Disclaimer: The characters are the property of the amazingly talented J.K Rowling! I'm only borrowing the characters and world that she has so brilliantly created.

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Beta by: ilovethedotgame

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Chapter Five: Suspicions

There were only a few days left until the holidays, and the décor at Hogwarts greatly reflected this fact. Suits of armor whistled Christmas carols, mistletoe floated about the castle, the staircases were festooned with garland, and there were three large Christmas trees in the Great Hall.

The students were becoming restless and more than one student could be found staring longingly out of a window in every class. In particular, Sirius Black could be found walking the hallways singing revised Christmas carols in a rather off-key voice.

Lunch had just ended, and students were filing out of the Great Hall in a large mass. When on their way to charms, Lily heard a voice from the crows call her name.

"Lily! Hey, Lily!"

Lily stopped walking and turned to find Sirius Black pushing his way through the crowded hallway in an attempt to get to her.

Behind her, Emmeline giggled loudly. Lily turned to ask Emmeline what was so funny, when she spotted a sprig of mistletoe floating above her head.

Oh no! she thought. Mistletoe above her, and Sirius hurrying towards her…it didn't take a genius to figure out what he had on his mind.

Turning back around, Lily found that Sirius had reached her. He was standing a little too close for Lily's comfort, and she was about to tell him so when, in a move worthy of a romance novel, he thrust out his right arm pulled her close, brought his left hand up to her face, and soundly kissed her.

Lily had planned to stop Sirius before he was even given the opportunity to kiss her, but the whole thing had happened so suddenly that she hadn't been given the chance.

While it was not by any means a bad kiss, Lily could not help feeling that there was something wrong…like she was kissing the wrong person.

Several people in the corridor cheered and a few whistled, causing Lily to come back to her senses. As Sirius tried to deepen the kiss, Lily pushed him away.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, taking a deep breath and subconsciously bringing her hand up to touch her mouth.

"Well, I was kissing you," Sirius smirked. "Care to have another go at it?" he leaned towards her again, but this time Lily was ready. She took a step backwards and held a hand in front of her as though to ward him off.

"Look Sirius, I just don't feel that way about you," Lily began, and Sirius's face adopted a wary look.

"But I thought- " he started, but Lily cut him off.

"I'm sorry if I ever gave you that impression, Sirius. Truly I am. I – I just…I can't."

"Can't? Or won't?" Sirius questioned, becoming slightly defensive. He crossed his arms in front him, his face darkening. "You're not seeing anyone are you?"

"Well, no," Lily stammered. "But -"

"Good," Sirius's expression brightened considerably, and he reached out a hand and tousled her hair. "Until you're taken, don't expect me to give up entirely."

With that parting statement, Sirius strode off down the corridor leaving Lily quite stunned. He wasn't going to give up? Had she not spelled it out for him? She may not have been dating someone, but her affections were elsewhere these days.

Lily looked up, and her eyes met a familiar pair of hazel eyes hidden behind circular, wire rimmed glasses.

James.

That was what had been wrong with that kiss… she didn't want to be kissing Sirius; she wanted to be kissing James.

L … J

Remus watched as Lily and James stared each other down in the hallway. He felt an uncomfortable settling in his stomach at the sight.

He had his suspicions about what those looks meant. He only hoped that he was wrong.

L … J

There was a spring in James' step as he sauntered down the corridors towards Charms. He felt wonderful. Absolutely brilliant.

Sirius had been so sure that Lily would respond agreeably to the kiss, but she hadn't. Maybe there was a chance for him yet.

James stopped in his tracks. He couldn't allow himself to think that things like that. Even if Lily were to care for him, it could never work out. It didn't matter whether or not she fancied him, or he fancied her. He was going to marry Hestia.

For the first time in his life, James felt a burning resentment towards Hestia. Why did he have to be stuck with her against his will?

As quickly as the thought had surfaced, James felt guilty. Hestia had not asked to be forced into an arranged marriage. She didn't want to marry him any more than he wanted to marry her.

L … J

Sirius wandered through the dark corridors, his hands jammed deep in the pockets of his trousers. The only light came from the flickering torches burning in their racks mounted on the walls.

Lily Evans had rejected him…

He was still reeling from the shock. She had rejected him. Sirius couldn't remember the last time that a girl had done such a thing.

Why had she done it? He had been sure that, after the incident when he caught her on the stairs and they looked into each other's eyes, she was interested in him. Had he been wrong?

"I can't." Those words kept echoing in Sirius's mind. She couldn't. What did that mean? Why couldn't she? What was stopping her?

Or was it…who was stopping her?

L … J

"What do you mean you can't?" Emmeline ranted, waving her hands in the air as she paced the length of the girls' dormitory. "Do you realize what some girls would give to have Sirius Black – THE Sirius Black – corner them under mistletoe and kiss them like that?"

Lily sighed and ran a hand over her face, weary of repeating the fact that she had no feelings whatsoever for Sirius Black. "Emmeline….I just…I don't fancy him."

"Why not?"

"He isn't what I'm looking for," Lily answered with what she considered to be a simple, plausible answer.

Emmeline looked to Alice and Hestia who, sprawled on Alice's bed, were reading the most recent edition of Witch Weekly. "Help me out here!"

"You can't force her to date Sirius," Alice tried to reason, flipping the page rather indifferently.

"I think you and Sirius would make a cute couple," Hestia hinted with a smile. "And you could double date with me and James."

Lily rolled her eyes. "As much fun as that would be, I'll have to decline."

"Come on, Lily, what's the real reason you won't date Sirius?" Emmeline pressured.

"I just don't want to," Lily cried exasperatedly. Flopping back on her bed, she covered her face with her pillow.

Emmeline continued her pacing for a moment, then cried "A ha!"

"What?" Hestia asked, looking up from an article on the benefits of color changing nail polish.

"The reason you don't want to date Sirius," Emmeline announced in a victorious voice, "is because you already fancy some other bloke!"

Hestia whipped her head around to stare at Lily while Alice looked thoughtful, chewing on her bottom lip.

"I hadn't thought of that…" Hestia pondered.

"Hestia Albright! Get that idea out of your head this minute!" Lily sat up, the pillow falling off her face and on to the floor.

"Her face is red; we must be on the right track…" Emmeline mock whispered in a conspiratorial manner to Alice.

"I have some research to do," Lily excused herself from the group and hurried down the stairs, nearly bumping into a second year in the process.

As she walked through the hallways, Lily wondered what she was going to do. She couldn't just wish away her feelings for James…And how long could she keep her secret hidden?

L … J

"Bye Lily!"

"Bye Hestia!" Lily called to her friend as they walked their separate directions from Platform 9 ¾ . "See you soon!"

Hestia smiled and waved one last time before fading into the crowd. The station was packed with muggles traveling to be with their families over the holidays. People were scurrying to and fro, bumping into one another and jostling fellow travelers.

Lily felt a hard tap on her left shoulder and turned to find Sirius Black standing behind her with a decisive look upon his face.

After the embarrassing mistletoe incident, Sirius had pretty much left Lily alone despite his statement that he would not give up on her entirely. Sirius had by no means avoided her, but it was clear to Lily that he was giving her some space. Every now and then, she would catch Sirius looking at her with an appreciative eye, but he had not made any more romantic advances.

"I hope you have a happy Christmas, Lily."

"I hope you do too," Lily replied with a warm smile.

Sirius grinned back. He leaned forward and, before Lily could stop him, pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

Blushing furiously, Lily stammered a quick goodbye and made her way towards her parents and sister who were watching with amused expressions.

"So who was that young man?" her mum questioned, peering over stranger's heads to try and get a glimpse of the boy who had kissed Lily.

"Just…a friend," Lily waved her hand vaguely, rather wanting to avoid the subject. Her parents, however, were quite keen on the topic. Her older sister, Petunia, remained silent, her bony arms folded across her chest in a defensive manner.

"Just a friend? He seemed to be a bit more than that," her dad suggested, his emerald eyes twinkling.

"Dad!" Lily cried, feeling quite embarrassed. "There is nothing going on between me and Sirius! I mean, he wants there to be, but I don't want that," Lily tried desperately to explain as the family began making their way out of the train station and to their car.

"Sirius, is that his name?" her mum asked lightly, laughing at Lily's frustrated sigh.

L … J

"I'd forgotten how...big…your house is," Lily commented as she and Hestia made their way up a flight of stairs and into a wide, open corridor of the Albright home.

"Massive you mean", Hestia grumbled in a good natured manner. "It's a wonder we don't all get lost in our own home. Honestly, who needs a home this large? Even if I had ten siblings and all our extended family lived here, we'd still have room to spare."

The Albright home – manor was a more appropriate word – was, as Hestia had said, massive. Aside from Hogwarts and a few historic buildings in London, Hestia's house was the largest building Lily had ever been in.

"Finally," Hestia said, coming to a stop before a door on the right side of the hallway. "I wish we could Apparate from room to room, but with all the anti-Apparation spells on the house and surrounding area, well, it's not possible."

"Why all the protective charms?" Lily asked as the girls entered the bedroom.

Hestia shrugged. "Well, with the Potter's living down the road, and Charles Potter being the Head of the Auror Department, we've always had anti-Apparation spells on the whole area – I think it's a mile radius around our home. And with all the recent attacks …well, mother and father thought a little extra security wouldn't hurt."

Lily nodded, and not knowing what to say, began observing the room that would serve as her bedroom for the next three days.

"Oh, Lily! You've arrived!" Mrs. Albright bustled into the room. She was a short, plump woman with deep chestnut hair and the same bright blue eyes as her daughter.

"I was having tea with Dorea Potter or I would have been here when you arrived. Mr. Albright is at the Ministry; he won't be home until late. How are you dear? Did you have nice holiday? Is your room to your liking?" Mrs. Albright said this all very quickly, not giving Lily a chance to properly answer each question.

"I had a lovely holiday, thank you. My room is fine; it's very beautiful."

And it was. The room was a light yellow color, with light blue wallpaper circling the top of the walls. Sheer white curtains framed large windows, and a French door led to a small balcony. All of the woodwork in the room, including the bed, writing desk, and wardrobe were oak. It was a cheerful sort of room, Lily decided.

"Well, I'll leave you to unpack your belongings," Mrs. Albright smiled warmly as she disappeared down the corridor.

L … J

Snow was falling from a cloudy sky, but Sirius, and James were out on the full-sized Quidditch pitch in the Potter's backyard tossing the quaffle around. The two had been discussing possible ideas for pranks, so James was unprepared when Sirius posed a more serious topic.

"Why do you think Lily won't go out with me?"

James nearly dropped the quaffle. Mentally recovering from the shock, he tossed the ball back to Sirius. Luckily, Sirius had been looking to the side when James had almost dropped the ball, and had not noticed that anything was amiss.

"Er…maybe she doesn't fancy you?" James tried, catching the quaffle Sirius threw him with one hand.

"But I thought she did," Sirius pondered. "Remember that time I caught her on the stairs?"

James tersely nodded as he caught the quaffle. He remembered all too well.

"Well, I'd fancied her for some time, and that's when I suspected that she might fancy me as well. But then when I kissed her…well, you saw what happened. What do you reckon she meant when she said she couldn't?"

James thought for a moment. "I guess it depends on what "I can't" means. It could mean she fancies some other bloke, or it could mean that she just can't fancy you."

Sirius ran his hand through his shaggy black hair and nearly missed catching the quaffle. "What do you mean by that? That she can't fancy me."

"Maybe", James began, choosing his words carefully, "she means that you aren't what she's looking for in a bloke."

Sirius pondered this for a moment. "What's wrong with me?" he demanded, appearing a tad offended. He tossed the quaffle back to James with more force than necessary.

"Nothing!" James replied quickly, dipping down a bit to catch the ball. "You know how girls are though. They're picky about who they go out with. You're probably too much of a trouble maker for Lily's taste."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed reluctantly. "She's about as likely to go out with me as she is to go out with you."

James grinned and forced a laugh, but in his mind he was envisioning himself and Lily walking down the hallways at Hogwarts hand in hand.

"Do you reckon a girl could learn to look past that?"

"Past what?" James asked, feigning ignorance.

"Pranking, hexing Slytherins, that sort of thing," Sirius stated emphatically. "Do you think that if I was the perfect bloke Lily would consider dating me?"

"I suppose..." James drew out the word, not at all liking the direction the conversation was going.

Sirius grinned. "I'll call it Become Perfect Bloke for Lily Evans. BPBLE…it's got a ring to it."

"Er…that's great," James caught the quaffle and turned it over in his hands, running his calloused fingers over the indentations in the worn red ball.

"And since you're my best mate," Sirius was saying, "you can help me."

Not really listening, James began to agree, but caught himself when he realized what Sirius had said. "Sur- what?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Are you still asleep or what? I said that you can help me figure out how to become the perfect bloke. You're all chummy with her - being Heads and all. You should be able to find out some valuable information for me."

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Right," James tried to smile, but found that this was rather difficult.

L … J

"Girls," Mrs. Albright stuck her head in the library where Hestia was showing Lily the family book collection. "There's two handsome young men waiting in the hall downstairs. It wouldn't do to keep them waiting."

Lily smiled, thinking of seeing James again. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't suppress the tingly feelings she got when she thought of him.

"Is that smile for Sirius?" Hestia asked with a smirk, as the girls made their way out of the library and into the hallway.

"No!"

"James?" Hestia asked casually.

Lily stopped dead in her tracks. "What makes you say that?" She asked in an accusing manner.

Hestia laughed. "Oh, Lily, you're so funny sometimes. I'm just taking the mickey out of you. I know that you don't fancy James."

Lily swallowed with some difficulty and continued walking. "Of course I don't," she lied.

Hestia smiled at Lily as the two made their way down the large staircase. "I know I can trust you, Lily. You're too good of a friend to fancy my boyfriend."

L … J

James watched as Lily and Hestia descended the stairs. Lily was looking very pretty in a green sweater that accented her eyes, and her bright red hair was pulled back in a large clip.

"Morning, ladies," Sirius greeted the girls in a suave manner. He turned away from them and offered them each an elbow. "May I escort you outside?"

Lily and Hestia exchanged looks. Hestia shrugged as if to say, why not?

"I would be delighted," she replied graciously, taking Sirius's right elbow.

"Madam?" Lily looked up to find Sirius and Hestia watching her expectantly. Out of the corner of her eye she could see James. His expression was hard to read, a combination of amusement and…jealousy?

Jealousy for whom? Hestia surely. It wasn't likely to be jealousy on her behalf. Not that she would have minded in the least.

"Lily?"

"Thank you," Lily automatically replied, taking Sirius' left arm. His arm was warm and muscular even through his heavy coat, but Lily didn't notice.

"How did you get two girls?" James asked as the group made their way outside and on to the front walk. "I hardly think that's fair."

"I didn't see you offering to escort anyone," Hestia replied dismissively.

"That's because he didn't give me a chance," James argued, holding the garden gate open for the group. "If I had been given the proper opportunity, I'd be the one with both girls clinging to my arms."

James and Sirius continued their good natured banter, but Lily heard none of it. Hestia's words kept ringing in her head. "You're too good of a friend to fancy my boyfriend."

Oh, if Hestia only knew. Lily had hoped that her time away from James might have caused some of her feelings for him to diminish. Out of sight, out of mind, wasn't that how the saying went?

Not quite. Apparently the old saying absence makes the heart grow fonder was more accurate in Lily's case. Over the holiday Lily had had to repeatedly force James from her thoughts. The trouble was, as wrong as she knew daydreaming about James was, Lily enjoyed it. She liked remembering his jet black hair, forever sticking on end, his crooked glasses, his warm hazel eyes…

"Well, if you're going to be that way about it," Sirius was saying. He turned to face Lily. "What do you say? Fancy a walk with James?"

Lily felt her stomach do a somersault as she struggled to keep her face from betraying her emotions. Fancy a walk with him? How about fancy a snog with him?

No! She shouldn't think things like that. They were wrong. They were deceitful. She simply couldn't allow herself to think traitorous thoughts like that.

Deciding that to refuse would be rather rude, especially since she was a guest here, Lily smiled a bit and nodded. Removing her arm from Sirius's, she approached James and placed her arm on his. The minute their arms touched, they both jumped ever so slightly. Lily looked up into James' eyes, and her breath caught in her throat.

L … J

Sirius watched as Lily and James started when they joined arms. What in the name of Merlin was that all about? It's not as though they'd never touched a member of the opposite sex before.

Sirius supposed that Lily felt a tad awkward being on the arm of her best friend's boyfriend, and that James felt similar.

Yes, that was it. They felt a bit guilty. Well, it was fine. He didn't mind and Hestia didn't seem to mind. They just were friends, it didn't mean anything more.

L … J

From his third story office window, Charles Potter watched Sirius Black throw a snowball at the back of his son's head. James whipped around and, squatting down, grabbed a handful of snow and heaved it in Sirius's direction. The snowball hit its mark and an all out war ensued.

He watched as his son grabbed the red haired girl's hand and pulled her behind a large oak tree. Safely behind the tree, the girl dropped to her knees and began forming snowballs. James continued to throw snow at Sirius and Hestia, who had taken refuge behind a nearby tree.

As he ventured out from behind the safety of the tree, James was immediately hit in the face with a snowball. His glasses were knocked to the ground, and Charles saw the red head pick them up. She carefully wiped them clean with her mitten, then handed them back to James. Their hands remained in contact far longer than necessary.

L … J

"Admit it, you lost!" James crowed triumphantly as the group seated themselves around the large table in the dining room. Sirius and Hestia had forfeited the snowball fight after James and Lily had cast repelling charms on themselves and stormed Sirius's hastily constructed fort.

"James, dear, use your inside voice, please," a woman Lily assumed was Mrs. Potter emerged from a side door accompanied by a house elf carrying a large tray laden with steaming mugs of tea. "How about some nice hot tea to warm you up? You children look nearly frozen."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw James roll his eyes at his mum's comment about using his indoor voice. She suspected that Mrs. Potter still believed that her son was her little boy instead of the young man he actually was.

As Lily sipped her tea she took a moment to observe Mrs. Potter. She was older than Lily would have assumed; in her mid to late fifties. Whenever Lily had tried to picture James' parents in her mind, she had imagined people a bit younger.

Her hair which was wound up into a tight bun at the nape of her neck had obviously once been a deep black like James', but was now liberally streaked with silver. Her dull blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of small oval glasses.

Mrs. Potter seemed genuinely cheerful, but her eyes seemed sad and tired as though there was an unknown burden bearing down on her shoulders.

"I don't believe we've met, dear," Mrs. Potter said, and Lily noticed a soft Yorkshire accent in her voice. She extended a hand to Lily, and Lily took it, finding Mrs. Potter's handshake to be firmer than she would have expected.

"I'm Lily Evans," Lily introduced herself with a smile.

"Dorea Potter. It's so nice to meet you, Lily. James has told us all about you. He tells me that you're the Head Girl."

"Yes, we work together for our Head duties, and since we have all of the same classes, we see each other quite a bit."

"How long have you known Hestia?" Mrs. Potter questioned, sipping her own tea.

Lily smiled at the memory. "I met her our first day at Hogwarts. I accidentally ran my trolley into her trolley on the platform. Her trunk burst open and nearly everything fell out. Her parents fixed everything in two seconds, but we began talking and once we got on the train, we just kept talking. We found a compartment together and spent the rest of the ride chit-chatting."

From across the table Hestia smiled. "And we've been inseparable ever since."

"That reminds me of the time I met your mother, Hestia," Mrs. Potter began, but the dining room door swung open, and a tall man with untidy silver hair strode into the room, his black robes billowing slightly behind him.

"Hello, dear," Mrs. Potter greeted her husband warmly.

Mr. Potter merely nodded in her direction and took a seat at the head of the table.

"All finished with your work in your study?" Dorea Potter asked, passing the tray of tea mugs towards Mr. Potter.

"Yes, just standard procedure. Nothing difficult. What are we having for supper?"

"I believe we're having roast chicken tonight, dear. The Albrights and Lily are staying for supper."

Mr. Potter nodded and sipped his tea. "I had been meaning to talk with Garrick for some time now."

Mrs. Potter bit her lip. "This is Lily. She's visiting the Albrights until term resumes."

This more than anything else Mrs. Potter had said seemed to catch Mr. Potter's attention. "Welcome to our home, Lily. I'm Charles Potter."

Not knowing what to say, Lily elected simply to nod. She was acutely aware that no one else in the room was speaking.

"Head Girl?"

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Potter leaned back in his chair a bit. "You must be a very talented young lady. Head Girl, top of the class. Do you know what kind of profession you want to pursue?"

Lily hesitated. Ever since she had learned about the Aurors who battled Voldemort and his followers, Lily had wanted to become one when she graduated from Hogwarts. Hadn't James mentioned that his father was the Head of the Auror Department?

"Well…," Lily paused. "I was considering becoming an Auror….Sir."

Charles nodded and took a long drink from his tea. "We could always use more bright young people. We're terribly understaffed, you know. Voldemort is gaining more power all the time; things are very busy around the office."

Lily found that swallowing was rather difficult.

"Of course, all applicants are required to go through rigorous training; we can't just have anybody working for us." Mr. Potter's hazel eyes bored into Lily's, and Lily noted that while his eyes were keen and alert, they lacked the fire and mischievous glint that usually sparkled in his son's eyes.

"Lily could handle the training," James said, finally speaking up, a touch of pride in his voice. "Professor Flitwick says that she's by far the best Charms student he's ever had."

"Does he now?" Mr. Potter answered, but did not look at James. "Well, I'm sure someday you'd be a fine addition to our Auror program at the Ministry."

"Thank you, Sir," Lily answered meekly, feeling very much as though she'd like to leave the room immediately.

There was an uncomfortable pause in which no one spoke, then Mr. Potter announced that he had write a letter to a colleague at work. Everyone smiled and said goodbye as he got up and made his way out of the room. Lily internally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You'll have to excuse Mr. Potter, dear," Mrs. Potter turned to Lily with an almost apologetic look. "He's been under quite a bit of stress lately from Ministry. Times are hard with all of the attacks…" she drifted off into silence.

Although Mrs. Potter had never once insinuated as much, Lily was getting the impression that Mr. Potter had always been this way, and Mrs. Potter was merely trying to convince herself of the truth of her own words.

"So, how about those Arrows?" James asked, his voice falsely cheerful.

L … J

Fortunately for Lily, dinner was a much more comfortable affair than tea had been. She and Hestia had returned to the Albright manor for a short time to find something more suitable to wear since Hestia had said that dinner between the two families was always a semi-formal affair.

The four teenagers were seated at one end of the large oak table talking about school and their over-the-holiday homework while the adults were seated at the other end discussing Ministry policies. The food was excellent, and Lily felt contently full by the time the meal was over.

"Want a tour of the house?" James suggested after the plates had been cleared away by the same house elf that had brought them their tea earlier that afternoon. "I know Sirius and Hestia have already seen it loads of times, but it's not so bad."

"Anything to get away from the policies of the Ministry of Magic," Sirius muttered softly, jerking his head in the direction of the Potters and Albrights.

The group pushed back their chairs as James announced their intentions to the parents. Mr. Potter merely waved a hand in recognition, but Mrs. Potter smiled and said that that would be just fine.

At the top of the first landing, James opened a door on the right and lit the lamps with his wand. Lily gasped with surprise and awe.

"I knew you'd like it," James grinned, pleased with himself for making Lily happy.

"This must be nearly the size of the Hogwarts library!" Lily exclaimed excitedly. "Look at all these books! You must love it here."

Sirius laughed, and James glared at him. "Well, it wasn't quite as fascinating when I was a little kid, but it's grown on me over the years."

James led the group upstairs and down, showing Lily his room with all its Quidditch paraphernalia, the room where Sirius stayed, and the portrait gallery filled with pictures of centuries of Potters.

James watched as Lily wandered around the large room, looking at every picture. She stopped at the most recent portraits of James and his parents. There were only two; one taken when James must have been no more than five, and one that had been taken that very summer.

"What's this frame for?" Lily asked, motioning to the empty frame to the right of the most recent picture.

James swallowed and glanced down at his shoes. "That frame is for my wedding picture."

Lily's mouth formed an 'o' and James thought he saw something flicker in her eyes. He felt his face growing warm staring at her mouth, and he yanked his gaze away.

"Enough of this room, I saved the best for last. Well, it's not my favorite place, but it's Hestia's, and I'm sure you'll like it as well."

"The ballroom!" Hestia squealed and nearly ran to the door.

The ballroom was located on the top floor of the house, and Lily could only hang her mouth open in awe. The walls were an ornate golden color and deep red curtains framed the many windows that lined the walls. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling and cast a warm glow on the entire hall. James smiled, glad that Lily liked it.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" Sirius bowed to Lily and offered his hand to her. James felt jealousy bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

"Certainly," Lily smiled and took Sirius hand. James nearly felt ill as Sirius placed his arm on Lily's waist and whisked her on to the ballroom floor.

James flicked his wand and music started, seeming to come from the very room itself.

"Would you like to dance?" James asked, turning to Hestia and holding out his hand.

Hestia smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."

As he and Hestia moved about the dance floor, James tried to keep his mind on the girl in his arms, but he was finding it increasingly difficult since he kept envisioning Lily's face in Hestia's place. Every time he looked at Hestia she smiled shyly.

James felt a tap on his shoulder, and he stopped dancing. Turning around, he found Sirius and Lily standing behind him.

"Care to trade partners, mate? I'm trying to make it a point to dance with every beautiful woman in the room." Sirius grinned and winked at Lily, then Hestia.

"No, go ahead," James offered, hoping he hadn't agreed too quickly. He didn't want anyone to know that the thought of having his arms around Lily was sending his heart into overdrive, but he didn't want it to seem as though the thought of dancing with Lily was repulsive. That would be offensive to her, and of course the thought was not repulsive. Anything but.

Sirius and Hestia waltzed off in the opposite direction leaving Lily and James by themselves. Feeling nearly giddy with anticipation, James held out his hand, and Lily slid her hand into his. Her hand was small and soft, and it fit perfectly in his. As she placed her hand on his left shoulder, he rested his right hand on her waist. James thought he might die of happiness then and there.

Their eyes met and James' breath caught in his throat. That look in her eyes…what did it mean? Could it possibly mean…No. It couldn't. Could it?

"Are we going to dance or just stand here?" Lily asked with a teasing smile, bringing James back to reality.

"Sorry," James apologized and began to move his feet in a waltz pattern. He was surprised by how well Lily followed him. They seemed to move as one, as though this was the way things were supposed to be.

The sound of someone clearing their throat startled James, and he whirled around to find his mother and father standing in the doorway. His mother looked uncertain, as though she were mulling something over in her mind. His father looked stern as he normally did, but James could detect anger in the set of his jaw.

"Hestia, your parents are going home. They're downstairs getting their coats on right now. You and Lily had best leave."

Lily and Hestia thanked the James' parents for inviting them for dinner, then made a hasty exit. James watched them go, then turned to look at his father.

"James, I need to see you in my study this minute." His father's voice booked no argument, and James followed him without question.

L … J

Lily lay in bed thinking about the events of the day. The Potters had been so different than what she had expected the parents of someone like James to be. They were so different from James that Lily might have thought that he was adopted if he hadn't resembled them. How had he developed such a different personality than that of his parents?

James was so…alive. Charles was stiff and formal, and Lily had gotten the distinct impression that he didn't much care for her. Dorea had been warm and welcoming, but when Charles entered the room, she seemed meek and almost scared of offending him.

It was so very different from the way she had grown up. The Potters were obviously a very traditional family. Mr. Potter was the head of the family and house, and Mrs. Potter was the subservient little wife. That was another thing that puzzled Lily. Although in his younger years James had been a bit arrogant, he had grown up considerably after fifth year when Lily had told him that he was an arrogant bullying toerag in front of a small crowd of people. Sure, James could still act rather cocky sometimes, but he never treated girls as inferiors as Mr. Potter seemed to.

Lily sighed and closed her eyes. She really needed to get James out of her head.

L … J

The door shut with a loud click, and James found himself face to face with his apparently very angry father.

"What was the meaning of that?"

"We were just showing Lily the ballroom. You never said that we weren't allowed in there," James answered, confused by his father's anger.

"That is not what I mean, and you know it, James."

"No; I don't know what you're talking about," James retorted, becoming rather cross himself.

Mr. Potter threw up his hands in exasperation. "Since you insist on being obstinate, allow me to refresh your memory. You were dancing with Miss Evans, and you were standing rather close together, if you understand my meaning."

"Lily and I are friends," James tried to reason, although he knew his face was growing warm as he spoke. "We're the Head students together…she's Hestia's best friend."

"Yes, Hestia. You are engaged to Hestia. Nothing is going to change that, so you had better stop lusting after Miss Evans in short order."

James opened his mouth to protest, but his father cut him off. "I'm not thick James. I didn't get to where I am today by being blind. I saw the way you and Miss Evans were looking at each other."

At each other? James thought. What does he mean at each other? If anyone was doing the looking, it was definitely me.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll forget these foolish feelings for her. And if she knows what's good for her, she'll find someone who's available instead of her supposed best friend's fiancé."

"Lily doesn't fancy me," James spat, "And how dare you insinuate that even if she did that she would act on those feelings? She's a loyal friend."

Charles clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and folded his arms across his chest. "If she was such a loyal friend she wouldn't be looking at you the way she was."

"She was not!" James protested.

"Stop trying to cover for her. You're engaged, James. Accept it."

"No, I'm not," James replied scathingly. "I'm betrothed. Engaged would mean that I actually want to marry Hestia. Betrothed means that I'm being forced into it."

"There's no way out of it. You know the rules! You know what will happen if you break the contract!"

James merely glared at his father, strode to the door, yanked it open, and strode into the corridor.

His father's voice followed him. "James! Come back here! I am not finished with you!"

"Well I'm finished with you!" James yelled and broke into a run, not stopping until he had reached his room.

L … J