A/N: sorry for the late update, my internet was down! First real description of Emily :| tell me if I mess up. Eyyyy, I'm not good at romance :(

...

It was Saturday morning, and Emily was walking down to the kitchens alone. She had slept in so had missed breakfast and lunch. It was also 3 days until the ball, and no-one had asked her yet. What she'd said to Sirius played back mockingly in her head. She supposed she had believed someone would ask her, given time, as she wasn't the worst looking in the school, but now she though about it, she doubted most people had even registered her as a girl. She knew they didn't think she was a boy, just knew that they, in the same way as James had, didn't really consider her, well, 'dateable'.

She knew her appearance didn't do anything for her, she had plain brown hair, a large nose, round face and sparkling blue eyes. But no-one remembered eyes most people didn't know what their friends eye colour was, and blue eyes wasn't exactly rare. As she thought of this she smiled.

'Only 10% of people on the world have blue eyes, you know.' Her dad had told her when she was about 6.

She remembered how she'd rolled her eyes, and responded with a far more down to earth response. 'Yeah, but Dad, that's over 400,000 people.'

Emily shook her head, to clear her head of memories. She looked down at herself. She had broad shoulder, which made wearing robes unfortunate, as they hung straight down. She was by no means thin, and couldn't be she suspected, even if she bothered to lose weight. It sounded like an overused excuse for obese people, but she actually was big boned. And yet she'd never really considered herself fat, merely just not skinny.

Emily smiled to herself. She'd probably be depressed if she cared. But she didn't.

'And that's the best thing.' She said to herself. Because Emily didn't care. She remembered one of her friends from her muggle school asking her if she would still be the same way, even if she was the most beautiful person on earth. She reply first with a joking remark:

'Are you implying that I'm not?

Butthat didn't work, and he still fell silent waiting for a response.

'No, I still wouldn't care.' It seemed more like the truth to her the more she thought about it.

Emily again shook her head, clearing the moment of insecurity she had entertained for almost 5 minutes, smiled to herself and continued on her way.

...

Toby Abbot had left his book in the library. He hated that, as there was a good chance madam pince would have squirrelled it away, and never let him have it back. He walked from Ravenclaw tower alone, no-one could be bothered to go with him because is was such a long way, and probably fruitless anyway. He contemplated the valentines ball situation, and groaned. Why did it have to be on valentines day! Then there was no-way you'd be able to fully convince a girl that you were just going as friends.

He'd thought of one girl, who he knew probably wouldn't question it. The only problem was, if she said no, he was way more scared of a crowd of laughing revenge-seeking pranking marauders then he was of a group of giggling girls. And Emily never seemed to go anywhere without them! Or if she did, she wasn't seen because she didn't want to be. He'd understood that girls normally travelled in packs, but now found it equally irritating when boys did it as well. And even if he did manage to get he on her own to ask he was convinced she'd be going with Peter or something. A girl only wanting to go for friendship would probably already asked by her friends.

He looks up, and saw Emily meandering towards him, smiling to herself, apparently not noticing him yet.

'Speak of the devil.' He muttered to himself, before looking up and catching her eye.

...

Emily was nearly at the portrait with the pear that she needed to tickle like James said, when she saw Toby. She didn't mind Toby, they usually worked together in charms, when professor Hecate split the marauders up, but she was hungry, and could have done with no-one wanting to talk now. Catching his eye, she realised he did. Crap.

Toby smiled at Emily. 'Where you going?' He asked in a friendly voice.

'The library.' Emily improvised. It wasn't that she didn't want Toby to know about the kitchens, it was just that... She didn't want to spill a marauder secret.

'Thats this way.' Toby grinned, indicating to the way he'd been walking.

'Theres a shortcut a few corridors down.' Emily improvised again. There was in fact, it's just not where she was going. She smiled back, though she didn't know why. Toby had interrupted her quest for food, and everyone who'd done that previously had ended up dealing with a grumpy Emily. 'I though all Ravenclaws would know the shortcuts to the library.'

'Apparently not.' Toby said, and changed the direction he was walking. 'So, how come you're alone?'

Rather then replying with the evasive I could ask you the same thing, she said. 'Can you imagine Sirius and James and Peter in the library?'

'No actually.'

'Thats probably a good thing. We went in there on the first week because Remus and I wanted to study, and Sirius James and Peter built book castles, then tried to knock each other's down with books enchanted to float."

'Good use of the first charm we were taught.' Toby smiled wryly, noticing how Emily's eyes lit up when she was talking about the marauders antics.

'Yeah, well, they were banned for a year. And me a month. Apparently guilty by association.' Emily snorted.

'So the Marauders? Who are they going to the ball with? After all the pranks you've pulled, I'd imagine they had the pick of 1st year. I know for a fact that James asked someone I was going to.' Toby said all of this very fast, wondering why he was feeling so nervous. Emily looked at him intently.

'Yeah, well, James got rejected by Lily Evans at first.' She told him, still studying his body language. It wasn't uncommon for her to do this, it was how she read people. She could almost always tell when the marauders were lying, if she looked closely enough.

'Lily doesn't seem to like him very much. I suppose its cause she likes Snape. I heard they're going together.'

Emily's eyes sparkled mischievously. 'Wait till I tell James!' She said, more to herself.

'Oh god, why do I feel like I've signed his death warrant?' Toby asked amused.

Emily appeared no to hear. 'Have you ever wondered what Snivellus would look like with a cheering charm?'

Toby laughed. 'Right.' He thought to himself. 'Just ask. Emily didn't mention anything about going with anybody, and she's hardly going to mention that no-one had asked her, so just ask!' Why did he feel so nervous. He only wanted to go as friends.

'Wouldyouliketogotothedance. Asfriends ?' He said very quickly.

'All I heard there was dance. And friends. But I got the gist. Sure.'

Toby grinned, glad he didn't have to repeat it.

'Can you dance?' Emily asked, suddenly looking worried.

'No...' Toby said uncertainly. He didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to say no either.

Emily's reaction was the exact opposite of what he'd expected. 'Thank Merlin. I was worried that I'd have to dance. I assure you, it's like an elephant on skates.'

Toby let out a relived laugh, picturing an elephant on skates in his mind.

...

Emily made her way back down to the kitchens. They'd walked together for a bit more, talking comfortably. Emily had taken out a book, as an excuse to go to the library. They're conversation has been funny, so she didn't question why she couldn't stop smiling then, but when Toby walked off, and her face wouldn't relax, she wondered why.

'Strange.' She thought, but then her thoughts drifted back to Toby, and she didn't care she was grinning like an idiot anymore.

...

A/N: Not sure about this chapter, like I said, not good with romance, let me know what you think. It's also a bit longer, to make up for the delay, otherwise I would have been really mean and given you a cliff hanger. :)

MaraudersForever62