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Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I was not born as gifted and talented as JK Rowling, and I haven't discovered how to clone people.

FIVE

Supper was very, very loud. House elves had transformed the ballroom into a dining room, with long tables like the House tables at Hogwarts and draped the room with rich blue silk. Gleaming silverware glinted in the floating candlelight, and the food radiated mouthwatering smells. Lily was seated near the middle, next to James, and Jenna on her other side, across from a pair of witches from Africa and a small wizard who picked at his food. Chatter echoed in the hall, jovial and boisterous. Laughter rang clear, the merriment of wine and friends intoxicating everyone.

Brian and Tracy had expressed their desires of no alcohol present at this dinner to the students earlier that afternoon, but that had only instilled the need for rebellion even more. Sirius and James had personally conjured flasks and Firewhiskey, from which all the boys had enjoyed a sip and the girls had declined. Therefore, they were all acting like idiots and the girls were watching in disgust.

James attempted to spear a baby potato, and ended up shooting it into the face of the small wizard across the table. He dropped his fork with a clatter, and half-stood to try and rectify the mistake, but Lily kicked him under the table. "Sit down," she said from the corner of her mouth. She then looked across to the wizard. "So sorry," she apologized, trying her best innocent face. The wizard shook his head, and ignored her apology and simply wiped his face.

"What the hell are you doing, James?" she hissed under her breath. "Was the drink really necessary?"

"Hey, you aren't the one turning seventeen," he slurred to her, spearing another potato and popping it whole into his mouth. "'Sides," he continued, talking around the food, "if I'm gonna throw a party, I'm doing it right."

She rolled her eyes. "James, this dinner was so you could catch up with old friends," she whispered heatedly. "Not so you could embarrass yourself!"

"Lily, I don't need you being my mother," he told her frankly, and shoved another forkful of food into his mouth.

Lily looked at Jenna helplessly, who was smirking behind her napkin. "Help me!" she murmured, begging her friend with her eyes.

"What am I supposed to do, Lily? You're his girlfriend, you should have stopped him."

Lily scoffed. "As if anyone could tell him what to do." She looked around, wondering what on Earth she could do in order to distract Brian and Tracy from their nephew's strange behavior.

A low note of music coursed through the room, interrupting her panic. A small band had appeared at the base of one of the staircases, consisting of a guitar, cello, drums, and violin. Lily stared, just as everyone else in the room did.

Brian and Tracy stood up from their seats, hand in hand, and made their way to the small space at the food of the stairs in front of the band. Another low note struck, and then a romantic song began playing, the violin softly playing behind the cello, the drums gentle.

Lily watched as more couples stood to join Brian and Tracy, moving slowly to the music. She was entranced; so many twosomes, still happy and in love. It was promising, and mildly surprising to her. She had imagined that, in the wizarding world, more couples would have divorced. She didn't know why she assumed this; she just did.

Supper was now generally forgotten, and elves came out to clear away the food. James hugged his plate to his chest, glaring at the elf that tried to take it. Sirius, down the table, was drawling a horrible pub song Lily didn't really want to know where he learned from. As the song ended and another began to play, faster-paced, Brian and Tracy made their way back to the table. Tracy bent down to Lily while her husband chatted amicably with the witches across the table. "Lily, take James upstairs," she murmured to her, not at all angry. "He doesn't look very well."

Lily agreed; James looked very green. "Thanks, Tracy," Lily said gratefully, and stood up. "James," she said softly, hoping she sounded convincing. "Let's go."

"Where?" he demanded a little loudly. Lily quickly bent down and kissed him briefly, not knowing what else to do to shut him up.

"Upstairs," she purred, praying she was succeeding in enticing him out of the party and to his bed, the only acceptable place for him to be right now. And she did succeed; his eyes got bright and he stood hastily from his seat, and took her hand tightly.

She led him out of the hall and to his room, all the while encouraging him like she would to a three-year-old who didn't want to eat their vegetables. James complained that he was leaving the party, but Lily assured him tomorrow night's party would be much better.

Finally, she got him into his bed, after removing his shoes and tie and taking off his glasses. He was snoring softly, looking perfectly angelic, she had to admit. An outsider wouldn't have guessed that he was the biggest prankster in Hogwarts, along with Sirius.

But, she reminded herself, anyone could tell that Sirius was trouble, even just by looking at him.

And as if she had called his name, Sirius stumbled into the room, as he was sharing it with his best mate, and froze when he saw Lily sitting at the edge of James' bed.

"Did I interrupt?" he asked, sounding so concerned Lily laughed softly.

"No, no, Sirius," she assured him. "I was just making sure he didn't choke on his vomit or anything."

"That's disgusting," Sirius muttered, and he collapsed into his own bed, groaning. "Damn, Firewhiskey is brutal stuff."

"Well, hopefully you've learned a lesson then, idiot," Lily snarked at him.

"Oi! I thought we were being all friendly, Evans."

"You thought wrong, Black." She stood up, a smirk on her face. "Good night," she said in a sing-song voice, just to be rude. He fingered her as she closed the door, making her chuckle.

"Tucking him in?"

Lily jumped, and spun around to find Jacob leaning against the wall. "You scared me," she said needlessly.

"The second time." He did not sound pleased.

"Well, could we not make it a habit?"

"I'll see what I can do." He walked toward her and stopped very close. "What about the part that comes after being frightened?"

Lily pulled away from him, heart racing. "That too," she whispered. "I'm here with James, Jacob. Not you."

"But you didn't want to be here in the first place, Lily," Jacob reminded her. "He forced you to come here."

"I… Look, Jacob, stop playing games with me." She looked straight into his piercing blue eyes. "I'm here for a reason, and you will not distract me."

"You let me distract you in the library," he murmured to her. "You let me distract you at Christmas. What makes now any different?"

She took another step back, and felt her shoulders press against the brick wall behind her. "Jacob. Stop it."

"Why?" Now he sounded hurt, not dangerous. "Why are you even playing this game, Lily? Potter has never acted sincere toward you."

She bit her tongue. He was right, in a way. But there had been moments, with James, when she had seen more than the prankster and snob she was used to. He was a real person, underneath. With real fears and real feelings. She had just never believed it.

"You're wrong, Jacob," she said quietly. She was torn. Jacob was so real-she had never had to guess as to what he wanted from her. But with James-she didn't know if he was telling the truth.

"Prove me wrong," he dared her. "Tell me you have feelings for him, and not me."

Her eyes widened. "Jacob!" she exclaimed, and then mentally kicked herself for being loud. "Jacob, don't even start."

"I'm starting, Lily." He moved another step closer, and this time she had nowhere to go. "I like you," he whispered. "And I don't want Potter getting in my way."

"That's why you came?" she growled, furious. "So that you and James could fight over me?"

"He says he's in love with you," Jacob said sarcastically. "He says he would never hurt you. And there he is, being the enormous moron he's known to be. You're better than that, Lily."

She was livid. "Get away from me," she spat, and put her hands on his chest to shove him away.

He grabbed her wrist. "Lily," he murmured. "Look, I just don't think he wants you for you."

"What the hell do you know?" she hissed. "You don't know him!"

"Neither do you!"

"Yes I do!" she almost yelled. "He's an honest, caring, trusting bloke, and you're just getting on my nerves right now!"

"What the hell is going on out here?" a blurry voice asked. Lily looked over in horror as James and Sirius appeared in the doorway. When they both laid eyes on Jacob, they sobered instantly.

"What the hell do you want, Carson?" Sirius spat, his hand going into his pocket.

"Nothing, Black." Jacob stepped away from Lily, looking relaxed. "Just chatting."

"Quite loudly," James noted, and looked from him to Lily. "You all right?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," she said sharply, and went to his side. "Go back to bed, James."

"Hanging off him like a damn parasite, aren't you?" Jacob sneered. "Should have known better."

A blinding flash hit him full force in the chest, and Lily yelped. Jacob was Stunned on the floor, his face frozen in a mask of hurt.

"Conniving snake," James muttered. He nudged his mate in the ribs as Sirius pocketed his wand. "We should move him."

"Can we hang him out a window?" Sirius asked in a gleeful tone.

"I would love to see Uncle Brian's face," James chuckled. "But we can't. Imagine what the press would say."

"You're right," Sirius sighed. "How about the basement toilets?"

"Perfect." James and Sirius went to Jacob's body, and picked it up rather carelessly. "Lily, you'll be all right?" James asked over his shoulder.

She nodded curtly. "Yes." And she watched her pretend boyfriend and his best mate carry away the boy she thought had been the real, sincere one.

I guess this is why he's in Slytherin, she thought to herself. He plays mind games, nothing more.

But as she made her way back to her room, she could feel her heart sinking with each step.

When she went down for breakfast the next morning, she was informed by Alicia that she had seen Jacob leaving in the wee hours of the morning, by Floo. Alicia also said he looked like he'd been through hell.

Lily explained what had happened the night before. Alicia listened intently, picking at an orange as she did so.

"He confronted you about James, then." Alicia sounded intrigued. "He really likes you, Lily."

"He's a snake," Lily muttered, disappointed in how fake her hatred sounded. She still couldn't believe it had happened.

"Maybe." Alicia shrugged. "I'm not going to say you should give him a chance. But don't think of him as a snake. Just because he's in Slytherin, doesn't mean that he's evil."

Lily stared down at the table. Hadn't James and Sirius been saying all year that he was placed in Slytherin for a reason? No matter how sincere he seemed on the outside, he had to be rotten on the inside?

She didn't know what to believe anymore.