October 17, 1974

"Hey Remus," Nicole said catching Remus' attention. They were both heading to the common room trying to make it there before being caught by one of the prefects.

"Hey Nicole. After you," Remus said bowing to let her go through the portrait hole first.

"You're in a good mood," Nicole said looking back at Remus, as they walked through the portrait hole. Remus shrugged nonchalantly.

"There you two are!" Lily yelled as soon as Remus and Nicole made it through the portrait hole into the common room. She was sitting in at a table with the other girls. There was a piece of parchment laid out on the table that seemed to have all of their attention.

Nicole and Remus walked over to the table. Marlene cleared her throat and gestured to Nicole's shirt. Nicole looked down and noticed, along with everyone else, that her white shirt was buttoned incorrectly as if it had been hastily done. Nicole's face immediately felt hot as she saw her friends look from her to Remus with smirks on their face.

The fourth year Gryfffindors already believed that there was something going on between Remus and Nicole and Nicole knew that this would just add fuel to the fire.

"What's on the parchment?" Nicole asked trying to divert everyone's attention.

"It's the Halloween Masquerade!" Adrianna excitedly announced. It had been almost three weeks since her birthday fiasco, but Adrianna was back to her usual self, which Nicole was grateful for. She couldn't stand watching Adrianna mope around.

"I'm so happy we finally get to go. Alice was telling me about it when her and Frank went last year and she said it's amazing," Lily said

"Why couldn't you go before?" Nicole asked.

"The dance is only for fourth years and up," Sirius explained. Sirius, James, and Peter were all sitting in alcove next to the table where the girls sat. Remus leaned over the table and read the parchment.

"We have practice on Saturday. That's soon for a dance that's at the end of the month," Remus said taking a seat next to James in the alcove.

"I guess McGonagall wants us to have plenty of time to practice so we don't make a fool of ourselves."

"Yeah that's unlikely," Remus said glumly. James laughed and clapped him on the back.

"Don't worry Remus, I'm sure Nicole will help you," Adrianna said suggestively.

"Yeah, if I knew what you guys were talking about."

"It's a tradition that dates back to the founders. At midnight everyone takes off their masks and the couples waltz. McGonagall teaches us all how to do to it, though it's not mandatory to waltz," Marlene explained trying to comfort Remus.

"Nope he's doing it," James said. Remus rolled his eyes at his friend.

"What about you?" Lily asked Nicole.

"Sounds fun. I love Waltzing," Nicole said nonchalantly.

"You know how?" Sirius asked. Nicole nodded. Sirius was surprised. Sirius was sure that he was going to be the only one who already knew how.

"Seriously?" Sansa asked.

"Yeah. Do you guys not know how?" Everyone shook their head except for Sirius.

"You should give us a preview!" Lily excitedly suggested.

"oh...um...I...I don't think so." Nicole stammered.

"Please! We won't judge!" Marlene implored. Nicole shook her head.

"I don't have a partner," Nicole said.

"Sirius knows how," James offered

"Um...I'm pretty tired..." Nicole said trying to stifle a yawn.

"Yeah me to. We should all get some sleep. Nicole can show us on Saturday, it's only two days from now," Adrianna said abruptly getting up from the table. Everyone left the area and headed up to their dormitories.

"So are you gonna ask Nicole to the dance?" Remus looked up from the book that he was reading to see Sirius sitting on the edge of his bed looking at him. Remus closed the book.

"Um...I hadn't planned on it," Remus said trying to sound nonchalant. He wasn't sure if it was working.

"Why not? You don't think that she'll say yes?" James asked walking over to Remus' bed and sitting on the edge.

"No...it's just...I hadn't planned on it," Remus said shrugging. James and Sirius were looking at him intensely.

"He's lying isn't he," James said and Sirius nodded. Remus didn't say a word.

"Fine keep your secrets. But I think that you should go for it if you haven't already. Don't be so scared!" Sirius said.

Remus smiled to himself. He wasn't scared about being rejected by Nicole, he was quite sure that if he asked her she would say yes in a heartbeat.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, Nicole either already had her date or would be acquiring one tomorrow morning during Defense Against the Dark Arts. Remus was the only one that Nicole had confided in about her ongoing relationship with Avery and from what she told him, Remus could tell that Nicole really cared about Avery and Avery cared as best as he was capable.

"What about you Pete?" James asked still sitting on Remus' bed. Peter was sitting on his bed with his legs folded. He shrugged. Ever since Adrianna's birthday, Peter had been more quiet than usual and looked extremely sad all the time.

"You guys still haven't talked?" Sirius asked referring to Sansa. Peter shook his head and climbed under his covers. He didn't speak to any of them.

All of them had tried to help but they didn't really know what to do. Sansa acted like everything was back to normal and Peter barely spoke. The other boys all crawled into their beds went to sleep, their moods sullen for their friend.

Next day

"Last class of the day. Thank Merlin," Nicole said under her breath as she continued to mix her potion. The room was filled with different smells ranging from burnt popcorn to fresh roses though Nicole had no idea which one was the correct scent. Nicole looked over at Lily who was crushing her lionfish spines.

"Are you taking anyone to the dance?" Nicole asked watching her potion turn from indigo to pink. Lily hesitated before answering. She looked up at Nicole.

"I don't know. I mean I had considered it but...I don't know if it would be a good idea." Lily added her lionfish spines to her cauldron.

"Why not?" Nicole asked. Lily shrugged.

"Well, we're not dating or anything so I don't know if that will make things awkward between us."

"I doubt it. I mean friends go to dances together all the time. I did back home," Nicole said nonchalantly.

"I guess...it's just..." Lily chewed on her lip as she stared into her cauldron.

"It's Severus, right. The one you want to take." Lily sighed.

"It's stupid I know."

"Why is it stupid?" Nicole asked

"For one thing, I don't even know if he even wants to go to the dance and two I feel like it will just start more rubbish," Lily said quietly.

"Because he's a Slytherin?" Nicole asked.

"I know Potter will find some way to ridicule him if we were to show up together and his friends will probably give him a hard time about it to," Lily said. Her face was a mixture of sadness and anger and Nicole wasn't sure why.

"Do you really care about what they have to say?" Nicole asked. Lily looked at Nicole.

"No I don't, but he does. He tries to hide it but it's become more apparent since we've gotten older."

"I'm not trying to downplay your feelings or anything, but I don't think that his friends will make that big of a deal about it just because you're a Gryffindor."

"Yeah you're right. Being a Gryffindor isn't something they would make a big deal of."

But being a muggle-born is. Lily couldn't bear to say the last part aloud. Saying it aloud would make what everyone had said these last three years real. Lily refused to believe any ill about her childhood friend.

Just because Severus hangs out with questionable company doesn't mean that he's like them. Lily thought. But why do we have to hide? He never told any of his friends that we've known each other since before school. They all just think that we just happened to get paired together for Defense Against the Dark Arts, not that we picked each other.

Lily shook the thoughts from her head. She had struggled with this over and over and now with the war almost in full bloom it was becoming more and more clear that their relationship was falling apart. Lily turned her attention back to her potion.

Nicole could tell that there was something that Lily wasn't saying. Nicole wanted to keep talking but she could feel Lily become closed off as she went back to her potions book and cauldron.

"Is Severus taking anyone to the dance?" Nicole asked Avery. She was leaning against Avery as they watched the sun set across the black lake. It was quite chilly for the beginning of October so there were few students relaxing by the water after classes.

"Is this your way of trying to tell me something?" Avery said teasingly. Nicole sucked her teeth and sat up and looked at him. He flashed her a goofy smile that made her laugh.

"I'm being serious!" Avery shrugged and reached for Nicole. He pulled her to him so that she was sitting in between his legs. Avery wrapped his arms around and put his chin on her shoulder and breathed in her scent. She always smelled so good to him.

Nicole traced circles on his hand with her fingers. Nicole should have felt at peace in his arms but she couldn't stop those nagging thoughts she had.

"Do you know Lily Evans?"

"Yeah I know who she is. What about her?" Avery said

"We were talking today about the dance and she said that Severus' friends might give him a hard time if he took her…" Nicole started. Avery didn't say anything. Nicole turned to look at Avery's face.

"Would you?"

"Would I what?"

"Give Severus a hard time."

"I would be a little preoccupied with my own date to worry about his," Avery said flirtatiously. He leaned in to kiss her but Nicole pulled back.

"That's not an answer." Avery sighed.

"Why does it matter?" Avery said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Nicole hesitated before answering.

Ever since Lily and Nicole had talked in Potions class, Nicole had this nagging feeling that she was missing something. It was like everyone was in on this secret but her. There was something else about the Slytherins and Gryffindors, something that the others all knew about. Nicole looked into Avery's eyes.

"I feel…I feel like there's something that people aren't telling me."

"About what?"

"You don't get along with my friends, and they don't certainly don't get along with you or yours." Avery shrugged

"Some people like each other and some people don't, it's as simple as that."

"But it's not! People stay away for you. From all the Slytherins. It's like you guys scare the others or something. I just…I just don't get it."

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me why!"

"I can't read minds Nicolaia! I don't know why people do the things they do and frankly I don't bloody care! Since when did you become that person?" Avery snapped.

"And what person is that exactly?" Nicole said folding her arms across her chest. Avery shook his head, inwardly scolding himself for walking into this argument. There was no going back now, Nicole was already upset.

"I just meant that I don't care about what others think about me or my friends. I'm secure enough to not let others affect me," Avery said softly.

"So I'm insecure!?"

"What!?...No...That's...that's...not what I meant..." Avery stammered trying to find the correct words. Nicole gestured for him to stop.

"I'm not hung up on what others think, but that doesn't mean that I don't listen to them and take what they're saying into consideration. People say things about you and your group of friends. They say that you're connected to this war somehow," Nicole said quietly looking away from Avery.

"What do you think?" Avery said hesitantly. Avery wasn't sure if he was ready for this conversation. He never really knew where Nicole stood on everything that was going on.

"I think...I think that there's a reason why you would give Severus a hard time if he took Lily...and it has nothing to do with her being from a different house...whatever that reason is, its why people have such a problem with you and your friends."

Avery didn't know what to say. Nicole was right to a certain extent but Avery didn't know how to talk to her about it. Lily was Nicole's friend, that much Avery was certain of. He didn't know if she knew about Lily's blood status or if she would even care. It was such a sensitive topic to discuss, and Avery didn't want to potentially lose her.

"I.."

"You don't have to explain it to me. At least not now." Avery looked at her confused. He wasn't expecting that.

"Sometimes I can't believe it's only been a month that I've been here. Everyone has made it so easy for me, that this feel like home. I feel like I've known you guys for so long." Nicole explained.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Avery asked. Nicole seemed sad when she was talking and Avery didn't understand why. Nicole nodded.

"It's also hard because I see all of these relationships and problems and I want to help. I want to fix them, like I used to with my friends...but I can't do that here because I don't know enough about them. I haven't been here long enough to really get involved or try to help."

"This is about what Sirius said, isn't it?" Avery asked. Nicole wouldn't look at him.

"Nikka, come on! You can't let what that tosser said to you..."

"I know, I know, I'm not...I don't hold it against him, but that doesn't mean that there wasn't any truth to it. I want to get involved with all these different people and their lives and relationships but I don't know the first thing about them. Everyone has a history with others and I have to take that into consideration."

"Right...so what does this have to do with us?" Avery asked slightly confused. Nicole laughed.

"It means that some people will like you and some people won't and there's a reason and a history that goes along with it. It means that I can't hear little details and expect to do something with it or stop someone from feeling a certain way toward another person." Nicole wrapped her arms around Avery's neck.

"But other people's feelings don't affect mine." Nicole kissed Avery and pulled back.

"What's wrong?" Avery asked.

"I want to know you. All of you, the good, the bad. Everything. Promise me you won't lie to me. You'll let me hear the truth and make up my own mind about whatever it is."

"OK. I promise. Now you have to promise me that no matter what you hear you'll always give me a chance to explain."

"I promise." Nicole kissed Avery again this time deeper than before. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and she felt Avery's hand exploring her back and hugging her close. This time Avery pulled back.

"What?" Nicole said breathless from the kiss.

"I forgot to ask you...will you be my date to the dance?"