So nothing bugs me more than masquerade fics. I mean seriously. Wouldn't it be quite easy to recognize someone who you've only gone to school with for forever.

And honestly. We all know how they're going to end.

The Cliched Masquerade Ball

Lily Evans scanned the Great Hall aghast. Right now, it didn't even resemble the place where she ate breakfast, lunch, dinner, and once in awhile feasts in at all. Right now, it looked as if a party decoration shop had exploded- excellently placed- inside the hall, juts in time for the Halloween Ball.

But honestly, the Head Girl wasn't really aghast, because in reality she had planned the ball and given up free time (free time where she could have been busy solving the problems of the world) to decorate, along with the prefects (who had no choice whatsoever in the matter), the Head Boy (who had no choice whatsoever in the matter), and a handful of other students willing to lend a hand in the community (who had no other life).

And somehow, with the help of magic, they had made the hall perfect- just in time for the first annual Halloween Masquerade Ball that will never ever occur again.

Months (or days, because Lily was a procrastinator) went into the planning and preparation. Words were actually exchanged between her and the Head Boy.

The Head Boy- James Potter- was someone who Lily despised with every fiber of her being, simply because he was proud of his accomplishments, liked to display his magical ability on otherwise uneducated first years, and was obsessive compulsive. He couldn't help it if he needed to run his hand through his hair exactly 74 times a day.

Lily was just a girl full of prejudiced loathing. Even though James (the poor soul) worshipped the group she stomped about on due to a freak potions accident. It was all very tragic.

Somehow, in the goodness of her red-headed heart, Lily had overcome her loathing (cue catchy number from the Wicked musical) to work with him- excluding the fact she called him an arrogant toe-rag whenever she deemed necessary. Which was every few moments.

After some final touches to the hall, Lily found time to meet with her best friends for the real ball prepartions. She didn't know how she would survive without Daisy Sunflower (an American exchange student) or Daisy's long lost twin sister, Arabella, who had no surname for reasons she would not like to have stated.

Which brings us to the present, as all three girls viewed the hall with wide eyes (except Lily, who planned it all and told her friends nothing, as she was a very selfish person naturally).

"Ready girls?" Daisy Sunflower, who was also the Princess of Nebraska, giggled.

Arabella and Lily nodded in synchronization (they had practiced beforehand) and slipped their masks over their perfectly make-upped faces. It was a Masquerade Ball, after all.

Now it was impossible to tell they were just three average magical girls. All by only putting on a mask that only covered a portion of their faces.

Their other, less important friend, came trotting up beside them panting and wiping a bit of perspiration off her brow.
"Sorry I'm late girls, but when I woke up I found myself mysteriously bound and gagged in a broom cupboard and had to yell until someone noticed and let me out!"

'Damn' Lily thought to herself, 'Who let …Katie out, after we worked so hard to get her in there.'

Daisy Sunflower pouted, "but now we're an even number, which are totally not flower-licious like our flower gang."

Katie glanced at each girl, "Your masks that only cover a part of your face are so convincing! I don't know which of my best friends you are!"

They all ignored her as she wasn't masked as she was previously locked in a broom cupboard as Daisy Sunflower thought she was a threat to her throne and the others did whatever Daisy Sunflower said, as she was a princess.

Heroically, Lily took the first step into the hall, "Are you ready girls? Ready to stop blocking a fire exit and actually enter the party?"

Arabella and Daisy Sunflower nodded at the same time (those practices were really paying off!) and Katie eagerly clapped her hands together, ruining all synchronization, which is why she was supposed to be bound and gagged at the moment.

The four girls stepped through the threshold together (except for Katie, who was pushed in by the angry group of students also trying to enter).

"Wow," Arabella breathed in awe, "I don't recognize anyone with those masks on!"

Daisy Sunflower and Lily nodded in agreement, but Katie only glanced around the hall with looks of comprehension, "But guys, it's so obvious who everyone is!"

Daisy Sunflower made to accidentally spill the cup of butterbeer she had somehow acquired onto Katie's torn robes, causing Katie to burst into tears and run out of the hall.

"Yay for odd numbers!" the three remaining girls cried together, as they were so good at doing those sort of things by now, as they clinked their cups of butterbeer.

After their pointless giggles died down, Lily cleared her throat to speak, "I hate Potter. He's an arrogant toerag. I hope he drowns in the lake and is eaten by the squid."

Arabella laughed shrilly again, "And as your friends, we have no choice but to despise him and his goonies as well!"

Lily laughed, "Girls, lets go off and dance with one of the many masked guys, fall in love with them, and then be totally shocked when they reveal themselves to us!"

"Right!" the three called, as three boys stepped forward to ask them to dance conveniently. Of course, they had no idea who their mystery dates where, and of course their dates had no idea who they were either.

"I know you hate me and all, Lily, but would you like to dance with me?" her masked stranger asked hesitantly, offering his hand.

She took it and smiled, "How could I hate you? I don't even know who you are!"

"Er… right." He said leading her onto the dance floor as Lily threw significant looks to her pals that clearly said this was the stranger she planned to fall in love with. What good stories they would have to share with their grand children! Love at first sight, not even knowing who he was until he would reveal himself to her at midnight!

Together, Lily and her prince danced away many songs. Her green eyes twinkled with laugher as he told her about all the pranks he had done with his friends. Lily was in such a state of euphoria with the boy that she forgot how furious she had been when the pranks occurred. Maybe it was the cologne he was wearing, or his entrancing hazel eyes that she hated so much.

As a new song began to play, the boy offered kindly to go get them refreshments , giving Lily time to go talk with her friends whose dates had gone to get drinks at exactly the same time, purely out of coincidence.

"He is so perfect!" Lily gushed to Arabella, who was nodding fervently along with Daisy Sunflower as they took turns ranting about their dates in which they had no clue of their identity.

"Not even that arrogant toe-rag Potter could ruin my night!" she signed, watching her prince chat excitedly with another masked student who was giving him a high-five. Everyone was so friendly when they didn't recognize each other!

"But Lily," Katie said, popping out from behind a chair, still unmasked, "Isn't it obvious that you are dancing with James? His hair, eyes, and entire body are still visible!"

Daisy Sunflower dropped her glass of butterbeer she somehow had on Katie's robes again in surprise, "Where were you?"

"Talking with Narcissa Black about----"

"Nobody cares," Arabella interrupted, turning towards Lily, "She's just crazy. Of course you're not dancing with Potter. Potter's too arrogant to dance!"

"You're right," Lily nodded, "His ego is too large to fit behind a mask!"

Katie frowned and slunk away to a dark corner to chit-chat with other misunderstood and used people that you would regret bullying later in life.

"Plus," Lily added, "I would have noticed if James' had hazel eyes and entrancing as his."

"I can't believe the night is somehow already ending!" Daisy Sunflower exclaimed, "We all need to get our final and romantic dance in with our draem dates who we still don't know the identity of!"

The other two members of the Flower Gang agreed nonverbally and ran to their respective men; as well as you can run in heels and dress robes.

Lily scurried over to where her date stood beside two other boys, one in a mask whooped in excitement as she approached, the other just patted her date on the back.

"Good going, Prongs!" the masked friend cheered when she arrived, the other reached out to shake her hand.

"About time, Lily."

She blinked, with no recognition whatsoever of the people. "I can't wait to find out who everyone is! Especially all of you."

"..I'm not even wearing a costume," the unmasked friend said confusedly, glancing at her date who only laughed nervously.

"May I have this last dance?" he asked, leading her away from his friends to the dance floor where all the couples were gathering for one last moment of bliss before midnight.

In time to the slow song that the band was playing, Lily and her date swayed together, both glad that this dance had brought them closer, even though they couldn't know who the other way.

"It is time, students," Dumbledore called jovially from his place at the head of the staff table, "for you to remove your masks and reveal your identities!"

Midnight had come in a flash, thought Lily, as everyone slowly stopped moving. Now she would get to see whom she had fallen so madly in love with that night.

She reached up to her mask, and slid if off her head; leaving remnants of it's glitter sparkling on her cheeks while her red hair was free to frame her face, her green eyes glowing with anticipation.

Surprisingly, her date didn't even flinch as she showed herself, instead flashing a knowing smile. Bus now, it was his turn.

She could now see his hazel eyes clearer without his mask, which he quickly replaced with round glasses. He ran a hand through his messy raven hair.

"Surprise?" a hesitant James Potter said.

"No..!" Lily gasped, her hands jumping to her mouth, "No! It can't be!"

She turned and sprinted away, dropping her mask at James' feet and running past all the now familiar faces.

-------

And this is where I'm deciding to stop this horrid monstrosity of a tale.

Anyways, Lily ran off. Obviously James chased her and convinced her that they were true love. They snogged and lived on as the golden couple we all know so well.

Daisy Sunflower (The Princess of Nebraska) danced with long time rival- The Duke of Canada. They fell in love, and sadly suffered a Romeo and Juliet-esque tradegy.

Arabella's date turned out to be Amos Diggory, and after a few hours of officially dating she decided boys were icky and purchased her first cat.

Katie sat moodily in the dark corner into young Peter Pettigrew came skulking over for similar reasons. Together they decided their friends totally sucked and agreed to become Death Eaters and avenge their bad days at school.

THE END.

And remember, friends don't let friends write masquerade fics.