"What do you think of this one, Angie?" Lily swayed in front of a full-length mirror trimmed in gold. The dress was long, sleek and elegant; it was the perfect shade of red to accentuate the creamy tone of her skin.

"Wow, Lily. You look so amazing in that dress. That's the one."

"You think? Oh, I'm so excited. I can't wait for the dance."

"Speaking of which, did you decide who you're going with?" Angela said mildly before taking a sip of her butter beer.

"Well...I was thinking…um…I think it would be best for me to go with Severus this year." Lily cringed the second the words escaped her mouth. She didn't have to look at her best friend to know how she would react to this news. She hadn't told Angela anything about the whole seeking-comfort-in-his-arms-under-a-tree thing, and she was feeling terribly culpable over it.

Nervously, Lily tried not to laugh as Angela failed horribly at containing the contents of her mouth inside. "Excuse me. I thought I heard you say you were going to the dance with Snape." She smiled at Lily searching her face for some semblance of a joke that might be hidden there.

"I did say, Snape." Lily stared hard at the beaded details of the gown she had wrenched in her hands, avoiding the incredulous stare emanating from her closest friend.

"You've got to be kidding. Lily, that is social suicide."

"I think you have to have a social life to kill it."

Angela rolled her eyes at Lily's blithe attempt to brush off the truth. "You know you could take any guy in this school to this dance if you wanted to, so why the hell are you going with him? I know you guys used to be really good friends, but that was years ago."

"I don't know. He's just so sweet. I actually ran into him the other day, and we sort of just picked up right where we left off. I'd rather go with someone who really knows me. I haven't felt like myself lately, and I don't have to pretend to be manically happy in front of him. I need someone to distract me, and that takes a certain amount of intellect."

"I can distract you," Angela said with a smile, and Lily returned it with her own grin. She really couldn't ask for a better friend. Aside from Severus, she was the only other person who truly knew who Lily was, her flaws, likes, moods, sense of humor etc.

"I know you mean well, but you've got a date, and I want you to have an amazing night. I can't believe you're going with, Sirius. I knew you guys would end up together!"

"Whoa now, let's not jump the gun here. It's just a dance."

"Oh come on, I know you like him."

"I do not."

"Really? Is that why you've been smiling ever since he asked you to go with him?"

"I'll have you know I've been smiling the regular amount lately."

Lily burst out laughing. "Sure you have."

"Okay, I might like him slightly, but he's the biggest player in this school."

"No, I think you've got him mixed up with a different spectacle wearing jackass."

Angela let out an exhausted sigh. "James is nutty for you, Lily, and Sirius wouldn't know what monogamy was if it slapped him across the face repeatedly. He actually does get slapped almost daily for his dalliances with the loose girls of this school," she said sighing once more, "I don't have any hope for a romance with him, but hey, I can have fun right?"

"Of course you can!"

Lily suspected that Sirius had a fixation on Angela, and his behavior reflected that. He was no longer interested in chasing women or having them pursue him. It appeared that anytime Lily saw him, he was deep in contemplation. She had caught him sitting away from Angela yet staring intently at her. Angela hadn't noticed any of this. If Lily had to guess she'd say that the love bug, unwillingly, had bitten Sirius. He visibly struggled with his emotions, not wanting to feel anything yet unable to stop the flood of sensations. She could only imagine how he must of felt asking Angie to the dance. Sirius never had a date to anything, especially school related. With the dance drawing near he had retreated away somewhere alone. In fact, James, Lupin, and Peter had gone rogue the last day and a half, causing some mischief no doubt. If they'd all disappeared then there was no cause for Sirius' absence.

She was secretly rooting for them to be together, but in the same breath she struggled with the idea of someone James was so close with being so tightly bonded with someone she was so attached to. That would mean being in close proximity to Potter and his little harlot. As much as the idea of that vexed her, she knew that Angela's happiness should come over her petty feelings surrounding James.

She was determined to be happy in spite of all of the drama surrounding her and James, and Lily would be damned if she was going to show up to the dance alone. Sure it would start with her missing a dance, and before she could blink she'd be and old witch with only a room full of black cats for company. Apparently, the title of crazy cat lady was not restricted to the muggle world.

It had been near impossible to get James off of her mind lately. Talking to Severus, constant studying, and duties as head girl kept her mind busy during the day, but at night her dreams lent her no peace. She dreamt of James and a child; it felt so real. Something else was happening in her dreams; she was dying. Flashes of green light in her mind made her shake awake. There was an overwhelming feeling of dread on such nights. She couldn't help but feel like something was coming for her.

She had read in the papers that there was a growing movement against her kind, half-breeds that is. Surely people would come to reason, she thought. Surely if she was smart enough, or accomplished enough no harm should befit her. The school had worked hard to keep such rumors well hidden, but Lily was resourceful. She thought she had a right to know if her life or her parents' lives were at stake. Many of her peers weren't concerned with such matters, as most of them came from a pure background—generations upon generations of magic flowing through their veins. Many of her classmates surmised upon her entrance to Hogwarts, from her obliviousness to basic skills and common knowledge in the wizarding world, that she must have been muggle born.

When she walked down the halls of the school, people stared uncouthly clearly lacking the tact she was brought up with in her muggle household. She was no longer sure if it was contributed to the shenanigans between her and Potter or the growing animosity towards muggle born witches and wizards. Either way, it was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and did nothing to quell her night terrors. She confided a little of this in Snape, who did his best to reassure her. No one made her feel more like she belonged here in this world than he did. There was no need to put on airs with him. Something about it was just…right.

"Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you ready to get out of here? I'm starving. I think I'm going to get the lavender one, and if you don't get that red dress then I'm getting it for you because you look amazing in it!"

"Oh don't worry, I'm getting it."

"Good. Now let's get out of here and stuff our faces with no remorse."

"Please, you and I can put professional quidditch player's appetites to shame."

"Don't I know it. That's my favorite thing about the great hall. It just keeps coming."

They both burst out in hearty laughs as they paid for the gowns and exited the shop.