Author's Note: Hi, just a quick note to say thank you to everyone who has been and is reading (and reviewing and favouriting). Please be sure to read the note at the end of this.

Quick notes to the "Guest" reviewer, Amelia, I thought your review was quite sweet. So thank you. And to theBlackRider whose review gave me five stars and made me smile.

Hope you enjoy this!


"So, may I ask just how you came to be here?" Remus asked. "Coerced or merely invited?"

Lily smiled at him. "A little bit of both actually."

"Oh Merlin." Remus shook his head. "He didn't actually send you the portkey, did he?" Lily nodded. "I thought he was joking when he came up with that one."

"Apparently not." Lily watched as James weaved through people to stop at another group, greeting who she assumed were friends of his parents. Sirius toted along with him shaking hands and hugging just as many if not more people than James. Remus and Lily remained seated together at the table, just the two of them as Elizabeth had been tracked down and unwillingly taken to the dance floor by some stuffy bloke who must have used more than a hundred syllables to ask for a simple dance. Lily had a feeling the girl had agreed if only to shut him up.

"Anyway," Lily continued, "I…well, I guess I realized I didn't really want to go home after all."

"And James convinced you to spend Christmas here, then?" He took one look at Lily's expression and nodded. "Figures. I mean, how do you think I ended up here?"

"What about your parents?" Lily asked.

"Out of town," Remus replied. "How about yours?"

"At home," said Lily, "with my sister and her boyfriend."

Remus nodded in understanding, just as Lily predicted he would. She'd come to find a good friend in Remus during the past year or two, confiding in him; he knew all about the tension between her and some of her family members. She'd figured it only fair really, she knew his biggest secret—him being a werewolf and all—and he hadn't even any idea that she knew.

"They know where you are, don't they?" Remus questioned, eyebrows raised.

"I sent them a letter. Don't you worry."

"Everything's alright?" Remus' eyes were soft and kind as they met hers.

"Everything's fine," she said, giving him a small smile at his genuine caring.

She glanced back over at James and Sirius. They'd yet to make it even halfway around the room yet. She turned to Remus. "Do you want to dance?"

"What?"

He looked taken aback. "You can say no, Remus," she told him. "Really." She grinned. "Just thought I'd ask. No one else seems to be lounging at their tables."

"I don't think James would like that."

"I see." She stood. "Well, then we absolutely must dance."

He laughed, shaking his head. "I don't know," he said but he was standing as well. "I'll try my best not to squash your toes."

"Very considerate of you," Lily said.

"I'm not nearly as skilled a dancer as James or Sirius," Remus warned.

She smiled at him and looped her arm through his. "It's alright. I know how to waltz. I learned twenty minutes ago."

"Okay." He walked with her to the dance floor just as one song ended and another began.

"So," Lily started, "there have a ball like this every year?"

Remus counted out the first few beats of the music, taking a second to catch the rhythm before he nodded. "They have for as long as I've known James."

"And you're here every year?" Lily asked. She was beginning to get the feeling that Remus was just very modest. Besides the fact that he glanced down at their feet every once in a while, he seemed to know how to dance perfectly well.

"No," Remus replied. "Been invited nearly every year, my parents as well, but we always had prior engagements and such. I just went with my parents to whatever dinner party they were attending. Most boring events," he said with a shake of his head. "Last year I managed to stop by for a short while before going to my aunt's house. I'm sort of glad my parents took their trip this year. James and Sirius have always got quite the holiday stories when we get back to school."

"You don't mind your parents' travelling?" Lily questioned.

He shook his head. "Not really. Miss them a bit. But they work hard, they deserve the vacation."

Lily smiled at him before glancing around the room to catch a glimpse of where the other two boys had gone to.

"What about you?" Remus asked. "Your original plans for the hols?"

"Mostly I was just home. Last minute shopping. Avoiding my sister and her friends. Not too much. What were you up to?"

Remus chuckled. "A lot of reading. A lot of doing nothing. A lot of coming over here to see James and Sirius and do nothing."

"Ah." Lily nodded. "Sounds like fun."

"Doesn't it?" Remus grinned.

James watched the interaction between Remus and Lily with interest. Sirius followed his gaze. "He doesn't mean anything by it," he reminded.

James glanced at Sirius with a shrug and a smile. "I know." Besides, he'd watched Lily ask him to dance. He found it amusing. Leave it to Lily to be the one girl who could get their recluse friend on the dance floor.

Sirius manoeuvred them around people to a friend of Mrs. Potter's. James mingled a bit and went through pleasantries with the woman. He and Sirius were practised hosts, charming was their well-honed nature and they had the woman smiling and laughing and having an overall good time chatting with them before they moved on to the next group.

James grinned. "Lucie," he said, "are you having a good time?" His French may have been a little incorrect, but the little girl seemed to comprehend the question just fine.

"Oui," she answered politely, her voice quiet.

James didn't believe her for a second. "Did you enjoy dinner?"

The girl nodded.

Sirius took up conversation with the Lucie's parents, seeing that James was clearly occupied.

"Did you have dessert?" James asked.

Lucie shook her head.

James looked confused. What child didn't have dessert? "Pourquoi?" he inquired.

Lucie said something but James couldn't catch it. "Pardon?"

This got her mother's attention. "Lucie, no mumbling," she chastised.

Lucie apologized, clearly, to her mother before turning back to the young man in front of her. "I'm allergic to strawberries," she explained.

"So you hadn't any dessert then?"

"No dessert," Lucie agreed.

"That's okay," James said, grinning through his lie, "it was rubbish anyway."

"It looked good," Lucie said, sadly.

James felt sorry for the girl. Being denied dessert whilst watching everybody else enjoy the dish was an unfortunate experience. As a child, his only punishment was ever being deprived of his dessert, or, in very extreme cases, having his broom confiscated, and he always went to bed miserable those nights. The cause of his upset was partly because his parents were upset with him, partly because he didn't get his way. The older he grew, the more it became about the former rather than the latter.

"Would you like to dance with me?" James asked, bending at the waist and offering the small girl his arm.

She smiled at him, a bright, wide smile that James was beginning to think were rather rare from the child.

"Maman?" Lucie said, touching her mother's arm lightly to get her attention. James had trouble translating Lucie's French as it was barely above a whisper. "May I dance with James?"

"James?" Mrs. Dubois looked confused but, sure enough, she turned to see James awaiting Lucie's answer. She laughed. "Yes, you may." She lowered her voice and spoke directly to James in her heavily accented English. "Do not let her take up very much of your time, James. You are busy and Lucie is very mature, she does not need to be humoured."

James spoke in French so Lucie could understand as well. "I would very much like to dance with Lucie. I'm not busy."

Lucie looked up hopefully at her mother. "Go on," Mrs. Dubois said, waving them away.

Sirius followed James away from the couple, not even noticing the young girl at James' side. "That woman," Sirius began, "she is a real piece of wo—"

"Padfoot," James cut in hastily, "meet Lucie."

"wonderful person," Sirius finished quickly, grimacing as he glanced at the little girl.

James was fairly certain Lucie hadn't picked up on Sirius' original comment. She didn't speak a lot of English as far as he could tell.

"Lucie, this is Sirius," James introduced. "I think she only speaks French," he explained to Sirius.

Lucie held out a hand and politely introduced herself.

Sirius laughed at the formality but shook her outstretched hand regardless. "Enchanté," he grinned.

Lucie laughed.

"Suppose this is your redemption?" Sirius asked. "She turned you down once, so you had to even the score?"

James laughed. "Well, I can't have all of the girls turning me down. It'd wear on my confidence."

"Your confidence could use some wearing down."

James grinned as he met Lily's smiling green eyes. "You think so?" he asked.

"I know so," Lily replied, Remus chuckling beside her as they met James, Sirius and their small company on the dance floor.

Remus smiled at the girl. "What's your name?"

Lucie looked up at James worriedly. He quickly translated for her.

"Je m'appelle Lucie," she said.

Remus pointed to himself and gave his name. Lily tentatively introduced herself in French as well. Lucie said something in response; what it meant, Lily had no clue. Her French extended only to pleasantries and no farther.

She looked at James questioningly. James grinned. "She says you're pretty."

Lily seemed doubtful for a moment before smiling at Lucie. "Merci, though I'm not nearly as pretty as you."

James translated and then pulled out his wand, uttering some spell or another. When Lucie spoke next her lips moved along to French words but Lily and everyone else heard them in clear, if not slightly slower, English. "I like your hair."

Lily touched her hair lightly and smiled. "I like your dress." She was surprised by Lucie's apparent understanding as she smiled and said thank you once again. Lily's smile then turned to James, impressed with his work with whatever spell he had used.

James held a hand out to Lucie. "I believe I was promised a dance," he reminded.

Lucie blushed and accepted the hand, reaching up towards his shoulder in vain. James, Remus, Sirius and Lily all couldn't help their smiles and restrained laughter at the girl's fruitless attempt.

James sobered up quickly and shot looks at his friends once he caught sight of the embarrassed, pink tint and sad frown that had taken over the girl's features. Remus elbowed Sirius and they collected themselves quickly for the sake of the child.

James took Lucie's other hand in his own as well and watched as she looked around, comparing their stance to everyone around them and clearly noting the differences.

"I'm sorry. I can't reach," she admitted softly.

Lily, Remus and Sirius were watching the scene curiously while trying not to be obvious about it. They were doing a fairly good job.

"That's alright," James told her. "That's for the grown-ups. We're not grown-ups, are we?"

"You're a grown-up, aren't you?" Lucie asked.

"Grown-up? Me?" James asked. "Never."

"No?"

James shook his head. "Can I tell you a secret, Lucie?" She nodded carefully, her curls bouncing soundlessly. "Grown-ups," James began, "are boring."

Lucie laughed. "My mother and father are grown-ups."

James grinned at her. "What are you saying about them, Lucie?"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head.

"Now, here's how we will dance," James said. He lifted the girl effortlessly and placed her down atop his own feet and she looked up at him tentatively. He made sure she had a fair grip on his hands as he swayed from foot to foot and turned them in wide circles.

"Elizabeth!" Sirius caught the girl as she walked by and turned her. "Look," he nodded towards Lucie and James. "James is wooing a four year old."

Elizabeth laughed, hitting Sirius' arm with the back of her hand. She eyed the little girl and her cousin with a smile. "I think it's adorable," she defended. "I saw her earlier, she looked so unhappy."

"Adorable?" Sirius asked.

"It's sweet," Elizabeth continued, fondly smiling at the unlikely pair on the dance floor.

"I'm sweet," Sirius said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"You're not dancing with a little girl," Elizabeth pointed out. She eyed Lucie with a wistful smile. "Looks like fun," she commented. "Don't you ever wish you were small again?"

"No," Sirius said immediately.

"All the time," Lily murmured. Remus bumped shoulders with her and quietly agreed.

"Simpler times, eh?"

Lily nodded.

"I'll dance with you," Sirius offered in response to Elizabeth's melancholy sigh. She looked at him, eyebrows raised and hopeful. "But you'll have to lose the heels; I'd like to keep my toes intact," he told her with a smirk.

He was kidding, but Elizabeth seemed to take this as a dare as she braced a hand on his shoulder and took her heels off one at a time. She was instantly three or four inches shorter and Lily found this made her strangely more at ease around the older girl.

Elizabeth cast a featherweight charm on herself and then pulled Sirius onto the dance floor alongside James and Lucie. She stepped onto Sirius' feet as Lucie had with James and Sirius pulled her closer with a smirk.

Remus turned to Lily, about to ask her if she'd like to dance as well. She took his hand and pulled him towards the others before he could get the question out properly.

The adults were watching the group with amused smiles, if watching them at all, but they were too lost in merry laughter and teetering steps to notice the small amount of attention they drew. James twirled Lucie around, the young girl giggling as she watched the skirt of her new dress float away from her knees. James caught Remus' eye briefly and his friend nodded.

A second later Lily was being spun as well, Remus had her turning in circles outwards and she was moving so quickly she barely knew where she was headed until a new pair of hands held hers. She looked up to a grinning expression from James. She glanced over her shoulder to see Lucie beaming in Remus' arms, her hand in his as he swayed them about. Elizabeth was still on Sirius' toes in her nylon-clad feet, dancing around in small steps. They were in the centre of the floor, sort of hidden from the view of most tables within all the rest of the couples, the area around them had been cleared as they turned in unpredictable directions.

Lily smiled up at James. "You planned that."

"I've no idea what you're talking about," James told her innocently. Before she could get another word out he pushed her out to arm's length with their clasped hands and then spun her back in. Lily had no choice but to go with it, and after her initial tense at being wrapped in James' arms, she relaxed comfortably and stepped from foot to foot along with him.

James beamed, though Lily couldn't see him. He wanted to pull her even closer so her back was snugly against his chest, however he knew he was already pushing his luck. Besides, if she got any closer he didn't think he'd be able to resist the urge he had to kiss her. The bare skin of her neck and shoulders was oh so tempting and he was dying to know if it was just as soft and smooth as it looked.

And she smelled of something sweet and fresh. He couldn't quite place it, but the second he got close to her there it was, enticing and drawing him in. He spun her out again before he got carried away in his thoughts.

"Elizabeth! E-liz-abeth!" James and Lily froze and turned towards the disturbance.

A tall, thin woman was sidestepping her way gracefully yet sternly around the dancing couples towards the centre of the floor. Her eyes were narrowly trained on the dark-haired girl dancing atop Sirius' feet.

"Elizabeth, what in Merlin's name are you doing?" she demanded.

Elizabeth looked up; eyes wide as she instantly straightened and returned her feet to the ground. This only succeeded in drawing the woman's eyes to the young girl's bare feet for a second before they snapped back up, disapproving and demanding an answer.

"Dancing," Elizabeth replied. Lily was amazed at the steady tone and defiant look the girl faced the woman before them with when she was being so obviously reprimanded.

James leaned down to whisper quietly. "Three guesses who she is."

Lily paused. "I hardly need three," she said.

"Oh, really?" he asked. She smiled. "Fine. One, then. And if you get it wrong then…" he thought a moment.

"You can steal one of my hoarded questions," she whispered back.

He nodded once. "Deal."

"That," Lily began, "is your Aunt Laura."

James gave her a curiously surprised look.

"Well?" she prompted.

The woman shook her head. "That is no manner in which any lady should be behaving!" she scolded, staring Elizabeth down reproachfully.

"That is my Aunt Laura," James said flatly.

Lily grinned.

"My apologies Mother," Elizabeth said coolly.

Remus walked with Lucie from the dance floor as the song ended and the tension became more palpable. James smiled and nodded at him, very much agreeing with his choice of actions. He then brought Lily closer and began dancing once again as the next song started, staying to watch the show intently.

"For heaven's sake," Laura hissed, "Elizabeth please return your shoes to your feet."

Everyone else was politely ignoring the display. Elizabeth looked defiant as she used one hand to hold her skirt and went to the edge of the floor where she had left her heels.

She put them on, removed the charm she had placed on herself, and then inhaled deeply with careful control. She then turned and walked over to Sirius, placing her one hand on his shoulder and the other in his. Sirius raised an eyebrow. Elizabeth smiled and he smirked in return, placing his hand on her waist.

Aunt Laura had yet to move as they began to dance.

"Edmund and Walter are looking for you," she said.

"Are they?" Elizabeth asked, uninterested.

"Yes," her mother replied, "and I'd suggest you go see them. Perhaps you could start with an apology as you've seemed to so rudely leave their company."

Elizabeth sighed. "Other matters called Mother. I thought I ought to greet our host," she gestured to James. "And I politely excused myself when I left their table."

"Elizabeth, your time would be better spent with the adults, not traipsing about like a child who's lost her mind."

"Yes, Mother."

"Are you listening to me?"

"Yes, Mother."

"I don't think you are, Elizabeth."

The brunette sighed and Sirius turned them in a circle so she could face her mother. "I'm quite busy at the moment," she said, giving Sirius an exaggerated smile. He returned it twofold. "Perhaps we could discuss this later?"

"Elizabeth."

Lily was shocked at the way the young lady responded with a calm and collected, "Mother." It was effective.

Edmund sauntered up to the group, seemingly oblivious to the rigidity. "May I cut in?" he asked, extending an arm to Elizabeth. She was quiet.

"Edmund, I'm sure Elizabeth would—"

Elizabeth turned to her mother and then smiled at Edmund, quickly interrupting. "Actually, you'll have to excuse me. I believe my mother would like a word with me at the moment."

Her mother gave her dark look.

"Well, Mother? Shall we step outside?"

Neither looked happy to be leaving, though Elizabeth looked just the slightest bit smug about it. They left the hall and disappeared to the right of the doors.

"How about you?" Edmund asked, turning to Lily.

Lily's eyes widened almost comically in fear. "I—I, um…"

"She's with me tonight," James said.

"And?"

"And me," Sirius threw in.

Lily looked at them oddly. "No," she answered hesitantly. "I won't be dancing with you. James…James and I were just off to the—the kitchens actually," she stammered. "So thank you, but we'll just be going."

The three of them left the floor and returned to their table. Remus sat attentively listening to Lucie as she told him about a book she had read. It was utterly strange to see her mouth move out of sync with the sound leaving her lips, but the smile she wore was completely in tune with all of her features as she talked animatedly with her hands.

Remus nodded and waited until the girl had finished before looking at James and Sirius. "What's going on?"

"Apparently," James began, "we're going to the kitchens."

"Yes, and why is that exactly, Evans?" Sirius questioned.

Lily smiled sheepishly. "I may still have dessert on my mind," she admitted. "I didn't quite get a taste."

"Alright then," Remus smiled in amusement, "to the kitchens?"

"Yes, please," Lily agreed. "Lucie, would you like to come?"

She looked up at the three boys, her eyes then going straight to James for an answer. "We could find you something sweet," he cajoled. "No strawberries, I promise."

"Yes, please," she said. Her expression fell a bit. "I should ask my mother."

Sirius shrugged. "I'll let her know where we're headed. You guys go on."

James nodded. Lucie didn't look too sure at first but when James and Remus each took one of her hands in their own she didn't protest in the slightest, smiling and beginning to walk with them. Sirius wandered off to find Mrs. Dubois and Lily's gaze followed to see just who Lucie's mother was. The woman Sirius headed towards looked very busy in conversation with a number of stuffy looking men and woman. She began to think of her own mother, and how enchanting she would have found this whole occasion to be. She would have pulled her reluctant father out to the dance floor, sipped champagne and spent time introducing herself to people who didn't look like they wanted to take part in any sort of conversation at all. She would have loved it. Petunia would have as well for that matter, though she would have sulked and pretended she hated every minute of it. She couldn't be pleased.

Lily turned to see James, Remus and Lucie waiting for her. She quickly shook her head to rid herself of her disheartening thoughts and scurried to catch up to them.

Lucie tugged softly on James' hand, getting his attention away from Lily's sad and distant expression. He glanced back and saw that the redhead's expression had cleared and she was coming to meet them. "Lily's hand too," Lucie whispered.

"Pardon?" James asked.

Lucie held up their joined hands. "Lily's too. I don't want her to be sad."

James chuckled and nodded. "You're quite right," he agreed. "We don't want her to feel left out." Remus contained his laughter to a smile as James reached a hand out to an approaching Lily.

Lily's eyebrows rose at the gesture, not quite sure what to make of it. Lucie gave her an encouraging smile and Lily looked at James hopeful grin. It wasn't cocky or teasing, playful sure, but not mocking in any way. She tried to recall if he'd ever behaved this way around her at school. She wasn't really sure, only remembering how she had perceived the quips and actions at the time, and that was far from positively.

She decided this would be a first then as she slipped her hand comfortably into his. James caught her gaze from the corner of his eye and smiled.

Lily couldn't help but smile back.


A/N: Okay, so I was going to hold off on posting this a little longer because the next chapter is not yet ready. However, I wanted to get your input on this and see what you're thinking of the characters so far-in particular Elizabeth and whether or not you'd like to see and hear more about her, possibly with our favourite Sirius Black?

Thanks so much for reading and please review.

Anyways,

Scarlett