Okay, I lied, this doesn't catch us up to Chapter 1. The next one should, though! And I'm on it, I swear... I'm sorry this took so long. I'm not sure that I'm happy with how this story is going, because it seems all predictable and uninteresting, but I hope you guys are liking it. Anyways, I'll let you get on with it. Let me know what you think!
-Lorraine
November faded into December, and Hogwarts was abuzz with chatter about one thing only: the Masquerade Ball. All the students who had put off finding dates or costumes were now regretting their procrastination, as all the good ones were taken. Well, all the good ones except for Lucy, Lily, and the Marauders, all of whom had excuses for going solo.
Peter was too shy to ask anyone—though he was generally handsome, kind, and funny, he felt that he didn't measure up to his best friends, and he was sure that everyone else saw him as not quite up to the Marauder standard.
Remus, too, was self-conscious, though for an entirely different reason. Remus was reluctant to befriend anyone—let alone become romantically involved—for fear that he could cause them harm. Beyond the very select few who knew about his "furry little problem," Remus kept his classmates and acquaintances at arms' length, careful never to let anything slip. He was a loner by nature, and though he was sincerely indebted to his fellow Marauders and to Lily, all of whom knew his secret, he didn't want things to get any more complicated than they had become after the Snape incident.
Sirius' motives were far less noble than his friends'. Never one to seek a permanent attachment—at least, none that involved the fairer sex—the young Master Black eagerly awaited the time of evening when the breakups began. Whether Sirius could catch the dumper (enraged at her former-beau's indiscretions and determined to prove herself better than the scumbag) or the dumped (enraged at her former beau's insolence and determined to prove herself better than the scurvy knave), he'd win an evening with an unstable woman who would write him off as a rebound, meaning that he'd never (or at least rarely) have to deal with the consequences of love. Sirius Black loved rebounds.
Lucy didn't have a date because she wanted to be chased by as many eligible bachelors as possible. She'd refused at least six suitors—which, to her way of thinking, meant that she was saving an intimate dance with each of them—and she was sure there would be even more boys to pounce on once at the ball. She wasn't nearly as much of a whore as Sirius, but Lucy enjoyed her flings, especially since the one boy she'd come close to a real connection with was completely emotionally available. She'd given up on Remus for the time being. Then again, if he went for a dame in formal wear, all the better for her.
Lily had turned down no fewer than nine dates by the week of the ball. She refused under the pretense that she'd be no fun at the dance, as she'd have to attend her Head Duties, but there was a naggling voice in the back of her head that kept citing a different reason: the right boy hadn't asked her yet. Whenever that thought attempted to squirm into the forefront of her consciousness, Lily mentally grabbed it and shoved it back into the murky depths, unwilling to ponder the boy in question, or her own subconscious recognition of him as "the right boy." That was a dangerous line of thought to wander down.
James, obviously, didn't have a date because of Lily. He knew that at least eighty percent of the female Hogwarts population would kill to go to the ball with him—even if the murder victim was their current date—but he really had no interest in dating anyone but his favorite red head. Sure, he was extremely sexually frustrated all the time, having basically taken an oath of celibacy since the beginning of sixth year, when he'd started trying to win Lily over in earnest; and yeah, he was getting a lot of flak from his best friends, and classmates, and Quidditch teammates, for refusing the offer of even Diana Diggory, Amos' sister and indisputably the best-looking girl in the sixth year; and maybe he'd been getting less than five hours' sleep every night for the past week because he was strategizing about exactly how he would convince Lily to give him a chance; but those things didn't bother James, because his plan was going to work, damn it! Whatever the hell it turned out to be… He simply would not consider any other result.
And so it was finally the 7th year Gryffindors' last class on Thursday the 18th. The ball was due to start in five hours, and every student was perched on the end of his or her chair, poised to run and claim the first shower in their dormitories. Lily was trying very hard not to laugh at Lucy as she inched forward in her desk, all her school supplies having been stealthily packed away already. Lily was planning to let Lucy use the bathroom in the Head Dorms so they could get ready together, but this little display was too good to interrupt. The Head Girl snuck a look at her watch, and, seeing that there were two minutes left of the period, decided that she'd tortured her best friend for long enough. She ripped off a piece of spare parchment and scribbled: You can use the Heads' shower if you want. She passed it to her friend, who was now actually hovering over her chair without touching it.
Lucy snatched up the note distractedly, her ears pricked for the bell, and her eyes glued to the grandfather clock in the corner. She glanced at the crumpled missive and visibly relaxed, turning to glare at the redhead beside her. "Took you long enough to offer, huh Lils? Some best mate you are."
"I was going to tell you twenty minutes ago, but you looked so concentrated," she grinned, even as Lucy smacked her arm. "Hey! At least I offered. I could have left you to share the bathroom with five seventeen-year-old boys. Or worse with three seventeen-year-old girls." The best friends shuddered at the prospect.
The bell rang, and Lily gathered her things, Lucy sending her impatient looks and bouncing on the balls of her feet all the while. Before Lily could even fasten her schoolbag, Lucy had grabbed her hand and was racing down the corridors towards "Gryffindor tower?" asked Lily as they speed-walked toward the Fat lady. "I thought we were going to the Head Dorms."
"We are, silly goose, but I have to get my dress and shoes and beautification devices. I want to get in an out before the mad rush begins!" Lucy said over her shoulder as she ran up the stairs to her dorm.
Lily nodded in understanding and sank into an armchair in the common room to wait, observing the comings and goings of her fellow Gryffindors. The Marauders were ostensibly absent—as evidenced by the lack of fifth-year girls who usually huddled at the bottom of the seventh-year boys' dormitory. She assumed they were out wreaking havoc or snacking in the kitchens, but when ten minutes later she had seen neither hide nor hair of the four boys, Lily began to worry that they'd set up shop somewhere else, somewhere even less convenient. But no, Potter wouldn't dare let them without asking me first… Lily reassured herself, and stood up as she saw Lucy bounding down the stairs, arms full with a makeup bag, a shoebox, her gown, and a bag that looked suspiciously as if it contained lingerie.
Lily raised her eyebrows at Lucy's burden, but her friend only grinned, saying cryptically: "You'll thank me later," before marching purposefully out of the portrait hole and towards the Head Dorms, leaving a bemused Lily to follow in her wake.
A few minutes later, the two girls reached their destination. Lily gave the password (secreta oscilla) and they entered, almost immediately stopping in their tracks. The Marauders (minus Sirius) were currently occupying the Heads' common room, James sprawled on the floor, Peter on one couch, and Remus perched in one of the squashy armchairs. As usual, they were laughing their arses off, but stopped when they heard Lily's cough.
"Ahem," she put her hands on her hips and fixed James with a hard glare.
"'lo, Lily, Lucy," said James, sitting up and grinning at the girls.
Lily ignored his greeting, cutting to the chase. "And what do you think you're doing here?" she asked pointedly.
He frowned, bristling at her tone. "Well, I thought you would've noticed by now, Evans, but I live here."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes, but you can't be here now! We've got to get ready for the ball," she said, as if it were the most obvious reason in the world.
"Yeah, and why d'you suppose we're here?" James asked angrily. HE got to his feet. "Honestly, woman, I've got just as much right to bring my friends here as you have, so just calm your arse down."
Before Lily could really get in stride, Lucy decided to intervene for the sake of her as-of-yet in tact eardrums.
"Right, that's lovely Potter. You all have fun getting pampered or sloshed or whatever your pre-party ritual is. Just stay down here, and we'll be in the bathroom." Before any of the boys could argue, Lucy dragged a fuming Lily up the stairs and went into the Head Girl's room, which was adjoined to the bathroom.
Back in the common room, three mischievous smiles had lit up the faces of Peter, Remus, and James.
"You think we should tell them?" said Peter, trying to hold back laughter.
"Nah, Wormtail, I think this is a joy that everyone should be able to discover for themelves," said Remus.
The tree boys burst into laughter. When they heard three screams from above, their mirth redoubled, and they lay howling on the floor while a rather awkward encounter took place in the bathroom upstairs.
"SIRIUS BLACK!" roared Lily, "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing in my shower?"
Sirius took a moment to collect himself, cinching a green towel around his waist and attempting a devil-may-care expression. "Well, my dear Lily Flower, it would appear that I was, ahm, showering. It's a good place for that." Lily growled, and Sirius finally managed to meet her eye. He was expecting to find her glaring at him, but her gaze was in fact directed somewhere else altogether. "Why, Lily Evans! Are you staring at my crotch? If you'd only told me earlier…" he trailed off when she raised her fiery eyes to his face, clearly enraged.
"That is my TOWEL, BLACK!" she hollered the last two words, causing the usually unruffled Sirius to wince.
Before the half-naked boy could even begin to retort (or perhaps apologize), Lily had grabbed his arm and thrown him bodily from the bathroom. Just before she slammed the door in his face, Lily yanked the towel from his waist, looked him square in the eye, and hissed at him: "and don't come back!"
Not one to give up so easily, Sirius shouted through the bathroom door. "Right, well, I'll see you at the ball, then, ladies! I'm sure you'll both be saving me a dance after the show you just got. Most girls would kill for less." Happy with this comeback, Sirius awaited Lily's scathing reply, and was thus a bit surprised to hear Lucy's voice instead of the bad-tempered redhead.
"Uh, Black, I'd suggest that you leave the immediate vicinity before Lily's head explodes."
"Or before I charm your hair to be as greasy as Snape's!" Lily yelled for good measure.
At the second threat, Sirius yelped and started to run down the stairs before remembering he was completely naked. Ah well, he shrugged, it's nothing the guy's haven't seen before. When he reached the bottom of the steps, Sirius was greeted for the second time that afternoon with a chorus of disgusted screams.
"What?" he said as he sat down on the couch next to Peter, who scooted over immediately, as if Sirius' nudity was a horrifying contagious disease. "Come on, lads, don't pretend you don't like what you see." He barely had time to waggle his eyebrows before three pillows hit him in the face.
Rrrrreview, please! (I rolled my Rs there, could you tell?)
