I walked past Lily as I sat down to breakfast.

"Hey," I stopped her, "Awesome idea for the Masquerade! I love it!"

"Thanks," She smiled self consciously and we parted ways. It was all I could do to keep myself from jumping on her and hugging her and worshiping the ground she walked on. The girl really was a genius.

"Ah." I sat down with my usual group, a big smile plastered across my face, "I love that girl."

"Me too," Said Kim, "Despite the fact that she is annoyingly perfect."

My face hurt from smiling so much. Lily Evans had, inadvertently, gotten me totally off the hook. And it all started with the best, the very best, idea for a masquerade ever. Who said no costumes? Everyone would be in costume.

I guess I should explain. There was this spell, right, and well, it was like a transfiguration thing. We only had a week to learn it, but Lily assured us it was a simple thing. We could mess with our faces, our bodies, anything we wanted. We would look like completely different people. Jake would never recognize me. There was also the matter of the dance being divided up, first through third years having a separate dance (which ended at twelve) and the fourth through seventh years getting one which officially ended at one, but we didn't have a curfew. I was thrilled.

It only got better when Jake asked me how I was going to change myself and even had the nerve to make a few suggestions. I smiled sweetly, and told him that it was a surprise, and he would have to find me. I knew him, he would lose interest and spend the night snogging another girl. Not like I minded. I hoped he ended up with the Snape. I was actually in one of those day time fantasies. I could just picture Severus, who had been glaring at me since that day in the library where I had sat next to his books (puh-lease, even I wasn't that protective of my muggle fiction), transforming himself into this stunning girl in a pink dress. He walked into the dance, all eyes turned to him, and Jake swept him up into his arms, shoving his tongue down unsuspecting Severus's throat. Of course that could never happen, the prefects would oversee the transformations, I'm sure they would never let…

Oh goodness, when I snapped back to reality I was me with two very serious problems. First, my own demented mind, which I mentally upbraided for that disturbing scene, and secondly, Alice's frighteningly serious face.

"Are you even listening?" She asked me,

"Uh, I—"

"It's okay, I'll repeat it. Perfect dress. P-e-r-f-e-c-t dress. Actually, there are three of them."

I snatched at the witch magazine she was holding, so did Jeremy.

"Hey!" She upbraided him, snatching the magazine away, "No peeking!"

Jeremy was forbidden to see her dress, but she promised she wouldn't make him pick her out while in disguise.

"Come on girls." Alice grabbed me and Kim and tougher we walked, happily, to our common room.

"Oh," Kim cooed, when Alice finally flipped her magazine back open. "They are perfect."

I climbed over Kim to catch a glimpse.

"Pretty," I cooed.

"I was thinking," Alice said, "this green one for Kim, the red for me, and the blue one for Jen. They all compliment our skin tone perfectly, but," she smiled ruthlessly, "Seeing as it's a masquerade, I think we should switch."

"Brilliant," Breathed Kim.

---

The dresses arrived the next day. Five strong owls had set it gracefully on the breakfast table. They were stunning. The red was now mine. We were practicing the spell.

Kim giggled uncontrollably as her nose got longer and longer. She had decided on a date too, by the way. Surprisingly, a boy who was not on her list. It was Derek from Ravenclaw, fellow vampire inductee.

I always wanted skin like Alice, but I was unfortunately discovering it did not go with my facial structure. At all. I sighed, and opted for a light tan instead. Slightly more pointed features, bigger eyes. On a whim I went blonde. I kept my eye color the same, though.

Alice was going to opposite way and lightening her skin, just a bit, until it was a light caramel. She spun her hair into tight ringlets and turned her eyes green, to match her dress.

"Oh you guys are no fun." Kim said, shrinking her nose. She looked at her blue dress. She made her hair a deep red, her blue eyes more vibrant, and she removed all freckles from her skin.

We all looked, well, like models.

I sighed, saddened for some reason.

"Eat your heart out boys."