Disclaimer: I refuse to accept the responsibility for making the hott, sexy, gorgeous Draco Malfoy evil.

OCTOBER 20 SIXTH YEAR

A Halloween ball, huh? A disguise? Perfect. And who would Scarlet go as? Why, none other than this bloody Lily Evans she was forced to hear about every bleeding minute. Okay, so she had the Gryffindors, the Hufflepuffs, and the Ravenclaws wrapped neatly around her little finger. They Slytherins were being stubborn, but she was getting to them, too.

So life was good. Except that everyone was BLOODY OBSESSED WITH LILY BLOODY FUCKING EVANS. Every minute of every day, it was 'Lily this' and 'Lily that'. Which wouldn't be so terrible if she WAS Lily Evans.

Scar got someone to show her a picture of Lily, so no one would be suspicious of how she knew what to look like. She was spinning everyone up in her web of lies once again.

The night of the ball, Scarlet dressed alone. She removed the blue contacts, and with a wave of her wand, she lightened her hair back to its original, rich color, and removed the freckles she had so laboriously charmed onto her skin. Another flick, and her curled hair was swept up into a complicated updo.

She hung emeralds in her ears, and an emerald drop necklace adorned her throat. Shiny green stilettos added to her height, and her makeup drew all attention to her eyes. But her dress was something else.

It was a stunning emerald green, made of satin. On the outside, it had a lace-up bodice, and the full sleeves were completely slit from the shoulder to her fingers, with ties at her elbow and wrist to keep it on her arms. The full skirt just touched the ground as she stood in her stilettos. She looked every bit the Slytherin Princess she still was. A wave of her wand all but removed her French accent.

Scarlet smiled seductively at Lily Evans as she looked in the mirror. Seductively but evilly. She snapped her fingers and snuck out of the tower.

In the halls, Scar removed the invisibility charm. She sat with the Slytherins at dinner, observing them. And they wordlessly accepted her. She was, after all, the mirror image of Lily Evans.

James was staring at this image in satin, his heart breaking into billions of little pieces. She looked exactly like Lily. But she wasn't Lily, which is what killed him. His Lily seemed to be sitting right in front of him, and was yet so far away.

The tables were removed, and the music began playing. Scar danced with partner after partner, until she finally stopped for a drink. She ladled some punch into a cup and sipped. Damn. Sirius had already spiked it. She just had to be careful about how much she drank.

Later that night, James couldn't stand it any longer. His body, mind, and heart ached for Lily. This wasn't Lily, but surely whoever this girl was, she could keep him from going mad.

"Care to dance?"

This girl looked at his outstretched hand, then back at his hazel eyes. Then she slipped her slender hand into his large one.

"Gladly." His heart stopped at the voice. It was hers, only… not.

HE lead her out onto the dance floor as a slow song started. She put her arms around his neck and he rested his hands on her waist. When he would have kept them a reasonable distance apart, she moved closer so their bodies here touching, her head resting on his shoulder.

James's heart was screaming for Lily, but he shut it up. He was going to enjoy what little bit of her he could get.

He tried to keep them apart, but Scar missed him too much. Her body screamed for his touch, so she closed the gap between them. Her eyes begged to look at him, and she indulged them. But when her lips cried for his, she denied them.

She buried her lips in his shoulder, but it was too much. Before the song ended, she broke away from him, trying to keep her composure. He looked at her, confused, until suddenly she turned and fled.

When everyone returned from the ball, Scar was in a tank top and pajama pants, sitting in the Common Room, reading a book. As far as anyone knew, she had spent the evening there. Her once again dark curls framed her blue-green eyes, and her accent was back.

Scar noticed that everyone coming in was at least slightly drunk. Which was good, because she hadn't had time to recreate the freckles on her face.

The last one in was a completely wasted James who flopped onto the cough beside Scar.

"Guez whatScar? Tonight I danssed wiv Lilllllllly," he slurred.

"You, Jamez, are drunk."

"Jjame Bodder duzn ged drung."

"Zen who are you?"

"Now, now, Lilllllly, be nize."

Scar froze. "I am not zis Lily Aevans!"

But he was out cold. Scar glanced around. No one was there. And even if they had been, they'd be too drunk to remember it the next day.

She reached out and ran her delighted fingers through his hair. At least five times. Then she began twirling it possessively around a finger.

"If things weren't different," she whispered. "Then we could have our fairytale ending." She kissed his cheek, and left.

A confused Sirius (the ONLY not-even-slightly-drunk-person-between-the-ages-of-14-and-17 in the school) turned away from his vantage point on the stairs. If only WHAT weren't different?

As he turned, he ran smack into Remus.

"We can't let them fall in love," Sirius blurted.

"No, we can't. James has to stay free for Lily, just in case she comes back.

"Operation: Keep James Away From Scarlet goes into full swing tomorrow."

Remus looked at Sirius as if he were mad, but nodded. They were going to make James and Scarlet hate each other. They had to.