Christmastime was in full season at Hogwarts; the grounds were covered in a thick layer of fluffy white snow that glowed under the morning sun. Professor Flitwick was decorating the tree in the Great Hall. Most of all, the students were getting excited as the Yule Ball approached. Dumbledore had announced the ball a few weeks ago, and soon nearly every student was vying for a date.
Sirius had no problem getting a date; several girls had been hanging around him, hoping he would choose her. There was one girl he had chosen after a few days of giddiness. He didn't fancy her particularly, but she was cute and now he didn't have to think about getting a date anymore.
Remus hadn't been thinking much about it, but when a girl with mousy brown hair had asked him to go with her, he gladly accepted. He liked her assertiveness. They began talking on the way to classes and soon had hit it off.
"Asked a girl to the ball yet, James?" Sirius asked one afternoon as they sat by the lake. "They've been walking by you in packs for days. You could ask any of them and they'd gladly accept."
As if on cue, a few giggling girls passed by, pausing for a moment. James ruffled his hair as he glanced at them before turning back to Sirius.
"I'm still trying to think of a way to get Evans alone," he said once the girls had gone away.
"Don't wait too long," Sirius warned jokingly. "A pretty girl like her will get taken real quick."
"I know, I know," James said with a shrug. "You don't need to remind me."
Meanwhile, Wormtail was getting himself into a fit of embarrassment trying to ask out a short and slightly pudgy girl he fancied.
"Unlike the other boys, I don't care if you're heavy…" he stuttered. "I mean – I think you look lovely even if you are chubby…oh…what I mean is…" His excuses were not working and soon the girl had turned and walked away in a huff.
Sirius and James had by then noticed what had happened and proceeded to join him, each placing a hand on one of his shoulders.
"Managed to muck it up again, have you?" Sirius teased.
"At this rate, you'll be the only bloke without a date," James added.
"You two are a big help," Wormtail scoffed, brushing them off.
"Take it easy, mate!" James exclaimed, going after him. "We were just joking. I'm sure if she doesn't come around you'll find someone else."
"It's no use," Peter moped. "Girls just don't like me."
"You just haven't found the right girl yet," Sirius interjected. "If she even exists," he added quietly to James, who had difficulty suppressing his laughter. They tried to console Wormtail as they walked back up to the Gryffindor common room. James kept thinking about Lily Evans and decided he would wait until she came back to the common room later. He would ask her as soon as she entered the portrait hole. Little did he know that by then it would already be too late. As James sat in the common room waiting for her, Lily was outside with Severus.
"…and that's how I ended up with mandrake juice in my face!" Lily laughed as she finished telling a funny story from her Potions class.
"What did you do?" Severus asked as he continued to laugh.
"Professor Slughorn helped me get cleaned up. He's such a dear."
Severus nodded in agreement. Then he remembered what he had to say and became more serious.
"Lily," he said.
"Hm?" Lily replied, surprised at Severus' sudden change in tone.
"Will you…will you go to the ball with me?"
Lily looked into his dark eyes for a few moments before replying.
"Of course, Severus," she said. Instantly, Severus' heart lightened.
"You're my best friend after all," she added.
"Right," Severus said with a small smile. It was the truth. He loved her and she was his best friend.
Just then, six gongs rang out across the castle grounds to announce the hour.
"I guess I've got to go now," Lily said before heading back to Gryffindor Tower to put her things in her dormitory. She was thinking about what she wanted to wear to the Yule Ball when her thoughts were interrupted by a voice.
"Oi! Evans!" It was James Potter. Annoyed, she only gave him a quick glance.
"Wait!" he persisted. Lily, not in the mood for shouting, decided she'd stop just this once.
"Evans," James said, suddenly less confident than when he'd put on his usual airs. "I-I was wondering if you'd like to go to the ball with me."
Lily looked at him with his pathetic messy hair before turning away.
"You can't be serious!" She wouldn't let him have another word and went upstairs into the girls' dormitory.
"Better luck next time, mate," Sirius said, patting a dumbfounded James on the back.
James eventually asked a Gryffindor girl who had been eyeing him for weeks just so he'd have a date. He figured at least he was going with someone who wanted to go with him.
As the night of the ball approached, Hogsmeade was becoming crowded with students shopping for the perfect dress robes. On one such day, James and Sirius came upon Severus, who was searching for something he'd like to wear.
"Oi, Snivellus," James exclaimed when he saw the Slytherin boy. He approached Snape, nudging him into the shelf. Severus tried to ignore them, but they didn't go away.
"I don't think they've got anything for you here," James taunted.
"But do take a look in the girls' shop," Sirius said. "They've got flowers that would look just lovely in your raven tresses!"
James laughed at Sirius' remark. Severus tried to lash out, but James hexed him before he could get close enough. They left him immobile for another half hour while they browsed the shop, causing embarrassment for Severus when he couldn't move to get out of the way of other customers. James finally undid the hex before leaving without another word. Severus didn't have enough time to buy his robes without being late for class, so he had to go back another day, during which he slunk carefully into the store to make sure his tormentors weren't there. Seeing that he was the only one there, he proceeded to pick out what he wanted, taking the time to ensure everything would be the right fit.
The professors had a difficult time keeping the students under control during the last few days before the ball, as they became more and more distracted by the excitement.
Finally the night of the Yule Ball arrived and the students were gathering at the entrance to the Great Hall for the evening.
Sirius, Remus, and Peter – who had managed to find a date after all – greeted their dates happily, but for James it was only an air. He felt a deep disappointment in knowing he would not have Lily on his arm as he walked in. He glanced over to the other side of the room, where Lily was waiting for her date. She wore a beautiful frilled dress that matched her eyes. It took all he could for James to force his attention back to his own date and start a conversation with her. Just as he had done so, Severus came walking down the stairs timidly.
His dress robes were completely black, save for the white collar of the shirt he wore underneath. The sleeves and body were loose and flowed around him, but it was fitted around his shoulders. He had washed and brushed his long black hair so that he would look clean for Lily.
"Good evening, Lily," Severus said when he got to the bottom of the stairs. Lily blushed slightly at the formality before returning the greeting.
"Good evening, Severus."
"Y-you look stunning," Severus said, struck by how beautiful Lily looked in her dress.
"Thank you," she replied. "You look dashing, yourself." This time it was Severus' turn; his pallid face became dashed with pink.
"Well," Lily said after a moment, "shall we go in?" Severus nodded, and arm in arm they entered the Great Hall. It had been decorated to look like an ice palace, with snow seeming to fall from the ceiling. The four house tables had been replaced with many small round ones. Everyone clapped as the Triwizard Champions entered and watched as they were the first to dance.
When most of the students had joined the dance, Lily turned to Severus.
"Shall we?"
Severus nodded. He took Lily's hand and soon they were dancing. Severus felt a bit stiff at first since he had not had a lot of practice, but soon he relaxed and couldn't help but smile as he lifted Lily above him in time with the music.
It was perfect, and Severus would have continued to forget everyone else around them if it weren't for a sudden interception. James Potter had, purposefully, bumped into Severus, knocking him off-balance.
"Oh!" James said over-dramatically. "I'm terribly sorry!"
Severus scowled at James.
"It's all right," Lily said without making eye contact. She looked back at her dance partner. "Come on, Severus."
They danced on and luckily they weren't bothered again for the rest of the formal dance. Little did Severus know that Remus had shot a dirty look at James, deterring him from causing any further trouble for the Slytherin boy.
Things quieted down for a while as they began to eat dinner. Severus didn't talk with the other students he didn't know who had joined them at the table, but he was happy being with Lily. He finally got some time alone with her when the others dispersed.
"Thank you for coming to the ball with me," he said. "I…I'm having a good time."
"I'm glad, Severus," said Lily. "So am I. I couldn't imagine coming to the ball with anyone else but you."
For the second time that evening, Severus felt his face become hot.
"Y-you mean it?"
"Of course I mean it. You're…very special to me."
Severus then felt a wonderful pang in his heart.
"Lily," Severus murmured. He could hear a slow song beginning to play.
Severus took Lily's hand and stood up. He guided her to the dance floor and they began swaying to the music. If he had been paying attention, he would have seen James Potter's look of disgust and others' looks of surprise. But he didn't. He was slow dancing with Lily, and that was all that mattered.
When the song was over, he took Lily's hands in his own. Lily looked at him for a few moments before getting closer, and then they had their arms around each other, Lily's head pressed against Severus' chest.
They stayed like that for quite some time. When they finally came out of their embrace, they looked around them to see that more than half the students had left. It must have been getting late, they thought.
After a few more minutes, they decided they would leave as well.
"Goodnight, Snape," Severus heard a voice say. He turned to see Lupin, who had one arm around his date's shoulders. He was smiling at him. Severus smiled back hesitantly, surprised by both the kind words and his own response, and nodded in return before continuing on his way.
Severus walked Lily back to the portrait of the Fat Lady. He gave her one last parting hug and a small wave before leaving.
The few people who were in the Slytherin common room glanced at Severus somewhat strangely as he headed to the dormitory, for he could not keep a smile off his face.
Even after he had taken off his dress robes and gone to bed, he was up late into the night, already reliving each wonderful moment of that evening. Even just for one night, Lily was completely his.
Many years later, Professor Snape watched as the Triwizard champions began that year's dance in the Great Hall. Snape could have been bitter watching the Potter boy, but instead he remembered when he was a boy himself and how this night, of all nights, could be one of the nicest. He quietly hoped that it would be a good night for Potter, as it had been for him.