A/N: And the Ball is finally here…

Disclaimer I don't own Harry Potter and I don't own the song lyrics that are in this one…I don't know who sings it but it's from the movie Anastasia (the cartoon one).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Great Hall was pink, all bright, mushy pink. There were darker pink streamers in a giant web across the ceiling, with a large banner saying, "HAPPY ST. VALENTINES DAY!" mixed in with it. There were Cupids flying around, ready to shoot any couples (or possible couples) that came close enough.

The sight was enough to make James gag.

There were already large clumps of people forming. James immediately found his three best friends and stalked over by them.

"The ball hasn't even begun and it already stinks," he commented, glaring at a nearby Cupid.

The other three only nodded, after which Peter rushed off to find his date.

James's eyes nearly erupted out of his head when Lily walked in (with an arm entwined with Amos).

Her dress was a deep violet with silver embroidery around the baseline. The hem was cut jagged on the bottom and barely came above her knee. It was strapless with silver flowers stitched at the breasts. The dress clashed wondrously with her hair and the emerald glint in her eyes shone even more.

Her hair was pulled back, with random curled strands dangling down. The back (and mass of it) was tied in a sort of pretzel shaped bun.

But what James noticed most was the searching of her eyes around the room, looking for (he was sure) him.

Alice and Amelia followed, and their entire party strode over by James.

Alice immediately blushed at Sirius, who laughed. She grabbed his hand and pulled them away from the rest of the group, who were nearly positive she was going to give him the long list of dos and don'ts he had to follow.

To James's surprise, Amelia and Remus linked arms and walked to a nearby bench, where they immersed in a conversation immediately.

"Didn't expect that one," Lily quietly said, her amused eyes on the two laughing together.

James remarked on how sophisticated she looked. Surely she had to be an angel sent from heaven?

An angel with blades as feathers.

"Amos," James nodded his head to the boy holding Lily.

"Hello James," Amos gleefully replied. "You played a great game the other week! But, the better team won in the end."

James kept his mouth shut.

"Sure, Gryffindor team beat us (brutally might I add) in the previous years, but it was obvious that there were certain individuals that held the team up."

Lily, sensing the danger, urged Amos elsewhere while she spoke with, "Potter here."

"He seems…special," James said with gritted teeth.

"He has his bad moments," she coolly replied.

"More like his bad lifetimes."

"You don't even know him," Lily snapped at him.

"He doesn't deserve you," he muttered.

"That's for me to decide, isn't it?" she fiercely stated, an angry red flush coming to her cheeks. When James didn't respond, she turned around and stalked away.

Nice going, Potter, he told himself, mentally smacking himself on the head.

Just as James had expected, he spent the first two hours sitting in an isolated corner, slowly sipping butterbeer and refusing to dance with anyone with keen enough eyes to see him, all the while keeping an eye on Lily and Amos.

However, after those first two hours, an unexpected Amos Diggory sat by him.

"Lily's a great girl, isn't she?" Amos said, looking at the copper haired angel laughing with Amelia and Remus.

"She's certainly something else," James replied.

"You really like her, don't you," he said. James looked at his empty butterbeer bottle, not responding.

"So do you," he eventually said.

"Go dance with her," Amos smiled. "I'm worn out, but she's bursting with energy."

James smiled back, making a mental note never to let a first impression get in the way again.

We were strangers

Starting out on a journey

Lily was taken aback as the song began and she found her arms around James's neck while his encircled her waist and the two slowly moved together to the music.

Never dreaming

What we'd have to go through

Now here we are

I'm suddenly standing

At the beginning with you

Her eyes closed and she rested her head against his body almost instinctively. His chin lay upon her head.

No one told me

I was going to find you

Unexpected

What you did to my heart

When I had a lost hope

You were there to remind me

This is the start

The beating of James's heart echoed the throbbing of hers. His breaths were shallow and short, but slowing down with each slow movement they made.

And life is a road and I want to keep going

Love is a river, I want to keep flowing

Life is a road, now and forever

What a wonderful journey

I'll be there when the world stops turning

I'll be there when the story's through

In the end I want to be standing

At the beginning

With you

His body felt so warm and comforting against hers, and she wanted to be lost in the embrace forever.

We were strangers

On a crazy adventure

Never dreaming

How our dreams would come true

Now here we stand

Unafraid of the future

At the beginning with you

"Are you unafraid, Evans?" James found himself asking.

"What do you mean?" she whispered.

"Are you unafraid of the future?"

"I…I don't know. I guess I'm not afraid of it, but more of the unknown mysteries it possesses."

"Sounds as if you need someone to make you unafraid…"

Knew there was somebody, somewhere

Like me lost in the dark

Now I know my dreams will live on

I've been waiting so long

Nothing's going to tear us apart

"What's that supposed to imply?" Lily whispered.

Life is a road and I want to keep going

Love is a river and I want to keep going on

Starting out on a journey

"You know what it's implying," James answered.

In the end I want to be standing

At the beginning

With you…

James pulled away from Lily, his soft brown eyes lingering with her emerald green ones for a moment, one simple moment where they exchanged all thoughts, emotions, secrets, and Lily suddenly saw just how much she had hurt him, so much more than he had let on even to himself.

And then he was gone, walking through the crowd briskly, leaving Lily shocked and alone.

Amos stood next to her for a second, before facing Lily. "Lily, you're a wonderful person but…"

"I know," she smiled.

"I think you should go after him," he suggested. Lily laughed and suddenly kissed Amos on the lips, before bolting out the Great Hall.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

James didn't stop walking until he was all the way in Gryffindor tower, collapsing on the couch.

"Hello James," a voice said, entering the room after him.

However, the voice wasn't Lily's.