A.N: Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters...just their actions.
[ Day 29; 11:35 P.M. ]:The boy and the girl sat in the park where they first decided to play this game.
Boy: I'm tired. Do you want anything to drink? I will buy you one.I'll go down the road.
Girl: A green tea, that's all. Thank you.
Boy: Wait for me
Chapter Nine: The Dance: Part 1
Christmas morning came upon Hogwarts quickly. It brought chilling winds and a blizzard, with no sun to brighten the day. That didn't stop the joyful festivities inside though. The few Gryffindor students ran down stairs, gifts in hand, to share their presents and thanks with friends.
"Merlin's beard!" James cried. "Mum sent me underwear!" James cried as he held up the boxer briefs.
The group laughed at James' embarrassment.
"You know, they say that women always buy their men underwear. So, it's not that embarrassing," Lily said with a smile.
"Aw, how cute," Sirius cooed.
Remus unwrapped chocolate. "Jezz thanks! How did you know?!" Remus asked with sarcasm. Every year the guys got him some assortment of chocolate.
"Because it's your favorite thing, Mooney," Pete dumbly replied.
"Lils, I did get you something, I just haven't wrapped it yet," James said sheepishly.
"What do you mean you haven't wrapped it yet?" Remus asked.
"Yeah, how long have you had that for?" Sirius chastised.
"Well…right now would not be a good time anyway," James said, making it the last thought of that conversation.
Lily had gotten James some books on Quidditch. "You would get me reading materials," James complained.
"Yeah, but it's on a topic you're interested in. So that's not so bad, right?" she asked. James smiled and kissed her on the forehead.
"Thanks."
The day consisted of eating and relaxing while the guys played with all their new toys. It was really enjoyable and took of the fact that the dance was quickly approaching soon. James offered to help Lily carry her things to the girls dorm, since he seemed to be able to defy the changing stairs.
"You can just set that stuff on my bed…" Lily said as James tossed it under her bed. "Or under the bed…I guess." He pounced on her bed with his arms folded behind his head.
"I like your bed. It's bouncy," James said with a smile.
"You're a nut."
James threw a pillow at her head.
"Ow! James Potter!" she cried as she picked up one of Ronnie's pillows and ran at him. James grabbed another of her pillows and used it to deflect her blow.
"Beat that, Evans!" he cried. He hit her twice and then knocked her pillow out of her hand. It went flying past the two of them and then there was a crash. Both immediately stopped and looked over at her night stand. Laying on the floor was a broken snow globe…the one Keith had given her.
Lily's face dropped.
"It's…it's gonna be—"
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" she cried as she hurried over to the globe. She picked the wet pieces up in her hands. The liquid made a puddle around the contents and the fake snow was literally melting on her floor due to the oxygen exposure.
"I'm sure I could fix it…just let me—"
"You can't fix this." Lily looked at the pieces in her hand. She then picked up the label that had Keith love for her written on it.
She stood up with the pieces in her hand. She walked over to the garbage can and tossed them in, without taking another glance.
Lily woke up the morning of the dance and she felt exhilarated. She got out of bed and looked out the window. The brightly shinning sun left a sparkling affect on the freshly fallen snow which blanketed Hogwarts' grounds.
Karen and Ronnie must have gotten to the Great Hall because there was a tray of baked goods sitting on her desk. Lily walked over and grabbed a bagel. She spread some cream cheese on it and sunk her teeth into the warm bread.
Steam flowed from the bathroom door as Karen walked into the dorm.
"Good morning, sunshine! Enjoying yourself?" Karen asked as she walked to her wardrobe.
"Fine. I see you've already cleaned up," Lily commented.
"Yeah, Terror 1 and 2 have disappeared. I wanted to get in and out before they came back," Karen explained.
"Where's Ronnie?"
"She needed to have her dress fitted so it's coming by owl post today. Should be here soon."
"Any idea what you're doing for your hair?"
Karen took the towel out of her hair and ran her fingers through it.
"Whatever my wand decides. I don't know," Karen answered.
"Your wand? What about the traditional 'best friends do each other's hair all day' tradition?" Lily cried.
"Who's tradition is that?"
"A…well I guess it's a muggle tradition. Either way, it will be so much fun. I could do your hair and add cute pins in it. Oh! And your make-up! Oh Merlin! There's so much I could do with your eyes!" Lily beamed.
"What's she going on about?" Ronnie asked when she walked in, package in hand.
"Lily wants to make it a day of getting ready for tonight's event," Karen explained.
"Why don't we just use magic?"
"It's a tradition!" Lily cried as Karen mimicked her.
"Why would we do that?"
"Because…Ronnie…it's fun!" Lily whined. "You'll see."
"Okay, only if Ronnie and I both get to work on you and you don't get to see what we're doing until we're done."
"Fine!"
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Lily walked down the stairs, the front of her dress gathered in her hands.
"What do you think?" she asked James who stood at the bottom of the stairs.
James took in her appearance as a whole. She had picked the dark purple dress with gold trim. The Grecian style was flattering on her body.
Her hair had a French-braid in the back, each cross intersected with a diamond stone that matched her dress. The rest of her hair was pulled into a high pony-tail and curled.
Since Lily was pale, she had on subtle make-up; a light brown eye shadow and pale pink lip gloss. She was stunning.
"You look…amazing," James said as he stared.
"You're not just saying that?" she asked, stepping real close to him.
"If I were lying, I would just avoid the question."
James leaned in to kiss her, but Lily pulled away.
"Do you want to wait for Sirius?"
"Nope. I'll see him and Pete at the dance. Tonight is for you and me," James said with a smile. He offered his arm and the two walked side-by-side, linked.
Lily and James made small talk as they walked down to the Great Hall.
"Merlin! Lily!" Karen cried as she walked up to Lily, Ronnie close behind.
"You guys saw me not even twenty minutes ago!" Lily said while hugging each girl.
"James, have you seen Remus?" Ronnie asked.
"He's with his mom. She's very ill," James said, not skipping a beat.
"His mother is always sick," Karen said.
"Yeah, and I though he as gonna be back for the dance," Ronnie agreed.
"It's not his fault that his mother has an on-going illness," Lily defended.
"Um…yeah. She has cancer, so frequent visits are a must," James said while looking at Lily.
"Whatever. There are plenty more guys to flirt with. See you two later," Karen said. The two girls filtered into the crowd, leaving James and Lily alone in the hall.
"Thank you," James murmured.
Lily didn't know why Remus frequently left the castle. She never bothered to ask him, or really take notice of his absences. All she knew was that it was something serious that only Remus and his friends were in on. She wasn't going to push the mater.
"You're welcome."
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Lily and James were as close to the center of the floor as possible. They kept to themselves, not really joining in on groups dancing. They did participate in all the corny line dances though. Lily danced with her friends while James stood there awkwardly.
"Come on, James!" Lily said with a smile. She grabbed James by the tie and reeled him in. The girls all laughed as James looked mortified.
After two hours of dancing, James started to get thirsty.
"I'm going to go get something to drink."
"I'll go," Lily offered.
"Okay, why would I agree to that?"
"Because… someone needs to save our spots and you know at my size that is not possible," Lily reasoned.
"That's got to be the worst excuse."
"Don't care. I'll be back," Lily said as she flitted away.
James followed her with his eyes until she disappeared. When he turned back, Sandy was standing in front of him. She put her arms around his neck while James stood there uncomfortable.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Come on, I'm entitled to at least one dance," Sandy reasoned. James put his hands on her waist. "She shouldn't mind. I'm not a threat."
"Lily's not threatened by you," James defended.
"You sure sound threatened."
"Why did you come over here?" he demanded, stepping away.
"I don't want you and me to be like this. We don't have to be best friends, but I'd like to be civil, at least. What happened between us, that was in the past, James. Let's not fight," Sandy said with a solemn face.
James closed his eyes for a second. "Sandy, I don't want anything to do with you. You turned me towards… the most amazing women I've ever met. For that I am thankful. Other than that, I don't want to be anything more than two people who once knew each other. So, sure, civilized people, that's all I can handle.
"James—"
"Sirius, on the other hand, he's looking for something. You screwed him over. Don't mess with him if its only for your benefit," James warned.
Sandy stepped back.
"I have no feelings for Sirius."
"Then I don't want you bothering him."
"Even if I did like him, I don't think I could even go out with him. He's a marauder; once you've had one, you've had them all," she sneered. Sandy left with a flourish of her dress.
"Were you dancing with another woman?" Lily asked James as she approached with two drinks in her hand.
"No. Of course not."
"Because if you were, I am entitled to throwing a bitch fit right now, which includes, but is not limit4ed to throwing both our drinks in your face," Lily said with a laugh. "Oh! I requested a slow song, since they haven't played any yet. It might be a while since I had to suggest it on this list and there were two pages, but still, keep an ear out."
"Of course."
After an hour more of dancing, no slow song and Lily's beverage had made it's way through her system. James needed to step outside anyways, so while Lily used the restroom, James was going to look for a secluded spot outside.
After much difficulty getting her dress up, Lily flushed the toilet and washed her hands. She stared at her image in the mirror. Karen and Ronnie really had done a great job on her face. She didn't look made up at all. In fact, she looked very natural, just not as pale.
Another stale flushed and out walked Rochelle. Her blond hair was in simple large curls. Her eyes weren't the usual bright icy blue color, but looked watered down, sad.
Lily felt very awkward but she couldn't move away. She played with her hair while Rochelle washed her hands. Lily noticed the slight bump of a stomach and no ring on her hand.
Rochelle grabbed a towel out of the basket provided. Hers and Lily's eyes met in the mirror.
"You look…rather stunning tonight, Lily," Rochelle complemented.
Lily was a little taken back. "Um…thank you. Your hair looks wonderful," Lily said, avoiding her gaze. Lily had barley seen Rochelle or Karman over the past two months. Probably because Rochelle had been with Nick. Seeing as there was no ring, Lily figured she be seeing a lot more of the blond again.
"Have fun tonight," Lily said as she started to leave. As her hand touched the door, Rochelle called out,
"I don't want your pity."
"I haven't offered it."
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James stepped outside and let the cool night air wash over him. It was really hot in the Great Hall and Dumbledore made the outside warm enough to be out there without feeling the harsh winds of winter. Hedge-made alcoves seemed to surround the perimeter and the first couple or so on either side were occupied. James turned to his right and started to think about the only thing ever on his brain… Lily.
The conversation he had with Remus the other day kept coming back to him. He knew that, technically, Lily was free after tonight, but he didn't want her to be. James wanted to keep Lily forever. He loved being around her, everything about her, everything about them. James rolled his eyes. These were the same thoughts he always had. But he couldn't say that all to Lily. No, he'd sound mad. He needed to come up with a creative way to tell her how he felt without scarring her way. James finally reached a spot that wasn't occupied. The view was of the Forbidden Forest. James sat down on the offered bench.
"Maybe I could bring Lily here," he thought. "We're so far away from the castle that no one would bother us. But what to say?" James scratched his head. "You mean more to me then…my broomstick does, okay, you're right, you're of equal importance, but if our house was on fire, I'd get you first!" James slapped his forehead. "Lily, when I'm around you, I feel as if my heart has exploded. Nothing seems to go where it should and my brain seems to shut down completely…or maybe that's too mushy. Okay, Lily if I had to choose between you or my friends I would pick—"James saw a drunk figure walking in the distance.
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Lily walked out of the bathroom the same time Keith Fox did.
"Lily! Wow, do you look amazing!" he said with a smile. Lily blushed. "May I escort you back to the dance?" he asked, offering his arm.
"Um…actually, I need to find my date, James Potter. He should be close by," Lily said as she started to walk away.
"Well, a pretty girl like yourself shouldn't walk alone."
"Alright, fine."
The two walked side by side silently, lost in their own thoughts.
"He's probably inside waiting for me on the dance floor. Thanks for walking with me, Keith," Lily said with a smile.
"I'll go in with you. We could look together. I mean, I'm sure his big head won't be hard to find, but it is dark…" Lily glared at him.
"Oh come on! I'm kidding."
Lily was starting to get a little paranoid. First off, she never knew there were this many students at Hogwarts. Second, none of these millions of students seemed to be James or his friends. Lily felt helpless and she didn't like it.
"Okay, maybe he's outside," Lily said.
"Well, if he's hanging outside then I'm sure you can spare a dance with me," Keith reasoned.
"Keith…"
"One dance can hardly be harmful."
"Let me look outside."
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James was grounded to his spot. As the figure got closer, he realized they weren't drunk, but limping. Once the limping figure came into sight, James knew exactly who it was.
"Sirius?" James asked, looking at his injured friend.
He wore nice dress pants and a white button up shirt, but no tie or jacket or dress robes. There was a tear in the knew of his pants. Worse though, there were three large gashes on his abdomen, where the blood seeped through to the surrounding ripped shirt and his face had a scratch the length of his cheek. Sirius was breathing heavily.
"Remus…"
James' eyes opened wide. "Where is he? Did he bite you?"
"No," Sirius coughed and started gasping for air. He doubled over and groaned in pain. "Shit. Um, I felt bad…that he was alone. I…had no reason to go to the dance anyway," he bitterly said.
"Sirius? Where is Remus?"
Sirius help up his hand. "Pete met me there…we decided to go to the Forbidden Forest."
"Damn it, Sirius! Where the hell is he?!" James cried.
"I don't know!" Sirius cried back. "We were in the forest when we were attacked. It scratched me and then attacked Remus. I…I lost Pete. I don't know…he could be eaten for all I know," Sirius breathing slowed down and he stood upright.
"We have to go back in there. Remus could be hurt," Sirius said concern on his face.
"Really? Where did you last see him?"
Sirius pointed off in the distance.
"Let's go," James said. The two took off in a run without a single glance back. Had he looked back, he would have seen a frantic Lily looking for him. And had she, upon her arrival, looked to the right rather than the left first, would have seen an angry James, spiriting towards the forest. But neither did so, and they missed each other by seconds, bringing a sense of abandonment into Lily's heart.
The slow song Lily had requested over an hour ago came on.
"This was supposed to be our song," Lily murmured as she held back tears.
"Lily, would you like to share this dance with me?" Keith asked, offering his hand.
Lily nodded her head as she took the offered hand. She followed Keith back into the Great Hall where he took her to the dance floor. Keith put his hands around her waist while she placed hers wrapped around his neck. She laid her head against his chest and let him lead her in their dance. As Lily and Keith danced, James willed himself to run faster and as the forest's edge came into view Sirius and James changed into their animagus forms. James completely cleared his head as he let the transformation overcome him.
Part Two soon. Leave reviews in the mean time :D