RE-UPDATED: 20.02.05
Disclaimer: The day I own Harry Potter, is the day my form teacher does a lap dance for the class, which will be just about never.
A/N: I forgot to mention, the dancing with Remus idea came from a fantastic author, Indiangurl, who agreed to let me use it! Everyone, give her a round of applause! Oh, and don't forget to review! Do you know, I actually had to go and apologize to one of the most boring and cruel Geography teachers in the world to get my draft back? Just for writing in her horrendously boring class? What was I supposed to do? Sleep? (Which I tried to actually, until she yelled at me.) I command you to leave many reviews to soothe my battered ego!
"There's Davy Gudgeon, of course," said Andrea aloud as she lay on her bed. "But he still has that bruise from the Whomping Willow."
"Mmm," said Taylor, contemplating whether she should jump out of the window.
"Mmm…" came Lily's much dreamier sigh.
"No, huh?" sighed Andrea, not noticing their lack of attention while she squinted at her several foot long list. "Alright, only 14 candidates left."
Taylor whacked her head against the bedpost despairingly.
"Mmm…"
"Andrea!" she wailed piteously. "We've been doing this since early morning! It's already three in the afternoon! Set me free!"
"Honestly, Taylor," she huffed. "The ball is tomorrow, I have to give them an answer. Don't you agree, Lily?"
"Mmm…"
"Lily! Agree with me!" begged Taylor. "Lih-lee! Lil… Lily? You there?" she asked uncertainly, waving a hand in front of her vaguely smiling face.
"Mmm…"
"What's wrong with her?" asked Andrea, staring at her while ticking a few names off her parchment with a quill.
"Dunno, I haven't seen either of you much lately," she said with a shrug. "Extra Quidditch practice, remember?"
"I was visiting the pathetic excuse I have for an aunt, with her frizzy hair and wrinkly skin, screaming at me very hour on the hour," growled Andrea, her face darkening further at every word. "As if I'm too dumb to know that I was forced to visit her just because the old hag's a spy for my mother! Just who does she think she is?" she yelled, standing up on her bed and getting into full rant mode. "Controlling every single-"
"Andrea, calm down," said Taylor soothingly, placing a hand on the seething girl's shoulder. "Chant, 'the grass is green… the sky is blue… the grass is green… the sky is blue…"
"The grass is green… my dress is blue… my hair is black… mascara too… My eyeliner is-"
"Okay! Stop!" cut in Taylor frantically. "I did not get you to chant just to hear you ramble on about make up!"
"Mmm…"
"It's not rambling!" replied Andrea indignantly. "It's a profession! Don't you agree, Lily?"
"Mmm…"
"It's hopeless," said Taylor, leaning close to Lily and seeing the blissful look in her large eyes. "Maybe it's got something to do with the Ball."
The word 'Ball' seemed to shake Lily out of her reverie. "Hi…" she murmured with another smile, as if just noticing that they were there. "The Ball is going to be wonderful," she finished happily before going back to her own little world.
Andrea and Taylor gave each other confused looks.
"Alright," said Taylor, clearing her throat. "I have just burned up the Transfiguration paper that you spent a month working on and plan to destroy Hogwarts before moving into the Statue of Liberty and becoming an axe murderer whereas Andrea will be going to Africa to join the Masai tribe and will never touch make up or designer robes again, instead spending the rest of her days chasing wildebeests."
"Mmm… good for you…"
……
Things were quite different with the Marauders.
For one thing, James Potter only came back at six in the morning one night when a house elf stumbled upon him. From then on, he'd been brooding a lot, sometimes seen to scowl at himself before muttering angrily under his breath.
Remus, on the other hand, needed daily doses of Murtlap essence to treat his sore feet. He disappeared every night, only returning, limping slowly, at about one in the morning. When asked where he went, he became strangely deaf and changed the subject.
Sirius and Peter… well… they were the same as ever. And it's not like you people actually want to know what Sirius does in his spare time, do you?
James had given up trying to follow Lily and Remus every night. After he'd managed to dodge her curse the second time, when he tried to open the door, it was locked, and one that frequented the Room as much as him knew that it was sound proof. So, his imagination and polluted brain allowed him to believe that there was some raunchy affair going on between one of his best mated and the girl he… well… wasn't quite sure what he felt for. He wasn't even sure why he cared so much, he never used to mind if any of them met up with a girl late at night, but when he thought about Lily and Remus doing… doing… he didn't want to think about it too deeply, as he felt the need to go and throttle someone.
Remus had noticed that James was being unusually moody, but had assumed that it had something to do with the argument that he'd had with Lily the other night. His dance lessons with her were improving slightly, very slightly, true, but slightly nonetheless. Granted, she still stepped on his feet every few minutes (which was better) but she could fake being able to dance fairly well.
With Remus in pain, and James fuming yet remorseful for the torture that he'd unknowingly inflicted upon Lily all those years, the Marauders were a rather confused group at the moment.
……
All three girls woke up screaming at the top of their lungs on Christmas morning.
If you happen to be wondering why, it could have been due to the tiny fact that their ceiling had abruptly decided to rain frogs, horned toads, beetles, worms, mice and basically every single creepy crawly that girls had been known to find repulsive.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!" screeched Lily, running around in circles, waving frantically at a frog and a few millipedes that were sitting comfortably in her long hair.
"Eww! Ewwewweww! EEW!" shrieked Andrea, following Lily's suit and charging madly around the room. "Those idiots as going to pay! Pay! Eww!"
Taylor had skittered around like them for a while, but fortunately, she regained her senses faster. "Girls!" she yelled, banishing a few bugs out of the window. "Get a grip on yourselves! Just get rid of those… things!"
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" was their reply, scampering around the room before crashing into each other. They lay on the floor for a few seconds before jumping up and down, brushing insects off themselves.
Finally, after long minutes of wailing and hopping, they calmed down enough to help Taylor to get rid of the rest of the pests. All three of them took long showers before proceeding to rant about the Marauders before finally getting round to opening their Christmas presents.
……
Now, you didn't actually think that the girls would have let the Marauders get away with that, did you? Not that it took that 'present' of theirs to get them to do what they did. They had planned it all out earlier, as their enemies soon saw.
As usual, on Christmas morning, the four of them woke up bright and early to attack their gifts. James and Sirius got the most presents, naturally from various admirers. Soon, the sound of tearing off wrapping paper and chortles made itself heard as they wondered how the girls had reacted.
"What did you get again, Padfoot?" asked James, throwing a pile of pranks from Zonko into his already huge mountain.
"As unimaginative as usual," he replied casually, sorting out the robes that he'd been given, tossing another one into the hill at the side of his head according to colour.
"I wish that they'd come up with something more original," grumbled James, kicking aside a yellow robe.
"They seem to think that you like orange and yellow a lot," observed Peter, staring at largest piles.
"Actually, that's clementine," corrected Sirius.
"And beige," added James.
Remus and Peter stared at them.
"You pick these kind of things up when you get enough," explained Sirius with a shrug. "Open your presents, Moony. We can plan what to do with all the pranks."
Remus nodded before turning to his fairly sizable pile. His eye was caught by a flashing gold present, the words "Open me first!" were glowing bright red. He shrugged to himself before picking it up and tearing it open.
Inside was a red and gold umbrella, scented like vanilla. He stared at it in confusion and picked up the note inside the box, the words written in a cursive scrawl.
'You know, I so didn't want to send you anything, but Lily made us feel guilty. I think this'll come in handy soon! Toodles!
P.S. Don't you think that the umbrella matches the wrapping paper? I got it for free when I spent more than 50 galleons at Scentsuos! I got this really great bottle of Irma perfume! You know, that colour- OY! (A lot of scribbles here) Fine, I'll end the stupid message. You just don't appreciate fashion, Taylor! Huh.
Below the message was a drawing of a rose and three flowers entwined together, which Remus had become accustomed to seeing by then. He looked at it in confusion, suspicion prickling at the back of his mind. He turned back to his presents. This time, a glittery purple parcel with a silver ribbon on the side was flashing 'Me next! Me next!'.
Pushing aside his misgivings, he lifted the lid and found himself looking at… a Muggle gas mask? This time, he rummaged around the box before finding a note just like the other.
'See? I had to help her pick out the colour for the box. She was going to choose this hideous shade of puce and grey. For goodness' sake! It hurt my eyes just looking at it! Not that you're much better. Are your socks finally matching today? You- (here, there was another load of scribbles and some ink marks, looking as though they'd been wrestling for the quill before the writing changed from slanting cursive to small and neat.) Go away, Andrea. Sorry, Remus. I think this ought to be helpful soon. Keep it with you! And Merry Christmas!"
At the right hand corner, the symbol was stamped below the sketch of a morning glory. By then, Remus had guessed what was going on. Almost immediately, the shiny red box with a green bow glowed. Before the words had even appeared, he had already undone the bow and opened it. Inside was a thick pair of boots, a strong scent of peach emitting from them. Remus's mouth twitched, he knew whom this was from.
'Hey, Remus. This warning is the thanks for helping me. The boots ought to match your suit for the ball tonight. Anyway, be a smart little boy and pick up Andrea and Taylor's presents. Make sure you put the boots back in the box and bring them with you so that they don't get dirty. Now, go to a corner where you're sure you guys don't have any pranks, k? Use the gifts!
P.S. Help me tell your idiotic friends 'Merry Christmas' and to take a good long bath! They'll need it! By the way, you have about two minutes to get a move on. Cheers.'
Beside the stamp, was (as expected) a drawing of a lily. Wisely, Remus did as the instructions on her note stated. He went to the corner next to his bed, (which was fairly neat compared to the rest of the room.) put on the gas mask and opened up the umbrella before crouching behind it, curling himself up into a tiny ball.
James was the first to notice his peculiar behavior. "Moony, what are you doing?"
"Lily told me to tell you that you guys'll need a bath after this. Oh, and Merry Christmas," he mumbled from behind his red and gold shield.
"Huh?"
3, 2, 1… Remus silently counted in his head.
BOOM.
Simultaneously, all the Dungbombs, Ever Bashing Boomerangs, Fanged Frisbees, nose biting teacups, Filibuster Fireworks, frogspawn and every item from the joke shop imaginable –thanks to their original collection and the gifts the groupies had given them- exploded. Even several that had yet to be opened burst out of their boxes and wrapping paper.
It was complete chaos in their room; the fireworks were bouncing off walls, narrowly hitting Peter. James had to dodge a teacup that was aiming for his face, accidentally landing into several Dungbombs that had just erupted. A fleet of boomerangs was chasing Sirius, just managing to avoid another Frisbee. Meanwhile, Remus could hear their shouts and yells as their own arsenal attacked them. He held his umbrella firmly against the remains of the bombs pelting against it. A few teacups bounced off its surface and he successfully deflected a firework.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. When he had opened Andrea's present, a perfume like smell had escaped, floating around the room, then Taylor's had released a scentless vapor before Lily's had let the cinnamon fume out. As all the smells (obviously evaporated Potions) mingled together, reacting to each other, it had taken some time for them to fully set off the pranks, which had explained how Lily knew that it would take two minutes for him to escape.
Remus winced as the belching began. Apparently the Belch Pills were forcing themselves down their owners' throats. He could feel the thudding against his umbrella when the slug pellets were released, and the wet squelch as they hit the floor.
After about fifteen minutes, though it seemed like hours to all of them, the attacks stopped. Remus lowered his shield cautiously, taking in the wreckage. Like the room, his friends were covered in ash, slime, goo and mostly… dung.
Ah. So this was where the gas mask came in.
Remus sat Indian style in his corner (the only clean spot in the room.), closing his umbrella and shaking it to get rid of the remains of the fight on it. James twitched as he pulled himself up shakily, then stared at the rubber chicken in his hand, it seemed that he's taken a fake wand while trying to cast a Shield Charm. Sirius groaned and spat out some frogspawn while Peter remained unconscious.
Both of them turned to glare accusingly at Remus, who was still squeaky clean,
"Well… you did say you wanted something original," said Remus, somehow managing to look innocent through his gas mask.
……
Lily grinned to herself; the odor emanating from the boy's dorm confirmed the success of their revenge. Sometimes it definitely paid to tie with Snape at Potions. Smiling contentedly, she put up the notice on the board like Andrea told her to.
' Your accessories don't match your dress for the Christmas Ball? Need advice on how to talk to your date? Don't know how to apply your make up just right?
NO NEED TO WORRY!
All your problems can be solved at the seventh year's girl's dorm on the right! There, you can have facials, spa treatment and hair teased beyond your imagination! All these services will be performed by professional Andrea Rose, helped by Lily Evans and Taylor Lee!
Opens from 11.00a.m -5.p.m
(Price list inside dorm.)'
Lily stepped back and headed to the dorm to help Andrea. She was frantically Transfiguring her bed into several large seats with their back rest pushed level with the basins behind them. On a shelf that looked suspiciously as though it had been Taylor's cabinet due to the carvings on the side, Lily began stocking their extensive line of hair care products.
By the time they were done redoing the dorm, girls were already milling outside, scribbling down the treatments that they wanted before handing them to Taylor who looked like she'd rather be helping Hagrid feed his new puppy. When Lily finished arranging the spare gowns, she stepped back to admire the hour's worth of effort in decorating their dorm. Now one would be able to tell that just that morning, slugs were crawling around, she mused proudly.
She had charmed the colour of the walls to white and gold to make the room appear larger. White organza curtains were swaying slightly in the cool breeze that they'd gotten the house elves to generate. In one corner, all the spare or used accessories and gowns were lined up. Every one of them was in excellent shape, being offered on rent, and if the price was right, sold.
In another corner was blocked by a rich gold velvet curtain that had been transfigured from a bed sheet. Behind it were two large armchairs and a table where Andrea was supposed to give advice to frantic girls. The second last corner was occupied by chairs that Andrea had been changing for facials and hair washes, and the other for haircuts. In the middle was Taylor, sitting at a desk marked 'Reception' (seeming bored out of her mind) near a waiting room.
The three girls were already rather used to this routine, though they'd never taken anything on such a large scale before. It was Andrea's idea; she was a born businesswoman and strangely set on making money. No one quite knew why as she was from a very wealthy family. All the stores she frequented even had an account for her that was linked to Gringotts so she didn't have to pay.
The rest of Lily's day was spent advising their customers on what colour helped their skin tone, persuading them to buy accessories, washing their hair and giving them facials. Andrea cut their hair, gave advice, applied make up and corrected the facials Lily gave.
Taylor withered at the front desk and took before and after pictures of the customers and stuck them outside to encourage more people. During the said opening to closing period of time, both the patrons were kept on their feet. Snippets of conversation could be heard.
"Lily! Get the avocado! Mary Jean has a pimple!"
"I just don't know what to say to Brad! Andrea? Are you listening?"
"Lily, I so don't think that that colour compliments my skin."
"Well, Marcy… it's not often that we meet such pasty… I mean fair people."
"Aaah! A pimple! A horrid, horrid pimple!"
"Welcome to the Gryffindor 2nd 7th Girl's Dormitory, where services include haircuts facials, washes, sale and rental of gowns etc. Also including people who enjoy tormenting their friend by forcing her to hang around with a bunch of ditzes-"
"Taylor!"
"Fine!"
"Are you sure that you're using Sonia Shampoo? Because I have very delicate hair."
"Who's the expert here? You or me?"
"Always the polite one aren't you?"
"What if Mark doesn't like me in pink? What if he prefers peach? O-or rosemary?"
"Oh for goodness sake, rosemary is pink."
"Pimple! Pimple pimple pimple pimple! Aah! The world is against me!"
"I don't think it's likely that Hades, the God of Death, will decide to seize you and make you his bride while you're dancing, Lindsey."
"Of course I have a gorgeous figure. I mean, everyone knows that I'm only the most popular girl in school. So, I want something showy, short and that'll add to my perfection."
"How 'bout a fertilizer bag?"
"What was that?"
"A five headed salamander riding on a Chinese Fireball will not decide to go on rampage while David is professing his eternal love to you."
After the long and exhausting afternoon, they made over a hundred Galleons, which was divided by three, and a resolution to never listen to Andrea's ideas again.
……
"Aah!"
"Haiyah!"
"Oof!"
"Andrea! Get out of there and help me!"
"Alright! Don't get your knickers in a twist!" she yelled from the bathroom. The door opened and a huge cloud of steam escaped. Out of the mist, she stepped out in a terry cloth bathrobe, her hair wrapped into a towel. She stopped when she saw Lily sitting on a struggling Taylor's lower back, but the latter wasn't on the Gryffindor Quidditch team for nothing. With a leap and a bound, she landed heroically beside Lily before calmly taking out her nail buffer.
"Argh!"
"Taylor Lee," she said, filing her nails while Lily dried off her own hair. "If you think for one second that you are going to escape with no make up, you are sadly mistaken."
"Why do you care how I look?"
"Two words. Date – Quidditch – Captain."
"Actually Andy, that's three," said Lily distractedly; trying to curl a lock of hair with her wand.
"Well, in my vocabulary, the last two are really just one word. By the way, beside Tay-who is obviously in need of dire help- d'you want my expertise for touching you up? I'm feeling generous."
Lily paused, staring at her pathetic attempt to crimp her hair. Normally, she wouldn't have paid that much importance to her looks, but tonight was different; tonight she was to go with… with…
"Surprisingly," she said slowly, "I might actually take up your offer. I'm sick of reading about those girls in romance novels who are beautiful without even trying. I want to be completely selfish and shallow tonight, only caring about how well my highlights go with my lip gloss."
"That's m' girl! See? I'm having a good influence on you!"
"I highly doubt it's good."
"Hello? Are either of you going to get off anytime soon?"
"Quit being a pessimist! Now… I'm thinking the eye shadow that I got from France, remember that one?"
"You mean by Avonlea?"
"No, by Blythe. The guy who started designing witch's robes before moving on to accessories and finally make up."
"You know, it's a really good thing that neither of you, each weighing about a hundred pounds, aren't just sitting on me idly chatting about stuff I really don't care about while completely ignoring me or anything."
"Oooh! He was in the Kirsten range last fall!"
"See? Told you I'm doing you some good."
"Andrea?"
"Yea?"
"Why have we moved about five feet from where we were minutes ago?"
The both of them turned to each other before catching sight of Taylor who was getting of her hands and knees and screaming, "She's getting away!"
……
(3 hours 15 minutes 37 seconds later.)
Taylor's log.
Am alive.
Am primped like Chinese Doll.
11 failed escape attempts.
Back hurts.
Gee, I wonder why. It's not like I was sat on or anything.
Back really, really hurts.
But I will survive!
Oh no.
Miniature toilet brush with black goop attacking eyelashes!
AAAAHHH!
End log.
Many Beautifying Charms, make up boxes and clouds of hair spray later, the result of the toiling girls met up to even Andrea's standards. Taylor stood tensely, the muscles on her back knotted and corded, her legs slightly bent, coiled up like a spring, waiting for release as her tormentors circled her like hawks, their eyes scrutinizing every inch of her.
"One last thing," Andrea muttered, grabbing a beaded bracelet and transfiguring it. She handed it to Lily, who after examining it, slipped it onto Taylor's wrist.
"Perfect," said Lily with satisfaction, stepping back to admire their handiwork.
(A/N: For people who do not like clothes descriptions, skip this part, you won't miss anything, but if you do want to know what my characters are wearing and more detail on what they look like, read normally.)
Taylor stood before them clad in lavender. The dress was like a medieval princess's, long flared sleeves with a square cut neckline that revealed only a hint of cleavage (she had refused to have it any lower.), the waist was in a princess cut, letting the swooshy skirt fall slightly below her ankles. The bottom layer of the dress was a darker shade than the semi-transparent material covering it. She wore purple satin sandals with flat soles (Yelling that if they thought that falling flat on her face every five seconds was going to make her look good, they were sadly mistaken.) The neckline, hemline and sleeves were had patterns sewn in gold.
They had tried to her short, dark hair, which had stubbornly refused to change. ('My hair and I have an agreement,' she said sulkily. 'I let it do what it wants and it let's me do what I want!') A tad of purple eye shadow was on her lids along with Andrea's newest tube of extra-hold mascara made her deep brown eyes look larger and clear gloss filled out her rather thin lips. She had screeched when they tried to put on more. A delicate amethyst necklace encircled her throat; on her wrist was the corsage that Andrea had transfigured, the flowers being morning glories.
(A/N: Check this paragraph.)
The moment Andrea nodded, she flew out the dorm like she was being chased by a delirious herd of Hippogriffs, for fear that her tormentors would decide that her lip-gloss didn't match her shoes or something. She then gave a loud sniff, mumbling something about not having taste; she grabbed a wad of cotton wool and tapped it with her wand before passing it to Lily.
(A/N: Skip this.)
One had to say, Andrea was lacking in terms of well… sensibility and ability to make reasonable choices, she certainly knew her stuff when it came to dressing up. Lily's dress had been meticulously picked out at the store, and later redone by Andrea who had complained that green clashed with her hair. As a result, Lily was gowned in a strapless dress that hugged her curves enticingly, baring her white shoulders, showing just enough cleavage to let the probably aroused schoolmates wonder. The hemline that brushed the floor was a deep emerald sea green that sparkled with her every movement, fading steadily as it worked its way up her full, slightly billowing skirt until it became so white that it looked slightly glittery.
She wore elbow length gloves and was now trying to position her white shawl in the same graceful pose that Andrea was demonstrating. It wasn't meant to cover her shoulders, but to encircle her back by hanging on her arm joint, the material that fell below the crook of her arm was the same deep green as her dress. Her auburn hair, which had been painstakingly done into an elaborate bun with a few tendrils carefully curled to frame her face had strings of pearls weaved in and out of the layers of her tresses. A similar string decorated her throat. Her Roman-esque sandals were only two inches high; having decided that it was enough trouble to dance without having to walk on stilts.
Her make up was light, eye shadow that went with her eyes, mascara that lengthened her lashes; blush to help her pale skin and Andrea's latest tube of ruby lipstick. On her breast, just above the folds of her shawl, was the lily that had been handed to her.
(A/N: Read the two lines below. Lily was just handed… well… a lily.)
"You're really looking for a fight, aren't you, Andy?" she asked with a grin.
"I have no idea what you mean," she replied innocently.
One thing Lily knew for sure, and she wasn't too modest to admit it – they all looked ravishing… but Andrea… Andrea really stood out, and she had definitely meant to. She had stared at her large collection of gowns for days and days, and later bribed the staff at the various boutiques to not sell the other girls any of the dresses that she had bought. After finally picking one out, she had modified it as another precaution, and the result was nothing short of fantastically unique.
Instead of ball gowns or the latest dresses from France, a slinky oriental creation was produced. The collar was high, like a Chinese cheongsam, with cap sleeves and falling to her ankles with a slit along each side to mid thigh, showing off her toned, slender legs. The material was silky, ice blue with a bit of a pattern done in silver; matching heels that were about three inches high complemented her. Draped around her arms was a sapphire shawl like Lily's.
Her make up was a clash of eastern and western, unlike Taylor and Lily, she hadn't held back in the least. Blunting her numerous deep blue eyeliner pencils and emptying tubes of mascara, she had made her large eyes look slightly slanted and mysterious. Foundation was used to make her seem fairer in order to contrast with her deep red lipstick that accentuated her pouty lips and the rosy glow of her cheeks successfully making her high cheekbones stand out. Her normally wavy hair was straight and fell mid-way down her back. Along with her white gold sapphire necklace and earrings was a deep blue rose that she had gotten Lily to change colour for her stuck behind her ear.
The result: Something that was definitely able to make the hormonally controlled males go wild, and an obvious challenge to the Marauders.
(A/N: Ok, start reading again.)
"You know what I mean," said Lily with a smirk. "A lily, morning glory and a blue rose?"
"They just so happen to make good accessories," she replied, smiling to deepen the dimple on her right cheek.
"They do match don't they?" asked Lily, adjusting her flower. "How can you even walk around in those heels? They're bloody high."
"Haven't you heard? 'A woman who can wear the highest of heels can handle pressure, because all the weight is centered on her feet'," she answered. "These," she said, waving a hand at them and putting down her powdering brush, "are a good pair of shoes," before getting up and taking a few graceful steps.
"Figures that the only wise sayings you'd know would be related to fashion," joked Lily. Then she saw the slightly bitter look on Andrea's face as she stared at her feet and realised that she was taking a walk down the dark lane of her childhood. "Forget about it, Andy," she said softly, placing a comforting hand on her stiff shoulder. "You've proved enough times that you can handle all the pressure she threw at you."
"I wasn't thinking about that…" she muttered, her skill of lying abandoning her for once. "I was trying to remember who my date was."
"Thomas Pearson, 7th year Ravenclaw prefect and Chaser of their Quidditch team," said Lily, going along with her. "You told him to bring a bouquet of silver and blue flowers to match your dress, remember?"
"I did, didn't I?" she asked, snapping out of her stupor. "Ooh! Flowers for me!" she squealed, rushing out the door, leaving Lily to trail behind her.
……
The Great Hall was a thing of beauty. All around, snowflakes fell and mistletoe flew, looking for unwary couples to settle upon. Silvery mist swirled at their knees, icicles hung from the ceiling and the grand trees that circled the Hall; the floor had taken the shiny look of ice.
Lily walked in with Remus in complete bliss, drawing envious stares from both the male and female population, particularly a certain messy-haired Quidditch player. She grinned at Remus, waving at Taylor who was arguing with her date over some Porksie Play or other, before commenting, "I see you took my advice about the boots."
He smiled back at herm causing her stomach to do several somersaults. He was looking as gorgeous as ever, with his sandy hair swept back and grey blue eyes sparkling, and in a tuxedo! It could make any normal guy look good, but on Remus… Wow!
She then noticed that he was staring at something at the side of her. Turning around to look, she saw nothing. Catching sight of James who was scowling fiercely at her, draped around him was some Hufflepuff in a clingy red dress whose neckline was sliced to the navel, looking like she belonged on the magazine cover of 'Witch Weekly', he bent down to Lily and whispered, "Ready to make your debut with your fellow Head?"
"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," she said with a grimace. "I'm doing the waltz with him, right? What were the steps again?"
Seeing Remus leaning close to Lily like that and murmuring in her ear was making James's blood boil. When she had first walked into the Hall, his mouth had dropped open. He never knew that she could look so… exquisite. His eyes never left her. Inside him was a storm of feelings, mostly anger and demanding how he could possibly think of her in that way.
"Jamesie poo?" screeched his date, grating his nerves. "Are you listening to me?"
"Yes, Bonnie," he muttered through gritted teeth, seeing Lily laugh at something Remus said.
"It's Trisha."
"Whatever."
"Students!" called out Dumbledore from the makeshift stage. "Will the Head Boy and Girl kindly step up to the dance floor and take the opening dance? The rest, please seat yourselves, you may join in later. It would be wise to take advantage of that delectable buffet in front of you, I highly recommend the lemon meringue, although the chocolate mousse is quite-"
"Albus!"
"Alright, Minerva, don't worry. I now present, the Muggle Maniacs!"
Amid the whoops and cheers, the curtains opened and several people in Muggle clothing stepped out. Lily walked nervously towards James. She hadn't spoken to him since the night when she'd finally given him a piece of her mind, each busying themselves with the finishing touches of the Ball.
Apprehensively, she placed her hand on his shoulder and the other on his waist. He took up a similar position, his hazel eyes boring into her. She lifted her chin defiantly, but couldn't help noticing that he actually looked pretty good in a Muggle suit.
"Alright Evans?" he asked, more out of habit than anything, but also genuinely concerned at how afraid she looked, staring at her as she examined the floor.
"Shut up, Potter," she replied tersely, moving as the music began.
Surprisingly, he complied, but Lily was too scared to notice. She tried to match James's footsteps, finding that he was every bit as good a dancer as everyone had claimed. Pity Lily could hardly keep up with him.
Remus watched them both, not missing the way his best mate looked at Lily. Also not missing the way said mate was wincing every ten seconds. To observers, it would seem that she was doing fairly well. True, she stumbled a bit, but she looked like she was matching James's steps gracefully. Yet Remus knew all to well what her feet were doing, covered by the length of her dress.
"Evans!" James hissed as Lily's painfully hard heel came crashing down on his foot again. "Are you flattening my feet on purpose?"
"Believe what you want to believe," she mumbled irritably, too busy trying to focus on her footwork to come up with a better comeback.
James gazed at her; unable to stop himself from thinking how cute he looked when she was concentrating. He took a deep breath, telling himself to be a man. "Listen, Evans?"
"Mmm?"
"A-about the other night. (wince("
"What night?" she snapped, barely noting how unusual it was for the James Potter to stutter. Right, back, left, front, front, left.
"Th-the one where you yelled (wince) at me in the corridor."
"Oh, you mean when I finally let you know how you ruined my life?"
"W-well… yeah," he mumbled, reddening slightly. "I never realised how (wince) much I really made you suffer… a-and I guess (wince) that I just wanted to say that… that… I'm sor-"
"May I have this dance?" asked Remus pleasantly, with a twinkle in his eyes. Mistaking James's flushed face to be one of suppressed pain.
"Remus!" exclaimed Lily happily, immediately going to him, a smile lighting up her pretty features, causing James to fume for reasons unknown to himself.
"Jamesie? Come on! I want to dance!" whined the Hufflepuff.
"Fine, Tara."
"The name's Trisha."
"Whatever."
……
Remus's plan was simple, just keep dancing with him so that the many boys who asked for a dance had a good reason to be turned down, therefore having the bliss of how truly horrendous she was at it.
At least the boots were proving to be useful.
"Duck the mistletoe," he warned, swerving the both of them to the side, successfully avoiding the plant that would scream insistently until the couple beneath it kissed. After a few minutes, they took a break, Lily needing to remember the steps for the next song and Remus needing to sit down. Well, we obviously know why.
She searched the dance floor for her friends, Taylor was probably at the buffet table, still arguing over Quidditch, but Andrea was… dancing exuberantly smack in the center with Sirius Black? She frowned, remembering seeing her switching from boy to boy every five minutes, somehow or other, she ended up with Sirius who was doing the same thing. It was some song for a dance with a fast beat. The both of them were in their element, performing the steps flawlessly and at an amazing speed, drawing admiring and slightly lustful gazes from both sexes.
It took Lily a few more moments to realise that they were competing, both of them being competitive by nature. Their moves got more and more complicated, twirling and whirling, waiting impatiently for the other to slip so that he or she could laugh in their face before moving on. Sirius flipped her daringly over his arm, making her smile triumphantly when she landed firmly on her feet before twisting with him smoothly. All the lessons that she'd been bullied into were finally coming in handy.
"Remus?" she called softly, tearing her gaze away from them, pouring a cup of punch. It had seemed to be a better idea than Butterbeer. Her heart fluttered as he looked at her in concern. "I guess that I wanted to thank you. I mean, I highly doubt anyone else would've gone through so much torture just to teach me a few simple dances."
"Lily, it's no big deal," he said with a shrug, careful to hide the grimace caused by his throbbing feet. "Okay, maybe it is, but the fact is, you're a great person to hang out with. It's easy to see why James likes you so much."
She grinned like an idiot before his second sentence sank in. "I'm not blind, Remus," she said with a frown. "I'm just another prize to Potter. If he really liked me, he wouldn't annoy me like that."
"Granted, he isn't acting like the perfect gentleman," said Remus amiably. "But remember the beginning of fourth year?"
"You mean when he openly gawked at me on the train?" she asked pointedly, flushing as she remembered the incredulous stare he'd given her once flat chest.
"Alright… so it was the development in your looks that had grabbed his attention," he agreed hastily. "But you weren't in the boy's dorm for the next few weeks."
"Thank Merlin."
"He began to notice your personality and wouldn't quit babbling about how amazing you were. It was always 'Lily this' and 'Lily that'," he continued, choosing to ignore that comment. "It wasn't just looks, Lily. He appreciated your spirit. Personally, I think it was the time you told him that you'd rather sleep with Snape than go out with a bullying git like him," he grinned slightly at the memory. "Remember the first time he tried to ask you out?"
-Flashback
"I definitely saw Longbottom giving you the eyeball, Lily!" insisted Andrea, bounding along the Hall merrily.
"Frank? Isn't he involved with Alice?" asked Taylor doubtfully.
"Besides, he's in 7th year," said Lily, blushing as a 6th year Ravenclaw winked at her, not used to receiving so mush attention.
"What both of you know about boys could fit on the head of a pin," she snorted. "He was definitely –Marauder alert-."
Lily glanced up apprehensively and saw the four boys walking up to them. Their leader, James Potter, was running a hand through his already messy hair.
She really hated that.
Instead of passing by the wary girls, they stopped directly in front of them, blocking their way.
"What do you want?" Andrea snapped, glaring at Sirius.
"A word with Lily," replied James.
She looked at him in surprise.
"I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me next Hogsmeade weekend," he said hopefully.
Lily gaped at him before coming back to her senses with a snap. "Not a chance in the world, Potter!" she spat, enjoying the way his eyes widened and his jaw dropped open.
She turned to stalk away, then glanced back. "And don't call me Lily," she added. "That's what friends call me, not arrogant prats whom I hate."
They walked away; leaving the mighty James Potter turned down for the first time, his fellow Marauders already beginning to laugh.
-End Flashback-
"He was pretty polite," admitted Lily grudgingly. "But the last time he asked was 'Go out with me Evans, and I won't turn the Slytherin scum into newts'."
Remus sighed, "One thing you've got to understand, Lily, is that James is rather pampered. His parents are very well respected in the wizarding world, so he's used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants."
"Gosh! Wow, ya think?"
Again, he ignored the sarcasm that was pooling at her feet. "After you refused him for the thirtieth time or so, you had already bashed up his pride and let a Hungarian Horntail do the cha-cha on it. Eventually, he managed to convince himself that you were just a trophy girl, that you were nothing special, that the fact that the one girl he really liked hated him didn't actually matter."
Lily remained silent, unable to think of a reply.
"I'm hoping that this'll help you understand why he acts that way," sighed Remus. "He scares off guys because he gets jealous very easily. He pranks you because he wants your attention, always hoping that someday, somehow, you'll change your mind, but never actually knowing how to do it. Despite the fact that he can be a quite an arrogant berk sometimes, he does care for you," he looked into her eyes seriously, leaning closer. Lily felt her heart beat quicken. "I ask you sincerely, Lily. Give him a chance. For all our sakes, end this silly war, and just give him a chance to prove that he's not as horrible as you think."
Lily gulped, he was looking at her so intensely… she was about to reply, not exactly sure what she was to say when suddenly they heard a tinny screaming above them. They both looked up simultaneously, to see… the mistletoe, hovering above them and its pitch and volume rising. Already, people were beginning to turn towards them. Lily groaned, wondering whether she had the courage to kiss those inviting lips of his. She turned back to him to find him still looking pleadingly at her, causing her to be on the verge of agreement when…
"Mind if I cut in?" James asked roughly, shoving Remus and taking Lily with him, letting Taylor, who he was dancing with for some reason, go with Remus. The mistletoe stopped shrieking as both pairs went off in separate directions. Confused for a few seconds before floating away to bless other people.
Lily looked despairingly at Remus, but surprisingly, he hadn't protested and was dancing quite happily.
"Well that was a cozy moment you were having with Remus," said James bitterly.
"What's it to you, Potter?" she replied on reflex, glancing up at him to see his angry hazel eyes. He gets jealous very easily… echoed Remus's voice in her head.
"Never knew that you were that mad over him," he continued recklessly, avoiding Sirius who was spinning Andrea expertly. "Flouncing around and throwing yourself at him like that."
Alright, jealous or not, she was not going to take that lying down. "I don't flounce or throw myself at people, Potter!" she snarled. "And I'm certainly not the huge player you are, Mr. I-have-a-new-flavor-every-week."
"Oh? Like you're so much better?" he asked furiously. "At least I don't go around turning people down and hating them for no reason at all!"
Lily stopped dancing. "Excuse me?" she asked incredulously.
James knew that he was treading on dangerous ground and that his anger was making him talk like that, but he couldn't stop himself. "You told me that you loathed me, and I've done absolutely nothing to you to have deserved that! Before 4th year, I barely even knew you! I mean-"
He was cut off as Lily took the nearest large punch bowl and dumped the sticky pink liquid over him. She looked at him calmly radiating with suppressed fury as she said quietly, "All this time, I thought you just weren't big enough to apologize," she paused, the anger in her eyes almost making him want to take a step back. "Now, I understand that it just wasn't important enough for you to remember."
She turned to the sea of silent students; even the band had stopped playing. She searched until she spotted Remus, and yelled, "I'm sorry, but there is no freaking way I can try to do what you say!" she then turned to James, who was looking at her in astonishment and confusion. Then punch was running steadily down his face. "The war is still on, Potter," she snarled.
She ran out of the hall.
A/N: Well? Well! WELL? What do you think! Come on! Lord, this chapter is really long, I spent effort on it! Anyway, hopefully, this'll explain to you why James keeps acting like a prat, he's not a complete jerk… just jealous. Well, we'll be going back to pranks soon, once I produce the next chapter. Sorry if you found the description of dresses and stuff sickening, but what can I say? I love clothes, I'm very particular about hat I wear and how well this colour goes with that, so I couldn't resist. Anywho, I hinted at a few things in this chappy! See if you can spot 'em!
Well, time to reply to those glorious reviews you guys gave! I might also reply to a few from chapter 6 as I was unable to do so before. By the way, the saying about shoes? That came from a Taiwanese series 'Love Storm'. And yes, I am a humungous Vic Zhou fan. Any funny comments and I might get so insulted that I'll delay chapter 9!