The next morning the school gathered around the Lake. It was a clear spring day, so it was decided that the after party would be outside. Two white tents were pitched by the side of the lake, one for the band and the other for the food. A wooden platform was built for the dancing. The four heroes stood in front of their boats. Each boat was made special for each house with their house color and symbol. The hero's were wearing heavy woolen cloaks, again their house's color. Dumbledore raised his wand to his throat, "Hero's take your mark…on the count of three the race will start. The rules go that the first to return the shores with his maiden still be for a year the King of the Lake. All ready? 1…2………………………………………3!" They were off.
James started in the led but Severus caught up and attacked James with his ore. The two's fight ended with both of them in the Lake. Frank took the led and was the first to reach the shore. William was shortly behind him. The moment Frank reached the shore Narcissa ran to met him. "Finally you came. God, I was sitting on that rock all morning. Okay Frankie, let's get going!" Frank looked at her with disgust. He then turned to Lily with pleading eyes. "Sorry Narcissa but Frank and I agreed to pair up but maybe you can go with William." "Who would ever want to be seen with a Huffelpuff. I have some pride." Just then William reached the shores. "Willie darling, Are you ready to go?" William gulped and Stacie jumped off her rock and grabbed Williams arm. Her eyes sent Narcissa the message. "He's mine." Narcissa flopped down on a rock next to India to watch the last two heroes' fight. "What's that you say about being seen with a Hufflepuff?"
Lily and Frank were the first to reach the shores. There everyone cheered for them. Lily could see Alice in the crowd. She was beaming and full of pride for her best friend and the boy she had loved since childhood. William and Stacie also reached the shore. After them came James and Narcissa. Narcissa was smiling ear to ear that she had James. Lily know that Narcissa was planning their wedding already. James looked less happy to have Narcissa grasping his arm. His eyes, if possible, became even more hurt when he saw Lily standing by Frank. When Severus returned with India Frank was crowned King. With a crown of fresh flowers on his head Frank started the dancing by choosing his partner. To Lily astonishment she was chosen.
The night went on not as Lily had planned. So far Frank had claimed her for every dance. James, who had been a hostage of Narcissa's, finally got away from her and was last seen walking the lake. It was almost midnight and many of the teachers and older students were a bit tipsy. Poor Professor Flickwick had gotten into drinking games with Professor Slughorn and Sirius Black. Little be said, he could not hold his like the bigger men. He was now on stage singing one of his favorite jigs:
I'll
tell me ma when I go home,
the boys won't leave the girls
alone.
They pull my hair, they stole me comb,
but that's
alright when i go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty,
she's
the belle of Belfast city,
She is a courting. One. Two.
Three
Please won't you tell me who is she?
Now Albert Mooney
says he loves her,
all the boys are fighting for her.
Knocking
on the door and ringing on the bell,
saying: "Oh my true
love, are you well?"
Down she comes as white as snow
with
rings on her fingers and bells on her toes.
Old Johnny Murphy says
she'll die
if she doesn't get the fellow with the roving eye.
Let
the wind and the rain and the hail come high,
and the snow come
shoveling from the sky.
She's as nice as apple pie,
she'll get
her own lad by and by!
When she gets a lad of her own
she won't
tell her ma when she comes home.
Let them all come as they
will
but it's Patrick Murphy she loves still!
Lily did not know how much more she could take. Frank was handsome and very kind but there was something about him that she didn't understand. It was the same quality she saw in Alice. They were both Naïve about the problem with the world and its people. He was just too sweet. At first Lily thought it was some kind of game but after hours of dancing with him she saw that it was just the way he was. Lily saw Alice sitting at a table by herself watching them dance. Heart break was written all over her face. As they danced closer to Alice, Lily formed a plan. "Frank if it's alright with you I'm a little tired but I know who would be the perfect partner for you." In a flash Lily grabbed Alice's hand and throw her into the arms of Frank Longbottom. Lily watched the pair dance for a while. They were great together. Both smiling and laugh up a storm.
Lily saw Slughorn and Sirius at the table nearest the ale. She grabbed a pint and made her way over to Sirius. Both men were a few pints away from joining Flickwick on stage. At this point, however, they were daring each other to do stupid things. Lily was happy that she had gotten there when she did. Any later Sirius would have been running around the lake naked. She sat down and turned to Sirius. "Where's James? I saw him leave awhile ago." Sirius turned to her sharply, spilling ale on the table doing so,
"What? Out to break my best mate's heart again are we. Like I'd give you my Jamie to walk all over again. You Vixen, You scarlet woman, You home wreaker. I feel like a song. How about you Slug?" "Only a short one my boy…I do have to teach tomorrow you know!" Lily sighed as they both took the stage. Clearly neither of them would be any help. Lily set out to find the other Marauder's. Peter was passed out under a table and Remus was no where to be found. She then saw a shadow of a tall man with messy hair walking the lake. She raced to the shore to meet him.
