so much fun writing these few chapters :]
haha, there's a bit of more adult stuff near the end, but not nearly as bad as you'd think.
I do reply to all reviews, so the more the better! :D
and if there are any suggestions about how you think the story should go, definitely tell me.

something cool i've taken out of someone else's book:
every 15th reviewer I get (which i'm not getting too many reviews so it shouldn't be too hard ;D )
i'll write a one-shot for. their story, their characters, their plot.

anyway. coming up:

a tragedy.
anger.
a fight.
an unforgiveable curse.

"James…Hey, James!" Lily calls out, seeing her older brother as she and Rose walk back from Diagon Alley. He turns, nodding his head at the pair of them.

"Lily, Rose," he acknowledges, grinning.

"What are you doing here?" Lily asks, bemused.

"Getting a tuxedo or whatever it is. I asked Dad for one, but no…I have to be "responsible" and get one myself. As if I'm too daft to be able to get something myself," he sighs, lifting up the clothes as if in response.

"Hey …Lily? A word?" Rose and Lily both turn around, James staring straight forward. Brian Daniels. The silence breaks.

"Yeah, sure," Lily agrees, convincingly calm.

James stills imperceptibly as Brian leads Lily out of view.

"Something wrong?" Rose asks, and James shakes his head.

"It's just…Brian Daniels. He's a seventh year and – do you two even know him?"

Rose laughs. "From afar. You know, us fourth years," she explains, as James raises his eyebrows. "Oh…and he gave her a biscuit this morning." James rolls his eyes.

"Albus," he says, enough explanation for them both.

"So who're you taking to this…prom thing?" Rose asks, and she watches curiously as a flush works its way up James's neck. "Someone special, then," Rose teases.
"Well…yes, you could say that…you'll see," James adds conspiratorially, as Lily comes running back.

"He asked me to the dance," she smiles, nervously, out of breath, and Rose hugs her, tightly.

James plasters a smile to his face, and ruffles Lily's hair affectionately.

"I guess it's not every day your little sister goes out with a guy a year older than you," he grins, "…but Lils, be careful. He's in seventh year, and he's got a lot of experience with girls."

Lily smiles. "Always the overprotective older brother."

"That's me," James laughs.

********************

Fast forward a few days…

"Okay. So let's go."

Victoire's joined them in the dorm, Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur's daughter – their seventh year cousin.

"You know, you don't have to do this," Rose offers. "I don't know how much fun we can be, and we know this isn't the only place you can get ready."

Victoire smiles. "But what better place to get ready," she starts, pulling them both into an embrace, "than with my favorite cousins?"

Lily laughs. "God knows how many hearts you broke on the way. How many people asked you again, like twenty?"

"Must be the veela blood," Victoire muses, swinging her long, silvery-blonde hair teasingly.

"All we can say is…lucky Teddy," Rose giggles, as Victoire slips her own dress on, her back bared, pale against the light shade of pink fabric, the neckline gently sloping down to expose her collarbone.

Lily whistles through her teeth. "Damn, girl."

"Teddy might actually die," Rose adds.

"Very funny," Victoire says, as she waves her wand around her head, her hair magically parting and curling, gathering in the back of her head in an intricate bun. She looks in the mirror, frowning, and waves her wand once more. At once, two strands of hair separate themselves from the bun, and automatically curl, framing the side of her face.

"I'll do all our makeup later," she decides, as she waves her wand once more, and both Lily and Rose's dresses swoop out of their closets, laying themselves across the respective beds.

"Jesus, Victoire…how do you work your wand like that?" Lily grimaces, picking up her own dress.

"Doesn't look like Teddy's the only boy who might die tonight," Victoire comments, examining Lily's ebony black dress, corset tied in the back, strapless in front.

"And Scorpius looks like he might be in a spot of danger too," she adds, as Rose steps to the mirror, wearing a floaty snow-white sort of dress, settling to the middle of her thighs, the neckline curving in an arc. "What material is that?"

"No clue, but it feels nice," Rose grins, spinning around in a circle, the dress billowing out to her sides.

"So, hair," Victoire begins, grabbing the cousin closest to her. "How do you want it?"

"Uh…let's try a bun? Kind of like yours but…less poignant."

"Poignant," Victoire grins, as she mutters a spell and a yellow light encircles itself around Lily's head, and the bun begins to weave in and out of itself, finally circling once around the back of her head. A lock of hair falls out, too short to be tied up.

"See, why couldn't my hair do that?" Victoire sighs, grumpily, as she motions towards Rose.

"Just down and curly, I suppose," Rose suggests.

"You're lucky you don't have your mum's hair…I heard it was quite hard to manage when she went to the Yule Ball with Victor Krum."

Rose turns in surprise, the pulsing blue light from Victorie following the swing of her hair.

"Victor Krum? Is that why Dad doesn't like the Bulgarian Quidditch team? Oh, mum…" she sighs.

"Your mother was a piece of work," Victoire chuckles. "Oh and…Lily. I've heard you're going to the ball with Brian Daniels. In our year…well he's known as quite intelligent, no doubt, but he's also got quite a bit of experience with girls. Watch out for yourself."

"Nothing I haven't heard before," Lily mumbles.

"Oh damn. We were supposed to meet the boys five minutes ago. Come on, let's go," Victoire chides, and she follows them out of their dormitory.
"Oh, look – they're all in our common room…"

"Coincidence, is it, that all of us are Gryffindors," Lily rolls her eyes sarcastically, at the three boys huddled in a corner, away from all the frills and ribbons.

Heads turn at the three cousins, making their way towards the corner.

"Veela blood," Rose sighs, mock jealously. She approaches Scorpius, who suddenly looks bashful.

"You look beautiful," he offers, somewhat shyly, and Rose takes it.

"See you guys later," she smiles at the four, taking Scorpius's hand. Together, they make their way out of the common room. She passes James, who's standing next to Grace Parvati – the daughter of the Professor Parvati, alias Transfiguration Professor.

Jesus. James winks at her, and she laughs silently. Rose makes her way over to the Great Hall, Scorpius beside her. She smiles up at him, his black hair slicked back, his blue-grey eyes lightly searching her face. Her heart flutters, lightly, and she faces forwards.

The Great Hall domes magnificently, the ceiling like the night sky, glittering. Balloons in corners, ribbons draped all around. Bursts of color here and there – unmistakably magic-enhanced, yet still elegantly designed. Golden doors lead to balconies, fluttering curtains in the wind. Music plays loudly – though it's strange music, music no one's really heard before.

"What…strange music," Scorpius whispers into her ear, and she laughs, letting herself loose to the music. Lily and Brian join them, Brian's arm politely settled around Lily's shoulders.

"Where did Victoire and Teddy go off to?" Rose asks.

"Snogging," Lily laughs, "somewhere more private."

"Of course," Rose sighs. "Well, we'll leave you two be."

With that, she and Scorpius weave their way out of the Great Hall, finding one of the balconies.

Steps lead down towards the ground, the silvery moon cast against the lake, rosebushes fluttering in the slight breeze.

Scorpius sits in a chair overlooking the lake, and Rose curls up beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. He sets his hand softly on her neck, warm.

She remembers her promise, what she said she would do, what she said she would bring him. Regret wells up in her chest, regret and shame. But she knows, then, exactly what her decision is. Lord Voldemort had said that there was no returning – or death. But she would take the latter… for Scorpius.

She can feel his every breath, the rise and fall of his chest. She looks up at him, and he looks down at her. She can feel his heartbeat faster, faster. And beneath the pearly white moon, their lips brush against the other. Memory and love are strange things, and they can tell lies – but for a moment, there's nothing else in the world but the moon, the lake, and the both of them.

"How about a swim?" Rose suggests deviously,

"I was just about to suggest the same thing," Scorpius laughs, but falters. "Your dress…"

"It should be easy enough to fix. Plus, it won't get wet," Rose teases, slipping off her dress and tossing it onto the chair. She stands in the grass in her bra and underpants, shivering a bit from the wind.

Scorpius shakes his head, grinning, removing his jacket and his tie, until he's next to Rose in just his boxers.

"Jesus, look at us," he sighs, drawing Rose closer to him.

"Hey, I like swimming," Rose laughs defensively. They clasp hands, their toes curled over the edge of the dock stretching out a few feet into the lake.

And on the count of three, they jump – two silhouettes in the moonlight, two shadows in the reflection, two parts of a complete heart.