"Ooh, he's cute," Lily said, pointing at a tall, blond and at least 26.
"He's too old," Arabella said, scrutinizing him.
"Yea maybe," agreed Lily wrinkling her nose. "What about him?" She pointed to a second guy with floppy brown hair and sparkling blue eyes.
"He's seriously good-looking," agreed Leah.
"He's ok I guess." Lily shrugged.
"Well if you're not going to ask him to dance then I will," Leah said. Lily shrugged again.
"Be my guest," she said. Leah glanced at her friends, eyes gleaming, before marching over to the boy.
"Do you think she's actually over Remus yet?" Arabella whispered, as she watched the boy swing Leah around the dance floor. Lily watched too.
"Uh uh," she said, catching sight of Leah's distraught face when she saw Remus and Melanie laughing as they danced. Arabella bit her lower lip as she noticed the same scene.
"Oh," she said. "Poor Leah." Lily nodded.
"She loves him," she said as they watched as the scene unfolded. "No matter what she says she does and probably always will love the guy." Arabella nodded slowly.
"Bella, Lily," came a loud voice, jerking both girls out of their thoughts. Sirius approached them, arms outstretched, dragging James and Peter behind him.
"Hey guys," Arabella said, absently.
"Yea," added Lily. "Hi." She stood on her tiptoes and peered over Sirius' shoulder to see if Leah was coping alright. She seemed to be back to her normal self, however. She focused on the boys. James was glancing around the hall taking in all the pretty girls who, under normal circumstances, he would be dancing with at that moment.
"Bella, would you give me the pleasure of a dance?" Sirius asked, totally out of character.
"Of course kind sir," Bella replied, playing along as she took his hand and was led to the dance floor. A small chubby blond girl, who looked remarkably like a pig, approached Peter and asked him, shyly, to dance. He clutched her hand, delighted to be asked and Lily watched, preoccupied, as they danced haphazardly around the place. She shivered slightly in her lace dress and sighed when she realized that she had been left alone with James Potter. She walked away and James followed her, not wanting to go back to his player ways.
"Are you following me?" Lily demanded, spinning around. James shrugged.
"I guess," he answered.
"Well would you stop?" she asked.
"Sorry honey. No can do," he said, lazily. Lily rolled her eyes.
"James, go away," she ordered. "I'm sure there's plenty of girls here skimpily dressed enough for you to make out with." James rolled his eyes.
"Yea well maybe if people didn't keep giving out about it maybe that's what I would be doing right now," he hissed.
"Don't blame me, Potter," Lily retorted, eyes blazing. "It's not my fault you actually did the right thing for the first time ever in your sad life." James looked stuck for words. Lily spun on her heel and stormed over to the first guy she spotted. She pulled him onto the dance floor, whirling her anger away. She ended up clutching the guy, laughing hysterically.
"Thanks," she said, casually, to him as she walked away. "I needed that." She spotted Sirius and Arabella talking, or more like arguing, with Remus. Lily's anger returned and she made her way over to the three. She noticed, as she approached, that Arabella's arm was wrapped around Sirius' waist and his arm was flung, casually over her shoulder. Lily couldn't help grinning. It had only been a matter of time before they got together.
"Remus honestly," Arabella was saying. "You're so inconsiderate. Bringing you're new model to a dance that you KNEW you're ex was going to be at. An ex who was still not over you I might add." Sirius was staying out of the whole thing but he nodded in agreement as Arabella delivered her speech.
"She was the one who broke up with me. Not the other way around," Remus yelled.
"Yea . . ." Arabella said. "But . . ."
"She was obviously still crazy about you," interrupted Lily, in a quiet tone. Arabella nodded.
"Yea," she agreed.
"Look if it makes you guys feel better I'll go talk to her," Remus suggested.
"No!" shouted Lily and Arabella together.
"No," Lily said again. "I don't think that's such a good idea." She grinned sheepishly at him.
"I agree," Arabella said, immediately. Remus stared suspiciously at them.
"Well I'm gonna have to talk to her at some stage," he said. "May as well be now." He walked towards Leah, ignoring Arabella and Lily's protests.
Leah watched as Remus walked away from her friends. Oh God! He was coming towards her. Grinning. She cringed. Please let him walk right past me. Don't let him stop," she thought frantically. She turned her back on him.
"Leah," came his familiar voice from behind her. Leah felt the tears welling up in her eyes but she dismissed them and turned to face him.
"What?" she asked, coolly.
"Look Leah," Remus started, apologetically. "I'm really really sorry about what happened but it's done now and we can't change that." Leah nodded as she madly tried to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat. "Well what I wanted to say was I really don't want to finish our relationship this way," he continued. "Well I was wondering if we could possibly be friends? Seeing as we can't be involved I'd love to have the next best thing. Because you're really special to me and I don't want to lose anything with you." He grinned at her. Leah allowed her tears to cascade down her cheeks freely. Arabella, who was watching them, made a move to go over and comfort her but Lily pulled her back.
"Wait," she whispered, nodding.
Remus watched Leah, uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry," she gasped. "If we can't have a relationship then I guess I want us to be friends as well." He hugged her and patted her back, awkwardly. Leah watched as he wandered back over to Melanie before gasping and sinking onto the ground. Arabella and Lily rushed over and pulled her up. They supported her over as far as the table where they all sat.
"Leah are you ok? What did he say? What's going on?" Lily asked, impatiently.
"I'm fine," Leah sobbed. "He said he wanted us to be friends so that's what's going to happen between us. If I can't have him as my boyfriend I want him as my friend." Her sobs subsided and she wiped her eyes with a creamy tissue from Arabella's pocket.
"He's too old," Arabella said, scrutinizing him.
"Yea maybe," agreed Lily wrinkling her nose. "What about him?" She pointed to a second guy with floppy brown hair and sparkling blue eyes.
"He's seriously good-looking," agreed Leah.
"He's ok I guess." Lily shrugged.
"Well if you're not going to ask him to dance then I will," Leah said. Lily shrugged again.
"Be my guest," she said. Leah glanced at her friends, eyes gleaming, before marching over to the boy.
"Do you think she's actually over Remus yet?" Arabella whispered, as she watched the boy swing Leah around the dance floor. Lily watched too.
"Uh uh," she said, catching sight of Leah's distraught face when she saw Remus and Melanie laughing as they danced. Arabella bit her lower lip as she noticed the same scene.
"Oh," she said. "Poor Leah." Lily nodded.
"She loves him," she said as they watched as the scene unfolded. "No matter what she says she does and probably always will love the guy." Arabella nodded slowly.
"Bella, Lily," came a loud voice, jerking both girls out of their thoughts. Sirius approached them, arms outstretched, dragging James and Peter behind him.
"Hey guys," Arabella said, absently.
"Yea," added Lily. "Hi." She stood on her tiptoes and peered over Sirius' shoulder to see if Leah was coping alright. She seemed to be back to her normal self, however. She focused on the boys. James was glancing around the hall taking in all the pretty girls who, under normal circumstances, he would be dancing with at that moment.
"Bella, would you give me the pleasure of a dance?" Sirius asked, totally out of character.
"Of course kind sir," Bella replied, playing along as she took his hand and was led to the dance floor. A small chubby blond girl, who looked remarkably like a pig, approached Peter and asked him, shyly, to dance. He clutched her hand, delighted to be asked and Lily watched, preoccupied, as they danced haphazardly around the place. She shivered slightly in her lace dress and sighed when she realized that she had been left alone with James Potter. She walked away and James followed her, not wanting to go back to his player ways.
"Are you following me?" Lily demanded, spinning around. James shrugged.
"I guess," he answered.
"Well would you stop?" she asked.
"Sorry honey. No can do," he said, lazily. Lily rolled her eyes.
"James, go away," she ordered. "I'm sure there's plenty of girls here skimpily dressed enough for you to make out with." James rolled his eyes.
"Yea well maybe if people didn't keep giving out about it maybe that's what I would be doing right now," he hissed.
"Don't blame me, Potter," Lily retorted, eyes blazing. "It's not my fault you actually did the right thing for the first time ever in your sad life." James looked stuck for words. Lily spun on her heel and stormed over to the first guy she spotted. She pulled him onto the dance floor, whirling her anger away. She ended up clutching the guy, laughing hysterically.
"Thanks," she said, casually, to him as she walked away. "I needed that." She spotted Sirius and Arabella talking, or more like arguing, with Remus. Lily's anger returned and she made her way over to the three. She noticed, as she approached, that Arabella's arm was wrapped around Sirius' waist and his arm was flung, casually over her shoulder. Lily couldn't help grinning. It had only been a matter of time before they got together.
"Remus honestly," Arabella was saying. "You're so inconsiderate. Bringing you're new model to a dance that you KNEW you're ex was going to be at. An ex who was still not over you I might add." Sirius was staying out of the whole thing but he nodded in agreement as Arabella delivered her speech.
"She was the one who broke up with me. Not the other way around," Remus yelled.
"Yea . . ." Arabella said. "But . . ."
"She was obviously still crazy about you," interrupted Lily, in a quiet tone. Arabella nodded.
"Yea," she agreed.
"Look if it makes you guys feel better I'll go talk to her," Remus suggested.
"No!" shouted Lily and Arabella together.
"No," Lily said again. "I don't think that's such a good idea." She grinned sheepishly at him.
"I agree," Arabella said, immediately. Remus stared suspiciously at them.
"Well I'm gonna have to talk to her at some stage," he said. "May as well be now." He walked towards Leah, ignoring Arabella and Lily's protests.
Leah watched as Remus walked away from her friends. Oh God! He was coming towards her. Grinning. She cringed. Please let him walk right past me. Don't let him stop," she thought frantically. She turned her back on him.
"Leah," came his familiar voice from behind her. Leah felt the tears welling up in her eyes but she dismissed them and turned to face him.
"What?" she asked, coolly.
"Look Leah," Remus started, apologetically. "I'm really really sorry about what happened but it's done now and we can't change that." Leah nodded as she madly tried to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat. "Well what I wanted to say was I really don't want to finish our relationship this way," he continued. "Well I was wondering if we could possibly be friends? Seeing as we can't be involved I'd love to have the next best thing. Because you're really special to me and I don't want to lose anything with you." He grinned at her. Leah allowed her tears to cascade down her cheeks freely. Arabella, who was watching them, made a move to go over and comfort her but Lily pulled her back.
"Wait," she whispered, nodding.
Remus watched Leah, uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry," she gasped. "If we can't have a relationship then I guess I want us to be friends as well." He hugged her and patted her back, awkwardly. Leah watched as he wandered back over to Melanie before gasping and sinking onto the ground. Arabella and Lily rushed over and pulled her up. They supported her over as far as the table where they all sat.
"Leah are you ok? What did he say? What's going on?" Lily asked, impatiently.
"I'm fine," Leah sobbed. "He said he wanted us to be friends so that's what's going to happen between us. If I can't have him as my boyfriend I want him as my friend." Her sobs subsided and she wiped her eyes with a creamy tissue from Arabella's pocket.