Chapter Sixteen: The Truth
"It doesn't matter anyway."
"But, Charlotte-"
"I'm not having this conversation anymore, Helen." Charlotte primly opened the door of the bathroom through which Lily couldn't help overhearing. She froze when she spotted Lily reading a textbook in bed. "When did you get in?" She snarled.
"I've been here all morning," Lily said dryly.
Helen bounded out behind Charlotte and gave Lily a hideous look. "Are you wearing that to the Yule Ball?" She gasped at the light brown faded bundle of fabric hanging off one of her bedposts.
Lily sighed. "Yes. I wouldn't go if I had the choice, but I'm a prefect, so…"
Helen bit her lip. "That's tragic."
Charlotte shook the curls from her eyes with a laugh. "There is no way you'll find a date with that. Well…I'm sure you'll find one, but keeping him with you- that's another story."
"Thank you, Charlotte, I will keep that in mind." Lily went back to her book.
"I'm going down for breakfast. Are you coming, Helen?" Charlotte prodded. Helen was still gazing in awe at the hideousness of Lily's dress.
"I thought you were going shopping with your father today?" Helen said mindlessly.
Charlotte's plump lips turned down at the edges. "Well…Daddy is very busy today, so we had to…reschedule."
"Oh…right." Helen gulped as if she realized she'd just made some horrific error and would pay for it later.
Charlotte glared. "Coming?"
Helen scurried out the door, not meeting her eye.
Lily watched them leave, and eyeballed the closed door bewilderedly. Strange. But Charlotte did have the ticket, she thought, as her stomach began to rumble. Lily marked her page and headed down for some food.
Her thoughts drifted to the Yule Ball. She wasn't sure who she was going to ask, since no one was going to ask her. Well…unless…
No. No, that wasn't going to happen.
…Was it?
Would James Potter ask her to the Yule Ball? Despite the fact that she was dreading his Christmas invitation to her home and wearing that hideous dress, of course, she found herself getting tiny butterflies in the pit of her stomach. After all, she'd only attended the Yule Ball once, and it was a horrid disaster. Her date actually tried to get up her skirt, and then started a rumor about the size of her knickers after she slapped him away! The nerve.
Lily hugged herself in the chilly hallway and dreamed about the dance, even letting her mind imagine one- only one- slow dance with James. It was all seeming pretty nice.
A strange scuffling noise stopped her in her tracks. She looked around, but the corridor appeared empty. She started on her way, but she heard it again. This time, Lily pulled out her wand. She hadn't forgotten the incident with Dirk and Ingrid Lofgren, and wondered if the whole thing could be happening again.
She followed the muffled noises and rounded the corner into a dimly lit corridor. She treaded lightly, holding her wand in a defensive stance.
Lily froze. It was James, but he wasn't alone. The girl he was with had a cascade of dark locks, and had him pressed against the side of a statue. His hands were around her waist, and he laced his fingers through her hair. Then they kissed.
Lily was speechless. Softly, as if she'd never been there, she crept backwards and flattened herself against the cool stonewall to catch her breath. Tears were stinging her eyes, but she brushed them away roughly. This was ridiculous. Why was she crying? And over James, of all people, after the way he treated her. She shook it off and strode back down the hall, her hands balled into fists.
It wasn't her business anyway what he did with other girls. She and James weren't together, after all. A tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away. She wasn't paying attention and she slammed straight into someone else.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Lily exclaimed, quickly wiping the last of her tears. "Are you oka- oh."
Mila Lofgren was staring back at her sheepishly. Her hands were clasped primly in front of her, and she couldn't seem to look Lily in the eye. "Er…" she began. "Hi."
"Hello," Lily was hesitant.
Mila smoothed her long blonde hair nervously, and lifted her eyes to meet Lily's. They were a bright, resonating crystal blue, and they stood out strongly against the pale palette of her skin and faded eyebrows. "I heard what you did for Ingrid."
"Oh."
"And…I just wanted to apologize."
Lily held her breath.
"I shouldn't have acted the way I did…I just…I misjudged you." She looked at Lily expectantly.
"I…of course it's okay," Lily shook her head. "I just hope we can be friends."
Mila smiled. "Good. I'm glad. I can be a real bitch sometimes."
Lily shrugged, and suddenly felt as if a giant weight had been lifted. "Well, can't we all?"
They laughed together in the halls, washing their nerves away.
"So…where are you headed?" Mila asked.
"Breakfast…want to join me?"
Mila grinned. "I'm starved."
---
It turned out that Lily had more in common with Mila than she'd ever expected. Despite the icy look, she was a warm, giggly person. In fact, so giggly that they spent the entire breakfast time laughing about things that really weren't all that funny unless you had the giggle bug.
They finally fell silent, Lily crunching on a piece of toast. She set it down mid-bite and gazed at the double doors. James has just wandered in, his hair extra disheveled and an indescribable look on his face. He caught Lily's gaze and nodded to her with a grin. She immediately flushed and turned away.
Mila eyed her curiously. "Are you and James…together?"
"What?" Lily practically shouted. "No! No. Of course not."
"Lily," Mila stared at her, "Everyone can tell he's got it bad for you."
"Well they're wrong," Lily grumbled. They didn't know how wrong.
Mila shook her head. "I don't know. I mean I've seen the way he looks at you."
"Well it's not true!" Lily heard herself shouting, her knife clattering loudly on her plate.
"Okay, I'm sorry!" Mila said nervously. "I didn't mean to-"
"No," Lily felt herself flush. She took a deep breath and tried to bite back the prickly feeling rising in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." She stared down at the palms of her hands.
Mila looked genuinely concerned. "I know we don't really know each other that well, and I don't want to pry, but, did something…happen?"
Lily heaved a sigh. "He's just…not who I thought he was. He's good at playing games." She gave Mila a forced smile.
Mila raised her eyebrows, but didn't probe any further.
They parted ways in the hall, Mila heading to Ravenclaw and Lily to Gryffindor Tower. Lily was halfway there when she spotted James. There he was, leaning against a pillar looking damnably blasé, clearly waiting for her. Her stomach lurched. He was, of course, the last person she was keen on seeing at the moment.
"There you are," he said. "What, are you avoiding me now?"
Lily put her head down and pushed past him, but he caught her arm and spun her around. "Hello? I'm talking to you."
"James, just leave me-" Lily began, but was interrupted by a shrill voice.
"Jaaamsiiieeee!" Charlotte was tottering down the hall, her curls bouncing. "James, wait!"
He sighed at the sight of her and let go of Lily's arm. Charlotte ignored her presence and looked lovingly into James' eyes. "I need to ask you something."
"What?"
She puckered a bit and tipped her head. Just as Helen and Florence caught up, panting behind her, she said, "You have the honor of taking me to the Yule Ball this year."
"That was a question?" James frowned.
Charlotte waved her hand dismissively. "Well you were taking so long to ask, I thought I'd just give you my answer now!"
"No."
Charlotte blinked. "What?" She stared at him blankly. "Why?"
"It doesn't matter, Charlotte," he growled, "Because I already have a date."
Charlotte looked positively ravaged as she gasped, "What?" She shot Lily a sudden accusing glare. "You mean, with her?"
Helen and Florence looked as if they might pass out. "The horror!" They cried in unison.
Lily glared back. "No, it isn't me. Is it, James?"
James glowered at her. "I don't have to explain myself to you."
Lily bit her cheek. "Fine. If that's how we're going to play it."
"Lily," James leaned in dangerously close, "That's how it's been played from the beginning...hasn't it?"
Charlotte suddenly felt very uncomfortable. To salvage the remains of her pride, she shot James a withering glare before grabbing the wrists of Florence and Helen and whisking around the corner.
Lily kept her eyes settled steadfastly on James'. The intensity was unwavering. She took a step closer so that the fronts of their robes brushed ever so lightly together.
Something wavered momentarily in Lily's eyes as she asked softly, "Who is she, James?"
James felt his heart seize up unexpectedly. "I- she..."
"Never mind," Lily shook her head and there were suddenly several paces of distance between them. She was already making her way down the corridor. "Forget I asked. Forget...everything..." she trailed off, turning away from him.
James didn't follow.
---
Groaning, Lily awoke the next morning with a throbbing headache. She'd barely slept a wink, having spent the night brooding over James and his mystery woman. Regardless, she forced herself out of bed. She had class to attend, and stewing over a boy was not going to get her an 'O' in Advanced Potions.
After a quick shower and a careless ponytail, Lily dragged herself to class, skipping breakfast. Running into James was the last thing she wanted right now, and he was bound to be either stuffing his face with toast and jam or raven-haired girl. He could take his pick, really.
"Lily!" she heard a voice coming from behind her. She was relieved to see Mila's smiling face when she turned.
"Morning…"
"You don't look so good," Mila tilted her head. "Look…I've been thinking. James must have…done something to upset you. So what better way to make yourself feel better than to get some revenge?"
Lily frowned. "Mila, I don't know…" All she really wanted was to crawl back in bed and forget she'd ever met James Potter.
"There's only one way to drive a guy mad," she smirked, taking Lily's hand. "Jealousy."
---
With a bit of blush and some lash curler, Lily didn't clean up so bad. Her auburn hair was down and tousled, with thick, face-framing curls. She peered back at herself in the mirror and licked her lips. Well…here goes nothing, she thought to herself. Climbing delicately down the stairs from the girls' dormitory, being careful not to trip and fall flat on her face in her borrowed heels, Lily made her way into the Common Room.
She received more than a few stares. She blushed. Mila had hiked up Lily's skirt more than necessary and undid the first couple buttons of her blouse. She felt like a tramp, but Mila guaranteed it would get his attention, and Lily wasn't too picky at the moment. Perhaps it was a blatant signal of desperation, but there was still the off chance it might just work.
James was lounging by the fire with Sirius and Peter, scribbling something down on parchment. The firelight cast a warm flickering glow across his features, making them appear even more angular and strong.
Lily tottered over to where they sat, nearly tripping once, but she hoped no one noticed that. It was James whose eyes caught a glimpse of her first, and had to do a double take. Actually, the second take was of her chest, which simply made her blush deeper.
"Evans…?" James dropped what he was doing and sat up straight.
She ignored him and walked straight over to Sirius, who was propped comfortably on the couch. Peter choked on his water and wiped away the dribble making its way down his chin.
The firelight made her long, slender legs glow and her thick auburn locks burn brighter. Her back was to James, but she could feel his eyes boring into her.
"Lily…" Sirius' jaw dropped. He made no effort to hide the appreciative once-over his eyes gave her. "Lily," he said again with a grin.
Lily's lips curved seductively. "Sirius…I was wondering if I could ask you a question. Alone."
Sirius gave James a hesitant glance, but James was still gaping at Lily, so he took the opportunity to give her an emphatic nod.
James watched frozenly at them, now across the room chatting. A boiling rage began in the pit of his stomach and spread throughout his whole body. Just what the hell did she think she was doing? And with Sirius?
Lily tugged playfully on Sirius' tie and pressed herself against him. Sirius ran a hand through his hair said something that made her laugh. James felt his chest tighten as he saw Lily's lips distinctly form the words "Yule Ball." Sirius replied with another emphatic nod. With a coy smile, Lily flicked his tie and then headed back up to the girl's dormitory.
James was blind with rage, so when Sirius waltzed back up looking dazed, James hardly took notice. Peter just eyed him expectantly. "Well?" he asked.
Sirius grinned. "Purple," he said, his eyes starry.
"What?" Peter prodded.
"Her knickers. They're purple."
And that's when James punched him in the face.
---
"So?" Mila looked at Lily expectantly. "How did it go?"
"Well, I think," she said nervously, tugging her skirt back down. "Sirius said yes."
Mila gasped. "That's fabulous! Sirius Black is taking you to the Yule Ball! He's so pretty…" she said dreamily.
Lily smiled. "Yeah, but my dress isn't." She stared at the gloomy thing on her bedpost.
Mila opened her mouth, but it was Charlotte who cut her off.
"You're not wearing that to the Yule Ball," Charlotte said matter-of-factly, storming across the room.
"Well I don't have much else to wear," Lily grumbled. "Do we really have to keep having this conversation?"
Charlotte stopped at the edge of Lily's bed where she and Mila sat. "Look," she took a deep breath and placed a hand on her hip. "As far as I can tell, we've both been wronged by James. And the only way to make sure he leaves his date, whoever the bitch may be, is to work together to make him jealous."
"I think Lily's doing a pretty good job of that so far," Mila grinned.
"I'm sorry…work…together? As in, you and me?" Lily stared.
"Well, why not? Four boobs are better than two, right?"
"Er…"
Mila sniggered but was silenced when Charlotte pulled out a large black bag. "You can borrow this."
Lily thought she was going to faint. Emerging gloriously from the bag was a set of satin emerald robes, trimmed with a creamy lace. She dropped it in a heap on Lily's bed as if it were a three-week-old Daily Prophet. "It's from two years ago. It will probably be a little tight on you, but Florence knows a good seamstress."
"Charlotte…" Lily gaped. "I- I don't know what to say."
"Yes, well…" she dismissed her with a wave of her manicured hand, but there was a small flicker of satisfaction on her face. "Just try not to sweat on it too much."
Lily grinned and bit her lip. "Thank you," she said, genuinely grateful.
This was going to be a ball to remember; Lily was going to make certain of that.
---
"What the hell was I supposed to say?" Sirius growled, pressing a cold, damp cloth to his eye. "She looked so bloody gorgeous…" his eyes shimmered dreamily again.
"'No' would have been advisable!" James roared, nursing his fist. "She's not just another one of your conquests, you know."
Sirius glared at him. "You think I don't know that?" He shook his head. "She's definitely something special."
Somehow that didn't comfort James any more. "…Just don't do anything, all right?"
Sirius laughed. "Put yourself in a room with her all night and we'll see who does nothing. Sorry Prongs, but I can't promise anything."
"I'll put that other bloody eye out, Black!" James roared, clenching his fist.
"James," he said seriously. "Be realistic."
At Sirius' words, his face fell.
"You know that."
James sighed. He did know. He couldn't take Lily to the Yule Ball. "Just promise you'll treat her right, okay?"
Sirius shook his head knowingly. "Of course, mate. I promise."