I do not own any of the characters in this story, I'm just borrowing them and I cross my heart I'll put them back almost exactly where I found them. All thanks must go to JKR for creating such a fab world to play in and my first unofficial Beta-reader Floss for pointing out all those silly grammatical errors and laughing at all the right bits. XXX
Chapter One
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this!" James said mournfully as he tugged on the collar of his dress robes.
Sirius lounged on his bed and feigned outrage; "Puh-lease! You'll be thanking me by the end of the night! Amy Bartemly is nice. Very nice. If you know what I mean…" he waggled his eyebrows at his friend.
"You set me up with an ex? You made me ask out your ex-girlfriend?" James sighed and looked at his watch.
Sirius stood up and stretched; "Well, now, girlfriend is a bit of a strong term. We kept bumping into each other in various broom cupboards. Quite by accident of course." Sirius attempted to look innocent… and failed miserably.
"Fancy that!" James said as he rolled his eyes and headed down the staircase to the common room. Not that James was entirely innocent of bumping into girls in broom cupboards 'by accident'. But know Lily was going to the ball with that Ravenclaw git; Mclaggen.
"You needed to move on mate." Sirius said lazily. "I assisted you. You should be thanking me not insulting the lovely lass I so carefully selected for you."
James would not give up though. He was going to complain about tonight even if Sirius ended up hexing him into a green goop. Actually when he thought about it, being turned into green goop could be the perfect excuse to get out of tonight.
Sirius was having none of it however. He practically towed James through the Griffindor common room and into the entry hall where pupils milled around waiting for their partners for the Christmas Eve Ball from different houses.
Sirius pushed James in the direction of a girl in fuchsia pink. Her blonde hair was hoisted into an elaborate hairstyle and matching pink bows adorned her hair and hung down around her face. Her robes were very low cut and extremely tight. "Hi Sirius." She purred, "Hey James."
"Well I'll leave you two alone then. My date awaits some Black magic." And with that Sirius melted into the throng of people. James sighed and offered Amy his arm. Amy hung off it with a vice like grip her face practically split in half with the colossal smile she was wearing that managed to show every single tooth she owned. James sighed again and plastered a huge, fake grin across his face. Taking a deep breath he entered the Great Hall.
When Dumbledore had announced the Christmas Eve Ball for the Sixth and Seventh years the Head Boy was excited about the opportunity of asking out the Head Girl to go out with him. But Sirius had anticipated his ideas and spent a week persuading James into not harassing Lily Evans with yet more futile date requests. Amy Bartemly had been offered as a date instead and reluctantly taken.
After weeks of turning down invitations to the ball, Lily had eventually agreed to go out with a Ravenclaw called Timothy Mclaggen who was also in Seventh year. James had hidden his jealousy pretty well and continued to flirt, prank and bluff his way through November and all the way up to December the 24th.
The Great Hall looked magnificent. Holly and ivy was hung in garlands across the enchanted ceiling which was a beautiful midnight purple glittering with stars. Huge Christmas trees were bedecked with baubles and real, live fairies twinkling in the branches. Lots of tables set for ten were placed around the edge of the hall with space for dancing in the centre.
James made a beeline for the table were Sirius sat with his pretty Sixth Year date. She was glowing with delight of being out with The Sirius Black. James sank gracefully into the seat next to Sirius. "Does she ever stop talking, Padfoot?" he whispered. Amy had been keeping up a relentless stream of her previous boyfriends, all her other friends and all the rumours she had ever heard about everyone else.
"Well, Prongs," Sirius whispered back conspiratorially, "She certainly didn't do much talking when I was with her."
But James was not paying any attention. Lily had just entered the Great Hall. "Wow." He breathed. She was resplendent in robes of the lightest blue. The slinky, silky material flowed as she walked. Her beautiful red curls were piled on top of her head and tiny little blue gems glittered in her ears. Mclaggen was strutting next to her and waving to his fellow Ravenclaw Quiditch players. He was wearing bright yellow dress robes that clashed horrendously with Lily's elegant ensemble, James fumed silently.
"If I went out with her I would do anything that stupid! He looks like a giant dandelion. How can such an idiot be in Ravenclaw! A flobberworm has more sense then he does…" James silent rant was cut off abruptly when Lily settled herself in the chair opposite and tugged Mclaggen down next to her. She then proceeded to ignore James spectacularly.
Remus dragged Peter over to the table as well along with his Griffindor date and Peter's Hufflepuff date. James was still silent. Even Sirius, between flirting outrageously, noticed his friend's unusually quiet demeanour. Meanwhile Amy was sitting so close to James that she was practically on his lap.
The meal arrived, as usual magically appearing from the kitchens. James sullenly ate his food all the while glancing over the table to Lily who was pushing her meal around her plate and listening half-heartedly to Mclaggen as he bragged about his superior Quiditch skills.
By the time desert had arrived Amy was ignoring James and flirting with Mclaggen instead. James gave a fleeting look to Lily and caught her gazing at him.
For a second green eyes stared at brown, before Lily ducked her head back to her treacle tart.
James grinned to himself and Sirius poked him hard in the ribs, apparently he had been watching James and Lily closely. Abruptly he stood up and invited his date to dance. She could barely contain her excitement. They swept onto the dance floor and Remus and Peter followed their example. Mclaggen stood and asked Amy to dance. "You don't mind do you, James?" she said.
"Hmmm?!" James was woken from gazing at Lily.
"Oh never mind!" Amy cried exasperatedly and soon she and Mclaggen were welded together on the dance floor.
James flicked his gaze over to Lily's seat to see that it was empty. He scanned the Hall quickly and saw her disappear out into the grounds. James jumped to his feet and followed her outside.
She was standing just inside the circle of light to doors allowed through. James stood there in the entrance looking at her. He admired how her hair glinted in the light, how proud and tall she stood, how that even from behind you could tell that Lily Evans was not a force to be messed with.
The music drifted through form the ball, slow and sweet. James tiptoed towards Lily, he was uncomfortably aware that at any moment she could whip around and hex him. When he was so close he could count the freckles on the base of her neck he whispered, "May I have this dance my lady?"
Lily spun around shock in her eyes. Then she smiled. The sight made James' heartbeat speed up. Lily took the hand he offered, grinning in spite of himself he placed her hand on his shoulder and took the other, while his hand rested lightly on her waist. They began to sway perfectly in time with the music. Lily rested her head on his shoulder and James smiled tightening his hold on her hand.
The music had stopped but they were still swaying gently, lost in their own world. James was beginning to think that tonight was shaping up nicely when Lily pulled away. "James what are you doing? This isn't like you."
James' grin had faded from his face, "I messed up again didn't I?" he said dejectedly.
Lily smiled softly and took a step closer, "No, you didn't. I just can't quite believe that James Potter could be so… so…." She struggled to find a suitable word.
"Un-James-Potter-ish?" James supplied.
"Yeah." Lily said, so softly James could hardly hear her. Then she shivered.
"Are you cold?" James asked quickly.
"A bit." Lily replied.
James pulled out his wand and conjured a small jam jar. Poking his wand inside and frowning slightly a small blue flame appeared. Lily laughed and warmed her hands beside it. But James was not done. With his wand he began to trace the outline of a flower in mid-air, gently shimmering sparks floated were he had passed over his wand. A lily began to fade into existence. Perfect, silky leaves and soft, pale pink petals. With a debonair bow and an extravagant hand gesture James handed Lily the flower.
Lily gazed down at the flower for what seemed like forever, James could see her fingers softly following the veins on the leaves. Then she tucked the flower into her hair. "Perfect." James whispered.
With the jam jar full of dancing flames in one hand and Lily's hand in the other James walked out of the light cast by the doors and into the darker grounds.
A lone figure watched them from the double doors. Sirius chuckled to himself and then turned to re-join the party.
***
James felt electrified with happiness as he and Lily Evans began to circle the lake. "Why didn't you just ask me to come?" Lily whispered.
James whispered back, "Sirius, the git, told me to stop pestering you. Why?"
Lily smiled up at him, "I had made up my mind to say yes you know."
James stopped suddenly, "You were going to go with me? Me?"
Lily chuckled quietly. "Yes James Potter. I wanted to go with you, but you didn't ask me. I waited and waited and eventually said yes to Mclaggen. I wish I hadn't he is such an arrogant idiot. Even worse then you!"
James feigned utter horror. "How dare he take that title away from me!"
Lily laughed again. James felt the music course through his veins. "I much prefer you as you are now you know."
James looked down into her emerald eyes, "Really?"
"Really." Lily breathed back.
James watched her eyes gleam in the darkness, emerald green and beautiful. She was only a few inches shorter then him and standing so close he could see each individual eyelash. James swayed slightly forwards as Lily went up on tip-toes and their lips met.
And then they were kissing. James Potter and Lily Evans kissing passionately by the side of the lake. The little jar of flames fell to the floor and righted itself so that the fire inside continued to crackle merrily. James wrapped his arms around Lily's slender waist, and she threaded her fingers into his ruffled hair. Finally they broke apart, James rested his forehead on Lily's. "Wow." He whispered.
"Yeah, wow." She smiled back.
Far away in the distance, a bell chimed. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. "Merry Christmas." James said softly.
"Merry Christmas. Well, Cinderella, has got to be getting back." Lily laughed as James looked confused at the name. He was so adorable. She kissed him gently on his lips and hurried back up to the castle.
James watched her pause in the doorway. Her silhouette twisted to face him before turning and heading up the stairs. James stayed by his little jam jar. Lily was in bed and asleep, with a knowing smile on her lips, by the time he woke from his daze and headed up to his own bed.
