Ch. 6- A Christmas Like No Other

I don't know what to do
But then that's nothing new,
Stuck between hell and high water
I need a cure to make it through.

Dance, nothing left for me to do but dance,
Off these bad times I'm going through just dance
Got canned heat in my heals tonight baby

Canned Heat- Jamiroquai

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It was evening by the time we got back to Zoey's. Her parents were waiting for us with dinner already made and on the table. I loved Zoey's parents because they treated everyone like family. They were more like parents to me than my own and I was eternally grateful for that.

"Ah, there you girls are," Mrs. Carson said looking up from the television that was in the kitchen. "We just pulled dinner out of the oven."

"Excellent," Zoey said sitting down. I took my place next to her and I could smell the roast beef from across the room.

"Did you have a good trip?" She asked as she bustled around the kitchen.

"Yeah, it was alright," Zoey replied nudging me. We smiled at each other, thinking back to Snape and the Marauders.

"Well, I know your train got back this afternoon," She continued as she brought the food to the table, "so what took you so long getting home?"

Mrs. Carson is not a very strict person by nature. She lets Zoey do pretty much whatever she wants just as long as she doesn't get in trouble. In return, Zoey is honest with her mother about what she does. They have the perfect mother-daughter relationship.

"We had to stop at Addi's house to pick up some things," Zoey said taking a slice of the meat. "It was very, er, interesting." She added and I gave her look.

"Yes, my parents were very pleased to meet Zoey, which was surprising." I said looking up at her mom. Her father walked into the kitchen and sat down.

"Really? Well, that's good dear," Mrs. Carson said smiling. "What did you have to get?"

"Oh, just a gown for the ball the Potters are throwing," I said.

"Yes, mum, you should see this dress Addi gave me," Zoey said excitedly. "It's absolutely gorgeous!"

The next week went by uneventfully and Zoey and I had to find ways to entertain ourselves. I had learned quite a bit about the muggle world since becoming friends with Zoey. I could actually go out and function without being too obvious about the fact that I was witch. Which is something that most purebloods from my society couldn't say- or be proud of.

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The day of the ball arrived crisp and cold. It had been snowing for the past few days and all of London was covered in a white blanket. Zoey and I spent almost the whole day getting ready. It was a bit much, I know, but she was begging me to show her how purebloods prepared for an event like this.

"Alright, first, take these salts and go soak for half an hour in a hot bath," I said taking out a bottle of Madame Renee's purple salts.

"What do these do? My mum has these bath salts and all they do is make her smell like potpourri," Zoey said wrinkling her nose.

"No, these are magic salts," I replied shaking my head. "These not only make you smell great, they clean all the excess dirt off of you. In addition, these particular salts soften your skin and give it a natural shimmer."

"Wow," Zoey said taking the salts from me. "Where did you get these?"

"Are you kidding?" I asked laughing at her. "I have an entire stash of these in my bathroom at home. This is what makes the girls look like royalty. You know, like in those pictures I showed you."

"Oh yeah! That's incredible," She said turning the bottle over in her hands.

"Alright, well, off you go," I said pushing her out of the door.

While she was taking her bath, I pulled out the make-up kit I had received as a tenth birthday gift, the collection of nail polish I had built up over the years, and a book of hair-dos. The main reason it took so long for the pureblood girls to get ready was because they always got ready together and were never satisfied. I had, personally, never been that picky about what my hair looked like or if my eye shadow was the exact shade of my dress, so I was usually the first one ready to go. But growing up in that kind of culture had its effects on me- since I was always done early I ended up helping make up all the other girls. I became very good at what I did and girls would set up times to come and get ready just so I could do their make up and hair.

"Okay, now what?" Zoey asked coming back into the room, a towel holding up her hair.

"You look through this book of hair styles while I go take my bath," I replied handing her the book. "And then, if you find one you like, look through the nail polish and pick a color." I added pulling out a second bottle of salts, this one red.

By the time I'd finished with my bath Zoey was still flipping through the book of hair styles. I shook my head, amused, and sat down next to her.

"How the bloody hell am I supposed to choose just one?" She asked exasperatedly.

"Easy, pick the one you like the most," I replied laughing at her. "Look, I'll make it easy; none of these will look good on you." I added pointing out four pages of styles.

"Alright, then, I'm left with a page and a half," She said looking over them. "I think this up-do would look good, don't you?"

I look at the style. It was a more complicated one, with lots of curls and twists. But with Zoey's thick, dead straight brown hair it wouldn't be too hard.

"Alright, then, turn around and don't you dare even think of moving," I said whipping my wand out.

"What, you're going to do it?" She asked surprised, turning to look at me.

"Yes, I am. I think that's one thing you never knew about me- I am a wonder with hair, nails, and make-up," I replied turning her around the other way again. "Now, hold still."

I set to work on her hair and finished within the hour and a half. That was a new personal record for me and I was rather proud of myself. Zoey sat staring at my handiwork, looking stunned.

"That would've taken at the very least three and a half hours at a muggle salon," She said inspecting the style from every angle.

"Ah, that is the beauty of magic, now isn't it?" I said smiling at her. "Let's get started on your nails."

I picked out a blood red color for her nails and began to paint them. It dawned on me how much I had missed doing this kind of thing. It was probably the only thing about my life as a pureblood I had enjoyed.

"Addi, you are amazing," She said examining her perfectly manicured nails forty-five minutes later.

"Why, thank you," I replied smiling cheekily at her. "After your nails dry, go and put you dress on and we'll see just how gorgeous you look."

I flipped through the hair book and settled on a hair style. I took pieces of my long, blondish-red hair and began to twist them from my forehead and back to where the rest of my hair would be held. Then, I gather all of my hair and tied it into a ponytail on top of my head. To finish the effect, I curled the pieces of the ponytail into ringlets, with two pieces of hair framing my round face. As I inspected the finished product, I was satisfied. Gold nail polish for my fingers and toes and I would be all set to do my make-up.

Zoey came back a while later, in her dress and heels. She looked absolutely perfect and if Remus didn't bloody well make a move on her tonight, I would kill him myself.

As soon as I put the finishing touches on Zoey, I slipped into my dress and did my make-up. As soon as I was satisfied with my appearance, and Zoey's, we left for the ball.

"Okay, so how are we getting there? Neither of us can apparate and if we floo well muss our dresses up," Zoey asked as I led her down the front walk.

"Well, James arranged for a Ministry car to pick us up," I replied and as we approached the gate I saw a ministry car idling on the street. "And you told your parents we're staying the night, right?"

"Of course I did," She said as we climbed in the car.

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The Potters owned a manor that could rival mine and it was three times as beautiful. People were arriving as the car glided up the winding driveway. The manor was decked out for Christmas, with lights and garland and glistening ice sickles.

"Wow, I knew James was well off, but I didn't know he was this well off," Zoey said gaping at the spectacle before us. I was endlessly amused at how fascinating she found all of this.

"Yes, well, the Potters are known for being one of the richest pureblood families and one of the most giving, as well," I replied as the car pulled to a stop outside the front walk.

We stepped from the car and adjusted our cloaks before making our way up to the front door. There was a house elf greeting the guests and two others taking the cloaks. The inside of the manor was warm and inviting, nothing like the dreary coldness that always seemed to inhabit my home. Right off the entrance hall there was a ballroom set up for dancing, complete with an orchestra. Then off of that room was a smaller room, much like a parlor, for socializing. Both rooms were magnificently decorated and sparkled merrily.

"Addi! Zoey!" I heard a voice call out from somewhere in front of us. The crowd parted a bit and I saw James coming towards us.

"Merlin, James, you do clean up nicely," I commented as he reached us. It was true- in his expertly tailored dress robes he looked rather dashing.

"Thanks, you don't look so shabby yourself," He replied grinning at me. I hit him playfully on the arm as he led us through the ballroom to the parlor.

"So, is Lily here yet?" I asked looking around at all the people.

"No, she said she wouldn't be here until later on," James sighed. "But on the bright side, we've had quite the turn out this year."

"Yes, I see," I said nodding.

"You have quite the manor, here James," Zoey said and I shook my head.

"Honestly, are you obsessed with big houses or something?" I asked jokingly.

"No, it's just that, coming from a muggle house and world I haven't exactly seen my share of mansions." She replied sticking her tongue out at me.

"Hey, guys," Came Remus' voice from behind us. I saw Zoey turn a little red. "How's it going?"

"Good, good, glad you could make it Moony," James said pouring him some butter beer.

"Zoey, wow," Remus said suddenly, seeming to have only notice my tomato red faced friend. "You look amazing! Not that you don't usually look good- it's just that…well, um…"

"Would you like to dance, Remus?" She asked smiling at him. I looked at her, surprised that she would be so forward and bold.

"I'd love to," He replied giving her a relived grin in return.

"Well, well, I guess we didn't have to do too much to get them together," James said nodding after them.

"Thank Merlin for that," I replied looking at him. "If they had taken forever like you and Miss Evans I just might have shot myself."

"You and me both," He agreed laughing.

"And where might Mr. Black be? He lives here, for Merlin's sake! Is he still doing his hair?" I asked changing the subject.

"Well, he was around but I'm not quite sure where he got off to," James replied craning his neck to get a better look around. "Wait, I see him- Padfoot, over here!"

"James, could you honestly be any louder or more embarrassing?" I asked rolling my eyes.

"Hey, Prongs, you really need to work on how you get peoples attention in social functions," Sirius said amused, as walked towards us. He looked rather dashing as well, I had to admit. "Adira, hey, you look great." He added looking at me.

"Yeah, you too," I replied with a smile.

"So, I think I see someone I need to go greet- you know friend of the family," James said clapping Sirius on the back.

"Not too subtle, is he?" I asked as Sirius glared at his retreating back.

"Subtlety isn't Prongs' strongest trait," He said turning back to me. "But we all love him anyways, right?"

"Yes, it's my one flaw," I agreed and he laughed.

"So, do you, um, do you…" He trailed off clearing his throat.

"Yes?"

"Do you…know if the Minister is supposed to be here tonight?" He asked and I looked at him confused.

"No, no I don't," I replied raising an eyebrow.

"Hm, alright, well, I heard a rumor, you know…" He trailed off again.

"Yeah, would you excuse me?" I said and then, without waiting for an answer, I turned and walked away.

I was trying to fathom why the bloody hell Sirius hadn't just asked me to dance- he seemed like he was going to. Maybe I'd read it wrong and he wasn't going to ask at all. I mean, Sirius Black was anything but nervous around girls. As I walked into the ballroom thinking of this I spotted Fabian Prewett. I smirked in spite of myself.

Fabian was two years my senior and a shameless flirt- almost as shameless as Sirius. And I was his favorite girl to flirt with. I think it was because he rather enjoyed my wit and I always enjoyed his charm. We'd never dated, in fact we'd never done anything but flirt with each other, but the rumors that went around school were ridiculously amusing.

"Well, well, well," He said as I approached him, "if it isn't little Adira Pogue. And may I say, you are looking absolutely ravishing, my dear."

"Fabian, it's been a while," I replied giving him my most charming smile. "How are you?"

"Oh, you know, doing as well as can be expected," He said smiling in return and pulling me into a hug. "How's that ass hole- oh, I'm sorry, I mean boyfriend of yours doing? Rodney, wasn't it?" He added as we broke apart.

"Roger," I corrected shaking my head at him, "and we're actually not together anymore. He turned out to be bloody bastard and I wish it would've been over sooner."

"Well, that's good hear," He said nodding. "That means you're available again and we all know that I'm your first choice for your next boyfriend. We would make such a compatible couple, you know."

"You haven't changed one bit, Fabian," I told him laughing. "Still a shameless flirt, I see."

"Still playing hard to get," He shot back laughing too. "Would care to dance, Miss Pogue?"

"Why, I would love to," I said taking his proffered arm and letting him lead me out onto the floor. Not only did I want to dance with Fabian, I figured it would drive Sirius crazy as well.

And while Fabian wasn't Sirius, he was still good. He knew how to dance and I was having a great time twirling and spinning in his arms. I saw Sirius come out shortly after us with some blonde that I recognized as a sixth year Hufflepuff. I felt a lurch in my stomach and I was burning holes into the back of the blondes head with my glare. It was only after about ten minutes of this that I realized I was jealous. And I had no idea why- Sirius was supposed to be the jealous one, not me.

After four dances Fabian and I took a break to catch our breath. I watched as Sirius and blondie continued to whirl about the dance floor. I saw Remus and Zoey, looking as though they were on cloud nine, and James with Lily, who had finally arrived.

"So, is Black the new love interest?" Fabian asked as he returned with two drinks.

"What? Oh, well, kind of," I said taking one of the drinks. "I just can't tell how he feels. He seemed like he was going to ask me to dance earlier, but then he asked me some random question."

"Well, he's a lucky blighter if he gets you," He said seriously. "You are quite the catch and if I were the committing type, I'd snatch you up myself."

"Thanks- I think," I said shaking my head.

"Well, I see a rather pretty looking girl over yonder- must make my move, you understand," He said and I nodded.

"Of course, you could never be tied down, Mr. Prewett." I replied graciously. "I thank you for the wonderful dance and wish you luck on your next endeavor of wooing."

He kissed me on the cheek and went off to find whoever she was. I looked back out on the dance floor and saw that Sirius had left it. Probably off snogging that blonde chick, I thought bitterly. This was not good for the plan.

"Hey," A voice in my ear said. I jumped about a mile and turned.

"Sirius! Don't do that!" I exclaimed hitting him on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked rubbing his arm.

"For scaring the bloody hell out of me," I said and he laughed. "What?"

"You know, you're cute when you get mad," He said pushing a stray piece of hair out of my face.

"Oh please," I said rolling my eyes. "I'm not one for lines, Sirius."

"It wasn't a line," He said shadow of grin playing on his lips. "You want to dance?"

"No," I said indignantly and he looked crestfallen. "I mean, yes."

"Really?" He said looking up and I smiled at him.

"Really."

He took my hand and led me out to the floor. With a spin, our hands met and we were off. Our bodies knew each other so well that we could have done this in our sleep. We were in perfect rhythm together, whirling through the other couples.

"Well, this all seems familiar, doesn't it?" He asked as he twirled me out and back in again.

"Just a bit," I replied smiling at him.

"So, what was up with you and Prewett?" He asked after a minute. "You two seem pretty close."

"Fabian and I, are you kidding?" I asked with a laugh. "No, we're just friends. In fact, I haven't seen him since he left Hogwarts. He's a good guy."

"Yes, well, he's a player as well," Sirius said and I narrowed my eyes at him; like he had any room to talk.

"Well, then, what was with that Hufflepuff?" I shot back at him. "You seemed pretty close to her- probably only met her today. I bet you don't even know her name!"

"It's Layla and I met her yesterday," He replied. "Besides, I think it's cute that you were trying to make me jealous with Prewett." He added artfully changing the subject.

"What! That's crazy," I said shaking my head. It may have been true, but he didn't have to know that. "And if you were going to go song Lola, or whatever her name is, then what was that whole dancing, flirting thing about?"

"What can I say, the ladies love me." He replied easily.

"Unless…you were trying to make me jealous!" I exclaimed triumphantly.

"No I wasn't!" He said a little too quickly.

"Admit it!"

"No, you admit it!"

"No, you admit-"

I was cut off by Sirius pressing his lips to mine in a swift, sweet kiss. We had stopped dancing by now and we stood, completely unaware of everyone else, in the middle of the dance floor. He pulled back and I stared up at him. He looked rather taken aback with himself and then, as if he needed to make sure he had really done it, he kissed me again.

"Sirius," I started but he cut me off.

"Adira, I've never felt like this with any other girl," He said looking into my eyes. "You are making me crazy- I've never been nervous around a girl before, but I can never seem to think of the right thing to say to you. You are amazing and breathtaking and…I dunno, you just seem to be everything I need. I know I've been a jerk and I don't deserve you, but I'm hoping you'll give me a chance."

"Sirius," I repeated and as he looked into my eyes I could see the uncertainty that took over his usual over confidence. I didn't know how to tell him that I wanted to give him that chance- with this plan everything had to be handled so delicately. One wrong move and it could all come crashing down. And there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen.

"If we're going to become involved, I have one condition," I said and he looked me, a mixture of hope and fear etched on his face. "You have got to start calling me Addi."

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A/N: hey there! I know, I've like dropped off the face of the earth, huh? well, things have been crazy lately with school and what not, but summer's almost here and that will give me a LOT more time to write...anyways, here's chapter 6! I hope you guys like it, this is one of my favorite chapters...please review:p