Author Note: Returning to Lily's point of view. Sorry for the very long wait on the update. English at Uni is not a subject to be read lightly. If you want to know where the dress Lily wears to the Slug Club party is, it's on the Lily Evans wikia wiki/Lily_Evans the pic of her and the Slug club members.
Chapter 7 Slughorn's Christmas Party
With Christmas comes bells, with Christmas comes the big Christmas feast I will be missing this year, but most of all: with Christmas comes Slughorn's Christmas Party. A chance to socialise with the cream of magical society who-as important as they are-oddly have enough time to grace us budding talents, the Slug Club members, with their presence. I sigh onto the window glass causing a warm, rapidly condensing mist to form. I look to the corners of the window and properly take in the thick clusters of snow gathered on the four points. I sigh again and look back to my dress, an ugly maroon and floral print ¾ length Petunia hand-me-down, sent to me by my mother. 'I have spent all the spare money on preparations for Christmas and presents for everyone. You'll have to make do.' Something about the letter's tone sounded like a reprimand, perhaps anticipating my disappointment. I lean off the window sill and finger the horrid dress.
Mary leans over my shoulder in an attempt to scare me. She whispers 'boo' which confirms my suspicions.
"Aaaaaah My God you've scared the living daylight out of me!" I proclaim, dead sarcastically.
"Not as scary as that little number you're putting on for Slughorn's little slug gathering," she comments, whilst tactically moving back and sitting on Marlene's bed.
"It's a family heirloom mind you! And it's not a little slug gathering it's a party! We'll be-"
"Rubbing shoulders with the elite, advancing our social standing positions, but even you have to admit, Lily, with this current situation there, there…" Emmeline stalled, blushing at her failure to vocalise the implications she left hanging in the air.
"The world is unfair" Marlene suddenly spoke up, taking Mary in particular, who was sitting next to a presumably napping Marlene, by surprise. She continued in a more serious tone. " but what's even more unfair is that anyone will have to wear that dress!"
I hadn't realised I was uneasy until I let go of the dress I was clutching tightly and grabbed Marlene's pillow to smother her with. Running around, trying to kill her for her sinful words, was an odd relief to the anxiety of the death eater attacks occurring more frequently in our world.
I slipped the dress on and smiled uncertainly at the others.
"Maybe if you zip the back you'll look less pregnant," Dorcas says, bluntly. I glare at her haughty figure clad in a fitted green dress.
"Come on I'll do the-There's no back!" Marlene exclaims.
Mary and I slap her on each arm for good measure, whilst I give Dorcas a cursory glance. Emmeline, one for sensing the almost unseen, steps in to try and create peace.
"It shouldn't matter how you dress! Honestly, you'll still be better dressed than… just slap a bit of maroon lipstick, smooth out the skin…a little mascara never hurt anyone and done!" Emmeline clasps her hands together happily, and then walks over to get the maroon lipstick she'll kindly lend to me.
"Well… It's 6:20 how long could it possibly take?"
The ill-fated words come back to haunt me as I run in my heeled Mary Janes to the party. I run past the marauders, naturally either uninvited or too haughty to accept the invitation; one shouts verbal abuse as I go past.
"No wonder she won't take you for a spin Prongs, she's already too knocked up to take any more invitations!" Black exclaims loudly and inappropriately in the corridors. A protestant grunt follows this exclamation…good Black got his comeuppance by some divine and mysterious force.
As I get closer to Slughorn's office I slow down. The last thing I need is facial sweat ruining my make-up. I reach into the pockets of my odd dress-yes pockets- and retrieve a mirror with which I use to make sure everything is in place.
After a few corrections, I walk calmly to the office door, where I meet my patient date for the evening, the silent long suffering member of the marauder dormitory Joshua Patil. I give him a wide smile.
"I am very sorry that I am late" I articulate, adjusting my already perfect hair out of nerves.
"No, no don't worry… thank you for inviting me! You-you look absolutely radiant!" Like a pregnant woman does?
"Thaanks"
"After you" He smiles, attempting to push the door open. "I guess Slughorn locks his door with a password?"
I giggle, "Yes to deter unwanted guests."
"Now I was invited here, Lily, I don't know what you are trying to imply!" Severus counters close behind me. I blush a little and smile. Joshua raises an eyebrow and I proceed to tap the door three times with my wand, whisper the password 'budding slugs', and enter upon the door's opening.
I am greeted with a marvellously decorated room adhering to a dusty brown Egyptian meet Persia theme. Naturally, the theme did not extend to attire, but the Persian rug with moving depictions of history on the floor created a level of stepping into a different world that did not need a dress code to carry it.
After ten minutes of awkward conversation,-well it wasn't too awkward, we exchanged good jokes-,Joshua decided to socialise with a friend at the other end of the party. I was about to go and join the large group assembled around Slughorn, that consisted of Emmeline, when Severus broke from his conversation with Malfoy and headed towards me. I turned to look another way pretending not to have seen him.
"Oooo, and here is dear Lily!" Severus whispers, surprisingly close, in a faux-Slughorn voice.
I blush, look around quickly to find Slughorn engaged in laughing and chatting in a distant corner, then shove Severus' shoulder in jest.
"You're something else, you are," I allow myself to smile.
We walk over to the drink's table, where Severus hands me a drink.
"Oh Severus I am simply stuck between sensibilities," I place the back of my hand on my forehead for effect. " A girl must not accept drinks she has not seen the source of…but, but such a kind gesture from a gentleman!" I exclaim, sighing then fluttering my eyes, before then snatching the drink from his hand, downing the substance dubbed 'Elderberry tears' in a flash.
"Your most girly-ish feminine ladylike sensibilities…I'm not really the posh sort. I can't think of any more posh words!" Severus sniggers.
"Well, I think it's time for me to greet our most gracious host." I take my leave a little reluctantly and head towards the large group gathered around Slughorn.
I take my leave a little reluctantly and head towards the large group gathered around Slughorn. Amongst them is Fifth-year Slytherin Spenser Avery (a shiver goes down my spine) whose arm is draped over Fourth-year Ravenclaw Aisha Rahman…Avery is a snake in more than one way, he is surprisingly cunning, packing quite a vicious bite also. I must warn her when I get the chance. I shake my head and then have to nod it because Aisha thought I was telling her 'no' to something-wait I kind of was…I'm confused. I turn to Sixth-year Hufflepuff Benjamin Smith my 'hello' buddy.
"Hello," I whisper.
"Hello," he whispers back.
"I must thank you for the pep talk you gave me! I was on the point of an existential crisis!" He whispers a little loudly.
"AND that's why this young man is the rising star he is!" Slughorn exclaims to the centre of the group, his drink hand motioning towards the guest just behind him who is receiving a generous sprinkle of Elderberry tears. I look back to Benjamin and continue.
"You must not give up so. You work as hard as you can! Never take no for an answer, fight your way to something you love! And when you love what you're doing, then you have everything to live for!" I exclaim a little too loudly.
The conversation around me seems to have dulled to a breathing silence. Slughorn beams at me, his excited drink hand hiccupping a waterfall of Elderberry tears on to Mr Dawlish, his special guest
"Sorry about that Professor Slughorn! Didn't mean to interrupt, but one's life, and everything worth loving in it, is something everyone needs to be reminded of!" I comment confidently.
Benjamin barely suppressed his laughter along with everybody else-snide or sincere. And in that glorious second, I had caused a range of positive expressions to light up in a large group of people, causing my heart to flutter in the warmth of the social glow.
" My, my the most charming Miss Lily Evans! Come, come!" I walk over to the centre a little shy now.
"This is the marvellous budding Potioneer!" I'm pretty sure someone blended a cough with the light whisper of 'Mudblood' when Slughorn said marvellous but it went blissfully ignored, so I ignored it.
"She is very gifted in all subjects of course! And I know she will amount to great things!" Slughorn continued, "Now let's take a picture to remember this night!"
There was a sudden scuffle, a mixture of people being 'excused' due to the very late hour and others posing right in the centre with Slughorn as someone was assembling the camera. I looked to Emmeline, who was wearing fashionable trousers, and immediately felt disappointed that I placed so much emphasis on wearing a dress. We manage to assemble ourselves in a somewhat orderly fashion.
"Since I'm the guest of honour I should stand next to you sir in the fr-" Dawlish suggests.
"NONSENSE!" Slughorn booms, "Get to the back Dawlish! However will we see the more petite lovely young ladies? Come next to me Miss Evans!"
Mr Dawlish creeps to the back of the arrangement-barely visible behind Slughorn-like a reprimanded child or a dog who has had a rolled newspaper snapped on its nose.
"Okay now everyone has a glass so…Miss Evans get a full glass! That's it now what shall we say"
"What about Elderberry tears in honour of the most cheerful drink ever served in any of your Christmas Parties!" I chuckle. Slughorn and a few others laugh appreciatively, and when our mirthful faces are set from the short burst of laughter, a boom of smoke appears somewhere around the camera and our gleeful faces are captured.
Additional Note
A short chapter...But, there's more to come! The plan for the fanfic is for Lily's 5th, 6th, and 7th years to be documented with a wedding fic and the epilogue so maybe 30 more chapters. I can't wait for the holidays that's when I get a lot of writing done. If it helps the Epilogue is already written with a few other random chapters.