Chapter Seven: The Gathering of Many Faces

The full moon rose over the grounds of Hogwarts, basking the castle and its trees in silvery light. Off in the distance, near the border where Hogsmeade and the Scottish highlands converged, the strangled shouts of the petrified dead rolled through the grounds.

The Shrieking Shack lived up to its name, it seemed. To Hogsmeade, the screams were a sign of horrible fortune, indicating that the time of ghosts and ghouls was near. To the Marauders, however, it indicated the start of their adventure.

And it always – without any sign of change – started and ended with Remus Lupin. Through his monthly transformations, the four friends had formed an inexplicable, unbreakable bond: this was their secret to keep, and keep it they shall. Until the very end.

Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs stood by the corner of the shack, waiting for the wolf to fully emerge. It was nearing 10 o'clock, and the sky was clear and cloudless. Remus thrashed about, knocking over chairs and tables, ripping apart the loose beams that held the shack, his form alternating between man and wolf as though he was a live, pulsing heart.

CRICK-CRACK.

His bones lengthened, making him grow taller and heavier. His skin stretched, showing his grotesque scars, and the Marauders refrained from saying anything as the veins on his face turned black and his blood raced up to his eyes. Where his mouth and nose used to be now was replaced by a grey, hairy snout; his brow was concave, his eyes pushed to the sides; all throughout his body, fur grew, and his hind ripped apart as the tufted tail emerged slowly…

The screams stopped abruptly. Moony was breathing hard and fast, slathering the wooden floors of the shack with his saliva. The Marauders exchanged glances and stepped over him carefully.

Moony grinned, baring his sharp teeth. Prongs lifted a loose plank of wood and waited for the other Marauders to step through, giving Moony a gentle nudge with his snout as he passed him. Once outside, the three waited patiently for the wolf to settle into his new body, keeping care to give him a wide berth as he snarled around.

And then Moony raised his head, facing the night sky, and howled. His voice was filled with pain and lament; but there was also, if the Marauders listened carefully, just a hint of Remus Lupin laughing with relief. To werewolves, howls were but the most sacred of things – a sort of hymn that sounded several times a night, but only once a month; an ode to magic. But Moony, whose humanity still remained somewhat, sang not only to the moon, but to his friends as well. The prospect of a new adventure energized him, and he couldn't wait to cause some more mischief.

Padfoot gave a great, raucous BARK. Moony turned to look at the three Marauders, standing silently, waiting patiently for him to finish. He gnashed his teeth and then, with another howl, he bounded into the Forbidden Forest, his friends right behind him.

The golden leaves of September continued to fall all the way up to October, and by the first Friday of the month McGonagall had already asked James and Lily to start planning for the upcoming festival: The Gathering of Many Faces.

Lily thought that that was a rather long and fancy name for a costume party, but she didn't object. During the meeting with James and the other prefects, she and the Head Boy stole glances at each other as they listened to the others' ideas. She'd vetoed anything that she found too complicated, fearing that that would cut down on productivity. James just sat there on his seat, once or twice looking at the ceiling as if to say, Why me?

She couldn't blame him. After all, McGonagall had tasked James with the worst and hardest jobs. Lily was thankful, of course, but she couldn't help but think that James had received barely any part of the broomstick.

So it was on the evening of Sunday that she found James sprawled on one of the common room's many sofas all by himself, consulting a long list of names that he would have to call. Remus had been there a few hours ago, helping him plan the layout of the Great Hall on the day of the festival. Ever since, James had been writing letters to people, begging them to come play at their costume party. McGonagall had insisted he get a good band to come to Hogwarts, and the rest of the prefects had fervently requested for the Crimson Children, who were apparently a new band in the craze. No doubt the same, gormless squealing sound, thought Lily.

She sat down on the chair next to James's sofa. "Any luck?"

"None," said James gloomily. "They're all busy at the end of the month. These Crimson Children – I've never even heard of them, and I grew up with wizarding music."

"Well, I'm sure you'll come up with something," said Lily encouragingly.

James groaned. She smiled sympathetically and searched through her bag, determined to get some work done. She found her potions essay and began to read it.

"Why couldn't The Beatles have disbanded after we graduated?" said James grumpily. "I doubt they'd turn down an offer to play at Hogwarts."

Lily laughed. "The Beatles would've been nice, actually. See if you can get your band to cover one of their songs."

James didn't answer. He flipped over on the couch, his eyes crossing slightly as they zoomed all over the parchment. Lily worked silently beside him, reading over her texts and scratching out mistakes.

"Hey, Lily?"

She looked up from her essay. "Yes?"

James squinted at his list. "Have you ever heard of this band – The Weird Sisters?"

She shook her head. "No, doesn't ring a bell."

"Huh," said James, frowning slightly. "It says here they're quite new. D'you think McGonagall will approve?"

"Please, James. Do you honestly think McGonagall actually cares about the music? It's the students you'll have to please."

"You've got a point there," admitted James. "Maybe I will book these guys. If anything, just to spite Benjy Fenwick."

Lily and James shared a laugh. Benjy had been one of the most vocal supporters of the Crimson Children – something that James found quite irritating, apparently.

"Well, as long as they're nice, I don't really care," said Lily.

"That's settled, then," said James. He rolled up his list and stuffed it in his bag. "What're you working on?"

Lily glanced at him, then turned back to her homework. "Slughorn's essay on the moon. I'm nearly finished, I just need to add a conclusion."

James sighed. "Hold on a sec, I'm almost done with mine."

He dashed towards his room, leaving Lily alone in her armchair. She waited patiently as James rummaged around upstairs, no doubt looking for his aforementioned potions essay. He came back down a few minutes later holding a crumpled piece of parchment.

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Is that supposed to be what you're turning in tomorrow?"

James shrugged easily. "Sluggy doesn't really care as long as he can read my handwriting, so I don't see why I – or you – should care."

She rolled her eyes. "Forget I asked, then. Give it here, I'll read it over."

James handed it to her and he slumped back down on the sofa, rubbing his eyes. "You are honestly the most amazing, wonderful witch I've ever met, Evans."

"Someone's been working on their flattery," muttered Lily, though she was quite flattered. She read over his essay, comparing it to hers. Merlin, his handwriting was bad. It could have given Marlene's a run for its money. Who knew that flying around in a broom would cause permanent damage to their fingers?

She said as much to James, who chuckled. "Yeah, my mum's crazy about my handwriting as well. She reckons Marlene's is worse, though."

"Your mum knows Marlene?" asked Lily, flipping over his essay so that she could read the back.

"Oh, yeah, of course she knows her," answered James, laying down so that he was facing the ceiling. "Marlene used to come over nearly every week before we went to Hogwarts, her family and mine are old friends. We're practically cousins. Hasn't she ever mentioned that?"

"I think she has, but I don't remember," said Lily absently. She gave him his homework. "That looks fine, James. I'd add something about how the moon cycle influences a potion's temperature, and then finish it with a conclusion."

"Right," said James. He scribbled down what looked like Nordic runes to Lily on his parchment.

"Speaking of moons," said Lily slowly, remembering something that had been bugging her for a while, "Where were you during Remus's transformation?"

James waved his hand carelessly. "You know, the usual."

"But what is the usual?" persisted Lily. "Surely you do something."

"Yeah, we do," said James. "Peter worries, so we wait in the Hospital Wing for Remus to get back."

Lily stared at him. Usually, James Potter was infamous for his believable lies. Hell, he'd gotten his whole reputation due to his ability to lie and cause mischief. But now, with James avoiding her eyes as she scrutinized him carefully, she couldn't help but think that that was one of the most feeble excuses she'd ever heard.

"If you don't want to tell me, then just say so, James," she said, turning back to her parchment. "I'm not going to push you."

"Well, what else are we going to do?" demanded James. "I'm telling you, it's the truth! I mean, we can't exactly keep Remus company as mere mortals, can we?"

Lily had to admit that that was true. She looked at him silently, fully appreciating the fact that his shirt was rather tight and rippled whenever he moved. His glasses were slightly lopsided and their lenses were foggy. She noticed the way he kept ruffling his hair, and she had the intense desire to bury her hands in it.

"Looking at something, Evans?"

Lily snapped out of her thoughts. "In your dreams, Potter."

James smirked. He threw down his quill on the table, finally finished with his essay.

Lily and James left the common room shortly after for dinner.

She sidled onto her bench next to Alice, who was talking animatedly with Remus. She drowned out the noise of conversation and piled her plate with food

Lily glanced at Remus briefly. He looked quite pale, but, then again, he always looked pale. He had a look of sleepy contentedness on his scarred face. Some of his wounds looked to be fresh, but they were healing, Lily noted.

She did some calculations in her head. She was no Arithmancy genius, but if her maths were correct the full moon had been a little more than a week ago.

What did James do during the full moon? Obviously, they couldn't keep Remus company as humans, since werewolves were deadly to them. James himself had said so, and Lily agreed, and now she was stumped.

Werewolves. Misunderstood, yet, at the same time, Lily couldn't help but be scared of them.

Some of her previous words echoed in her mind. They couldn't keep him company as humans…

Something bothered her about that sentence. Keep him company as humans…

As humans…

A thought came to her suddenly. A ridiculous notion, yet she seriously considered it.

But… no, not even James or Sirius would be able to pull that off, at least not while they were at school. That was much too advanced and much too dangerous.

No, decided Lily. It was something else. No 17 year old was going to be turning into Animagi any time soon.

Though, there was that one time in fourth year, when James had asked her a question up-close, and all she could think of was oddly his breath had smelled. It had been a strangely familiar scent, like something she'd inhaled before. Something earthy and plantlike.

Something to do with Animagi.

Lily tried to reassure herself.

"Are you all right, Lily?" asked Alice, concern evident in big brown eyes. "You look as though Slughorn's just thrown you out of the Slug Club."

Lily shook her head and tried to smile in spite of herself. "I'm fine, Al. As for Slughorn – we all know that's impossible."

"Someone's got a rather high opinion of herself," commented Sirius mildly from across her. He'd already finished his potatoes and had moved on to his slice of pumpkin pie.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "You know it's true, Black."

"Are we back to last names again?" asked Sirius innocently. "Because I was getting rather fond of hearing my name stretched out between your lovely lips –"

James smacked him around the head. "Stop harassing everyone and eat your sodding food."

"Ah," said Sirius, though Lily couldn't tell if he was hurt or just acting sagely. "And that's why you're going to miss out on all the fun, my fellow Marauder."

"What?"

Sirius waved his fork idly. "You'll see." He glanced up at the staff table and smirked. "Right about… now."

Suspicious, Lily whipped her head at the staff table in front of the Great Hall – McGonagall had just appeared, looking dignified – she pulled up her chair beside Dumbledore's, who greeted her as he usually did, like an eccentric old man – and began to eat.

Lily held her breath, and it appeared that everyone else did, too. James kept darting his eyes between Sirius and McGonagall, looking apprehensive.

"Padfoot, maybe you should call it off," said Remus anxiously. "I'm starting to think this isn't a good idea…"

"Nonsense, Moony, all ideas are good ideas, especially when they come from me," replied Sirius. "Besides, we're far too gone to back out."

McGonagall kept eating, talking to Dumbledore in-between bites. This was one of those rare moments in which she didn't look stern, and instead looked at ease.

"Padfoot, whatever you're doing…" warned James, looking very much like McGonagall. Marlene glared at Sirius, a sure sign that things would go bad if he didn't stop.

But Sirius shook his head again, a wicked smile growing on his lips.

"Now."

As soon as McGonagall shoved her spoon into her food, the plate started to vibrate. Surprised, McGonagall dropped her utensils, but she wasn't the only one; all along the staff table, the Professors gave startled cries as their food started to dance. McGonagall pushed away from her chair, looking apprehensive.

"What in Merlin's name –" she started.

The Gryffindors weren't the only ones who were looking on with bated breath – other students from different houses were beginning to notice now, some pointing and whispering and laughing at the sight of the alarmed professors. Only Dumbledore looked relatively normal, and he ate his shepherd's pie with gusto.

Suddenly, the plates lifted themselves into the air – they twitched once, some twitched twice – and regurgitated forth a torrent of food and sauce that flew towards the teachers. McGonagall got a faceful of mashed potatoes and gravy.

Sirius's laugh died down shortly as the victims rounded on the Gryffindor table. Everyone had been hit – everyone except for Dumbledore, who looked on with amused interest.

McGonagall wiped her square spectacles with the back of her hand and turned to the four culprits – three, if James's apprehension earlier was anything to go by. Lily sang a song appropriate for a funeral inside her head as McGonagall straightened to her full height, her eyes seething with rage and her mouth so thin Lily thought she looked rather like a cat.

"Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew," said McGonagall in a voice of steely calm. "My office – now."

James sighed and gave Sirius a look that spelt, I'll kill you later. Sirius only smirked good-naturedly at him, and the four boys trudged single-file behind McGonagall.

Marlene laughed, and the rest of the table joined in.

Well, thought Lily, and even from two floors below, she thought she could hear McGonagall screeching like a banshee. So much for change.

Though, Hogwarts wouldn't be nearly as fun without the Marauders. Lily admitted that much.

"What the bloody hell is going on between you and James?" asked Alice one evening at the library. Lily and her two best friends were sitting on one of the tables, catching up on their assignments.

It was Wednesday, her least favourite day of the week, and Lily had a hard time coming up with an excuse for Alice. She'd just gotten out of Arithmancy with Marlene, and both girls had agreed that Professor Vector was slightly mad when it came to homework.

"Nothing's going on," said Lily, not looking up from her book. In truth, she didn't know what was going on between her and James.

She liked him, Lily could fully admit that now, and James liked her, he'd made that perfectly clear in years past. In the few short weeks that they'd been back at Hogwarts, she and James had been perfectly nice to each other; perhaps a little too nice, thought Lily.

But Alice scoffed. "Don't give me that rubbish, all you've done now that you're Head Girl is hang out with James, you never have time for us anymore…"

"Is that what this is about?" asked Lily, amused. "I promise, after I'm done with this festival, we're going to have a day all to ourselves. No stupid Gryffindor blokes. Right, Marlene?"

Marlene grunted, her nose nearly touching her parchment as she scribbled down her notes. "I s'pose."

"But you do like him?" inquired Alice, her brown eyes searching her face questioningly.

Lily sighed. "It's complicated, Al."

"Trust me, Alice, it's not," said Marlene. "Lily's been secretly snogging James in their little common room whenever we're not looking."

"I have not," said Lily scathingly as Alice laughed. "And even if I was, what would it matter?"

"It matters to us, Lil," said Alice, turning back to her book, "because you'd be admitting defeat."

"What in Merlin's name is that supposed to mean?"

Marlene sighed dramatically. "She's too far gone, Al, I don't think we can save her…"

"Oh, bugger off, the pair of you," growled Lily, throwing a piece of paper at Marlene. "I don't like him. Happy?"

"We saw you two going off all by yourselves a few weeks ago," said Marlene, scrunching the paper into a ball and throwing it back at her. "Forgive me if that doesn't look a little suggestive."

"For Merlin's sake, we were going to the kitchens!" cried out Lily exasperatedly. Madam Pince gave her the evil eye, and she smiled sheepishly at her before turning back to her friends, "We were going to the kitchens! If I remember correctly, I brought you and Alice enough pastries to fill your dorms!"

"Yes, and they were delicious," sniggered Marlene. "But the fact still remains that you went off by yourselves…"

"That's rich, coming from Miss I-shag-Sirius-Black-in-the-Astronomy-Tower," seethed Lily. She rounded on Alice. "I don't see her getting interrogated, why's that, Alice dear?"

"Because, Lilyyy," said Alice, stretching out the syllables. "Marlene's already dating Sirius, so there's no need to interrogate her."

"Besides, Sirius and I aren't that serious anyway." Marlene didn't even smirk at her pun. "We meet each other after curfew, have an hour or two of fun, and go about our day. Whereas you, Lily…"

"What about me?" snapped Lily.

"Shut up," hissed Alice before Marlene could answer, as Madam Pince shuffled towards their direction.

"We've seen you and James dance around each other for the better part of two years," whispered Marlene. "It's bound to happen eventually, don't you think, Alice?"

"Definitely," said Alice, as Lily groaned in exasperation. "I tell you, Marls, by the end of the year Lily and James will be singing our praises."

"Oh, not even." Marlene's eyes were shining. "A galleon that they don't even last till the end of the month."

Lily pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering how on earth she got stuck with two of the most annoying friends in the world.

They continued to tease her after that, but Lily drowned out the noise. She worked silently on her dragon essay.

Fifteen minutes later, she heard Alice snap her book shut, cursing Professor Hedith and her stupid dragons, and took out a piece of parchment. Marlene had given up a long time ago, and was now doodling aimlessly with a pencil.

Lily tucked her books back into her bag and glanced at Alice, now writing what appeared to be a novel. "What's that?"

"A letter," answered Alice. "To Frank," she added to Lily's questioning look. "He's just finished the first stage of Auror Training, so they're giving him a few days off."

"Frank Longbottom's an Auror?" asked Marlene, a look of surprise on her face.

"Yes," said Alice a little defensively, "Why?"

Marlene waved her hand vaguely and turned back to her drawing. "Nothing, Al. Curiosity, ever heard of it?"

Alice ignored her, instead choosing to continue to write her letter. Lily watched her silently, noticing how her face relaxed when she was thinking about Frank.

She scribbled down her signature and rolled up her parchment. "Shall we go? We're not getting anything done here."

The three girls exited the library, heading for dinner in the Great Hall. They caught up with Mary and Emmeline on their way.

"Lily, Lily, Lily," sang Marlene suddenly as they passed through a hallway filled with suits of armour. "Don't you know that delay is the deadliest form of denial?"

For the next few weeks, James was so busy he hardly had any time left for mischief-making, which was probably why Sirius had left him in the dark on the whole McGonagall thing.

He was still quite miffed that Sirius hadn't at least informed him what he was going to do to McGonagall beforehand. In retrospect, though, James probably would've tried to stop him, since he was Head Boy and needed to keep up images.

Now was no time for pranks, though, for as the date of the upcoming festival loomed closer, James's workload doubled by the day.

He and the rest of the 7th-years were starting to feel just how stressful things at Hogwarts could be. If James was being honest with himself, he was doing far better than the other students in terms of homework – better, at least, than Peter, who was so far behind in Charms that Flitwick had called him to his office personally.

His evenings were filled with the sound of quills scratching on parchment as he worked on his essays. Sometimes, Sirius and Remus and Peter were there to help him; other times, he completed just as much with Lily.

As for the Gathering of Many Faces (which, he'd been informed, was actually the 50th anniversary of the death of some wizard), things were going smoothly. James and Lily occasionally spent their breaks hunched over a diagram of the Great Hall, plotting the events and celebrations. He'd bought a tape of The Weird Sisters' debut album, listened to it using Lily's wireless, and had ultimately decided that he rather liked this weird band. The highlight of his week: they'd actually responded and accepted his offer, and had even sent him some free merchandise, which James hung up proudly in his room.

Three days before the festival, James and the rest of the Marauders met up in their common room to discuss what they'd be wearing, something that James found quite silly.

He'd been listening to Peter drone on and on about the types of costumes he wanted to wear, ranging from an outfit that looked a bit like a bear that he said he'd gotten from a film called Star Wars (James still had no idea what a film was, nor why stars were trying to do each other in), to a muscle suit with a bat cowl covering his face.

"You look ridiculous, Wormtail," said Sirius lazily from his spot on the couch. "Take that off, will you?"

Peter sighed. "If you insist."

He Vanished his cape and mask and plumped back down in his armchair. Remus glanced up from his book, amused.

"We need to think of something," murmured Sirius. "It's our last year, for Merlin's sake, and Dumbledore's given us permission to go as anything. So why haven't we thought of anything?"

"Do our costumes have to match?" asked Remus carefully. Sirius rounded on him, an incredulous look on his face.

"Why wouldn't we have matching costumes?"

"Because, Padfoot," said Remus, rolling his eyes, "we'll look like even bigger dorks than we already are –"

"We're not dorks!" protested James.

Remus laughed. "Please, Prongs. We have codenames for each other."

James and Sirius shut up after that.

"Oh, I know," said Remus suddenly. He snapped his book shut and sat up, giving the boys his full attention. "How about we go as something cool? Something everyone will love."

"That's what I've been saying, Moony," said Sirius exasperatedly, closing his eyes and leaning against one of his pillows. "The thing is – what counts as cool in this place?"

"I'll tell you." Remus regarded his four friends carefully. "But I'm afraid the process in which to get those four costumes will be a rather long and winding road…"

Remus waited patiently as the gears turned slowly in his friends' heads. Suddenly, Sirius' face brightened, and he grinned widely.

"Moony, you might just be a genius," said Sirius, sliding off of his sofa. "Why didn't I think of that?"

James and Peter eyed the others confusedly. "What –"

"Oh, nevermind, you two," said Remus impatiently, though his eyes were twinkling. "You really ought to get some help, if you haven't yet gotten it…"

"Help –?" James's eyes widened. "Oh – OH – Moony, you're brilliant, you are."

"I don't get it," said Peter, his watery eyes squinting slightly. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Don't be thick, Wormy, honestly –"

"Just leave him be," said Remus firmly. "We can work out the finer details with him later, Wormy can wait."

The rest of the boys laughed, but Peter just stared at them, a bewildered look on his face.

"I still don't get it."

On the afternoon of the 31st of October, James and Lily were standing in the middle of the Great Hall, now decorated as it usually was for Hallowe'en, waving their wands in a careful manner as dancing skeletons and cackling pumpkins soared through the air. They'd been excused from classes by Dumbledore and McGonagall to work on the festival, and it was really coming along well, if James said so himself.

The four house tables had been decorated with jack-o-lanterns and jack-in-the-boxes and who knew what other jacks. The plan was to have the feast first; therefore, the house tables would be needed. After the feast, fourth-year students and older were permitted to stay in the Great Hall till midnight, in which the festival would officially end.

James got on one of the tables, scanning the mass of unlit candles laid out on the floor. His mind flitted back to his first year, when he'd met Sirius, and when things seemed so much simpler. Smiling slightly, he swished his wand and flicked.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The candles rose to the air, nearly reaching the ceiling.

"Nice touch," commented Lily. "But what if the wax falls on a student?"

James shook his head mischievously. "I think you forget, Evans, that we're at Hogwarts. These are enchanted candles from Zonko's, they won't be waxing off anytime soon."

Lily had no time to retort, for at that moment, the Great Hall's double doors opened and in strode Dumbledore, leading a group of six men, all with wild-looking hair, and all carrying bulging bags. The Weird Sisters!

James jumped off of his table and hurried towards them, dragging Lily as he did so. Dumbledore smiled proudly as he surveyed the room. "The Great Hall looks spectacular! An excellent idea, to have floating candles. Perhaps we'll use them more often from now on."

"Thanks, Professor," said James quickly, and then he turned to the man at the front of the group. "Myron Wagtail? Big fan."

Myron Wagtail looked surprised, but he extended a hand to James, who grasped it excitedly. "Thanks, Potter. You don't know what it means, letting us play here."

"Couldn't have asked anyone else," said James proudly. He gestured towards the dais that usually held the staff table. "You're going to be performing there, after the feast. We'll have a stage ready and everything."

"Right," said Myron, nodding good-naturedly. His long hair bounced up and down as he moved his head.

James felt Lily nudge him, and he looked at her confusedly before turning back to The Weird Sisters, now remembering. "Oh yeah, my friend here has a request, if it isn't much trouble?"

"Depends," said Myron, shouldering his bag. "What sort of request?"

"We were wondering," began James, "if you could play the Beatles as your closing act? Should round off the night in a memorable way, don't you think?"

"Everyone loves the Beatles," piped in Lily. "I guarantee that your popularity will skyrocket after this, Mr Wagtail."

"I see," said Myron. He looked quite flustered to have been called 'Mr Wagtail' and turned to his bandmates. "Well, what do you say? Some good Muggle music to end our gig?"

"Why not?" said a pale-looking young man with short hair. "Should be fun."

Dumbledore kept turning his head back and forth between the two parties, evidently surprised that they were friendly with each other.

"Well! It seems that you are all well acquainted, so I see no reason to make introductions," said Dumbledore, and he bowed to The Weird Sisters, who bowed back and shuffled off to prepare their gear. "Miss Evans, you must tell me more about this Beatles band that you are speaking of. I shall take my leave. I will be looking forward to tonight!"

"We'll see you, Professor," said James, inclining his head slightly. The Headmaster smiled and exited the Great Hall.

"I reckon we're done here," said Lily, eyeing her work one last time. "We should get back to the common room."

A couple of hours later, James and the rest of the Marauders donned matching black suits and ties. Sirius had charmed sideburns onto his face, and Remus and Peter had both grown moustaches.

James rubbed his hair with his dad's very own invention: Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, and, true to its saying, his hair softened and straightened.

"Come on, then," said Sirius, pushing the door open. "Can't wait to dance with Marls."

"Tonight marks the fiftieth anniversary of Harry Houdini's death," boomed Dumbledore. "We celebrate him, for not only was he a great wizard, but because he managed to show a little part of our world to our Muggle brethren in a way that would become unforgettable for them. For Harry Houdini."

James raised his glass of Butterbeer. The toast was repeated by the hundreds of students present in the Great Hall. "For Harry Houdini."

It was his turn now to speak. Dumbledore stepped back, and suddenly the light turned to James.

"Sonorus," he muttered, pointing his wand at his throat. He cleared his voice, which sounded like an elephant trumpeting now, and addressed the students. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, for this evening's entertainment, I present – no, Fenwick, it's not who you think it is – THE WEIRD SISTERS!"

There was a bang and smoke appeared on the stage; for a moment all was quiet, and James thought that something had gone wrong, but then he heard Myron Wagtail's suave voice. The students roared with glee and surged forwards to the stage.

James caught Lily's eye and grinned. She looked very pretty in her outfit: a simple white dress-robe that complimented her pale skin magnificently. Her red hair, usually wavy and slightly messy, was now straight and shiny. A circle of golden flowers was in her hair, and her ears had been Transfigured to look pointed and long. It was all so simple, and yet so Lily... it was perfect.

"It's come along nicely, don't you think?" said James, gesturing at the Great Hall.

"Yeah," responded Lily, filling her glass of Butterbeer. "Your band isn't bad either, James."

"Cheers." He drank from his cup. "I'm just glad it's over."

Lily stepped back and surveyed him, smiling slightly. "Let me guess… John?"

James sighed. He had now been mistaken for John twice that night – the other had been by Alice. "I'm Paul, actually. Sirius is John."

He and Lily glanced over at the dance floor. James spotted Sirius dancing wildly with Marlene in his arms as The Weird Sisters played Holy Hydra.

"But you have the glasses –"

"And Sirius has the sideburns," countered James, smirking. "I'm clean-shaven, see?"

"All right, fine," relented Lily, rolling her eyes. "Can you guess what I am, then, Paul?"

James looked her up and down, stroking his clean-shaven chin thoughtfully. She looked eerily familiar to him, like a character he'd read from a book. Elves were common, of course, but this particular one...

"Flowers, pointed ears, a white dress... I'm not great at Elvish, but you're vanimelda."

"Beautiful," she translated, smiling faintly. "Guess which elf I am."

On her right hand, displayed on her middle finger, was a silver ring. It was fairly large, and had more Elvish words that he did not recognize. Even so, he felt as though he should know her...

"You're Galadriel," he decided at last. "Lady of the wood."

Her smile told him he'd gotten that correct.

They stood side-by-side, watching the others dance. Once or twice James cracked a silent joke, and they both laughed themselves silly. Soon, the Butterbeer turned into Firewhisky that he'd managed to snuggle in, and he shared it with Lily.

"We haven't fought in over a year now," remarked James suddenly, a while later. Lily looked up at him, surprised.

"Yeah," she smiled serenely. "D'you want to fight now?"

James choked on his Firewhisky. "No thanks. I rather enjoy these moments alone with you, see."

"Noted." James felt Lily reach out and squeeze his hand. "You're not so bad, Potter."

James sincerely hoped that his palm wasn't sweating, because he sure felt like it was. His heart raced, and he whooped at the feeling of his hand clasped with Lily's.

They joined their friends on the dance floor. He twirled Lily about, matching the upbeat tune that The Weird Sisters were playing. James and Sirius even danced together, roaring with laughter as they did so, and they both managed to pull Remus 'George Harrison' Lupin in to form a triplet. The Great Hall was less crowded now, and many of the students had left for bed or to take a night stroll out on the grounds.

At a quarter till midnight, The Weird Sisters announced that they'd be playing a 'couple of Muggle songs', to which Lily squealed and dragged James off, presumably to dance. The Marauders shot him mischievous smirks that he only rolled his eyes at, and he lost sight of them in the crowd after that.

The lights flickered, and Myron Wagtail stepped out in front, holding his microphone seductively. Professor Dumbledore and Professor Sprout danced tipsily off to the side, rotating slowly as Professor McGonagall cheered them on.

To lead a better life...

Lily guided him across the dance floor as though they were in a dream. James held on to her hand, his mind still fuzzy about the fact that this was actually happening, Lily Evans is willing to dance with me, she looks happy and I am happy…

James waltzed with her, not caring that the others might be looking. At the moment, it was just him and Lily, no one else mattered, it was only her, her lemony scent, her dazzling smile and those enchanting emerald eyes that entranced him so…

I want her everywhere…

James agreed fully. He twirled Lily in his arms and pulled her close, their faces inches away from each other, and at that moment he felt the creature in his chest roar with approval. He felt as though every fibre of his being longed for her.

Watching her eyes and hoping I'm there…

Lily Evans's green eyes bore into his, a hard, blazing look on her face that told him that you're all right, after all, and I don't hate you, I never hated you, you stupid prat –

Here, there, and everywhere.

The song ended to raucous applause. James swore to himself right then and there – he'd always be there for the girl dancing in his arms, whether as friends or more, he'd always be there…

James and Lily continued to sway slowly, their eyes glued to each other and smiles etched permanently on their faces. The candles above flickered dimly, and the last of the conjured bats vanished into smoke.

The Weird Sisters started to play a slow, mellow tune, belonging neither to them or to the Beatles. It held few notes, but James felt as though it captured his emotions perfectly. He understood without having to think, he felt without reaching out, that this was right, this was so right…

He pulled Lily closer, her warm body pressing up against his. He leaned down, smelling her sweet red hair, his hands tangling themselves in her locks, and he wished that this moment could last forever…

"You're an excellent dancer," murmured Lily in his ear, leaning her head to his.

"You, too," said James softly.

They moved back and forth slowly, tiny little steps that made the moment ever more delightful.

"We could elope," whispered James. "Just you and me…"

"Cheeky," breathed Lily, digging her hands into his hair, messing it up so that it was no longer neat and tidy. "And where would we go?"

James nearly stepped on her foot.

We. She hadn't rejected him. She hadn't recoiled, she hadn't scowled, and she hadn't said, in your dreams, Potter.

I'm living a dream.

"I dunno," admitted James gruffly, revolving slowly. "I never thought I'd get this far…"

Lily threw her head back and laughed. "Hogsmeade? After your match next week?"

"We, love," said James, resting his hands on her shoulders, "Can go anywhere you bloody well want."

Lily smiled at him.

Chapter 8! Disclaimer: the song I used here is Here, There and Everywhere by The Beatles! It's not my favourite song by them, that honour belongs to either In My Life or When I'm Sixty Four. I love The Beatles, their more popular songs are just so wholesome.

Edit: I changed all the Marlons to Myrons. I do apologize, they're similar-sounding names and I didn't even realize at first. We can't have firsts-year Hufflepuffs becoming world-class rockstars, can we?

Also, if any of you notice any sentences in which there aren't any periods, please let me know! I'll fix them right up. I noticed a few when I was reading through the already published chapter on the app, but I've since forgotten where they were and it's really a chore to read it all again. Read and Review, as always, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!