Chapter 11
Lily and her friends were in The Three Broomsticks, getting a drink after a hard days shopping, when Sirius ran in.
"Hey Evans, I need your help,"
"Hi Sirius, I thought you were with James,"
"Er.......no,"
"He said you were still looking for an outfit,"
"I am, that's why I need your help. I can't find a bloody costume!"
"Get James to help you,"
"I would, but I don't know where he is,"
Lily stared at him. James had told her that he couldn't go out with her because he was going out with Sirius.
"Where the hell is he then?" she asked struggling to control her voice.
"I don't know! But calm down, he's old enough to take care of himself. Are you going to help me or not?"
Lily thought for a second. Why shouldn't she? Her almost boyfriend had lied to her, why shouldn't she spend the day with his best friend?
"Sure."
"What about this?" asked Sirius.
"No," replied Lily.
"How about-"
"No,"
"This?"
"No,"
They had been shopping for an hour and they were winding each other up no end. Sirius as becoming frustrated, he hated shopping and it seemed to be taking forever to find a costume; and Lily was becoming irritated with being called Evans.
"You got a date for the ball?" she asked.
"Direct and to the point. I like it," he said grinning at her.
"I was asking because I wanted to know what your date is wearing," she replied rolling her eyes.
"Yes I have, and I have no idea what she's wearing, I figured you'd know,"
"Why should I know?"
"She's your best mate,"
"You're going with Ellis?" Lily asked incredulously. He laughed sarcastically.
"Nah, going with Isabelle,"
Lily smiled. She was now twenty galleons richer.
"I have no idea what she's wearing, can you just choose something so we can go? Please?"
"I have chosen fifty costumes and you keep telling me to put them back!"
Grabbing the nearest clothes she handed them to him and told him to try it on. She took a seat outside the changing rooms and waited for him.
When he eventually came out, she couldn't help laughing out loud.
"You have to get that one!"
"You want to get this over and done with?" he asked. She nodded gratefully and they walked off to the shops.
"Are you sure she's not going with anyone?" James asked anxiously. Isabelle reassured him that Lily was dateless for the ball.
"She's expecting you to ask her. When are you going to?"
"Once I've found a costume,"
James desperate for any help found Isabelle in Hogsmeade and asked her to help him find something that Lily would love.
"FOUND IT! FOUND IT!" Isabelle shouted as she ran through the shop back to James.
"Wow. You really think that I could.....you know....."
"Yes, you could pull this off, you'll look great. Now buy it!"
Praying that Isabelle was right, he handed his money over and took his bag. He met back with Belle and they started to walk out of the shop when they noticed t was pouring with rain. They agreed to wait in the shop until it stopped. Isabelle wandered off to get some more stuff for her costume but James waited by the window watching the people outside hurrying in from the rain. His gaze was drawn to a couple; the guy was purposely dawdling by shops; the girl with him was laughing but desperately trying to drag him down the street and trying to pull the hood of her robes over her hair at the same time. She was failing miserably, the man she was with seemed to be ignoring her shouts and her hood kept falling back down to reveal vivid red hair.
'That looks like Lily's hair' thought James. It was only as they came closer that he realised that it was Lily, and she was with.......... SIRIUS! He couldn't believe what he was seeing. She was on a date with Sirius? His snarl managed to catch Isabelle's attention, who walked up beside where he was standing to see what was wrong. But unfortunately it also caught Lily's attention. She looked around to see what had made that noise, when she caught sight of James in the window. Her anger at seeing him was nothing compared to what she felt when she saw Isabelle standing beside him. How could they had both lie to her? Finally Sirius caught up with her;
"Evans, what you looking at......oh!" he said as he saw James and Isabelle.
"ISABELLE?!" Sirius shouted through the glass.
"SIRIUS?!"
"LILY?!" shouted James.
"JAMES!?"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" They all shouted together. Isabelle rushed over to Sirius and James ran over to Lily. The scowl she was giving him was more than slightly discouraging but James tried to explain.
"I needed a good costume, so I asked Isabelle to help me,"
"You didn't think of asking me?" she demanded.
"It was for you!" he argued.
"Oh. Okay. So what did you get?" she asked pointing at his bag.
"I couldn't tell you that!" he said in mock horror. "What about the pact?"
"You're not in the pact!"
Isabelle meanwhile was desperately trying to explain the same thing to Sirius. He seemed to take it well, her long fiery kiss probably helped.It was the day of the ball and Lily was beginning to panic. The school had finally been told but the decorations weren't up and Belle and Sirius showed no sign of starting. She had no reason to panic as Dumbledore stood up at breakfast and read out a note that Isabelle had given him.
"I have a note here from Mr Black and Miss Montalio, warning students away from the Great Hall and the Entrance Hall for the rest of the day. Lunch will be taken to the common rooms and the ball starts at 7o'clock."
All of the HBB were allowed out of class on Halloween. Mia was frantically on the phone to the band all day checking that they would be coming.
"Perhaps I could-" suggested Peter.
"NO! SIT!" Mia told him.
Ciara and Remus were in the kitchen most of the day sorting out food with the house-elves, but Lily thought she saw them go to the library with a huge stack of parchment.
Sirius and Isabelle were not seen all day, as they were busy charming the great Hall with some help from Professors McGonagall and Flitwick. They had constructed brick walls at the end of all corridors that lead into the Entrance Hall, in case any student ignored their warning ad tried to sneak a peek. Lily could not understand what was talking them so long, but was finding it very hard to interfere through a brick wall.
James had given up pretending to work and was flying with his 'friend' outside. They both knew the real reason James had asked Christian out to fly, Christian Wood was the seeker for Ravenclaw and he and James often flew together before their first match to size each other up and evaluate the opposition.
"You going to the ball tonight?" Wood asked.
"Sure, you?"
"Yeah, who you going with?"
"Lily Evans, I think. How about you?"
"Kara Morgan,"
James nodded; Kara was Mia's twin sister. Their faces were almost identical, but Kara had grown her hair long whereas Mia's was cut short in a bob.
"What do you mean you think?" Wood asked.
"I think we're going together,"
"You haven't asked?!" he asked in astonishment.
"No. I didn't think I had to,"
"Do it now," he suggested
"Ok. I'll find her after,"
Christian looked pityingly at James.
"Oh" said James suddenly understanding.
Lily was in her room pretending not to sulk. Everyone was managing so well there was nothing for her to do. She had been watching James practice for a while but he had landed on the ground and was talking to his friend so she assumed he was finished. She turned her back to the window and nearly jumped out her skin when she heard a knocking on the window.
'What the hell is that?' she thought before turning round and seeing James floating at the window, smiling his grin, that made her knees wobble slightly. She threw open the window almost knocking James off his broom.
"What?" she asked him confused.
"I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the ball with me tonight?"
"Yeah, I thought I was," (now even more confused.)
"So did I but I thought I should ask proper,"
"Oh okay, yes I'll go with you,"
"Great," and he flew back off to the Quidditch pitch.
Smiling slightly, she wobbled back to her room to check on her dress. Still there and still in it's plastic. All she had to do was sit and wait.