"Come on Lily, just go to the Ball with me. If you don't say yes soon I'll ask someone else and then how will you feel?"

"I'll feel glad that you finally took a hint."

James Potter laughed along with the rest of the crowd, but it didn't take a genius to see that he was severely pissed off at the damn girl's stubbornness.

"All right then Evans, you win this round," he winked and threw her the ol' 'snap-and-point, "but you haven't yet won the war!"

Lily did not dignify this repulsive display with an answer and walked away without another word- right past where one Severus Snape was hiding and eavesdropping on the whole conversation.

"HEY Lily!" he blurted enthusiastically, obviously ecstatic at her continual rejection of his rival

Lily jumped about a mile in the air, and her books flew yet higher before landing about twenty feet away in each direction.

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

"Jeeze, Sev, You gotta stop lurking like that!" She said as he scurried trying to collect her scattered schoolwork.

"I heard your conversation," he said quickly, ignoring her comment and cutting directly to what he wanted to discuss, knowing that if he failed to do so he would lose all nerve entirely.

"Oh, yeah," She scowled, "that Potter puss-head, he doesn't when to just… let it die."

"So… it's… it is dead then, right?"

"It was never alive! It was stillborn!" They looked at each other a moment, "Ok this is a really weird conversation, can we change the subject?"
"No!" She raised her eyebrow, "I mean yes we can cha- well, I mean, I might have a solution."

"What are you talking about? Are you sweating?" as she looked out at the frozen lake outside the castle window.

"Well, I mean, maybe we should- just to get him to lay off- but I mean if you don't want to, I would completely-"

"Sev! You're a genius!"

"I- am? I am! Yeah."

"That's great, and nothing will bother him more than if I 'm going with you!"

"Yeah." Severus grimaced knowing the danger he was putting himself in by going with the girl he really wanted to go with. But there comes a time in every man's life (they're 14) when he has grit his teeth and fight for the woman he loves! (Yeah. 14).

It was at that moment when young Severus Snape was filled with the burning desire to impress the girl of his dreams with his fantastic dancing skills. Dancing skills that he did not possess. Yet! But he would possess them, those dancing skills, or die trying (Yeah, he's serious. Not to be confused with Sirius).

X

Snape stormed down into the dungeons towards the Slytherin Common room. He could easily have gone in himself, but knew that tormenting small children was far more entertaining and life affirming. Especially knowing that he was about to do something that would bruise his self image quite severely. So the first first year Slytherin who tried to scurry past him he grabbed by the scruff of the robes and demanded in a way that only Severus Snape can,

"Get Malfoy," The boy was so terrified that he was frozen in the spot, "Now!" The boy scampered down the stone hall, barely able to keep out of the way of his own feet, he was so frightened. A few moments later Draco stepped out of the portrait hole confused and a little frightened as well to see his head of house waiting for him.

"Alright Boy!!!! You win!"

Draco looked up in shock, "P-Professor?"

"Shut up!" Draco's eyes widened and he began to wonder if coming out here had been a terrible mistake. "I'll teach you."

"What!?"

"I'll teach you to…dance." He whispered the last word as if it were the last word he would ever speak.

"T-Thank you Professor Snape. You won't regret it."

"I already do."

End Chapter 4