Disclaimer: Previous chapters have the answers to all of your questions.

Dancing, horror, & hot cocoa

Lily had to work two times as hard as everyone else just to keep up in her assignments since she slacked off the day before. It didn't help that she had canceled on all of her tutor appointments and was now ignoring James, allowing her Transfiguration grade to slip beneath the cracks. Her mood did not improve at dinner.

"May I have your undivided attention please?" asked Dumbledore, standing up at the end of the feast. Lily figured this had to do with the Halloween party since she had told him that morning the plan. Others however, looked confused since Dumbledore rarely if ever stood up when it was not a feast.

"Thank you. Now as you may or may not know, there is going to be another ball this year on Halloween," began Dumbledore. There were a few groans but also some squeals of excitement.

"The theme of this ball is going to be Muggle celebrities," continued Dumbledore. There was a collective groan from the Slytherins. "However, you will not be allowed to bring dates this time.

There were here sighs of relief from first and second years but groans from third year and up.

"Obviously there will be dancing and as the Head Boy suggested, him and the Head Girl will start off the dancing before everyone else."

Livid, Lily turned to her left to see James grinning saucily at her. Mary-Kate wasn't pleased. Lily looked around for a cup of coffee to pour on him this time.

"That'll be all, and Miss Evans if you pour coffee again on Mr. Potter I will be forced to give you detention," added Dumbledore, showing off his twinkling eyes again. Lily sighed. "I wouldn't say no to a pitcher of pumpkin juice."

Lily grinned evilly and James looked horrified at Dumbledore. Before Lily could reach him he got up and started sprinting around the Great Hall.

"COME BACK HERE POTTER!" cried Lily furiously. The whole hall was laughing, even McGonagall and the rest of the staff were failing to look disapproving. You could see their lips twitching.

"GIVE IT UP EVANS, YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME!" yelled James, running past the cheering Ravenclaws.

"I'VE STILL GOT A FEW TRICKS UP MY SLEEVE!" screeched Lily. She whipped out her wand. "Locomotor Mortis!"

James already had his out though and blocked it with the counter curse.

"I KNOW ALL YOUR TRICKS EVANS AND MORE!" said James. This set of the trigger. No one, especially not Lily Evans, liked to be told someone knew more than she did. But James incidentally, hadn't noticed that Snape thought it would be funny to stick out his leg to trip James whom went flying and landed with a thud on the floor. Snape pulled his leg in so he wouldn't trip Lily but realizing too late that James fell she tripped over him and spilled the pumpkin juice all over both of them.

"Smooth work Evans," said James in his husky voice from underneath her.

"Me?" cried Lily incredulous. "You're the one who tripped over Snape's leg!"

"So that was who did it?" said James surprised. "Oh well, he'll pay for that. Anyway, are you looking forward to the ball?"

"Not anymore," retorted Lily coolly. "You just had to go and suggest that the Head Boy and Girl dance together didn't you?"

"Aw, come on Evans, you know you love me," said James enticingly.

"I do not…" began Lily but Snape interrupted her.

"Hey, lovebirds? Yeah, this is a dining room not a make-out room," said Snape, smirking but looked upset all the same. "If you're going to do anything, get a room."

Lily scowled and James growled and got up from under Lily.

"Tergeo," muttered James, cleaning up the pumpkin juice all over the both of them.

"Thank you for that lovely show Miss Evans and Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore, smiling warmly at them. "I'm sure everyone else enjoyed that also."

There was a rowdy applause in reply.

"All right, I suggest you all go to bed so you're not asleep in class tomorrow," said Dumbledore and they all got up.

"Hey, do you guys want to come up and sleep in my dorm tonight?" asked Lily to Amy and Alice.

"Yeah, sure it'll be like a sleepover!" cried Amy excitedly and Alice nodded vigorously.

"All right, come on," said Lily. "Let's get there before Potter does. I have an idea."

"Lily, I can't believe you could be so cruel," said Alice, laughing.

"When it comes to Potter, cruel is my middle name," replied Lily, smirking.

"I thought your middle name was Marie," teased Amy. Lily rolled her eyes and through a cookie they had nicked from the kitchen at her.

"LILY!" yelled James from outside. "DID YOU CHANGE THE PASSWORD?"

"I don't know," called back Lily innocently. "Can you get in?"

"NO! WHEN I SAY LEMON DROPS THEY SHAKE THEIR HEAD NO!" cried James.

"Oh, well then I guess I did change the password," replied Lily. Amy and Alice collapsed with laughter on the floor.

"WELL, WHAT THE HELL IS IT THEN?" yelled James. He was under the impression still that it was hard to hear through the portrait.

"James? What are doing standing out here and yelling at the portrait?" asked Remus confused. "No matter how much you yell at it, it won't turn into Lily."

Now Lily, Alice, and Amy were rolling on the floor laughing.

"LILY LOCKED ME OUT MOONY!!!" yelled James.

"PRONGS, I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU AGAIN DON'T YELL IN MY EAR!" shouted Remus. "You're almost as bad as Padfoot."

Lily laughed and walked to the portrait hole to open it up for them.

"Finally!" cried James relieved. "I need to go upstairs to get something."

Lily looked at him suspiciously. "What?"

Remus began to whistle and walk away but before he could escape Lily pulled him by the collar and yanked him back.

"No, no, no," said Lily, as if Remus was a misbehaving five-year-old. "You're staying right here."

"It's none of your business," said James even though he'd tell her. Once again, it was all part of the master plan.

"Actually it is my business if you're doing something against the rules," retorted Lily. "Now what are you doing?"

James feigned a sigh. "I'm getting one of my condoms."

This took Lily by complete surprise. She knew that him and Mary-Kate were going out but she didn't know they were this serious!

"Okay, I won't keep you any longer," said Lily moving aside, her facial expression impassive.

This was not the reaction he had hoped for. He had wanted her to run upstairs and cry, yell at him, he did not expect her to move out of the way. He looked at Remus who seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"You're not mad?" asked James upset.

Lily's face was still unreadable.

"Why would I be upset?" she asked wisely. Looks like even if she doesn't know it she's playing the game wisely, thought James miserably.

James shrugged and walked upstairs. He didn't come down though. Lily turned to Remus who was still standing there like a stranded duck.

"Can I help you?" asked Lily.

Remus looked at her like he didn't realize the room was full of people until now.

"No, I'm just going to see where Sirius is off to," replied Remus, walking to the portrait hole. "Most likely either pigging out in the kitchens or kissing some random girl."

Amy's face blanched but she said nothing. Lily noticed this and gave her a consoling look.

"All right, see you Remus." She turned back to her friends who were giving her a knowing look. "What?"

"So you seriously think that James Potter is using a friend to make me jealous and want him?" asked Lily.

Lily and her friends had just spent an hour discussing James in the light of the Head Boy and Girl common room. Little did they know that he had been listening the whole time from the top of his staircase.

"For the thousandth time Lily," said Alice patiently. "Yes, we do."

"Do you have proof?"

James almost laughed out loud. Lily's only fault is she has the tendency to be narrow-minded and had to have everything shoved under her nose to believe it. In this case, James was thankful for this because if she knew the truth his "master plan" would be ruined.

"Well, let's review the evidence shall we?" said Amy, taking out a notebook and opened it.

"What's that?" asked Lily amused.

"A notebook where I keep gossip, notes, etc.," said Amy. "There is nothing in this school that I don't know."

"Do you know who likes me?" asked Alice.

"I don't know. Any who, evidence number one; James has never shown any interest in getting a girlfriend before now," said Amy.

"That's not evidence," said Lily, laughing. "Maybe he finally accepted I'd never go out with him."

James sighed from his hiding spot.

"Reason number two," continued Alice, "he said himself to me and Amy last summer that he didn't own a condom."

"He could have borrowed one from Sirius or Remus," argued Lily.

"Man, she's jumping to any conclusion as long as it means I don't like her anymore," thought James miserably. He brightened up though and almost laughed at the thought of Remus actually owning a condom. Ha!

"And lastly," concluded Amy, "We heard him and Black talking about it in the library at my free period."

"Damn Sirius for bringing it up in such a public place!" thought James furiously. "Note to self: feed Sirius to the Whomping Willow."

Lily was silent and couldn't think of any argument for this. If they had actually heard it first-hand, then there was no denying it.

"B-but why would he do that?" asked Lily even though they had already said it before.

"He must have thought if you never found out and you got jealous you'd want him even more than you do," said Alice. The end took James aback.

"Yeah I – say what now?" cried Lily. "Are we going to go through this again? I do NOT like J- Potter! He's an insufferable toerag who keeps on proving that he's got a head the size of a jet."

"A what?" asked Amy.

"Never mind. I think I'm going to go to the kitchen and get a cup of hot cocoa," said Lily, getting up.

"We'll come too," said Amy hastily.

"Alone," added Lily. Alice nodded and dragged an unhappy Amy upstairs to get ready for bed.

James waited until they were all gone for a few minutes before tearing after Lily.

A/N: OOO, a cliffhanger! Well, kinda. I'm done with this chapter and I don't know how long the rest of the story will be. I was aiming for 50 originally but I doubt it though I'm going to try and lengthen out their last year since I kinda go too fast. There will be an epilogue so never fear, captain puzzsta is here! K, peace!

~Puzzsta