Chapter 10

Lily and James were sitting together at a table downstairs. Unlike their friends they had opted to hang out a bit longer alone. A bit longer turned into a couple of hours. They laughed together and smiled. For anyone that was watching they could tell that there was something there. Something special.

"Want to go for a walk?" James smiled at Lily. The atmosphere was intoxicating. The Christmas decorations, the tree Lily had picked out a couple of days before was surrounded by others, all decorated and glamorous. She couldn't say no.

He led her out the balcony doors and put his coat around her shoulders. It was chilly outside, they could see their breath, but neither one noticed. What were the chances that a light snow started to fall, and James held Lily's hand tight. He twirled her around and she giggled as they danced to their own, silent song. Lily's head was screaming. If he didn't kiss her right then a there, she would never forgive him.

He grinned at her, that stupid grin and his hand went to ruffle his hair. She grabbed it and pulled herself into him, drawing circles in his palm. They stared into each other's eyes. She waited and waited and finally cracked.

"Okay Potter. What are you playing at? Are we waiting for the next ice age for you to kiss me or-" Lily was cut off as his lips met hers. She felt as if everything was right, this was how someone was supposed to kiss you. James just couldn't believe that this was finally happening for him. Finally. Bliss.

"Just midnight." He smiled at her after they pulled away. He showed her his watch. Lily stared at him surprised. Then she smiled, and playfully his arm. She pulled him in for another kiss.

*

Sirius and Mary were chatting. Just chatting. He wasn't even moving closer to her on the couch. She wasn't impressed. Or was she? One thing was for sure, she was confused. He wasn't hitting on her, or even flirting. And this wasn't just with her, he wasn't making moves on anyone for that matter. But he stayed with her all night, got her drinks when she needed them, but other than that... What was happening? Finally the countdown to midnight started. Here we go.

"4.. 3.. 2.. 1!" He moved in, she smiled at him and closed her eyes. In a second she felt his lips, but not in the place where she expected. He kissed her check. HER CHECK. Her eyes flew open.

"What the hell was that?" She hissed at him as all around them their friends began making out.

"What?" He was surprised at her reaction.

"A kiss on the check?! What am I?! Your freaking sister?!"

"I just-" Sirius started.

"Just what? Huh?! What are you playing at Black?"

"I just," He started loudly and then quieted down his voice as couples surfaced to look at the two on the couch. "I just," He repeated. "I didn't want this to be the same old same old with you and me." Confusion was still etched on her face. "I want to give this a real chance."

"This?"

"This. You and me. Us."

"Us?" Mary still wasn't getting it.

"Yeah."

"There's an us?" She asked, still confused.

"An us? Haha." He laughed, "I mean I want there to be, if you do." Why was he so un-sauve. Common Black, step up your game. This is your thing. Finally a smile formed on her face. She kissed his check back.

"Heck yes."

*

Remus rolled over, his head pounding. Why was this pain happening? Who did he piss off to get this pain? He groaned loudly as he tried to gather his bearings. He was on the floor, surrounded in sheets, blankets and pillows. He was actually quite comfortable despite the fact that he was lying beside a bed, not on it. And there was something rather heavy on his chest; his bare chest. As he realized he was naked he also instantly registered the feeling of skin on skin. His hand brushed a smooth, soft body. And it wasn't his. His eyes flew open and he saw a blonde head resting on his chest; his hand on her stomach.

Remus and Violetta's bodies were tangled together in many sheets. At first he had a hard time registering what was his body and what was hers. Memories of the night flooded back to him like waves crashing on the shore.

Last night they fell into the room together, Violetta landed on the bed laughing and he fell beside her. All of the caution he would normally have put in this situation was thrown right out the window. Remus, as a werewolf, had sworn to himself that he would never fall in love. Never, ever, be with a women, because, well, no one could be a hundred percent sure of what would happen. That all went to hell as soon as her lips touched his. He didn't know people could get undressed as quickly as they did.

Remus could still feel her hot breath on his skin, the way her hands raked threw his hair. Their passion was raw, intense, uncontrollable. They had ended up on the floor for god sakes. When it was over he couldn't believe it had happened. He had had dreams about this, but never so real. As he fell asleep listening to her steady intake and outtake of breathe, he convinced himself that it was just that, a dream. Well, reality hit like a hard shell this morning, proving it was clearly not.

Last night she had told him that he was the best she ever had. Violetta Roiser told Remus Lupin that the first time he had EVER had sex (not that she knew that), it was the best she had ever had. At the time it had made his heart sore. Now it made him feel sick. He shifted and tried to roll her off of him. She obliged, still not waking, and rolled over, snuggling into the blankets and pillows. Remus sighed with relief and slowly got up, careful not to make a sound. He crept around the room, putting his clothes on silently. Remus sneaked out of the room, silently stealing one last look at her before her left.

*

Gideon Prewett woke up like he had numerous times before. With Dorcas Meadowes beside him. He sighed and rolled out of bed. She opened her eyes as he was putting on his suit from last night.

"See you." Dorcas rolled over trying to act nonchalant. She failed terribly.

"Hey Meadowes?" Gideon sat back down on the bed.

"Yeah?" She rolled back over and looked him in the eye. He shifted his gaze and tried to figure out how he wanted to say this.

"Look, we.."

"Yeah?"

"We can't do this anymore. I think I might actually like someone." Her eyes were searching his. "Someone else."

"Oh." She frowned a bit, but only for a moment. She composed herself almost instantly, and he wasn't quite sure if he imagined the whole thing or not. "Okay. Yeah, that's fine. It's not like this was anything serious or anything." She rolled over again. "See you." She repeated, her voice muffled slightly by the pillow.

As he walked out, he wasn't really sure, but he thought he may have saw her wipe her eyes. Maybe. Probably not, but maybe.

*

Violetta stretched out and grinned. Finally. Finally she chose a good guy. She had even stayed the night. She never stayed the night. Her hands blindly searched the sheets for Remus Lupin. She heard morning after sex was even better. And with him, wow. She didn't know if that was possible but she really wanted to find out. After a couple of minutes she sat up and looked around. She looked on the bed and under it. No way. No FUCKING way did Remus Lupin leave her naked in sheets after a night of crazy sex. Yup he did. Fuck. Fuck him.

In a sheer rage she grabbed her dress and realized that there was no way she was slipping back into that leather, tight thing. She searched the drawers around the room and found some old clothes. Probably James' from the Quidditch teams represented on the tee shirts she found. The pants were big in the stomach, and short in the legs, but whatever. She stormed out of the room, her dress over her shoulder. She slammed the bedroom door behind her and whipped around, running straight into Gideon Prewett.

"Whoa." He steadied her as she fell back. "This seems to happen to us a lot, Roiser." He laughed and she forced a smile at him.

"Yeah. It does hey?" She seemed distracted.

"Something wrong?"

"Everything..." She forced another smile at him. "But that is for another day. Where are you headed?"

He searched her face but she didn't show any hint at what was bothering her. "Well, the usual, Potter morning after breakfast may be calling my name right now."

"Oh god, food." She put her hand over her mouth. She grabbed a door handle and sprinted towards the toilet. "Ah worse, confession."

"Are you okay?" He followed her into the bathroom.

"Ahhh." She groaned. "Don't watch." He laughed at her and she groaned again.

"Just please go. This is so embarrassing."

"It's okay, it's not even a big deal."

"I have not drank in months, I used to have this high tolerance," She puked again. "Ahh.. I knew that this was a bad idea."

"Are you okay?" He asked her again.

She whipped her mouth and flushed the toilet. "Not the most attractive thing you have ever seen I am sure." She lowered her mouth to the sink and swished some water around in her mouth.

"I think you're beautiful." She turned and looked at him confused.

"What?"

"Nothing." He looked at her, highly embarrassed. "Sorry, that was inappropriate."

Violetta searched his face for something. She put her hand on his shoulder and smiled a small smile. "You do not want to get involved with my Gideon. Trust me, I am bad news. You are too good of a guy." He smiled at her, proving everything she was saying, with the fact that he didn't kiss her right then and there. It may have had something with the fact that he had just witnesses her puking, but you never know. They walked out together and slowly began walking to breakfast.

"Oh my god this is going to be uncomfortable." They were standing at the door to the usual spot where breakfast was held.

"Why?" He looked at her.

"Because I am a total slut." He looked at her questioningly but she didn't answer his look. She led him into the room.

*

Lily and James walked downstairs together minutes after the door closed behind Prewett and Roiser. They held hands all the way down to the dining room, where Mary, Sirius and Remus were already seated at a table in the middle of the room, surrounded by other tables, with other very hung over looking people. Mrs. Potter did not believe in anyone Drinking and Magicing and insisted that everyone who attended her party and that had been drinking, remain there for the night as well. Lily and James held hands a giggled as they ate their eggs and bacon. Dorcas, looking like a hung over mess, walked over to the group a couple minutes after they started eating. She raised her eyebrows at the couple, fake puked beside her chair and rolled her eyes dramatically. Mary looked at her confused. Wasn't this what Dorcas and she were trying to achieve?

"Bad night Meadowes?" Sirius asked as he helped himself to another serving of pancakes.

"Worse morning." She groaned, not making eye contact with Gideon.

"Sooooo." Sirius grinned evilly at the group. "Who wants to spill first about their night?"

"Yeah, I think this year we should skip that whole thing." Remus shifted awkwardly in his seat.

Violetta turned and stared at him, and a bit of colour came to his cheeks. "Well, that sounds to me like Moony is going first." He rubbed his hands together. "Sooooo. Who was your midnight kiss?!"

"Padfoot, I'm not doing this." He moved to get up.

"SIT back down." Sirius looked stern, very uncharacteristically. Remus looked at him confused and he sat back down. "It's a tradition, and if you're thinking you can change that, well, think again my friend."

Everyone shifted glances at each other, no one really wanted to confess what they had been doing the night before. Dorcas and Gideon, while not really a secret liked to keep things under wraps, Dorcas hadn't even told Violetta about them. Violetta and Remus, neither one wanted to relive that. It appeared as though Lily and James were the only ones not fazed about sharing their night.

"We'll start with the most boring, Lily and Prongs, and work are way down the table to the most unpredictable, the lovely Miss. Roiser." Violetta shot him a look that would have struck him dead if they could kill. "Sooooo."

"I hate how he's dragging out that word." Violetta hissed under her breath to Dorcas.

"Midnight kisses! We'll start with James and Lily."

The two looked sheepishly at each other. Sirius, looked relatively impressed at his best friend and then sighed nonchalantly before anyone else could notice, "boooring. Moving on. Meadowes?"

"Awe do I have to Black?"

"Hey you're not even a newbie, should have thought of that before you went snogging someone you'd be embarrassed to report back about." A small colour entered her face, and for a split second she even debating lying, but Sirius always knew.

"Gideon. I kissed Gideon."

Sirius raised his eyebrows and supplied the poor girl with an easy out. "Well, what a good friend, protecting you from all those other predators. I guess now we can skip Gid, a little less fun, but what can you do." Remus was shifting awkwardly in his seat, he was next. But Sirius postponed the agony a couple more minutes. "I personally, technically did not have a midnight kiss, but I would like to share with the confession table that I am giving a relationship a chance." This last sentence caused Violetta, who had previously been searching for a way out of the room, to cough and spit a little of her orange juice out. Sirius whipped the orange juice off his hand and shot her an eyebrow raised look. "I know, I'm constantly unpredictable, but I and Miss. McDonald here have decided to give the damn thing a shot." The group looked at them relatively surprised. Violetta had the grace to congratulate them and Lily grinned openly at her best friend, but no one made that big of a deal of it. That would happen later, away from prying eyes, to congratulate Mary on finally achieving her hearts true desire. "Nooooooow. Who who who who is next." Sirius' grin was as large as could be. "Violetta my dear, who do I dare ask was your latest victim?"

"Shut it Black." She actually looked close to tears. He was startled by her reaction, their morning afters were usually the tails of great adventures, both relishing in reliving it with the other, horror or joy. "Are you okay?" He whispered to her. She looked away and plastered a smile on her face and turned back to him. "I am not even next." Sirius looked at her confused. "Why, does not dear Remus Lupin hold that honour?"

At this point even Lily and James, as love sick as they were, were paying attention. Violetta usually just threw a name down, with a hint of a smile, and the table would moan or cheer their reaction. This year, something was different. Sirius had skipped over Lupin, unknowing, because his kiss was usually a peck on the cheek of some poor lonely girl who he would, not unkindly, ditch as soon as possible. "Ah, sorry Moony. Who was it?"

Violetta stared into his eyes. She wanted to see the shame cross his face, the embarrassment from being with a girl like her. She wanted all of his friends to know. Remus opened his mouth and then shut it. Not sure what to say. He's face was as red as Lily's hair.

"Holy mate." Gideon looked at him, "who was the broad? She can't be that bad."

"She wasn't!" He defended it with such force that people at surrounding tables turned and looked. "It was.. uhm." He muttered something incoherent.

"Sorry what was that Moony? Didn't quite catch that?" James questioned.

"Who was it Remus?" Dorcas asked. Everyone knew Remus' reputation. He had never so much as had a girlfriend. He was the good guy, the one that girls would be fighting tooth and nail within a couple of years. The one that you marry.

He raised his head and looked directly into Violetta's eyes. "It was Violetta."

"That isn't even that big of a deal." Mary laughed. "I mean, it's not like you two slept together or anything."

Violetta looked away from Remus and his eyes found his lap again. Sirius spit his coffee out and across the table.

"Well I'm done." Gideon pushed his now soaking breakfast away from him.

"What?!" Sirius hissed at the two of them. "No you didn't." His eyes were swivelling back and forth so quickly it looked like he was watching a tennis match. The looks on their faces were enough to prove to everyone at the table that they did. The girls didn't really get what the big deal was, they looked more confused at Sirius then anybody.

"And..?" Sirius questioned. The Marauders all knew that Remus had never had sex before, and that he never wanted to either. The whole werewolf thing put a serious damper in his style. This time it was the girl's job to look confused. "I mean," he tried to recover, placing a smirk on his face. "How was it?"

Mary hit his shoulder and gave him a disapproving look. "So are you guys dating now?!" She giggled.

"Oh Mary." Violetta sighed quietly and placed her head in her hands. "You are such a romantic." She looked back up at the other girl. "Sometimes," she turned and looked at Remus as she stood. "Sex is just sex."