This isn't as long as the first one, nor have I checked it as carefully. If you spot any mistakes (which I'm sure you will) please just leave them in a review and I'll change them. Thanks for reading!

"But professor!" Lily protested, eyes burning and fists clenched "I can do this!"

Professor McGonagall frowned a little "Lily, my dear, I hate to state the obvious, but you've been barely coping as it is, never mind adding on top of that. Besides, you'd only have two weeks to teach fourth years through to seventh years how to dance! I just don't see how you'd have the time to do it!"

Lily stood up "I've already thought of it. If the Great Hall was cleared after the last lesson of the day, at half four, until the start of dinner at half seven, then I'd have three hours a day through the week, and perhaps a little longer at the weekends. There aren't any more quidditch matches until after Christmas, so they wouldn't get in the way. I think I could teach two houses at once, which means I would have eight groups to teach. And I'd have fourteen days to teach them. Hopefully the older years will be alright as it is, so they might do with only one lesson, and then anyone who's struggling can come to an extra lesson."

McGonagall rattled the biscuit tin irritably at Lily, but Lily declined a ginger newt, so McGonagall continued "Alright. Say that worked. Are you certain you're a good enough dancer to teach other people? There's one thing being able to dance yourself, but it's quite another thing to teach someone else. Besides, you'll need a partner... can you think of anyone who can dance well enough?"

Lily was cornered, and she knew it. Since her argument with Severus, she had absolutely no friends close enough to drop in this. Frank was probably her only friend, but even he didn't know about her parent's murder. James was the only one who knew about that, oddly enough.

"Potter's a good dancer." Lily blurted out "He's already said he'll help me."

McGonagall's mouth thinned "James Potter is already struggling with the work load as it is. Merlin knows that if Albus is considering giving him a time-turner it must be serious."

Lily scowled; she didn't need any reminder that she was such a failure as a Head Girl "We talked about it last night; I'm going to help him with his quidditch practices and help him with his school assignments so he'll have enough time. The ball is completely under control, and I was just about to sort thought the detention slips after our meeting. So, you see, everything is running smoothly. Potter was just a bit overwhelmed at first."

Lily knew she was bluffing, and McGonagall seemed to realise it too. However, as Lily tensed for the inevitable let-down, McGonagall allowed herself a small smile. Perhaps this was just what her favourite (not that she had favourites, of course) student might need to get over the tragic death of her parents.

"Alright, Lily. If you and James hand in all the assignments, then I'll allow you to not attend the lessons, understand? You both must do all the homework for each class, so you don't fall behind, but you don't have to actually attend each class. Fourth years and above, as I'm sure you'll remember, all have free periods at some point, so you'll be able to teach them during their free periods. I'll send you a copy of all the schedules so you can work out who you'll be teaching when. Now you better hurry; I'm sure you've got a lot to do."

Lily stood slowly, feeling a little dazed. Oh Merlin she had so much to do. She paused at the door

"Oh and Lily?" McGonagall called "Good luck."

Lily offered her teacher a brilliant smile, one that hadn't been seen regularly since her sixth year. She twirled through the hallways, giggling softly and dancing to an unheard beat. For those moments, it didn't matter to Lily that she'd just given herself a virtually impossible task, or that she'd just lied to a teacher, or that she'd just dragged James (Potter! Sheesh, Lily, get it right!) Into something he'd probably hate her for. No, she was just daydreaming of her beautiful regency ball and flamboyant dancing and pretty dresses.

"Merlin, are you on something illegal?" James asked as she twirled through the doorway into the sitting area "Can I have some?"

Lily stopped her twirling and glared at him "Don't kill my good mood, Potter. McGonagall's just told me that neither of us have to go to lessons from now until after Christmas!"

"Really?" James exclaimed, over the moon that he'd finally have time to fit everything in for once "How come?"

Lily twiddled her hair sheepishly, biting her lip "Er... I kinda told her that we were going to run dance classes for all the fourth through to seventh years in their free periods, and in the evenings. You know, so they can dance for the competition."

"That's great!" James told her with a grin "Wait... did you say 'we'?"

Lily looked down

"Oh Merlin you did, didn't you."

Lily nodded sheepishly. He was going to refuse and then she'd have to go back to McGonagall and tell her she'd lied and that she couldn't do it, and she'd have to owl the Weird Sisters and tell them she wouldn't be paying them extra because she needed that money to pay for some other type of entertainment and she'd never get her regency era ball and it would be so awf...

"All right. Okay. You'll have to teach me how to dance first though."

"What?" Lily spluttered out "You'll help me? Why?"

James shrugged uncomfortably "Well, er, we're Heads together, right? So we're in this together. Besides, in for a Knut, in for a galleon, right?"

Lily bit her lip and her eyes shined once more in excitement. Her fingers slowly returned to her lap, leaving her hair twiddle-free for a moment. She wasn't sure what to say; she wasn't comfortable with him enough to actually thank him, yet she knew she should. Fortunately Potter (wait, it was James. No! Right first time!) seemed to realise her predicament and grinned openly at her

"So, Miss Dance Teacher, when do we get started?"

Lily lead James through Hogwart's hallways, swinging the door to the dance studio open and stepping inside, sucking a deep breath in, revelling in the smell that is undeniably dance studio. She drifted over to the Wizarding Wireless and turned it on, setting it to play a tune on its Memory Crystal

"Right, this is a nice, simple one to warm up. Watch me, and then we'll see if you can copy, okay?" Lily asked, readjusting her shorts and tank top, pulling her red hair into a bun. She rolled her shoulders a few times but otherwise decided not to bother with warming up as she would have done for a more difficult song.

She started the song again, and stood loosely in the centre of the room, eyes closed. Her body began to lilt softly to the music as she allowed it to fill her up and flow through her. And then she was dancing, pulling, pushing, leaping, falling, and spinning to the beat, the melody, the feel of the song. Her muscles warmed under the song's feather-soft touch until she was floating. A serene smile graced her face and a thin film of sweat began to build on her forehead. She forgot all about James, who was stood, mouth hanging open, at the side by the stage.

The song wound down, drifting to its close and Lily mourned it's coming death, her dance turning melancholy, slower as she frowned slightly. She could have sworn this song was longer than that.

But then, there it was, the end. Lily became aware of her surroundings again, and she offered an embarrassed smile at James

"So, er, ready for a go?"

James spluttered "Er, how does 'no' sound? I can't dance like that! Bloody hell, for one I wouldn't even know where to start, and two that's a girl's dance! I'm a bloke, Evans!"

Lily frowned, about to tell him there was a boy in her dance class back home, when she remembered that Simon was about as gay as they came.

"Oh. Sorry about that." Lily allowed, tapping the Wizarding Wireless with her wand, changing the song to a nice, easy waltz.

"Here." Lily said, urging him to stand closer to her "Put one hand on my hip, here, no! Up a bit, you idiot! That's my arse! Right, that's it. Now take my hand like this... yes, that's it, now stop looking down the front of my top... Potter! Stop it! Right. Look at me at all times, got it? Now I'll lead this time, but really you should be the one to lead."

The music started, and Lily expertly steered the tripping, uncoordinated James Potter around the room. He didn't seem to have any ability at all, and Lily was despairing. She began to offer him slight indications of where she would be steering him by nudging her hip forward a bit or squeezing his hand a little, and he caught on quickly. Soon enough he was dancing well enough to not be an embarrassment.

"Sorry I'm not very good." James muttered after the song had finished

"Well... yeah, you're not the world's best, but Rome wasn't built in a day. Stop trying to control it so much, okay? That's actually one of my biggest faults; trying to be too in control. Actually, let's sit down... yes, on the floor... and shut your eyes. I'm going to play the song again, and all I want you to do is just listen to it."

Lily watched as James sat cross-legged, eyes shut, as the song played. About half way through he seemed to start swaying unconsciously to the music, and Lily's face split into a grin. Perhaps he was musical enough after all. He looked quite adorable, there on the floor with his hair a little messy and his eyes screwed tightly shut, swaying softly.

It finished, and Lily helped him up. She didn't want to speak for fear he would lose the memory of the song in his mind. A swift flick of her wand set the music to play, and this time James tripped a lot less. Lily was forcefully reminded of dancing with her cousin, Rob, who had moved to America a year ago. He had been happy to follow her lead, and was just about able to keep up with her in the very easiest of songs, if he'd heard them before. Rob was a good-hearted boy though, and a welcome breath of fresh air in the usually stuffy family gatherings.

James ground to a halt suddenly, frowning in concentration, his arms and legs all in a tangle

"Why'd you stop?" They both asked at the same time, making James laugh and Lily scowl

"Why did you stop?" Lily repeated

"Well you stopped leading me, and I couldn't do it on my own." James admitted with a slight blush "I hadn't realised how difficult it was until you stopped helping me."

Oh Merlin, Lily though. She'd left him on his own for a few moments while she thought about Rob, and he'd completely lost the beat. This was going to be a long two weeks.

At quarter to eleven, Lily allowed them to stop. James was panting like a dog in a sauna and Lily was barely breaking a sweat. She was irritable and a bit annoyed, and she didn't feel tired enough to sleep. However, she had to allow that James had tried his very hardest, and he'd thankfully refrained from either asking her out (come to think of it, he'd not asked her out all year!) or being overly irritating.

"Bloody hell." James wheezed out "How the hell are you not exhausted?"

Lily shrugged "I dance to a lot more difficult songs than this for about three hours a night, just so I'm tired enough to not have... er, to sleep."

James raised an eyebrow at her blatant lie, but let it slide "Well, I have to say I'm impressed. Not to brag, but I'm fairly fit to play quidditch, but you... you're something else."

Lily scowled, not liking where the conversation was heading "Drop it, Potter. Let's head back. I'll do the detention slips until I'm tired enough to sleep. Meet you here at... seven tomorrow morning?"

James's eyes widened "Eight."

"Half seven?"

James nodded resignedly "Alright. Merlin, I'll die. Come on, let's head for bed."

Lily was on a bit of a roll with the detention slips, and managed to actually get them all done by half two in the morning. Her eyes were drooping and her hand was cramped, plus she'd broken another quill. But she grinned as she settled down to sleep. Now the only thing left to do were the house points, and if James needed any help with quidditch, perhaps she should offer to help him. After all, she certainly owed him one.

Lily dragged herself to the dance room at quarter past seven, having woken James up (with a rather cold pint of water) on her way out. She warmed up, then turned on her favourite song, grinning as she fell into a well practiced, yet different every time routine. James arrived unnoticed half way through, and watched as she grinned widely and finished with a flourish.

"You're really talented, you know." He offered, his voice thick of sleep "Ever considered doing it as a career?"

Lily jumped a little and then smiled at him "Thanks for the compliment, but don't you think it would be a bit of a waste of my education if I became a dancer?"

James shrugged "Depends on your point of view. Anyway, shall we get started?"

This time, Lily insisted that James lead in the waltz, and the third time round Lily had to admit that James had done alright. It still didn't have any of the flair that Lily always put into her dance, but it was better by miles than it had been. She decided to move on to another dance, perhaps a samba. That wouldn't be too difficult, surely.

She set the music playing, and grinned. It was much more upbeat than the waltz music was, and she preferred it.

"Right Potter, this is a more... er... suggestive dance, so don't go getting any stupid ideas. Now this is a bit harder than the waltz, steps wise, but I find it easier because the music is more interesting. Don't worry; I'll lead at first, okay?"

They set off, and much to Lily's horror, James didn't share her instinctive ability to follow the music. He ended up falling over, and pulling her over too, numerous times. Clearly, teaching him to dance wouldn't work in the short amount of time they had. She needed a new way of doing it, she mused. She knew that she would be able to tell him exactly what to do, but the problem was, Lily never had a plan when she began to dance. She never had a set routine she could teach him. So what on earth would she do? She usually made split second decisions; if she was in his head, perhaps she'd be able to tell him fast enough but otherwise, it would be impossible.

Well, maybe there was a way of being in his head?

"Potter?" Lily asked as they took a break, drinking water and perching on the edge of the stage "You wouldn't know of a spell that would let me talk to you in your head, would you?"

James frowned "I know there's a spell that allows you to speak directly into someone's ear, without anyone else hearing. Is that what you're looking for?"

Lily shook her head "Nope. It would need to be a spell that actually allowed you into the inside of the other person's head. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to tell you what to do fast enough."

Comprehension dawned on James "Oh, I see what you're after now. I thought you were looking for a way to talk to someone without anyone else knowing. There is a spell that allows you to send intentions and ideas, if you will, through a mental connection. It's an Auror spell; I know it because my parents are Aurors. I'm guessing you want it so you can teach me to dance better?"

Lily nodded, her eyes shining once more at the thought of having a capable dance partner "Can you do the spell? Is there anything we have to do for preparation?"

James pulled his wand out and twirled it through his fingers "I've never done the spell before, but I know the theory of it. It's just a simple non-verbal incantation said by two people at the same time, while eye-contact is held. Dad says it sort of snaps a connection in place between the two people, which is almost like a shared zone. He explained it like a no-man's-land, where both minds are able to work, yet neither actually 'own' the space."

Lily nodded enthusiastically "That's exactly what we need! Let's do the spell now!"

"Now?" James squeaked "Can't you let me practice it first?"

Lily shook her head "I, er, forgot to mention that we have a class of fifth year Hufflepuff/Gryffindors at three..."

James gaped, and then scowled "We need to come to an agreement that you will quit dropping me in it!"

Lily had the grace to blush a little "Yeah... I think you're right with that... So, this spell then?"

"Suo nostrum mens is the incantation. There are no wand movements, actually, just holding the wand directly at the recipient. Obviously, eye-contact is needed, and the spell is non-verbal."

Lily nodded eagerly and drew her willow wand, pointing it at James

"Whenever you're ready!" She said cheerfully, her mind full of dance moves they'd finally be able to perform

Lily watched as James gulped a little, unaware that the voice of James's father was nagging in the back of his mind 'Son, you must not use this spell, alright? I've told you only to satisfy your curious mind. If you get it wrong and you need to go to Mungo's, then the ministry will find out I've been teaching my teenage son Auror spells, and they'll go loopy. And then your mother will find out, and I don't even think I can repeat what she'd do.'

"Ready. Three, two, one!" James said firmly, perhaps before he lost his nerve. Lily's stomach swirled a little in apprehension as she repeated the spell in her mind, eyes focused on James's hazel ones.

It literally felt as if her brain was bubbling. Her natural reaction was to fight it with everything she had, and so she did just that. The piercing scream from the boy sat across from her told her perhaps it was a bad idea. Forcing herself to give up control, to surrender her trust to an unknown entity, Lily allowed the bubbling to recommence. The haggard breathing from James told her that she'd hurt him more than she'd originally thought. Then the bubbling climaxed, like the boiling of a kettle, and then a feeling of her mind being ripped, and then crudely sewn back together with a piece of a different mind. James's mind, she realised with a start.

The process finished, leaving the two teenagers breathing harshly, clutching their heads. Lily felt a huge barrage of relief, which initially confused her; her most predominant reaction had been excitement, at having a good dance partner.

"Lily? Are you really that excited?" Came the incredulous voice of James

Lily grinned sheepishly and twiddled a little with her hair "Yeah. Are you really that relieved?"

James nodded "Definately. My dad would have killed me if that had gone wrong. Well, shall we test it? I have absolutely no idea how this thing works... maybe if you sort of project your thoughts? I dunno. I guess we'll have to test it, right?"

Lily grinned and jumped to her feet, straightening her top and retying her hair. She flicked her wand at the Wizarding Wireless, starting the song. The tiniest thought had James ready to start, and grinning. She raised an eyebrow as she counted them in, in her mind, and then realised he was probably feeling her exhilaration at the thought of dancing.

It went perfectly. Flamboyant, smooth, soulful and foot perfect. Lily had never felt so good when she'd been dancing. Ever. Not even when that man from the Dance Academy in London had come, and danced with her. The Dance Academy Man had nothing on James when he was following her instructions. She felt like she was flying, felt like she was falling, felt like dancing even more.

One look at James's face told her he was either feeling her emotions very clearly, or he too had enjoyed it just as much as she had.

She let out a breathless laugh "Again!"

They danced until James's muscles couldn't take anymore, and he crumbled to the floor in a breathless heap. Even Lily was tired, and that was an accomplishment. Lily turned the Wireless off and couldn't stop the huge grin on her face "You know, that's the most fun I've had dancing in a long time." She allowed "You know what, I'll nip down to the Great Hall and grab us some lunch. What'd you want?"

James looked up with a lazy grin "Steak and chips, healthy dollop of mayonnaise and a lot of salt, please. Oh, and a big, cold glass of pumpkin juice."

Lily conjured a waiter's pad and pen and wrote his order down. She was too caught up in how good the dance had been to realise just how weird it was to be acting civil, even sharing a joke with James Potter.

She ambled through the hallways, hexing the odd male who stared at her in her sweaty shorts and tank top. She stopped at the Gryffindor table, taking a tray and filling it with James's steak, chips, mayonnaise (yuk...) and a good dusting of salt. She grabbed a glass of pumpkin juice for him, and then took herself a ham and cheese Panini.

She levitated the tray behind her, and was just leaving when she ran into the remaining three marauders. Perhaps Remus was too polite, and Peter was too ignorant to notice she had enough food for two on the tray, but Sirius was neither.

"Oi, Evans, eating for two?"

Lily scowled "Oh get out of the way, Black."

A little twinge in her mind (the corner which James shared) told her that James didn't appreciate her being rude to his best friend

"Look, Black, I'm tired, okay? Now just let me go."

"Hey... wait a minute, doesn't James always have mayonnaise and salt on his steak? Right Peter, Remus? He does, doesn't he! Why have you got Prongsie's lunch?" Sirius demanded "What have you done with him, Evans?"

Lily's eyes hardened "Get out of the way before I hex you, Black. Potter and I are heads together. He asked me to get his lunch. Now piss off."

Startled, Sirius allowed her through. She ranted and raved at James through their mental link all the way up to the dance studio, and by the time she got there she'd worked herself into quite a frenzy

"There's your lunch." She snarled, pushing the plate at him "You better be grateful."

"Evans, honestly, put a sock in it. I don't control Sirius, okay? He's not my dog." James told her, snickering a little at some unknown joke "I get that you're irritated, but don't take it out on me, your amazing dance partner."

Lily scowled at him, but the waves of amusement from James caused a slight twitch in her mouth, of the upwards variety much to her horror.

"Alright." She allowed "Alright. I won't take it out on you. Is, er, your lunch how you wanted it?"

"Yeah." James said with a grin "Perfect, actually. Usually Sirius doesn't put enough salt on it, see, and I hate chips without salt on them."

Lily grinned a little "See, I hate chips without vinegar on them. And, just so you know, I love vegetable soup."

James coloured a little "Oh. Er, you don't mind chicken sandwiches, do you?"

"They defiantly make it onto my 'like' list. But that apple made up for it. And I love pumpkin pasties, so that was another bonus point, but please don't ever send me coffee ever again. I hate the stuff. Haven't you noticed me wandering around the Head's tower with a mug of tea in my hand?"

James shook his head "No... actually, you do always seem to have a mug in your hand. But I was sure that was coffee - it always looked too dark to be tea."

"I don't have milk." Lily replied with a shrug "My Mum always drank herbal tea, which you don't put milk in. I guess it's a habit I picked up from her."

Somehow it was alright, this littler reminder of her parents. Somehow it felt like she had a friend to talk to for once. And it lifted a little bit of weight off her heart.

"Tell... tell me more about your parents?" James asked cautiously

Lily set her glass of water down carefully "They... they were brilliant people. My mum was beautiful; tall, blonde hair and green eyes. She loved pretty things, artwork, dancers. She believed girls such as me and my sister should be feminine and pretty on the surface, and yet intelligent and cunning underneath. She always used to tell me off for twiddling my hair. And, as I've just told you, she used to drink herbal tea. She could walk in these amazing heels, you know, like one of the runway models. If I wanted a pretty new dress, or that new handbag, or a new gold quill, she'd jump at the opportunity to buy me something like that.

"Her and my sister, Petunia, were always closer though. Petty and Mum always loved to gossip like school girls about the things our neighbours were doing. Mum always knew the latest news, be it celebrity gossip from an 'OK' magazine or what Mr Number Seven was doing with Mrs Number Two this week. She didn't have any academic qualifications, but she was 'cultured', I suppose you'd call it. She could dance formally, and she always knew how to make polite conversation, or the do's and don'ts of every social function. She had very aristocratic features, a little horse-like I suppose, but it suited her.

"Daddy, on the other hand, was a quiet, reserved and very intelligent man. He would help me with any school work I couldn't do, would explain philosophical debates to me. He encouraged my academic education just as my mother pushed my social education. He could be hilariously funny and very wise. He was a bit like Dumbledore, in a weird sort of way. Calm and assured and intelligent. He'd studied philosophy at Oxford, and spent most of his time in his office, reading literature or writing his own. I was closer to him. He had a love of classic cars and Greek architecture. He used to despair over Petunia's boyfriends just as much as Mum used to encourage her. He had red hair, just like mine, which he kept perfectly groomed in a comb over.

"I always used to wonder what on earth Mummy and Daddy saw in each other. They had neither any common interests nor any common traits. As the years passed, I began to realise that their relationship was more of a functional work partnership than a loving marriage. Not to say they didn't love each other, but I know they weren't each other's 'soul mates'. But they both loved me and Petunia, even if perhaps they would have been happier with someone else.

"Merlin, I can't believe I've just told you all that." Lily finished, looking dazed

James smiled, his eyes closed "I can picture them, you know."

Lily smiled too "I think that's probably because I just sent you a picture of them, you idiot."

"Oh." James replied sheepishly "Yeah, that'll be it."

Just then, the door opened, and McGonagall stepped through, raising an incredulous eyebrow at the sight of two 'enemies' sharing lunch together

"How are dance lessons?" She asked politely, receiving two blinding smiles in return

"Can we show you, Professor?" James asked, standing and offering a hand to Lily, pulling her up.

"Go ahead." McGonagall said, motioning the to the dance floor. She felt certain this would be a disaster.

Lily flicked her wand at the Wireless, starting the music for the foxtrot. It was much more difficult than anything Lily had expected James to be able to do, especially after his initial abysmal performance with the waltz, the first time they tried.

The split second information allowed James to seem as though he was leading, as the two swept and twirled around the dance floor. James missed a slight step, but Lily was able to cover it. As always, Lily couldn't help but feel liberated and freed by the music and the dance, swirling and pulling and pushing and pulsing through her.

They held their pose as the music ended to the sound of McGonagall's enthusiastic applause

"I have to tell you, Lily, when you told me James Potter was a good dancer I was sceptical. But, I feel, I owe an apology. I have never seen such a good dance in all my time, and let me remind you that I don't give compliments mildly. Now then, I'm a busy lady. I hope you are ready for your lesson this afternoon, and I hope you have all your assignments from your teachers up to date. I would hate to have to assign you time-turners so you had enough time to both dance and go to lessons."

It was only after she had left that Lily realised just how big a compliment the professor had paid them, by saying she would get them time turners, so they had time to both dance and go to lessons. After all, there was very little Minerva McGonagall placed above academic education.