As It Was and You Were
Chapter Twenty-two
That Song?
Following the events in The Three Broomsticks, for the next few days, Lily and James were at war. Each was trying to show the other that their new relationships had more affection than the other.
Christmas Eve arrived. Classes had finished and the school had retired to their dormitories in anticipation of preparing smoothly for the Christmas Eve Ball.
They couldn't be more wrong.
"Alice, give me my make-up!"
"Bitch! That was my dress!"
"Peter? Why are you eating my tie?"
"I swear if you don't put my comb down, I will kill you!"
"OK sorry!"
"Lily? Why are you using my hairspray?"
"This is hairspray?"
"Well it's not breath freshener!"
"I'm hungry!"
Indeed the only thing that was smooth was the people who had put copious amounts of gel in their hair. James sat in the midst of the noise in his dormitory, thinking about his rugged good looks and how they had caused much uproar in the past. He got sick of thinking about that and then decided to think about cheese.
Lily was sitting on her bed thinking about how she looked as well, except she was more concerned about how Michael would think she looked. He had agreed to come to her and then she would accompany him to the Great Hall. He was already on his way. James and Elvira had a similar arrangement. James also began to find his way to his old room. Both males met on the fourth floor. Reflective of the events earlier in the school year, they both rounded the corners at the same time and found each other at opposite ends of the corridor, dressed formally and with wands in their hands. They both nodded at each other, paused in their walking. They both started again, heading straight for the other, and it didn't look like they were about to stop. They met exactly in the middle of the corridor. They both turned and looked around the corridor.
"Look, I'm already paying your sister to take me, so I'm not paying you anymore than I already am," James had said.
"It's fine I don't actually think I want to be paid for this. It's turned out to be… great," Michael shuffled his feet around.
"How can it be great you're not… yeah,"
"Doesn't change the fact that I don't have feelings,"
"Emotions? You have emotions? There is something wrong with this world!"
"OK! Fine! Believe what you want! Don't pay me! I don't need the money; we're splitting it between us anyway,"
"Great, saves me a few galleons. Cheers mate, it's been nice having you," James put his hand fourth. Michael looked at it apprehensively before getting out some anti-bacterial wipes. "You're meant to shake it,"
"I'm not changing my nature," Michael wiped James' hand down thoroughly before thanking him and striding down the corridor.
"I can't believe I got myself into this," then he continued on his way. He sniffed his hand, "Mmm, smells nice too,"
----
"He's meant to be here soon… Are you sure I look good?" Lily was wringing her hands and pacing the Common Room. She had scared mostly everyone out of the Common Room already, reaching anxiously for objects and breaking them in half, and grabbing other people's hands and wringing them also. Many people had broken hands and had already made their way to the Hospital Wing.
"Lily," Alice began, "You have spent the past two hours in front of a mirror, applying product after product and you had your dress made. I don't quite know why they're dresses instead of dress robes, after all when did we begin to have such a Muggle-ised culture?" she examined herself in a mirror.
"She's right, you have nothing to be worried about," Claire was sitting calmly on a seat.
"You're 'eally 'ure?" Lily had now bitten into a pear. A decorative pear, the plastic filling spilling out of her open mouth.
"Yes. Spit it out," Cordelia held a waste basket in front of Lily. "You have got to stop breaking everything. Whether it is in your hands or in your digestive system,"
"I'm sorry I just get really nervous, and then I start… eating,"
"We'd noticed," the girls chorused. They heard footsteps coming from the staircase on the left. They all turned and saw that Remus, Frank, Sirius and unfortunately Peter had entered the room. I can't say for sure that was in that order but let's not get particular about it. Remus came forward for Claire, offering his arm. She giggled and blushed and fell about like a stupid little school girl. She took the proffered arm and they exited. Sirius walked to Cordelia, dipping her backward and kissing her. The rest of them looked on in shock and disgust. Instead of walking out of the portrait hole, they both turned back to the staircase.
The remaining four shuddered, even Peter who most likely did not understand what that meant. Frank and Alice joined hands and went away. Peter walked to Lily and looked at her hopefully. She looked at him.
"No," she shook her head. He looked at her as if to ask again.
"Please?"
"No," she repeated slower.
"Ple-" Lily had already cursed him and he ran out of the room.
"Glad we got that settled," a sixth year girl had come to stand in front of Lily with a look of disgust on her face. It had matched her bright orange dress.
"Lily?"
"Yes," she was taken aback by the horrid colour the girl had chosen.
"There's someone here for you," she looked sadly to the open portrait hole, Lily followed the girl's line of vision. Michael was standing there with a smile on his face. Something told her that the girl's invitation of accompaniment was rebuked.
"Thanks," she hurried away.
"Hi," Michael was looking at her as though his face might break.
"Uh, h-hi," she looked away. They both stood there nervously. Then Michael leaned forward to kiss her chastely.
-----
James was standing outside the portrait, arguing with it. "Let me in!" Luckily enough it was opened within a few seconds.
"I heard you yelling. We changed the password, sorry," Elvira was fixing and earring through its rightful hole. "I'm not quite ready could you wait?"
"Sure," James said. He stood their with her looking at him.
"In here?'
"Oh right!" he followed her in. "You're not dressed?"
"No, I had to do some last minute thing," she retired to her room.
"Sure," James sat on the couch. Then got up. Then sat down. Then got up. Then sat down. During this time, Elvira had already changed and was standing in the doorway. James was staring.
"That was quick,"
----
When one arrives to a ball, the entrance is the highest part of the evening. It's all downhill from there. You enter to a great atmosphere and lots of chatter. After about ten minutes the effect wears off and the amount of cheap cologne and hairspray has driven you to the point of wanting to leave. But you cannot because you need to fight the evening out to prove to yourself that you have taken the right of passage and that you need never do it again, unless you feel you need to. Again, once the atmosphere has worn off it is clear to you that this was nothing more than a poor excuse for people to engage in courtship.
Michael and Lily entered the room first. Lily looked around and saw that even Severus Snape was able to procure a partner for this occasion. However, they seemed to share his love of not shampooing. The tables were set aside for the moment opening up an open space in the middle of the room. Christmas decorations hung in every possible space, at least five Christmas trees were adorned with bubbles that changed colour slowly.
Michael led Lily to a table and swiftly left to get a drink. Lily again took the time to admire the decorations. In doing so she noticed that James had entered with Elvira, he seemed to have spotted her as well. He leant down and whispered something in her ear. She immediately giggled all girlishly and clasped her hand with his. James looked at her and raised his eyebrows.
He was perhaps conveying the air of 'somebody else wants me too'. Lily pulled a face and relieved her inner rage by doing a cruel impression of his partner.
"Look at me! I'm Elvira and I… I…" she finished lamely. Dissatisfied with the level of meanness that had been slowly decreasing this past year. She was embarrassed for herself and so sunk down below the table and sat underneath it.
"Lily?" she turned from where she was sitting. She could see Remus and Claire engaged in a game of cards with a white rabbit. Claire's earring and Remus' Italian shoe was in the middle along with a pocket watch and a waistcoat, which looked as if it might have fit the rabbit. She stared.
"The rabbit is losing," Claire stated matter-of-factly. Lily nodded slowly. She then quickly turned and darted from out under the tablecloth. She scrambled to her feet, dusted herself off and found Michael. She grabbed her drink and his arm and led him away to another table.
"What's wrong?" he was very concerned for her.
"There's something wrong with that table," she then busied her mouth with sipping from her goblet.
On the other side of the room, the atmosphere was a little rigid between James and Elvira. They both sat at their table, glancing about and fiddling with their goblets. Elvira gave a sigh. James heard this and looked up.
"Can't we do anything a little more interesting?" Elvira whined.
"Like what?" he asked dumbly.
"I don't know. Dance; further sabotage your supposed beloved; join the game of strip poker that is going on under table fourteen. There's a rabbit that is losing spectacularly," she said wistfully.
"You can go and join the game if you want. I just want to sit here," he shrugged his shoulders. And sipped from his goblet. Elvira sat there for a moment. She smiled.
"Great," she got up and started toward the table.
"Wait," James held up one finger. "Sabotage first,"
"Do we have to make-out again? My lips are sore from that entire class this morning?" she was impatient.
"No. Nothing like that," he shook his head. "Pour your drink over me,"
"What?"
"I'm not allergic to Pumpkin Juice so it's safe," he looked at her. She then grabbed her goblet that was still full and threw it in his face. She slammed it down on the table and walked away in a huff.
"I said pour. Not throw," he wiped his face with his sleeve as a surrounding group of people laughed at him. He continued to sit there. He looked around the room. And saw Lily had begun to dance with Michael. It was all very nauseating and James actually had to force some vomit back down his throat. She was being twirled about and held in that obnoxious young man's arms. James tried hard not to growl. This caused his face to curl into a snarl. It was just too much. He loved her so much it hurt sometimes. Why was he such an idiot?
"Are you having fun?" Michael asked Lily.
"Yes. I'm having lots of fun," he twirled her around again and then brought her back into his arms. The orange girl went dancing by with her last minute procurement and she tried to scratch Lily's back but missed and fell over. Lily and Michael didn't notice. They were quietly swaying on the spot. They turned slightly so that Lily could see past Michael to where James was sitting. She had witnessed the earlier events where Elvira threw her drink in his face. She felt sorry for him sitting there in all his fallen glory. He looked quite pathetic. She couldn't quite remember why she was angry with him in the first place. If she was angry at all. James had looked up to make eye contact with her. She suddenly found herself immobile. As they were there staring at each other. Michael had become very rigid and had fallen to the ground.
A scream came from beneath table fourteen and Elvira hopped out from underneath it. The back of her dress was unzipped and there was something wrong with her hair. Bits of it had become all stringy.
"James!" she screamed. Remus came out from under the table holding Claire's rigid body. Sirius came into the Great Hall at that moment but stopped when he heard Cordelia fall to the ground.
Lily looked at James who looked at her.
"What is going on?"
Hello munchkins. Well it has been close to a year since updating. I am now in my final year of highschool and graduate next month. I will be a free fish! Like Nemo! Well I am off to go and clean. Cheerio.