James stared. She was beautiful, Remus' date that is. She was Lily.
"James...James?" She brushed his arm
"Come on." He said, not bothering to hide his Jealousy and snatched up her hand in his. The four crossed the carefully decorated hall and took a seat at one of the larger round tables. Above them the full moon shone down from the clear night sky. They were soon accompanied by Peter and, his date who looked out of place in her evening gown. Remus neared the table, Lily on his arm, and met eyes with James. He gave a slight smile but only a scowl was returned.
"We can go sit by your friends," Remus suggested.
"No come on. I haven't talked to Sirius or James in a while."
" 'Lo." She greeted them as the took a seat next to James separating him from Remus. The table soon broke into careless conversation. Behind Lily's back James kept tossing Remus dirty looks and mouthing to get his attention. Remus pretended not to notice. The room quieted as Professor Reed stepped to the platform and introduced the band "Superstitious". Students soon after began to drift towards the dance floor, becoming bored with chatting.
"I fancy a drink. Remus come with me?" James bursted out.
"I don't want anything."
"Well, maybe Lily does."
"No thanks, I'm fine" She insisted. James gave Remus a stern look until he cracked.
"Ok." He hesitated and the followed James.
When they were out of hearing distance James let loose, "What the hell was that!"
"I'm sorry, mate"
"She's Your date!... Have you been planning to go with her all along? I bet Magellan's been covering for you the entire time. You knew I-"
"Stop! I wouldn't do that to you and you know it."
"Then what happened!" James was beginning to grow red in the face.
"It's nothing really. She and Magellan broke up. She didn't have a date and I didn't either so we just decided to go together."
"How long ago was this?"
"A little while ago."
"Then you should have told her to go with me!"
Remus waited a long time to answer. "I'm sorry. I don't like her. That's it"
James had no answer to this. He turned to go back to the table. He couldn't look at Remus. He could see the hurt in his friend's eyes. He hadn't meant to yell but he couldn't help but feel angry, but most of all Jealous. It had been so simple. They didn't have a date and both agreed to go together. Inside he wished with all his heart it were that simple for him.
"Where's the drinks?" Sirius joked, even though he had known what was going to happen from the minuet they entered the hall.
"They were out." Remus quickly recovered."
"Aren't they great?" Peter said motioning to the band on the platform. They were not exactly terrible but didn't quite have what you could call talent. "Thank god I convinced McGonagall to get them."
Sirius snorted in amusement. "She didn't get them because of you, she got them because of Professor Reed. An' how much you wanna bet she regrets it now that she's heard 'em play." Sirius then got up and swept Jade up from her chair. "Let's dance."
"Yeah, come on James. Lets go dance." She dragged him across the dance floor after her friend." As he danced he forced himself not to look at Remus and Lily but couldn't help it as the music shifted to a slower beat. He danced first with Caroline and then with Jade as they both insisted they have a turn with Sirius, and then the group returned to the table to help them selves to the dish of chocolate that kept refilling itself. Peter had not budged but it was becoming continually obvious that his date was shifting her chair slowly closer to his.
"Oh, Peter. I love your costume." She complimented and touched his arm.
"Don't touch me." She backed away, offended.
"Yeah Petey, I love your costume." Sirius mocked as he leaned back on the chair on two legs.
"You be quiet. He does have a nice costume." The girl poked.
"Don't I?"
"Not you. You didn't even dress up. I meant Peter."
"I did dress up."
"As what?"
"Uh, A kid who went back in time."
"Humph! I like Peter's better."
"If it suits you." The whole table was trying to muffle their laughter but it was useless.
"This is stupid." Peter got up and slammed his chair into the table.
"Don't leave. Don't you want to dance?" She called after him.
"Not with you." He proceeded to make his way out of the hall leaving her alone to sulk.
Others continued to drift on and off the dance floor, eventually leaving James alone with Remus and lily, as his date had disappeared into the bathroom.
"Remus, are you ok?" She asked.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look so good."
"Really, I'm fine."
"Do you want to dance?"
"I'm kinda tired. Maybe you could take a turn with James. That is if he wants to."
"James do you want to dance?" she asked him.
"I'd love to." He said feeling slightly guilty for leaving Remus behind, despite their argument"
She snaked her arms around his neck and stared into James eyes as they swayed to the slow beat. Every once in a while she glanced back to where Remus sat. "Something's wrong, James. I can feel it. Look at him."
James glance at Remus "I can feel it too, but he wouldn't admit that something was wrong to save a life. Stubborn."
"So is someone else I know." She teased. They then danced in silence for what seamed like ages to James. Not the horrible kind of silence though, it was heavenly to James, just to be dancing with her. He didn't want to think about anything else but she again broke the silence. "We have to do something James. He looks-" She stopped though as she watched Remus give a violent shake. She ran to him.
"Remus! What's wrong."
He lifted his head so that his bloodshot eyes met hers, "I'm sorry Lil," he said in a drunken sort of matter and then sprung for the open doors. He ran from the hall and into the night, leaving the others behind.
***
He didn't feel the pain. He just needed to get away. It was happening fast. The world before him faded into black and white. He let out a terrible cry as he ran within the reach of the willow and a stray branch slashed him across the back. He ran his fingers franticly over the bark until he reached the knot. He put pressure on the bump and the tree froze instantly. Remus dropped onto his stomach and slid on his belly beneath the roots of the tree. Once inside he reached a pitch black passage and galloped down it on all fours. He howled as the white, hot, pinprick, stings shot through his fully transformed body.
"James...James?" She brushed his arm
"Come on." He said, not bothering to hide his Jealousy and snatched up her hand in his. The four crossed the carefully decorated hall and took a seat at one of the larger round tables. Above them the full moon shone down from the clear night sky. They were soon accompanied by Peter and, his date who looked out of place in her evening gown. Remus neared the table, Lily on his arm, and met eyes with James. He gave a slight smile but only a scowl was returned.
"We can go sit by your friends," Remus suggested.
"No come on. I haven't talked to Sirius or James in a while."
" 'Lo." She greeted them as the took a seat next to James separating him from Remus. The table soon broke into careless conversation. Behind Lily's back James kept tossing Remus dirty looks and mouthing to get his attention. Remus pretended not to notice. The room quieted as Professor Reed stepped to the platform and introduced the band "Superstitious". Students soon after began to drift towards the dance floor, becoming bored with chatting.
"I fancy a drink. Remus come with me?" James bursted out.
"I don't want anything."
"Well, maybe Lily does."
"No thanks, I'm fine" She insisted. James gave Remus a stern look until he cracked.
"Ok." He hesitated and the followed James.
When they were out of hearing distance James let loose, "What the hell was that!"
"I'm sorry, mate"
"She's Your date!... Have you been planning to go with her all along? I bet Magellan's been covering for you the entire time. You knew I-"
"Stop! I wouldn't do that to you and you know it."
"Then what happened!" James was beginning to grow red in the face.
"It's nothing really. She and Magellan broke up. She didn't have a date and I didn't either so we just decided to go together."
"How long ago was this?"
"A little while ago."
"Then you should have told her to go with me!"
Remus waited a long time to answer. "I'm sorry. I don't like her. That's it"
James had no answer to this. He turned to go back to the table. He couldn't look at Remus. He could see the hurt in his friend's eyes. He hadn't meant to yell but he couldn't help but feel angry, but most of all Jealous. It had been so simple. They didn't have a date and both agreed to go together. Inside he wished with all his heart it were that simple for him.
"Where's the drinks?" Sirius joked, even though he had known what was going to happen from the minuet they entered the hall.
"They were out." Remus quickly recovered."
"Aren't they great?" Peter said motioning to the band on the platform. They were not exactly terrible but didn't quite have what you could call talent. "Thank god I convinced McGonagall to get them."
Sirius snorted in amusement. "She didn't get them because of you, she got them because of Professor Reed. An' how much you wanna bet she regrets it now that she's heard 'em play." Sirius then got up and swept Jade up from her chair. "Let's dance."
"Yeah, come on James. Lets go dance." She dragged him across the dance floor after her friend." As he danced he forced himself not to look at Remus and Lily but couldn't help it as the music shifted to a slower beat. He danced first with Caroline and then with Jade as they both insisted they have a turn with Sirius, and then the group returned to the table to help them selves to the dish of chocolate that kept refilling itself. Peter had not budged but it was becoming continually obvious that his date was shifting her chair slowly closer to his.
"Oh, Peter. I love your costume." She complimented and touched his arm.
"Don't touch me." She backed away, offended.
"Yeah Petey, I love your costume." Sirius mocked as he leaned back on the chair on two legs.
"You be quiet. He does have a nice costume." The girl poked.
"Don't I?"
"Not you. You didn't even dress up. I meant Peter."
"I did dress up."
"As what?"
"Uh, A kid who went back in time."
"Humph! I like Peter's better."
"If it suits you." The whole table was trying to muffle their laughter but it was useless.
"This is stupid." Peter got up and slammed his chair into the table.
"Don't leave. Don't you want to dance?" She called after him.
"Not with you." He proceeded to make his way out of the hall leaving her alone to sulk.
Others continued to drift on and off the dance floor, eventually leaving James alone with Remus and lily, as his date had disappeared into the bathroom.
"Remus, are you ok?" She asked.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look so good."
"Really, I'm fine."
"Do you want to dance?"
"I'm kinda tired. Maybe you could take a turn with James. That is if he wants to."
"James do you want to dance?" she asked him.
"I'd love to." He said feeling slightly guilty for leaving Remus behind, despite their argument"
She snaked her arms around his neck and stared into James eyes as they swayed to the slow beat. Every once in a while she glanced back to where Remus sat. "Something's wrong, James. I can feel it. Look at him."
James glance at Remus "I can feel it too, but he wouldn't admit that something was wrong to save a life. Stubborn."
"So is someone else I know." She teased. They then danced in silence for what seamed like ages to James. Not the horrible kind of silence though, it was heavenly to James, just to be dancing with her. He didn't want to think about anything else but she again broke the silence. "We have to do something James. He looks-" She stopped though as she watched Remus give a violent shake. She ran to him.
"Remus! What's wrong."
He lifted his head so that his bloodshot eyes met hers, "I'm sorry Lil," he said in a drunken sort of matter and then sprung for the open doors. He ran from the hall and into the night, leaving the others behind.
***
He didn't feel the pain. He just needed to get away. It was happening fast. The world before him faded into black and white. He let out a terrible cry as he ran within the reach of the willow and a stray branch slashed him across the back. He ran his fingers franticly over the bark until he reached the knot. He put pressure on the bump and the tree froze instantly. Remus dropped onto his stomach and slid on his belly beneath the roots of the tree. Once inside he reached a pitch black passage and galloped down it on all fours. He howled as the white, hot, pinprick, stings shot through his fully transformed body.