-Chapter 13-

-The Three Remaining Candidates-

"Okay! Okay! The only way to solve this is with a little game!" Sirius shouted over the girls clambering around him the next morning. His head was already pounding from drinking a bit too much butterbeer the previous night. The girls were giving him gifts, winking, blowing kisses, and acting in other ways that James would like to have wiped from his memory. He smiled at Sirius's bluff, even though it had worked, the girls had all walked back to their respective places. Sirius sighed and looked wearily at James.

"I only want to go with one person!"

"I know," a grin was spreading across James's face. The girl Sirius had referred to many times, as 'the only one' was Elspeth Ferrars. She was a sixth year Ravenclaw who played for her Quidditch team as the keeper. Unluckily for Sirius, was the rumor spreading about the student's lips that she was going to go to the ball with Amos Diggory.

Elspeth was one of the best looking girls in the school. Last year the graduating seventh years left a list the told which of the younger girls would be the 'kick' of the school. The list remained unchanged, except for a few scratched out names.

"Hogwarts, Girls To Be"

(not in any order whatsoever)

1. Cassandra Melea (Slytherin)

2. Barbara Morley (Hufflepuff)

3. Elspeth Ferrars (Ravenclaw)

4. Maggie Amberson (Gryffindor)

5. (name scratched out)

6. (name scratched out)

7. Professor Minerva McGonagall (Head of Gryffindor House)

8. Aimee Lynn Puella (Slytherin)

9. (name inked over)

10. Lily Evans (Gryffindor)

11. Emily Cratcher (Hufflepuff)

12. Danielle Richardson (Gryffindor)

13. Jael Bellarose (Ravenclaw)

14. (name violently marked through with red ink)

And the list went on and on. James only knew a few of them last year, and knew even less this year. Though the reasons names were marked out remained unclear even after a year, Sirius heartily agreed with the list's choices. He was even asked by a few of those names. Emily, Barbara, and Jael, unfortunately all gorgeous (and unfortunately not whom he wanted to go with) were paying him the greatest attention.

"Prongsie, ol' chum." The phrase made James wanted to burst out laughing. "Meet me directly after dinner tonight. It's game time!" With a flourish of his arms and a shake of his spiky hair (now standing on end with excitement) he rose from the table and strutted from the room. He passed by Lily and Maggie and gave them a grand bow and slipped from Great Hall.

"I know I shouldn't ask this but . . ." Lily dropped off as she plopped down across from James and Peter. Maggie sat next to Remus, both faces sharing a small smile. "Why was Sirius being weird just now?"

"ONLY just now?" James said, raising his eyebrows at her obvious comment.

"Yes, you're right." She sighed with a grin. "He's always been a little odd."

"A little?" James's eyebrows rose clear from sight behind his tousled black hair.

"Fine!" Lily threw her arms exasperatedly into the air. "He has always been mental!"

James nodded and started eating again. Lily piled her plate with eggs, bacon and toast. Suddenly James banged the table and cussed. Maggie blinked and Lily let out a little yelp.

"What's your problem Potter?" Lily was ticked off that he had knocked over her glass of juice when he banged the table with his fist.

"I forgot to do the assignment for History of Magic! I had the entire weekend but I didn't remember it!" James cursed again and ran both hands through his hair.

"If you'll quit doing that," Lily said. "I'll help you."

James was shocked, "You will?"

"Yes." She sighed.

James's hazel eyes lit up with pleasure, "When?"

Lily checked her watch, 'You still have time!' She cocked an eyebrow and looked at James, "Now if you're quite finished, Potter."

"I am!" He jumped up banging his knees on the underside of the table. He winced and followed Lily out of the Great Hall, limping. They stood out in the teeming masses, and wondered where to next.

"Well?" James prodded.

"I could go to the common room, but the material is in the library . . ."

"Great!" James grabbed Lily's wrist and pulled her through the full hallways, hoping they would get a table to themselves. James and Lily reached the library, and they did get a table to themselves. Lily went to go get the books she found references in and James pulled his parchment and quill from his bag. He was elated that he was alone in the library with Lily Evans! It was almost too perfect.

James's smile vanished when he saw Lily heading back to the table with three thick books. 'Yes,' he thought. 'It was too perfect.'

"These should help." Lily set the books down with a soft thud. She smiled at him, sat down, and began to flip through the first book. James was free to study her, as she was busy. Her dark red hair fell softly around her creamy white face. Her lips were slightly pursed in thought. Her striking green eyes were flicking back and forth across the pages as she flipped them with her small white hand. She was the epitome of beauty in his eyes. He unconsciously reached a hand up to his hair and gave it a good rumple.

"Here it is!" she laid a slender finger on the page and slid the book over to James, he was very aware of how close she was when she was jabbering on about the information on the page. His heart began beating very fast and he took a breath. She was not going to conquer his concentration or his good grades.

Lily had no idea of the affect she was having on James Potter.

Where had all his bravado disappeared to?

Lily slid her hand across the smooth tabletop to better provide support for her leaning body. James wasn't sure why he made his next move. He didn't know it had happened until Lily's stream of persistent talking had stopped when se felt a gentle pressure on her hand.

Lily's breath arrested in her throat. It froze there, waiting for James to remove his hand from hers.

And she waited.

And she waited.

James waited for an explanation of his unconscious movement to bubble up in his brain.

And he waited.

And he waited.

They both waited, feeling time slow around them, and their hands grew as hot as their faces. Simply staring at their hands, time passed. Lily opened her mouth to say something, anything. James knew he had to do something about his rogue hand.

He silently told himself to remove it from covering Lily's, but James's mind apparently knew better than he. He grasped Lily's hand firmly between his two. Lily slid backwards into her seat, trying to control the heat raging through her body, she had no idea that James Potter only had to hold her hand to make her hormones go wild. She took a shaky breath and tore her eyes from her hand grasped between his to his hazel eyes.

She was shocked to see the passion in the hazel gaze. Several seconds passed as all of this took place, although to James and Lily it was similar to two hours.

"Lily . . ." James finally spoke, his voice very calm.

Lily swallowed the rock in her throat and rather gruffly replied, "What?"

James blinked and his grip loosened for a moment at her reply. Lily felt her cheeks color deeper and her ears began to ring.

James took a breath. It was now or never.

~-~-~-~-~-~

In another part of the school, Peter Pettigrew was unpacking for his Muggle Studies class. The small well-lit room was stuffed with muggle artifacts; unused television sets, microwaves, blenders, and even the engine of an automobile were strategically placed about the room

Younger students were slow to file from the room; one could always be caught tinkering with some foreign object. Peter laughed to himself as Professor Winglebur shooed two third years away from the clothes iron. Naturally none of the objects worked. Muggle objects go haywire near Hogwarts. Peter thought about the book he had come across and read thoroughly back before he came to this marvelous school, "Hogwarts; A History" . . .

And at that very moment Peter's attention was drawn to the door, because SHE was entering. Gladys Marfunkle was the sixth year, Hufflepuff sister of Alice Marfunkle . . . and to Peter the epitome of beauty and elegance.

Strangely she waltzed into classroom alone, her giggling counterparts strangely missing. Peter gulped as he caught her eye. She smiled and floated over.

"Hello Peter."

"G'morning." He pushed past his nervousness.

"Is this seat taken?" Gesturing to the empty chair opposite Peer's.

"N-not at all."

"Wonderful." She breathed and she sunk into the wooden chair.

A few seconds passed and neither Peter nor Gladys spoke.

"Gladys . . . " Peter began.

"Yes, Peter?" she batted her long lashes which hovered over her brown eyes.

"Are you" -deep breath- "Are you going to the ball . . . with anyone . . . .yet?"

Gladys smiled shyly and shook her head in a silent 'no'.

"Oh."

They sat in silence for half a minute before Gladys became impatient and said "Well?"

Peter was startled, "Well what?"

"Aren't you going to ask me?"

"Ask you what?"

Gladys heaved out all the breath her small frame would allow her to. "To go to the Queen's ball with you?"

Peter blinked and nearly swallowed his tongue, "I did-didn't think y-you w- would."

"You never know anything until you ask." She folded her white arms across her chest and tuned her face away.

"Will you go to the Ball with me Gladys?"

Gladys slowly turned her head back towards Peter, revealing her large brown eyes holding a smirk, "I would love to."

~-~-~-~-~-~

"Will you go to the ball with me?"

"Yes."

James blinked, "Yes?"

"Yes."

"Wow." James felt an enormous weight jump off his shoulders.

"On one condition."

"Oh here it comes . . ." he mumbled.

"No messing with Snape until then."

"What is with you and him?! No way!"

Lily eyebrows raised, "Fine. Then I'm not going to the ball with you."

"WHAT!? No! No. I'll do it."

"Promise?" Lily's green eyes lit up with joy at his compliance.

"Promise on my dignity as a Marauder."

Lily snorted.

"Fine! I promise."

Lily squeezed his hand and smiled.

All he bad feelings left James's heart when he realized he was taking Lily to the Ball. The he was suddenly aware of why they were where they were . . . "So . . .about that Queen?"

Lily smiled even wider and slipped her hand away from James.

"The Queen began as Lady Anne, until with her father's negotiations she became member of the Queen Catherine's court."

"That was King Henry's first wife, right?"

"Yes and he had one daughter by her, but that's jumping ahead. Lady Anne had numerous young men convinced they were in love with her. Her only goal seemed to be the King though. So, one night after a long feast the dancing started . . ."

Lily's voice droned on and on until the warning bell rang. James had his report nearly finished and he had finally gotten on Lily's god side.

All in all, one of his best mornings.

~-~-~-~-~-~

The day passed very uneventfully. It seemed that the stretch of time was quite boring, and Sirius decided to spice it up a bit by harassing Severus Snape. It ended up with Sirius twirling him around on his head and a teacher walking around the corner into the hallway and giving Sirius a detention (next evening after diner). He gave James one too because he was sure he had done something also before he arrived.

James had not. He was keeping his promise no matter that every fiber in his being burned towards the piece of trash. Sirius didn't notice that James hadn't done anything and he was so worked up that when he noticed Elspeth walk by he flashed his most charming grin. He corners of her mouth turned up a little and she was swept away with the crowd.

"Did you see that!?" Sirius violently shook James from his daydream about a certain red head. "She smiled at me! Me!"

"Yeah, that's great Padfoot."

"Prongs?"

"Yeah?" James was still trying to grasp the picture in his mind.

"Have you made a move yet? Or are you going to keep dreaming?"

"On what?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Not on WHAT, on WHOM . . ."

James grew lit up with realization, "Oh . . .yeah."

"You actually had the courage after she burned you last year!?"

" . . . Yeah."

Sirius blinked, "Oh."

They walked through the throngs of students leaving and entering the Great Hall. The second dinner bell clanged.

Sirius abruptly grabbed James's arm, "What did she answer?"

James was trying to avoid answering, "Moony and Wormtail are waiting . . ."

"Prongs. What. Did. She. Say."

James' face fell into a look pf utter agony. Sirius immediately felt horrible fro intruding, "I'm sorry bloke. There's always someone else . . ."

An awkward silence fell between them. James mumbled something.

"I couldn't catch that . . ." Sirius said, cupping a hand around his ear.

"She said yes."

The look of pure astonishment on Sirius's face exceeded James's expectations.

"What?" Sirius beamed.

James yelled with glee, "SHE SAID YES!"

He whoop of joy from the boys overpowered all other sound. The strutted into Great Hall and sat down a Gryffindor table across from Remus sitting next to Maggie sitting next to Lily.

Lily didn't make eye contact with James, who became wholly engrossed with his food,

Sirius was the first one to notice, "Where'd Wormtail go?"

"Believe it or not," Remus stated through his food filled mouth. "He is sitting with the Hufflepuffs."

"No!" Sirius made his mouth into a perfect 'O' shape and made a slight gasp.

"Yes!" Said Remus catching onto the gag.

"He so isn't!"

"Oh. He soooooooo is!"

"I can't believe it."

"Well," Remus glanced warily around, as if to see if anyone was overhearing them, which many were. "I've heard he's got a date for he ball from Hufflepuff!"

Sirius made the girly gasp again. And Remus nodded knowingly.

Now Sirius glanced up and down the table leaned forward and reported, "He would get someone form that house!"

And as quickly as they had acted like girls the boys were back scoffing food. A few whispers passed up and down the table and the meal continued without Peter ever rejoining them for the remainder of the meal.

~-~-~-~-~-~

A shower of red and gold sparks drew the attention of all Gryffindors alike as Sirius performed a deep and gallant bow.

"May I please have your attention! If you wish to see the single most amazing thing that will happen this year in this room, then please be in this corner in ten minutes, Please and Thank You!" Another bow and the common room went back to normal.

"They look interested, don't they?" James remarked. He was leaning against the wall watching Sirius's charade. He was in a very relaxed position considering he was being watched and whispered about. 'Those stupid kids haven't figured out yet that I didn't break those bloody brooms.' He thought and resumed his look of relaxation as Lily strolled over.

"Sirius, don't you have some kind of homework to be doing?" She looked sharply at James. "I know you do."

James shrugged off the suggestion and ran hand through his hair. Lily rolled her eyes and turned to Sirius, who was polishing a circle piece of wood with small pegs standing upright near the edge.

"Yeah, yeah. Did ya get it?"

Lily held out the queen of hearts muggle playing card. "Yes, but I still don't understand."

"You will dearie, you will." Sirius performed a floating spell and made the card sit stiffly in the air. He took the pegged wheel and performed another spell so that you could spin it and the card would slap against the pegs until it stopped on a certain colored wedge.

He whipped his wand a few times over the different colored wedges muttering nonsense until six tiny girls stood up on their color, dressed in their house colors. Jael from Ravenclaw, Elspeth also from Ravenclaw, Emily from Hufflepuff, Barbara from also from Hufflepuff, Joy Williams from Slytherin and - she blinked.

Straightening her scarlet and gold robes was a tiny a tiny Lily staring up at her she smiled and her green eyes sparkled.

"Oops," Sirius quickly picked the miniature up. "I forgot." He winked and tossed it over to James who caught it with the reflexes of a Seeker, "You're taken."

A moment passed with Lily watching James hold the little Lily and slowly pocket it inside his robes. He looked up and gave he most cocky grin ever to Lily. She narrowed her eyes and averted her attention back to the other little girls. All were blowing kisses and waving sweetly to Sirius. He grinned and told them to hang on.

He spun the wheel and the card went slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap,

slap, slap, . . .slap. . . .slap. . ..

And Sirius looked with astonishment at Jael Bellarose from Ravenclaw. She squealed with glee and clapped her little hands.

Thinking quickly Sirius pulled out his wand and made her disappear into puff of pink smoke. Lily looked with shock at Sirius, who grinned and explained,

"If it lands on them they're out."

Little moans reached Lily's ears just before he spun the wheel again.

Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, . . .slap. . . .slap. . ..

Joy Williams was out.

Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, . . .slap. . . .slap. . ..

There went Emily.

It was down to the girl of his dreams and Hufflepuff. Sirius could have chosen to stop at this point because his choice was easy now. But, he continued.

Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, . . .slap. . . .slap. . . .

It landed on Elspeth. Her eyes went round with horror, and she looked up at Sirius with tears streaming down her cheeks. Meanwhile Barbara was jumping around and emitting high-pitched whoops of triumph.

Sirius raised his wand, his eyes pained and sad. He blinked and lightening struck his brain.

(A/N) No not real lightening. Go see the movie "Hook."

He yelled, "We have a winner!" and the little Barbara curtsied to the crowd that had gathered, when she poofed into a cloud of pink smoke.

Everyone watching gasped. She was the winner, why did he poof her?

Sirius quickly explained, "When it was down to two people it was whoever it landed on was the winner!"

A snort came from James as he leaned against the wall. "Well then," he said with a grin growing on his handsome features. "Go get your girl."

With that Sirius was gone. Some people say he apparated he was so fast, but as they had been reminded, no one could apparate in Hogwarts. It still remained a question to the days when their children sat in the same room, whether or not Sirius Black had apparated and won the girl of his dreams all in one night..

(End Chapter 13)

(Finally!)

(For any who waited all summer for me to complete this and thanks to Smith. Helped me get rid of funky symbols! *blows kisses*)

(And thanks to Cassandra, Barbara, Elspeth, Maggie, Prof. McGonagall, Aimee, Lily, Emily, Danielle, Jael, and the four anonymous ladies who appear on my list.)