Ch. 1. Mr. Black and Mr. Potter are introduced.
Disclaimer- I don't own Jane Austen's plot and I don't own any Harry Potter characters. Characters who you don't recognize belong to me and if you take them, I will find you and I will gut you. Thanks ;).
"Francie, where on earth is Lily?" cried out Mrs. Evans one sunny, May afternoon. Sunshine flowed through the house, the windows were all cracked open, and spring could definitely be seen throughout the Evans' house.
"Last time I saw her, she had a book under her arm and was off to go read by the pond," replied Francie, who was busy tending to a dress that her younger sister, Beth, had ripped the previous day.
"Goodness gracious, we shall never see Lily married if she keeps her nose in a book all day," cried Lily's mother again. Just as luck would have it, the redhead that was being sought after walked through the door.
"I heard that mama," she said as she placed her book on a table in the hall. "I will let you know that I fully intend on marrying. One day." Mrs. Evans gapped at her daughter as she walked through to the kitchen to grab some fruit.
"Lily, what shall we do with you? You shall become a spinster and…." Mrs. Evans began.
"And end up living on Francie's married fortune, wasting away her money that should be used on her children. I need to get my act up and my head out of books, I know mother! Everyday it's the same thing," finished Lily. Mrs. Evans gave a motherly look to her daughter.
"If you know then, my dear, why don't you go out and do something about it?" she asked. But, Mrs. Evans never got a chance to hear the answer, for she heard a squeal coming from the parlor, where Scarlet and Petunia sat.
"I got it first, I should open it!" cried out an anguished sounding Petunia.
"But I let you borrow my satin green ribbon for when you went out to see that pig, Mr. Vernon," retaliated Scarlet.
"HE IS NOT A PIG," shrieked Petunia. Scarlet could be heard screaming and running towards the kitchen. Soon, the pair of them came bursting through the door, Petunia running after Scarlet.
"Mama, tell Petunia that her caller is a filthy, ugly…." started Scarlet.
"Scarlet, that is enough! Hand me the letter," demanded Mrs. Evans. Scarlet, looking at the floor in shame, handed her mother the letter. Looking at her two daughters with shame, Mrs. Evans ripped open the letter and began to read. As she read on, her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Well, mama, who is the letter from?" asked Scarlet, who had taken a seat at the kitchen table. Petunia and Lily strained their ears to listen.
"It is from Lady Weasley," she began, addressing her close friend. "Apparently, there is a new resident at 123 London Place. A Mr. Black, who earns 5,000 pounds a year and is a bachelor," she said, while wiggling her eyebrows. Scarlet jumped out of her seat and began screaming and jumping out of her seat. Lily smiled and Petunia stood there, looking disgruntled.
"I believe that we must pay this Mr. Black a visit," she said, while laying the letter on the table. She made her way into her husband's study and found him, writing in the accounts book.
"Mr. Evans, I believe that you must make a trip to 123 London Place," she began. Mr. Evans kept on writing in the accounts book.
"Does this visit have anything to do with meeting a Mr. Black?" question Mr. Evans. "Because if that is so, than I believe that I am one step ahead of you and have already met the gentleman."
"And when did you do this?" asked Mrs. Evans. Mr. Evans seemed unfazed by her questioning, because he kept writing.
"Almost two weeks ago, when I had to make a trip into town. And, in two weeks time, Mr. Black is having a ball and we are invited," concluded Mr. Evans.
"In only two weeks? That's barely enough time to make dresses for the girls and to arrange a time to go to town and….." started Mrs. Evans, but she was interrupted by Mr. Evans holding his hand.
"My dear, that is more than enough time, relax. Now, I suggest that you go and announce the news to our girls before they die of curiosity," said a relatively calm Mr. Evans.
Mrs. Evans made her way back to the kitchen to find Petunia still standing in the doorway and Scarlet and Lily sitting at the table. Scarlet was rambling on, an obvious sign of how excited she was.
"Oh I hope that he's handsome and nice and he enjoys reading, because I could never have a conversation with someone who doesn't know good literature…." Scarlet began, but Lily stopped it.
"Scarlet, what makes you think that he'll be interested in you? There are many pretty young ladies in town, he could choose any of them," Lily chided gently.
Before Scarlet could reply, Mrs. Evans intervened. "Lily, could you please get Francie and Beth? I'd like to talk with them as well as you girls," she asked. Lily nodded politely and rose from her seat to retrieve her sisters. When she came back, all girls where frenzied.
"What did you want to talk to us about, mama?" asked Beth. Mrs. Evans looked at her five daughters knowingly, making them anxious.
"Girls, our new, single, wealthy neighbor, Mr. Black is having a ball in two weeks and we are invited," she said as calmly as she could. Beth and Scarlet began jumping up and down and screaming, Petunia stood there looking grumpy as usual, and Francie and Lily smiled widely.
Beth turned to Mrs. Evans with a concerned look on her face.
"Mama, what am I going to wear?" asked Beth with deep concern. Mrs. Evans chuckled.
"Don't worry, my dear. We'll figure that out in due time."
The floor was covered with couples dancing. Against the wall where others sitting, chatting with friends or having a class of punch. Scarlet and Beth Evans where both dressed in their best and dancing the night away. Petunia, being disgruntled and upset that her gentleman caller, Mr. Dursley, wasn't at the ball. Francie and Lily sat in chairs with their good friend, Mrs. Alice Longbottom (whose husband was away on clergy business, seeing that he was a respected reverend).
"Oh Francie, you must go out and dance. There are so many good looking young men here today and you are the belle of the ball," complimented Alice. Francie blushed and looked at her lap.
"Oh Alice, please, you know that I don't like such comments. Besides, look at dear Lily here. She's exquisite looking tonight," Francie said back. Francie wasn't wrong either. Lily wore her luscious red hair in a bun at the nape of her neck, her bangs lightly brushing her forehead. Her dress was a light pink with an empire waist. The heated room gave Lily a flush and any young man who had sight could see that she and her sister Francie where equally beautiful.
Lily's flush deepened by the compliment. "Francie, you know that's not…." Lily began, but was cut off by Francie and the rest standing up. Lily looked behind her and saw that everyone had stopped dancing, the music stopped playing, and everyone was staring at the two gentlemen and the young lady at the front of the room. Lily stood to get a better view and was amazed by what she saw.
The young man on the left was tall with dark, dark hair. She could tell it was rather shaggy, but it didn't make him any less attractive. His grey eyes contrasted deeply with his hair and caused them to stand out. His features where chiseled and his clothes were defined and well made. Lily looked at her sister and could see that her breath was taken away by this gentleman.
The young lady was quite attractive herself. With dark hair like the gentleman to her right and a pale complexion to make it stand out even more. Her eyes, unlike his, where a light brown, contrasting with the color of her hair. She stood around Francie's height and had a curvaceous, dangerous figure.
But neither of those people mattered to Lily. The young man on the left of the young lady caught Lily's eye.
He was tall, about an inch taller than the other gentleman. He, like the other two, had dark, raven colored hair. Unlike the other two, his hair stood up in many directions, as if he just rolled out of bed. Despite his hair, he still had a refined distinct look that demanded respect. His blue eyes stood out with his hair and scanned the room, as if to judge the people of the town by those at the ball.
No one in the room moved. All eyes where on the three strangers. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Lily felt her hand being pulled. Lily looked to her left and saw Francie being pulled by the other hand. No doubt, the two hands belonged to her mother.
Her mother dragged Lily and Francie up to the three strangers. Her sisters Scarlet and Beth where already there. Lily felt her flushed face deepen even more due to her family's ridicule.
"Mr. Black, I presume," Mrs. Evans asked. Lily wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Her mother was going to make a fool of herself if it wasn't Mr. Black.
"Yes, I am. And who might you be, good lady?" asked Mr. Black. Lily felt a small wave of relief crash over her. At least it wasn't some total, utter stranger.
"I am Virginia Evans. This daughter of mine," she said, holding up Francie's wrist, "Is my eldest, Francis." Francie blushed at the use of her full name.
Mr. Black bowed deeply, but kept his eyes locked with Francie's. "I am Mr. Sirius Black. This young lady," he said his hand point towards her "Is my cousin, Bellatrix Black. And the young man to her left is my good friend, Mr. Potter."
"A pleasure to meet you all," Mrs. Evans began. "I have more daughters than my dearest Francis. This young lady is my youngest, Scarlet," she said, since Scarlet had seemed to rush in front of Lily. Scarlet curtsied deeply and said a sweet, "how do you do?"
"This is my second youngest, Beth," she said as Beth was standing next to Francie. Beth did the same as Scarlet.
"I have two more. Come along Mr. Evans, bring Petunia!" cried Mrs. Evans, seeing Mr. Evans pushing through the crowd.
"This is my dear husband, Mr. Evans," Mrs. Evans said, placing a hand on her husbands back as he bowed and said hello.
"This is my third daughter, Petunia," she said. Petunia stood, not acknowledging the three in front of her. Mrs. Evans gave her a cold stare.
"Now, where has Lily gone to?" asked Mrs. Evans, seeing that Scarlet stood in front of Lily.
"Ah, here she is," she said, pulling Lily in front of herself. "This is my second eldest daughter, Lily." Lily looked at the three strangers and gave a warm smile while curtsying. As she looked up, she met the blue eyes of Mr. Potter. Their eyes connected and Lily felt as if the room was just her and him. But, as soon as the connection had been made, it was broken by Mr. Potter.
"A pleasure to meet you all," said Mr. Black. "Now, let's dance."
As soon as those words escaped Mr. Black's mouth, the music started up again and everyone began dancing. Lily turned to go sit down, but not before she saw Mr. Black approach Francie.
"Miss Francis, may I have this dance?" Mr. Black asked as he bowed to Francie. Francie blushed and answered, "Of course, Mr. Black. And please, call me Francie. Francis is what my mother calls me when she introduces me."
Lily smiled as she saw the two walk over to the dance floor. Feeling a bit brave herself, Lily walked over to Mr. Potter.
"Mr. Potter, do you dance?" she asked him courageously. Mr. Potter looked at her and replied, "Not if I can help it."
Feeling discouraged, Lily walked back to Alice. She and Alice spent a good part of the evening sitting and talking merrily, observing the couples and giving their opinions on them. Lily couldn't help but notice that Mr. Potter spent the evening talking to either Miss Bellatrix or Mr. Black. Later in the evening, when Mr. Black wasn't dancing with Francie and was with Mr. Potter, the girls ventured towards the two young men. With their backs to them and with an adventurous, eavesdropping manner, Lily and Alice began to listen to Mr. Black and Mr. Potter's conversation.
"I say, I have never seen so many pretty girls in one room," began Mr. Black. Mr. Potter snorted.
"You danced with the prettiest one in the room, Miss Francis," he chided back.
"Not so, Potter. What about that Miss Lily. She was almost as beautiful as Miss Francie," Mr. Black said. Lily smiled and squeezed Alice's hand and the mention of her name in that connotation.
"She is tolerable, but she is not enough to tempt me," said Potter. Lily felt outraged at such a comment. If she wasn't so dignified to let her cover be blown, she would have turned around and slapped him across the face. Instead, she took Alice's hand and began to walk away.
"Oh Lily, don't listen to Mr. Potter. I heard Lady Weasley earlier saying how prideful he was. Don't mind him, he doesn't know what he's talking about," said Alice as they walked away. Lily puffed her chest out.
"Mr. Potter is not worth my time anyway," Lily said, obviously wounded by Mr. Potter's comment. Alice patted her hand in comfort and the two went back to their sitting.
Towards the end of the evening, Lily found herself with her mother and Alice, walking amongst the floors of the dancing crowd. Her mother found Mr. Black and Mr. Potter standing together, talking. Of course, she found it necessary to interrupt and talk with them.
"Dear Mr. Black, how are you enjoying your evening?" questioned Mrs. Evans. Mr. Black smiled and nodded his head. "I'm enjoying all this interaction. I find the people of the town quite charming. Miss Lily, how are you this evening? I see that you've only confided with Mrs. Longbottom," Mr. Black said.
Lily smirked. "I've stayed with Mrs. Longbottom this evening because of the lack of dance partners. I find the best way to meet someone new is to dance with them. How do you meet new people, Mr. Potter?" Lily asked. Alice had to turn away not to laugh in Mr. Potter's face and Mrs. Evans bit her lip. Mr. Black raised his eyebrows in amusement. Mr. Potter just stared at Lily, as if he almost wanted to bite back "how dare you."
"I find the best way to meet new people is to converse," Mr. Potter replied back.
"Ah, so that's why you're such a talkative fellow, Mr. Potter," Lily snapped back. Mrs. Evans gasped at Lily's bold comment and Alice let out a small shriek.
Mr. Potter's eyes grew cold, but Lily kept her stance. She wasn't going to show Potter that she was delicate. In fact, she was going to show him the exact opposite.
"I believe that it is time for us to retire, Mr. Black. Good evening, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Longbottom. Miss Lily," Mr. Potter said, saying Lily's name coldly. Mr. Potter turned on his heel and began to walk away as Mr. Black said his goodbyes and gathered Miss Bellatrix. As soon as they were gone, Alice turned to Lily.
"Oh Lily, why did you have to say that? Now you've gotten Mr. Potter cross," Alice pleaded. All Lily did was smile.
"Mr. Potter could use some excitement in his life," Lily said. "After all, he doesn't dance."
Alice squealed and hit Lily playfully on the arm. From that moment on, the mere thought of Mr. Potter enraged Lily. And yet, at the same time, it gave her butterflies.
Lily knew that this Mr. Potter was not going to fade out easily.