Hey guys! I am soo sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up! The transformer by my house was struck by lightning and fried our cable box. I had no phone, no TV, and no Internet for four days because the cable people were jerks. But everything is up and running again and this chapter is extra long for all of your patience! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Happy reading!
Challenge
Chapter 9: The Costume Ball
"Are you ready yet? You two are like girls getting ready for a dance!" James said exasperatedly pulling his Invisibility Cloak off and closing the door to the boys' dormitory behind him.
Sirius poked his head out of the closet, "Nice, Prongs, real nice," he said sourly, pulling a jumper on over a long sleeve shirt.
James grinned, "Well, I want to get out there before the sun comes up," he continued sarcastically, "It always takes us about an hour to get Mooney in the right mind and it's already pushing eleven."
"I know, I know," Sirius said pulling a jean jacket on. He ran his fingers through his hair, "Wormtail you ready?"
"In a second," Peter grunted.
James and Sirius looked at each other and then at the bed Wormtail was wedged beneath obviously looking for something. They waited another minute and Peter emerged dragging a pair of boots. He pushed his feet into them and stood up, "Alright."
"Okay," James said, "Now do you think we can get out of here without waking up the whole castle?"
James and Sirius looked at Peter who blushed furiously. He grinned sheepishly, "Just keep me away from the suits of armor," he joked.
James and Sirius laughed. "Okay, let's go," James said. The three of them huddled together and James threw the cloak over them. It took several minutes for them to adjust the cloak to be sure all was covered before leaving.
Surprisingly, they made it out of the castle without making noise, without running into Filch or a teacher, and they didn't see hide or hair of Mrs. Norris. They slipped out onto the moonlit grounds and walked straight for the Whomping Willow.
James and Sirius looked around cautiously, "Alright, Wormtail. Coast is clear." Peter nodded once and transformed without a sound.
A fat gray rat slipped from beneath the hem of the Cloak and scurried across the dewy grass. The rat slipped between the violently swaying branches and touched the knot at the base of the trunk. The branches froze and James and Sirius threw the Cloak off. James stuffed it into his backpack and tucked his bag behind some bushes for them to use later. They strode forward steering clear of the patches of moonlight and slipped between the still frozen branches. One after the other they slipped through a large gap in the roots. Peter was last and the branches returned to their vicious swaying the second he pulled his paws from the knot of roots.
Sirius slid down an earthy slope and once at the bottom, at the mouth of a very low tunnel, he transformed into a great, shaggy, black dog. The dog and the rat hurried on ahead and James, bent-backed, hurried after them.
He wouldn't be able to transform until they were in the house. His animal form was much too big to walk through the tunnel safely. That was why Sirius always went first. His animal shape was big enough to hold Remus off while James transformed.
The tunnel began to rise and the dog and rat pulled up out of a hole and James followed. The room looked the same as it always did. Deserted, dusty, and disordered. The wallpaper was beginning to peel from the walls, there were several stains on the dusty floorboards, and most of the furniture had been torn apart.
The dog nudged James' hand with its snout and James grinned down at it. "I'm going, I'm going," he said and a second later a great white stag with a set of magnificent antlers stood where James had been.
James stumbled into the still dark heads common room. It was dawn. The sun was just beginning to appear at the horizon, but had not yet reached the windows of the common room. His vision was somewhat blurred by the blood that dripped from a small cut above his eye and he did his best to avoid bumping into things. CRASH!
"Shit," James grumbled under his breath rubbing his bruising calf. 'So much for trying not to wake Lily,' he thought to himself.
Lily's bedroom door flew open and Lily appeared hastily pulling on a dressing gown and holding her wand aloft at the same time. A beam of light from the tip of her wand fell on James, "James! What are you doing up this early? You nearly gave me a heart attack," she said coming down the stairs and crossing to him.
"I was trying to be quiet and not wake you. Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly as she turned on a few lights. He squinted.
She gasped when she turned and got a good look at him. His clothes were rumpled, dirty, and torn in a few places. Tiny cuts covered his face and the right shoulder of his t-shirt was stained with dried blood. "What happened to you?" she asked as he moved to sit on the couch with a grimace.
"Nothing," he replied quickly, shrugging out of his jacket.
She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him, "That is not nothing."
James sighed, "Me and the guys went and did a little exploring over the grounds. I tripped and fell into a rock," he said indicating the bloodstain on his shirt, "And everything else is from thorns and branches."
She seemed to accept this and didn't bother chastising him for being out of bed. James was relieved and even a bit surprised by this. "You should go see Madam Pomfrey," she told him.
"And tell her what? That I fell out of bed?" James asked sarcastically.
'Stubborn git,' Lily thought fighting back a smile. "Fine. Will you let me look at it then?"
James hesitated for only a moment, "Okay."
Lily knelt down on the floor in front of James. She reached up and gently pulled his glasses off and set them on the table behind her. James stared blurrily down at her, watching as she brought her wand up and performed simple cleaning and healing charms on the many cuts that covered his handsome face.
He was so busy enjoying her closeness and the faint smell of her perfume that he didn't hear her say anything. It was only when he noticed her staring at him did he realize she'd spoken. "Sorry, what?"
She blushed and repeated the question. "You need to take your shirt off so I can see that cut."
"Oh," James said, "Right." He pulled his shirt halfway off and then grunted in pain. He felt Lily's fingers brush his arm as she helped him pull it off and set it on the couch beside him.
Lily frowned as she looked at the wound on his shoulder. "I'm going to need healing potion for this. I think I still have a bit in the flask I bought last year in Diagon Alley. I'll be right back."
She returned a few minutes later with two washcloths and a small flask of vicious green liquid. She knelt on the couch beside him to have better access to his shoulder and gingerly dabbed at the wound with a warm, wet cloth. "You just had to fall on the sharpest rock didn't you?" she teased.
He smiled, "Bad luck, I guess." He hoped she believed this. He hadn't fallen on a rock like he'd told her he had. Remus had done it, but James knew he hadn't meant it. Remus had gotten better at controlling himself during his transformations with them there, but it always took a little bit of time to get him in the right state of mind. Not to mention that he'd gone three transformations over the summer without them and he hadn't recognized them right away. "Ow!" he yelped as the healing potion seared across the wound.
"Sorry," Lily said frowning. She dabbed a few more times as the wound began to heal. "There," she said moving away, "All done."
He put his glasses back on and looked up at her, "Thank you. You didn't have to do all this."
Lily shrugged, "Well, you know, if you'd bled to death in your room and Dumbledore found you, I'd probably have to answer some awkward questions," she teased.
James laughed and she smiled. "But really thanks. You helped me even after I woke you at dawn," he said with a chuckle.
"Well, you could say we're almost even now," she said referring to the night only weeks before when he'd taken care of her.
He smiled, "I guess so." They were silent for a long moment gazing at each other before Lily began gathering the washcloths and flask of healing potion. "Lily?"
"Yeah?"
He hesitated, "Is it okay that we're going to the costume ball together? I mean, it looked like you were going to say yes to Adams and I just—I don't want your night to be ruined because you have to go with me."
"My night will be far from ruined," she told him softly.
"Is everyone here?" Professor Frobisher asked looking around at the seventh years standing in the middle of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom looking utterly bewildered. "I want to get started right away."
Adam Frobisher was an Irishman with brilliantly dark red hair and beard and light blue eyes. He was of average height with a stocky build, but very strong. A jolly, fair man with a thick Irish accent that was easily detected every time he opened his mouth, and he was the second teacher no one wanted to face when caught breaking the rules.
"Professor, what are we doing?" Nathan Drew asked.
Frobisher pulled the door closed and faced the class. "I have noticed in these past few weeks as we review jinxes, curses, charms, and defensive spells you're your dodging is—well—rather lax. You are not moving as quick as you should. Your feet are either stuck to the ground or your too lazy to move out of the way. In a duel, do you think your opponent is going to slow his curses down?" He didn't wait for a reply. "No! He's going to throw them faster and the next thing you know you'll be severely injured or worse." He paused, "Today we're going to work on your dodging technique by incorporating a Muggle game called Dodgeball."
Bellatrix snorted derisively. Sirius shot a glare at the back of her head, "Care to share your whiny-assed opinion with the rest of the group?"
Bellatrix glared daggers at him, her black eyes flashing dangerously. Sirius pretended to shake with fear.
Frobisher cleared his throat, halting any retaliation on Bellatrix's part, "To participate in this game you will all need to change. I took the liberty of gathering clothes for you all to change into. There should be enough, jeans, tee shirts, and jumpers for everyone," he said waving his wand and two bulging bags appeared. "Separate please," he told them. The girls walked to one side of the room leaving the boys on the other.
They began pulling the clothes out of the bags and passing them around. Frobisher waved his wand again and a semi-transparent wall appeared down the middle of the room. "It's charmed boys. There's no use trying to peek," he told them when he saw the boys chancing looks at the barrier while changing.
"Professor," Rachel called from the end of the barrier.
Frobisher turned at the sound of her voice, "Yes, Miss Rabb?"
"Er—we're short one shirt," she said poking her head around the barrier a bit.
Frobisher frowned, "I swore I counted correctly. Ah, well," he said raising his wand to conjure another one.
"Wait," Sirius said pulling the sweatshirt he'd just put on off again, "She can have this. I've got the shirt. I don't need both." He walked over to where Rachel was standing and forced himself not to stare. The jeans were a little big on her so she'd rolled the waist over once and left the button undone. As she reached for the sweatshirt he was holding out to her he saw tanned, smooth skin with a flash of something hot pink and silk.
She smiled and took the sweatshirt from him, "Thanks." Neither noticed Nathan, Rachel's date for the costume ball, scowling.
-
"Okay, the name of the game is Dodgeball," the Irishman said as his class formed a circle around him. "Two people are going to stand in the middle of the circle and dodge this ball," he continued, holding up a royal blue ball, about the size of a Quaffle. "The object of the people standing in the circle is to get the middle people out by hitting them with the ball—avoid the face. Madame Pomfrey will not be happy with me if I send numerous students up to the hospital wing with broken noses," he paused, "The object of the middle people is to not get hit. If the ball does hit you, return to the circle, and take the place of the person who got you out. Any questions?" Nobody spoke up. "Alright, Nathan and Sydney in the middle."
"This place is going to the dogs. Playing a Muggle game in Defense Against the Dark Arts to work on our dodging skills! What kind of rubbish is this?" Lucius muttered disgustedly.
"We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view, Malfoy," Rachel said.
'Nice one,' James mouthed and Rachel grinned back.
-
"Okay, now Rach, mind the family jewels alright?" Andy said eyeing the ball in Rachel's hands warily.
She grinned mischievously and anticipated his next move, hurling the ball and hitting his upper thigh. Andy winced at the sting and walked over to take his twins place in the circle. "Could you have gotten any closer?" he asked her.
She grinned, "Yep." He rolled his eyes at her and she joined James in the middle.
"Ready?" James asked her.
She smirked, "Of course."
Rachel and James managed to stay in for quite some time, spinning, ducking, and dodging out of the way smoothly. Rachel had even back-flipped out of the way of one throw. "Who knew you were so flexible Rach?" Alyssa said brightly as Rachel walked over to take her place in the circle.
"Who knew you had such good aim?" Rachel groaned rubbing her side.
-
By the end of the lesson everyone had had a go in the middle and was out of breath from it. Frobisher explained their homework assignment as the seventh years gathered their book bags and clothes and exited the classroom.
Rachel followed her twin and Alyssa out into the hall, but turned in the opposite direction in which they were heading. "I've got to talk to Matt about the pants he said would be perfect for my costume," she said, replying to Andy's questioning look, "I'll see you in Charms in an hour."
She walked quickly down the hall to the History of Magic classroom she'd seen her younger brother walk toward minutes before. She poked her head into the room and strode over to her brother, "Matt!"
Matt Rabb turned and grinned at his older sister as she walked toward him. "A little out of uniform aren't you?"
She looked down at herself, "We played Dodgeball in Defense Against the Dark Arts," she said looking back up at him, "Can I get those pants you said I could borrow for my costume from you after classes?"
Matt nodded, "Sure."
Rachel grinned, "Thanks." She winked at him and turned to leave.
"Damn," Will Drew drawled watching Rachel leave the room, his eyes trained on her arse and hips. "I'd so bang her if I ever got the chance," he said to one of his fellow Ravenclaw fifth years.
Matt looked at him coldly, "But you don't so you can file that fantasy away under 'never happen in a million years'."
Will smirked, "Rabb, every guy in school agrees with me. She's hot and definitely bang material. Guys would do anything to bed her."
Matt stepped directly in front of Will and was glad to see that he towered over the other boy. "If you make one more comment about her in anyway, I'll wipe that smirk off your face and see that it stays that way," he growled threateningly.
Fear flickered in Will's eyes and he laughed to cover it up. "It's true and you know it. Why do you think my brother asked her out?" He noticed Matt recoil slightly, "Nathan's not the relationship type, if you get my meaning. He's got more of a 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am' policy. And I'll bet anything he's looking to add Rachel to his list the night of the Halloween ball."
Matt growled and was getting ready to clobber Will when Binns entered the room through the chalkboard. Matt glared angrily at Will—who was looking a bit relieved to see that class was starting—and returned to his seat, sitting down harder than he'd meant too.
"Lily who are you going to the ball with?" Alyssa asked keeping an eye on her laundry that she'd charmed to fold itself.
Lily didn't reply. She pretended to be concentrating on adding glitter to the red shoes she needed for her costume. Alyssa looked over at the redhead with raised eyebrows. Rachel coughed a name that sounded oddly like James.
"What?" Alyssa asked not quite believing it.
"She's going with James," Rachel said in a sing-song voice.
A blushing Lily threw a pillow at Rachel. Alyssa and Izzy stared at her, "Is this true?" Izzy asked.
Lily nodded, still blushing, "Yes, but it's required of us to go to all events, including balls, together," she added quickly.
"And you seem so broken up about it," Rachel teased.
Lily stuck her tongue out at her and decided to turn the spotlight on someone else, "Alyssa what are you going as? Since we already know you're going with Andy."
"Oh," Alyssa grinned, "A pink lady from that Muggle movie Grease," she said. She looked over at Sydney and asked, "Who are you going with Syd?"
The black girl tossed her many thin braids over her shoulder, "Michael. He asked me a week ago."
"Aw, Michael Varner is such a sweetie and an awesome dancer. You guys will be the first on the dance floor," Alyssa told her with a smile.
Sydney smiled, "I hope so. I love to dance."
Lily looked over at Izzy, "Who are you going with?"
"Remus," Izzy replied simply. Alyssa, Rachel, and Lily smiled. "As friends," Izzy added quickly. "We figured it would be a good way to get to know each other better and just have fun—as friends."
"Sounds like a good idea," Rachel told her with a smile.
Izzy smiled back, "I heard Missy's going with Jon Newton," she said bringing up their other roommate.
"I can confirm that," said Lily looking up, "I caught them making out in a broom closet the other day during rounds," she laughed.
"That's why she's been smelling like lemon polish!" Alyssa said shaking her head. The others laughed. "I think Sirius asked Marisa Lopez to the ball."
Sydney nodded, "I heard that too. She was busting at the seems in Muggle Studies today."
"Great," Alyssa said drawing out the word, "We get to see them master tonsil hockey all night," she made a face, "Now there's a mental image I didn't need. Maybe Andy and I will stay in," she said thoughtfully.
"Ew," Rachel whined playfully, "Now there's a mental image I didn't need. Especially since I'm going to get a shirt from your other half," she crossed the room and opened the door, "Maybe I'll hurl on my way there," she said thoughtfully, pulling the door closed. She heard the distinct thud of a pillow hitting the door as she walked away down the hall.
-
Rachel knocked on the door to the dorm she knew the Marauders and Andy occupied. A second later the door swung open and she was looking up into Sirius' handsome face. "Hi," he said surprised that she was there.
"Hi." He stepped aside and let her enter the room.
Andy walked up to her an old, white, button down shirt in one hand. He handed it to her, "Looking for this?"
"I was. Thank you," she said taking it from her, "Now you don't mind that I'm altering this right?"
Andy shook his head, "You can turn it pink if you want too," he told her with a laugh.
A body appeared in the doorway to the dorm room and a throat cleared. Rachel and Andy turned to face their younger brother. "What's up, Matt?" Andy asked.
Matt opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when a group of fourth year boys passed them on the way to their dorm. "I can't believe that Davies is taking Rabb to the dance," one of them said.
"No, he's not. Nathan Drew is taking Rachel," another piped up.
A third rolled his eyes, "Not Rachel, the youngest, the first year, Julianna."
The three siblings shared wide-eyed looks before dashing down the stairs to the common room to find their youngest sibling. They found her sitting with two of her friends doing homework in front of the fire.
Rachel went first because she knew Matt and Andy were in full-blown, protective, older brother mode. "Jules, can we talk to you for a second?" Rachel asked.
Julianna got up and followed the twins and Matt. She stood nervously before her older siblings already knowing what they wanted to talk to her about.
Julianna was the spitting image of her older sister, only younger. She had the same dark hair spun with natural gold highlights and the same sapphire eyes. She was more like Andy when it came to personality, however. She wasn't as loud or outgoing as Rachel was with people she didn't know, but was incredibly sweet and very smart. She, like her older siblings, had inherited powers from her parents. She was able to orb and heal like Andy, and could move things with her mind (telekinesis) like Rachel.
"You heard didn't you?" she said quietly, looking at her shoes.
"Yes," Andy said crossing his arms over his chest, "And the answer is no."
"But—" Julianna protested.
Rachel gently pushed her younger sister into a chair and knelt in front of her, "He's too old for you, Jules."
"But daddy's five years older than mum," Julianna protested crossing her arms over her chest.
Rachel sighed, "But mum was eighteen when she met dad. He's fourteen going on fifteen and you just turned eleven. I'm sorry, but it's really not a good idea."
Julianna looked at her sister with sad eyes, "Why?"
Andy went over and sat on the arm of the chair Julianna was occupying and put his arm around her. "Because we love you and we don't want anything to happen to you," he told her gently.
"And besides," Matt said kneeling down beside Rachel, "None of the other first years are going," he smiled at her, "I was in your shoes not too long ago and I had way more fun here in the common room with my friends. Trust me."
Julianna looked at him for a moment and then down at her lap. She knew they were right and she knew that they were only looking out for her because they cared. "Okay," she said finally relenting. "I'll tell him I can't go."
Rachel smiled and chucked her gently under the chin, "You'll probably have more fun than us anyway."
"I know it seems like a long time from now, but when you're a fourth year and a dance is announced, the wait will be so worth it," Andy told her.
Julianna sighed, "I know. It just seems so far away. None of the good stuff happens when you're my age."
Rachel smiled, "Cherish these days Jules. They go by much too fast."
"I have never seen you wear so much pink!" Andy exclaimed when Alyssa came down the stairs dressed in black crop pants, a white tee, pink silk jacket, and black pumps.
Alyssa grinned and pulled her sunglasses off, "I guess I can still surprise you," she teased wrapping her arms around his neck.
He nuzzled her neck, "You surprise me every day and make me incredibly happy doing so." She kissed him. "I love you," he whispered when they broke apart.
Alyssa smiled up at him, "I love you too," she said kissing him again.
"My halo keeps slipping," Izzy announced as the gold glitter halo slipped down her forehead again.
"Here," Rachel said walking over and adjusting her sword at the same time. "So, Andy," she said looking over at her brother as she helped Izzy with the halo for her angel costume, "What do you think of your shirt?"
"Well," Andy said looking up at his sister. She'd removed the buttons and tied the front in a knot to bare her belly. "It looks better on you than it ever did on me," he said honestly. He wasn't entirely sure he liked that his twin was showing that much skin, but kept his opinion to himself. Rachel grinned knowingly and tightened the red sash at her waist and adjusted her sword again.
-
"Are you alright?" Izzy asked Remus quietly coming to stand beside him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" he asked.
Izzy frowned, "You look exhausted and a bit pale."
"I'm fine, really," he told her with a reassuring smile. "Are you as angelic as you look?" he asked, taking in her angel costume.
Izzy smiled shyly, "Sometimes. Are you really a gangster?" she asked referring to his costume.
"Nah, I'm a marauder," he replied with a smile. Izzy laughed, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.
-
Sirius appeared at the top of the stairs adjusting a piece of armor. He was dressed as a chivalrous knight from King Arthur's time. He looked up and spotted Rachel dressed as a pirate laughing at something Andy was saying. The pants were far too tight, the boots far too sexy, and the shirt left very little to the imagination. 'Dear God,' he thought and was suddenly very glad that knights almost always wore heavy armor. He started down the stairs thinking of every disgusting image he could think of.
CRASH! "Oomph!" "BANG! "Humph!" Sirius grunted in pain as he landed spread eagled in front of the staircase.
Everyone stared at him. He heard the sound of heels against the thinning carpet and looked up at Rachel who stood over him. "No fair lady will want to bed a knight who falls over."
"Ha-Ha," Sirius replied dryly, taking her extended hand to help him to his feet.
-
James felt like he was waiting on pins and needles as he waited for Lily to descend the stairs so they could make their way down to the Great hall together. Emotions, questions, and uncertainties swirled in his mind. Did she consider this the date she'd agreed to go with him on? If that were the case, he contemplated all the things he had to do to ensure a second date and all the things he had to do to not screw this one up. Would they dance? Would she dance with Adams like she'd promised him? What would he do if she did?
'Punch him,' James thought to himself. No, that wouldn't go over well. Lily would never speak to him again and that was the last thing he wanted. He began to pace as these same thoughts continued to swirl in his head.
Lily pulled the door to her bedroom open slowly and stepped out onto the landing. Looking down into the common room she noticed James pacing, completely oblivious to the fact that she was now in the room. He looked deep in thought and she wondered what he was thinking about.
Her hand shook slightly as she went to grab the banister as she descended the stairs. She was nervous. Nervous. About James Potter of all people. She was nervous about being his date to the ball. What would people say? She was nervous about dancing with him too. Where would her hands go? Where would his hands go? How would it feel?
'Stop it,' she chastised herself. "James," she said softly so as not to startle him.
James stopped dead and spun around the black cloak from his Zorro costume spinning about. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts that he never heard her door open or heard her walk down the stairs and come up behind him. James felt his breath catch in his throat as he took in her appearance. Her auburn hair was separated into two braids each tied with a blue ribbon. She wore a blue and white gingham dress over a white short sleeve blouse and red glitter shoes.
"What is this, Zorro caught off his guard?" Lily teased, smiling.
James opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out. Lily raised an eyebrow. He tried again. "I wasn't caught off guard. I was taken by your beauty," he told her honestly.
Lily blushed, "But your back was turned," she said with a small smile.
'Brat,' James thought. "I don't have to look at you to know you're beautiful because I know that you always are."
She blushed. "Does that line work with all the girls?" she asked only half teasing.
James looked into her eyes, "It's not a line." And somehow Lily knew it wasn't. He held his arm out to her, "Shall we?"
Sirius was fuming. Not only had Nathan Drew asked Rachel to the dance before he had, but now he was dancing closely with her out on the dance floor, and he was dressed in a similar costume to his own. Sirius had felt his face burn and his heart plummet when he'd heard Nathan approach her and say "You're knight in shining armor has arrived" and she replied that indeed he had. He was supposed to be her night not Drew.
Now he saw watching the two out on the dance floor while his own date fidgeted impatiently in her chair. He knew that he was being the worst date ever. He'd been short with her every time she tried to talk to him, he hadn't asked to her to dance, or even asked if she wanted any pumpkin juice. He just sat there staring at the people on the dance floor moodily.
Finally, Sirius looked over at the girl beside him dressed in go-go boots and a short dress with belle sleeves. "Do you want to dance?"
Marisa smiled. "Yes." She wasn't used to being ignored like she had been that evening. And now that she had his attention she was going to do everything to make sure she didn't lose it.
Sirius, however, was thinking the complete opposite. The only reason he wanted to dance was so that he could hear what was happening between Nathan and Rachel.
-
"I think this turned out very well," Lily thought out loud, "Everything looks great and everyone is having a good time."
James raised his butterbeer bottle, "Well, cheers to us for the brilliant idea," he said with a grin. Lily smiled and clinked her own bottle against his before taking a sip. A slow song started up and James stood up, "Would the lady care to dance?" he asked holding his hand out to her.
Lily smiled and placed her hand in his without hesitation. He swept her out onto the dance floor and into his arms. Lily stiffened slightly, but relaxed almost immediately. The feeling she'd felt before returned. He was holding her in a way that made her feel safe and special at the same time. She felt dizzy from the smell of his cologne, his nearness, the feel of his hands on her back, and she liked all of it.
James felt Lily relax completely against him. The corners of his mouth turned up in a slight, soft smile. She smelled wonderfully of a scent that was solely unique to her. He could feel her fingers brush against the skin of his neck every now and again. Every touch sent icy hot chills down his spine, that he loved. He tightened his arms around her waist and when she didn't back away and slap him or even hesitate, he pulled her closer. Nothing could ruin the way James felt at that moment…
A throat cleared behind them and the couple broke apart. 'Adams,' James thought bitterly.
"May I cut in?" Pacey asked, keeping his eyes trained on Lily and ignoring James completely.
James resisted the urge to punch him. He felt Lily pull away fully from him and he felt strangely empty and alone for someone who was standing in the middle of a crowded dance floor.
She looked up at James, "You don't mind do you?" she asked him quietly, "I promised…"
"No," James said tightly, "Go ahead," he said and turned away. He didn't dare look back knowing he would see Lily wrapped in the arms of Pacey Adams and a smug smile plastered across Pacey's face.
"James," a sugary voice asked tentatively from his left. He turned. "I was wondering if you'd like to dance?" a girl with long, straight, jet-black hair and gray eyes asked.
'You've got nothing to lose,' he told himself and he flashed the girl a forced dazzling smile. She either hadn't noticed that his smile had been forced or chose to ignore it as she grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor.
-
Rachel laughed as she and Nathan made their way over to one of many round tables surrounding the dance floor. Nathan wrapped his arm around Rachel's shoulders and pulled her into his side kissing her cheek. "I'm glad you're having fun," he told her.
She looked up at him, "I am."
Nathan smiled down at her and daringly placed a gentle kiss on her lips. The kiss lasted only a second or two before Rachel pulled away. Nathan was mildly put out but didn't show it. "How about a butterbeer? You look like you could use one."
Rachel smiled, "I'd love one."
He kissed her cheek again. "I'll be right back and do something with that sword. That thing is dangerous!" he added jokingly. The sword kept getting between them when dancing and he'd gotten the handle in the gut a fair few times.
He walked swiftly over to the refreshment table and pulled two butterbeer bottles from a bucket. "How's it coming Drew?" one of his friends asked striding up to him.
Nathan didn't reply. Another friend spoke up, "It doesn't look like you'll be getting any tonight, judging by the way she abruptly pulled away from the kiss."
Nathan stiffened and his eyes narrowed, "She doesn't want to get into it here. She wants to go somewhere private after a quick drink," he grinned slyly, "Not that I mind. I like it loud." Two of his friends laughed, but the third, who so far hadn't said anything, looked doubtful. "You wait," Nathan said taking a swig of butterbeer, "I will have bedded Rachel Rabb before the night is through. Mark my words." And with that he took the two bottles and walked away.
Matt Rabb stiffened angrily as he made a fist around his own bottle of butterbeer so tight that his knuckles turned white. His eyes flashed dangerously when he saw Nathan kiss his sister's cheek as he handed her a butterbeer. He turned to his date trying to act as normally as possible, "I'll be right back," he promised.
Matt was not the only one to have overhead the conversation between Nathan and his friends and he was just as angry as the younger Rabb brother.
-
Dancing with Jasmine turned out to be no fun at all for James. She seemed very aware of James' eyes wandering to Lily dancing with Pacey because every time he lingered on her for more than five seconds he was jerked around severely by the black haired girl. She was also trying, rather desperately, to get as close to him as she could.
He felt her lips on his neck and jerked his head back. "Look," he started turning his head to look at her, but any further speech was cut off as her mouth attacked his.
-
Lily froze. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. James and Jasmine were snogging in the middle of the dance floor. 'But—what—why?' she spluttered to herself. She frowned. Why did she care so much? Why did it feel like she was being punched in the gut repeatedly? Why was a huge lump forming in her throat, the kind that you got after dry swallowing a big pill? She could hear her heart beat in her ears. And she was completely taken aback by these feelings and thoughts and even more taken aback by the fact that she wanted to be the girl he was kissing.
She felt Pacey's hands on her back. 'Aw crap,' she thought. She pulled away slowly doing her best to keep her emotions in check. "Pacey," she said quietly.
He looked at her and must have sensed her thoughts before she voiced them. "I know," he said with a sigh, "I knew by the way your eyes lit up when he told you that you and he were to attend the ball together."
Lily stared at him, "Wha—what?"
"It's okay, Lily. He's a lucky bloke," he told her with a smile and kissed her cheek before walking away.
Lily stared at him looking utterly bewildered. What was he talking about? Was he actually implying that she, Lily Evans, fancied James Potter? How dare he! He had no right to assume that or anything about her for that matter! But if he was only assuming then why was she walking swiftly and determinedly over to the still snogging James and Jasmine.
She walked up to them smartly at the same time James finally managed to wrench his lips away from Jasmine's. "What are you do—ing," he faltered. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lily standing with her arms crossed over her chest and he could practically see the steam pouring from her ears. "Lily," he squeaked.
Lily ignored him and turned to look at Jasmine. "Excuse us," she said icily. Without another word she grabbed James by the arm and pulled him rather aggressively from the Great Hall.
-
"Man is it warm in here," Nathan said pulling at the collar of his shirt.
"It's not so bad," Rachel said taking another swig of her butterbeer.
Nathan resisted the urge to roll his eyes and make a frustrated noise. She obviously hadn't cottoned on to his hint. Time was ticking and he knew his friends were watching him. "Would you fancy a walk?" he asked in a rather gentlemanly tone, surprising himself considering his frustration.
Rachel looked over at him and he smiled. "Sure."
Nathan wrapped his arm possessively around Rachel's waist, like she was a trophy he wanted to show off as they left the Great Hall. They exited the castle through the oak front doors and Rachel shivered as the cold October air hit her exposed skin.
Rachel shivered, "I think I liked it better inside," she said with a laugh.
Nathan moved around so he was standing in front of her and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer. "I'll keep you warm," he said huskily before pressing his lips firmly to hers. Rachel was slightly taken aback by his boldness, but returned his kiss and ran her fingers through his hair.
After a minute Nathan grew impatient again and pried her lips apart with his tongue probing her mouth deeply. Rachel suddenly found herself squished between a wall of the castle and Nathan's body pressing insistently against hers. Rachel's eyes snapped open as she felt his hands begin to wander.
-
"Andy!" Matt yelled finally spotting his brother at a corner table with Alyssa, Izzy, and Remus.
Andy looked up and the laughter died from his eyes as he saw the look of distress in Matt's eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked standing up.
Matt quickly relayed to Andy what Will Drew had told him the other day in class and the conversation he'd overheard between Nathan and his friends. "And I just saw him leading her out of here," Matt finished in a tone that was somewhere between anger and worry for his older sister.
Andy scanned the Great Hall looking for any sign of his twin. Nothing. He turned to Alyssa, "I'll be right back," he told her kissing her forehead gently.
Alyssa nodded, "Be careful," she said, worry for him and her best friend etched across her face.
"Do you want back-up mate?" Remus asked also getting up.
Andy looked at him, "Probably wouldn't be a bad idea," he said.
James was more than a little scared of Lily and for his body at that moment. She was gripping his arm very tightly and didn't seem to care that she was yanking James around corners, very narrowly missing some of them. He had never seen her this angry before and he wasn't entirely sure what she was so angry over.
"Lily," he pleaded for maybe the tenth time in as many minutes. No response.
They turned another corner and James' nose missed the stone wall by centimeters. Lily came to an abrupt halt, so abrupt that James walked into her. "Ow. Warn me next time," he muttered rubbing his chin.
She spun around, her eyes blazing. James gulped. Why was he so petrified? He hadn't done anything wrong that he was aware of. He hadn't wanted to kiss Jasmine. Hell, he would have kissed a dragon, if it had meant he could have broken free of her suction lips sooner than he had. "What are you so worked up over?" he asked defensively.
"You!"
"Me! What the hell did I do? As far as I'm aware I haven't done a thing to you all night! I let you dance with Adams didn't I?" he replied angrily. 'I thought about punching him, but I didn't,' he added silently.
"You were snogging Jasmine Molta in the middle of the dance floor!" Lily yelled.
"So?" James yelled back. "There were plenty of other couples snogging! And for your information I did not initiate the kiss nor did I want her to kiss me in the first place!"
Lily scoffed, "Right," she said disbelievingly, "Like I'm really going to believe you didn't enjoy every minute of it. You're a bloke. James Potter, ladies man to be exact, and you're trying to tell me you didn't enjoy the kiss?"
"That's exactly what I'm telling you!" he yelled taking a step closer to her. "And why the bloody hell do you care so much?"
"You're Head Boy!" she yelled clenching her fists at her sides. Okay, so that had nothing to do with why she was angry. It did however, have everything to do with the fact that she wanted to be the one kissing him. To be the one he would wrap his arms around and hold. To be the one to…he was yelling again.
"What does it matter that I'm Head Boy? I didn't want to kiss her! End of story!" She didn't reply just stared at him angrily. Then it clicked with James. "Wait."
"What?"
"You're jealous," he said realization hitting him like a ton of bricks.
Lily huffed, "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard…what are you smiling at?"
James was full out grinning now. She was jealous. "I'm right aren't I? You are jealous."
"Of what?" Lily replied scathingly, "It's not her brains because she doesn't have any. I could hear the wind whistling between her ears. It wasn't her outfit either because whatever look she was going for, she missed—by a lot."
She was very jealous. "No," James replied slowly, "You're jealous of her kissing me."
Lily scoffed again. "I was wrong before," she started, "That was the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
James took another step toward her, "You're jealous, Lily. Admit it," he smirked. "You'll feel better."
Lily's eyes flashed, "Why you—you arrogant bastard," she said through gritted teeth. "How dare you!"
James' eyes flashed, "How dare me? How dare you! You just called me an arrogant bastard, I resent that."
"Well, it's true," Lily replied smartly.
James looked as though he'd been slapped. He stared at her, "If that's how you really feel then why did you agree to going with me to the ball without a fight?" he asked her, "Why the bloody hell would you say yes to a date with me when you feel like—" anything else James was going to say was cut off as Lily threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
RachelpushedNathan away, "What are you doing?"
"Kissing you," Nathan drawled, "Now relax and enjoy," he said pressing her back into the wall and kissing her roughly.
Rachel pulled away and slapped him hard. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nathan glared and reached for her again. She stepped away from him. "Touch me again and I'll remove you from your genitalia," she replied bluntly. She moved to get past him but found him blocking her path. "Get out of my way," she said slowly through gritted teeth.
"No," he replied simply.
Nathan was suddenly whipped around to face a very angry Sirius. "Get out of here, Drew," he said evenly.
Nathan glared, "Actually, I was here first. So, why don't you leave?"
Sirius grabbed a fistful of Nathan's shirt, "I don't think so."
"Oh, I see," Nathan smirked, "You want to have a go when I'm done, is that it?"
Sirius raised his fist, ready to punch him when a voice made him stop. "What?" Rachel appeared at his side looking between both boys.
Sirius looked at Rachel and then glared at Nathan. "I overheard him bragging to his friends about how he was going to get you in bed before the night was through," Sirius said disgusted by the idea.
Rachel looked at Nathan and knew it was true. "You fucking asshole," she said and before Nathan could say a word and before Sirius could stop her she'd punched him. She punched him so hard that he fell back into the wall.
She rotated her shoulder back as Remus, Andy, and Matt appeared obviously out of breath witnessing the tail end of the punch. Andy, Remus, Sirius, and Matt all blinked astonishingly at her.
"Rachel," Matt said clearly impressed.
The slight smile was the only indication she had heard her younger brother as she stared coldly at Nathan. "The only memory you'll have of trying to get me into bed is that black eye I just gave you." Nathan glared at the five of them and walked away stiffly, choosing to say nothing more.
Andy walked up to his twin and took her by the shoulders, "Are you okay?" She nodded. "If he comes near you again I'll—"
"Remove him from his genitalia?" Sirius offered as the twins hugged. Andy raised an eyebrow at him. Sirius pointed at Rachel, "Her line, not mine."
"I knew he was bad news," Matt said giving Rachel a hug, "I overheard him talking to his friends and I grabbed Andy before coming out here."
Rachel smiled at him, "Thanks for watching out for me. All of you," she added smiling at Remus. Remus winked in response. They stood in silence another minute. "What are you all still doing out here?" she asked with a slight laugh. "Get back inside to your dates." Andy, Matt, and Remus hesitated, "Go! I'm fine."
Andy kissed the top of her head and turned to leave with Remus and Matt. Sirius stayed behind. Rachel turned away from him shaking her hand out. "Is your hand okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah," she said massaging her knuckles. "Thanks for uh coming to my rescue again."
"A knight never turns his back on a damsel in distress," he told her with a grin.
"I'm no damsel, I'm a pirate," she told him with a teasing grin.
"Aye, but a beautiful lady all the same," he told her bowing slightly.
She blushed and was glad it was dark outside. "Well, you must forgive this lady for not falling into bed with you," she said her eyes twinkling.
He missed her teasing tone and looked at her seriously. "I would never expect nor make you do anything of the sort," he told her quietly.
Rachel frowned. "Sirius, I wasn't accusing you. I was just teasing…"
It was Sirius' turn to blush, "Oh," he said embarrassedly, "Well, all the same…" she smiled softly. "And besides you didn't really need me. You punched him before I even had the chance."
She laughed, "But you helped. That's twice you've helped me when I needed it now and I haven't done anything in return."
Sirius shrugged his shoulders, "Like I told you before I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I don't expect anything in return for that," he told her, "Except…"
"Except? Except what?"
"Dance with me?"
She regarded him softly, "Alright then."
James was completely taken aback by Lily's sudden action. She was kissing him! And he was standing there like some idiot who'd never seen a girl before. He didn't know if he was dreaming or not but he knew he wasn't going to just stand there.
He wrapped his arms around her drawing her even closer to him than she already was and kissed her back. Her lips were so soft and unbearably sweet against his and he was drowning in the feelings the kiss was provoking inside of him. This was a feeling that he got when he was on a broomstick in the air; only this was a hundred times better.
Lily ran her fingers through his hair as he deepened the kiss and a soft moan escaped her throat when his tongue brushed hers. She could feel every hard angle of his body against every one of her soft curves. She could feel his soft unruly hair beneath her fingertips and his lips, his delicious lips pressed hotly against hers. She felt dizzy and alive, but scared. She was standing in the middle of the hall wrapped in James Potter's arms snogging him like crazy. She returned to reality with a bump and abruptly pulled away from him.
"Merlin," she whispered, 'What have I done?' she added to herself.
James blinked, his breath ragged, "That about sums it up," he said softly.
Lily shook her head, "No," she exhaled, "I shouldn't have done that."
James looked at her with eyes swirling of confusion and hurt. "I'm sorry?"
Lily looked up at him with eyes full of distress, "I'm sorry, James," she whispered. She pulled away and hurried down the hall. He saw her whisper the password to the statue of the unicorn and disappear inside.
James stood rooted to the floor. Why had she kissed him? Why had she pulled away? Why did she think it was a mistake? Why were her eyes so full of distress when she'd apologized to him? Why had she run? What was she afraid of?
-
Lily broke into a full out run once the stone paneling began to close behind her. She hurried up the stairs to her bedroom and locked herself in her room as tears began to trace down her cheeks. She didn't know what had come over her. She didn't know how to react to what she'd done. She didn't know what to feel or even think. It was as if she couldn't decide on one emotion. She was hot and cold. She felt dizzy and foolish. She felt drunk from his kiss; from the way he'd held her close, tenderly, lovingly.
She felt a pang in her gut as she remembered the look on his face when she'd pulled away from him and told him that it had been a mistake. But is that what she thought? Did she honestly think that the way she felt when being that close to him, kissing him, holding him, was wrong? Did she honestly think that the way she felt in his arms wasn't right? She was wrong. It wasn't wrong. It was far from wrong.
-
James forced his feet to move and he walked to the statue of the unicorn blindly. He muttered the password and stepped inside. Lily was nowhere to be seen and her bedroom door was closed. He shook his head and continued on to his own room shutting himself inside.
I think I'm going to need to run and hide from all the heavy, sharp objects you all are going to want to throw at me! Older readers: yes, this whole scene between Lily and James is new and I know exactly where I'm going with it. New and old readers: never fear! Remember Lily is still getting used to the idea of liking James when she kissed him. Comments and questions always welcome in a review! You know the drill by now people! Wednesday will be the next update as long as nothing comes up! Next chapter will be the third task.
Big thanks to Kristin for all her help with this chapter! As a side note for everyone: I know many of you were reading the old edition of Challenge when I took it down and began to post the revised version. One of my lovely beta's Jen has done me a very huge favor by setting up a Yahoo! Group for Challenge. It will have the entire original edition of Challenge and as far as I got into Unraveled within the next few days. I do stress that the new revised version of Challenge is very different, more descriptive, and more things are happening. A chunk of the plot is revealed in the old Challenge, but there's more to it this time around. I am more than happy to let you all read it, should you choose too, (no matter how much I can't stand it, haha). My only request is that if you are enjoying the newly revised version to continue with this new version instead or as well and review! As I have said numerous times I feel it is much better. The new version I believe will be posted when it is finished. The link is in my author profile. Enjoy and I hope to see you all continue to read and review this version! -AlexaRose