Sorry it took so long! I've been away! However, I found time to write this part. It's not as long as the others, but I think you'll like it. (I hope so anyway.) Well, here it is!
X X X
Lily studied her reflection closely in the large mirror that hung over her four-poster bed. She smiled slightly, hoping that for the first time in her life she looked semi-decent. The beauty illuminating from Lily never seemed to catch her eye, she always thought of herself as naught but plain and mousy.
Tonight, however, she wanted to look stunning and alluring. She sighed, guessing that she would have to settle for mildly interesting. The glamorous figure staring back at Lily in the mirror seemed normal and ordinary, proving that the radiant beauty shining through Lily was lost on her. She hadn't a clue how spectacular she looked.
Lily wore robes of thin satin, a deep, mesmerizing garment of emerald green to match her remarkable eyes. Her wild mane had been tamed into sleek waves of intense crimson, sleek and shiny against her skin. She wore hardly any makeup, since she knew next to nothing of how to work those products, but the light concealer and shiny lip gloss was just enough. A glossy, silver tiara laced with diamonds was weaved in her hair, completing her costume. She was a princess for a day, and quite a princess at that.
"Lil, come on!" Chase squealed, rushing back into the dormitory to brush on a lipstick of a deep, velvety red. The lipstick matched Chase's sheer, silk robes, which clung closely to her slender body. Her pin-straight black hair had been teased and curled, and now hung in tight spiral curls, some strands up in bobby pins and others dangling down. Chase was dressed as Lazarra, a famous, evil witch who existed only in children's fables, but was rumored to lure men to their death with her stunning looks and provocative smiles. Attempting to give Chase's character a more proper name, Lily had sensibly suggested that she was some sort of a Siren, a creature from Greek mythology, but Chase had insisted that she was a Seductress, nothing more, nothing less.
Lily inhaled and exhaled deeply as if releasing all of the nervousness she possessed with one simple breath. "Okay," she said, smiling and turning to face Chase, her face falling immediately. "Be honest with me, am I a complete disaster?"
Chase stared at her in disbelieve for a second and then let out an amused laugh. "You are joking, right?"
"I…what?" Lily asked, baffled. Was Chase telling her that she really did look hideous?!
"Come on, we're already late," Chase insisted, tugging Lily's arm roughly. Left with no choice but to follow her, Lily reluctantly willed her legs to move, dreading the moment when everyone would see her.
Chase let go of Lily's arm at the top of the stairs, and slowly glided down the steps, pausing every second or two, knowing exactly how to make a grand entrance. Sirius, noticing her, as it was difficult not to, rushed to the bottom of the stairs, holding his hand out for her. She took it, smiling casually, hiding the giddy feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Beautiful," he said simply, kissing her hand.
"You clean up well yourself," she joked, cracking another smile. Chase's statement underestimated how good Sirius did, in fact, look. His irresistibly sexy hair looked the same as always, although it seemed even more tussled and shiny. His grin was smug and self-assured as always, although Lily could see past his façade, noting that he looked truly happy. His black and silver robes suited him well, adding to his dark demeanor.
Lily, suddenly aware that she had been standing on the third step from the bottom for a few seconds more than she had intended, blushed slightly, and continued down the large staircase. She soon realized that she had captured the attention of everyone in the Common Room, and it was at that precise moment that she wished she could shrink small enough to disappear. She must look ghastly!
She turned nervously in search of her date, and her eyes instantly connected with James Potter's. He stood staring at her with a look of awe expressed clearly upon his face. He sported the same exact color robes as Lily, matching so perfectly that Lily knew people would think it was anything but coincidence. He said nothing, but his eyes never left her as she strode past him to Dallice Wimbleton, her date.
"You look good," Dallice said, eyeing her body. Lily smiled sheepishly wondering for a split second if she actually looked somewhat decent. Impossible, she thought, brushing that thought from her mind.
"So do you," Lily said politely, although it was true. Dallice's strong build and caramel curls were enough to turn any girls head. His black and gold trimmed robes suited him perfectly, adding to his amazing appearance. Lily had silently adored him since her third year. However, him now being a seventh year, and her only a fifth year, she doubted highly that he would give her the time of day. Apparently though, she had been wrong.
"Let's go," Dallice insisted, wrapping his arm around Lily's tiny waist. Lily allowed him to lead her out of the room, noticing only a rather sour looking Jewlie by James's side. She waved considerately to her, unable to fathom why she appeared to be in such a bad mood.
X X X
James tried his hardest to enjoy the ball, honestly, he did. He knew he was lucky, after all, not every guy could score a date with Jewlie Makerson, pride and joy of the Ravenclaw House. He admitted to himself that she looked quite attractive in her trim, peach-colored robes, with her stunning red hair piled gracefully on top of her head. However, compared to Lily, there was simply no competition.
He felt rather guilty, peering over Jewlie's shoulder every opportunity he had, at Lily, who was dancing and laughing less than twenty feet away from them. He wanted to be fair to Jewlie and at least try to show her a decent time, but he couldn't get Lily off of his mind.
James knew Jewlie noticed how distracted he was by Lily's presence, but she just couldn't control himself. He only hoped that she wasn't too hurt by his insensitive behavior towards her.
"Punch?" James asked loudly, over the blaring music. A popular song by the Withering Witches was playing.
"Sure," Jewlie said, not bothering to hide her disappointment any longer.
James carefully led her off the dance floor to an empty table. "Be right back," he promised, leaving her all alone. He fought through the thick crowd to the refreshment table where he poured two glasses of punch. He wasn't thirsty in the least bit, but since it was his idea to stop dancing and fetch some punch, it would look oddly suspicious to return without any for himself.
"James!" Sirius called heartily, his hand entwined with Chase's. "Enjoying yourself?"
James grinned although he knew he couldn't lie to his best friend.
Sirius shook his head expectantly. "I could be worse," he offered.
James laughed bitterly. "Oh, really? How?"
Chase bit her lip, not able to think of anything to comfort James.
"Well…" Sirius began, thinking quickly. "Lil could be going with Snivelly."
James laughed, the first real laugh he had released that night. "Like that would ever happen!"
Chase smiled supportively. "Where are you two sitting?" she asked. "We'll join you."
"Over here," James said, his voice now edgy as he remembered he would have to return to Jewlie.
James led Chase and Sirius over to the table where Jewlie was impatiently waiting, her boredom apparent.
"Hey!" Alice called, giggling as she and Frank sat down next to the two couples. "Having fun?"
"Tons," Jewlie remarked sarcastically, burying her face in her punch glass.
"Isn't she gorgeous?" Frank gawked, staring blatantly at Alice.
"Oh of course," James agreed instantly. Alice did look pretty with her blonde hair shining in a perfect French twist and her light blue robes.
"Stunning," Sirius added, grinning smartly, always the charmer. "Yet, and no offense Alice, the most beautiful woman in this room is right here," he teased, kissing Chase softly. She kissed him back, grinning widely.
"You flatter me more than I deserve," she insisted.
"No, not enough," Sirius remarked.
"Oh, no," Frank started up again. "I'd have to say the prettiest woman here is my Alice." Alice blushed a bright pink.
"No, no, my friend," Sirius began.
"Oh, honestly!" Chase exclaimed, rolling her eyes along with Alice.
"Well," James said, unable to resist himself. "The most stunning woman in this room is neither Chase nor Alice. No offense ladies." Chase and Alice shrugged, not really caring. "The most beautiful woman in this room, without a doubt is…"
Sirius kicked James forcefully under the table, mentally willing him not to dare speak Lily's name. James quickly snapped out of his daze, looking away from Lily and turning to Jewlie.
"…is sitting right next to me," James finished, smiling at Jewlie, who stared at him in disbelief.
Jewlie slammed her punch glass down and stood up immediately. "Oh, give it up James," she hissed. "You're not fooling anyone. I was so stupid to ever agree to go to the ball with you!"
"Wait…Jewlie…" James began, turning his head around as she walked away.
Jewlie shook her head and rolled her eyes, ignoring him and disappearing in the throng of people surrounding her.
"Well," Chase began. "I can't say I exactly blame her. You haven't really paid much attention to her."
"I know," James sighed. "I tried."
"Don't worry about it," Alice reassured him. "She'll get over it."
"She was a little crazy anyway," Sirius joked.
"Sirius!" Chase remarked. "You're terrible!"
"Oh am I?" Sirius asked, amused, turning his full attention to Chase as he planted small kissed all over her face.
Alice smiled at the couple, snuggling closer into Frank's arms. "Go ask her to dance," she said. "She won't say no to that."
A slow smile crept across James's face. "Yeah, I think I'll do that," he said rising. He scanned the room, unable to spot Lily for the first time that night. "One little quibble, though."
"Hmm?" Alice asked, completely disinterested, her attention now fully on Frank and the kisses he was placing along her neck.
"Where'd she go?" James remarked.
X X X"Where are we going?" Lily asked Dallice excitedly, as he led her out of the castle. They passed two couples kissing on a large fountain with singing mermaid sculptures sprouting water in numerous directions.
"You'll see," Dallice insisted, grinning. "It's a surprise."
"Okay," Lily said happily, leaning into him even closer. Lily had had such a wonderful evening, dancing and chatting with Dallice. He was a superb dancer and excellent conversationalist. He introduced her to all of his friends. Their names swam around in her head. There was Jeannie Falls, the extremely tall Chaser for Hufflepuff, Marvin Lexert, the chubby fellow with the impossible cowlick, Justin Carrlile, the strikingly handsome Head Boy, Kareen Jouste, the blonde-haired beauty, and Randall Matisse, Dallice's witty and rather critical best friend. They were all so nice to her, a little too friendly and eager to get to know her though. She found that rather suspicious, but assumed they all merely wanted to make a good first impression on her.
"Are we there yet?" Lily teased, acting like a little kid fidgeting anxiously on a long road trip.
Dallice smiled. "Not quite."
Lily sighed, pretending to be annoyed. "Are we there now?" she joked.
"A little farther," Dallice said, good-naturedly.
"All right," Lily said, squeezing his arm playfully. She had had such an enjoyable evening and her spirits were soaring. She couldn't think of a more perfect night.
"Here," Dallice announced, pointing to a patch of grass under a few pine trees. The lake glistened brightly nearby, the soft image of the moon illuminating the waters.
"It's beautiful," Lily said, taking in the wonders of the scenery surrounding her.
"I thought you'd like it," Dallice said. With a wave of his wand he conjured up a small blue blanket onto which he promptly sat down.
Lily followed his lead, sitting close to him, gazing contently at the moon.
She felt his arm wrap around her, warming her cool skin the moment of his contact. He then turned her chin with his free hand and kissed her gently. Lily returned his kiss, now giddy and excited. She felt his hands run through her hair as they kissed, and before she knew it, he was on top of her.
Lily, a bit uncomfortable, started to pull herself back up, but Dallice held her down with his large body.
"Dallice…" she began.
"Shh…it's okay," he cooed, kissing her softly again.
The small kiss deepened and riveted inside of Lily, and she felt the kiss bloom into a more passionate, hungry kiss. She felt his hands stroking her arms and then quickly pulled her mouth from his as his hands crept underneath her robes.
"Dallice, stop!" Lily shouted.
"What's the matter Lil?" Dallice asked innocently. "Don't you trust me?"
"Dallice, I'm not having fun," Lily said, trying her hardest to sit up. "I want to go, let go of me!"
"I'm just having some fun Lil," Dallice insisted, his hands venturing up under her robes again.
Tears sprung down Lily's face as she felt his hands caress her bare skin. She tried pushing him off of her, tried fighting back, but he was too strong. Her wand was in her pocket, but she couldn't reach it in her position.
"STOP!" she pleaded, kicking him squarely on his calf.
"Lily!" a familiar voice called, rushing over to her.side.
"James!" she remarked, forcing herself up. "James, no!" she yelled, watching in horror as he charged at Dallice, vengeance flashing in his eyes.
"Hey!" Dallice shouted as James punched him soundly in the face.
James rushed over to Lily, helping her to her feet. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes, fine," Lily grumbled, hurrying back to Hogwarts. "How did you find me?"
James shrugged. "Just did."
Lily highly doubted that was true, but decided not to pry. He did, after all, save her. They were silent as the walked rapidly back into Hogwarts, neither knowing exactly what to say.
"Can you do me a favor James?" she asked, stopping to catch her breath.
"Anything," James answered, staring straight into her eyes. Lily gazed into his own eyes for a second, but quickly turned away.
"Can you…can you not tell anybody about this?"
James looked at her quizzically.
"It's just…" Lily continued. "I don't want people feeling sorry for me or anything. And…it's rather embarrassing." As if right on clue, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson.
"Of course," James said. "Er…Lil…I don't suppose you'd like to come back and dance with me?"
Lily shook her head, her curls whipping around through the air. "It's nothing personal James, this time, anyway," she joked. "It's just…I really don't feel much like dancing. I think I'm going to go up to the Common Room."
James nodded. "I understand."
"Er…James?" Lily began, turning back towards him.
"Yes?" he asked simply.
"Er…umm…well, thank you," she said, smiling slightly.
"No problem," James said, watching Lily as she turned back away and rushed up the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room.
X X X
Lily sat alone in the Gryffindor Common Room, warming herself by the fire. Only here could she truly think and allow herself to recall the events of that night. She couldn't believe everything that had happened. It had started out so perfectly. And then…
Lily stifled a sob as she recalled the half hour she had spent outside with Dallice. He was so nice, but then…
Thank God for James, was all she could think. She hated to admit it, but without James's help… She shuddered. She didn't want to think about what could have happened.
Lily turned abruptly, hearing footsteps. She looked up and saw James walking towards her. He sat down beside her, looking into her eyes intensely. She hated when he did that, it made it so much harder to resist him.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Lily asked, putting up her tough shield as always.
"You're crying," James noted, wiping one of Lily's silent tears with his fingertips.
Lily bit her lip and turned away from him. "I don't want you to see me like this."
"I won't tell," he promised.
"I know," Lily said, sighing. "You should probably get back to Jewlie. I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate you sitting up here with me instead of having fun dancing with her."
James let out a deep sigh. "Jewlie broke up with me."
"Really?" Lily asked, her curiosity now peeked. "Why?" she asked, turning to face him again.
James shot her a look and without ever muttering a word, Lily knew the reason for the break up. "I don't want to talk about it," he said shortly.
"I understand," Lily said quietly.
"It's fine," James said. "She deserves better. Someone who will treat her right."
"Yeah," Lily agreed meekly.
James studied her face for a moment. "It's okay to cry, you know."
Lily shook her head fiercely. "No it's not." She paused, "Why would I want to cry, anyway?"
James, not wanting to start another argument held his tongue for a moment. "I'm just saying," he began. "That if you were to cry, I wouldn't tell anyone. And, I wouldn't think any less of you."
"Oh," Lily said, now on the verge of tears.
James sat close to her, allowing her to sob as much as she wanted. He wished now more than ever that he could comfort her, hold her, anything. But, knowing that Lily would never tolerate any of that, he just sat quietly, staring straight ahead.
Lily wished she could stop her tears from falling, but knew that was an impossible mission. She felt James's presence next to her, and for once, it actually comforted her to know that someone was there, caring for her.
The pair sat quietly for the remaining hour of the ball, neither daring to speak a word, but neither one needing to. Just the company of one another was enough. This night would be their secret, and this moment, the two of them gazing into the dancing flames of the fireplace, would be theirs forever.
X X X
TBC…I'm going away until next weekend, but I promise more soon! So, what did you guys think? Did you like it? Let me know! PLEASE r/r!