A.N—It is the long awaited chapter! :D Please enjoy and read and review!

Disclaimer—yeah, right. *snorts*

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Chapter Thirty Five
Paquita

Remus stood in the large foyer to the packed theatre, fidgeting with his tie. Beside him, Sirius, James and Stefan stood in black muggle suits and ties, looking around in awe at the lavish foyer. Mary, with her blonde hair curling down her back and wearing a soft lilac dress looked at ease with her arm tucked under Sirius's. Many women were staring at the couple, or rather at Sirius, but didn't approach. Lily however, looked simply ravishing in the mint green halterneck backless dress she wore, her hair up in a messy bun. James was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her, something that Remus found slightly nauseating and also sweet.

He stood next to Stefan who looked quite nervous. Mr and Mrs Potter were talking quietly to each other and finally James spoke up.

"Mum, I thought that this was a gala?" he asked.

"Oh, there is one, dear, after the ballet."

"The...the what?" James spluttered.

"The ballet, Paquita." Mrs Potter said in the tone of voice one would use to explain something to a child. "The gala is the after party, James."

"You didn't tell me that in the letter!" he replied and Mrs Potter blinked, a smile on her lips.

"Oops." she shrugged. Lily snorted with laughter while Sirius and Stefan snickered behind their hands.

"Hey...hey isn't that Belle's family?" Mary said suddenly, looking through the crowd. As they watched, Mrs Grey and three of her sons came bustling over, smiling and looking smart. Remus's heart felt heavy when he saw that Belle wasn't with them.

"Harold! Shelbie!" Mrs Grey greeted with hugs and kisses, enthusiasm in her voice. "It's so good of you to come!"

"It's nice to see you, Olivia." Mrs Potter smiled. "You know the children, yes?"

Mrs Grey smiled at them. "Of course. Belle's friends from school."

"She's not with you, is she?" Lily asked hopefully. Mrs Grey's brow furrowed in confusion.

"You mean you don't know?" she gasped. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Know what?" he asked.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU MAY NOW TAKE YOUR SEATS! THIS IS YOUR FIVE MINUTE CALL!" a woman called through the P.A system. The group of twelve were ushered upstairs and into box five, which had a wonderful view of the stage. Remus was flipping through the program which had adds for sponsors of the ballet company when his eyes caught on a name; the lead in the ballet.

Belle Grey.

He sucked in a breath and turned to the others. They all looked surprised and equally shocked as he felt...all except Mary. She looked calm and collected, looking at the photo's that were taken during the rehearsal, smiling at the one of Belle laughing as she sat on the floor, in a stretch her pointe shoes in front of her and her hair in a bun. She looked beautiful.

"I don't know if this is a joke or not, but it isn't funny." Remus said to the others, who shook their heads just as the lights came down and the conductor appeared. The orchestra started up and the curtain rose. The stage was huge and was set was of a rocky valley with a village painted in the distance. A few dancers were sitting on stage, miming having a drink after a hard days work.

Sirius was snickering. "They're wearing tights!" Mary hit him for his trouble, but he continued to chuckle. Remus shook his head and watched on.

Soon, a group of dancers walked on calmly, dressed in fancier clothes than the rest. He watched as the male lead, Lucien, had a conversation with his mother, who wishes him to marry, although Lucien wants to, he desires to marry for love.

After a while the noble party departs and instead a band of dancers dressed in gypsy like clothes comes onto the stage followed by a man who is obviously the chief. Remus referred to his program and saw that his name was Inigo. After his impressive dance, he begins to gesture around, obviously looking for somebody. The others don't know what he's looking for and send him offstage to the left. As soon as he is gone, a ballerina dressed in a blue corset and a classical ballet skirt appears, her costume of the Spanish-style and the colour suiting her skin. Her hair was a golden colour and was slicked back into a tight bun, silver hoops in her ears and an arm bracelet around her bicep.

Belle.

Remus sat up straighter in his seat, his eyes glued to her. This couldn't be real. She couldn't be a ballerina. It just didn't make any sense. And yet, it explained where she was always sneaking off to, why her legs and stomach muscles were so toned and how she appeared so feminine and yet was so strong.

She smiled and waved to her fellow gypsies, who tell her that Inigo was looking for her. He rushed back onto the stage and send them all off, so that it is just he and Belle were onstage. He fell to his knees at her feet.

That was when she began to dance. Remus watched as she rose onto her toes and danced with a grace and poise that any other girl could only dream about. She seemed to hover in midair when she jumped and she made every extension and turn look as easy as breathing.

She told the story well. Her character Paquita is a young and beautiful gypsy girl who dances to earn money and who one day falls in love with Lucien, a lieutenant, but because of their status', they are not able to wed. When she overhears Inigo and a nobleman plotting to kill Lucien, she helps her love escape from their clutches by tricking Inigo to drink poison; the same poison that was meant for Lucien.

After defeating Inigo, Lucien takes Paquita to his home to present her to his parents, where she finds out that she is of noble birth. Remus's breath was swept away as he watched her dance with Lucien, a look of such devotion and love on her face that he felt a little jealous. Lucien fell to his knees in adoration and when she ran to him, he held her above his head by her waist. It was a wonderful dance they shared and it moved Lily to tears. Remus could hear her sniffling behind him.

Soon though, they left the stage and instead a group of children came on, they couldn't be older than twelve, yet they moved with the discipline of those who worked hard at what they did. They were wonderful to watch, but Remus was itching to see Belle perform again.

Soon his wish was fulfilled and she pranced onto the stage gracefully leaping into a grand jete, a jump that looked like the splits in the air.

"Merlin." he heard Stefan breathe.

Remus saw that she was wearing a red and black tutu that shimmered and sparkled with every move she made, her arms encased in the long sleeves and her head tilted upwards in a proud fashion. They watched her dance with other ballerinas, who were poised to watch her turn again...and again...and again.

"How is she not getting dizzy?" James wondered, making Lily chuckle.

Belle finished with a smile and the rest of the ballet passed in a ball-like manner to celebrate Paquita and Lucien's wedding. When the curtain went down, Remus applauded loudly. In the seats around him, people were getting to their feet, so he did as well.

The curtain rose again and Belle and the man who played Lucien, Cooper, ran forwards to take their final bow. Cooper kissed Belle's hand and they smiled at each other before exiting the stage. The lights went on and the group left the theatre, the adults chatting about the performance while the teenagers walked in stunned silence. They arrived at a large ballroom that was decorated lavishly.

"I never knew." Lily said quietly, taking a glass of champagne from one of the waiters.

"None of us did." James assured her. Mary looked guilty and ran a finger around the rim of her glass.

"I did. I caught her coming in after a rehearsal last year and I forced her to tell me everything. She made me swear not to tell anybody." she explained.

"Why wouldn't she want us to know?" Sirius asked. "We're her friends."

"She thought you all wouldn't understand, that you would make fun of her like you made fun of Harley."

Remus narrowed his eyes at the mention of that great prat. "So that's how they met?" he wondered, speaking for the first time in hours, grip so tight on his glass of champagne it was a wonder that the cup didn't break.

Mary nodded. "But can you understand why she didn't want to tell you?"

Remus nodded and let out a great sigh, relaxing. "Well, this certainly explains a lot."

"Oh yeah." James agreed.

"She was amazing, though." Stefan said. "She's really gifted."

Mary nodded. "People are calling her the new Margot Fonteyn."

"Really?" Lily gasped. "Wow."

"Who's that?" James asked.

"Margot Fonteyn was one the best female ballet dancers in classical history. The Queen gave her a special award and everything. To be compared to her is...epic." Lily explained.

Applause sounded through the hall and they looked around. Belle had entered the ballroom. Her stage makeup was still on but she had let her hair out and was dressed in a pretty black dress and studded heels. She spotted her family and made a beeline for them, hugging her mother and brothers happily. She accepted their flowers and compliments before catching sight of her friends.

Her face drained of colour and she looked ready to faint. Her expression was one of fear and her lip was quivering. She gulped and walked over to them.

Upon closer inspection, Remus saw that she was wearing fake eyelashes that were around an inch long, dark eyeshadow and bright red lipstick that suited her quite well.

"What are you doing here?" she asked them all, her voice deathly quiet and music to Remus's ears.

"My mother invited us all. We didn't know you were a ballerina, Belle! Why didn't you tell us? You were incredible out there!" James crowed and Lily hugged her best friend, who stood stiffly.

"You were so wonderful! I had no idea you could dance." Lily said, beaming.

"Although it explains a lot, now I think about it." Stefan smirked. Belle swallowed.

"I just thought that you lot would make fun of me." she said, looking at her shoes, which gave her a bit of height, but compared to the boys she was still small.

"Why would we make fun of you over something that you love?" James asked with a frown. Remus remained silent, not saying anything. He didn't want to talk with Belle in front of the others.

Her eyes brimmed with tears and she cleared her throat. "Well, thank you. Did you like the story?"

"Yes! It was brilliant!" Lily and Mary gushed. Belle smiled and then caught sight of Remus. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but was saved when Cooper, Mr Fitz and Ursula came up to her.

"You, my brilliant girl, are dazzling." Cooper grinned, scooping her up and hugging her close. Belle giggled and he set her down. Mr Fitz kissed her hands and Ursula smiled at her warmly.

"These are my friends from school," Belle said, with a look at Ursula, who gave nothing away as they were introduced to the witches and wizards.

"It's nice to meet you." Mr Fitz smiled. "She's a treasure, our Belle. I hope you all enjoyed the show."

They assured him that they did and Ursula smiled in a very smug way. "Belle, I've just been speaking with Anjelica Josdov and Francois Davis. They want you to guest teach at their companies and to perform in their ballets, if you'll consent to do so."

Belle's jaw dropped. "As in, the directors of the Russian Ballet and the Australian Company?" she gasped. Ursula nodded and Belle beamed.

"Of course! I'd be happy to!" she said.

"You'll still be working here, of course?" Ursula added, sounding a little nervous as well. Belle nodded and her teacher smiled before linking her arms with Mr Fitz who left to mingle. She turned back to the others, aware that Cooper was there.

"Uh, would you all excuse us for a moment?" Cooper asked, leading Belle away. He glanced back over at the group.

"Who's the one with the brown hair and blue eyes?" he whispered. Belle smiled.

"That's Stefan."

"So he's straight?" he said sadly and Belle's lips spread in a smile.

"Cooper, Stefan has been my friend since I was eleven years old. Trust me, he is gay, gay, gay, gay, gay." she half sang. Coopers jaw dropped.

"Really?" he asked, sounding hopeful. "He's gay?"

"Yes he's gay!" she giggled. "Who knew your gaydar was so stupid."

"My gaydar is not stupid. I do not have stupid gaydar." Cooper wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, I hate that word."

Belle rolled her eyes and walked back over to her friends, Cooper at her side. He immediately asked Stefan if he wanted to get a drink and the two left, chatting.

"Master match-maker, you are." Lily said with a wink. Belle laughed and Remus's heart twisted in his chest. James bowed low to Lily.

"Might I have this dance, love?" he asked and she shook her head, taking his hand and following him to the dancefloor. Sirius and Mary followed soon after, leaving Belle and Remus alone. Belle stood staring down at her blistered and battered feet, twisting a plain silver ring around her finger, looking nervous. Remus had his hands deep in his pockets and was biting his lip.

"I could use some air." he said suddenly. "Would you like to join me?"

"Yes." her answer was wrenched from her mouth before she could stop herself. "Yes, I'd like to." she continued with a bit more restraint. He chuckled and together they walked out of the ballroom and he followed her upstairs and onto a balcony that overlooked London. The air was chilly and he saw her shiver. He slipped out of his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. She blinked up at him before blushed deeply.

"Thank you." she mumbled.

"You're welcome." he replied gently. They stood in silence for a while, just admiring the view; Belle of the city, Remus of her. She truly was a vision, her awkward stage far behind her.

"You're a truly wonderful dancer. It looked like magic, the way you moved." he said truthfully. Belle blushed even harder.

"Thank you. It's the one thing in this world I love almost as much as—" she caught herself, shaking her head and letting that lock of hair fall into her eyes. He took a cautious step forward and then as gentle as a feather, tucked it behind her ear.

"Belle..." he trailed off and she looked up at him, his jacket big on her slight frame. "I'm so sorry."

She merely blinked.

"I was a prat. I should have just trusted you. If you didn't want to tell me about all of this, then that was your decision. It couldn't have been easy for you to keep all of this to yourself." he said. "Is there any chance that you can forgive me for being a colossal idiot? Because the dumbest thing I ever did was letting you walk out that door."

Belle swallowed and turned to face him. She looked at him for the longest time, just drinking him in before she stepped forward and embraced him. He was warm and soft yet every part of him pure male. He smelled exactly like she remembered and in that moment she felt like she was coming home.

"Yes, I can forgive you." she murmured into his shirt. His chest was rising and falling rapidly and she backed away, confused, only to see tears running down his cheeks. He took her face in his hands and started kissing every inch of her face, half laughing half crying.

"Why are you crying?" she asked with a smile.

"Because I'm in emotional overload. I'm so happy that I have you back, and I'm crying because I feel so relieved." he replied, lowering his forehead to hers. "And I'm so in love. I love you so much, Belle."

Her smile grew. "I never really believed in true love." she murmured. "But that was before I met you."

Remus kissed her then, reaching down to hold her in his arms, bridal style, smiling against her lips. Her shoes flew off and the night air bit at her toes but she didn't care. They just remained locked in that embrace for a while, enjoying the romantic moment and watching the fireworks dance behind their eyelids. Belle pulled away first, her hands combing through Remus's hair.

They both knew what the other was thinking when their eyes met. It was the perfect moment; the moment when they felt the most alive.