Disclaimer: I wish I may, I wish I might, own Harry Potter and claim the rights

A/N: I know, it's been a long time, but I don't really apologize because I warned you. I said it would take me a long time to update, so if you didn't listen, it's not my fault.

Chapter 7: Hatred In Disguise


I am really excited! The ball is tonight and I actually have a date! His name's Kyle Prewett and he's really cute. He's a Ravenclaw, so I know he's smart. Ooh, I'm so excited! Oh, and guess what? Claudia had her wish granted, too. Dan Brown asked her yesterday. It was so cute, he got flustered and stammered a bit.

Stacy says she isn't going to go, but I don't believe her. She's kind of depressed because it turns out Jonathan Bones has a new girlfriend. I feel bad for her, but she could still go with someone else. She's just being stubborn.

And of course, Megan's going with Remus. She's so excited. Normally Megan is a terrific student, but in the past week she's been day–dreaming in class and McGonagall's yelled at her three times. I think it's kind of cute, myself.

A week has gone by and Potter and I haven't spoken once. Not even to insult one another or play pranks. If I see him in the hallway I run in the other direction. I can't believe we kissed. I can't explain it, I don't want to explain it. It was all a mistake. I hate Potter, I really do. I mean, would you like a boy who has made your life miserable for six years?

I may not be talking to him, but I can't stop thinking about the kiss. It scared me as much as it repulsed me. What had happened? Well, at least we're not talking. That's a good thing.

My costume is great. It looks really pretty and Megan is going to help me with my hair right before we get ready for the ball. Some people's costumes cover their hair, but mine is a dead give away so I'm going to dye it blonde for the night. Megan says she has the perfect spell to use.

I challenged Remus to a game of chess down in the common room. Casually I asked who Potter and Black were going to the dance with. Then I felt horrified. Why did I care? What was wrong with me?

Remus wouldn't tell me what his costume is, but all I have to do is look for the bloke escorting the butterfly. I also asked what Potter's costume would be, but Remus wouldn't tell me.

"Come on, Lily, you don't want me to ruin the surprise, do you?"

I blushed. Why was I asking anyway? I think I've gone mad. It was one little kiss, it meant nothing and I didn't want it to.

After Remus trounced me in chess, I went up to my room to try on my costume. It fit perfectly and ended up slightly different than I had intended. It was a loose tunic/dress, purple was the background color and then Megan helped me paint a lion, badger, eagle, and snake in the shape of the Hogwarts crest. My mask covered my entire face and was also painted like the crest. I even have a gold headband with the school motto on it. Hogwarts has the best motto, "Never Tickle A Sleeping Dragon".

My costumed looked terrific and best of all I was completely unrecognizable, once I changed my hair color. I'm so excited!

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Remember the last time I wrote, and Snape appeared just after Evans and I kissed? Well he stayed for a while after that, making sickening comments and just generally being obnoxious. I don't think he knows though, thank Merlin. Imagine how he'd torture me if he knew that I had kissed Lily Evans! No, wait, I still maintain that she kissed me.

Now she's avoiding me. She refuses to talk to me or even look at me. Fine with me, it's not like I care if some daft girl is fleeing from me. I have to find a new Charms tutor, though. Remus can't help me because he has enough to do with his transformations. He seemed worried that he hurt my feelings, but I reassured him.

Remus, Sirius, Peter, and I just got our costumes figured out yesterday. I know, cutting it close, but we think we have the perfect disguises; no one will ever guess who we are—until we spike the punch that is.

Sirius is going to be a giant bottle of butterbeer. Don't ask. He has a very brilliant costume, though. Remus is going to be a pirate. Peter's going as some Quidditch player, and I'm going to be Albus Dumbledore. I have it all planned out. I'm going to charm my hair to be long and white, give myself a beard, wear the kinds of robes that he does, and transfigure my glasses to the shape of his.

I'm a bit nervous, I'll admit it. I'm sure you're wondering how I could have possibly let Evans kiss me when I have a girlfriend, but Felicity dumped me last week. She said that a long distance relationship just doesn't work and that we were too young to be so serious. It's fine with me because it left me free to ask Emilee Degas to the ball. She's a really pretty Ravenclaw whom I've had my eye on. Naturally she said yes.

Remus is going with Megan, of course, but I don't know who Sirius finally picked. He's been moping for weeks and I can't figure out why. There's about a million girls who would want to go out with him, but he doesn't seem interested in any of them. I think he's sick.

It was time to get into our costumes. Sirius had a bit of trouble getting into his, but between me, Remus, and Peter we managed to squeeze him into it. I adjusted my beard in the mirror and transfigured my specs. It was incredible how much I looked like Professor Dumbledore. Then I looked in the mirror and saw something terrible. My eyes were still brown!

Luckily, Remus came to my rescue. He charmed them blue and I relaxed. Everything would go smoothly, I was sure of it. Once Sirius had gotten walking down, we left the room. Luckily the common room was empty so we made it down to the Great Hall without anyone seeing us.

The room was decorated for Halloween, of course. Live bats flew around the ceiling, jack–o–lanterns floated above our heads. The food was already placed out and it looked amazing. The band was warming up in the center of the room next to the dance floor.

I recognized Emilee right away, despite her costume. She should have hidden that hair of hers; the blonde color was very distinctive.

This was going to be fun!

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It took us a long time to get ready because we were so nervous. My hands were shaking as I adjusted my headband and smoothed my now blonde hair. Megan was putting on her wings and Claudia was making sweeps with her sword. I had to duck to avoid being decapitated.

"Sorry," Claudia said cheerfully. She really liked her costume.

"Oh, I'm so nervous," Megan said, examining her costume in the mirror.

"Relax, Meg," I said calmly. "You're going to have a wonderful time. Remus is really excited.'

"Thanks, Scarlet," she said, still nervous.

"You know what," Claudia said, swinging her sword again. "I'm going to challenge someone to a duel!"

We laughed, mostly because she probably would! When we were finally ready and our masks were in place, we ventured to the Great Hall. It looked amazing with live bats, floating pumpkins, and a very groovy band. I wandered around looking for Kyle. I suddenly gave myself a mental kick. I don't think I told him what my costume would be! How would he find me?

Trying to relax, I wandered over to the punch bowl. I had just poured myself a goblet when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I came face to face with Albus Dumbledore.

"Hey," he said, "it's me!"

I relaxed. Kyle had found me! "Oh, good! I love your costume. I thought you were really Professor Dumbledore."

He laughed. "I like your costume too, but I'm a bit confused. Who are you supposed to be exactly?"

I spun around. "I'm Hogwarts! See the crest?"

He laughed again. "Brilliant! Would you like to dance?"

"Sure!"

He led me out on to the dance floor. The music started playing and we started to dance very fast. We danced through three fast songs before we took a break and I was finally able to drink my punch. We stood around the side for a little while watching the other couples dancing. I saw Megan and Remus, who was dressed like a pirate, tango across the floor. Claudia and Dan, who was dressed as an astronaut, were swing dancing; Claudia's sword was causing a lot of minor injuries. A giant bottle of butterbeer was running around, yelling. Then the real Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"If you'll all take your seats, we'll begin the meal." He looked down at his plate. "Meatloaf."

Some of the meatloaf disappeared from the head table and reappeared on his plate. We all got the idea.

I ordered chicken, Kyle chose steak, and the other four people at our table had fish. I didn't recognize any of the others, but I assumed that they were friends of Kyle's. The giant bottle of butterbeer stopped by our table for a moment and whispered in his ear. Kyle nodded.

"Excuse me," he said to me. "I'll be right back."

I nodded and he left the table. I noticed that Remus and Megan were looking at me and whispering, so I waved. Megan waved tentatively back. She seemed to come to a decision and stood up. She was headed in my direction.

"Lily," she hissed under her breath. "I have to tell you something!"

"Not now!" I hissed back. "And don't use my name, we're supposed to be anonymous!"

"But, Lily—"

"Go back to your date and have fun!" I gave her a little push and she went away, looking at me over her shoulder.

Kyle came back after that. He had a broad grin on his face.

"Would you like to go for a walk? You know, get some air?"

"Sure," I said with a smile. He took my hand and we wandered outside. The moon was half full and there were many stars sprinkled against the dark velvet sky. It was a bit chilly out there. We continued walking until we reached a stone bench and sat down.

"Tell me more about yourself," Kyle said.

"Well, there's not much to tell. I like school, hope to be Head Girl next year, and have two very good friends. What about you?"

He shrugged. "I like Quidditch, I'll probably be Head Boy next year, and I have three best friends."

Suddenly screams of panic reached our ears. I looked at him.

"What's going on?"

He started laughing. "I reckon the punch has kicked in right about now!"

I was shocked. "What did you do?"

He shrugged, still laughing. "My friends and I spiked the punch. I didn't want you to get any so I brought you out here. There are probably a lot of chickens in there right about now."

I started laughing as well. "Brilliant! And I thought Potter and I were the expert pranksters!"

Suddenly he went rigid. His eyes widened in astonishment and his jaw dropped. "Evans?" he said in disbelief.

My jaw dropped as well. "Potter?" I shrieked.

We sat there in dismayed silence for a moment. Then at the same time we yelled, "How could you!"

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I was having a terrific time. Emilee was fun and a smashing dancer. When Sirius came by to tell me it was time, I stood up.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back."

She smiled prettily. I rushed over to meet Peter and Sirius by the punch bowl. I looked around for Remus. He came rushing over a minute later.

"Prongs, I have to tell you something!"

"Shh, don't say my name! Do you have it?" Remus had been in charge of bringing the potion.

"Yes, of course, but I really need to tell you something!" Remus seemed very agitated.

"Not now! Just dump it in!" Remus sighed and poured the powder into the punch. Anyone who drank it would turn into a chicken in exactly half an hour. "Great, I'm going back to my date."

I ran back to Emilee who looked a little uncomfortable by herself. I asked if she'd like to take a walk with me and she said yes. I didn't want her turning into a chicken.

We were sitting on a bench, admiring the stars, when the potion kicked in. We could hear the screams of panic all the way out in the gardens. Emilee jumped.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I reckon the punch has kicked in by now!" I said with a laugh.

She was shocked. "What did you do?"

I shrugged, still laughing. "My friends and I spiked the punch. I didn't want you to get any so I brought you out here. There are probably a lot of chickens in there right about now."

Emilee started laughing as well. "Brilliant! And I thought Potter and I were the expert pranksters!"

I froze. It couldn't be. No. "Evans?" I said in disbelief.

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as well. "Potter?" she shrieked.

We sat there in dismayed silence for a moment. Then at the same time we yelled, "How could you!"

"How could I?" I said. "How could you!"

She jumped up and began to pace. "Oh no, what a disaster! I can't believe even you would do such a thing! We actually danced together! I'm going to be sick."

"Damn you, Evans. Emilee's going to think I stood her up! Why would you do such a thing? Ugh, I touched you!"

She was shaking her head and moaning. "Why would I do such a thing? You're the one who approached me! I thought you were Kyle! Oh no, he's going to think I stood him up! This is all your fault!"

"My fault!" I jumped to my feet, absolutely furious. "How is this my fault?"

"You came to me! I assumed you were my date! Therefore it's your fault."

"Well, you kissed me and started everything!" I retorted. It was a weak argument, but one that was sure to get a reaction. I was right.

"I did not kiss you!" she screamed. "You kissed me, you twit! You make me sick! And it's all your fault for coming up to me this evening!"

"I thought you were my date, your hair is blonde! Oh, just go away! How could we have been so stupid?"

I had never seen Evans so enraged. She had ripped off her mask and her emerald green eyes were flashing. She was scowling and clenching her fists.

"I hate you!" she screeched. "You've ruined my life, you idiot! I wish you were never born!"

She ran off sobbing. I was a little taken aback. I hadn't expected her to react so violently. She had gone crashing off through the bushes and if someone didn't go after her, she could get lost. But I wasn't going to go after her. I was too angry, so I walked back to the Great Hall.

Most people had been changed back, but there were one or two chickens still hopping around. I stormed inside and fell heavily into a chair. Peter came up to me, cowering slightly when he saw the look on my face.

"Prongs, are you alright?" he squeaked.

I scowled. "This has been the worst night of my life. I'm going to bed."

I was on my way out when Dumbledore stood up again.

"I think it's time for everyone to remove your masks or costumes. Let's see who we are, shall we?"

I irritably waved my wand over my head so that the beard disappeared, my eyes and glasses returned to normal, and I was back in school robes. I spotted the real Emilee across the room, snogging with some other bloke. Fine. That just fit with the rest of my evening. I stomped out of the Hall and ran back to Gryffindor tower.

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I just kept running until I tripped and fell to the ground. What a miserable night! How could Potter have been so cruel? He was probably planning this prank forever. He was going to pretend to be my date and then dump me. What a bastard.

I didn't try to stand up, I just continued to sob on the ground. I wouldn't have thought Potter could sink so low.

"Fight with your boyfriend, Evans?"

I struggled to stand up and was confronted by Snape and Malfoy. Great. Just what I needed.

"Shove off, you twerps. Leave me alone."

They moved closer, blocking off my retreat. I started to get scared. I was all alone in the dark gardens, hopelessly lost and surrounded by horrible Slytherins. They each wore and identical smirk.

"Now, now, Evans, we only want a cozy little chat," Malfoy said smoothly.

He came closer and I backed up until I was pressed against a statue. They had me cornered.

"Don't even think about it, Malfoy," I threatened, although my voice wavered. "I'd kill you."

He smirked and Snape took a step forward. My heart was beating fast and had jumped up into my throat. Malfoy's face was only inches away from mine; I could see little green flecks in his grey eyes.

"Leave her alone!"

Malfoy and Snape jumped back. The silhouette of a boy was standing a few feet away. For a moment I thought it was Potter; it wasn't.

"Black?" I gasped.

He didn't look at me. He wasn't wearing a costume, he was in plain school robes. He stepped forward, toward Malfoy and Snape.

"Leave her alone," he repeated.

"And if we don't?" Snape sneered. He and Black hated one another most of all.

"I'll rip you to pieces," he said matter–of–factly. He folded his arms across his chest and glared at the two Slytherins.

Malfoy was sizing him up. He must have decided that Sirius constituted a threat, because he nodded.

"Fine. We'll leave. But this isn't over. Come on, Snape."

Snape glared menacingly at Sirius before he, too, left. Once they were both gone, Sirius looked at me.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I nodded meekly. He came closer and put a friendly arm around me. I lost it. I hugged him and started to cry into his shoulder. He was taken aback; we had never really been on good terms, but as far as I was concerned he was my new best friend.

"Thank you, so much, Sirius," I sobbed. "I was scared."

"It's alright," he said a bit awkwardly. "I'm glad I found you in time, Lily. Come on, let's get you back up to Gryffindor Tower."

As we walked back to the castle, I suddenly realized that Sirius Black and I were on a first name basis.

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I realized that I had left a book down in the common room, so I went to retrieve it. I sat in one of the armchairs in front of the fire for awhile, just staring at the flames and wondering what the hell had happened to my life.

Someone gave the password and the portrait swung open. I didn't want anyone to see me in my misery, so I sank down into the chair.

It was Sirius and Evans. I wanted to know what they were doing walking together, so I eavesdropped on their conversation. Evans was thanking him for something, and Sirius was telling her it was no big deal. Then she did something that made me think I was going to lose my dinner. She kissed him on the cheek and Padfoot turned red. Then she ran up to her room.

Sirius stood there dazedly for a moment and I leapt out of the chair.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded.

Sirius jumped. "Oh, James, I didn't see you there."

"Why did Evans kiss you, Padfoot?" I asked, annoyed.

He blushed. "I just helped her out. No big deal."

He tried to go up the stairs, but I blocked his way. "I think it is. Since when are you and Evans friends?"

He started to get angry. "Since tonight, I suppose. It's none of your business, Prongs. If I want to be friends with Lily, I will!"

"Lily?" I couldn't believe my ears. "Since when is she 'Lily'?"

Sirius just got mad and pushed me out of the way. He stormed up the stairs.

"Just mind your own business, James!" he shouted over his shoulder.

I was stunned. My best friend, pals with Evans! This night was a never–ending downward spiral of misery. At that moment I really hated my life. I threw myself down in an armchair and pouted. Screw the world, that's what I say. My life was rotten. I needed a Charms tutor still, I had spent the entire night dancing with Evans, and now Sirius liked her!

What next?


A/N: Well, you'll just have to wait to find out. Oh, and Happy Birthday Obscurity Personified! Don't forget to blow out your candles!