11. You And Me
"I still can't believe I bought these," Lily said, eyeing the emerald green robes in the mirror. Truly they were more of a dress, with thin straps and an empire waist, the whole thing done up with beading.
"You're welcome," Vienna said as she swiped on some mascara, her long dark hair in rollers.
"Are you sure?"
"YES," she practically yelled, turning to give Lily a piercing look.
"Well…ok…er, thanks then," Lily said sheepishly.
"It's ok," Vienna said, turning back to the mirror. "Just know that you'll be the most beautiful one out there and have some fun! It's about time you let your hair down. Though with that dress you should probably wear it up."
"Ah, the paradoxes in life, eh?" Lily said, pinning her auburn locks in a halo around her head. Vienna snorted as she unrolled her hair. "Very lady-like," Lily laughed.
"I really do try."
Vienna examined herself in the mirror for a long moment, tugging at her red dress and smoothing down her hair. "How do I look?" she asked, turning to Lily. She picked up a small jeweled comb from their vanity table and slipped it into her hair, pinning back a section from her face.
"Perfect. Now let's go."
They descended the staircase carefully so as not to tear their dresses. They could already hear the Weird Sisters new song blasting through the door. They opened the door tentatively and gasped when they saw the common room.
It was completely unrecognizable. The furniture had been pushed against the walls and a large table had been set up by the fire were it looked like Peter was spinning records. Red silk hug from the ceiling and walls, giving the illusion of being in a tent while small white flowers cast an odd glow down on the dancers.
"Lilies," Vi said with a conspicuous look. Lily playfully punched her in the arm.
"Ow!"
Well maybe not that playfully.
"Hey you guys! Lily you look- Wow," James said, not even looking at Vienna, who was smiling knowingly.
"Told you," she whispered to Lily. "James, do you know where Sirius is?"
"Yeah he's bouncing people up by the Portrait Hole."
"Sweet! I've always wanted to bounce someone!" Vienna said with undisguised enthusiasm. She scampered off, hiking her dress up to her knees.
"And the illusion shatters," Remus said, sideling up to the pair of them. "How long until she hexes somebody?"
"Ten minutes," James said, grinning widely.
"Hey!" Vienna said, reappearing. "Keep running your mouth like that and it'll be five Jamesie."
"Weren't you looking for Sirius?" James asked pointedly.
"Yes, but then I realized I left my friend in the clutches of a mad-man."
"You couldn't find him, could you?"
"Nope," she said with a smile.
"Is he?" Remus asked, turning to James and giving him a meaningful look.
"Should be," James replied.
"Should be what?" Lily asked.
"Should be in the corridor," Remus said quickly, ducking through the Portrait Hole.
"I just looked!"
"Well you must've missed him." Remus stepped out into the corridor and whistled.
"Why are you whistling, I told you he wasn't here," Vienna said, giving Remus a strange look.
"What are you talking about? He's right over there," Remus said and sure enough Sirius was strolling down the hall in ink black dress robes. Vienna gave Remus a bemused look. "You sure you don't need glasses?"
"I- he- Shut up Lupin!" she said staring back and forth between the two, clearly bewildered. The two laughed at her confused expression. "I was just out here- I- URG!" She spun on her heel and stomped back to the common room.
Remus laughed as she departed, the fabric of her red dress swishing behind her.
"Sirius," he whispered, still laughing. "You're going to make her suspicious!"
"You should have seen her face," Sirius said, shaking with laughter. "She comes out all lady-like and looks around and then down the hall, all the while I'm following her, and then she just goes "Where the fuck did he go?" and hikes up her dress and climbs into the Portrait Hole."
Remus rolled his eyes and they both climbed inside. Sirius had no problem figuring out where Vienna had got to. However, he did have a hard time understanding why Lily was talking to James. And not hexing him or screaming at him.
He shrugged and made his way over to the window where Vienna was perched. She was tracing something onto the foggy glass, something that greatly resembled-
"Are you writing our initials together in little hearts?" he asked, grinning widely. She jumped and quickly smeared the writing with her palm.
"No!" she replied defensively, color rising in her cheeks. "I was- I was-"
He didn't let her finish. "That's kinda cute- In a pathetically love-struck teenage girl kind of way." Her face was scarlet. "Come on, let's dance."
Sirius, quite literally, swept her off of her feet. He pulled her onto the dance floor and spun her around as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Which, for her, it most certainly was not.
She despised dancing, mainly because she was abysmal at it, stumbling across her own toes. But it was different with Sirius. He didn't make her feel awkward and he laughed when she caught her toe, not maliciously, but merely took the opportunity to catch her and plant a kiss on her lips.
She sighed, folding into his arms. She felt safe with him, now more than ever that he had learned her secret. It was like he was maturing, like they were-
"LILY AND JAMES SITTING IN A TREE-" Sirius burst as he caught sight of the pair dancing. Lily turned red and stalked off while James gave Sirius a very rude hand gesture.
Well, she could always hope.