Disclaimer: Gee, I know you own this, Joanne. Sue me. I'm broke anyway, so why don't you?
The mambo lesson is inspired by 'Dirty Dancing'.
A/N: Yes, I guessed that they didn't have CD-players back then (reference to Anne) but I just thought it would be easier with a CD-player. Let's just say that the magic world is a little ahead of the muggle world, shall we?
To those who has commented that I wrote 'Man, Harry thought, ...' I'm sorry. It was supposed to be James. Just imagine that it was James, okay?
If you are a Hufflepuff patriot, I recommend that you don't read this chapter. I have nothing against the Hufflepuffs, they're only the fittest for a role I need in here. I don't think it likely that the Slytherins would be in love with James Potter.
One more thing: Sorry if it took a bit long to post this chapter, but I just had set my mind on having the ball in it, so... well, it's much longer than the other chapters.
You make me sick
Chapter four: the Ball and some other stuff
Lily skipped on her way to the Ravenclaw tower, humming happily to herself. She was in such a good mood that she even didn't bother to yell at Peeves for splashing a bucket of blubberworms almost on top of her head.
She was lost in thoughts and therefore, she didn't see the boy heading in the opposite direction before they crashed.
"Evans!" Snape hissed angry, glaring at her.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Snape," she said cheerfully. "Wonderful day, isn't it?" She got up and started to skip down the corridor again. "And Snape?"
"Yes," he said angry.
"You missed a spot on top of your head, I think." Then she was gone. Snape gaped after her, then patted his head in search of the spot. Finding it, he opened a box of grease and smeared it out over his head. He went down the corridor again, not noticing that his hair had turned a ghastly green shade.
***
"My, aren't you in a good mood," Laura said as Lily entered their dorm.
"Hmm?" Lily asked absently.
"You're almost like Syn when she has been with Chow 'studying'," Nicki said.
"Oh?" Lily asked again, mildly curious.
"Yeah," Laura said.
"Well, sorry, I haven't been studying with Chow," Lily said and opened her transfiguration book.
"Lily..." Laura started.
"Yes?"
"You're holding your book upside down."
"Oh. Thanks for pointing it out," Lily said and turned her book the right way.
"What have you been doing?" Nicki asked.
"Oh, nothing besides the usual," Lily said. Laura and Nicki raised an eyebrow. "Besides pulling a prank on Snape, of course," Lily finished.
"Ah. And that leaves you in a dreamy-happy state where you can read your worst subject smiling?" Laura said.
"If the prank is good, which it is," Lily said, smiling up at them.
"What did you do?" Nicki asked curiously.
"Let's just say that Snape now stands before a difficult choice in his life," Lily smiled. "He has three different choices: One: He can go around with greasy, puke-green hair, two: he can stop having grease in his hair, or three: he can shave his head."
Laura and Nicki stared at her, smiles erupting in their faces. "What did you do?" Nicki asked.
"I cast a charm on his grease box. It's a chain charm: when it gets to one of his grease boxes, it goes to all his other grease boxes."
"Oh...my," Laura said. She was starting to giggle. "Just think about his face tomorrow..." They started to laugh.
"That's just it," Lily laughed. "He can't colour his hair afterwards, and it doesn't wear off until his hair grow out or he stop wearing grease!"
"And we know that will never happen," Nicki grinned. "You're a very nasty girl, Lily."
"I know. That's why they made me Head Girl." Lily grinned back.
***
The next day it was a quidditch match: Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff.
"You've got to come, Lily!" Laura said, tugging on Lily's robe like a five-year-old.
"Oh, come on, Laura," Lily said, snapping her book shut. "It's not like you're gonna die or something if I don't come along."
"Yeah, but we really need you there, Lily," Nicki cut in.
"Oh, please."
"Come on! It would be a good thing if the Head Girl came to one match," Laura said.
"Honestly," Lily looked at them. "You won't need me. Even the girls from Hufflepuff will support Potter. I'll only be a dead weight. It's not even Ravenclaw playing."
"Pleeeeeeaase?" Nicki made puppy eyes.
"Why?"
"Because...because," Nicki couldn't come up with something.
"Because it's a social gathering," Laura said.
"Yeah!" Nicki put in.
"Can't you get Syn with you?" Lily asked.
"You know we can't separate her and Chow," Laura said.
"I had forgotten about that," Lily said and shot a glance to one of the corners, where Syn and Chow were kissing.
"Can't you tell them to do it somewhere else?" Nicki asked annoyed. "I mean, you are Head Girl."
"I thought you liked kissing!" Lily said in surprise.
"Not when it's not her doing it," Laura grinned. Nicki ignored her.
"Please come with us, Lily," she said. "Please? With a strawberry on top?"
"Oh, all right. I give up," Lily said resigned.
"Oh, goodie!" Nicki jumped up and down, clapping her hands. She looked very childish. "Have you ever seen James Potter fly? He's just soooo amazing!"
Lily groaned. This was going to be a looooooong match...
***
"Looks like most of the school have come here today on this beautiful Saturday morning, even some of the teachers!"
"JORDAN!" shouted professor McGonnagal.
"Honestly, professor, it's true! I'm surprised!"
"William Jordan, I'm NOT going to take any of your foolish jokes today!"
"Gee, SORRY, professor, I'm only doing what I'm told to."
Lily sighed as she, Laura and Nicki pushed through the crowd of students to some seats. She had heard from her friends that Will Jordan from Gryffindor, the commentator, got into arguments with the supervising teacher every match. Especially when it was Gryffindor playing... the teachers had seriously thought about not allowing him to commentate the Gryffindor-Slytherin match, but since he was the perfect man for the job, they let him.
"And here come the teams! Hufflepuff: Jones, Blueberry, Rince, Skysblue, Mohaw, Heleva, aaaaand...DIGGORY!" The Hufflepuffs cheered. Some of the Ravenclaws cheered politely. "Gryffindor: Spinnet, Bell, Kelly, Black, Armstrong, Weasley, aaaaaand...POTTER!" The Gryffindors, most of the Ravenclaws (because most of them were girls) and almost every female Hufflepuff cheered.
"Come on, Lily!" Nicki said between cheering and squealing. "You've got to show some support here!"
"Hooray," Lily said sarcastically. It wasn't like she liked everything about Potter just because they had- Don't think about it now, she thought firmly to herself. You're just going to blush. Besides, you don't LIKE him.
Oh, no. Here I go again talking to myself.
Besides, Nicki and Laura would get suspicious if she suddenly started having nothing against Potter.
The game started, with a loud cheer from the onlookers.
"And the heat is up! Blueberry's got the quaffle! Pass it to Jones, who pass it ba- No! Jones avoids a bludger hit by Black, and Bell takes the quaffle! Pass it to Kelly, who pass it to Spinnet, GO ANN! NO! Spinnet gets hit by a bludger, but Kelly takes the quaffle! Goes for the goal posts – KELLY SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"
There was a loud cheer from the crowd.
"Hufflepuff takes the quaffle! Jones to Rince, Rince to Jones – Ouch! That must have hurt!" Jones had got a bludger straight in the stomach. "Bell takes the quaffle, Bell to Spin- no, Blueberry's got the quaffle, heads for the posts, SPECTACULAR saving by the Gryffindor keeper! Way to go, Arthur! I'm working on it, professor, don't yell...Bell's got the quaffle again, Bell to Kelly, Kelly to Spinnet – great move they've got! – Spinnet to Kelly again, Kelly to Bell...BELL SCORES! And it's TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR, FOLKS! Oh, no, penalty to Hufflepuff because of a nasty bludger from Black, OH NO! HUFFLEPUFF SCORES!"
"Jordan..." came McGonnagal's threatening voice.
"Okay, professor, um... a great shot from Rince. Kelly takes the quaffle, dodges a bludger, pass it to Bell, Bell to Spinnet, Spinnet to Bell, Bell to Kelly – KELLY SCORES! And LOOK AT POTTER! HE HAS SEEN SOMETHING!"
Lily turned her attention to the diving red player. He went too fast to see his face, but Lily could see his hand stretching out as he went to the ground around the Hufflepuff goal posts. Suddenly he turned up again, something clutched in his fist.
"And Potter's got the Snitch! Gryffindor-Hufflepuff 180-10! Good job, guys!..and girls!"
The spectators cheered as the two teams went to the ground, in the Gryffindor Team's case in a big heap of hugging bodies.
***
"So, what do you think?" Laura asked Lily as they went up to the castle again. "It wasn't as bad as you thought, was it?"
Lily shrugged. "Not really. It's not like I hate quidditch, it's just that I don't like some reactions."
"Like what?" Nicki asked curiously.
"Like all the girls screaming every time Potter or Black was mentioned?" Lily said.
"So?" Nicki said a little angry. "They are the most popular boys at school, after all. And you looked at Potter all the time!"
"That was only because I tried to will him to fall off his broom," Lily said calmly. Laura raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as they went up to the common room.
"Want to go to the library with me?" Lily asked.
"Why?" Nicki asked.
"I've got to study for the tests next week."
"I think I'll stay here," Laura said. "I don't quite feel like studying right now."
"I'll stay here too," Nicki said. "Want to play Exploding Snap?"
"Sure," Laura said. Lily shrugged and went up to their dorm to get her books.
***
"I'm going to the library," James said.
"What're you going to do there?" Sirius asked.
"Study for the tests next week?"
Remus shook his head in mock sorrow. "The Head Boy title has gone to his head, Padfoot. He's actually starting to study!" They grinned up at James.
"Well, I'm going. Try not to pull any pranks without me." Then he went out the portrait hole.
"Maybe Peter would want to go," Remus said and looked around. "Where is he?"
Sirius shrugged. "I dunno. Don't care that much, either." Remus shrugged too, and they went back to their chess game.
***
Lily frustrated slammed her book shut. It won't work. I'm never going to get it right, she thought. She rubbed her brow, frowning.
"Hello, petal," a voice said in her ear. She turned around and saw James smiling at her. She looked quickly around, making sure no one were in eye sight.
"Hi, James." She smiled back. "What're you doing here?"
"Same as you, I guess," he shrugged. "I was going to study for the tests."
"I'm trying to study," Lily said.
"Have any problems?" James asked.
"Transfiguration," she sighed.
"Oh," James said. "Remus did mention you having problems with that."
"I'm almost as bad as Pettigrew."
James winced. "That's got to be a pain," he said.
"You bet."
"You know, I could help you," James said. Lily looked at him to see if he was joking. He wasn't.
"You sure? I mean, it's not like we're that good working together..." she stopped when James raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? I only thought that was because you hated me," he said.
"Well, yeah...I guess..." Lily fidgeted.
"So do you hate me?"
"No..." Lily blushed. "Not really."
"Then it's okay, right?" James looked at her, a smile erupting in his face.
"Yeah... but I don't want to stay in your debt, just so you know it."
"I've got it!" James snapped his fingers. Lily looked up at him. "You can help me with Charms!"
"Like you need any help!" Lily snorted.
"Well, um, no, not really..." James admitted. "But you are by far the best student at Charms." Lily blushed again. Damn. Why do I have to blush all the time?
"Oh, all right," she said. "I'll help you with Charms. But you're helping me with Transfiguration first!"
James grinned at her. "It's a deal, Tigerlily."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "Tigerlily?" she asked.
"I've got to call you something, you know. I mean, you've got all those nicknames for me: Dumbass, Stupid, Jerk, Idiot..."
"King of dandruff," Lily grinned.
"Not King of dandruff," James disagreed.
"Oh? How can you be sure?" Lily said and ruffled his hair. "You've got so messy hair, you can't possibly see through it." Then she realised what she was doing, and pulled back her hand. James looked at her in a mysterious way. She blushed again, and took up her book.
"Are we going, then?" she asked.
"Sure we are," James said and smiled again. "Little Petal." They went marching out of the library, arm in arm.
"Dumbass."
"Tigerlily."
"Jerk."
"Rosie."
"Idiot."
"Fire."
"Pervert."
"I'm not a pervert, Flower."
"I'm not a fire, Dummy."
"That's okay, Spring leaves."
"Fine, Dickhead."
***
McGonnagal went through the corridors, in ever search of students doing anything they weren't supposed to do. She stopped abruptly, and turned towards one door to a classroom. She narrowed her eyes, and leaned her ear against it.
"No, you're doing it wrong!" she heard a boy's voice say. It was very familiar – she often had to talk to it's owner about lacking respect for the school's rules. "You have to believe in it. Else you're not going to accomplish anything!"
"Okay..." a girl's voice said reluctantly. McGonnagal stared at the door in disbelief. No...it couldn't be them...together? It was unbelievable. McGonnagal took a deep breath and opened the door. Two students were leaning over something on a desk. The boy looked up, and shoved the girl in the ribs.
"Ouch!" she said angry. "What did you do that for? Oh, hi, professor."
"Hi, professor McGonnagal," James said calmly – not in his usual guilty tone when she caught him doing something. "I was just helping Lily with her transfiguration."
McGonnagal raised an eyebrow. The two teenagers looked rather uncomfortable with her being there. "Of course, Potter. That is very nice of you. But I would have liked it if you had asked for permission to use this classroom."
"Of course, professor. Can we use it?" James flashed his most innocent smile (which really didn't say much) at her.
"Yes, Potter. Just tell us next time. You may go back to work. See you on Monday." And she closed the door again and went down the corridor, barely hiding her shock from the students. Potter and Evans? I can't believe it. Then she smiled much like the cat she could change too. I can't wait to tell Albus...
And professor McGonnagal continued on her routine patrol, skipping as she went.
***
"Oh, no!" Lily moaned, burying her face in her hands. "Now everybody will now that you're helping me with Transfiguration..."
"Is that so bad?" James asked.
Lily stared at him. "Of course it's bad! They will think I've just been playing when I've said I hate you!"
"Do you hate me?" James asked.
"No."
"So what's the big deal?"
"They're gonna think I like you, that's the big deal!"
"Do you?" James asked, looking at her. She turned her head.
"I don't know," she muttered.
"I don't know as in: 'I don't want to tell you' or in 'I really don't know'?"
"I am not sure," Lily whispered.
James cupped her head in his hands, forcing her to look up at him.
"Then let's find out," he whispered.
***
"Lily? Lily! LILY EVANS!!!"
"Hmm?" Lily turned towards Molly. "What?"
Molly sighed. "Do you mind telling me what you're doing here?"
"Uh...going on a social call?" Lily tried.
Molly rolled her eyes. "You're out," she stated.
"Out?" Lily had a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Out. As in: not in this world right now. Dreamland."
"Oh."
"Liiilyy."
"Huh?"
"You haven't answered my question."
"What question?"
"Why you're here," Molly reminded her.
"Oh. A social call, right?"
"That doesn't explain why you got into our dorm and tossed yourself onto Marybelle's bed, which is already occupied,"
Lily jumped off Marybelle's rather squashed cat's tail, saying "I'm sorry" a hundred times. The cat just snorted indignantly and went over to Kathy's bed.
"with a look on your face like you're a five-year-old who got a lollipop the size of a House table," Molly finished.
"I do?" Lily asked surprised.
"Yes."
"Can't you see it, Molly?" Pennie smiled, her eyes twinkling.
"What?" Molly asked.
"Lily's in love," Kathy smiled knowingly.
"I'm not!" Lily protested a little too quickly.
"You are!" Pennie and Kathy said.
"You are?" Molly asked.
"Of course she is!" Pennie said. "She's in just the same state as you are every time you've been with Arthur!"
Molly gaped. "I do not look so ridiculous!" she protested.
"You do," Kathy said.
"Oh, no," Molly said, burying her face in her hands.
"Oh, yes," Pennie grinned.
"Who do you like?" Kathy asked, jumping up on Marybelle's bed beside Lily.
"No one," Lily said stubbornly.
"Who's no one?" Kathy didn't give up.
"No one!"
"Come oooon, Lily, we know you like someone," Pennie joined in too.
"No!"
"Yes."
Molly gasped with a sudden insight. "Is it...James?"
Lily went a very pink shade. "Absolutely not!" she said.
"It's James!" Kathy and Pennie squealed.
"No," Lily said, hiding under the quilt. Molly dragged her out.
"Is it James?" she asked. Lily just blushed deeper.
"Oh my god!" Kathy gasped. "You're in love with James Potter!"
"What's so wrong with that?" Lily asked a little angry.
"So you admit it?" Kathy grinned.
"No!"
"Liiilyy."
"Yes." Lily dived under the quilt again, just to be dragged out again, this time by Pennie.
"You're in love with James Potter!" Pennie said.
"Gee, I haven't been told that," Lily said sarcastically. "What's wrong with it? Almost every other girl is!"
"They're not in love with him," Molly disagreed. "They only like him."
"What's the difference between me and them?"
"You act totally different," Kathy said.
"What's the difference between acting braindead and acting Molly-ish?" Lily asked.
"HEY!" Molly protested. Lily just grinned at her.
"It's just different, okay?" Kathy said impatiently.
"Hey, Lily, I thought you said you hated James Potter," Pennie said.
"I do. Um, I did. I don't knooooow..." Lily shook her head.
"I think they are perfect," Molly said. "I just waited for this."
"What?!" The three other girls turned around to look at Molly.
"You make a perfect couple, Lily," Molly repeated. Pennie and Kathy looked at Lily again.
"Yeah," they agreed.
"Please don't tell anyone," Lily begged them.
"Of course not," Pennie said, grinning. "We'll tell everyone."
"Oh, no," Lily said and buried her face in her hands.
***
"Prongs? What's up, mate?" Sirius waved his hand in front of James' face.
"Hm?" James said.
"Come on, Prongs, snap out of it," Remus said. "You're starting to drool."
"JAMES POTTER! WAKE UP! EARTH IS CALLING!" Sirius yelled. The common room went silent in shock. James jerked up from his trance.
"Is it breakfast?" he asked dumbly. His fellow Marauders started to snicker. "What?" he asked.
"You should have seen the look on your face," Sirius gasped between laughter. "It was just perfect. Too bad Remus didn't find his camera."
"Just like you found a new passageway leading to Honeydukes' candy store," Remus laughed.
"You looked really stupid," Peter supplied.
"Ha. Ha. Ha," James said sourly.
"What's the matter, Prongs?" Sirius grinned. "Did we wake you up from your favourite dream?"
"Can't you see it, Padfoot?" Remus said, tossing an arm around James' shoulders. "Our Head Boy has found love."
James gaped. "I have?"
"Oh, yes," Remus grinned. "She's a flower, isn't she?" He sighed as he stared off into the distance.
"Huh?" was all James could think of saying.
"I totally agree with Prongs," Sirius grinned. "What an extra-ordinary way of arguing, James."
"Huh?"
"Good luck, Jamie my boy," Sirius said and patted James' shoulder. "You're going to need it." Then he went off in search of Hidney Hox, the school's biggest gossiper.
***
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" Laura said cheerfully. Lily just grunted and rolled over on her bed. "Come on!" Laura pulled the curtains away from the window, revealing a sparkling Sunday morning. Lily placed the pillow over her head.
"What time is it?" her muffled voice came from the heap on the bed.
"Six thirty," Laura said cheerfully. Lily jerked up.
"SIX THIRTY?! YOU WAKE ME UP AT SIX THIRTY?!" Then she looked out the window. "Oh. Can't be that early, the sun's up."
Laura giggled. "You've noticed."
Lily looked at the alarm clock on her bed stand. It shoved 9:30. "You're evil, Laura," she said.
"I know," Laura said. "But you're going to miss breakfast if you don't get up."
"Oh, man!" Lily jumped up and into her school robes. She and Laura went down the stairs.
As she and Laura hurried to the Great Hall for breakfast, Lily noticed that many girls passing them in the corridor shot her dirty looks. One Hufflepuff sixth year even stopped them in the corridor and just glared at Lily.
"What's up with them?" Lily wondered.
"Beats me," Laura said, shrugging.
They went into the Great Hall, and stopped abruptly at the sight before them. Hanging from the wall behind the Gryffindor table and to the wall behind the Ravenclaw table was a large, pink banner. It read:
Lily gaped in shock. Laura stared at her.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" she asked.
"But...we're not..." Lily spluttered.
"You aren't?"
"No...not now, anyway."
"Then ignore it," Laura said calmly. "It's just someone pulling a prank."
"Yeah..." Lily said distantly. I'm gonna KILL Pennie and Kathy! she thought.
Just then Sirius bounced by. "Hi, Lily dear! How are you and James doing?" And he bounced off. Lily gaped again.
"Shut your mouth, Lily," Laura said. "You're looking very stupid." Lily shut her mouth. They went to the Ravenclaw table. Lily ate absentmindedly, noticing all the ice stares she got. Damn banner, she thought. Just then professor McGonnagal entered.
"What the-" she shut her mouth abruptly before some nasty words slipped through it, and waved her wand. The banner disappeared. Lily breathed a sigh of relief – although she couldn't quite understand why she hadn't done it herself – and turned her attention to her breakfast.
Unfortunately for Lily, most of the school had seen the banner. As she went to the library, girls went up to her and said how they hated her because of 'hexing James to like you' and that she should just wait, because James would dump her after one day – he would realise what a stupid bitch she were.
"Sure, I don't mind waiting," Lily called after one of the girls that had said just that.
Of course, some of them was content with stalk up to her, glare at her with hatred, and slap her. It was with a very aching cheek that Lily reached the library. There she was thrown out because she was 'the source of too much noise' (quote: Madame Pince, the librarian). Although Lily didn't think it was her fault – it was all the girls that came up to her and started yelling at her that made the noise. Maybe I'll just work in the common room, she thought. She didn't like working in the common room – too many playing Exploding Snap, too much yelling and too much giggling, too many first years running around...all in all, she couldn't concentrate.
She reached the common room without too many encounters, and dumped into one of the squashy armchairs by the fire, sighing with relief.
"Hi!" It was Nicki.
"Hi, Nicki. You haven't come to yell at me too, right?" Lily looked up at Nicki.
"Of course not, Lily. I like Sirius Black, not James Potter!"
"Great," Lily mumbled.
"So, is it true?" Nicki nodded in the somewhat direction of the Great Hall.
"No. Not really."
"Too bad," Nicki sighed. "Potter is a hottie, after all."
"Anything you say."
"Oh, my. What happened to your cheek?" Nicki stared at Lily's swollen cheek.
"Oh, this? Just some angry Hufflepuffs." Nicki winced in sympathy. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Lily."
"Laura didn't overreact when she saw the banner. I thought she liked Ja- Potter," Lily corrected herself a little too late, but Nicki didn't notice.
"Oh, that's because she's seeing someone. She doesn't like James anymore."
"Who's she seeing?"
"You know Diggory?"
"The Hufflepuff Seeker?" Lily asked.
"Yeah."
"Cool."
"Yeah. Say, Lily," Nicki said, eyeing Lily's cheek again. "Maybe you should go to the hospital wing with that."
***
"Oh, my," madame Pomfrey, the school nurse, said when Lily entered the hospital wing. "What happened to your cheek?"
"Mad girls," Lily muttered.
"Oh." It seemed like madame Pomfrey had seen the banner in the Great Hall, too. "Let's just see what we can do about it, shall we?" Lily nodded. "Come and sit here," madame Pomfrey said and patted on one of the hospital beds. "Poppy!" she shouted.
"Yes, mum, what is it?" a young woman answered.
"Could you see to miss Evans, here?"
"Sure," Poppy smiled. "Let's see...the cooling cream?"
"Yes, Poppy, that is just what I thought too," madame Pomfrey smiled proudly. To Lily, she said: "Poppy here is my daughter. She graduated from Hogwarts five years ago, and is my apprentice. She's going to be the school nurse when I retire."
"Mum, could you please go see some of the other sick students? I've got to keep my mind on this one."
"Yes, of course," madame Pomfrey said and disappeared again.
"She's proud of you, isn't she?" Lily noted as Poppy opened a bottle with what looked like thick, yellow mud.
"Yeah. It's a family business. Nursing, I mean."
"Oh."
"Okay, I want you to keep still now. You don't want to have this in your mouth, now do you?" Lily shook her head. Poppy groped down in the bottle and started to smear the mud on Lily's swollen cheek. "I'm doing the spots near the mouth first...now you can talk again, if you want to. Say, how did this happen?" Poppy asked curiously as she smeared the mud over the left half of Lily's face. Lily felt it cool down her heated cheek.
"Jealous girls," Lily said. Poppy raised an eyebrow. "They think I'm going out with James Potter," Lily explained.
"Ah," Poppy said delicately. "And that's not the case?"
"No," Lily said.
"Poor you," Poppy said sympathetically.
"Yeah. Now I can't go around in the corridors without somebody screaming, yelling or just slapping me."
"Oh, my. You've got a shallow cut here."
"That's probably Daisy from Hufflepuff's work," Lily said. "She's got nails one and a half inches long." Poppy winced.
"I'll just get a cleaning compound," she said and went out the door.
***
"Done!" Poppy said with some satisfaction. Lily looked at her left cheek in the mirror. It had cooled down a bit so it didn't look so swollen and red, and the cut Daisy had left when she had slapped her where starting to diminish.
"Can I go now?" she asked. Poppy shook her head.
"I would like it much better if you stayed here an hour or two. It heals faster that way. There's some books over there if you want to read something, although I recommend sleeping." Poppy went out the door with a smile to Lily. Lily sighed and looked over the books. It was mostly romance – not her style. She laid down on the bed and tried to sleep.
Lily opened her eyes and gave a start. She was staring into a pair of hazel brown eyes behind some glasses.
"How did you get in?" she whispered.
James faked a look of hurt. "No 'hello'? No 'hi'? No 'Good to see you'? You have crushed my heart, Lily."
"Shhh! They will hear you!" Lily hissed, although she was grinning.
"What makes you think I sneaked in here without permission?" James said, still only an inch from her face.
"Hmm, let me see," Lily said sarcastically. "One thing is that they would never allow you in, another is that they would keep watch at the door – which they obviously don't – if they let you in, and of course me seeing only your face leaves some suspicion."
James looked down – James' head looked down. "Oh, I forgot about that," he grinned.
"So why are you here?" Lily asked.
"Why do you think?" James retorted.
"I dunno," Lily shrugged. "To irritate me?"
"Do you really think I would do that?" James grimaced.
"Yes. No. I'm not sure..."
"Well, maybe the James-you-hate would do just that, but I'm not that guy anymore."
"You aren't?" Lily said in mock surprise. "What time is it?"
"Twelve o'clock," James said. "I was thinking...would you like to have a dance lesson?"
Lily gaped. "Now?"
"Now."
"Sure... but Poppy won't let me go before at least one o'clock."
James shrugged. "I've got the Invisibility cloak with me," he said, nodding towards his invisible body. Lily nodded. "You don't sound surprised," he said disappointed.
"Of you having an Invisibility cloak? No," Lily shook her head. It made their noses rub each other. "Remus told me."
"Bad Remus," James said.
"Um...James?" Lily said awkwardly.
"Yes?"
"Could you roll off me so we don't have to bang our heads together every time we nod?"
"Now, don't be so boring, Lily."
"Boring?!"
"Okay, not boring. But think of this like an adventure!" James grinned at her.
"Adventure? Hey, it is new. I mean, this is the first time you've been lying on top of me without me biting you or us kissing."
"That reminds me..." James said, and kissed her.
"Ahem," a voice from the door said. They both looked up. Poppy stood in the doorway, with her hands on her hips and a grin on her face. "Get out, the both of you," she grinned and nodded backwards. "You're free to go, miss Evans." (A/N: Poppy was a lot more understanding when she was young.)
Lily and James stood up (in James' case his head moved upwards), and went blushing through the door.
"Wait," Lily said as they stood in the corridor. "I don't want to meet any angry mobs." James grinned.
"That's okay," he said. "Come in here." He held open the Invisibility cloak so she could get in beside him. He took it over their heads, and they started walking down the corridor, trying not to step on each other's feet. It wasn't easy: although the Invisibility cloak was big, it was a bit cramped with two tall sixth years in it, even if they weren't big in the breadth. The fact that James had a hand firmly around Lily's waist and the other holding the cloak together (the buttons had fallen off, and they came from Egypt) didn't help much. Lily couldn't object because that would blow their cover, but when they finally reached the classroom they used at dancing lessons and they was safe inside with the Invisibility cloak off, she turned on James with fire in her eyes.
"Don't you dare do that again without my permission!" she said, poking her finger on his chest. He grinned at her.
"You're cute when you're angry," he said. She gaped at him.
"What?" she said dumbly.
"But not when you act like that," he grinned. Lily clamped her mouth shut.
"You're cute, you too," she smiled and ruffled his messy hair. "When did you last brush this?"
He smiled back. "A few years ago, I think."
"A few years?"
"Yeah. It's no use anyway." He shrugged.
"Let's dance," Lily said suddenly.
"Okay," James said. "What do you want to dance? Cha cha cha?"
"Nah. I can dance that. Let's take the mambo."
"Okay." James transformed one of the desks to a CD-player. (A/N: Read the Author's Note at the beginning of this chapter for explanation.) "How much did you learn from Remus?" James asked.
"The steps," Lily said.
James raised an eyebrow. "Which pattern?" he asked.
"The original. Nothing of the fancy stuff, as he called it."
"Right. Did he, um, teach you the beginning?"
"No..."
"Right. Let's take that first. Stand here." James pointed to a spot on the floor. "Don't spread your legs too much." He went behind Lily, and placed his right hand on her hip. Then he placed her left arm around his neck and her right arm in the strait jacket position. "Now look at me, and stand still. Don't hit me," he said. Lily raised an eyebrow. "And don't turn around like that. Only your head. Lean it against me." Lily did. James took up his left hand, and ran it from Lily's left elbow downwards her arm and down her side. Lily's eyes widened a little. Then she started to shake with laughter.
"That tickles," she giggled, turning away from his hand.
"Lily," he said.
"Okay," she smiled, and took up the position again. "I'll concentrate." James started again at her elbow. This time he didn't even reach below her arm.
"Lily!"
"I'm sorry! It just tickles too much!"
"One more time, and I loose my patience," James warned.
"You have a patience?" she asked with innocent eyes. James slapped her ass. "Hey!" she protested, hiding a little smile.
"The position, please," James smiled, 'ignoring' her. She grumbled a little and placed her arm around his neck. He ran his arm down from her elbow. He could feel her suppressing the laughter. He smiled down at her, never letting go of her eyes. He reached her hip, and got her hand. "Now, I'll send you out. Take my other hand, and we begin the steps," he whispered. She nodded. He pushed her hip with his right hand, and she turned out, gripping his right hand with the one she had had around his neck. They started the steps, their eyes never letting go of each other.
***
On Monday it was Potions test time. Lily wasn't particular nervous – she had no problems in Potions.
"Today we will make the Antijinx Liquid," professor Riverblade said in her cold voice. "You will work in pairs when testing your potion." She took out a list, and started to read up names. When she came to Evans, Lily hold her breath. "Evans, Lily. Graham, Daisy." Lily groaned. Of all the people... the worst part was that to pass the test, they had to curse their partner. Daisy holding back was as likely as Salazar Slytherin hating snakes.
Lily looked over at Daisy, seeing that she didn't plan to move. Lily sighed, lifted her cauldron up, and went over to Daisy, who was grinning evilly.
***
Lily walked with Laura, Nicki and Syn to the Great Hall for dinner after finishing Potions. This proved rather difficult since Lily was attacked for every step she took. When they some corridors from the Hall saw an angry mob of Hufflepuffs heading towards them from a side corridor, Nicki said:
"Run for it, Lily." Lily didn't need to be told twice. She sprinted down the corridor. When the Hufflepuffs saw this, they shouted angrily and ran after her. Laura conjured a long string that stretched from one wall of the corridor to the other, just in leg height. This bought Lily some time, although the Hufflepuffs were very angry with them.
"Just you wait," Daisy, the leader, said. "When we're finished with Evans," she spat the name, "we're going after you."
"Suit yourself," Nicki said as she, Laura and Syn headed down the corridor to the Great Hall, taking up as much space as they could.
Lily ran into the Great Hall. Fortunately for her, there always was some teachers attending the dinner at all times, unlike at breakfast. Therefore, she was remotely safe.
She looked around, and noted that many shot glances at her. They could be hatred, jealousy, humour or puzzlement. She looked over at the Gryffindor table, where James sat. He didn't get any of these glances – if he did, he didn't notice. He was laughing his head off at something Sirius or Remus – she wasn't sure which. She noted that Pettigrew was gone again. James looked very carefree.
"That's it," she muttered. She strode to the Gryffindor table and went over to James, with her hands on her hips. James had turned towards Remus to say something and hadn't noticed her. Remus and Sirius had, though.
"Um, James..." Sirius started.
"What?" James asked puzzled.
"Turn around," Remus said. James turned, and looked at the steaming Lily.
"Oh. Hi, Lily. Is...er...something wrong?"
At first Lily didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth, and closed it again. Then it was like someone pulled a tape away from her mouth. "Something wrong?" she repeated. "Something wrong?! No, I'm sorry to say, I don't think so. Besides me getting attacked every time I walk down a corridor, getting hexed three hundred times by Daisy Graham with her getting away with it because it's part of our damn test, everyone staring at me all the time and you not getting any of this shit, no, I don't think anything's wrong." She took a deep breath. Remus and Sirius gaped at her. They didn't know she knew those words. James, though, had heard her call him much worse a few times.
"That's the best you can do?" he asked. Lily glared at him.
"OK," she said. "You asked for it." And then she started with a language that made Sirius, Remus and James first go white, then blush a deep red, pale again and so on in rapid succession. A seventh year who sat a few seats further down the table covered the first year beside him's ears with his hands. Another student had taken notes, but stopped when Lily started on men's anatomical built.
"Is that possible?" Remus whispered to Sirius.
"I hope not," Sirius whispered back. Lily took a deep breath, and gave some yukky finishing lines. For a moment everything was quiet. Then the students began to eat again.
"That was better," James said a little high-pitched.
"Yeah," Lily sighed. Then she hit him in the shoulder.
"Hey! What did you do that for?"
"You made me use up my anger!"
"Is that possible?" Sirius whispered to Remus.
"I hope so," he whispered back. Lily fortunately (for them) didn't hear them.
"I don't feel like yelling at you anymore!" she said.
"But you already have!" James protested.
"No! I talked in a normal speaking level!"
James sighed. "What's the point of this?" he asked.
"Could you tell them to stop?" Lily asked.
"That's it?" Sirius said surprised.
"Well, I doubt that they would attack him," Lily said, pointing a finger at James.
"Oh, all right," James said resigned.
"Good," Lily said with some satisfaction. "Well? Are you going to do it or not?"
"I'm doing it, I'm doing it," James grumbled and stood up. "ATTENTION EVERYONE!" he called, silencing the talking students. "Professor, if you don't mind..?" The professor present had fainted at Lily's speech and gave no response. James just shrugged and continued, just as Daisy and her gang entered. "You may know," James began, "that people has been claiming that Lily Evans and I are going out." He paused a little, looking around at the students. Hidney Hox and Sirius fidgeted a little. "That is not the case. Not that I'm aware of, at any rate." There was a small wave of laughter. "I would like it better if you would leave Lily in peace, since you've got no reason to pester her. And even if we do become a couple, I am sure it won't be from some love potion. Thank you."
He sat down and turned towards Lily, smiling. "Was that what you had in mind?" he asked.
"...sort of," Lily said. "Well, I'll be off. Oh, what about we go ask Dumbledore if we could do that shopping for the ball today?"
"Sure. After dinner, then?" James said.
"Okay," she smiled went over to the Ravenclaw table.
"My, my, my," Sirius said, looking at Lily's retreating figure.
"What?" James asked.
"Looks like I'm going to lose a bet, eh, Moony?" Sirius nudged Remus in the ribs.
"Sure does, Padfoot," Remus grinned. They winked at James.
"What are you guys talking about?" James asked in confusion, but Remus and Sirius only grinned wider.
***
"Well, this seems to be all right," Dumbledore said, reading over the shopping list. "Do you want to get it yourselves?"
"Sure," Lily said. "I need a little break from school anyway. We'll just ask for travel wrapping."
"Yeah," James agreed.
"Okay," Dumbledore said, and opened one of his desk drawers. "Here you go," he said as he pulled out a large, clirring bag. "But I want the bill."
"Thanks," Lily and James smiled, and went out the door again. Dumbledore stared at the spot they had stood, a smile playing over his lips and his eyes twinkling with satisfaction.
***
"Anything else, dears?" the shop assistant asked.
"No, thank you," Lily said. "Could we get it travel wrapped?"
"Of course, dear," the witch smiled. She began putting all the candies and snacks into a normal-looking plastic bag. The bag was like a black hole: even though Lily and James were buying what seemed like half of the shop, the bag didn't even look half full. When James lifted it up, it was feather-light.
"That will be thirty galleons and seven sickles, dear," the witch said to Lily. Lily handed over the money.
"Have a nice day!" the witch called after Lily as she went out of Honeydukes to the waiting James.
"Hi, dear," he said. "Would you like to buy the shop, dear?"
"Oh, drop it, James," Lily smiled. "It's her job to be polite."
"Yeah," James snorted. "Especially when you've got such money spending customers as us." He imitated the shop witch's voice. "Would you like some Flying Bars, dears? Or maybe you want some Tooth Ache Caramels?' I tell you, she wanted us to buy the whole store."
"I think you're overreacting," Lily said, smiling at his obvious displeasure.
"I hate it when people call me 'dear'. I get the feeling they think I'm five years old, or that they're trying to manipulate me."
"Now, dear, you shouldn't think like that." Lily grinned. "No one would ever try to manipulate you."
"Why, you-" James started, grabbing for her. Lily squealed and ran up the alley, giggling. James stuffed the bag with the goods from Honeydukes into his coat pocket, and ran after her. Then Lily tripped, landing in a pile of snow heaped at the wall of one of the houses. James advanced on her casually.
"Lily?" he asked. There was a sniff from the pile known as Lily, and James bent down. "Lily, are you okay?" Lily looked up at him, and James saw that she was smiling. Suddenly he felt snow running down his back inside his robes. Lily giggled, but squealed as James shoved her head down in the pile of snow.
"James!" Then it was his turn to run, with Lily getting up from the pile of snow and sprinting after him. They were laughing and giggling so much they almost couldn't run. Suddenly James felt Lily jump on his legs from behind, knocking him down into the snow. He rolled over onto his back, but couldn't get up because Lily sat on top of him, pinning him down. She had red roses in her cheeks and her eyes were sparkling with laughter. Her hair were windblown and snow was falling into it, making white blotches on the red.
James got a sudden idea, and grinned. Lily raised an eyebrow. James started to tickle her, making her go into hysterical fits of laughter. Then she started to tickle him, and he was no better at holding himself from laughing.
Soon they were exhausted, and just lay there, as the snow fell silently around them. James looked up in Lily's emerald green eyes, feeling himself fall deeper and deeper into them. Lily looked straight back. Then she leaned her head down and gave him a long, sweet kiss.
***
"He-llo, Jamie-boy," Sirius said as James entered the Gryffindor common room.
"What is it now?" James asked a little tired.
"What have you been up to?" Sirius asked, still in that annoying tone saying 'I know that you've been up to something not entirely inside the school rules'.
"Nothing," James said. He didn't want to play this game with Sirius: he would much rather day dream about Lily Evans.
"You've got lipstick on your mouth," Sirius said as James slumped down in one of the comfy chairs by the fire.
"Lily doesn't wear lipstick," James said as he swung his legs over one of the arms of the chair.
"Hah! I told you you'd been up to something!" Sirius said with a triumphant smile.
"Huh?" Remus, who had been absorbed by a book, said from the chair beside James. Peter had disappeared again.
"Prongs has been snogging with the Head Girl," Sirius informed him.
"We weren't snogging," James grumbled.
"No licking?" Sirius asked.
"Yuck, Padfoot," Remus said. James shook his head.
"No suck marks distribution?"
"You've got a dirty mind, Sirius," James said, shaking his head again.
"Not even with tongues?" Sirius asked disappointed.
"No tongues."
"Man. What were you doing?" Sirius didn't like this at all.
James shrugged. "Shopping for the Christmas Ball."
"Boring," Sirius muttered.
"Oh, come on, Padfoot," Remus said, smiling at the look on Sirius' face. "Not everybody are like you." Sirius just glared at him.
"You look like a baby who had a lollipop right under his nose, and it suddenly disappeared," James observed.
"And you look like you won a million galleons," Sirius said.
"No," James sighed with a dreamy smile. "Better than that."
"Yuk," Sirius said in disgust. "Want to play Exploding Snap, Moony?"
***
"Will you need us more now?" James asked.
"No, we'll see to the rest," McGonnagal said with a rare smile.
"Thank you," Lily said. She and James went out of the Great Hall.
"Could you just wait a sec for me?" Lily asked. "I don't remember the password to the Pink Lady."
"Huh? Why do you want it?" James asked.
"I'm going to make myself ready with Molly and the others," Lily explained.
"Um...sure," James said. He didn't have anything against going with Lily to the common room.
Lily smiled, making his knees water. "Great!" she said. "It won't take long, I've got all my stuff in a bag in my dorm." And she ran to the Ravenclaw wing.
I wonder if she's going with anybody, James thought.
Why not ask her? another voice said.
What if she says she's going with somebody else?
You're just afraid.
I'm not.
Then ask her.
Just then Lily came back, panting and slightly red. "Sorry. Did I take long?" she asked.
"No, not at all," James assured her.
They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence as they walked to the Gryffindor common room. James' thoughts were arguing with each other.
Ask her!
No, I don't want to.
Of course you want to. Don't try to trick me – I'm you, remember?
I decide what to do and not do.
You're afraid, aren't you.
No I'm not!
Then ask her!
Um...
Come on! Ask! Now! ASKASKASKASK!
"Um...Lily?" James said nervously.
Lily looked at him with sparkling eyes. "Yes?"
James felt himself blush. "Nothing," he mumbled.
Coward.
***
(A/N: Guys who don't want to read girls-who-are-changing scenes, skip this paragraph. There. You have been warned.)
Lily knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Pennie's voice asked.
"Lily," Lily said. Pennie opened the door an inch or two and scanned the corridor. Seeing no one except Lily, she opened the door and backed away so Lily could come in. When Lily was inside, she locked the door again.
"Hi, Lil! Did you bring it?" Molly asked, coming over to Lily and wearing nothing but bra and panties.
"Of course," Lily said and looked around. It seemed like Pennie was the only one not in her underwear. Now I understand the security.
"Girls, I need some advise here," Kathy said. "Should I wear bra?"
"Let me look at your dress," Marybelle said. She examined it. "No, you don't need to. It's got an extra layer in the top."
"Okay," Kathy said and changed into her dress. "I can do your hair now, Molly."
"Great! Lily?"
"Just a sec," Lily said and rummaged through her bag, retrieving a little ball of white, thin velvet strings. "Here."
"Thanks," Molly said and gave it to Kathy, who had begun to brush Molly's hair.
"Where can I put my things?" Lily asked. Marybelle pointed to her bed. "Thanks." Lily stripped down to t shirt and panties and started shaving her legs.
"Who are you going with, Kathy?" she asked.
"John Bell," Kathy said and blushed a little.
"Oh, the Gryffindor chaser? He's cute," Lily smiled.
"You should have seen her when he asked," Marybelle grinned. "She had been hoping for weeks and weeks, and when he at last ask her, she go red as a tomato and just stare at him."
"I did not!" Kathy protested as she started braiding Molly's outer layer of hair.
"Did too," Marybelle retorted. "He almost took it back: she looked so shocked. Fortunately she came to her senses in time and said yes." They laughed.
"Say, who are you going with, Lily? James?" Pennie asked as she changed to her dress robes.
"I'm not sure," Lily said.
"What?" Marybelle said in disbelief.
"You're not sure?" Molly said and turned to stare at Lily, causing Kathy to jank her hair.
"Keep your head still!" she said to Molly. Molly obeyed. To Lily, Kathy said: "He hasn't asked you or anything?"
"No," Lily said. "We haven't talked about it. But I think he likes me a little."
"Well, he certainly has had a lot of offers," Pennie said thoughtfully.
"And turned them all down," Molly added. "Say, how far have you come?"
"What?"
"Oh, don't play dumb, Lily. We know you didn't have dancing lessons with Remus last Friday, because he was sick. The girls from your dorm said you had went on a dancing lesson when we looked for you, so you've got to have danced with someone. And then, three hours later, James comes into the common room looking like he'd been in paradise."
Lily got a rather pleased look on her face. But she only said: "Nothing much."
"Define 'nothing much'," Pennie said.
"Kissing," Lily said.
"How many times?" Pennie pressed.
"Five," Lily said casually. The others whistled.
"Tongue kissing?" Kathy asked.
"No."
"You're some space behind Molly and Arthur, then," Marybelle said. "They-"
"That's enough," Molly said blushing. "No reason to get into details here."
"Molly! I am utterly shocked!" Lily faked an expression of disbelief. Molly threw a pillow at her, making Kathy scold at her again.
***
"So, Prongs," Sirius said over their chess game. "Who are you going with?"
"I don't know," James said calmly.
"What?! You don't know?!"
"Nope."
"James, you've got at least a hundred-"
"More like fifty," James corrected.
"-okay, fifty. At least fifty girls have asked you to go with them to the ball, and you've turned down all of them?!"
"Yes, Padfoot. And it's no use getting all worked up, you know."
"But, but," Sirius stuttered.
"Let's just say you don't have to go with Hidney, eh Padfoot?" Remus said from his position in a comfy chair.
"It's a deal," Sirius said.
"What are you talking about?" James looked up confused.
"Oh, nothing, Jamie my boy," Sirius tried to grin innocently, and failed completely. "Check mate."
***
"So," Pennie said and jumped up on the bed where Lily was sitting. "Was he good?"
"What?!" Lily stared at her.
"Was he good," Pennie repeated.
"Oh. Right. Yeah.(Dreamy sigh) The best."
"Pennie, don't pester her," Molly said. "I know I wouldn't like telling how Arthur kiss in that stage."
"Okay, I'll wait a few months," Pennie grinned mischievously. "Then I want it in detail."
"Sure thing, honey," Lily joked.
"Pennie's almost as bad as Sirius when it comes to those things," Kathy said. "Only, she doesn't have personal experience."
Pennie just grinned with the rest of them.
"Can I do your hair, Lily?" Kathy asked. She had just finished with Molly's, and the others were examining her handywork.
"It's just beautiful, Molly," Marybelle said.
"Yeah. Let's see with the dress," Lily said. Molly smiled and changed.
"Perfect!" They all agreed. Kathy had braided the outmost layer of Molly's hair into a braid, three strings the exact colour of her dress in each lock in the braid. They were attached to her hair at her brow.
"Oh, I was wondering you could do that," Lily smiled. "Just let me change into the dress."
"How do you want it?" Kathy asked.
"Well, I thought of just let it hang loose, but if we're going to dance, it would just get in the way," Lily said. "What do you think I should have?"
"Hmmm," Kathy said thoughtfully. "Just let me try something, 'kay?"
"Uh-huh," Lily said.
"So, what do you think?" Kathy asked with satisfaction in her voice.
"Oh, it's great, Kathy!" Lily smiled.
"Now I'll do my own hair," Kathy said with a little sigh.
"How are you going to have it?" Lily asked.
"Loose," Kathy grinned.
***
"There she is," Remus said a little relieved. James looked up and saw Marybelle walk down the girls' staircase.
"You coming, James?" Remus asked.
"No, you guys go ahead," James said. "I'll just wait here a few minutes."
"Okay," Remus said and went out the portrait hole with Marybelle. She gave him a mysterious smile, and mouthed: 'She'll be down soon.' James mouthed a surprised 'thanks', and sat down in one of the chairs.
"Look who's here! Who are you waiting for?"
James turned towards the voice, and gaped. Lily stood there at the base of the staircase, a nervous look on her face. She had form hugging emerald green robes which was open for the legs in the front with a flowing hem at the split. The robes had quadratic cleavage in the front, and as Lily went over to him, James saw that her back was bare to below her shoulder blades. Her hair was tied up in an elegant knot, with ringlets falling down from it. Her foremost locks hang loose, and had a silver necklace with a lily on it around her neck.
"Uh...," James said. "I...um...I...was...uh...looking for...you, I think." Lily smiled, and James was thankful for sitting in a chair – his legs had turned to butter.
"That's nice of you. So you're not going with anyone?"
"No. But if you...uh…want to…" James stammered.
"Of course!" Lily smiled a happy smile, and jerked her chin towards the portrait hole. James stood up and said:
"You're…um…really beautiful tonight. Even more than usual." Lily smiled at him and kissed him on the nose.
"Thank you," she said. "You look great too." James blushed a little. "No glasses?"
"I thought they would be in the way," James shrugged. Lily nodded. "What did you do to your hair?" she asked curiously.
"I used a straightening potion," James explained and grimaced. "It's almost tidy." Lily smiled.
"I like it." She flung her arm around his shoulders and pressed her side against his. "Let's go."
They went through the portrait hole.
***
"Where have you been?" Sirius asked as they went over to his table. His eyes swept over Lily. "Nice dress, Lily."
"So, you're going together?" Remus asked.
"Are we?" Lily asked in mock surprise. "I didn't know."
"Looks like you have to change your appearance a little, Sirius," Remus grinned at his friend.
"I must, mustn't I," Sirius sighed. He got out his wand and tapped it at his hair. It turned instantly a heaven blue. Then he got out a pair of boxers, and stuffed them into his robe pocket so you could see half of it. "You only said visible," he grinned.
Lily stared at Sirius and Remus in disbelief. "That was what you were betting about? If I and James would go out? You are the worst pair of-"
"Hey, it got you and James together, didn't it?" Remus protested.
"So that was why you taught me how to dance," Lily said. "I said to James I couldn't go with him because I couldn't dance, and therefore you taught me so I didn't have any excuse."
"You were having a bet?" James said.
"Yes! And you guys made it a helluva tricky decision about who won since you didn't make up your minds about going with each other until the last minute," Sirius scolded.
"Not that you didn't use that to your advantage," Remus said to him. "You didn't have to go with Hidney Hox after all."
"Yes, thank god for that!" Sirius grinned. "She's okay at spreading rumours, but otherwise..." he shuddered. "Oh, there's Nicki. See you later!"
"Nicki?" Lily raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, it looks like he's got a new girl in sight again," Remus mused. "Sorry, I've gotta go, Marybelle's calling."
Just then Dumbledore rose from the staff table (which was the only big table in the room) and called for silence. "Good day," he said. "I just want to say a few words. If anyone want anything to eat or drink, you can find it on the table by the door. Now, I think we will start with some good, regular dancing, and later you can do as you wish. Now, I give you our orchestra for the day...the Bumblebees!"
Everybody (ok, the girls were dominating) squealed as the wizard world's most popular band the last few years started to play on the stage. It wasn't one of their own songs, but a fast-moving swing. Since it wasn't quite out of date, most of the students knew it.
"Come on," Lily tugged at James' shirt (he, like many other boys, had chosen trouser in preference to robes, in his case black trousers and a loose, white shirt) and led him out onto the floor. "Let's dance."
***
"Looks like the dancing lessons has started to pay off," Laura observed, looking at Lily and James who were whirling around on the dancing floor.
"Yeah," Nicki agreed. "Say, Sirius," she turned towards Sirius, "can you dance too?"
He grinned. "Of course."
Nicki giggled, and walked onto the floor with Sirius in tow.
***
The music changed. "Tango!" James grinned. "I like that!"
"Gee, I wonder why," Lily smiled at him as they took up the position. She shot some sidelong glances at the other dancing pairs. "You know," she said conversationaly, "the others have got some inches between each other."
"Don't you like it this way?" James asked innocently.
"I didn't say that," Lily grinned, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let's shock 'em."
***
Lily and James were so absorbed by the dance that they almost didn't notice that the other students had cleared a space for them to dance, and was clapping. It was rather cool, Lily admitted.
"May I have your attention, please," Dumbledore said as the tango stopped. The students turned towards him. "We have picked out the couple we find most skilled, and would like them to do a little dance for us. If miss Evans and mister Potter could come up here, please."
The students clapped. Lily and James looked at each other, grinned and went up on the stage to Dumbledore.
"So," Dumbledore said. "Here's a little task for you. I want you to dance one dance – you decide which – and when you're done, you get a prize."
Lily and James nodded, and said to the Bumblebees: "Mambo." The head vocalist grinned encouragingly to them, and struck the tune. Lily and James started to dance.
***
"Man, I'm exhausted!" Lily said and dumped down on a chair by the table where Remus, Marybelle, Sirius and Nicki sat.
"That was great!" Nicki exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'm proud of you, my pupil," Remus grinned.
"Oh?" Lily said with a raised eyebrow. "You only taught me the original steps. You didn't even have the guts to teach me the beginning!"
"And I'm glad for that!" Marybelle grinned.
"Me too," James agreed. "Is there a free chair somewhere?" The others looked around too.
"Nope," Sirius said.
"You can sit here," Lily said and stood up, and sat down on James' lap when he sat down. James put his arms around her waist.
"This is nice," he murmured in her ear. She chuckled and leaned closer to him.
The Bubblebees struck one of their own songs – one of the fast ones – and soon the dancing floor was full of people again.
"Come on," Sirius said and to Nicki. She smiled and went with him to the dancing floor.
"You want to too?" Marybelle asked Remus. He grinned.
"Sure."
Lily and James found themselves alone at the table.
"If you want to, I can sit on one of the other chairs," Lily said.
"No," James said and squeezed her a little. "I like this." Lily smiled at him, and kissed his nose.
"Fine by me," she said.
***
As the night wore on, the songs changed to slower ones.
"James?" Lily asked, indicating the dancing floor.
"Yeah, okay," James smiled. "Just let me get rid of our prize." He went over to the snacks table where Dumbledore stood, and asked:
"Could you look after this for me?" Dumbledore nodded, his eyes twinkling. James went over to Lily again, and they went to the dancing floor.
At first they had a little space between them, their hands hanging loose around the other's neck/waist. But as the songs went on, they grew closer and closer. Lily had her head on his shoulder, and James had his chin on top of her head.
"James?" Lily murmured with closed eyes.
"Hmm?" James said, exhaling in the lovely smell of her hair.
"I think I like this dance best."
"Hm-hmm." James closed his eyes too.
"And you know what?" She lifted her head up to look at him. James felt himself again drowning in her amazing eyes. They had turned a deep, deep green in the subdued light.
"No."
"If I didn't love you, I would be kicking you in the groin right now for having your hands on my butt."
"Oh," James said, and started to move his hands upwards.
"Did I say that you had to move them?" Lily murmured. James smiled into her hair and stopped his hands. Then he got a sudden idea and pinched her.
"You're pressing your luck," Lily warned, although James could feel her smiling.
"Should we go get our prize before Dumbledore eats it?" James suggested as the song stopped.
"Okay. Maybe we should eat it, too," Lily said. "Before Sirius wants a share."
"A good idea. Sirius could eat up the whole of the school's food store if he got the chance."
They went to the snacks table (it was almost empty now) and got the prize from a snoring Dumbledore.
"I know a place where we can have it to ourselves," Lily whispered to James. He nodded and followed after her through the corridors, up to-
"The Head Students' bathroom? I didn't even know we had one!" James said.
Lily smiled. "Well, it's even better than the Prefects' bath. There is some profits of being a Head Student, after all."
James grinned. "What's the password?"
"Lime bubbles," Lily said. The door to the bathroom opened, and they went inside.
"Nice," James observed, as he looked at the room.
"Yeah," Lily agreed. "The bathtub is twice as big as the tub in the Prefects' bath: in one end it's just deep enough so you can sit and the water to reach up to your shoulders, in the other end you don't even reach the floor. It's got several more water/bubble types, too."
"Why didn't I get to know about this before?" James asked towards the sky. "Look! It's even got better towels!"
Lily smiled, and opened the prize. It was a big 'silver' cup with a dancing pair: inside the shell it was full of assorted chocolates. She sat down on the tiled floor, and popped one of the chocolates into her mouth. "Mmm! Strawberry filling! You've gotta try this one, James."
James sat down beside her and looked at the paper the chocolate had been in. He rummaged through the pile inside their prize.
"Can't find it," he said. Lily looked at him, then smiled. She leaned forward and kissed him – this time with open mouth. James opened his eyes in surprise. "You're right," he said as they – reluctantly – pulled away. "It tasted good."
Several chocolates later...
"Lily?"
"Yes?"
"Did you say the bathtub was better than the one at the Prefects'?"
A/N: I hope you didn't think that part of the Ball sucked, because I wasn't satisfied with it myself. But I just thought that I had to finish this chapter, and didn't come up with another idea at how Lily and James where going to dance the mambo, so...
Hope you liked this as much as you did the others!
aurora borealis~