Chapter: 5

Chapter Title: The Birds and the…Fishes

A/N: Thanks to all of my reviewers from the last chapter: Miss Myrtle 360, WhiteTiger1992, DDwelling, Mahazzy, miss-mags-ak, Phillexican and truefairy lights. I'm glad you all like this story and I hope this chapter is just as good.

Disclaimer: I forgot this for the last chapter, oops! Yeah, yeah don't remind me that I didn't think up Harry Potter or the adaptation of Cinderella for the movie Ever After.

The stars are dancing for the romance…

Lily didn't try to get out to see James after her lashing from her stepmother. She watched her stepfamily leave the house in their nicest clothes and come home with their egos and hopes growing bigger that Marguerite will become queen very soon. As the masque grew closer, Marguerite grew into more of a spoiled brat. Lily cooked, clean and answered their every call. Lily was clearing the table after her stepfamily's lunch when the Baroness and Marguerite came stampeding into the dining hall.

"Where are they, Lily?" The Baroness demanded grabbing Lily by her upper arm and slightly shaking her, "Where is your mother's dress and shoes?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Lily said with a hint of mocking in her voice.

"They were in my room last night and now they are gone." Marguerite said, her voice cracking with anger. The Baroness shook Lily harder.

"Where are they?" She growled. Lily ripped herself out of the Baroness' grip.

"Maybe they're with the silver, the tapestries or my father's books." Lily cried before she pushed her way pass her stepsister and mother.

Later that day the Baroness and Marguerite dressed in their dress with the biggest skirt, the puffiest sleeves, the nicest material accented with their nicest gold jewelry. They were having tea with the queen, so she could fall in love with, hopefully, her new daughter-in-law or as Lily told the other servants, "Just another way to kiss royal ass."

The day was beautiful. The sun was warm and welcoming. The flowers in the garden engulfed the Baroness, Marguerite and the Queen, while the latter of the three probably appreciated them more then the other two. They sat a small glass table in the midst of roses of all colors. The Baroness and Marguerite laughed at all of Queen's stories.

"My dear, are you sure that your eye is all right?" The Queen asked Marguerite. Marguerite's eye turned black and blue and Lily enjoyed the sight of it, "Saving children in a runaway carriage, you said?"

Marguerite softly touched her bruised eye, "It 'twas a maternal instinct, your majesty." The Queen smiled unsurely.

"The masque is upon us, I'm sure his highness the Prince is excited." The Baroness said turning the conversation quickly to the reason why they were there.

"Oh yes." The Queen said her face turning solemn, "But I have seen a change in him."

"Oh?" The Baroness asked frightened.

"Yes, just the other day he left sometime in the afternoon and came back later that evening and I have no idea where he was." The Baroness listened to the Queen's story suspiciously and Marguerite looked jealous, "And the day before that he was gone all day and didn't come home until early the next morning, bounding into our room talking of universities and inviting the Death Eaters to the masque." The Baroness's heart began to race, "And he has been talking about some woman, a Countess, the Countess DeLoncré I believe. I believe James said she was staying with a cousin around here."

"The Countess DeLoncré, you say?" The Baroness asked, trying to stop her voice from cracking. The Queen nodded.

"Do you know her?" The Baroness smiled as sweetly as she could.

"Why yes, she is staying with us. She is our cousin." Marguerite almost broke her neck when she whipped around quickly to look at her mother, "You know your cousin, the one who you lovingly call Cinderella." Marguerite quietly got up from her chair and walked a few feet away. All of sudden she started screaming and lashing her arms all about her then calmly took her seat again. The Queen reached out to her when she sat down.

"My dear, is everything all right?" The Queen asked.

"A bee."

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The Baroness and Marguerite stormed into the manor after their return from tea with the Queen yelling for Lily. Lily came down stairs nonchalantly and stood in front of the Baroness with an annoyed look.

"You, wretched girl." She yelled. She grabbed Lily by the arm and dragged her down to the pantry in the kitchen. The Baroness threw Lily into the pantry and locked the thick metal door, tucking the key into her purse. She looked around at the servants, "Any of you open this door and you'll be off to the Americas on the first ship." She pushed them aside while Marguerite followed, "Let's go girls, we have to get ready for the masque." Jacqueline stood on the stairs for a second with a sympathetic look at the metal door before she followed her mother up the stairs following her mother's call, "Jacqueline the horse costume is down stairs in the dining room."

"But mother why do I have to be the horse?"

"It doesn't matter what you are, you are only going for the food." The servants listened to the voices disappear as they went father upstairs. They tried to jimmy the door open but it was not use, they couldn't open it.

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James met his mother in gardens after her tea with the Baroness and her daughter. James was lighthearted and excited for the masque. The Queen tried to join her son in his happiness but the knowledge she had gained impaired her.

"James, darling, you know I just had tea with the Baroness De Ghent and her daughter, Marguerite." James made a face at the mention of Marguerite, "She, as it so coincidently turns out, is the cousin of that countess of yours." James couldn't find a family resemblance, "She has told me some things that, you should know." The Queen paused, not wanting to tell her son, "She left, early this morning for France." James's heart plummeted; he didn't think she could tell anything worse, "She is to be married." James felt like knife was forced through his heart. His mother tried to placing a comforting hand on his shoulder but James flinched away.

"Married?" James said shocked, "But why didn't she tell me?" James ran his hands through his hair, making it more unruly.

"Would you have listened if she did?" His mother asked. James walked in a small circle, running his hands through his hair again. James closed his eyes, remembering the day in the gardens of the stone ruins.

"She did, try to tell but I wouldn't let her." James sighed, "What have I done?" James hurried off into the castle, ignoring his mother's calls.

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"Oh, Lily. It's hopeless." One of the maids cried, collapsing on the stairs in failure. Lily sat down next to the fireplace. She held her hands to her face, she wanted to cry. All the servants sat next to the door until they heard the Baroness and her daughters leave for the masque.

"Lily, what should we do?"

"Do nothing." Lily said, "It's hopeless and silly to think that a Prince could love me." Remus came hurrying into the house calling for Lily. He wandered the upstairs then made his way down to the bottom of the house.

"Lily, where are? I've been waiting outside." He said, "You're going to be..." He trailed as he came around the corner and saw the scene that was before him. The maids were all around the door and Lily's face looked out from the little window in the door, "Looks like, you're going to be very late."

"Remus, thank god." Lily said, "Help me!" Remus looked around the room then back to Lily then to the maids and then looked around the room again.

"What am I suppose to do?"

"Remus." Lily whined and sinking to the floor, "I don't know."

"Go get someone." One of the maids said but no one spoke up whom. They sat in silence trying to figure out who could help them.

"Dumbledore." Remus said jumping to his feet, "I'll find him."

"No, Remus, don't…" But Remus was out of sight before she could finish her sentence. The maids and Lily sat impatiently waiting for Remus to return with Dumbledore. Lily began to think that Dumbledore wasn't going to come when then minutes kept on ticking. Lily jumped to her feet when she thought she hear the front door open; seconds later Remus rounded the corner with Dumbledore behind him.

"Okay, let me through." He said. He examined the door for a second before he picked up a knife and popped out the bolts in the hinges. He pulled on the door and it swung open.

"Genius" One of the maids said.

"Yes, I will go down in history as the man who opened a door." Dumbledore said before he walked into the pantry. Lily sat next to the fireplace, "Well let's go." Lily shook her head.

"I can't go." Lily said, "I'll make a fool of myself. I'm just a maid and he's…he's the Prince of England."

"But you love him and I know he loves you." Dumbledore said, taking her face in his hands.

"A fish may love a bird, signore, but where would they live?"

"Then I shall have to make you wings." Dumbledore said whimsically. Less than an hour later, Lily was being rushed into the carriage that had been waiting for since her Baroness left for the masque. The maids waited in the drive for Lily to reach the gates where she waved from the carriage window.

"Well, I hear you have some paintings. Let's see them, then." Dumbledore said to Remus.

"N-n-now?" Remus stuttered.

"Of course." Dumbledore said leading him away from the manor.

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A/N: Dont forget to Review.

later.

-socal4ever