Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any associated characters.


07. A Dance to Remember

DECEMBER 22 1976

2 days before the Yule Ball


Lily shouldn't have taken Lucy's book.

It lay only a few feet away from the wavy-haired girl, who was practically thrown across her bed as if she'd been up all day and night planning something. But what, Lily wasn't sure. She nudged the spine of the book again, the leather-bound coolness under the pillow reminding her of the transgression against someone who'd never really done anything to Lily.

Was it petty? To withhold the very object that her dormmate never let out of her sight?

She and Remus had needed the letter only, but the peculiarity of the journal dawned such an interest that she couldn't refrain from taking it. Lily needed to know what was inside. It wasn't anything against Lucy, at least, that's what she tried telling herself—were it not for the girl Charming her bedcurtains silent, Lily would hear the evidence of her puffy eyes and weak voice first hand.

And Lily wasn't certain if that was the reason why she felt like jumping out of Gryffindor Tower.

James Potter, the boy Lily thought would never stop hounding after her had finally stopped. But she never thought she'd miss the constant noise that always seemed to escape James Potter's mouth, no matter how annoying she thought it had been. All of his attention was on Lucy Wendell now, the unexpecting wrench that had thrown Lily into her frenzy all of a sudden.

Was it cruel to lord the journal over her for the misfortune of being Potter's girlfriend?

Lily was lucky Remus hadn't found her the day before—he'd been on a warpath trying to locate her, and she'd had to rely on her old haunts from when she'd hung out with Severus in Fourth Year, which brought back even more memories that she wanted to forget. Lily was lucky Remus didn't tell Lucy she'd taken it—certainly, after Lucy had informed them, she'd thought it was all over.

Their little huddle by the fireplace the other day had wracked such nerves upon her that she'd not bothered to leave her dorm out of pure worry of being caught.

It just wasn't like Lily to do it, not like her to feel such ambivalence for another—the feeling made her feel as if she were a villain from a Disney movie, as sly as a Slytherin. Lucy was sweet to everyone who was back to her. She never said a cruel word to anyone who didn't deserve it, and she never cared much for the business of those who minded their own.

Who could have predicted the whirlwind romance between her and James would evoke the stirrings of, dare she say it, jealousy within her?

Lily missed having the constant banter with James, of his supposedly undying love for her, of his ardent adoration of Lily Evans that everyone knew was absolute and infinite—no girl could come between him and Evans, they said.

But Lucy Wendell wasn't just any girl.

She was a genius. A femme fatale—no one could ever see her killer beauty behind the obsession that'd surely devastate any sane man. But she was an American witch who knew what she wanted, how to do it, and how to fix it. Lily hadn't considered her a threat to her James. Not to the boy who'd waited all night by the staircase to give her his handmade Valentine's card each year since Third Year.

To think that she wouldn't receive one in 1977 sent unpleasant bile rising in her throat.

If Lily could hear what she was thinking only a month ago, she would've scoffed, laughed in her pathetic face at the audacity of her thoughts. Lily Evans actually considering James as something other than a pain in her rear? It wasn't possible!

Her face flushed in the darkness of the room.

Some diligent rule-keeper she was, stealing other's property right under their noses during a one-time occurrence that had the owner off-campus for the slightest amount of time. Lily was no better than a common thief! Lucy would never forgive her for taking it and delivering it to her bedside would be just as bad as writing 'Lily Evans stole this!' in fluorescent marker on the cover. It would never work because her partner that she'd dragged in crime knew she'd done it.

Lily tried to justify it, justify Lucy's pain because she'd made Lily hurt, so why not repay the favor? No-no-n-o—she shook her head, ridding herself of the callous thought that rose like an embittered hag. But the terrible part was, Lily knew what had hurt the most.

The infamous kiss during the Quidditch Final.

Lily didn't expect to see James move on so quick, and with such a quiet girl that it had felt as if he'd ripped her heart into two pieces when their lips connected in front of everyone. If Remus had run to try to forget, Lily completely shut down, her body functioning on autopilot for the rest of the night, where her last sight of the couple had been during the celebration party.

Did she not matter as much to James anymore?

Lily knew it was stupid to assume he would keep pining, stupid to keep him dangling on her hook like a fish out of water. But how was she to know he'd jump back in the water to find other fishes? Had all the years of chasing come to an end because of some upstart? It hurt more to be certain that James had disregarded his so-called affection for her over Lucy, no matter how great she was.

She was a selfish girl. Lily was used to getting her way. Used to everything just going right for her. In lessons, she was perfect, in public she was perfect, and at home she was perfect. Was she not perfect enough for James anymore?! Was Lucy what he considered perfect? Lily wasn't even perfect enough for Remus, who'd fallen under Lucy's spell all too willingly.

But how had she done it? With the journal?

No matter what she tried, the damned thing never opened—Lucy had Charmed it with spells Lily had never even heard of, the closest she'd gotten to skimming the surface was remembering she'd read about in Ancient Runes when learning about Roman era-style defensive spells. The second one had been nowhere close to anything like the first one.

Somehow after admitting defeat, Lily knew it wasn't the journal.

Lucy Wendell never ever had physical contact with a boy before James Potter. Something just had to be in the water over that girl, maybe she'd even Charmed it with some kind of romance spell—which was ridiculous, but Lily couldn't be sure with her. A wildcard, Dad would probably say to lessen the chaos in her well-organized brain.

Her half-thought of plan somehow fell into place that day in the Library with Remus. The plan to break them up. But she hadn't told him of her final step, no—that'd break his fragile resolve instantly, especially when it'd taken so much convincing to get him to really listen to her. She'd have to do it herself, with or without Remus.


DECEMBER 23 1976

1 day before the Yule Ball


James wasn't sure how he'd lived for so long without Lucy Wendell. She just got him. She was like a sensitive Sirius Black in a dainty little black-haired package. Lucy understood every thought he could think of, knew more than he did when it was time to be creative. James never thought anyone could do the things she did with a wand, for surely, not even Dumbledore could match her flair for Charms.

The little elves (peculiar little ones with human-like faces that Lucy had mentioned were commonly referred to as Santa's Little Helpers for Muggles) responded to her every command, a simple variation of the Charmed birds one could command at will. She'd changed her pronunciation, something James didn't think could really affect a spell since the intent was there, but it did somehow because Lucy did it.

"Are you ready?" she asked, her silver eyes glittering with excitement. James was lucky he'd finally broken the somber mood that'd overtaken her the past two days. He knew she was still missing the book, but she managed to get through better, he thought, with the wisecrack jokes he never seemed to run out of.

"Darling, I was born ready. Thank goodness we've pushed up the date—I don't think I could wait till Christmas to do this prank," he smirked, tugging at the stray wave that'd fallen into her face. "Do you think everyone else is done? I haven't really been paying that much attention to them."

"I think they are—and that hasn't been happening because you've been with me practically every second since I've lost my book."

"Don't act like you don't like me being with you every second of the day."

"I used to have things to do every day, you know."

"Wish you could do me every day." James didn't even try hiding the enormous smirk while saying that. Lucy gasped, her cheeks flaming adorably in the way they did when she got flustered.

"Shut up, James!" She smacked his shoulder, forcing a laugh out of him in surprise. James didn't know why, but all he felt like doing was teasing her. Just like he did with Evans, except Lucy wasn't one to banter back unless he'd really put his foot in his mouth, which happened far too often over the past few days. "That was so bad!"

"I don't think it'd be bad—for either of us, if you get what I'm saying," chuckled James, nudging her all-too-obviously.

"A deaf nun would get what you're saying, James. Now c'mon, stop messing around, let's round up these guys for tomorrow!"

"I wonder if they'll mind looking like my favorite Slytherin pals."


DECEMBER 24 1976

12 hours before the Yule Ball


Lucy thought the stress of performing might be the most anxiety-inducing one she'd ever done. The ramifications of doing so would be different per Marauder—James would absolutely be impressed with her, Remus would be proud, Sirius would never doubt her, and Peter…well, Peter would probably be happy regardless.

Her little army of elves marched as one unit, resembling a ludicrous march of waddling penguins under her command, just waiting for the flick of her wand to send them into the Great Hall. Their plan was supposed to happen in ten minutes—when everyone would be feasting on lunch. A signal would start the chaos, but Lucy'd forgotten to ask James just what it would be.

"You'll see it, don't worry!" he'd said, his familiar grin wide on his face. "It'll ghost right by you!"

How vague could he be?!

And then, she knew the idiot had been entirely too literal. A brilliant stag glittered down the hallway, a silver glow emitting particles with every gallop of its graceful legs as it raced towards her with a stride only James freaking Potter could conjure up. He'd cast the Patronus Charm.

Before she could admire James's wandwork, Lucy yelled at her own minions awaiting her signal to commence their mayhem.

"March!" A rumble came from the petite stomps of each elf, their command unfailingly sending them into the magnificent Hall.

Students gasped, but before it could get too out of hand, Lucy Disillusioned herself out of the way. She sent hundreds of the elves towards each table, their little legs scampering up the benches and onto the tables, some messing with the Lunch spread, and others chanting, "WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!" with the ferocity of a lion's roar.

She faintly (and by faintly, she meant distinctly) noticed a screech from the Gryffindor table that sounded much like one of the elves had found their way onto John Hale, but that was none of her business, she supposed, and continued spelling more and more of the creatures towards the Slytherin table. They seemed to hate the little buggers the most.

From her vantage point, Lucy surmised it would keep a long enough distraction for the boys, but when the teachers began rising from their seats, she began to get creative.

Each elf who had the misfortune of looking like Lucius Malfoy began floating towards the very subject of their appearance, but not without something else. Malfoy couldn't understand why the elves went for him—only that they lacked fine motor skills, and so he began blasting them away from him and his girlfriend, Narcissa Black.

Lucy could hear his enraged roar over the chaos bridling within the hall.

"Whoever is responsible for these demons shall be punished by my—" She decided that was enough from him and changed the nature of the previously-harmless elves.

"Lucius! Lucius! Stop blasting them, you imbecile!" cried Severus Snape amidst the screams, too fighting off the swarm that came from Lucius's targets. They duplicated with every spell shot from the manic boy, much to the amusement of the Gryffindors. But when the singing swelled, Lucy knew it was time for the grand finale.

"SANTA'S COMING, SANTA'S COMING!" The elves sang, each raising their tiny arms towards the heavens. Their high-pitched voices drowned out the calls from the Teacher's Table, but no one could miss the sound of the clacking of hooves on cobblestone coming from the main doors.

An enormous stag burst into the Great Hall, its antlers decked in bells and holly with a certain confidence Lucy'd never seen in any animal in her life. It pulled the sleigh, ostentatiously painted firetruck red and carrying one, white-haired Sirius Black dressed as Santa Claus. Remus and Peter were dressed like some of her elves behind him, waiting to toss the presents they'd all agreed to give to every student.

"My children!" bellowed Sirius, somehow keeping a straight face through the chaos. "I've come to bestow upon you all some gifts early this year, since a little reindeer told me you've got plans while I'm supposed to deliver your gifts! That won't do! So now, boys and girls, have you been naughty or nice?"

He pulled the reins of the stag, which pranced around like the star of the show between the space of the tables. Lucy decided the show would look much better flying, so for a moment, she cast a minor Levitation Charm on the exuberant deer. And what the hell, why not throw in some sparkles too?

The stag nearly stumbled over its feet, but recognizing it was not about to faceplant into the students with Lucy leading it around, it began shaking its bell-covered antlers to make sure it would remain noticed as the rest of the boys began their jobs.

The spell on each box James and Lucy had come up with themselves-a variation of Transfiguration and Charmwork to ensure each student got something for Christmas that wasn't out of the ordinary, like chocolates. However, if they were naughty students (a criteria decided by the boys and not her, which made it certainly biased) they'd get a lump of coal. Lucy wasn't sure if any Slytherin would be getting any chocolates from them.

"We hope you have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!" trilled Sirius, and then Lucy set them back on their track out of the Hall, much to the amazement and bewilderment of the Hogwarts students and staff.

"Excellent!" cried James, hugging Lucy with such strength, she reconsidered how much she valued breathing over hugs. "The flying bit was amazing, I don't know why we didn't think of it ourselves!"

"I think you lack a feminine perspective—though, I didn't see you on the sleigh," Lucy raised a brow, wondering what he could have been doing during the show.

"I was giving Remus and Peter the presents—Minnie promised my head to Mum if she caught me doing one more prank," he grimaced, messing his hair up.

"Dorea would probably accept it, seeming as you're messing your hair hours before the Ball!" scolded Lucy, flattening the parts that stuck straight up into the air.

James pushed her hands down, smiling at her efforts.

"Darling, I've tried every trick in the book to get these magnificent locks to fall flat. You can't do it if I can't."

"Is that a challenge?!"


1 hour before the Yule Ball


Why did Lucy ever think that going to a ball would be easy?! The dress, of course, fit perfectly—but that wasn't the issue, no, it was the outrageous demands of the girls she lived in her dorm with.

"You must wear some makeup, Lucy—what will James think if you look like you normally do?!" shrieked Alice, acting as if it were some heinous crime to want to be recognizable.

"Uh, he probably won't notice—"

"No! You have to at least put some of this silver eye-shadow my aunt got from Paris—It would look so nice with your dress!" begged Marlene, shoving the tiny container of sparkling dust right under her nose.

Lucy managed to evade the other girls by jumping on her bed, ("Lucille, your hair!") and she began negotiating.

"If I let you do whatever you want to my face, will you promise to stop hounding me over all this girly crap?" Lucy waved her arm at the offending objects, of which included a flat iron and too many brushes to keep count of.

"Yes," they chorused, seizing their chance to poke, prod, and ravage her delicate skin with God knows what beauty products.

Before the well-manicured claws of Mary McDonald reached her, Lucy wondered if she really did receive the better side of the transaction.


Remus didn't like dressing up.

It was irrelevant, it was pointless, and it just made him feel downright uncomfortable. He preferred the well-worn creases of his leather shoes, and the casual clothing he wore on the daily, like the Hogwarts uniform or some other comfortable (if a bit shabby) clothes. Not the stiff, formal suits that balls dictated to wear.

He didn't even own the suit he was wearing. It was Sirius's, one of the many the Pureblooded boy had required to use for his previous occasions, and damned if any Black would wear the same suit twice to a formal event.

That saying…Remus liked seeing other people dressed up. He knew he didn't belong within their circles, the people who wore clothes that cost more than his entire wardrobe on a daily basis, but he knew it made them look good.

Exhibit A. Sirius Black. That boy was born to wear suits, and the deep gray one he was sporting already drew the attention of many of the girls in the Gryffindor Common Room. Even their dates looked like they were wearing rags when next to the show stopper, but Remus didn't care how he looked with his friends. He didn't care about any of the girls dying to be the one on Sirius Black's arm, and he didn't care about the red-head digging her nails into his arm as she came down.

Lucy walked down the staircase as gracefully as one can with heels, but he knew any sort of mental functioning stopped the second her heavy lashes fell upon him. The dress she wore left everything to the imagination, while being modest enough for the winter-themed event they'd all be going to together. Her hair, forever stuck in a messy ponytail, came down for the Ball, straight and glossy. Were it not for his best friend slicking his hair back in front of him to grab her hand, Remus would fall over himself to have the pleasure of doing so.

"You clean up nicely, Lucy," James grinned, looking as if even he couldn't believe it were Lucille Wendell holding his hand.

"Y-yeah, you look amazing." Remus couldn't help himself from stuttering out, but the grateful smile she sent his way was worth the nails in his arm from Lily Evans, who James had hardly looked at since Lucy came down.

"Back at you, James! And you too, Remus. Sorry I took so long—the girls attacked me after Lily came down," rambled Lucy, her adorable laugh escaping her rouge lips. If he didn't have perfect vision, Remus might think she were a life-size porcelain doll with the makeup she had on.

"Marlene can be very demanding when she wants to," agreed Lily, her own smile strained as Lucy fell into James's side comfortably. Seeing as they had nothing to say to that, she continued: "I wonder how the Great Hall will look for the Ball—Dumbledore never does anything halfway."

"If the old man doesn't animate some snowmen, I'll be disappointed," joked James, nudging Lucy. "Unless Lucy-pie can do him better and make them for us."

Lucy-pie, just kill Remus now.

"Lucy-pie? Are you Jamesie now?" countered Lucy, huffing in a way that let them all know James was putting on another show.

"Only if you want me to be, baby." James winked at her, before Sirius (thankfully) got him to a suitable level.

"Can you save it for the dance? I think I want to barf after drinking the spiked punch, not before, thanks you two," Sirius asked pointedly, pulling along his own date in front of him.

"Why can't you be that cute, Sirius?" asked Kelly Barton, the Seventh Year from Hufflepuff that Sirius was entertaining for the night. "They're so adorable together!"

"It's not cute, it's revolting," remarked Lily, scoffing at the blonde. "Luckily, Remus doesn't do cringey things like that."

"I like the cringey things James does," commented Lucy, her full attention now on Lily, who looked as if she wanted nothing more than to pry Lucy's hand from James's arm. "They're endearing."

Perhaps that wasn't the adjective to use around Sirius and James—the pair cracked up, the inside joke only the Marauders knew unknowingly used by Lucy. Remus smothered the groan that longed to escape him as they grinned at each other simultaneously.

"En-deer-ing you say?" questioned James petulantly.

"I think she means hart-ening."

"No, it's staggeringly adorable." James threw an arm across Lucy's bare back. "Don't you think so, sweetie?"

"Whatever you say, weirdo." Remus had to smile at that.

"See, she agrees!"

"That's not me agreeing," laughed Lucy, pushing James off her back. "Although, if you two get anymore stupid, I'll have to say you're both barking mad."

"Barking, you say?"

"Shut up you two, we're about to enter the Great Hall!" Remus let out a breath of air that he didn't know he was holding, and Lily gave him a side-ways glance that showed her own discomfort.

It certainly didn't help him that Lucy stood out like a goddess among mortals from the instant they walked in. Remus couldn't let that deter him from getting a dance in with her but judging by the looks of the guys ogling her around the Hall, it wouldn't be easy.

The Great Hall was only recognizable by its walls—the enchanted ceiling might've been familiar if the candles that never extinguished were present—Dumbledore had allowed a minor snowfall to lace the floor in an elegant flurry of snowflakes. A brilliant crystal ball lit up the cavernous room faintly, as if winter had barely sprung into their northern region, and the students were only just noticing its beauty. Strangely enough, there was no chill to the snow falling—only a minor breeze that let them all breathe comfortably in the crowded room.

"Oh, wow…" trailed off Lucy, her silver eyes not once leaving the ethereal glow of the Hall. "You still want those snowmen, James?"

"N-not yet." Even James couldn't hide his surprise at seeing the Great Hall so much more…wintery than usual.

The pair took their awe in stride—Lucy almost in a trance as she passed the various decorations that littered the enormous frosted windows, and James unable to keep his eyes off his date's wonder. Remus felt his confidence falter as they kept up their etiquette, and he paused by the drinks to ask Lily a question.

"How are we going to do this?" Remus nearly cried, his voice tightening in exasperation. James and Lucy laughed in the distance and his heart dropped into his stomach at the thought of separating the two. Why was he doing this again?

"Just wait for the slow dances," breathed Lily, her own bright eyes cast over his shoulder, where the pair talked animatedly. "I'll do it first, and while James is dancing with me, it's your turn."

"I don't feel comfortable doing this anymore, Lily." He couldn't lie to himself, or Lily anymore. It wasn't nerves, it wasn't any cowardly act that didn't let him split the two—it was the idea of betraying his closest friend, regardless of who his girlfriend was. "They don't deserve this—any of it. We're cold-hearted if we do this, and I don't think it's worth it to betray James like this after I just got him back."

Lily stared at him, long and hard. Remus knew that he'd gotten some of it through to her, but whether or not she'd admit it, he didn't know. And then those eyes of hers hardened into emeralds before him, and he knew it was a lost cause.

"If you're not helping me, I'll do it myself. Lucy will only get hurt if James keeps this up—and here I thought you cared about her, Remus." With a turn of her heel, Lily stomped off, leaving him in all sorts of disarray.

No…no…James wasn't the type to hurt anyone on purpose, and especially not someone he knew was friendly to all. Remus thought about the incident the year before, and of how he nearly killed Severus Snape were it not for James Potter, and he felt his spirit fall into further levels of disgust at his actions. How dare he, Remus Lupin, betray the boy who gave more than he deserved?

Remus steeled himself, finally glancing up from his scuffed black shoes to look for Lily. How arrogant could she be, to immediately assume James would hurt Lucy because of her? They'd barely been a couple, and judging by the looks of things, he knew they could potentially be so much more.

The thought sent a dagger to his heart, but he knew it was true. James was all-or-nothing, and Lucy, for all Remus knew about her, would not be one to callously break his heart. The two were too stubborn to think of another while together. Lily's plan could only make her a villain to their love story, as painful as it was to Remus.

A flash of red hair moved his feet instantly, towards where the teachers kept a careful eye on wandering hands or potential arguments. A smart move from Lily, but Remus be damned if he didn't stop her from tearing a hole into Lucy's relationship. Her green dress fluttered between the many dresses of other girls, and he nearly tumbled into a very excited Ravenclaw couple in between the beats of the Muggle music.

The song ended abruptly, however, and Remus stopped in his tracks as Lily caught her targets in between their dance before he alerted them. He watched James and Lucy part, the latter smiling happily as she left James, but Remus felt something twist in his gut at the predatory gaze Lily gave James as soon as Lucy went back towards the punch table.

Was it…David Bowie? No, Elton John—the cover of that Beatles song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, that they were dancing to. How ironic.

Remus immediately moved to tell Lucy of what Lily had planned, but she stopped him with a simple wave of a red cup in front of his face.

"Why so serious, Remus?" she asked, a small grin tugging at her lips as she dangled the cup in front of his face.

He sighed, knowing that it was cruel of him to spoil her Christmas Eve, but it had to be done. Remus grabbed the cup if only to stop her from being distracted, but then the lyrics came on.

"Not the time for jokes, Lucy—"

Picture yourself in a boat on a river…with tangerine trees and marmalade skies…

"Of course it is! We're at a dance, Remus!"

Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly…A girl with kaleidoscope eyes…

"I need to tell you something—it's about Lily and James—"

Cellophane flowers of yellow and green…towering over your head…

"James is fine, he's dancing with Lily, look—"

Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes…

Remus felt her hands push him to glance at James's unusually slicked hair, just as Lily fucking Evans pulled him down to her level and kissed James Potter right in front of their very eyes.

And she's gone…

"Oh."

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds…


A/N: I'm back guys! Germany was awesome, but city life was a bit too much for me. Here's a chapter to celebrate goin' back to the States! Also, how'd you like that ending? I know Lucy didn't…feel free to follow/fave/review! See you guys with the aftermath next chapter, wink wink ;).

Credit to the Beatles for "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", and to Elton John who made it popular again in '74. Also, I'm wondering if any of you mind the POV shifts? I like writing that way so it feels more dynamic; although, if it is too distracting, I can put labels of their names before I do start the shift.