few minutes, I felt my phone vibrate on my lap. I opened my eyes, feeling a little annoyed that it disturbed my peace. Well, it was nearing time anyway. I read his message.

Really? Yes! Can I meet you at your school? And my friends are not reading your messages.

I raised my eyebrow at that last remark. I was pretty sure they tried to read them, but James wouldn't let them. I was thankful for that.

Where are we going? We'll meet somewhere near it. Meeting time will be four in the afternoon.

Of course, he couldn't meet me at my school. It would reveal where I went, and I wouldn't want him to know that. I thought I made it clear that he couldn't know anything about me that wasn't business related. Personal information are off-limits. I think he was pushing his luck, indirectly asking me which school I go to.

Well, with that, I packed my things, stood up from where I was seated and headed back to the classroom. Lunch break was ending in five minutes.

I was now on my way to the place where he said we would meet—Honeydukes, a candy shop in Hogsmeade. Hogsmeade was a place full of restaurants and shops; it was the perfect place for a date.

Honestly, I was a little anxious about all of this. He still didn't tell me where we were going. Of course, he wouldn't take me to a candy shop, would he? I hoped he would have more sense than that.

I did a little bit of window shopping before I got there. I was a little early on our schedule, so I had to kill time. I wouldn't want to appear eager or anything. In fact, I was quite feeling the opposite, but there was nothing I could do about that.

I arrived at Honeydukes and saw James by the counter paying for what he bought. Seeing as there were some Hogwarts students present, I decided to put on a little show for them. It actually didn't matter whether we had an audience. We must act like a couple at all times when we were out together.

I headed off to the counter where James was just getting his bought goods. I was careful not to be in his line of sight. He was walking slowly to a corner, obviously intending to wait for me there. I was careful not to be in his line of sight. I wanted to surprise him.

I sneaked behind him, waiting for the right time to pounce on the 'prey'. As soon as he stopped when he reached his destination, I covered his eyes before he had a chance to turn around. I was suppressing my giggles, and I could tell he was grinning even I hadn't seen his face yet. I think it registered that the one covering his eyes was his 'girlfriend'. No one would have the courage do that to him. His friends, maybe, but he was sure they weren't there. Only his girlfriend had the right to do this to him.

He pried my hands off his eyes and turned around. In his eyes, I saw the Potter twinkle shining brightly in them. Seeing it gave me an impulse to just tiptoe and kiss him on the cheek. Which I did.

By then, I was pretty sure that our intended audience were paying attention to us, even if they were watching from the corner of their eyes.

In return, he also kissed my on my cheek, but he lingered there longer than I would have, making me blush slightly as I felt his breath against my skin. I stepped back, a little bit uncomfortable at his close distance. I was the first one to speak.

"Hi James," I said with a smile on my face like I was very happy to see him. Well, honestly, I didn't know how I truly felt about that.

"Hey Lily," he said affectionately.

"How was school?" I asked, like an inquiring girlfriend. I was making small talk—just something to make ourselves more comfortable with each other. Plus, I needed to appear like I really cared for him and that we were close.

"Tiring as usual. Are you ready to go?" he asked, excitement obvious in his voice. Now he reawakened my curiosity.

"Yes, I'm ready. James, where exactly are we going?" I asked him, trying to know where he planned our date. I still had to say whether or not it was smart going there. After all, we needed a lot of exposure every time we went out. If there would be no one to see us, then it would be pointless.

James smiled mysteriously, and I still didn't trust that smile yet. "You'll see," he said and offered his hand for me to take. "Let's go, shall we?"

After looking at him for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to trust him on this one, I finally gave in.

"We shall," I said, taking his hand into to mine.

And with that, we left the candy shop and our certainly attentive audience, and we walked through the streets of Hogsmeade hand in hand. I think we were getting used to holding hands in public. That was good.

As I looked around, I noticed that there were plenty of students roaming the place. Although I wasn't pretty sure where we were going, seeing this made me trust James' judgment more. Just walking in the streets gave us more exposure than we had on our last date. Now that I felt a little relieved by that thought, I felt the excitement kick in. I felt like I was going on a real date, and feeling that would make me look like I was honestly lovestruck with this man holding my hand.

During our walk, we passed through many shops and food places, and I wondered which we were going to. I was searching my head for all the possible places so I was deep in thought and wasn't really paying attention. I just led myself be led by him as I was thinking.

So when I felt that we finally stopped and I tried to look at the place, I was surprised by his hands suddenly covering my eyes, just like what I did to him at Honeydukes.

"James, what are you doing?" I said laughingly.

"Nothing. I just thought of getting revenge from earlier," he said, and then he laughed. "I bet you're curious, ne?"

I bet he didn't know how much. I think I had mentioned a lot of times how curious I am with these things.

"Who wouldn't be? So release my eyes!" I said, laughingly. I was still acting like I was enjoying his antics, but honestly, I felt a little annoyed. Maybe this was how he felt earlier that he considered doing this to me now.

But all of my thoughts were erased when I suddenly felt his breath near my ear. I didn't know why I was reacting like this, and to him of all people.

"You ready?" he whispered to my ear. I felt shivers down my spine. He was close to me, I could tell, but I tried to ignore it. Tried, being the keyword, and it seemed like I was failing.

"Of course," I replied, a little breathy. I cleared my throat, trying to restore my normal voice.

I heard him count from one to three. On the third count, he finally released my eyes. The first thing I saw was the frescoes outside of the place, so I immediately thought that we were in front of the cafe. I didn't recognize the place, so I looked around, trying to know its name. That was when I saw it. The name was written on the paper bag a couple was holding as they leaved the place. I quickly turned around to see James grinning.

On the paper bag, the name "Madam Puddifoot's" was written.

Madam Puddifoot's was the most expensive date spot in the area. My eyes were a little bit widened in surprise.

"Surprised?" she asked, amused. Yes, I definitely was. He didn't even know the half of it. "Come on, let's go inside."

I wasn't shocked that he brought me here. I was just surprised that he brought me here. It wasn't me who thought of this place. It was him, and that surprised me because this was the perfect place—perfect for our goal.

We went inside to see most of the people there were Hogwarts students. Of course, out of all the schools in the area, only these students could afford to eat at an expensive café. You see why this was the perfect place? I was pretty sure that they were watching us in the corner of their eyes. After all, James was pretty popular—if not, the most popular guy—in school. Almost everyone knew of him because of his good looks.

We sat on the seats by the window. It was a strategic place—a lot of people would be looking at us, and we were practically on display by the window. Anyone who would pass by could see us, and that was very good for the assignment. At this stage we needed a lot of exposure.

"Everything's on me. Order what you want," James said as I was leafing through the menu already placed on our table. He called attention to a passing waiter. At what he said, I gave him a slightly pointed look, but quickly covered it with a pleased expression as we had an 'audience'. I would have a talk with him later.

The waiter got our orders—I made sure to pick expensive food—and went back to the counter to pass the order. Again, we were left alone, and he took the initiative to start the conversation.

"So," he started to say, and then he paused. "Hi Lily." I think he didn't know what to say to me.

"You don't have to be so awkward, James. How could we pass as a couple?" I said, my tone betraying its content as I said it affectionately.

"Well, we haven't seen each other since the dinner," he said.

I just nodded, agreeing with him. "It has been a long time since we've seen each other, much less go out. This is just our second date. It's unplanned too."

"I just wanted to see you after school, that's all," he said, embarrassed.

"Aww, you missed me?" I cooed at him and giggled, playing the part of the affectionate girlfriend. Actually, by doing this, I was outwardly stating that I was romantically involved with this person to the few people—women—in the café who didn't know us.

"I was planning to just hang out here. Would that be alright?" he asked. Well, I wouldn't mind it since he had already accomplished our goal just by sitting in this area of the café.

"That's fine with me. I'm not in the mood to go around anyway," I said to him, really meaning it. Well, it was after school, and for some reason, I felt a little tired.

"Well, I'm just glad we're not shopping," he said, relief in his tone. Now that sentiment got me amused.

"You were remembering our first date, weren't you?" I lightly accused him. "I thought you said that you won't take me shopping anymore? You wouldn't have to worry about it."

"Well, I couldn't exactly say no when you wanted to go shopping, right? I bet you'd give me the evil eye," he said, and then laughed. I also laughed, thinking that what he said was true. If I wanted to go shopping with him, who was he to stop me? I was within certain rights to suggest what we would do during our dates.

"You're right about that," I said after I calmed down a little from our laughter. Now, we were feeling more at ease with each other. We were starting to talk more freely with each other. That was a good development.

Our conversation was interrupted as the waiter finally arrived with our orders in his tray, and placed them on our table. He directed his question to James. "Are all your orders here, sir?"

"Yes, thank you," James replied, and the waiter bowed in courtesy and walked away to attend to another customer. What a hard-working fellow.

"Let's eat," I said excitedly, looking at the cake with sparkling eyes. I could practically taste it in my mouth. "I totally love sweets," I continued to say. I picked up my fork and took a bite. The cake tasted heavenly.

"I could tell from your expression," he commented, amused, and he also began to eat his cake.

"It is my comfort food. Do you like sweets?" I said as I took another bite.

"I have a sweet tooth," he admitted. "That was partly why I asked to meet at Honeydukes. I needed to restock my supply of sweets," he said, and then lightly laughed.

"So that was what you were buying. I was pretty curious." Well, there was no end to my curiosity. That fact was quite obvious.

"Well, I bought something other than sweets," he said mysteriously. I only raised an eyebrow in response, outwardly showing that I wasn't interested in what he may be implying. Little did he know that I felt exactly the opposite. Gosh, I seemed like the proverbial cat that died because of curiosity, but I had yet to be killed.

"You'll find out soon enough," he said, and then grinned, unfazed by my indifferent face. It was either he didn't care that I wasn't interested as I claimed to be, or he knew me well enough to say that I was only feigning it. I certainly didn't show how curious I was. Like I said, it was unavoidable, too much ingrained in me that it was always popping up on every opportunity. If he knew that, then I admit it was a mystery how he did.

'It's none of my business, I can assure you,' I thought to myself, imagining my tone to be a little bit unfriendly. He was getting a little overconfident of himself. It was one of his traits that really pushed me of the edge sometimes. Well, I needed to think of something to take my mind of his insufferable attitude that drove me crazy.

Whenever I was irritated, it always helped to think about the assignment. It made me think more objectively; thus, making me forget whatever feelings that had been provoked within me. The method was quite effective, and it helped me get ideas for the improvement of the assignment.

Of course, I didn't quite show him how mildly irritated I was. I wouldn't be a successful PA if I couldn't handle or hide my emotions—no matter how small they were—well.

Well, I decided that it was time to change the topic. Believe me, if we continued talking about this, the end might be an unpleasant sight which would not contribute at all to our 'cause'. My infamous temper would come out, and it definitely wouldn't be nice to see.

I focused back to the real world where he was waiting for at least a little response from me. I shook my head in an endearing way with a small smile on my face. I acted like I was amused by his idea that he thought I was curious. "Think whatever you like," I said casually, and ate a piece of my delicious cake.

I thought it was a little infuriating when he grinned at me in that all-knowing way, and I know just what to do to wipe that grin off his face. I inwardly smirked at the thought. In preparation of what I was going to do, I got a piece of my cake and settled the fork by my plate. My hand never strayed far from it.

I think it was obvious of what I was going to do. It was very simple and admittedly unoriginal, but pretty fun—and funny—for me.

"Hey," I said to get his attention. He looked at me with his questioning gaze, his grin now formed into a smile. "Just humor me," I said and with a cheeky smile on my face, I quickly picked up my fork—with the cake—and force fed him with it without any warning.

And the look on his face was so priceless that I was immediately in a fit of giggles. His eyes were widened a bit in surprise, and he wore a dumbfounded look that was so funny, it was hard not to laugh at him. And I did. Hard, but still controlled. After all, I didn't want to appear like a lunatic.

Imagine it. James Potter's girlfriend was slightly loony. I think no one would accept us. I wouldn't satisfy the criteria for being James' woman. Hmmph, as if I cared about that.

"I can't believe you did that," James said, his eyes a little bit widened and his voice astonished.

"I'm sorry," I said in between giggles. After a while, I calmed down from laughing and continued to speak. "I had the urge to do it. It was pretty funny, don't you think?" I flashed him a grin.

"You are unbelievable," he said, shaking his head with a small smile on his face, just like what I did earlier. Actually, I was pretty thankful he didn't react to it that strongly. I hoped he didn't want revenge. It wasn't that bad, really. I just surprised him with unexpected behavior.

"Then I hope…" he continued to say. "…that I would be allowed to do the same thing," he said, raising an eyebrow. Of course, he expected me to agree.

It was my turn to be surprised. He was looking at me directly, waiting for my answer, although he quite knew what it would be. Honestly, I felt pretty lucky that he was asking permission first. I certainly didn't do the same. Now that fact persuaded me to consent him. Feeding me, per se, wouldn't be that bad. We would actually look pretty sweet, so that was a plus.

"Of course," I said confidently, but inside, I was unsure and suspicious. Would he let me off the hook that easy? Judging from past experiences—like the first date and the dinner—it wasn't likely. Maybe he was waiting for the right time to attack. Was he planning something? Well, it couldn't be that bad, I guess—or rather, I hoped it wasn't. He hadn't done anything that actually made me wary of him, but there could always be a first time for everything.

Focusing on him again, he got a piece of his cake and offered it to me with smile on his face.

Honestly, there was nothing wrong with what he did. He was returning the favor, wasn't he? He got permission to feed me as I did with him, albeit forcibly and was done to surprise him.

So when he offered the cake just halfway that I still needed to get closer in order to eat it, my suspicions of him were confirmed—he was definitely planning something. What it was, I didn't know, but the thought was making me a little anxious. Maybe I was reading too much in his simple gesture. Maybe not. But I thought why would he do it halfway? I mean, if he was going to do it—he even asked permission for it—wouldn't he rather do it right? It was common sense, wasn't it?

But seeing as I had no choice but to get closer to eat the cake—and I already agreed to this so everything was really 'set in stone'—I leaned forward. I looked directly in his eyes for a moment, and when I was assured that he wouldn't do anything, I finally ate the piece, closing my eyes for a moment for effect. I had this a lot of times—the closed eyes effect, or the 'delighted face' as I liked to call it—so the act wasn't overdone despite the hint of exaggeration when one just simply heard of it.

But honestly, the cake was really delicious, so the 'delighted face' wasn't totally an act.

"Thanks for the cake. It was delicious," I said, and then I smiled at him. Well, he didn't do anything to me, so it was fine, I guess. That didn't mean I should let down my defenses. Actually, around him, I should always be careful. He was a spontaneous person that did some things when he just felt like it.

"You're welcome," he said and smiled warmly at me, and I suddenly felt a little fluttery. Why I did, I didn't know, but I ignored the feeling as much as I could. "Hey," he continued to say. "You have something on your cheek. Well, actually, it's on the corner of your lip."

"Oh," I began to reach a tissue on my right to remove it when he stopped me. I looked at him a little confused and bewildered. Why would he stop me? Was there something wrong? I tried again to see if he was insistent on stopping me, when his hand took hold of my hand.

"Is there something wrong, James?" I asked him, glancing at our intertwined hands. He was smart to make it seem like we wanted to hold hands, and it bothered me that he wanted to stop me from what I was doing. There was nothing wrong with getting a tissue to remove some unfavorable things on my face, wasn't it? Unless he was planning something, which I somehow believe he would.

"Nothing at all. I just…" he trailed off, and he looked a little embarrassed—which was pretty cute, but I would never admit that out loud. I looked at him expectantly, wanting to know why he stopped me. "…wanted to do it for you, that's all."

There was a moment of silence between us, and I only stared at him, quite bewildered. Goodness, why would he want to do that? "That's not necessary, but thank you, I guess," I said unsurely. I tried to pull away from his hand, but he had quite a tight grip on it.

"Don't you think it's better that I do it? It would just be another thing in our list of PDAs we have done today," he persuaded me. He did have a point though, but still, I think he had something up his sleeve. I knew I was being a little bit paranoid, but I knew James had a lot of pride, and he wouldn't let me get away with what I did.

Now I didn't know what to reply. Would I allow him to, when I clearly knew he was planning something? But looking back on our past encounters, he didn't really do anything that bad to me. Admittedly, all of them were kind of romantic—he always kissed me in retaliation, as I had noticed—so it couldn't hurt to let him do it, right? I mean, it wouldn't hurt the assignment; it would actually be good to perform the act.

Goodness, why was I persuading myself to agree?

I honestly knew that I was delaying the inevitable. I had observed James enough to know that once he had his mind set on something, he was determined to go through with it. I was pretty surprised he had some acting skills to use for his advantage. His embarrassment act earlier was quite convincing, and I hoped to use those skills for my advantage for the assignment, like right now for instance, so I finally replied to his suggestion.

"If you really wanted to…" I trailed off, saying it a bit offhandedly, and I looked away as if I was embarrassed. I had already agreed, and everything was in motion. By acting shy and a bit reluctant, I created a different mood, a different atmosphere around us, like this one action was unusual and surprising for us both but in a good way, a romantic way. That impression would benefit us more than anything that happened this afternoon so far.

His hand tightened against mine as he held it, and his other hand slowly turned my head so I would look at him. His touch was so gentle, and I slightly leaned on it, looking deeply into his eyes all the while. With little effort, he made me lean forward, and I was dazed enough not to notice that he did the same.

I knew I was making a big deal out of this small thing, but let us just say that this was the highlight of the whole afternoon.

"The thing is just…" My eyes widened a bit, and my mouth unconsciously parted its lips.

"..right…" His voice turned breathy, and we were slowly closing the gap between us. My eyes slowly closed.

"…here." Our lips met.

Another revenge finished with a kiss. It was short, but sweet. And fortunately, it created the effect which could start the rumors all over again.

In the back of my mind, I could honestly say that I expected this to happen. With James, anything was possible, and if I knew how his mind worked—which I did, undoubtedly—his form of revenge tended to be in the form of romance. This idea, I got from past experiences, and I knew how to make good use of that small piece of information.

But I could also honestly say that this hadn't occurred to me until after he had kissed me. I was too unfocused. He was too distracting. And his lips were definitely soft.

I opened my eyes to see him grinning, and this time, I really felt the embarrassment. I didn't know why I felt that way, and honestly, it was my first time feeling this. Of course, I didn't show it. I wouldn't know the consequences if I did.

"You're pushing it, dear," I said to his smug face with an eyebrow raised and a pointed look, but effect was destroyed because of the small smile that my lips had formed. He probably wouldn't take me seriously. He just gave me his infuriating grin and said, "I know, right?"

Ooh, if I could only wipe that smug grin off his face. I faced a lot of clients who were like this, but this was evidently the first time someone had gone under my skin. Honestly, it was throwing me a little off balance.

I just laughed in response, looking like I was amused at his answer. I thought any other reaction—like the ones I had in mind—wouldn't be appropriate and might compromise the assignment. Well, there was nothing I could do but to push down whatever mixed feelings I had and move on. It should be easy, after all, I was a private actress—and a damn good one, may I add.

After that incident, everything went on smoothly, and although we didn't do more things that were couple-like, there were still subtle touches here and there that indicated that we were somehow romantically involved. Surprisingly, James was a good conversationalist, and we talked about everything under the sun. That was definitely a plus.

It went like that for the whole afternoon, and soon, it was time for us to go. Admittedly, I had fun, talking to James like a normal person would—well, after we did the kiss. It was a little bit refreshing since almost every encounter we had was full of flirting and romance. The start of this date was even like that. Although that was the point of the assignment, we also had to look normal—couples weren't like that all the time, you know. There should be moments where they just enjoy spending time together, like what we did today. We had to make this relationship look real, hadn't we? Besides, him just spending time with an unknown girl would still certainly create rumors, even if that girl was just a friend. That was just they way James' life runs.

He signaled for a waiter to get the bill, and when it finally arrived, I tried to take a peek at how much this afternoon had cost, but he foresaw my move and quickly took it out of my sight saying, "I'm paying for it. You don't need to know the cost," and laughed. He took out a couple of dollars from his wallet—I wasn't sure if they were one dollar or ten dollar bills—and gave it to the waiter. With that, we stood up from our table and went out of the café.

"As much as I'd like to spend more time to you, it's not nice for a girl to go home late," he said jokingly as we walked through the streets Hogsmeade. His smile was wide, but I felt that he was a little bit serious about what he said from looking into his eyes. I was actually a bit surprised that he said that; it was a gentlemanly gesture. Maybe, I didn't see that coming from him.

"Thank you for caring, James," I flashed him a smile, and it was sincere. It was kind of sweet, really. He still cared for my well-being even if we were not really a couple. I decided not to dwell further on that thought.

"Hey Lily," he started to say, and then he paused for a moment. I replied even if I knew he was still not finished saying what was on his mind. "Yes, James?" I said, and looked curiously at him. Was there something he wasn't saying?

"You see, my parents are hosting a ball next week to celebrate their anniversary, and it's kind of required for me to bring a date so…" he trailed off on his next words. I actually figured out what he was saying. Although the Potters had not yet mentioned to me about it, I had clients within the elite to mention to me at least once about the Potters anniversary ball. It was an annual ball, and every elite family was invited. I think I actually went to it once, but I was too preoccupied with my job, and of course, people didn't recognize me because I was wearing a different disguise.

"So?" I asked, deciding not to show that I knew what he was saying. What can I say, I loved seeing him uncomfortable. And on the inside, I found him just a little bit cute when he was like this, but I would never say that to his face. I wouldn't even admit that fully to myself.

For some reason unknown, he suddenly regained his confidence and said, "Will you go with me to the ball?" in a charming and flirty manner. Now that was the James Potter that I know—confident that he would never get turned down by a girl. He was, after all, a sought-out bachelor. It was why I was even hired in the first place. Sadly, I couldn't turn down the invitation as it was part of the assignment, but inside, I wanted to be the first girl to do that to him. At least, I would give him lasting memories. Haha.

"Of course, James," I said, and then I made my eyes twinkle as if I was excited upon the prospect of being James' date. After years of being in the business, I had perfected all those techniques like crying in a matter of seconds and consciously making myself blush. Instant reactions were needed in the acting business, right?

"Yes!" he suddenly said, and he smile really big. Did he actually expect that I was going to turn him down? As much as I wanted to, it wasn't an option. Or maybe he was also acting. You know, with James, it seemed like anything is possible. I had seen more of his personality during the assignment than the years that I'd seen him in school and more recently, in class. There was a lot more that I didn't know about him.

I decided to voice out my opinion and said, "Did you really think that I'll turn you down?" At that, he just smiled at me mysteriously and continued walking. Although I felt a twinge of irritation for his answer—it was that mysterious smile that sometimes infuriated me—I decided to let it go since I think I already knew the answer to my question.

After that, we just walked silently together along the streets of Hogsmeade. I didn't know what else to say, and I think he had the same problem, but either way, the silence was comfortable. I didn't mind the silence. It was like that for a few moments, so I was a little surprised that he spoke first. Although of course, I didn't show it.

"You know," he started to say, still not looking directly at me. "This day was fun. This date was fun." And this was the time that he looked at me straight in the eye. I can't actually disagree with that; admittedly, I also had fun, believe it or not. I just nodded to him to show my agreement and smiled. He smiled back and continued to speak.

"It's so fun that I don't want it to end," he said seriously, and I felt myself involuntarily flush under his intense gaze. He was unexpectedly sweet, and yet, I didn't know if what he was saying was true or just an act. You would never really know with James Potter. Nonetheless, with the way he said those words, I melted inside, and I definitely tried to hide that from him. Luckily, I was successful except for the blush staining my cheeks red.

"You are such a sweet-talker," I said, trying to brush off what he said and lighten up the atmosphere between us. This was the first time that I was caught off guard. What was so different with him compared to the other clients that he made me feel this way? I need to avoid this. "Sadly, it will end," I said in a nonchalant voice.

Maybe he noticed my discomfort and decided to joke. "But I don't know how to," he replied, and then grinned. I was glad for that response—things between us got lighter. I decided to ride along.

"It's just simple, really. Just hail a taxi and I'll take care of the rest. We are just walking beside the street, you know," I said, a little bit jokingly, but I was a little serious. I felt the need to get away as soon as possible. I didn't know why, but I just felt it.

"Okay. You need to get home anyway. It's getting late," he said.

For a moment, we weren't talking as he waited for a taxi to pass by, and when one did, he hailed it for my sake. Inside, I felt glad that this date was almost over. Of course, it wasn't over until I kissed him goodbye, and I still hadn't done it yet. Of course, I planned to do it; I was just waiting for the most opportune time.

The taxi stopped in front of us, and James opened the door for me. If I was waiting for the best time to kiss him, I thought this was it, so before he could do or say anything, I kissed him on the lips and said, "Thank you for today, James. And yes, I will take care of myself." I smiled at him. He grinned in return.

"You already knew what I was going to say. I'll not say it then. Good night, Kate," he said, using my name for this assignment. It was good that he remembered.

"Good night, James," I whispered, and I went inside the taxi and closed the door. The date was finally over. I really tried not to look back, but against my own will, I did, and I didn't see him standing there looking at the taxi. He wasn't within my line of sight, and I figured that he already went to his car or something. With that, I looked back in front, and you know what.

I had mixed feelings.

Author's Notes:

If you reached this part of the story, thank you for reading!

I know I haven't updated for months, and I'm really sorry for that. There's no excuse for it, so I decided to make this longer. So much longer. I'm sorry! It's just that it's the time for college entrance exams, and I lost inspiration. I'm really sorry!

This is not the beta-ed chapter, so I'll replace this one someday.

Please review! And if you read the a/n, the word of the chapter is 'yikee'. Haha! Thanks for reading the author's notes.

Thanks again for reading! If there is anything I need to clarify, please ask by reviewing, and I'll reply. I hope you liked it.