A/N: I put warning where there're large chunks of descriptions so you guys can skip it if you want to.
RE-UPDATED: 20/02/05
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. Have you realised how boring disclaimers are?
A/N: I'm sorry! I had this written out like straight after I updated, but my mom sent the computer to the shop even though it wasn't spoilt, and when it come back two weeks later, it had a great fat lock on it! For once, I couldn't break past it, so I had to subject myself to begging. Begging! My pride is seriously wounded, I'd advise you guys to give me lot's of reviews to soothe it.
"Hogsmeade weekend! Shopping! Now! Ball! Wheeeee!" squealed a bright happy voice from someone who was bouncing happily on Lily's bed.
"Mmf," mumbled Lily. "As much as it may surprise you," she slurred hazily. "Your face is so not the first thing I want to see in the morning…"
Though usually an early riser, working till 2 in the morning while arguing herself hoarse with a demented Head Boy was not her cup of tea. Besides, she still hadn't gotten a date to the Ball. Andrea continually reassured her that Snape probably hadn't gotten one either. For some reason, she did not find that comforting.
It turned out that they hadn't even needed the Prefects to vote on a theme. The next morning, Dumbledore had announced that due to the increasingly low marks in Muggle Studies, (which was compulsory at the time, but students needn't take it for their OWLs and NEWTs if they didn't want to.) the theme would be a Muggle ball, with their dances and eveningwear. Though some of the students weren't thrilled with the idea, most of the girls were transports of delight as they looked up gowns while boys merely shrugged, thankful that they only had to rent suits.
In cooperation with this event, Gladrags Wizard Wear, Knuts for Fashion, Galleons of Style and numerous other boutiques in Hogsmeade had stocked up on Muggle clothing.
"I'm up…" groaned Lily blearily when Andrea started hitting her with a pillow. Still struggling, she headed to the bathroom and opened the cupboard under the sink to get her stuff. Lily rubbed her eyes several times and blinked to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating.
"Taylor?" she hissed, bending down while listening to Andrea jump around the room in excitement. "What the heck are you doing here?"
"Hiding!" she whispered back, still crouched in an awkward position at the corner of the cupboard. "You two are not dragging me out to buy a dress! Now, keep your voice down!"
"Oh, Tay-ay-ay-lor!" sang Andrea happily in a high-pitched voice.
"It isn't that bad," mumbled Lily, scrubbing her face with her sponge kit. "We'll only take about four hours."
"That is torture, Lily! Now if you don't mind, close the door. I'll come out when both of you are gone."
"Tay? Your Quaffle fell through the window, it's in the lake… and… Oh lord, is that the Giant Squid?"
"EEEE!" she screamed, scrambling out.
"I can't believe she fell for that one," muttered Lily to herself, brushing back her hair and ignoring Andrea's triumphant squeals.
……
"I don't wanna go!" wailed Taylor and hour later as the both of them dragged her towards Knuts for Fashion.
"You're going with Mark Rogers! Does the fact that he is a complete Quidditch hottie penetrate your mind at all?" answered Andrea resolutely. "Don't you care what you look like?"
"No."
"Well, you should!"
"I only agreed to go with him because we'd have something to talk about! Besides, I already have a dress!"
"You mean the brown one?" asked Lily, shooting Andrea a look.
"What about it?" she said suspiciously, watching the exchange.
"Oh, Taylor," said Andrea pulling a sad face, "Lily and I were admiring it, the cheapness of the material, the laughable quality, that horrendous colour! When suddenly, a huge gust of wind wrenched it out of our caring fingers. We ran! We chased! Trying desperately to catch hold of the hem, this, just so you know, was unraveling. To our dismay, it fell into the lake. Willing I was to ruin my new Bonneville robes just to save that pathetic piece of craftsmanship, then out of nowhere, a lightning bolt struck-"
"Alright, alright," she groaned. "The both of you hated it and threw it out of the window, right?"
"Kind of."
"Hated is such a strong word," replied Andrea. "More like strongly repulsed. Not to worry, I will personally pick and pay for a new one even if it takes all day!"
"Joy."
They entered the shop, the little tinkle of a bell sounding. Immediately, an immaculately dressed witch rushed out to greet them, smiling widely.
"Ms Rose! What a pleasure it is to see you here again!" she gushed, ushering them to sit on several armchairs in a corner marked V.I.W. (Very Important Witches). "May I say how honored I am to serve you, allow me to get you an assistant!"
"Thank you Margaret," said Andrea with a gracious smile. "Now-"
"Of course, your drinks! Is the Butterbeer still in a flute glass, umbrella, and cherry and laced ever so slightly with vanilla? Ms Evans, yours is the same without the umbrella and cherry, I assume? And Ms…" she trailed of uncertainly. "I don't think I've seen you here before," she added in a rather disapproving tone.
"She's a good friend," answered Andrea pointedly. "You may have heard of her family, Lee is the name, very old money."
"Oh! Silly me!" she exclaimed, brightening up before scurrying off.
"What's with the treatment?" asked Taylor as they got up to look at the dresses.
Lilt gestured to the wall that was completely covered with pictures of Andrea wearing different robes. "She's been customer of the month for twelve consecutive months, four consecutive years. It's the same at all the boutiques."
Meanwhile, Andrea was already talking to a middle-aged woman whose eyelashes looked like spiders. "This piece is the absolute latest from France!" she was saying, holding up an elegant looking black gown with a low back. "And I must say that it would look wonderful on you!"
"Really?" she asked, looking thoughtful. "I'm not so sure, it seems to rather contrast the-"
"Now, Ms Rose," the assistant interrupted, flashing her a rather pained smile. "Pardon me for saying so, but while you may be an expert regarding witch wardrobes, I believe that I may be more experienced in the Muggle field. I did after all, graduate courses on fashion."
"Alright," she said agreeably, but Lily could tell that she was losing her temper. "I suppose this dress does have a rather fine stitching. Could it be a Vera Wang? Though I always thought that she was more popular in America. Or maybe a Gregoria?
"Well… err… actually…" she stuttered.
"I would say that this would definitely be the work of Jimmy Choos-"
"Exactly! It's Jimmy's. Obviously, I knew that all along!" she said triumphantly.
"As I was saying, it would be his work if it weren't for the fact that he only makes shoes," finished Andrea coldly. "However, I'm sure you know that I prefer natural fabrics."
"This is pure silk!"
"I disagree. If you were to look carefully here," said Andrea smoothly, holding the fabric up to the light, "You can see that the strands of material are slightly straighter than normal, indicating a slight mix of rayon. This, of course would definitely be the work of Gina."
"O-of course!" she answered, flushing furiously. "I –I know that! Erm… I have to attend to anther customer now… I'll leave you girls by yourselves."
"Amateur," she muttered, making sure that she was heard before turning to her friends who had been watching the exchange in amusement. "Taylor!" she barked like a drill sergeant. "You are obviously in need of help! Lily! Get to work!"
……
4 hours 29 minutes and 30 seconds later.
(According to Taylor.)
"Two thousand two hundred and twenty five bottles of Butterbeer on the wall, two thousand two hundred and twenty five! You take one down and pass it around, two thousand two hundred and twenty four bottles of Butterbeer on the wall!" sang Taylor tiredly, gulping down her 12th bottle of Butterbeer.
She had already picked out a dress (one that even Andrea couldn't protest to), so had Lily about half an hour ago. Sensing that Andrea would take a long time picking out her gown, they headed to the accessories department. If you're wondering how she managed to pick out things without knowing what her dress was supposed to be like, she basically just took everything that she thought would go well with every colour. She had then name dropped about all the goods there until the helpers felt inferior, giving them absurdly low prices for the things they wanted.
Now, they were back in another boutique, waiting for her. The difference between her and Lily was that Lily actually enjoyed what she considered torture, which was helping Andrea choose. She, on the other hand, was shriveling up from boredom.
Andrea swirled out of the dressing room in a strapless flaming red dress that hugged her figure. "So? What do you think?"
"This looks good," observed Lily critically. "But the turquoise one was better."
"Which turquoise one?"
"It looks exactly like the other sixty-two ones you tried," groaned Taylor. "Where was I? Oh, right. Two thousand two hundred and twenty four bottles of-"
"Actually, we'll need to go soon," said Lily, glancing at her watch. "Take your pick. But I still say you should go with the light blue one."
"Which light blue one?"
"-pass it around- how can she remember? There were at least twenty."
"Why don't you just pick the ones you like, buy them and choose at school?" Lily suggested.
"That would work," agreed Andrea thoughtfully.
"How many out of the sixty two have you marked possible?
"Let me see… I think about…" she frowned. "Sixty! That's right, sixty!"
"Oh good lord."
"Wait, I think I like the organza one, so make it sixty one.'
"You could always ask them to deliver, I mean, it'd only take about eight or nine trips to get it all."
"I wonder where I'd put them. Taylor, do you still want your closet?"
……
In the Three Broomsticks, the Marauders were sipping their Butterbeers, besieged by girls asking them to the Ball. Sirius and James waved them off, already having gotten dates while Remus merely shook his head before continuing to examine the diagram of the Slytherin Common Room that had been stolen from Filch's office.
"This is the life," announced Sirius. "Samantha Woods from Ravenclaw as a date and hundreds of others begging."
Peter collapsed on his chair in exhaustion. "I got Polly Pern to go with me," he gasped, wiping the sweat of his brow.
"That Hufflepuff?" asked James disapprovingly. "I think that you deserve more than that gossip. How 'bout you Moony? Who're you going with?"
"No one," he answered, drawing a cross on where he planned to drop the Dungbombs. "I don't feel like going."
"Why not?" wailed Sirius like it was the end of the world. "You've got to! Got to got to got to got to got to got to-"
"How long do you think he can go like that without pausing?" asked James with interest.
"-got to got to-"
"Dunno. Have you and Lily called a truce yet?" asked Remus hopefully. "Neither of you have wreaked havoc lately."
"Not a chance!" he huffed, pounding a fist on the table. "I'm as good as my word. We just stopped for a while because Dumbledore warned us that there can be no disasters till after the Ball."
"-Got to (gasp) g-got- They're giving free fudge at Honeydukes!" he yelled suddenly. "C'mon Wormtail!" he cried, grabbing Peter's arm and charging out the door.
"Come the dance Moony. It'll be great! The Marauders' last dance!"
"No thanks."
"I get it," whimpered James, putting on his most pathetic look. "You don't want to go because you think I can't organize a dance."
"No! It's not like that," said Remus, completely falling for his friend's usual act. He sighed and pushed back his hair, realising that he'd been had again. "Alright, if there's a tenth girl who asks me five days before the Ball, I'll go. On the condition that you're not allowed to play any pranks that may cause any disaster on that day."
"Make it a girl who got over eighty on Sirius's chart and we have a deal!"
"Fine. Just… don't blow up anything."
"Deal!"
"Let me see your fingers."
"Damn."
……
"I guess you think you're really smart, don't you?" hissed a 7th year Hufflepuff as Lily floated decorations across the ceiling.
"What are you talking about, Linda?" she asked tiredly.
"Being Head Girl just so you can have the opening dance with James!" she snarled. "Don't think I don't know your true motives, Evans."
"Please! Who do you think I am? You?" she demanded. "As for getting near Potter, let alone dancing-" Abruptly, she turned pale. "D-did you say d-dance?" she asked in a quavering voice.
"Obviously!" she said snottily, turning up her pert little nose. "What planet have you been on, Muggle-born? The Heads always have the open any ball with a dance. Didn't you come across it when you were sticking your nose in Hogwarts: A History?"
"Oh lord…" she whispered to herself, dropping a pile of streamers on a Perfect. "Umm… umm… the rest of you! Keep working!" she yelled shrilly before running out.
How could I have forgotten? She berated herself angrily. I'm doomed! Doomed! Ever since she was young, she had two left feet. Actually, saying that she had two left feet would be insulting to the left footers. She couldn't dance if her life depended on it. And the very thought of having to do so with Potter, in front of the entire school… it made her fell ill. I can't ask Andrea, she thought frantically, she's away visiting some aunt… God, she complained about that for weeks… or Taylor… she's been swamped with Quidditch practice. O my lord! Five days left! Only five days left and I don't even have a date!
Suddenly, she stopped running and let her thoughts sink in. Then, she began running again, this time scrambling towards the hall. She'd have to find a sensitive, cute, quiet boy who wouldn't blurt out to the whole school that Lily Evans was about as graceful as a hippopotamus when it came to dancing. And who would be better than…
……
"Remus! Pass me that garland of holly!" yelled James. Remus lounged on his chair, tilting it back slightly and threw it to James.
"Why aren't you helping Prongsie?" asked Sirius, looking at his reflection in a bauble.
"Why aren't you helping Prongsie?" he shot back.
"I'm not a Prefect."
"I like seeing him work."
"Fair enough."
"Fair enough."
"Why isn't Wormtail helping Prongsie?" asked Sirius happily, now raising an eyebrow at his reflection.
"Because he isn't here," he answered patiently.
"Why isn't he here?"
"Because."
"Because what?"
"Because he didn't want to be here!"
"Why didn't he want to be here?"
"Because you're here!"
"Why-" started Sirius, then stopping as the remark sank in. "That's hurtful," he sniffed, turning large, sad eyes to Remus.
"Oy, why aren't either of you helping me!" called James irritably from the ladder.
"Why aren't you helping Prongsie?" they chorused after a slight pause.
"I am Prongsie! I mean- don't call me… oh for goodness' sake. I give up."
"U-umm… Remus?" asked a blonde girl with curly hair that he knew vaguely as a Ravenclaw. "I'm Amanda Smith and I … I was hoping that you'd be my date for the dance."
Upon hearing this, James looked down excitedly. "Moony! That's the tenth girl! The tenth!"
"Oh, well. I guess-" began Remus, but was cut off immediately by Sirius.
"Halt," he said grandly, taking out a long scroll of parchment. "We must first check the chart of Sirius. Smith… Smith…" he muttered to himself, unfurling the parchment and letting it roll around the hall. "I'm sorry, but you only received a 75 on the chart." He answered at last.
"Padfoot, I don't think it matters," he sighed.
"But it does!" he whined. "I know about your deal! 80 points and above only! Don't you trust my point giving talent?"
"Point giving talent?" Remus echoed incredulously. "Of course n-"
Then he saw Sirius visibly wilting from exaggerated disappointment and pitiful-ness. Him, like the sucker he was, fell for it again.
"n- I do! Of course I do," he corrected himself, seeing his friend perk immediately. "Sorry Amanda."
"Fine!" she replied huffily, stalking off.
"Remus!" hollered Lily form the entrance, then sprinting over to where the three were working. "Remus," she repeated more calmly, gasping for air. "C-can I talk to you in private?"
"Ooh! In private! Lilykins is gonna give you a little something!" cheered Sirius, James stood motionless on the ladder, glaring at them.
"Shut up, Sirius," said three of snapped in unison.
"What you say to Remus, you can say to all of us, Evans," glowered James.
"Alright," she took a deep breath like she was bracing herself. "Will you go to the Ball with me?"
James fell off the ladder.
"Let us now check the chart of Sirius!" announced Sirius majestically, yet again unfurling his parchment.
"Huh?"
"Moony," said James quickly, getting up and looking very red. "You can't go with her! She can't have gotten over an 80 on that chart!"
"Aha!" exclaimed Sirius. "Evans, Lily. 92 points!"
"What?"
"Excuse me?"
Remus looked at the three of them. James was obviously jealous, though he'd rather die than admit it, Lily, confused, and Sirius… well, just Sirius. Come to think of it, this was probably a good opportunity to get James to admit he like Lily.
"Padfoot! Are you blind?"
"Sure, Lily, I'll go with you."
"What?"
"Thanks Remus," she said in relief. "I'd bring them to the Hospital Wing if I were you," she added before bending down and whispering into his ear. "Meet me outside the Common Room at midnight, I have a favor to ask."
She straightened and glared at James and Sirius who were leaning in as close as possible, before turning away and stalking off.
James couldn't get a single thing done after that.
……
Lily waited breathlessly for Remus to show up. Alright. If she were completely honest with herself, she'd admit that it wasn't just because he was good-looking and sweet. After all, there's nothing wrong with chasing a boy you sort of liked, right? Absolutely. She knew that he was a good dancer, because whenever she had a crush, she would go into full agent mode, digging up everything about that boy's past. She had found out that all the Marauders had had dance lessons since young, and had excelled in it. Well… except for Peter, but what did you expect?
Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her she pushed back her hair nervously and smiled brightly. "Remus? Is that you? Thank Merlin, I was afraid you weren't going-"
She stopped when the figure came in sight. James Potter was laden with food from the kitchens, and something silvery draped across his arm, Lily only got a glimpse of it before he stuffed it out of sight.
"Oh. It's you, Potter," she said, giving him her usual black stare.
"Thanks for the greeting, Evans," he replied, putting down his load of pastries. "What're you doing out so late, Head Girl?"
"None of your business, so sod off!" she snapped, losing her temper.
"It's something to do with Remus, I expect, from the way you kept calling out," he said, feeling something inside him burn, and his blood start to boil. "That's completely pathetic, Evans!"
"Look, Potter!" she snarled, surprised by how angry he looked. "Don't get you knickers in a twist over nothing! Quit sticking your nose into my life! And why, may I ask is it so pathetic?"
"Because… because…" he struggled to come up with a reason, but the fact that he was fuming at Remus over nothing was not helping. "Because you're acting like a little dog over a sympathy date!"
"Shut up, Potter!" she hissed, her voice rising in pitch and volume, obviously, he had struck a nerve. "I don't know what your problem is, or why you're acting even more like a prat than usual, but whatever it is, get – over – yourself!"
"What're you doing with Remus?" he asked viciously. "Have you gotten so completely desperate for a date that you're trying to get his pity?"
That definitely pushed her over the edge. Lily turned red, then white, then red all over again. She moved forward and slapped him with all the force she could muster. His head snapped back from pain and surprise.
"Potter," she said, sounding dangerously calm and walking close, causing him to back away. It amazed him how someone so petite could make him feel so threatened. "Do you know that you utterly ruined my life since I was fourteen?"
"I asked you out! Big deal! Lot's of girls would kill for that… that…" he trailed off as her face visible darkened. Maybe it would be a better idea for him if he kept his mouth shut, he decided.
"Exactly. You asked me out. And since I loathed you with my entire being, I refused. But, instead of acting as any normal person would have and backing down, you asked me again, and again, and again, and again!"
"What's wrong with that?" he asked, clueless and unable to maintain his silence any longer.
"You don't know?" she screeched, abandoning her calm demeanor. "You honestly don't know?"
James thought that it would a lot wiser not to answer.
"You do not get how completely annoying it is to be hissed, teased and physically and mentally threatened by your bloody fan club for three stinking years!" she yelled, not troubling to keep her voice down. "You, not to mention them, have made my life a living hell! Not only that, no boy, except Sirius -but he's obviously deluded- will ask me out because they are bloody scared of you! And do you remember what happens when they actually do ask?" she hissed, putting her face close to his.
"Err… no?" he fibbed, staring into her flashing emerald eyes.
"You threaten and scare the crap out of them until no one dares to ask me anymore!" she screamed. "All of this! All this torture! For what, may I ask? Just so you can have your stupid, Look-I-Won-All-The-Girls-In-Hogwarts title!"
"Look, it's not like that!" he blurted, surprising himself.
"Oh, I'm sure it's not, Potter!" she snarled. "You're just so keen on me that you play pranks on me, snog other girls before and after you ask me for a date and annoy me to death, right?"
"No! I mean yes! I – I mean no! I mean, I'm really sor-"
Just then, the portrait opened and Remus stepped out. "Sorry, Lily, I had a hard time getting away from Sirius and-" he stopped, staring at a fuming Lily and a cringing James, both red in the face, the latter having a flaming handprint rapidly forming on his left cheek. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No! You are most definitely not interrupting something because there will never ever, ever be anything to interrupt!" she shouted. "Come on, Remus!" she grabbed his arm and forcefully yanked him down the hallway.
James continued to stare at the spot where Lily had stood, a strange expression on his face.
……
Lily stormed down several staircases and passages, sending patrolling Prefects and several couples who were hiding in dark corners scurrying away. Halfway through, she met Mrs. Norris who gazed at her balefully before charging away when Lily screamed, "I'm on patrol, you stinking feline!"
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" asked Remus hopefully, a few minutes after Mrs. Norris had skittered off.
Lily paused, her chest heaving. "Sorry, Remus, I know that I'm in a foul mood," she apologized, turning around. "It's the usual, Potter annoys me, I yell, he yells and something blows up."
"I guessed as much," said Remus with a nod. "Mind telling me where we're going?"
"I'll tell you when we get there," said Lily, taking his hand and sprinting up another staircase.
Just as they were nearing a portrait of Barnabas the Barmy, Remus guessed where they were going.
"Room of Requirement?" he asked.
Lily smiled ruefully, "I should've known you Marauders would know about this. So… yeah. You'll know what I'm talking about when we get inside."
Lily walked past the bare patch of wall three times, concentrating hard. Just as the door popped into view, she stepped back and let Remus go through first. Then she turned around and pointed her wand at the seemingly empty hallway.
"Petrificus totalus," she whispered before starting in after Remus.
She was fairly sure she heard a thud, but it may have just been her imagination and her paranoid instinct. Yet, she had a right to be; after all, only a fool wouldn't recognize an Invisibility Cloak.
……
"Lily? I'm already here, and I don't know what the heck this is about."
Lily stood beside him, surveying the room with satisfaction. The floor was marbled and gleaming, above them was a glowing chandelier. It was completely clear except for a small table in the corner with a wizard radio and a stack of records.
"Well… the ball is in five days time, right?" began Lily hesitantly. Barely waiting for Remus to nod, she continued. "The Head Girl and Boy always have to do the opening dance and I'll have to dance with Potter!"
"No worried there," said Remus with a shrug. "James's a good dancer."
"That's the whole point!" wailed Lily piteously. "I can't dance!" She clapped her hands over her mouth as though she were afraid someone might've heard her.
"Oh… well, that's a problem."
"I know! That's why I need you to tell me how to do a few simple dance steps so I won't completely humiliate myself in front of the entire school!" said Lily anxiously. "Please? Please!"
"Alright Lily, don't worry," said Remus, smiling at her before gingerly removing her vice-like grip from his arm. "Well, we're well equipped," he added, surveying the room critically. "What do you know about dancing?"
"I know that a lot of people can't walk properly after they try to teach me."
"Ah," he said tactfully. "Why don't we try the waltz?" He walked over to the table. "I think these are the records of the Muggle Maniacs? They are the band you hired, right?"
The music started off on a soft beat. Remus walked over to her, smiling encouragingly and making her heart flutter. He held one of her hands gently in his and placed the other on his shoulder. He gazed into her eyes and whispered, "Follow my lead." Slowly, he led her across the room, herself trying not to turn into putty as she klutzily tried to copy his steps.
Minutes and hours melded together, but she took no notice. Remus winced from time to time when she stepped on his feet, but he never let it show for more than a second. She sighed happily, going through the various dances (the radio automatically changed songs.) and taking in his scent, growing more relaxed in his embrace. He pointed out her mistakes softly and never patronizingly, playing the song again and again until she got the idea. Suddenly, just as the ballroom dance ended, a song for the slow dance started.
Remus stared at her uncertainly, but she thought for only a moment, then pushing the doubts from her mind, she moved closer. She could feel him stiffen as their bodies met, but he relaxed again. He led her, swaying with the beat in the traditional circle shuffle. She didn't think of anything as she lay her head, closing her eyes and enjoying the moment.
I could stay like this forever, she thought hazily, going a little closer and loving the feel of her cheek on his broad shoulders. She didn't know how long they danced, but abruptly, the music stopped and the spell was over.
They broke apart, Remus looking insanely guilty while Lily's entire face was glowing red. There weren't butterflies in her stomach any more; there were a huge hive of bumblebees buzzing around.
"Err…" said Remus with nothing better to say, guilt written all over his face. He wondered what had come over him. No matter how much James denied that he liked Lily, (even if he didn't know it.) he knew that he truly felt something for her. And there he was, getting cozy with the girl his mate fancied! Don't worry, he assured himself, Lily doesn't think of me as anymore than a friend. "…Why don't we meet again tomorrow?"
Lily looked up in surprise, disguising her delight, "You mean even after teaching me, you still dare to try again?" she asked jokingly, trying to make the conversation light.
"Believe me, Lily," said Remus, collapsing on a large beanbag that had just appeared. "You owe me a life time of foot massages for this. As your date and friend, I'd like to make sure that you don't embarrass yourself."
Lily laughed dropping onto another beanbag. "You've just insulted me and made me feel good at the same time," she said with a grin. "D'you think I'll be able to not crush my partner's feet during the dance?"
"D'you want the nice, I'm-going-to-give-you-hope-answer that you always read about in sappy novels, or the plain truth?"
"Give me the first one."
"Lily," said Remus earnestly, making her giggle. "You're such a talented and beautiful girl. With your determination and intelligence, I'm sure that if you just put your mind to it, you can do anything. In a few days time, I'll have you waltzing around this room like you've been doing it all your life!"
"That was pretty good," admitted Lily with a crooked smile. "Now give me the truth."
"I hope I get a really thick pair of boots for Christmas."
"Ha ha ha," she said dryly. "Thanks for having faith."
"I've got a tip for you," he added.
"What?"
"Wear a really long dress that cover up your feet, and don't dance with anyone but me."
"Can't get enough of me, eh?" teased Lily.
"Not really," he countered, smiling lopsidedly, making her blush again. "It's just that by that time, my feet will be so numb, I shouldn't be able to feel anything. That, and I highly doubt that any of the other guys have had my training."
She laughed again. After some light banter, the awkwardness was left behind. Soon, they went back, Lily feeling ridiculously happy at being closer to Remus and skipping happily back to her dorm. Remus limped behind her, rubbing his feet occasionally. Halfway through, he tripped and fell to the ground, thinking that it was his pain in his feet, he continued on. He simply hadn't noticed how particularly lumpy that bit of floor was.
Authoress' Note: Don't you think it's cooler to be called 'authoress'? Feminism! Anywho, lord, this is a long chapter, Sorry I couldn't squeeze the ball in! I mean, just look at how much I've written already! I've got a new obsession! Jeremy Sumpter! He is sooo hot! I think I may start writing a Peter Pan fic soon! If there are any J.S fans out there, I'd be thrilled if you could recommend some of his fics to me! Besides the ones on my favorites list that is. I like light humorous ones with romance and drama and definitely a happy ending!
Well, I'm tired, so I'll just get on to thanking you guys for your amazing reviews!
Damn, sorry, I can't get to my review page! There's heavy traffic or something, so I'll just post this up.
One more thing, could the people who asked me e-mail them just put me on Author alert? See, it's times like this I can't e-mail you guys, so it'd be a lot easier.