Honeydukes Sweet Shoppe

It's alright love, I know it's a busy time for everyone except me. Plus, being surprised by Evotter posts is an instant day-maker! XD

"I would. And it wouldn't be my goal or anything horrible like that, but I'd rather ruin their Halloween fun this year than have them run into trouble and have a lot more than just a silly holiday ruined for them," Lily said, just as quietly, an odd look crossing her face before she pushed it back behind her smile. As the kids scattered, she looked back at James and couldn't help but laugh. It looked like he was really trying to be mature and not encourage them in their rule-breaking, it really did. But his eyes gave him away; that glint of pride and amusement in the hazel depths that just cannot be stamped out because it is so very much a part of him.
She gave a little mock bow and let the door fall closed behind them as they moved into the store, enjoying the improved breathing space. She chuckled quietly at the pumpkin basket's personality and arched her eyebrow at James. "Well alright, so long as you're splitting fifty-fifty at the end," she warned. She glanced around and then stretched up a little, leaning in so that she could speak nearer his ear without risking eavesdroppers. "It's a good thing it's not nearer Valentine's though, I suppose. You'd have a basket full of your favourite and I'd have nil and buckleys of getting a cut, right?"

"Don't you worry about that, pretty lady," James answered with his best Elvis voice, and a grin to go with it. Sure, she said fifty-fifty, but he figured he'd just try and get it all for them. After all, he was just thrilled she had decided to come with him, and he planned on doing his best at making it the best night she'd had in a long time. He had located a large display of pumpkin shaped somethings that looked exceptionally intriguing when she suddenly leaned in close and took him off his guard. He realized she was doing it to tell him something, and leaned down a little so her mouth was next to his ear. Of course, that put his next to hers, and he could smell her hair. It smelled really nice and he had to make himself try to pay attention to what she was actually saying, but that didn't stop him from letting his eyes close and taking a few deep breaths. She wouldn't notice anyway. At her words, he grinned widely before whispering back. "Oh, no. I don't share that. Not even with spunky redheads," he laughed softly and straightened up, giving her a particular look before lightly capturing her wrist in his hand and pulling her toward the large center display of special Halloween candies they only got around this time of year.

Lily had to choke back a little snort at James' dead on Elvis voice, not thinking anything much about the candy beyond that they should split it because that seems like the thing a couple of friends hanging out would do. It's what she would do if she was hanging out with Ted, or any of the girls from their year, or what she and Sev used to do back in the old days. Truthfully, Lily has forgotten about the fact that she and James are meant to be looking for a group of other friends to join, caught up in the enjoyment. She tilted her head to the side a little bit to listen to his reply and her hair tumbled away from her neck with the movement. His breath hit her newly exposed neck and Lily bit her lip. Her skin prickled a little bit at the rush of warm air but it didn't feel unpleasant. It was a strangely nice sensation, somehow. She blinked when he straightened up and smirked.
"No? Not even with spunky redheads who know how much you'd really hate it if your mates found out about that little habit of yours? That could be unfortunate, Potter," she began, breaking off when he grabbed her wrist and tugged her in the direction of the special Halloween display. "Ooh, let's get some liquorice spiders to take home with us, yeah?"

"Did you forget they already know?" James laughed, shaking his head with a smirk. "No, you'd only inconvenience me enough to have to find a better hiding spot. Which is a shame because the current hiding spot is perfect. You and I are the only ones that know about it, Evans, and it should definitely stay that way I think." He grabbed a pair of containers of the licorice spiders, tossing them into the pumpkin bucket, and then got a third one as well. "Peter likes them too," he explained. "He didn't get to come, Pomfrey restricted him to the hospital wing, he's got some kind of, well I don't really know, a cold or something but not a cold, but lots of mucous and sneezing and everywhere and gross." He trailed off a little, frowning because it really had been quite nasty. "Oh and these!" He reached way up high and grabbed an orange candy pumpkin the size of his fist. Pulling the top off, it was full of some sort of white cream and came with what looked like a miniature ladle, and a little packet of what looked like sprinkles. The label said they would fizzle and pop and send up little sparks when you added them to the cream inside the pumpkin. He reached up for a second one for Lily as well. He too had forgotten they had come in here originally meaning to search for the others, to join them in their Halloween escapades. He wouldn't have reminded her anyway, enjoying his time with just her far too much to put an end to it.

Lily just smirked again and shook her head. "No, I didn't forget. I was just thinking what a shame it would be if you had to go to all that trouble to find a new hiding place, and after the current one had been so good!" Her cheeky look crumpled a little bit as her nose wrinkled at the thought of Pettigrew's face being a mucous factory. She was glad he was in the Hospital Wing, then, where he could get better and not put anybody else off their lunch for the rest of the year. "It's a shame he had to miss today, I think he really likes Halloween doesn't he?" she murmured. Something about mentioning friends tugged at the corner of Lily's awareness, like there was something they have forgotten, but she paid it no mind. James had just reached up high for the pumpkin cream candies. She groaned a little. "Oh, no. Not those things. I haven't been able to touch them since I-" she cut her sentence short, blushing. Nobody but Ted knew the story that Mya is currently making up in her head, and Ted had sworn secrecy. Lily grimaced, fairly certain the number of people who knew her shameful secret was about to double but putting off the inevitable as long as possible. Who knew, maybe Potter would be too distracted by all the colourful candy to care? Not bloody likely, Lily knew, because that boy had a near perfect ability to be completely dense when Lily wanted him not to be, but completely sharp when it was least convenient for her.

"Yeah, he does, but I promised him I'd bring back some of his favorite stuff for him so he won't have to totally miss out. And a box of tissues too, maybe." Upon hearing Lily deny wanting one of the wonderful pumpkin things, he paused, the one he'd grabbed for her still in his hand, and lifted an eyebrow at her. He turned to face her properly, a little smirk beginning to form on his lips. "Not since what, Evans?" He was wonderfully curious now, and figured it was absolutely fair that if she knew about his favorite Valentine sweets, then he should know whatever secret story she was now probably wishing she hadn't begun to mention. "I think there's a little story coming. Shall I bend down for secret confessions time?" he laughed, grinning at her widely.

'Best make it two boxes,' Lily thought. She let out a short huff of breath, knowing there was no putting it off as she gave James one of her best I-mean-business looks, a silent warning that betrayal of her confidence would lead to a shaved head and his broomstick stuck somewhere horribly unpleasant for him. Finally, she rolled her eyes and got on with it. "Well, I suppose it's not half as terrible as the Valentine's hearts, anyway," she decided, and leaned in as she had done earlier to murmur in his ear. The store was much emptier than it had been, but they were by no means alone. "Halloween, fourth year, you remember that little to-do about Mulciber and Avery getting detention for throwing one of these things off the stairway and all over Filch and his- well, whatever it is that he calls a cat? Erm, for once they weren't actually lying when they said they didn't do it. But I didn't mean it," she burst out, a little louder than appropriate for their close proximity. Sheepishly, she bit her lip and quietened down again, her green eyes wide and full of her guilt and sincerity, and maybe just a little amusement. "They were a landing below was all. Ted and I had just started sort of hanging out and being friends and he bought me one, but I'd never had one before and I didn't know that it would actually spark and I just kind of..." she trailed off, miming with her hand how she had jolted with the shock, and how easily the little cream bomb had flown out of her hand and over the railing.

James's eyes were wide with interest and amusement all through the retelling of her rather surprising and comical tale. He grinned and somehow managed to keep from laughing, at least not too much. Well, at least for James's standards. He at least didn't break out into his usual uproarious laughter, anyway. He did chuckle quite a bit to himself, but most of it he managed to keep somewhat quiet, despite the fact that his shoulders were absolutely shaking with it. Glancing down at the box, he held it up for her to see, pointing at some large print on one side of the container. "Read with me, Evans. 'Some. Children. Require. Adult. Supervision. During. The. Consumption. Of. This. Product.'" He grinned at her cheekily, shaking his head jokingly. "No worries, though. I'll help you use it properly this year without having to incur the wrath of ol' Filch and his mangy feline companion." He dropped the second pumpkin explosive into the pumpkin bucket. "Any other scary candies I should know about, so that I can keep a special careful eye on you while we're eating later?" His tone was light and jovial, meaning her no insult.

Lily rolled her eyes, although she enjoyed the way James clearly appreciated her story without making a big deal over it. When he reads the warning label, slowly enunciating each word as if she needed the help to understand it, she smacks him. It probably doesn't have all that much impact on the arm of his Elvis jumpsuit, but it makes her feel better. "Oh shut it, you git. Or the only thing you'll have to be worrying about is whether the spiders you shove into your mouth are liquorice or real. Besides," she added with a quick grin, "It's not me that has to worry about the wrath of Filch; I got off scot free, remember?" She turned her eyes back to the display and for a minute she stood comfortably, side by side with James, examining the selection. She picked up a few mummified muffins because Mya sucks at coming up with this stuff and can never think of good ones, but mummified muffins unravel like mummy bandages when you open them and are filled with raspberries and white chocolate. She deposited them in the pumpkin basket James was still holding and kept looking. "Oh, d'you like these? I think they're neat," she said and plucked a pack of what was essentially a cauldron shaped juice box from the shelf to consider it. "Never can pick between the dandelion and mint, or the plum, though."

James laughed even as she smacked him on the arm - luckily not his face oh dear - continuing to grin quite happily as she turned back toward the candy and picked out a few more things. He shrugged when she asked about the juices, and picked up a couple. "Then let's get some of both, if you can't decide." He gave the display another once over, which resulted in him picking up a large box of bone shaped sugar candy and a two pack of jelly ghosts, which are basically just super sticky gooey ghosts coated in sugar, made of stuff like those fruit slice candies. "I think they've got most everything else for sale cheaper today too," he added with a shrug, walking over toward a tall shelf of jars of candy, picking up one that had little lemon sherbets in it. He grabbed a few other candy bars and boxes of little candies and a couple things for Peter, and then turned to look at Lily to see if she was finished or still looking around. It wasn't like he was in a hurry, but didn't want to hang around here if they could be heading to eat something quick here before wandering around a bit and heading back to the castle later for the big Halloween feast. His stomach was beginning to grumble. "Anything else for you?"

Oh no, she'll save smacking his face for when he really deserves it. Only it would be less smack-y, more punch-y.
"Alright then," Lily agreed with a little smile at the simplicity of his suggestion. While James busied himself going over the rest of the display, she discreetly checked her purse to make sure she could contribute. She had far too much pride to take advantage of anyone's generosity, it was a matter of principle to Lily that her friends were not put on the earth to give her a free ride. Satisfied that she was covered enough for the day, she looked up just in time to catch James finish his shopping. "Oh, just some sugar quills, I think." She grabbed a few of the cellophane wrapped treats, keeping them out of the bucket so they didn't crumble. She put them on the counter and fished out a couple of galleons to split costs while she waited for Potter to add the rest of their haul. "D'you fancy a butterbeer or something after this?"

James pulled out the rest of their candy, putting it all on the counter as the woman added up the total cost, placing the items back into the jack-o-lantern container after they had been added. He watched as Lily pulled out her galleons, but he honestly had no intention of her having to pay for her candy. Before she could, he passed a handful of coins from his pocket to the woman, not giving Lily much of a glance, but grinning very slightly all the same. "Thank you," he told the woman quickly as he was handed his change, and he picked up their pumpkin full of candy and turned to walk with Lily toward the door. Shaking his head at her before she could protest what had occurred, he spoke to quiet her. "I invited you. It's my treat. Now come on, let's get that butterbeer you mentioned, because that sounds really wonderful. Hopefully it won't be too crowded, but you could just do that marvelous shouting to get the little kids out thing again," he laughed, making his way toward the door with her. Once outside, he turned toward The Three Broomsticks.

Lily pursed her lips as James overrode her trying to pay her way and self-consciously put her money back in her purse before following him out into the street once more. The colour was high in her cheeks and the cool outdoor air washed over her, threatening to turn biting later. "Thank you, but don't," she said shortly as they crossed the street towards the pub. She knew he was being polite -Merlin, not that she'd have believe that possible a year ago- but James paying her way without her consent made Lily's stomach flip-flop in a way she wasn't sure she really quite liked yet. "I chose to come, you know. When I hang out with my friends I expect things to be equal," she told him, extra emphasis on 'friends'. Then, she pushed her hair back off her shoulder and smiled. "Well if it's crowded in here and it's not the littlies, we can just start a rumour that Honeydukes is closing in ten and everything's half-off. Come on, let's see the damage," she said, and pushed the door to the Three Broomsticks open, where Pansy can post if it's free.