A Hogwarts Cinderella
Tiger Lily21 (annegirl13@earthlink.net)
Summary - In his third year at Hogwarts, James Potter meets a mysterious young lady at the Christmas Ball. But before he can catch her name, she runs away, leaving behind only a shoe that he mistakenly gives to the wrong girl. Three years later, their paths cross again. Can they find a way to live happily ever after?
Disclaimer - This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers, including, but not limited to, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and now copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: This chapter has recently been beta'd and so I am resubmitting it because I think it's a lot better now. Read and enjoy! -Tiger Lily
Chapter One
Lily Evans nervously smoothed her dark red hair.
"Remus, I'm not sure I can do this!" she said.
Her friend, Remus Lupin, looked her up and down. "Lily, you look like a dream come true! You're a spitting image of that portrait of Lady Gryffindor!"
Lily looked in the mirror again. Donned in her red and gold ball gown, Remus was right.
"Now," he continued. "Go to the ball and have fun. Just remember to be back by midnight so your jewelry won't disappear in front of your partner."
Lily smiled and hugged her friend. "Thanks, Remus," she said. "I feel like Cinderella in this dress."
Remus laughed. "Am I your Fairy Godfather?" he asked.
"Yes!" cried Lily. She pecked him on the cheek, and left the Gryffindor common room.
She hadn't really planned on going to the ball. Not until Rose Thompson had bet her ten Galleons that she couldn't go and be the envy of every girl at the ball. Lily had accepted, of course. Ten Galleons would be enough money to buy Christmas presents for all her friends and family.
"The teachers have outdone themselves this year," she thought as she entered the Great Hall. It had been beautifully decorated with the usual dozen trees and holly. Snow was falling from the enchanted ceiling. It landed, leaving drifts that covered the dance floor. Every once in a while one of the teachers would flick his or her wand, sending a drift flying towards a wall. As Lily looked around she saw that the trees were decorated, not with lights, but with real fairies. She walked over to a corner table and sat down, unaware that everyone was watching her.
"May I have this dance?"
Severus Snape was standing before her. She couldn't tell what his costume was supposed to be, but it consisted of some sort of green and silver material, embroidered with snakes. And on his chest, a silver pin in the form of a serpent, the symbol of Slytherin.
"Is it proper for us to dance, when you are from Slytherin while I am a lady of Gryffindor?" Lily asked, trying to sound regal, yet polite.
Trying to sound regal and yet not like she was telling him to leave her
alone she asked, " Is it proper for us to dance, since you are from
Slytherin while I am the lady of Gryffindor house?"
But he couldn't be dissuaded. "With a vision such as yourself, I can make an exception," he drawled as he grabbed her hands and dragged her onto the dance floor.
"Let me go!" she said through gritted teeth. But Snape didn't let go. Instead, he began whirling her around so fast that the room became a blur. Despite this, Lily could tell that everyone in the room was watching them.
At last, she managed to free her hands from his. Snape went whirling off and landed in the punch bowl, which fell to the floor with a loud clang!
Everyone roared with laughter, and Lily stood in the middle of the room, waiting for it to stop spinning.
"May I have this dance, Lady Gryffindor, or will you throw me in the punch bowl, too?"
Lily turned to see James Potter - the boy she'd had an enormous crush on the last two of her four years at Hogwarts - standing behind her. He was wearing a mask, but his messy black hair would have made him recognizable even if he had dressed as an elephant. (He wasn't, of course. Instead, he was dressed as a Gryffindor Prince: All scarlet and gold from head to toe.)
"No," she said. "I won't throw you in the punch. I just did that to get rid of him." She jerked her head at Snape, who was trying and failing to climb out from under the punch bowl, which had fallen on his head.
"I'd love to dance with you," she said. "Just one rule: No spinning."
James laughed. He took one of her hands in his and put the other on her waist, guiding her in a slow waltz.
"You have everyone in the room enchanted," he said.
"Even you?" asked Lily.
James smiled. "Especially me," he said. "I feel like the Prince after he found Cinderella."
Delighted that she and James shared an interest in fairy tales, Lily let herself loosen up. "I think the Prince only fell in love with Cinderella because she was beautiful. Not because she was kind, or loving, or because she had a good heart. I mean, what if the ugly stepsisters hadn't been so ugly? If it was a question of beauty, he might have fallen love with one of them."
"I guess you're right," said James. "But the way I tell the story, the Prince fell in love with Cinderella because she made all the other girls in the room look ordinary, while she just glowed with an inner light. And when he talked to her, he found that she was funny and interesting, and that she had a mind of her own. And he also found out that he liked those things in a girl."
Lily knew what he was trying to say. He was trying to say that he liked her, but he didn't know how to say it directly. This, she decided, was the perfect opportunity to tell him how she felt.
"And I think," she said, "that when Cinderella looked at the Prince, when he came to let her try on the glass slipper, she realized that he loved her for herself, and that she loved him, too."
"And they lived happily ever after," added James. "You'd make a good writer, you know that?"
Lily blushed. "I try," she said. "But so far I've been uninspired."
They stopped dancing, and James led Lily to a secluded spot. They stood against the wall, chatting.
"Why not write a Cinderella story?" he suggested.
"I'll try," said Lily, grinning. Her eyes sparkled behind her mask.
"I'd like to read the story if you ever finish."
"I have to start it first, don't I?" They both laughed, and James said:
"Why don't we sit down?"
"Good idea. These shoes may not be glass slippers, but they're not bunny slippers, either!"
James laughed again. "Has anyone ever told you how funny you are?"
Lily blushed, but didn't answer.
"James!" squealed a voice. James tore his eyes from Lily to see Violet Thompson, dressed as Cleopatra, standing next to James's chair.
"Let's dance."
James scowled. "In case you didn't notice," he said coldly, "I was having a conversation with this young lady. You were very rude to interrupt us"
Violet turned on her heel and stalked off.
"Who was that?" James asked when Violet was out of earshot.
"A very rude young lady," replied Lily. "Rather like one of Cinderella's stepsisters."
"And who are you?" asked James.
"A girl who came to a Christmas masquerade hoping to find her Prince Charming."
"And did she?" asked James in a soft voice.
He was leaning across the table, his face only an inch from hers. It made Lily uncomfortable. She changed the subject.
"What time is it?" she asked.
James looked at his watch. "Nearly midnight," he said. "Why?"
Midnight! Lily thought. The spell for the jewelry isn't that strong! It'll wear off soon!
"What?" she gasped. "Oh, no! I have to go!"
Lily took off toward the entrance, with James close behind. "Wait!" he called out. "Who are you? How will I find you again?"
Lily paused and called back: "We're in the same house! We're bound to meet up again! Goodbye!"
And with that, she began again, headed toward Gryffindor Tower. Remus was waiting for her as she entered the common room.
"Well," he asked. "Did you win your bet?"
"Yes!" Lily gushed. "And I had the most wonderful time! I danced with James, and we talked. It was just like a fairy tale! I swear, Remus, you must've used fairy magic on the dress. That's the only way it could've happened!"
"It was that great, eh?" Remus looked Lily up and down. "Just one thing," he said. "Look at your feet."
"Huh?" Lily looked down. Her right shoe was missing.
"Oh, no!" she groaned. "It must have fallen off when I ran out of the room. I didn't even notice."
Lily sighed and went to bed. When Rose came up shortly after, she was nearly dancing in rage. "You won!" she cried. "How did you get that dress and the jewelry and."
Lily whispered, " Do you really think that's the only reason people liked me? Because I was beautiful?"
Rose didn't answer. Instead she motioned for Lily to come over to her trunk for her winnings.
Lily collected her ten Galleons, leaving them in a purse inside her trunk. All of a sudden, the money didn't seem so important. In fact, she was beginning to think it wasn't worth it.
Remus stayed in the common room until James returned at 2 A.M. He kept talking about the beautiful girl he'd met, how they'd danced, how everything clicked, in just the right way.
"And when she left," James said, unaware that Remus knew how the story would end, "she lost this." James held up a small dress shoe.
Remus smiled. "A Hogwarts Cinderella," he said. "Who would've thought?"
Tiger Lily21 (annegirl13@earthlink.net)
Summary - In his third year at Hogwarts, James Potter meets a mysterious young lady at the Christmas Ball. But before he can catch her name, she runs away, leaving behind only a shoe that he mistakenly gives to the wrong girl. Three years later, their paths cross again. Can they find a way to live happily ever after?
Disclaimer - This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers, including, but not limited to, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and now copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: This chapter has recently been beta'd and so I am resubmitting it because I think it's a lot better now. Read and enjoy! -Tiger Lily
Chapter One
Lily Evans nervously smoothed her dark red hair.
"Remus, I'm not sure I can do this!" she said.
Her friend, Remus Lupin, looked her up and down. "Lily, you look like a dream come true! You're a spitting image of that portrait of Lady Gryffindor!"
Lily looked in the mirror again. Donned in her red and gold ball gown, Remus was right.
"Now," he continued. "Go to the ball and have fun. Just remember to be back by midnight so your jewelry won't disappear in front of your partner."
Lily smiled and hugged her friend. "Thanks, Remus," she said. "I feel like Cinderella in this dress."
Remus laughed. "Am I your Fairy Godfather?" he asked.
"Yes!" cried Lily. She pecked him on the cheek, and left the Gryffindor common room.
She hadn't really planned on going to the ball. Not until Rose Thompson had bet her ten Galleons that she couldn't go and be the envy of every girl at the ball. Lily had accepted, of course. Ten Galleons would be enough money to buy Christmas presents for all her friends and family.
"The teachers have outdone themselves this year," she thought as she entered the Great Hall. It had been beautifully decorated with the usual dozen trees and holly. Snow was falling from the enchanted ceiling. It landed, leaving drifts that covered the dance floor. Every once in a while one of the teachers would flick his or her wand, sending a drift flying towards a wall. As Lily looked around she saw that the trees were decorated, not with lights, but with real fairies. She walked over to a corner table and sat down, unaware that everyone was watching her.
"May I have this dance?"
Severus Snape was standing before her. She couldn't tell what his costume was supposed to be, but it consisted of some sort of green and silver material, embroidered with snakes. And on his chest, a silver pin in the form of a serpent, the symbol of Slytherin.
"Is it proper for us to dance, when you are from Slytherin while I am a lady of Gryffindor?" Lily asked, trying to sound regal, yet polite.
Trying to sound regal and yet not like she was telling him to leave her
alone she asked, " Is it proper for us to dance, since you are from
Slytherin while I am the lady of Gryffindor house?"
But he couldn't be dissuaded. "With a vision such as yourself, I can make an exception," he drawled as he grabbed her hands and dragged her onto the dance floor.
"Let me go!" she said through gritted teeth. But Snape didn't let go. Instead, he began whirling her around so fast that the room became a blur. Despite this, Lily could tell that everyone in the room was watching them.
At last, she managed to free her hands from his. Snape went whirling off and landed in the punch bowl, which fell to the floor with a loud clang!
Everyone roared with laughter, and Lily stood in the middle of the room, waiting for it to stop spinning.
"May I have this dance, Lady Gryffindor, or will you throw me in the punch bowl, too?"
Lily turned to see James Potter - the boy she'd had an enormous crush on the last two of her four years at Hogwarts - standing behind her. He was wearing a mask, but his messy black hair would have made him recognizable even if he had dressed as an elephant. (He wasn't, of course. Instead, he was dressed as a Gryffindor Prince: All scarlet and gold from head to toe.)
"No," she said. "I won't throw you in the punch. I just did that to get rid of him." She jerked her head at Snape, who was trying and failing to climb out from under the punch bowl, which had fallen on his head.
"I'd love to dance with you," she said. "Just one rule: No spinning."
James laughed. He took one of her hands in his and put the other on her waist, guiding her in a slow waltz.
"You have everyone in the room enchanted," he said.
"Even you?" asked Lily.
James smiled. "Especially me," he said. "I feel like the Prince after he found Cinderella."
Delighted that she and James shared an interest in fairy tales, Lily let herself loosen up. "I think the Prince only fell in love with Cinderella because she was beautiful. Not because she was kind, or loving, or because she had a good heart. I mean, what if the ugly stepsisters hadn't been so ugly? If it was a question of beauty, he might have fallen love with one of them."
"I guess you're right," said James. "But the way I tell the story, the Prince fell in love with Cinderella because she made all the other girls in the room look ordinary, while she just glowed with an inner light. And when he talked to her, he found that she was funny and interesting, and that she had a mind of her own. And he also found out that he liked those things in a girl."
Lily knew what he was trying to say. He was trying to say that he liked her, but he didn't know how to say it directly. This, she decided, was the perfect opportunity to tell him how she felt.
"And I think," she said, "that when Cinderella looked at the Prince, when he came to let her try on the glass slipper, she realized that he loved her for herself, and that she loved him, too."
"And they lived happily ever after," added James. "You'd make a good writer, you know that?"
Lily blushed. "I try," she said. "But so far I've been uninspired."
They stopped dancing, and James led Lily to a secluded spot. They stood against the wall, chatting.
"Why not write a Cinderella story?" he suggested.
"I'll try," said Lily, grinning. Her eyes sparkled behind her mask.
"I'd like to read the story if you ever finish."
"I have to start it first, don't I?" They both laughed, and James said:
"Why don't we sit down?"
"Good idea. These shoes may not be glass slippers, but they're not bunny slippers, either!"
James laughed again. "Has anyone ever told you how funny you are?"
Lily blushed, but didn't answer.
"James!" squealed a voice. James tore his eyes from Lily to see Violet Thompson, dressed as Cleopatra, standing next to James's chair.
"Let's dance."
James scowled. "In case you didn't notice," he said coldly, "I was having a conversation with this young lady. You were very rude to interrupt us"
Violet turned on her heel and stalked off.
"Who was that?" James asked when Violet was out of earshot.
"A very rude young lady," replied Lily. "Rather like one of Cinderella's stepsisters."
"And who are you?" asked James.
"A girl who came to a Christmas masquerade hoping to find her Prince Charming."
"And did she?" asked James in a soft voice.
He was leaning across the table, his face only an inch from hers. It made Lily uncomfortable. She changed the subject.
"What time is it?" she asked.
James looked at his watch. "Nearly midnight," he said. "Why?"
Midnight! Lily thought. The spell for the jewelry isn't that strong! It'll wear off soon!
"What?" she gasped. "Oh, no! I have to go!"
Lily took off toward the entrance, with James close behind. "Wait!" he called out. "Who are you? How will I find you again?"
Lily paused and called back: "We're in the same house! We're bound to meet up again! Goodbye!"
And with that, she began again, headed toward Gryffindor Tower. Remus was waiting for her as she entered the common room.
"Well," he asked. "Did you win your bet?"
"Yes!" Lily gushed. "And I had the most wonderful time! I danced with James, and we talked. It was just like a fairy tale! I swear, Remus, you must've used fairy magic on the dress. That's the only way it could've happened!"
"It was that great, eh?" Remus looked Lily up and down. "Just one thing," he said. "Look at your feet."
"Huh?" Lily looked down. Her right shoe was missing.
"Oh, no!" she groaned. "It must have fallen off when I ran out of the room. I didn't even notice."
Lily sighed and went to bed. When Rose came up shortly after, she was nearly dancing in rage. "You won!" she cried. "How did you get that dress and the jewelry and."
Lily whispered, " Do you really think that's the only reason people liked me? Because I was beautiful?"
Rose didn't answer. Instead she motioned for Lily to come over to her trunk for her winnings.
Lily collected her ten Galleons, leaving them in a purse inside her trunk. All of a sudden, the money didn't seem so important. In fact, she was beginning to think it wasn't worth it.
Remus stayed in the common room until James returned at 2 A.M. He kept talking about the beautiful girl he'd met, how they'd danced, how everything clicked, in just the right way.
"And when she left," James said, unaware that Remus knew how the story would end, "she lost this." James held up a small dress shoe.
Remus smiled. "A Hogwarts Cinderella," he said. "Who would've thought?"