A/N: This chapter has the song That day in it by Natalie Imbruglia on her newest CD: White Lilies Island. I've never thought to write a song fic, but this one just fit. It's a great CD by the way, I love it!
As they walked up to their dormitory, Natalie wouldn't stop giggling.
"Alright Miss Giggles. Either you tell us what is so funny, or I go ask Remus what spell that was that he used to shut you up the other day." Abby replied impatiently.
"YOU! Lil, don't you find it a bit funny that the first one of the three of us to get a date is. . .Abby?!"
"It is funny, but good for Abby none the less."
"Well of course it's good for Abby." She said as they opened the dormitory door.
All Lily wanted to do once she got inside was walk over to her bed, flop down, and take a nap. But a certain package on the bed wasn't going to allow her to do that . . .
"Lily, what's that?" Abby asked.
"I don't know. All I do know is that it's keeping me from my nap right now."
"Well! Open it!" Natalie yelled.
"Hold on, there's a note. . ." Lily said. "Oh my gosh."
"What? What is it? It isn't' a howler right?"
"No. . .I'll read it to you. . .
My dearest Lily ("Dearest! He called you dearest!" Natalie squealed)
This robe is for you to wear on December 25, of the year 1977 to the Yule Ball being held a Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. ("As if we didn't know. . ." Abby whispered) I will be waiting for you in front of the Great Hall with a single red rose in my hand.
"Aww!!! How sweet is that?" Natalie giggled.
"Well, open it! See what the robe looks like!" Abby said.
Lily opened the package, her hands shaking with excitement. When she took off the cover of the package, she gasped.
"Oh my gosh, it's beautiful."
Natalie and Abby gasped also as Lily held the robe up to the mirror.
"Lily, it's so perfect for you. Your eyes, gosh, your eyes are just, so beautiful with that robe . . ." Abby said.
It was a green robe that would shift iridescently from an emerald green color to a dark forest green and back. It also shimmered with gold and had gold around the wrists and bottom edges. It was made of the finest satin Lily had ever felt.
"I don't know who picked that out for you, but I have got to meet them because they know how to pick a dress robe!" joked Natalie.
"Who is it from? Did the note say?" asked Abby.
"No. I don't recognize the handwriting either." Lily replied.
"How odd."
"Oh Lily! I NEED to do your hair and makeup now! I know exactly what to do! You HAVE to let me!" Natalie pleaded.
"Ok, fine . . .whatever." Lily said. She was actually too stunned by the robe to care what she said to anyone. \\ Gosh, I hope it's from James. . . \\
"Does this mean I'm the only one who doesn't have a date?!" Natalie asked pathetically.
* * *
Natalie's dateless nightmare didn't last longer than a week. By the next Wednesday, a handsome 7th year from Ravenclaw had asked her. She actually quieted down a bit about the ball, and only brought it up three times a day instead of three hundred. Abby seemed to grin a lot more ever since Sirius asked her to the Yule Ball. James was even commenting at dinner one night of how she seemed to be hitting the bludgers a little harder and more accurate lately. Lily wasn't sure if anyone else had noticed, but she saw Sirius and Abby sneaking off to deserted corridors in between classes too. Remus asked a 6th year from Hufflepuff whom Lily was good friends with. Lily had actually suggested to Remus that he ask her. No one, however, could figure out who sent Lily the dress robe. Sirius, Remus and Peter were as clueless as ever, and James actually seemed a bit depressed by it. James didn't have a date yet though, which kept Lily's hopes up.
* * *
That day, that day
What a mess, what a marvel
I walked into that cloud again
And I lost myself And I'm sad, sad, sadSmall, alone, scared
Craving purity
A fragile mind and a gentle spirit
\\ I can't believe it. Why did I even think he wouldn't get a date? Why did I even think he actually wanted to go with me? \\ Lily was beyond sad. She was devastated. She couldn't cry; it didn't seem like it would release enough of what she was feeling. She ran up to her room and was followed closely by Abby and Natalie.
"Lily, Lily, please. Calm down. It's ok! Remember, you still have your date, it's just. . ." Natalie stopped, seeing how sad Lily was.
"Not him." Lily replied quietly.
"Sweety, you gotta calm down." Abby said, "Don't going doing anything you would regret. It's just a date to the dance. It doesn't mean they will get married or anything."
Lily didn't know what to think. James had a date. And not just any date. He had a date with the prettiest girl in the 7th year. Her name was Emily. Emily Patterson. Lily had no chance against a girl like Emily. Emily had gorgeous wavy brown hair that fell past her shoulders and dark brown eyes that made her look pathetically innocent. If Emily were a muggle, she would be a model. Her body was one of those that girls could only wish that they had. To make things worse, Emily had a lot of charm to her. She flirted a lot too. She was in Ravenclaw, and she fit all of the qualities Rowena Ravenclaw would take pride in. She was incredibly intelligent and clever. Abby could tell what Lily was thinking.
"Lil, if you ever start to compare yourself to that girl, I will smack you so hard with my bludger stick. . ."
"Well, she obviously is what James wants."
"How do you know that?" Abby yelled. "She asked HIM remember?"
"But he said yes."
"Well, yeah. But he needs a date too."
"Whatever. I'm going to bed." Lily snapped.
"Lil, it's only 6:30. We still have a lot of History of Magic homework!"
"Oh well."
"We'll be the common room. And if you wanna talk or anything later tonight . . .
"There's nothing to talk about, Abby." Lily replied rudely.
"You know what I mean Lil. Don't be hard on us. We're just trying to help you out." Natalie replied. They walked out of the room.
That day, That day
What a marvelous mess
This is all that I can do
I'm done to be me
Sad, scared, small, alone, beautiful
It's supposed to be like this
I accept everything
It's supposed to be like this
What did she expect? That the robe was from James? She should have known better. But deep down in her heart, all she wanted was for James to be holding the rose for her at the Yule Ball. She finally was able to cry into her pillow after about fifteen minutes of thinking. She heard Abby and Natalie come up later. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was 10:30. They went to bed quietly, and didn't even talk like they normally did. Lily felt horrible. She was being absolutely horrible to Abby and Natalie, and all they did was try to help her feel better. That day, that dayI lay down beside myself
In this feeling of pain, sadness
Scared, small, climbing, crawling
Towards the light
And it's all that I see
And I'm tired and I'm right
And I'm wrong
And it's beautiful
She couldn't stand being in that room any longer. Lily walked out of the dormitory, quietly of course, so she wouldn't wake the other girls. She closed the door softly, but before she walked down the stairs, she heard a conversation down in the common room. She looked at her watch. It was now 11:30. Usually, everyone was in bed by now. As she started to descend the stairs, she realized who the voices belonged to.
"Prongs, why so down? You have a date with the HOTTEST girl in this school, I know I would be happy."
"It's not who I wanted to go with though, Padfoot. You know that."
"Aww, don't start this again."
"Wormtail, shut your mouth."
"Come on, Moony. You gotta be sick of it too! Day and night, all Prongs talks about is 'Oh I wish I would have asked Lily sooner. . .Blah blah blah'!"
"Wormtail, I'm gonna curse you so bad."
"Go ahead. Try me."
"Pinnocious"
"Oh clever one, Prongs. All you did was make my nose grow long. I knew that when I was a third year."
"Fermions. There. That shut him up." (A/N: Fermions is my version of a spell that won't allow the person who is cursed to talk. I thought of it because "Fermez la bouche" = "Shut your mouth" in French.)
"Well, why so sad Prongs?"
"It just that, yeah it's great that I'm going with Emily. I mean, she's a fox, that's for sure, but she's not. . .Lily." He said with a sigh.
Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing. James Potter actually wanted to go with her. She listened on the stairs, staying as silent as she could.
"Well, why didn't you ask her then. I know for a fact that she would have said yes. Haven't you ever noticed how she loves to help you with your homework when you are having trouble?"
"Well, we have also been friends since like, forever."
"Only our first year."
"Still, that's just what Lily does. She always helps when you are in trouble. Take when she helped you on your essay Padfoot. I wasn't there then."
"Yeah but you didn't notice her face when you came down later that night. It blushed to the shade of her hair. And then when you gave her that kiss on the cheek the next morning?"
No reply from James.
"Oh come on James! You mean to tell me that you never noticed any of that stuff?"
"You really thinks she likes me?"
"Does a Mandrake cry?"
"Aww, shit."
Sirius and Remus started to laugh. "Who do you think asked her then? Want me to kill them? Or at least keep them. . .busy. . .on the 25th?"
"No, Sirius, don't do that. But yeah I know who asked her. We helped him pick out the dress robes for Lily."
"You mean Adam?"
"The one and only."
Lily couldn't believe her ears. Adam was the other beater for the Gryffindor Team. He was also a 7th year and drop-dead gorgeous.
"Yeah, I think he overheard Natalie saying that Lily would need a new robe."
"He was completely clueless! I remember how he was like 'Would blue look good?'"
"Well, any color would look good on Lily. . ." James replied quietly.
Lily could feel herself blushing.
"Man, but you picked a good one, James. That green robe is gonna make her eyes look really gorgeous. But then again, they always do in my opinion." Remus replied.
Lily blushed even more.
"So yeah, I picked out the robe. But what am I gonna do now? I don't want to go with Emily! I want to go with Lily!"
"Are you sure you would rather go with Lily?"
"YES!"
"Then leave everything to me." Sirius said.
"Hey it's getting late." Remus said. "Let's head upstairs. Don't forget about Peter, Prongs."
"Oh."
"Ouvrions."
"It's about time, James!"
"Well, don't make fun of me if you wanna be able to talk!"
Lily ran upstairs and jumped into bed. She still was running the conversation through her head, and it still didn't make sense, but she didn't care. \\ I need to apologize to Natalie and Abby first thing in the morning . . .I really did get worked up for nothing. . .\\
That day, That day
What a mess, what a marvel
We're all the same
And no one thinks so
And it's okay
And I'm small and I'm divine
And it's beautiful
And it' coming
And it's already here
And it's absolutely perfectA/N: By the way, if you want to know how I came up with 1977 for the year, I was thinking this in my little mind. I always have thought—or at least since I have read the books—that Lily and James pretty much got married right after they left Hogwarts. I'm also thinking that Lily got pregnant right after they got married. And Harry was born in 1980….which means they graduated from Hogwarts in 1979. So if you do the math, they started their 6th year in 1977.
