Chapter 12: The Garden in the Maze

"I can't believe it!" Sirius laughed, slapping James on the shoulder. "Our little Prongs is finally a man!"

"Would you shut up?" James asked as he rammed his elbow into Sirius's side. "She's just gonna tell me to get lost the next time she sees me. The only reason she didn't tell me to bugger off right away is because I think I shocked her."

"Wouldn't be the first time you shocked someone," Sirius stated thoughtfully. "Still trying to figure out if that's a good thing or not."

"Do you think she'll say yes?" Peter asked eagerly.

"I'd be astonished if she did," Remus smiled. "Still, good for you for being able to ask her out anyway, James. We were starting to take bets on if you would ask her out or not."

"You did what?" James demanded. "Who betted against me?"

Sirius snorted before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few galleons and tossed them over to Remus. James stared at him with some mock hurt.

"You?" he asked Sirius, his hand over his heart, "My so-called best friend… betted against me?"

Sirius lowered his head. "I am so sorry," he said in a tone that clearly stated otherwise.

"You don't sound sorry," James answered back.

"That's why I'm sorry," Sirius snorted back. "But come on… can you really blame me? You were tormenting yourself all last year on asking her out and in the end you chickened out every time."

"With good reason, she would never have agreed to go with me back then," he answered back. He then sighed as he leaned forward to rest his chin on his hands. "Not that it will change anything. I bet she's just going to tell me to go to hell sometime tomorrow, I bet."

"At least you managed to ask her, and who knows? She may say yes," Remus said with a smile.

"Maybe you should tell her that you have a mysterious illness and you only have a year left to live?" Sirius suggested.

"Oh, so that's how you manage to get so many girls to go out with you," James said as he thought that over. "I wondered why anyone would want to date that ugly mug of yours. And now I know! You get them to feel sorry for you!"

"Hey, I don't need to tell them that," Sirius said as he casually ran his hand through his hair. Whatever else he may be, his hair was something that most guys would kill for. "With looks like this? Who needs sympathy?"

He then looked over at James and added, "Now, with that mess you call a face however…?"

"Shut up!" James laughed, giving him a punch in the arm.

*Lily*

"Why don't you go with him?" Alice asked teasingly as they laid across her bed and Lily finished telling her about James asking her to the Halloween ball. "I mean… he's not that bad. You guys seemed to know each other a lot when we were still in our first year?"

"That was then," Lily answered, resting on her back as Alice rolled onto her stomach, her feet being kicked up into the air as she finished writing her Transfiguration homework. "I mean, I barely know him. I think that I'll just tell him thanks, but no thanks."

Alice sighed as she set her quill down.

"Why is it whenever it comes to James Potter, it's like you don't want anything to do with him?" she asked. "I mean, he's at least trying, isn't he?"

Lily sighed this time. "I don't know," she confessed.

"I mean, is there anyone else that you rather go with?" Alice asked and Lily frowned a little, having never thought about it like that.

"Well, no. I mean, there isn't really one here who caught my eye," she admitted slowly. She looked over at her and said, "It's easy for you. You liked your boyfriend long before you two started dating."

Alice blushed a little as she smiled warmly and sat up.

"True, but when I was little, I thought boys were gross," she admitted.

"They are, we just learn to deal with them," Lily answered as she ran a brush through her tangled hair, having washed out the mud from earlier.

They both laughed a little before Alice said, "The point is, tastes change. I don't see why you shouldn't go with him. I mean, you could do a lot worse…"

Lily thought about it for a moment, wondering what it was that she should do when, at that moment, Mary suddenly stuck her head into the room.

"Lily?" she asked hesitantly, "The Headmaster wants to see you."

Lily sat bolt-upright at those words. "He what?" she asked at once, fear going through her.

"Professor Dumbledore," she answered back. "He said that he wants to meet you in his office right now."

Lily stared at her. What happened? What did she do for Professor Dumbledore to want her to come to his office after dinner? She looked around at Alice, who was looking just as surprised as she was feeling.

"Why?" she asked nervously. What kind of trouble did she get into? Mary just shrugged and left the room as she slowly got up from the bed. "I don't get it," Lily said slowly. "I don't know what I could have done for him to want to see me. I mean…?"

She suddenly gasped.

"Don't tell me I failed Charms?!" she cried out. Then she suddenly remembered when James broke the cabinet to get her out of detention… was that what this was about?

"I seriously doubt that," Alice said. "Maybe he wants to see you for a good thing? Maybe… you got a grade so high on the test that they decided to give you an award or something. Come on, Dumbledore's not going to bite you."

Lily gulped down as she nodded, realizing that she was right. There was no need to worry, she hadn't done anything wrong. And if this was about the cabinet, the worst she could get was a detention or two. She was sure that if she just explained the situation, then he would understand.

After promising Alice she'll tell her about it later, she left the common room and headed down to the floor with Dumbledore's office, still trying to think of why he wanted to see her. She only been to the Headmaster's office a few times during her entire stay here on the island, and usually it was just because he could tell her of her duties as a Prefect and how she should keep the rule-breakers in line. Maybe this was just another thing that he wanted to talk to her about and she was greatly comforted by it. When she reached the office door and knocked, she heard Dumbledore's voice call for her to enter. She opened the door and cautiously looked around the room, seeing all the spinning instruments and glittering objects on the tables and in cabinets.

The Headmaster, himself, was sitting at his desk, looking more tired than she could remember seeing him before as he seemed to be writing a letter.

"Ah, Miss Evans," Professor Dumbledore said, smiling warmly at her when he looked up. "Please, come in and sit down."

Lily slowly closed the door before she asked nervously, "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, Lily," he answered back, putting the letter he was writing away, and folded his hands together as he looked at her. "There is no need to worry, you are not here because you're in trouble," he reassured her gently and Lily felt herself sight in relief. She walked across the room and took the seat in front of the desk.

"Then, what is this about, sir?" she asked politely as Dumbledore looked kindly down at her, like how a grandfather would do to his granddaughter.

"Seems like only yesterday you were first here," he said absent-mindedly. "It's a wonderful thing to see you come so far from that little girl who first begged me to allow to stay. I sometimes wonder if you don't regret that decision."

"Regret? How could I regret it, sir? I love it here," Lily said startled. "This place is my home."

"At the cost of your family back in London," Dumbledore reminded her sadly. "I can't help but wonder if I should have taken you back right away."

"Oh, no sir," she said at once. "This is my home. I'm happy here. More happy than I can ever remember. These years here have been the best of my life and I have no intention of going back to the life I had before. I mean, sure there are times when I miss my parents and my sister. But I don't regret coming here."

Dumbledore smiled a little.

"I see," he said. "Well, that helps to put my mind at ease. But to the matter I first asked you here. You see, Lily…" he paused for a moment before he added, "What I am about to tell you, I must insist that you not tell anyone else. I will address the school as a whole about this soon enough. But, for now, I don't want any unnecessary panic until I am able to address it."

Lily blinked and nodded slowly as he sighed.

"Tell me, are you aware of the history of Hogwarts?" he asked.

"Yes, I read the story several times," Lily said slowly. "But, what does that have to do with this?"

Dumbledore sighed as he ran a tired hand through his long beard. "Whenever a prophecy is made, they are always recorded and kept hidden away. The thing about prophecies is that they always speak the truth, however they often encourage people to draw the wrong conclusions. Therefore the records of them are always kept locked up. Regardless if this particular prophecy is true or not, does not matter, but there are worrying signs that a Dark King may try to return."

Lily stared at him.

"But… sir," she exclaimed, doing her best to sound as respectful as she could. "That was hundreds of years ago when he tried to take over Hogwarts and the isle itself, right? So how could he possibly be back?"

Dumbledore sighed as he explained, "We have been reading the signs and we fear that something wicked will soon arrive to the castle. While it is doubtful that the original Dark King will return, we must start making preparations. That is why I asked you here."

Lily sat straight in her chair and waited as he seemed to be trying to find the right words.

"Rest assure, we wouldn't dream of forcing you to do something against your will," he informed her. "I am merely asking you think this proposal through before making up your mind. At the start of November, we will be holding a special kind of exam."

"Exam?" Lily asked slowly, trying to see what this had to do with the possible threat of an invasion of a king that was long since dead.

"Yes," he answered back grimly. "We have already asked several other of your fellow Seventh years if they would be willing to take part in it. Your friend Alice will also be asked if she wishes to participate in them. But the point is, we are testing the students to see if any of them are willing and able to help with a crucial step to prepare ourselves against whatever threat is waiting for us down the road."

"And this step would be…?" Lily asked slowly as Dumbledore sighed.

"Several years ago, there were several magical artifacts that were stolen from the castle and the thief took them back with him to the outside world," he explained. "We have strong belief that the artifacts had been sold across Great Britain, and we must retrieve them."

"And you want several students to go and retrieve them for you?" Lily asked slowly and he nodded grimly.

"Yes," he agreed. "Make no mistake, however. This will be a very important and dangerous task. For if there is someone who is about to try and attack us, they will be expecting us to try something like this. Most likely they will have agents out there searching for the same artifacts themselves."

"So… why are you asking students?" Lily asked curiously. "Surely there will be others who could do it?"

Dumbledore was looking gravely concerned. But he went on reassuringly, "No one will force you to do this, Lily. I would never dream of doing such a thing to my own students. But you are of age now, and are more than capable of making your own decisions. This is merely to see if you are willing to help. But you must understand, we have reasons to believe that we are being closely watched by someone with ill-intent. And so far, everything is shaping up just like the prophecy had stated."

"And what is this prophecy?" Lily asked slowly.

"I am afraid I cannot tell you the whole thing word-for-word right now," he said and he held up a hand to silence her as she opened her mouth to speak, "I cannot risk just anyone finding out. Please, just let me finish explaining."

Lily leaned back in her chair as he went on, "It started with several disappearances over the last couple weeks. It could be that they left the island, as it does happen from time to time, but not so many so quickly, and without any word. I have eyes and ears all over the island, keeping an eye on things to make sure that peace is kept. But several of my agents ended up disappearing as well. There are whispers of a darkness growing. I will be telling the school about this soon enough and start to prepare them for whatever is coming. In the meantime I have strengthen the protections around the castle so we should be safe… at least for now."

"Could it really be the same king from the stories?" Lily asked quietly.

"It is unlikely," Dumbledore said slowly.

"But… you believe it is the same one?" Lily asked. And when Dumbledore didn't answer, she went on in bafflement, wondering how it could possibly be possible, "But sir… why do you believe it's the same Dark King?"

"For several reasons," Dumbledore told her grimly, "One of the biggest reasons is that this threat seems to be calling himself the 'Dark King'." As Lily stared at him, he added, "It's not unrealistic for someone to just be using the alias… but I have several other reasons to believe that he may just be the same. However, I am afraid that for your own safety, it is better not to tell you. At least not yet. The point I am trying to say is that this Dark King will be expecting us to go after these artifacts and that I'll be sending those whom he would deem to be more worthy. He underestimates the power of youth…"

"But sir…"

Lily frowned as she thought it all over. It had been seven years since she last saw London and she had been wondering over and over what became of her family. This would be the perfect chance to see for herself if they were doing well. But this was also a very important mission that they were going to be sent on, so who could say what could happen? This will be a very dangerous task, and she knew that she could get killed and most likely be forced to steal these things, whatever they were.

"There is no need to think about it right away," Professor Dumbledore told her sympathetically. "After Halloween, we will be holding the test. If you chose to participate in it, it will be a hard test, and the few who we believe to have the best chances of completing this mission. They will then be given permission to leave the isle and head back to the rest of the world and find the missing artifacts. No one will make you go, Miss Evans. The choice is entirely yours."

"Truly?" she asked worriedly, suddenly reminded of when she first came to the castle and begged the Headmaster to let her stay here.

He smiled gently at her. "Of course," he reassured her. "I wouldn't dream of forcing you to do something if you truly could not go through with it. You have some time to think it all over. In either case, you cannot tell anyone else about this. Whether or not you choice to go, I must insist that you stay quiet about it."

She nodded in understanding before she stood up.

"I will certainly think it all over, and you have my word that I won't tell anyone else about this," she reassured him. "Thank you, professor."

She left, her mind racing as she thought it all over. While she was flattered that Professor Dumbledore trusted her enough to tell her this and offer a chance for her to go on this mission, she had mixed feelings about the whole thing. What was she to do? She didn't want to let him or anyone else down, especially if there's a chance that someone may be attacking the castle in the future, then she wanted to do what she could to help protect it.

What was she to do?

"Hey, didn't expect to see you here again so soon!"

Lily stopped and looked up to see James coming down a flight of stairs.

"Funny we keep running into each other like this," he told her evenly.

"If I didn't know better, I would think that you were following me," she replied. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he answered with a shrug as he jumped down the last step and strolled over to her. "Up to some trouble? Tut tut… naughty, naughty… you'll get caughty!"

"Not that it's any of your business, but Professor Dumbledore wanted a word with me," she answered coolly.

"Oh, did Miss Perfect get into trouble? I never would have thought it of you, Miss Evans!" he said cheerfully.

"I wasn't in trouble," she said firmly. "He just wanted to talk to me about something."

She turned and planned on going straight up to the common room again, at least until she heard James say, "So… you thinking about taking up Dumbledore's offer?"

She stopped dead before she turned back, her eyes wide.

"How did you…?" she began.

"He called me in this morning to talk to me and Sirius," James smirked back. "It's funny, see, we were just wondering why he called us in so early. I mean… I couldn't think of what I did to get called into Dumbledore's office… at least not recently. Anyway, that was where he told us about what he was planning, and something told me that he was going to ask you to."

Lily looked determinedly forward. "He did ask. But I don't know about it. How did you know he asked me?"

"Do you not know?" James laughed. "You have got to be the most talented witch here. Come on… if he was going to ask me and a nutter like Sirius, of course he would ask you."

Lily hated the slight tint of red at her cheeks.

"So, you going to accept?" James asked curiously.

"It's a lot to take in, I don't know," she answered back. "I just found out about it and I'm trying to think it through."

"Fair enough, fair enough," James nodded in understanding. "I mean, it was a bit of a shock for us too. But once we thought it over, think about how awesome it would be? Normally, you got to get special permission to leave the island, but think about it? Being able to go and see the rest of the world and we have magic to help us! It will be amazing!"

"And dangerous," Lily reminded him. "We don't know where to look or how long we'll be gone."

That was when she realized that they were talking about this in the opening and sighed. "Let's drop it for now. We should go before we get caught by Filch. I don't want to risk giving him an excuse to give me detention."

"Oh, he's not so bad once you get to know him," James smirked. "I mean… other than his personality, his appearance, taste in clothes… no sense of humor whatsoever, and then there's that whole thing with that cat!"

"Ok, I get it," Lily said. She was silent for a moment, she glanced over at him and wondered what he was going to do.

"You going?" Lily asked as they walked back to the common room together.

"Me and Sirius were both asked," James explained. "I asked about Remus and Peter, but with Remus's… condition… we may be gone for some time and Dumbledore isn't sure if Remus would feel right about going when…?"

"I understand," Lily interrupted.

"And as for Peter, he wasn't asked," James shrugged. "He is a bit of a loudmouth so you can't blame Dumbledore for that?"

"It will be dangerous," Lily reminded him, though not the least bit surprised that James was planning on going. "What are you going to do if you are chosen?"

"I'm going to go then, aren't I?" James asked proudly. "Me and Sirius are more than able to take care of ourselves so there's no need to worry about us, Tiger Lily." He then looked over at her and said, "Question is, are you going?"

Lily blinked before she sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "I mean, I would like to see how my family is doing after all this time…?"

James looked at her, his face not showing any signs of joking or laughing this time.

"You know that you won't be able to speak with them," he reminded. "I don't think that they'll be any time…?"

"I know," she answered with a shrug. "Just to see how they're doing would be enough for me. I mean… I know that I must have hurt them when I ran off like that… not even bothering to leave a note or contact them after all this time… they probably thought I was kidnapped and killed. I can't go back now."

She was only now starting to realize how much she must have scared and hurt them when she ran away. She had just been so caught up in the moment of being able to fly away to a world of magic and wonder that she never once gave it any thought that she might be hurting them, and guilt was starting to sink in.

She supposed that this must have shone on her face for James said quickly, "Hey, sorry I'm bring this all up. Let's let it drop."

She nodded, the two of them seemingly standing at the end of a long corridor.

"So, ah… Tiger Lily…" James told her after a moment of silence, suddenly uncharacteristically nervous. "About what I asked you before?"

"What did you ask…?" she asked, before remembering the reason she came out here to talk with him. "Oh, right… about going to the party with you."

"Look, I know that you don't like me," he began, having been planning what to say when she inevitably turned him down.

"Ok," she said.

"And I understand that you don't want to…" he went on before he realized what she said and he stopped dead, staring at her. "What?" he asked, thinking that he misheard her.

"I said, ok," she told him. "I'll go with you to the party."

This wasn't what he was expecting

She then held up a single finger at him and went on firmly, "Let's just get one thing straight though. You and I are still not friends and this doesn't change anything. I'm giving you a chance against my better instincts and I don't know why. But… don't get any funny ideas."

"Ah… ah no, of course not!" James said at once with a big smile.

"Good, and you better behave yourself," she told him as she walked on ahead of him.

James sprang into a salute and watched her until she was out of his sights and he went running off to meet his friends down in the kitchens, unable to keep his excitement in.

"SHE SAID YES! YES! YES! YES!" he cheered out, jumping about like he just the Quidditch House Cup. It seemed that Sirius owed Remus a lot of money now.

*Halloween Night*

James was waiting for Lily at the bottom of the stairs to the girl's dorm. He certainly seemed to be playing the part of a gentleman well… so far anyway. He was in a bright red suit with golden trimmings and the mask of a lion over his face.

"I have to admit," Lily said as she came down the stairs. "You should wear a mask more often. You look better with it."

"And you should take that mask off so that you don't need to hide your pretty face," James replied sweetly as he held out his hand for her to take. Lily rolled her eyes as she ignored the hand and stepped down onto the floor on her own. Alice was the one who made the dress for her, and she had to admit that she had a future in making dresses, if nothing else. She was in a long white gown that fitted her body perfectly. The bottom of the dress was long and full like a mermaid's tail, and the bodice glittered with simple yet graceful trimming. The entire gown sparkled when she moved, and when it caught the light, it seem to reflect it in a multitude of pastel colors. She was also wearing just a plan silver mask—no feathers or jewels—just a simple white opera mask.

"Too bad flattery doesn't work on me. Well, let's get this over with," she said before they both headed to the Great Hall. They headed down together to the Entrance Hall, where there was already a sea of people in masks around them. Lily didn't like all these masks… though she couldn't explain why she felt a little uneasy. Still, she held her head high as she headed with James down into the crowd—and James grabbed hold of her hand so that they wouldn't be separated.

She was being pushed around as everyone started to head into the Great Hall and when they came in and got a good look at the room, she gasped a little in awe.

They were standing in a large room that was walled with mirrors and lit with chandeliers that hung off an impossibly high ceiling. The silk covering of the walls was in a deep royal purple with a golden trim. They were also standing on an enormous and well-polished, elaborate dance floor, while the men were in silken shirts and tuxedoes. Some of them wore wide-brimmed, plumed hats; others had capes or carried staffs—but they all wore masks.

The women's were all in long silk gowns while they're hair were done up in elegant buns or braids. They too all wore masks, but theirs were done with feathers or jewels as they all danced or talked.

The dancers moved in a ring around the ballroom while the ones who weren't dancing lounged lazily on the sidelines, or flirted with one of the other guests. Skeleton waiters were also running around and serving them trays of fruit and refilled their glasses with Pumpkin Juice or Butterbeer.

Lily and James walked through the large crowd as they made their way to one of the many tables that were set up along the walls and were filled with food and drinks. As they walked through the dancing and thriving dancers, she noticed two women peering at her through their feathered masks in curiosity. Lily flushed, feeling horribly plain and self-conscious next to them.

They went to one of the many tables where food was being served and she got herself a goblet full of Butterbeer, enjoying the feeling of something warm going down her throat and into her suddenly nervous stomach.

At that moment, however, Professor Dumbledore stood up at the Head Table, dressed in grand purple robes with golden stars splattered over them and his matching hat as he stretched his arms wide, as if hoping to embrace them all.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I hope you're having an excellent night and are ready for tonight's festivities," he called to them all. "This year, before the dance, we decided to have something a little extra for you. Tonight we will be trying to complete a maze... now you and the partner you are with tonight will work together to get through it together. There will be ghosts and frights inside, and you must see if you are able to navigate it to the end! Those who wish to participate, please head to the Entrance doors!"

"That sounds wicked!" James said, his eyes shining brightly through the mask's eyeholes and he looked quickly to her. "You want to go? Come on! It'll be fun!"

Lily was torn between this. While it did sound fun, she wondered just what would be waiting for them. She had been expecting dancing, not running around in a maze tonight. Yet… why have the same old thing every year?

"Alright," she said, and he beamed widely as she added, "But in case we're attacked, I'm leaving you behind. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all!" he laughed as he held up his arm for her to take as they and many others began to swim their way back through the crowd of students to get to the door.

All in all, it seemed like at least half the school came to try their hand at the maze. They were taken outside to where, her astonishment, the grounds were full of hedges that towered over their heads and seemed to stretch all over.

Dumbledore told them that the maze was full of frights and spells that will be set up to try and deceive them. Their goal was to get to the center of the maze, where there would be a special surprise waiting for any and all who could get through here. If they wish to leave, all they need to do was send up sparks and they will be led back out. The whole goal was to have fun here, and he wished them all to enjoy themselves.

There were openings all throughout the outermost hedge and soon they were all set lose into the labyrinth. She could hear the sounds of the music from the castle continuing to play and she couldn't hide the excitement as she went running through the hedges with James. As they ran through, there were ghosts patrolling through it, so it was a shock to turn a corner and walk right through them, feeling like they were plunge into a cold shower.

They often ended up running into people, either scared or having the time of their lives as they ran around. There were dancing skeletons that would pop up and chase them, spider webs where they got entangled in and fight their way through, parts of the ground that ended up causing them to sink like stepping into quicksand and all sorts of other traps waiting for them.

"Lily? Why do you insist on taking all the right paths?" James asked at one point after they escaped from some vines that had come to life and had started to reach for them. Lily's hair was now hanging free and the helm of her dress was covered with grass stains and mud, but her eyes were shining through the mask as she laughed, thoroughly enjoying herself.

"Don't you know? If you keep going right, you're sure to get through the maze eventually," she answered back.

"Never a dull moment here," James smirked back. "Reminds me of our first Halloween, together. Remember?"

"How could I forget?" Lily sighed. "Werewolves, spiders… Fluffy… running around in the forest… in the rain… in the middle of the night… it was a nightmare."

"Yeah, but is it better to have a normal Halloween and forget all about it, or one hell exciting Halloween that you can look back on and laugh about it later?" he asked.

"There wasn't anything funny about that night," she answered coolly back.

"You clearly didn't see how you looked," James sniggered. "You looked like a wet kitten or something."

She rammed her elbow into his side. "Watch it," she retorted, a smile fighting to break free. "You hardly looked like a prince yourself…"

"I shall take it," James answered back as they turned the next corner. "Small price to pay for saving the beautiful maiden in distress that night. To be fair, it was your own fault for going after Remus."

She sighed as she nodded. She couldn't argue with that, for she knew that he was right there.

"Thank you," she said and when she felt him looking at her she added, "Again. For saving me."

He smiled back. "Anytime," he told her and this time she could hear the sincerity in his voice, which she couldn't help but smile back.

That was when they suddenly reached another dead in and stopped as they looked around. Lily suddenly noticed something when she turned around, she blinked, wondering just how she could have missed it before and nudged James before pointing. Settled in between the hedges was a large wooden doorway. A tangle of vines wrapped itself around the doorframe, holding it securely in place with a bat-shaped doorknob glistened a little in the moonlight.

The two looked at each other before raising their eyebrows. James strolled forward and opened the door. She heard him let out a long whistle and she looked in to see what it was that caught his attention and her green eyes widen in wonder.

In front of them was a garden washed with moonlight and heavy with the mingled perfume of many flowers. These hedges were laden with blossoms, formed a thick wall around the garden. At the single gap in the wall two climbing roses wove their way up to the sides of an arched white support to meet in a tangled spray of flower-heavy branches at the top. As they walked through the arch, there was a curving path that gleamed between drifts of madly blooming flowers. There were tables set up that were full of candy and drinks for them while there was an grand dancefloor set up that was surrounded by the unfurling petals. There were black crows and bats that drifted about with decorations of orange and black sparkled underneath a bright moon in the star-filled sky.

There were already several other students that had found their way here and were all dancing upon or enjoying the food and drinks. The air was hot and heavy, probably one of their last few nice days before winter would sink in and there would be frost on the ground.

"So worth the walk," Lily said, staring around in wonder.

*James*

James watched the sparkling lights dancing around them as the 'winners' managed to make it to the center of the maze. He hesitated for a moment, feeling like he stood out like a sore thumb. Looking over everyone's heads, he spotted that Sirius had already made it here ahead of them, and was dancing with another girl in a beautiful orange and yellow dress with a golden mask. When he felt himself being watched, he looked up and spotted him there, grinning broadly at him, he waved and looked over at Lily and gave him the thumbs up.

James than ran his own thumb under his throat, signaling back that he be quiet or else.

Sirius only grinned back as he continued dancing.

"Lily?" James said and looked back as he bowed low. "I was wondering if I could have this dance?" he asked politely, extending his hand.

Lily hesitated for just a moment.

"Why not?" she answered.

Her warm hand took his and he guided her onto the dance floor, wondering for the millionth time why she agreed to come with him in the first place. He didn't dare question it though as they faced each other and he held her hand in one of his own before putting the second on her slim waist as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Slowly they began to move across the floor, twirling through the sea of dancers around them, lights flashing around them as music played all around them. People were laughing, eating, and talking to each other while enjoying themselves and showing off their clothes.

Lily slowly danced with James across the floor, enjoying the music and the sparkling lights that danced around them. "So…" James began slowly, "Do I have your seal of approval?"

Lily thought it over for a moment. "I've had better days," she confessed, her mouth tilting up into a smile. "But not many. So, I guess so."

James only grinned back, and for this next dance, he seemed to have an extra spring in his step.

*Miles away*

Miles away, there was already work being done in the middle of the Dark Forest. A figure, hooded and cloaked slowly paced in front of a fire that had been set in the middle of a clearing. A boy, looking no older than seventeen, knelt down on the ground as his master continued to pace.

"You are sure of this?" his master hissed slowly in a velvet voice yet also cold as ice. "That is what the old fool is planning?"

"According to the agent we have on the inside, master," the boy answered, not looking up. "Apparently, Dumbledore is going to select several students to try and retrieve the artifacts before your attack, which he expects to happen, though he seems to believe that it's much later down the road for something to happen."

"I see," his master said silkily. "It seems that I must push my plans ahead. Tell me, who is it that they are sending?"

"They will decide that soon," the servant answered back. "Apparently, they picked several promising students and then put them through their paces before they make up their minds."

"Very well," his master answered as he stopped pacing and stared at the fire, the roaring flames casting a dark shadow from the robed man, making him look something… sinister. "It was wise to wait… but things are moving ahead. It's about time that they learn to fear the true king."

"My lord," the boy asked slowly. "Why is it you called me here?"

"I have a mission for you," his master answered back, slowly turning to look at his servant, his glowing, red eyes shining from underneath the hood. "If they are willing to trust their future to a couple students, why not make them regret it? I will be sending several to go after them and have them gather the artifacts back for me. That is why you're here…"

He walked forward until he stood right in front of the boy. "I chose you to be one of the ones I send…" he hissed. "You and two others will go… you are to find all the artifacts and bring them back here before Dumbledore's pets do so. Bring the artifacts back to me and you will be rewarded. Fail… and you will die. Do you understand? Severus?"

The young man slowly looked up from where he knelt, his long, greasy-black hair hanging like curtains about the boy's pale face as his master slowly turned to look at him.

"Yes… my lord," the boy said, bowing his head low again.