Happily Ever After?

By: TheFifthCharmedOne

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the fairy tale Cinderella; they belong to J.K. Rowling and the Brothers Grimm respectively.

Summary: "This year the Christmas Ball is going to be slightly different," said Dumbledore. "There is going to be a theme. You're familiar with Muggle fairy tales, correct?" L/J implied Sirius/Marlene and Alice/Frank

-X-X-X-

Chapter 4: Just One Kiss

Of course as soon as I got back to my dormitory, Marlene and Alice, as well as our other two roommates, Jaclyn Peters and Macy Benson, attacked me with questions and prodding things about my not date with James. Changing that password really sounds good right about now.

"Marlene, Alice, Jaclyn, Macy," I said calmly. "It was not, I repeat, not a date, and there is no reason for you to pester me like it was. All that happened was a pair of friends going out for a butterbeer to exchange notes on something that was unfamiliar territory for one friend."

"Liiillllyyy!" Macy and Jackie groaned. "Why didn't you make your move? You had the perfect opportunity; you should've just taken the leap!"

"No!" I yelled, all calm feelings suddenly gone. "No." I whispered, walking over to my bed, where Alice and Marlene sat against my pillows. I fell back in between them and took one of the pillows from behind Alice and covered my face.

"Mace, Jack, you should head back downstairs, we'll handle this." said Marlene. I groaned into the pillow. I heard the door open and close, and the pillow was lifted away from my face by Alice.

"Lils," she began. "Just tell him. What harm could it possibly do?"

"A whole hell of a lot." I said sourly. "Give me back my pillow."

"No. Lily, you've got to stop running and hiding. It's not going to make your feelings for him go away. It's probably only going to make them stronger."

"Shut up Marlene," I said, taking a different pillow and covering my face with that.

"Lily," said Alice. "Marlie's right. As much as you don't want to admit it to yourself or anyone else, you avoid situations that are difficult for you to deal with. You run and hide and wait for the threat or whatever it is to pass. Sure, your nasty temper has made you confront people in the past, but when it comes to things like matters of the heart, you run like a Quidditch Chaser from a Bludger."

I didn't bother denying it, so I just pulled the pillow away from my face.

"Am I really that transparent?"

Marlene and Alice both smiled.

"Only to those who know and love you." Marlene ruffled my hair like I was a little kid that had just gotten out of punishment.

-X-X-X-

Marlene and Alice stayed in the Head Dorm that night, and I was thankful for them for one simple reason.

I had a dream.

A dream about James Potter.

Dream:

We were on rounds, simple enough. He was saying something about Quidditch and I was off in my own little world, thinking about him and how much I wanted just one kiss.

"One kiss," I whispered. He looked at me sharply and I cursed myself for saying it out loud.

Then I was swept into a wave of emotions I had never felt before. He leaned down and kissed me. We stumbled into the wall, still kissing. I ran my hands through his silky black hair and he had his hands on my waist possessively. He had a strong grip on me, and it was everything I wanted it to be and so much more.

End Dream

"Marlie?" I whispered, nudging her. She moaned in her sleep and said something about Sirius. I bit back a laugh and continued to gently wake her up. "Marlene?"

She opened her eyes slowly, groggily.

"Lily? What is it, what time is it?" She glanced at my wall clock and managed a scowl in her half awake state. "Why are my eyes open at 2:30 in the morning?"

I ignored her and went over to wake Alice. She was up faster than Marlene and slightly more pleasant.

"Now will you tell us why we're not sleeping?" Marlene yawned.

"I had a dream. A very confusing one."

Marlene yawned.

"Did it have to do with James?"

I blushed and I was suddenly very thankful for the darkness. "Taking that as a yes," she said, climbing onto my bed. "What happened in your dream?"

I bit my lip.

"Lily, you woke us up because you needed to talk to us. Now talk." said Alice gently.

I told them everything.

-X-X-X-

The next morning, Marlene was complaining about me waking her up when we entered the Great Hall.

"Something like that could have waited until morning," she continued to rant. I was ignoring her for the most part, and we sat down at the Gryffindor table. I bit into a bagel and then felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw James. My heart skipped a beat, as it usually did when I saw him, and he said,

"Dumbledore wants to see us in his office."

"Again?" I asked. He nodded. I stood up and told Alice and Marlene not to wait up for me. Alice smiled deviously and I glared at her. Marlene was still ranting.

-X-X-X-

We walked toward Dumbledore's office in a comfortable silence. I thought back to my dream and fought back a blush. Stupid raging hormones. Stupid, dumb, irrational feelings, and stupid, idiotic James Potter for making me feel this way. Life just isn't fair.

"Lily, I wanted to ask you something." said James. I looked at him. "Why is Cinderella your favorite fairytale?"

My heart pounded inside my chest, and I continued to fight back a blush.

"My mother always used to rock me to sleep with it." I answered honestly. "And I'm a bit of a romantic at heart, so the concept of a happily ever after is sweet and adorable, at least in my eyes."

He cocked an eyebrow and smiled. I was going to ask him why he was smiling, when we saw McGonagall at the foot of the eagle statue, the same place she had been last time.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans." she recited. Figures,Dumbledore does not have a specific favorite.

-X-X-X-

"All right, James, Lily, as you know the dance is coming very soon, in the next few days in fact." said Dumbledore with a knowing, cheery smile. "If you two are to perform the fairytale of Cinderella in front of the whole school, you're going to need some practice, as well as co-stars." Dumbledore turned, and I couldn't believe my eyes. "Marlene McKinnon and Alice Stevens will be playing Cinderella's stepsisters," I'm pretty sure my mouth had dropped to the floor. Marlie was smirking, eyes glowing mischeviously. "Rebecca Morrison will be portraying the evil stepmother," A Ravenclaw girl stepped out. She looked like a snob; perfect for a stepmother role. "And the Grand Duke will be portrayed by Professor Lewman," (he's our DADA teacher). "The fairy godmother will be portrayed by Professor Sprout, the King will be portrayed b Professor Slughorn," The Potions Master grinned jovially. "And of course the two main roles will be Lily Evans as Cinderella, and James Potter as Prince Charming."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

A/N: Wee it's uber short! Tee hee, hope you liked it! Next chapter will be the last, at least I'm planning on it!

Review please!

~Charmed