A/N: Okay, here is chapter 13. It's a bit of a filler chapter but there are some significant bits.

X Dance Lessons

Breakfast was usually a rather slow time of the day. Grogginess, expecting mail or parcels, and tension due to essays or a particularly difficult homework tended to plague Hogwarts in the morning. In short, if one were in an extremely good mood in the morning, they are either under a cheering charm or had been hit very hard on the head.

James Potter was the exception, however, much to the dismay and interest of a few Gryffindors. Lily would be placed under "dismay".

"People are trying to eat you know," Lily said while watching James and Florence whisper to one another on the other side of the table with their faces close; Lily wasn't noticing the amount of milk she was pouring in her bowl of cereal.

"Well, I hope they have a good breakfast," James said, then resumed to "speaking" with Florence.

Lily sneered at the couple and could have sworn Florence gave her a smug smile before turning her head towards James. She couldn't believe James had the audacity to announce his date to the entire common room the night before. Who did he think he was and why did he think any of the other Gryffindors would care? Before she could ponder any further she felt something wet on her leg.

"Lily! Pay attention!" Alice said at her left. Lily looked down to see her skirt covered with milk. She pulled her wand out of her right knee sock and muttered a cleaning charm, ignoring snickers from around the table, most noticeably coming from Florence.

After a minute or so Florence got up, blew James a kiss, and left the Great Hall. As Florence exited, Sirius, Remus, and Frank entered the Great Hall.

"How's lover boy?" Sirius asked James. "You two were being appropriate, right? Don't want Prongsie to get a detention, do we?"

"He just may if he continues to snog Florence all over the place," Frank smirked. "Good morning, Lily, Alice."

"Morning, Frank," Lily said, smiling slightly. Alice made a grunt of acknowledgment; Frank decided it was a good time to butter his toast. Lily cleared her throat. "Good night's sleep?"

"I haven't had a good night's sleep in years," Remus grumbled. "Peter and Frank are snorers, Sirius spends half the night scratching, and James talks in his sleep."

"Talking, Moony?" Sirius chortled. "It's like Moaning Myrtle is in the room," he told the girls.

"Sirius," James growled. Lily had no idea what they were talking about but decided to change the subject.

"Scratching you said?"

"Yeah, fleas, you know?" Sirius said, and began digging into his breakfast with absolutely no shame as bread crumbs accumulated around the sides of his mouth. But the obscene pieces of grain didn't seem to stop his many female admirers from gazing at the handsome boy.

"You boys have fleas in your dorm?" Alice made a face.

"Well, they all seem to be near Sirius' bed. They are never near the rest of us," replied Frank. "I'm actually curious about that myself. Why on Earth do you have fleas in your bed?"

"Erm, dunno…maybe those fleas are just attracted to handsome men," Sirius said with a lopsided smile. Lily was positive she heard a chorus of absentminded sighs from the Ravenclaw table.

"Right," Frank murmured, causing Alice to giggle. Frank began to chuckle too, but immediately stopped when he looked at Alice. "Er—Alice…you've kinda got a spot of jelly on your chin."

Lily looked at Alice and Frank was right, though 'a spot' was an understatement: there was a massive blob of jelly on her chin. Alice's round cheeks turned a soft shade of pink and yelped, "Pardon me", before running out of the Great Hall.

"Good job, Frank," James laughed, oblivious to Frank's regretful expression.

"Honestly, Potter!" Lily barked. "Frank, don't worry. She would have been more upset if she didn't know about it."

"Is she angry at me?" Frank asked more to himself than Lily.

"Well, she's just disappointed right now. She'll get over it," Lily said. Frank nodded and took a gulp of coffee. Suddenly, the flap and hoots of owls were heard across the hall, announcing the arrival of mail. In seconds, Artemis appeared at the table with a long parcel and another owl arrived with the Daily Prophet. After placing a Knut in the owl's pouch, Lily grabbed the paper.

"Anything new?" Remus asked.

"Did the Minister receive my petition yet?" Sirius asked anxiously.

"No, just another person claiming to have seen Voldemort," Lily said, causing Remus to blink rapidly and Frank to twitch. "This woman swears that she saw him with 'a yellow handbag, hot pink dress robes, and high heels'…oh dear."

"I thought it was common knowledge that You-Know-Who was a cross-dresser," James shrugged, causing a few tense laughs.

As Lily was glancing through the headlines, she felt a nip on her finger. Artemis was waiting expectantly by the large brown parcel. "What?" Lily asked.

Artemis blinked and flew off, her wing hitting Lily's head purposely.

"What's in the package, Lily?" Remus asked. Lily ripped open the brown paper and it was what she expected: her dress robes for the ball, covered in thin white paper. On top of the paper was a note from her mother.

Lily,

Here's a dress for that ball, but next time pay closer attention to your school list. I hope it's appropriate for the occasion. Your father and I aren't really sure what you lot wear to formal events…so we're apologising in advance. Sorry for keeping Artemis for so long. Your father bought a book about owls recently and wanted to see if she could do any tricks. He was disappointed to discover that after over a week of "training", she couldn't do anything.

Anyway, we hope school is going well.

With love,

Mum and Dad

P.S. Petunia and Vernon were over for dinner last night. The more I see him, the more appalled I am with the man.

Lily smiled, ripped open the paper, and squealed.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"Dress for the ball," Lily replied. When Remus tried to peek Lily clutched the dress close to her. "It's a surprise; you can't see it until the ball."

"You just don't want to show me because it's hideous," Marlene said later that afternoon in their dorm. "Mine sure is."

"Let's see then," Lily said. Marlene walked over towards her trunk, pulled out a green dress covered with ornate trimming, and fastens. "What are you talking about, Marlene. It's beautiful."

"It's my mum's. Old fashioned too. Apparently it's been passed down through our family for years. It looks good on her but not on me," Marlene said, throwing the dress unceremoniously in her trunk. "Oh, can you come with me to the library? I need to get a book for Muggle Studies."

Lily agreed and the two girls walked along the calm corridors to the library. As usual, books were zooming towards their proper places on the hundreds of shelves. Marlene made a beeline towards the Muggle section, Lily behind her.

"Is this something I can't help you with?" Lily asked.

"It's a detailed essay about Muggle space exploration. You could help me a bit but you wouldn't know all the details, I'm assuming," Marlene said. Lily left Marlene to look through the books and wandered around the library aimlessly. Out of nowhere, she felt somebody slam into her, almost knocking her off balance. She discovered it was Regulus Black.

"Why hello, Miss Evans," Regulus said with an odd smile.

"Hello, Mister Black," Lily said, about to go back to Marlene when she saw Severus exit the aisle in which Regulus exited seconds before.

"Evans," Severus said in a blank voice, neither rude nor polite.

"Snape," Lily replied evenly. "What are you up to?"

"Though it's hardly any of your business," Severus said stiffly. "I was helping Regulus find a book for his Potions essay."

"I know it's not my business, Snape," Lily said. "Well, I came here with Marlene. She's getting a book."

"Well that is what most people do in the library," Severus said.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Lily smiled. The corners of Severus' mouth twitched.

Regulus cleared his throat. "Severus, maybe we should get back to the common room."

"Right. I'll be there shortly…just check out your book," Severus said, and walked back into the aisle of books to get his satchel. Regulus shrugged and went to the front of the library.

"Snape?" Lily said as Severus pulled his satchel over his shoulder. "I was thinking that we should pick a specific day of the week to get together."

Severus scratched the bridge of his nose and looked at the floor mutely. "I don't know…Thursdays?"

"That sounds good," Lily said. "I should go find Marlene now. I'll see you tomorrow in Potions."

"Right…Potions," he replied quietly.

Lily gave him a small smile before she left the isle and went to find Marlene, who later chided Lily for "abandoning her in her time of need".

XXX

"Are you sure the potion would be more effective if I added more knotgrass?" Regulus asked when he and Severus returned to the quiet Slytherin common room.

"Well, it's a work in progress. It's worked once but didn't turn out so well the next. However, it may have been the temperature of my potion. I remember Potter extinguished the fire underneath my cauldron that day last year. After that I only tried the potion over again a couple times more when I was free," Severus explained, reading a book on ancient defensive spells.

"You're probably as geeky as they get, Snape," Regulus scoffed. "Working on potions in your free time? Merlin…"

"Rather that than play Quidditch," Severus said. "I find the art of potion-making much more rewarding than flying around of a broomstick chasing a silly ball with wings."

Regulus snickered and continued writing his paper at the small green table under the large, ornate light fixture above their heads, illuminating an entire half of the common room. His quill suddenly stopped. "So, what's with you and Evans talking to each other?" Regulus whispered.

"What do you mean what's with it?" Severus hissed, prepared to phrase his words carefully.

"Well why did you greet her?" Regulus asked.

"Why did you greet her?" Severus countered.

"Because I ran into her, literally," Regulus replied. "And you?"

"I greeted her because she was there and it was the civil thing to do," Severus said, satisfied with Regulus' one-shoulder shrug.

"Got a letter from Mum this morning," Regulus said. "She didn't mention Sirius at all, which was great. It's like he never existed or something. I don't think he got a letter either, not even a Howler from her like he usually does."

"Congratulations," Severus said.

"She also gave me some sweets. Want some?" Regulus asked.

"No," Severus declined. Regulus pulled out a few brightly wrapped candies from him robe pocket and began to munch on pieces of caramel-vanilla filled dark chocolate. "Do you get much mail from your mum and dad? I don't see you getting much."

Severus hesitated. He had a feeling Regulus knew that Snape wasn't a pure-blood. "They're busy. I don't mind not getting letters. They're all the same anyway."

"What about the gifts?" Regulus asked.

"Don't need any," Severus said.

"Well, Father owled me a few more dress robes to choose from for that ball," Regulus said as though it were nothing out of the ordinary. "He said that all Blacks look good in dark red and in dark green. So now I'm deciding which colour to wear."

"Congratulations," Severus repeated.

The portrait hole opened and Regulus and Severus looked towards the door to see Professor Slughorn bustling through the room, a sight rarely seen.

"Why hello, Severus, Regulus," Slughorn said joyfully, walking towards the green bulletin board and posting a piece of parchment on it.

"Hello, Professor. What is that?" Regulus asked.

"Ah, announcement for dancing lessons next weekend," Slughorn said, bouncing on his heals and twisting his white moustache with an index finger.

"Dancing lessons?" Severus and Regulus said at once.

"Why, of course!" Slughorn said, his light green eyes widening. "Do you expect us to just let you all embarrass yourselves, not to mention the professors, in front of our special guests? I would hope not!"

"What kind of dancing?" Severus asked.

"Hm, I suppose a typical waltz, with perhaps a minuet thrown in there," Slughorn said casually.

"A minuet?" Regulus yelped. "Those are murder to learn!"

"Well, we hope you'll be able to get the gist in about an hour and a half at most. You'll be doing the rest of your practise on your own time," Slughorn said. "The Headmaster will make an official announcement at dinner."

"What exactly is this ball for?" Regulus asked.

"Well, frankly, I'm not sure," Slughorn admitted. "And I couldn't agree more to one! Not only are the members of the board of governors invited, but important Ministry officials as well. Even the Minister herself! Enough people to go around for my most gifted."

"Most gifted?" Severus asked.

"Connections are very important, Severus, as I'm sure you have heard me say plenty of times before," Slughorn said sternly. "My most gifted being those in the Slug Club, of course. I expect each of you to introduce yourselves to the important people there. They may be—will be—impressed with you lot. They may even offer you career opportunities in advance. Well, I must be off!" Slughorn announced, returning to his less serious side and exiting the common room.

"Well," Regulus said. "This could be very interesting. I mean, I haven't even considered my career choices yet and I may impress someone who works for the Ministry."

"It's not that interesting. If anything, those officials will be so puffed up that they won't talk to half the people in the Slug Club," Severus said.

"Well, probably not those Mudbloods like Evans or that Basil kid…" Regulus snorted. "But the rest of us, sure."

Severus returned to his book, and Regulus to his essay, inwardly worrying about the dance lessons.

XXX

Dumbledore's dancing lesson announcement was received with squeals and groans throughout the Great Hall later that evening. Accompanying the dance lesson announcement was the real reason for having a ball. "Top Ministry officials suggested a get-together of sorts at Hogwarts this year so that they are reassured that, despite this ongoing war, Hogwarts and its students stand strong."

Lily, unlike what seemed to be a majority of Hogwarts, was excited about the dancing lessons—which she made known that Thursday when she and Severus were studying again in the dim dungeons.

"Sure, it'll be hard, but I've always thought that knowing how to do at least one ballroom dance was important," Lily explained, ignoring Severus' scowl.

"Important for what, exactly?" Severus challenged. "You think that when you're in…Auror training or something, you'll be required to know how to do a foxtrot?"

"Of course not," Lily said. "But it could come in handy at future formal events, weddings, bar mitzvahs…" Severus snickered, albeit mockingly. "I think you're just nervous about the dancing," Lily said, resuming her Ancient Runes work.

"Nervous?" Severus said. "I'm not nervous about some…silly dance lesson. It's just moving your feet around."

"Ha," Lily hooted. "Just moving your feet, eh?"

"Sure," Severus shrugged carelessly, but Lily had a feeling he wasn't being sincere.

"Well, we'll see at the ball, then, won't we?" Lily smirked at Severus, who looked up at her under his curtains of black hair.

"As though you'll be paying attention to me, anyway," Severus said. "You'll probably be to busy with your date."

Lily shrugged and asked him what he got for question fourteen.

"It's most affective when used non–verbally, but most witches and wizards speak the spell out," Severus read off his paper.

"Yup, that's what I put," Lily nodded happily. "Transfiguration is getting ridiculously hard."

"Well, it is NEWTs Transfiguration. We aren't turning goblets into quills anymore, Evans. It's much more advanced, yes, but it could be harder," Severus said.

"But those eyebrow charms are murder. Professor McGonagall had to charm my left eyebrow back after class," Lily said. "But it was nice to see Potter with a uni-brow."

Severus smirked. "Unfortunately, the idiot is rather gifted in Transfiguration."

"Yeah, I bet Florence wouldn't be too fond of his uni-brow while they're snogging all over the common room," Lily muttered, scribbling on her parchment. "Maybe Marlene was right about her."

"I didn't know it was physically possible to have the words 'Marlene' and 'right' in the same sentence," Severus said.

"Careful, Snape," Lily said. "I'm sure with enough power I can turn your lovely eyebrows into a uni-brow just like Potter's."

"You wouldn't dare," Severus scoffed. Lovely eyebrows?

"Try me," Lily smiled, lifting her head a little. Severus paused his moving hand and looked up at her. After half a minute of an awkward staring contest Severus rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going to give you the satisfaction."

"Fine," Lily said.

A pregnant pause filled the room so only the sounds of turning pages and quills were heard. Severus cleared his throat, "What is this about…Florence?"

Lily groaned. "Florence 'can I stick my tongue down your throat' Gregory is—" Lily started, but stopped when she realised how similar she sounded to Marlene. "She's going with James to the ball. They aren't even going out yet and they're already kissing all over the place."

"Okay, don't care anymore," Severus said, and returned to his book. "There are more important things to think about than that dunderhead's significant other."

"I know. And I shouldn't have said that about her. I'm sure she's fine…" Lily tried, in vain, to convince herself.

XXX

"Left hand turn and z figure…yes…yes…NO!" barked Madam Blochette, their dancing instructor that weekend in the presence of fifty Slytherins and Professor Slughorn. Severus was, conveniently, paired up for the day with Narcissa, who was very good at waltzing already. "Please do the correct turn next time! From the top!"

"It's all a matter of feeling the music," Narcissa drawled, her eyes closed, a small smile on her face. Though the smile turned into a grimace when Severus stepped on her left foot. "Ouch! Watch it!"

"Pardon me, Cinderella," Severus whispered icily. He hated to admit it, but he was wrong: it was a lot more than just moving one's feet around.

"Cinder who?" Narcissa barked.

"Nothing," Severus snapped. "You know, it would be more helpful if you—"

"Well maybe if your feet weren't so bloody clumsy! At least Lucius can dance," Narcissa hissed.

"Naricssa, if you don't shut up, I'll hex your legs into your ears," Severus said.

She didn't insult his dancing for the rest of the lesson, but did groan and curse every time he made a blunder. Severus looked over Narcissa's shoulder and saw Slughorn attempt to strike up conversation with Blochette. The woman didn't seem to be in any mood to make small talk, though, and instead rushed over to Nott and his partner.

"What on EARTH are you doing, boy?" she screeched. "This is a minuet step! Not hip grinding!"

"I wasn't grinding anything!" Nott retorted.

"Now, now, Demetrius…let's not get hostile. Miss Blochette is simply trying to help you lot dance. You'll be able to dance to your delight after the minuets, Oleander," Slughorn replied, ignoring a number of corrections of "It's Wilkes" around the room. "Alright, back to it. You don't want to make the Slytherins look bad in front of Bartemius Crouch, do you?"

Meanwhile, Lily wasn't doing much better, and neither was her partner.

"I think we'll both need to soak our feet it hot water after this," muttered Remus.

"I hope Alexander can lead," Lily said and winced as Remus stepped on her foot.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Remus quickly apologised.

"It's fine, Remus," Lily smiled weakly. She looked around the room to see Marlene paired up with Sirius who was, surprisingly, dancing as though he was on a cloud. Marlene, on the other hand, was having trouble keeping up. James was doing alright, too, unlike his partner, a giggly fourth-year McGonagall had stuck him with.

"That girl is going to have a ball—no pun intended—when she gets back together with her friends," Lily said.

Remus spun Lily around. "Hm, James doesn't look too happy about her…but not as unhappy as Florence looks."

Lily glanced around until her eyes fell on Florence, who was dancing with none other than Peter Pettigrew. He was muttering the steps to himself while Florence looked like she was about to hit the boy. "Poor Peter…stuck with her," Lily said.

"Since when don't you like—sorry—Florence?" Remus asked.

"Good question," Lily responded. "It's stupid, really. I have no reason to dislike her. Maybe it's just a phase. She just…peeves me."

"Ah," Remus said in an unconvinced tone.

"Do you not believe me—ouch," Lily winced.

"Sorry—and not really, no," Remus said.

"RIGHT TURN! RIGHT TURN!" the instructor, Mister Roget, exclaimed. "Is Mr…what is it, young man?"

"Black, sir," Sirius said.

"Ah…well, I'm not very surprised, then. Anywho, is Mister Black the only one who can dance a proper minuet?" Mister Roget asked, rubbing his temples.

Everyone nodded.

"You all better buck up!" McGonagall barked. "I will not stand for the Gryffindors to look like a load of…Neanderthals with fancy shoes. Now get to it!"

"Why do we have to dance a minuet, anyway?" whined James. "It's the 1970s, not the 1770s!"

"Mister Potter, I want this to go perfectly. No excuses. Believe me, I'll be watching that night," McGonagall said firmly, her lips in a tight line and her index finger scanning the room.

"Now, from the top!" Mister Roget demanded. Remus stepped on Lily's foot again.

XXX

All the healing charms in the world couldn't relax Severus' feet that weekend. The prefects' bathroom was full the rest of Saturday and all day Sunday. He even saw some non-prefects exiting and entering the special bathroom

With sore feet and practising dance steps in between classes came the first signs of a very cold, stormy winter. Snow fell that Monday evening, inducing several students to create snow angels and throw snowballs…at Severus' head.

"Just use some dark hex on them!" Regulus suggested with a hint of exasperation and eagerness. "That'll get them to stop."

"Stupid little Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs aren't worth it," Severus said. "Not to mention the fact that such an art shouldn't be wasted."

"Ah, come on. It's just throwing a curse at someone," Regulus said.

Severus frowned at his naïveté. "The Dark Arts aren't just about cursing someone. They're multifaceted and highly difficult to master. There must be talent behind every Dark Art; a little imprint of yourself going into every attempt at success. Oh, it's much more than just cursing a random bystander, no matter how much they may deserve it."

"Sorry to offend," Regulus scoffed. They stayed there talking about nothing for a while before deciding to go back inside. As they entered the warm, inviting threshold of the castle, Severus and Regulus caught sight of Lily, Marlene, Alice, Emmeline, and a few other girls running down the marble staircase giggling and hastily wrapping themselves in scarves and heavy robes. Unnoticed by the rest of her girlfriends, Lily did not smile or verbally acknowledge seeing him; instead she simply looked at him. In those passing three or five seconds, despite how much he wanted to look past her and follow Regulus to the dungeons entrance, her green eyes held his attention. It wasn't until they both past each other by that he regained his composure.

Her look bothered him. He had no idea why but it made him feel as though she was uncovering something or that she knew something he didn't. His discomfort soon put him in an odd mood. "If you don't mind, I'd like to do some reading now," Severus said abruptly.

"Er, why?" Regulus asked.

"Because I feel like it. Go bother your girlfriend," Severus suggested.

Regulus shrugged and he and Severus parted ways. Soon after, he deeply regretted his decision, however. He turned the corner and spotted, who else, but Potter, Sirius, Remus, and Peter advancing. Severus turned around quickly, his fingers gently touching his wand.

"Hey! Snivellus!" yelled James. Severus froze, inwardly wincing at the nickname, and turned around swiftly.

"Look here, guys! Snivellus is all alone. Can't say I'm surprised, though," Sirius snickered, only feet away from Severus. "This year has been pretty slow, eh? We haven't spent enough quality time with our ol' mate Snivelly."

Severus gritted his teeth. "It's almost amusing how horribly bored you are that you have to resort to calling me by such immature epithets."

Sirius quickly pushed Severus so hard that he fell to the ground. On his side, James picked up Severus' satchel, opened the flap, and hung it upside down so all the contents crashed to the ground. While Severus distractedly watch all his items fall, Sirius promptly grabbed the back of his black school robes and pulled them over his head, obscuring his vision.

He heard James laugh, along with Sirius and Peter, who never seem to get enough of watching his friends in action. Remus simply followed the rest of the boys down the hallway who all began to chat as though nothing happened.

Frustrated, Severus slumped against the wall of the draughty corridor and righted his heavy, second-hand robes. He watched his scattered books and parchment grace the cold floor in silence. As each day passed, his hatred for the foursome increased tenfold. Black and his lazy look of enjoyment and biting comments; Lupin, with his lack of interest in tormenting others, yet going along and watching anyway; Pettigrew's fetish for humiliation of any level…and then there was Potter. Rich, presumptuous, strutting James Potter acting as though every act he graced upon the Earth ought to make God envy him.

"Bloody arse," Severus hissed, slamming a nearby book on the floor.

Someone cleared their throat.

Severus snapped in the direction of the sound, wand in hand ready for it to be Potter back for another round. He gasped when, instead of his enemy, he saw the Headmaster.

"Oh," Severus said, jumping to his feet and bending a bit at the waist. "Good evening, Headmaster."

"Good evening, Mister Snape. Or would you prefer Severus?" Dumbledore said calmly.

"Whichever," Severus said immediately. It wasn't every day that a student ran into the Headmaster, leaving him rather nervous, though he cleared his throat and stood up a bit straighter. "Where are you off to tonight, Headmaster?"

"Nowhere specific, Severus," Dumbledore said. Severus rarely heard his name spoken in such a pleasant tone. "A leisurely walk around the castle is good for the legs."

Severus nodded. Dumbledore's bright blue eyes twinkled, as they always seemed to. "First snow of the season. I must say, it's rather late this year, but it's futile to question Mother Nature's plans. Why are you inside the castle on such a pleasant evening?"

"Felt like being alone," Severus said.

"Ah, yes." Dumbledore nodded silently. "And what is all this on the ground?"

"I fell," Severus lied. Dumbledore looked into his eyes again, and Severus could swear his vision became ever so hazy.

"I see," Dumbledore said, and with a swipe of his right hand, all the parchment and books gathered together and neatly assembled into Severus' empty satchel.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Severus said, bending down to retrieve his bag.

"Think nothing of it, Severus. If you'll excuse me," Dumbledore said, and continued to walk along the corridor.

Severus watched the Headmaster disappear around the curving corridor in silence. He wondered what made him feel so disgustingly open during those few occasions which he spoke with the man. Something in his presence could make the most introverted of humans bare their souls under completely mundane conditions. Severus made his way back to the dungeons and his common room, ignoring the cheery giggles of students in the halls just getting in from the pleasant snow. As he entered the threshold into the dungeons, he heard a familiar female voice say, "I don't CARE if you sculpted my face out of snow, Potter, I'm NOT keeping it in my room, purse, or undergarments for safekeeping!"

XXX

Patent leather shoes made tracks in the crunchy snow as Lily Evans made her way back into the castle after a comfortable evening tea with Hagrid. The dark grey skies screamed snow, but decided to linger until the most inconvenient moment for all the mortals below.

The past few days were utter hell for the prefects. They had to plan the finishing touches for the ballroom and report them all the heads of each house and Dumbledore to get the final approval. The professors agreed to the very specific lists of decorations and the prefects were finally free from their months of busy Saturday mornings. The school year was already going by at a disturbingly fast rate, and the ball was that weekend, then the students were all free for their three-week holidays.

The halls of the castle were now decked out with holiday decorations: holly, brightly coloured trimming, and even mistletoe were common sights in the corridors nowadays. The aroma of newly-installed Christmas trees filled the students' noses in between classes and despite the natural dreariness of the castle in winter, the decorations always brightened things up. Lily was about to mount the marble staircase, hoping the prefects' bathroom wasn't taken, when a seventh-year Hufflepuff she only knew as Daliva approached her.

"Hello, Lily," Daliva greeted. "Professor Slughorn would like to see you in his office right now."

Lily groaned, thanked Daliva, and made her way towards Slughorn's office, curious about what the man wanted yet also frustrated that her bath time was being intruded upon. She wandered down the third-floor corridor in which his office was located and knocked on the door.

"Come in, come in," said Slughorn on the other side of the door. Lily entered and saw Slughorn behind his large desk, writing. "Ah, Lily, you got my message, I suppose?"

"Daliva said you wanted to see me," Lily said.

"Yes, yes, sit down, Lily," said Professor Slughorn. She sat. "As you know, the ball is the weekend…"

"Yes, I'm quite sure I know that, since I was on the decorating team for nearly four months," Lily said. Slughorn chuckled.

"I'll cut to the chase," he said, his moustache bouncing up and down with his hidden upper lip. "As the Headmaster said, important Ministry officials will be present. Now—"

"Let me guess, you want me to sweet-talk the officials," Lily said. After six years of having him as a professor, Lily knew his style.

"Sweet-talk isn't what I would call it," Slughorn said. "Charisma is the key, Lily. Charisma."

He paced slowly behind his desk for a moment or two before turning to her again. "To be frank, many of them don't believe that people like you are as gifted as others."

"Professor, I believe you had the same idea yourself, five years ago," Lily said calmly.

"Ah, but now I know better. Though, there are still very few Muggle-borns who are so gifted in magic as you are," Slughorn said, assuming that statement would somehow make her feel more special.

"Muggle-borns can be just as good as those of pure blood, Professor Slughorn," Lily retorted.

"I'm not trying to attack you, dear. Ultimately, with your talent and intelligence, you can impress an important official more than the average Muggle-born student," Slughorn replied. "Bartemius Crouch is going to be there, you know."

"Yes, I know," Lily said with little interest.

"Well, I expect you to try your best to communicate with him somehow. Little do many students know, simple salutations and small talk can lead to big things once you leave school and think about what you want to do for the rest of your life," Slughorn said, and began to pace again. "Now, do you want to be the young woman who, due to a few good conversations with the top Ministry men and women, got one of the best positions in a department at the Ministry? Or would you like to be the wallflower that never felt the need to charm and ends up overlooked?"

Lily wanted to snap "wallflower" just to spite him, but wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. "Alright, Professor, I'll try to talk to them. Would you like me to drag my date along with me?"

"Oho! The more the merrier!" Slughorn said excitedly, not catching the displeasure in her comment. "Okay, Lily, you're excused."

Lily happily jumped up and out of the office; she could almost taste the warm, perfumed bubbles. When she reached the forth floor landing, though, she heard a feminine howl. Lily walked briskly towards the source of the squeal and was positively livid at the scene in front of her: a small crowd surrounded James and Peter who were laughing and pointing at the ceiling, which a young woman was attached to by the soles of her shoes.

"POTTER and PETTIGREW!" Lily barked. Peter twitched and turned, James calmly turned towards Lily with a smug smile on his face. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Lily looked up and pulled out her wand. She placed a cushioning charm on the floor and said, "Okay, I'm going to get you down."

"Are you insane? I'll fall and crack my head open and die!" the young woman on the ceiling, Bertha, screeched.

"Let's hope," James said.

"Shut up, Potter," Lily growled, causing him to immediately shut his mouth. "Don't worry, the floor is cushioned!"

At a flick of her wrist, the girl fell down. Lily ran to her and immediately gasped: Bertha was a bright shade of orange and her nose and hair were long green sprigs of foliage. Essentially, Bertha resembled a large carrot in a Hogwarts uniform.

"POTTER! HOW COULD YOU?" Lily cried. "Wait until Professor Dumbledore—" Lily started over the girl's howls and tears and the crowd's laughter.

"Hey, that ugly bitch started it. Talking, almost bragging, about how she saw me and Florence snogging," James snorted.

"I don't care if she was talking about you and Florence having sex behind Hagrid's hut!" Lily said, blushing ever so slightly at her own comment. She noticed James' smirk and she felt herself blush even more. "That doesn't mean you should hex her!"

Peter seemed unsure about what to do, but began glancing around the corridor nervously as though afraid Bertha's cries would be heard from a teacher.

"She got what she deserved. That'll teach her to shut her mouth," James spat.

"You are disgusting, James," Lily glared. "Come on, Bertha, let's go see the Headmaster."

"Just take her to the nurse!" James cried.

"No, this is something the Headmaster should take care of," Lily said, and marched off, separating the dwindling crowd.

"Oh, come on, Evans," James whined, walking briskly after her, Peter in tow.

"No, James. We're going to the Headmaster, now," Lily said, her arm wrapped around Bertha, who was still crying and didn't need to be dragged by a girl over a year younger than she.

After mounting three flights of stairs with James and Lily bickering, Bertha sobbing, and Peter groaning, they approached the outside of Dumbledore's office. Two gargoyle statues began to snicker as the auburn-haired girl approached.

"Is Professor Dumbledore there?" Lily asked but the statues said nothing.

"I honestly don't have time for this," Lily barked. "Can you just let us in?"

"You can't get in without a password, Evans. I thought you'd be a bit more familiar with the wizarding world by now," James snapped at Lily, causing her to turn around.

"Don't talk to me, Potter," Lily said calmly.

"It's funny, because I believe that I can talk to you when I want," James scoffed, his arms crossed across his long-limbed body.

On cue, the gargoyles leapt aside and a spiralling staircase emerged as Professor Dumbledore stepped out.

"Miss Evans, Miss Jorkins, Mister Pettigrew, and Mister Potter. What a pleasant and, if I must say, rather unexpected surprise," Dumbledore said.

"Professor, I'm afraid to report some inappropriate behaviour from Potter and Pettigrew," Lily stated, nodding her head towards James who was still perched against the wall.

"Ah, I was just on my way to the kitchens, but this seems to be priority," Dumbledore sighed and looked at each student. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, I'm sure that they can tell you. All I did was help accompany Florence here. As you can see she…um…well…"

"I look like a bloody carrot!" Bertha yelled, starting to cry again and not at all minding her language in front of Dumbledore.

"Ah, I see," Dumbledore nodded, examining Bertha a little. "Well, I'd like to see all of you in my office. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Miss Evans."

"Sure, Professor. Sorry to hold up your…snacking," Lily chuckled.

"Not a problem at all, Miss Evans. In fact, it's a good thing you stopped me. My 'snacking' won't be very good in the long run," Dumbledore said, and winked. Lily smiled politely and said good evening. As she walked away she passed by James who refused to look her in the eye.

Lily nearly skipped down the corridor carrying on with her business while a small feeling of satisfaction coursed through her body for upsetting James so. She didn't want to consider it payback for his little shows with Florence, but she certainly considered it a long time coming.

Oh, and the dancing lessons in this chapter didn't fully come from the GoF movie. To be perfectly honest, I would hope that dancing lesson of some sort would be offered if a formal dance was required. Also the reasons for this ball are for a rather relevant reason. In a time of war, containing some sort of normalcy is important and that will be emphasized in the next chapter. Next chapter is the ball which shall be rather interesting…Please read and review, readers!