Life passed by quickly at times, slowly at others. Lily found life in Beauxbatons wasn't all that different to life Hogwarts. It was easier to get around, true, and the food took some getting used too and she had to try and decipher what her teachers were telling her before she could write anything down but aside from that it was pretty much the same. She spent a lot of time in the library or lessons and when she wasn't there she was with Alex and the new friends Alex had made. It was like being back at Hogwarts for Lily only with new faces, and there was the bonus of not having to put up with the Marauders or Narcissa that made this school slightly better. Still, she couldn't help but feel something was wrong with this school, as though something were missing. In the end she put it down to a mix of nerves and homesickness.

Before she knew it the middle of October was upon them and news of a dance was spreading fast throughout the building.

"It's not fair," Alex pouted as she sat opposite Lily at the small table in the library where she was sat.

"What's not?" Lily asked, not taking her eyes off the page she was scribbling on furiously.

"The dance."

"What dance?" Lily asked, raising her head in interest.

"Hello, the Halloween dance. Where have you been?"

"In here," Lily answered in a tone that suggested she didn't understand Alex's mocking. "So, why is a dance a bad thing?"

"Well, it's not," Alex said, playing with a scrap of parchment. "But we're not invited."

"What do you mean?"

"It's for fifth year up, we're only third so we're not allowed to go."

"Oh," Lily said, losing interest. "Well, never mind."

"Never mind?" Alex asked loudly, earning a shh from Lily and glares from others in the library. Ignoring the, she continued. "This could be the only chance of a dance we get to go to and we can't go because we're too young!"

"There'll be plenty at Hogwarts."

"But Hogwarts is different to Beauxbatons, we'll never experience a Beauxbatons dance!"

Lily looked up from her work again and, giving Alex an odd look, said, "Well, they're not that different. There's music, dancing, refreshments, same as any other. It's not like you'll be missing much. It's not like you can just show up and hope no one notices."

Alex's frown changed to a grin. "That is a brilliant idea!"

"What is…Oh, no, Alex, don't."

But Alex was already up and on her way out of the library, a contemplative look on her face as she considered the different ways to plan for attending the dance.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"So now that you've settled in, how are you enjoying the place?" Alice asked Tae that same night.

"Good," Tae smiled at the person she had barely spoken to in the past few weeks. It had been a hectic six weeks, Tae had had to get used to not only the great workload that was piled on her as she had to catch up with certain things but also get accustomed to the ways of this new school. As much as she loved the moving stairs and endless secret passages, Tae couldn't help but think that it was a bit cruel putting someone in there to find their own way around and deal with the workload. It was only in the past couple of days that she had finally got everything sorted. "It's so much better than Beauxbatons, not as cold."

"No," Alice agreed. "Especially this time of year," she looked out of the window at the seemingly endless rain and sighed.

Tae giggled. "Not that kind of cold, I mean the people are cold, the place itself. Like I'm different to them so they don't want me around. Here you just seem to accept and welcome."

"Oh," Alice said nodding. "Well, you're right. Hogwarts prides itself on being a very welcoming place, open to all kinds of people."

"Yeah," Tae agreed. "So what are you up to?"

"Oh, nothing much," Alice said, sitting at the table with Tae. "I've got nothing to do and Marie's on a stalking mission and I've got no one to talk to so I thought I'd come and see what you're up to."

"Fair enough," Tae said, doodling on some parchment. "Who's she stalking?"

"Remus," Alice rolled her eyes. "She's getting a little obsessive lately, I wish she'd just ask him out and get it over with."

"But where would the fun in that?" Tae pointed out with a smile.

"I'd be able to talk to my best friend for a change!"

"She's going to Hogsmeade with you tomorrow, isn't she?"

"Yeah but so is Remus, I'm going to be on my own…unless you come too?" She flashed Tae an award winning smile, not that it had much effect.

"I don't think so, maybe next time but I'm still a little behind."

"I'll help you catch up. Come on Tae, you've been working solid for six weeks, you need a break!"

Tae bit her lip in thought. "I don't know…"

"Please?" She batted her eyelashes in an obvious pleading way.

Tae laughed at her. "Oh, alright but you better help me."

"Of course," Alice asserted, a bright grin coming over her features as she grabbed one of Tae's books and began helping her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Hey, 'Cissa, how's it going? Things are good here. She trusts me again and seems to think we're best friends, all's going to plan. Halloween we're both crashing a dance, I think I'll do it then. A x

Narcissa looked at the note again and smiled coldly before setting her wand on it and setting it alight. She took out her own parchment and scribbled down a response before tying it to Alex's owl to return. She checked her appearance in the mirror quickly before leaving the dormitory to meet Lucius Malfoy.

"It's set for Halloween," she told him when she found him.

"That long?" He drawled back, a flash of annoyance on his face.

"Well, there's a dance…" Narcissa began but was cut off.

"Very well," was all he said before turning away from her, his cloak swishing behind him.

She watched him leave; shivering at the cold air that now surrounded her. She really did hate that boy. Once he was out of sight, Narcissa too turned away and walked back to Gryffindor common room to meet her traitor cousin and his just-as-bad friends.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Very well, I shall tell him. Things will be set this end, too. N x

Alex read the reply to her note before she too set it alight.

"What was that?" Lily asked behind her, making her jump.

"Oh, just some old rubbish. Don't need it anymore," Alex lied smoothly though she could sense rather than see doubt coming from Lily.

"Oh, okay. I was going for a walk outside, do you want to come with me?"

"Sure," Alex answered, giving her a pleasant smile. "Wait outside, I just need to get changed."

Lily looked her over curiously; Alex's robes were already clean and looked good one her. She went outside anyway, closing the door behind her.

The minute the door clicked shut Alex's smile turned to a snarl. "I hope I don't have to keep this up much longer," she muttered as she grabbed her wand off her desk. "I can't stand being nice to the little mudblood anymore."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

James pulled the wand from his pocket and pointed it at the lock. "Alohomora," he whispered, waiting for the click as the door unlocked. It didn't come. "Alohomora," he tried again, a little louder this time, still no click came. "Alohomora," he said even louder."

After five more failed attempts, he heard a huffy, bored sigh. "Move over, I'll do it," Sirius' voice spoke quietly behind him.

James stood up and stumbled slightly. He hadn't realised until then how tired his legs were from crouching for so long.

"Alohomora!" Sirius pointed his wand at the lock and all-but shouted the word. There was no click once more but Sirius earned himself a slap across the back of the head.

"Good one! We're trying to be quiet so no one hears us and you go and shout!"

"James," Sirius said in a bored wise old man's voice. "We're in the middle of a field, the school is ages away. No one's going to hear us."

"Who's there?" A familiar voice shouted behind them; Hagrid.

"You were saying?" James asked sarcastically, covering Sirius' mouth with his hand (not an easy feat when Sirius was several inches taller) as he pulled them against the wall of the shed.

James, still with one hand over Sirius' mouth, put his hand against the side of the shed, only to feel the bit he was pushing on sink into the wooden building. He turned his head slightly and saw much of the wall was moving backwards. Shaking off the surprise James pulled Sirius backwards and they both entered, the wood moving back into place just as Hagrid turned the corner. They could hear his voice outside, "I coulda sworn I heard somethin'."

James and Sirius stood frozen in place until they heard Hagrid's crunchy footsteps on the near-frozen grass die away. The two boys began laughing. "Sirius, you're a genius!" James announced cheerfully as he looked around the room happily.

"I know," Sirius replied self-assuredly.

James didn't bat an eyelid at Sirius' ego-filled comment as he headed for the box he'd come for. It was a medium-sized wooden, ornately carved box that, to James at least, seemed to glow. He lifted the lid tentatively and immediately frowned.

"It's not here," he told Sirius, an edge of annoyance in his voice.

"Of course it is, it's just so small that you can't see it under the others."

"No, look, there's the quaffle and there's the bludgers," he pointed out the balls as he said them. "But the space for the snitch is empty."

Sirius appeared beside him and peered into the box. "Oh, yeah," he muttered quietly. "Maybe they beat you to it?"

"No, they can't have. We're the master pranksters, not them."

"Well, stealing isn't really pranking, is it? I think we can let them be better at stealing."

"It's the principle, Sir, stealing requires stealth and sneakiness, pranking requires stealth and sneakiness. They're the same things and I can't let them win."

"James, you're taking this dare thing a little too seriously, I mean, it's Remus and Peter, we know we're better at this than them."

"Yes, but if we can't prove it then it's not worth anything, is it?"

Sirius snapped the box lid shut and threw is arm over his friend's shoulder, leading him out of the shed. "Well, we can always steal it off them." Sirius suggested.

James stopped walking. "You're right. Okay, here's what we do…"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Why should I help you?" Frank Longbottom asked James and Sirius. His arms were folded and an eyebrow raised, his face a picture of curiosity.

"Because…. because…." James thought furiously.

"Because James will personally do your homework for a week."

"Yeah," James agreed, nodding. "Wait, what?"

"A month," Frank countered back in a resolved sort of way.

"Deal!" Sirius announced, holding his hand out to shake on it.

"What? No!" James cried but it was too late, the deal was made.

"So what do you want me to do?" Frank asked, casting a smirk in James' direction.

Sirius relayed the plan to Frank, James stayed silent, sulking and glaring at the two boys before him.

"Yeah, I can do that," Frank informed them when Sirius was done.

"Good, I'll tell you when," Sirius said as he stood, nudging James to do the same. Sirius led the way to their dormitory, turning around halfway there to grin at James.

"Cheer up mate," he said cheerfully. "The plans coming together."

James glowered up at him then closed the distance between them. He hit Sirius round the back of the head. "Git, you're not the one who has to do Longbottom's homework. I barely have my own done on time, what makes you think I'll be able to do his, too? And for a month!"

Sirius shrugged, "You should have thought of something better than 'because…because", then, shouldn't you? Cheer up Jay, this is going to be good."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I know those boys are weird but they just got worse," Marie announced as she sat at the table with Tae and Alice.

"Who?"

"What?" Both girls spoke at the same time, jumping slightly at the unexpected interruption.

"The bloody Marauders, or two of them at least. Remus and Peter just broke into the Quidditch shed and took something before making sure they fixed everything to make it look like they hadn't been there in the first place."

Alice shook her head in amusement, "They are really, really weird," she pointed out unnecessarily.

Tae looked between the two. "Neither of you seem at all surprised."

"We're not, this is the kind of thing they do. Just watch your back, they'll probably use whatever they stole for some kind of prank."

Tae sighed, " Aberrations," she muttered in a strong French accent before concentrating, once more, on her work.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Hiya Lily, how are you finding Beauxbatons? Hogwarts is great, even the Marauders haven't been that bad, they're actually quite funny…so long as they're not trying anything on you. I don't understand why you dislike them so much. Marie told me that she saw Lupin and Pettigrew breaking into the Quidditch shed, Merlin only knows what they were up to but it seems Potter and Black are involved, too. Frank told me that they've been enlisting his help in keeping the other two occupied while they reclaim something stolen from them. I can't help but think something else is going on here…

Tae's settling in well, too. She's already got her own back on the Marauders twice and she's keeping me company in Hogsmeade tomorrow because Marie's become more than a little obsessed with Remus. Hey, do you want anything from Hogsmeade? I'll buy you some sugar stuff.
Alice x

Lily read the letter and felt a mixture of emotions; annoyance, anger and amusement being the main of these. Annoyance at the Marauders' behaviour. It was funny really, how they could still have such an affect on her even when she was hundreds of miles away. Anger directed towards Marie. If Remus found out she liked him then what would happen to her? At least when neither knew the other liked them there was still a chance for her but if they found out… She shook her head, trying to push the thought away, refusing to finish it. And finally the amusement at Alice's typical jovial attitude showing through in her writing. Lily grabbed some parchment and a quill and began writing her reply, stopping at on point to consider whether or not to tell Alice about Remus. Finally she was finished and sent it off, a heavy feeling of guilt forming in her stomach.

Alice, Beauxbatons is alright, bit cold though. I miss you guys! You sound like Tae is fitting in well, I hope you don't go replacing me for her…not that you could, no one compares to me, right:D
Anyway, about the Marauders, you haven't seen them at their worst; if you had you'd understand. Um…Keep an eye on them, they're up to something and whatever it is can't be good for the whole school, never mind you.
And as for Marie. Try not to get her hopes up, alright? Remus isn't looking for a girlfriend right now and it's only going to disappoint her. Owl me soon!
Lily x