Sirius looked up from the spot he was crying at. Why was he crying? In his heart he knew that Lily hadn't really jumped, he had overheard the plans to set him and Jackie up. But, somehow, it felt safe in Jackie's arms- But he knew it wasn't enough.

"Meet me in the ballroom in fifteen minutes." He whispered softly in her ear. Jackie froze as he got up to leave. What had happened to Sirius? First he had complimented her when she didn't even look or feel good, then he had just cried, seriously cried in her arms, which made no sense at all; Sirius didn't cry. And now what?

"What the hell is James doing? Why did he drag them here? Why is he doing this?" Lily asked herself as she blew out one of the candles. Her visitor had just been a delivery man- Flowers, lilies. Silk ones. From Severus.

Another knock came at her door. "Marie Eyyes, can you handle that?"

"I'm not a delivery man." Came a familiar, deep male voice.

"Come in, James." Lily said as she lighted the candle again.

"A little gloomy, isn't it?" He asked as he walked in. He was still dressed for a ball, his shirt collar was very messed up.

"I like to think in the dark. Come here, you've messed up your collar." Lily said. "And that hair!"

"I like my hair!" James protested, but he came closer. Lily stood on her tiptoes and straightened his collar, then began to run a few fingers through his hair. One time she got irritated with this one hair that kept sticking up in the back, and licked two of her fingers and patted it down. James took one look in the mirror and shook out her handiwork.

"Oh, well. I tried." Lily said with a fake exasperated tone.

"Well, Madame Aevans, your hair ain't that much better." James commented.

Lily looked in the mirror. It had flyaway strands, and it was a bit stringy tonight.

His large hands smoothed it out and a little cream on the counter put down the flyaway strands. "Now you are ready to be a society lily."

Lily gawked at him. "How did you know?"

"I've felt the same way. Not my dad, he's gone. My stepdad loves showing me off like I'm some sort of wind-up toy he was responsible for building. I've been reciting Latin to his colleagues since I was three, French since age two, Greek since I was five.."

"I get the point." Lily said. "Do you know what the Mirror of Erised is?"

James nodded. Lily picked up the mirror, where it had been sitting for about an hour or so, and showed it to him.

James sat down and looked into it. Like a little girl on her daddy's lap, Lily climbed on and leaned her head on his shoulder. Lily thought she was seeing what James wanted, but she was seeing her own true desire.

At the same time they found themselves looking at that wonderful time at the second ball, sliding down the banisters to be caught red-handed by the Minister of Magic from Norway. It had been their happiest time, and to say that your truest desire is something that already happened is a very hard thing to say. But they both knew they wanted to go back to the days before. And they both knew, if they died now, they would have been the happiest people alive.

Jackie picked up part of her train and walked down the stairs, hearing strains of music and watching a soft glow suddenly feel the room. She stood frozen on the second-to-last step as she watched Sirius chew out the conductor.

"No, no, no! That's not right! Everything has to be perfect! Perfect, I tell you!" He shouted. "You there! On the violin! YOU SUCK!! Jackie will not be satisfied with just a very bad playing of Minuet In G! Too slow! How about Minuet In G Minor? Okay, got it! Just wait until Jackie comes then strike up the orchestra."

Sirius turned around and saw Jackie standing there. He rushed up to the bottom step. "Announcing her royal highness, the Duchess of Gryffindor, from the noble country of Hogwarts!"

He then rushed about twenty feet from the bottom step. "Why, Duchess, how lovely you look tonight? May I ask the blessing of a dance with you?"

Jackie smiled silently.

"You're supposed to say, why of course, Duke of Gryffindor, I would be pleased. You are looking mighty spiffy yourself."

Jackie restrained her giggle. "Why, of course, Duke of Gryffindor, I would be pleased. You are looking mighty spif.." She began, but burst out into giggles. Sirius looked hurt.

"Okay, okay. You are looking mighty (giggle) spiffy (giggle) yourself." Jackie said, dropping her train and offering her left gloved hand. Sirius kissed it, then put it on the inside of his right arm.

"You're a good dancer." Jackie said as the two made circles around the ballroom, not realizing that the strains of music were reaching the tender ears of Arabella, James and Lily.

"Thank you very much." Sirius said smugly.

"You're supposed to say, why, Duchess, you are a mighty spiffy dancer yourself." Jackie commented, as if disgusted that he hadn't said anything without a reminder.

"Spiffy doesn't work as an adjective for dancing." Sirius pointed out.

"Yes it does."

"Nope."

"Uh-huh!"

"No way in hell."

"WHAT?"

"N O (space) W A Y (space) I N (space) H E L L."

"W H A T?"

Lily, Arabella and James crept out to the circular opening on the second floor that showed you the ballroom. Lily held back her giggle at what she saw.

Sirius and Jackie, as polite and formal as they could be, were arguing through gritted teeth and plastered smiles as they danced around the room.

James put his arm around Arabella's shoulder and around Lily's waist. "Amazing what we can do when we get along, huh?"

"And it's 5-6-7-8... Left hand on hip, you're sitting on your left leg, your right leg is popped out, bending, right arm up in the air with your index finger out... That's 1-2, skate 3-4, and for 5-6-7-8, you're gonna sort of pop your hips and your knees to the beat and left hand on hip, right arm moving across your circle, with your index finger out. Left leg back, sort of be relevating up and down as you snap. Cross, open, cross, open, cross, open, cross, open." Arabella called out in her French accent. Lily, Jackie and Arabella were discoing for a work-out (A/N: It is a work-out, if you're choreographing a number from Saturday Night Fever, trust me).

"Okay, Gary Stu, hit it! Girls, wait for the first 'Night Fever'.. A 5-6, A 5-6-7-8.." Arabella called out through the dance studio, and the Bee Gee's 'Night Fever' chorus played out for the girls, who did it all so well.

"Now, then.. We've got the grapevine, or sort of, right step, left back, right step left together, clap.. Then left step back, right cross so back is to audience, then cross left so you're facing the audience, bring right to left and clap."

"Okay, now add, hussle arms plus right foot out, right foot in, that's 1-2.. Then funky-chicken your way through 3-4. Left foot out, hussle arms, left foot in 5-6, funky-chicken 7-8." Arabella shouted as the door opened.

Severus Snape leaned in the doorway, watching the girls go through the chorus. James opened the other door and leaned in that doorway. Lily caught a glimpse of them in the mirror as she went through her post-grapevine spin, and stopped.

"Ah, Master Snape and Mister Pottare! Why don't we go from the top. Gary Stu?" Arabella said again. "5-6-7-8.."

Listen to the ground:

there is movement all around.

There is something goin' down

and I can feel it.

The girls rolled their heads, cracked their knuckles, and basically got ready for the upcoming dance.

On the waves of the air,

there is dancin' out there.

If it's somethin' we can share,

we can steal it.

Sirius watched Jackie glow with pleasure, with the satisfaction you didn't see on her face on a normal day. She stood out just as she had when she was imagining the ball preparations were for her, when she ascended the stairs, confident and radiant, perfect.

And that sweet city woman,

she moves through the light,

controlling my mind and my soul.

When you reach out for me

yeah, and the feelin' is bright,

Right then as the lights flickered and Lily's image became like a negative photo, James remembered the night of disco-dancing and roller skating at a local spot, remembered how the light caught her hair, and the sparks reflected in her eyes. At least then, he would have that personal memory that no other guy or friend of hers could ever say they had.

then I get night fever, night fever.

We know how to do it.

Gimme that night fever, night fever.

We know how to show it.

The girls had danced at the first 'night fever'. Lily smiled and charmed her audience behind her, and had this energy that really reflected in the dancing. The dancing itself wasn't that complicated, but she had brought it to its full potential. She stood out in the front, with Arabella diagonally behind her at the left, Jackie diagonally behind her at the right, it was kind of cool, watching not them, but their reflections.

Here I am,

prayin' for this moment to last,

livin' on the music so fine,

borne on the wind,

makin' it mine.

Lucius stumbled in and ended up trying to see. Behind that J.J. Pottare and his friend Severus, he had barely a view. But what a good view it was.. Focal points were at the gluteus maximus area of a certain "Marie Eyyes".

Night fever, night fever.

We know how to do it.

Gimme that night fever, night fever.

We know how to show it.

Lily felt her heart beat and the endorphins flowing through her. This was the happiest kind of moment, she supposed. Dancing with your friends, showing off all those millions of months of dance school and annoying primadonas (the bitchy kind).

In the heat of our love,

don't need no help for us to make it.

Gimme just enough to take us to the mornin'.

I got fire in my mind.

I got higher in my walkin'.

And I'm glowin' in the dark;

I give you warnin'.

Composure and the two years of aloof ice-queen sort of faded as Lily and Jackie messed up and the giggles and snorts came. Well, Lily wasn't an ice-queen, she just appeared like that. Kept people away, she said. People were dangerous, she said. Arabella had liked her because she sticked up for her rights and for people who couldn't help themselves. Jackie had liked her because she had been one of those people Lily had helped. Sirius and Remus had caught her playing a prank on Professor Binns, and they had liked her, but what was it about that pulsing rhythm, that fantastic beat, what was it that undid two years of hard work? Severus couldn't stand watching this girl too long, he knew she didn't love him. Lucius was hesitant, after all, there was a nice view, but he followed his friend.

And that sweet city woman,

she moves through the light,

controlling my mind and my soul.

When you reach out for me

yeah, and the feelin' is bright,

"Ye-ah! Hell yeah!!!" Lily shouted once she finally got the combination right. "I need a night feever, night fee-veher! We know how to do it!! WOO!" She sang at the top of her lungs.

Sirius simply shook his head as Lily began to bounce around the room. He was across the room from James's reflection, but he caught James's eye.

And winked.