Hogsmeade was already crazy when they all got down there. Hermione and Remus hadn't talked about changing their plans, having been too busy with their tongues in each other's mouths the night before. They all needed to get things to wear for the ball and then they were going to meet at the Three Broomsticks for lunch.
Everything was going fine until Lily dropped the bombshell on them as they were walking through the gates.
"Thomas Petersen has asked me to go to the ball with him." Everyone literally stopped moving.
"Want to run that by me again," James demanded in a low sort of voice. She turned hard eyes on him.
"I'm going to the ball with Thomas Petersen. I just thought that I would inform everyone." Everyone of course meaning James. Remus squeezed Hermione's hand just a little tighter. To be fair, he hadn't asked her yet either.
"Seventh year Ravenclaw, Petersen? Chaser?" James was almost feral, standing in front of her so that she couldn't move.
"Yes, Potter. He's asked me and I've said yes."
"Well, why would he go and do some stupid shit like that?" This was getting very ugly, very quickly. James ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration. Lily pulled at her braid.
"I don't know, Potter. Maybe because he likes me and wants to go out with me?" His hazel eyes flashed.
"I like you! I want to go out with you!" Lily looked on the verge of tears.
"No, you don't! You just don't like that I'm that only one who has ever said no to you!" Lily was losing it.
"That's not true and you know it!" Remus let go of Hermione to actually hold James back. Lily wasn't the only one who looked like she could cry. "You don't want to go out with me because you actually feel something for me!"
"Don't tell me what I feel James!" Alice pulled Lily away. Marlene was looking back and forth between them like she was wondering if she should just let them finally have it out.
"You're being an idiot!" he yelled at her. "I don't understand you at all!" Lily stomped her foot.
"Obviously and that's the problem isn't it! You don't understand me!"
"Why is this so hard for you, Lily?" James was yelling now, standing right in front of her. "Just give me a fucking shot."
"Why should I? You are the same arrogant, spoiled, bully that you were when you were eleven!" It was difficult to say who was angrier at the moment. It wasn't the first time Hermione wondered how in the hell they ever ended up married.
"No, I'm not! You are just too stubborn to see it! Get off your high horse, Evans! Grow up!"
"ME?" she was screeching. "You- you… I HATE YOU! Now go off with your friends and leave. Me. Alone.!" Lily stormed off then. Alice and Marlene following behind. Hermione went to follow but Remus had hold of her hand.
"Make sure to meet us later, okay?" he told her, a sad look in his eyes.
"Okay," she said. She wanted to catch up with her friends but the look on James' face stopped her. Harry really was a true compliment of his parents. She'd felt like she'd seen James cry before simply because she'd seen it on his son's face. "Is he…"
"He'll be okay," Remus said gently, letting her go to catch up with the girls, "but hey. Go to the ball with me?" His grin was such a stark contrast to the current mood.
"Yes." With a quick kiss, one that shouldn't already feel so second nature, she was off trying to calm Lily down.
Alice and Marlene were practically dodging fireballs.
"How dare he think that I cannot go to the ball with whomever I like! If I wanted to go to the ball with Lucius Malfoy, I would!" That reminded Hermione.
"Oh Marlene, that reminds me, Derek Nott would like me to remind you to find him when you are ready for a real man." She rolled her eyes but it made Lily give a watery chuckle.
"I'll use the man that I have thank you very much," she said before turning back towards Lily dragging her towards the store. "Now, what does Petersen want you to wear?"
That was enough to distract the girls for most of the morning. The shop was full to the brim with Hogwarts girls scrambling to buy a dress on the last day they would be allowed out of the castle. To cheer Lily up, each of the girls tried on the most ridiculous thing that they could find. Hermione's stomach was hurting from laughing so hard.
What was it about this that Voldemort wanted to destroy?
What was so bad about this?
It was beautiful.
"Oh Lil! You need to try this on!" Alice who was currently in a giant princess, birthday cake looking ballgown could barely hand over the dress to her friend. Lily took the red fabric from her friend's hands and caressed it gently. It was gorgeous and would be stunning with her red hair. After some encouragement Lily went into the dressing room with the others waiting with bated breath.
"Oh Lily," they breathed out together. She looked perfect.
The red dress was long sleeved and fitted to her body until her knees. There was just enough of a flare that her blue painted toes could be seen on the floor if she twisted around. Her chest and arms were covered in red lace. She looked down at herself as if she was uncomfortable but when she looked in the mirror and put her hands on her hips, it seemed she was satisfied.
"Devil in a red dress," Hermione said with a smile.
"Potter is going to shit." Marlene said inelegantly to which Alice and Lily sent her a look. "I mean Petersen obviously. We need to get you some killer heels."
Once Lily was taken care of, Alice was dolled up in a perfect yellow number that her mother and Frank's family would approve of. She stated that it needed to be up to pureblood women standards for modesty or she would be in trouble.
Marlene didn't have that problem. The tiny piece of black fabric that she bought could hardly be qualified as a dress. If there was a male at Hogwarts who hadn't seen what was under her robes before, well, they wouldn't be wondering after. She paired the dress with sky high red heels and a new red lipstick. Hermione was so glad that she was going to be able to grow older, maybe even keep Sirius in line throughout his life.
"Oh Hermione! Try this!" Lily was handing Hermione a long gold dress. She didn't even want to try it on because she wasn't going to be able to afford it but one look at the price tag had her surprised. She would at least try it on.
When she slipped the garment over her head, it fit like a glove, hugging her in every place it was supposed to. The gold sequins were catching the light and making her glow. The spaghetti straps were elegant on her shoulders and helped accentuate what she did have. She had never felt beautiful before, not even the Yule ball made her feel like this.
"You're buying that," Marlene told her. "Wrap it up ladies, we have lunch dates."
Lunch.
It was awkward.
Lily wouldn't talk to James. James wouldn't look at Lily. Sirius was trying really hard to make it better but there really was no helping the situation. It got worse very quickly.
"Hi Lily." Thomas Petersen - sweet, stupid Thomas Petersen came over to their table at the Three Broomsticks with a smile. Lily looked around nervously.
"Hey Thomas, alright?" she asked. He shrugged, a Honeydukes bag in his hands and no idea the danger he was in.
"Yeah, just with the mates getting our dress robes for the ball. Did you all get your things?"
He was perfectly polite and perfectly dead.
"Is there a reason you're here, Petersen?" James demanded in that not so nice tone of his.
"Back off Prongs," Sirius said. It seemed like this was something they had to say often. Hermione felt Remus tense up at her side.
"Oh er, yeah," he said suddenly realizing he was outnumbered and much shorter than James should it come to that. "I just wanted to check in with Lily." He shot her a smile which she struggled to return.
"That's interesting to me," James told him, trying to get out of the bench but Peter knew to stay exactly where he was no matter how hard James pushed. "Because before today, I had no idea you were even interested in Lily."
Thomas looked between the two of them nervously, his hand on the back of his neck. Nobody dared to say anything.
"I didn't know that you needed to know."
Brave but very stupid.
"Oh really?" James started but Lily was already shoving Thomas from the restaurant. The Gryffindors watched them go with different looks on their faces before looking to James. He was some sort of horrible mix between pissed and upset.
"James," Alice started but he held up a hand.
"I need a drink.