Dancing Away With My Heart
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Dancing Away With My Heart by Lady Antebellum.
Lily had her fiery red hair half up, simply tied and it all flowed down her back. She wore a sparkling emerald green dress on this particular night. Her friend, Alice, wore a vibrant orange dress with splashes of yellow, which made it look almost like the flames of a burning fire.
Alice spun around letting Lily admire her dress. "I love it, and Frank will too," she assured Alice for the umpteenth time that night. "Where is he by the way?"
Alice glanced toward the double doors. "I think he said something about forgetting his jacket."
James and Sirius walked in. Actually, it was almost a saunter with their easy smirks and casual demeanor. They acted like they owned the place, and James, being Head Boy, probably thought he did. Behind them walked Remus, who was dressed properly and smiled pleasantly at Lily and Alice.
Peter was scampering along next to Sirius, looking quite frightened and out of place. His hair was rather ruffled and his tie was not straightened yet.
Many girls looked around at the Marauders. Fashionably late as usual and not one of them had a date. Sirius and James would dance with any girl and knew of course that they could get any girl. Then there was Remus, who only came along for fun. He rarely danced with anyone and told everyone he was terrible at it. Peter was just the tag-along. He had no date because he was too scared to ask any girl to the dance. Remus leaned over to Peter and muttered something to him, and added a nod toward a pretty raven-haired Hufflepuff. Peter shook his head but Remus gave him a pointed look and a jolting shove.
Sirius was looking around alert as usual. Next to him, James and Remus leaned against the wall. James leaned over to Remus and said something at which Remus rolled his eyes and shook his head. Peter was still shooting awkward glances at the Hufflepuff girl. Sirius finally shoved off of the wall, clapping James on the shoulder in an almost good luck gesture before he walked off to grab himself a date. James pretended to glare after him before turning back to his conversation with Remus.
Lily was watching Sirius dance, there was no doubt he could dance well. Each step was timed perfectly in rhythm to the beat of the music. He twisted with a sort of elegance that Lily had never thought of Sirius Black being able to pull off. The girl he danced with was not so perfect, just barely being able to keep up with the beat.
Sirius danced easily with her, not batting an eye when she missed a step. He was graceful, almost making the dance look easy. Lily barely recognized the dance though she could see the pureblood descent in it. Lily looked at the girl who looked entirely wrapped up in Sirius. So much so that she missed James who was making his way over to the two. Sirius saw him though, and jerked his head slightly and James appeared at Sirius' side twirling the girl the other away. Sirius pretended to scowl, but the slight smirk playing at his lips said otherwise.
The girl looked shocked at James's appearance and that he was dancing with her. She was twirled between the two brothers, and Lily distinctly saw James hiss something at Sirius. His response wasn't noticed by the girl who was too busy trying not to trip over them. But his eyes traveled to Lily, and he nodded his head slightly and James grinned before leaving Sirius to dance with the girl alone.
Sirius bowed to the girl before retreating after James who was talking to Sirius, daring to glance over at Alice and Lily now and then.
Lily turned to her friend quickly. "Pretend you're talking to me."
"But I am talking to you," Alice pointed out, drinking from a fizzing bottle of butterbeer. "Why?"
"Because Potter is looking," Lily hissed out of the corner of her mouth. "Don't look now."
Alice however, looked past her petrified friend and looked at James. "I said don't look!" Lily hissed angrily.
"Funny he's looking at you. He hasn't nearly all year. Despite the two of you being Head Boy and Girl," Alice said, looking for Frank. She didn't look worried though she stole another glance at the two troublemakers now and again.
"Just because I like him doesn't mean he has a chance," Lily snapped, glaring at the wall.
Alice smirked. "That's interesting. Because I bet, if he danced with you right now he'd have your heart in two seconds flat."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Right," she said sarcastically. Alice raised an eyebrow but Lily didn't notice. She was looking at that Hufflepuff girl the two Marauders had been dancing with.
The girl was chatting with her friends excitedly. "Sirius was amazing and James, he's got those captivating hazel eyes. Do you think he fancies me?"
"Sirius had his eyes on you," encouraged one girl.
"James said he's over Lily Evans. Maybe you have a chance!" squealed another.
"You really think so?" Lily asked, interrupting them.
A blonde stepped forward. "Well he certainly would never like you. He was just in it for the chase. Well, you gave him a chase. But you never even gave him a chance."
Another girl spoke up. "You played him Lily Evans, and you never even liked him."
"I never-" Lily began to protest.
"Did you see the way he looked at her? He can't always love you Lily. There's other girls, who would be more willing to love him. Ones who won't make him chase them just because they think it's fun. Because you know what? He isn't a game. It's not funny to see you break his heart over and over. I don't even see what he loved you for."
"Besides," continued the blonde. "You had your chance. What would you care? You don't fancy him, and what would he see in the famous Lily Evans?"
"And you're constantly flirting with the likes of Slytherin. Honestly, how much worse can you get?"
"He sees Lily. A girl who is caring, sweet and lovely. He sees a girl who fights for what is right. Someone who is a leader, a girl with a fiery temper and a hell of a curse. But he also sees a girl who can look past the stereotypes. One who sees into people's hearts, not just what's on the outside."
Lily whipped around. There stood James, still managing to look extremely casual, despite his dress robes. He held his hand out to Lily, who hesitated. "Dance with me?"
She could feel all the girls behind her just holding their breath, waiting for her rejection. She could also see the hope in James's eyes that she wouldn't reject him. She remembered Alice's words, and she swept the room, finding Alice talking with Frank.
For a second she paused. Her friend looked happy, calm and at ease. There was a light in her eyes and a joy that seemed to radiate from her friend. The look in her friend's eyes was a look she'd seen her friend giving Frank many times before. She looked at him like he was everything, almost like he was magic itself.
She offered her hand and smiled slowly. "Alright, make me fall in love with you." She stared into his eyes, daring him to do what he'd been trying to do for years. James smiled back, eyeing her curiously even as he took on the dare. For one second his lips seemed to quirk into his traditional smirk before it faded and he turned serious.
His eyes bore into hers as he bowed formally to her. Then he pulled her forward, one hand on her waist, and the other taking her hand. He danced with her spinning her around enough to make her dizzy, even though he only spun her around twice.
As they danced she felt the tension and the fear of the girls' remarks faded. She relaxed with beat of the music, every step he took, and every time he spun her around, twisting with her, his hands never wavering.
As the song drew closer to the end, Lily rested her head on James's shoulder gently almost hesitantly. He looked down, meeting her shining green eyes with his hazel. He brushed her hair out of her eyes and just as the last note wavered and fell, he leaned down and kissed her.
For once Lily didn't object at all. She kissed him back because now she knew. She'd dared him to make her fall, and she did. James stepped back suddenly and walked off toward the drinks.
"Butterbeer?" he offered, turning to glance back at her.
"Sure," Lily replied, face flushed from dancing. James turned around, walking off to find the tables, while Lily sat down.
"So, you finally admit you like him?" asked a smug voice. Lily turned to see Sirius and Remus pushing their way through the people.
"It was just one dance," she reasoned. Remus raised one eyebrow and Sirius crossed his arms.
"Well, that one dance, and that one kiss," Sirius said specifying, and smirking. Lily wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off both their faces.
"Yes, well that one kiss meant nothing," Lily lied to them. She knew they would see right through it though.
"Lily," Remus began. Barely a second in and Lily knew he was preparing himself for a serious talk. "How dare you sit there and tell me a kiss like that meant nothing. If you can honestly look me in the eye and tell me you felt nothing, then I'll believe you. But I saw you out there. You looked at him like he was the only person that existed. So don't tell me you felt nothing." Lily gaped and opened her mouth to object and then sat down in a chair.
Sirius was quicker and he opened his mouth and didn't give Lily a chance to speak. "Lily, I don't know you. I've never had a serious conversation with you. But I've heard about you from James..and Remus. James is my best mate, practically my brother. I know love when I see it. And James, he isn't kidding when he says he loves you. I don't dictate his life but I'm warning you," Sirius held up his black wand. It gleamed in the lighting, and Lily eyed it. "Don't go breaking his heart."
Lily's eyes widened slightly, but she could tell he was sincere even with the smile on his handsome features. Remus nodded in agreement and the two turned to go. Lily however got up before they did, "Remus can I have a word?" she requested. Remus nodded, sitting down next to her and Sirius gave her one last look before disappearing in the crowd of other Hogwarts students.
"I don't now how to say this easily but I think after all this time I finally love him," she smiled at Remus admittingly.
Remus smirked in a very Marauder-ish way that Lily had rarely seen cross his face. "I already knew," and then he rose and was walking away. One last message drifted back to her as he vanished. "Now tell James."
"I see Remus tried to steal you," James joked lightly, handing her a warm butterbeer. She sipped it thinking clearer as the sweet liquid warmed her.
"He didn't really have a chance," she assured him.
James drank his butterbeer, peering at the mass of people dancing. He took of his glasses to clean them, blinking as he did. Lily glanced at him as he did, noticing that his eyes were brighter than she though, and cleaner. When he lifted them to place them back on, Lily stopped him and lowered his hands, which held his glasses. She stared into his eyes for a long moment before taking his glasses and carefully putting them back over his eyes, causing him to blink rapidly a few times.
"What was that for?" James asked as Lily picked up her bottle of butterbeer again.
Lily merely shook her head. "Nothing, I just wanted to see something."
James looked skeptical, but didn't ask. Slowly, a thought broke through to him. "So, Lily?"
Lily lowered her bottle hesitantly, afraid of what he was going to ask. "Hmm?"
"So did I?" James asked, watching the dancers intently as though the answer didn't matter to him even as he shot her a glance to see what her answer would be.
Lily slowly followed his gaze. "Did you do what?"
"Make you fall in love with me," James asked, looking anxiously at her.
Lily bit her lip. She considered lying, but she really was a terrible liar. Plus, she knew of Sirius's warning, and Remus's honesty. For a moment she contemplated what he was asking and then she nodded. "Yes. I must have gone crazy, but yes. I love you, James."
It seemed to take James an age to move. His brain had stopped working. Because it couldn't be true. "You...what?" James asked, sure he was hearing things.
"I love you," she repeated.
Slowly, James began to smile until he was grinning. "You already know I love you Lily."
"Aren't you going to ask me out anyway?" Lily teased.
"Alright, will you go out with me Lily?"
"Well..." Lily looked at him thoughtfully. "Why not?"
For me you'll always be eighteen and beautiful
And dancing away with my heart
Away with my heart