Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter or Harry Potter related copyrights.

A few days after Lily's revelation to James, the Marauders, Lily, Marlene and Alice were all sitting at breakfast together when Lily received on owl. The fact that Lily was receiving mail was not the odd part; it was the fact that the letter was carried by one of the Potter family's owls that made the event curious.

"Hey James, isn't that one of your owls?" Peter interrupted James from the argument about Quidditch he and Sirius were having.

James looked up and sure enough, right next to him, in front of his girlfriend was his mother's owl, Serendipity.

"Hmm," said James. "That owl's getting old…"

He went to reach to get the letter from Lily's hand but she snatched it out of his grasp.

"The letter is addressed to me," she said with a smirk.

"Really?" asked James gulping. He was very afraid of what that letter might contain. He tried to think about when the last time he had written to his mother was. Sadly, it had been a few weeks. James wouldn't put it past her to get back at him by mailing embarrassing pictures of him to his girlfriend. "How about I just open it first. You know, check for letter curses."

"But it's from your mom," said Lily as she held the letter further away from him.

"You never know with my mum," said James as he still tried to get the envelope. "Where do you think I got my pranking abilities from?"

"What do you think is going to be in this letter?" asked Marlene, who had watched the whole scene.

"Well there can't be anything good," said James as he finally gave up.

"Do you think she included that picture of you in the bathtub Prongs?" teased Sirius.

James turned red, groaned, and buried his head in his arms.

Lily laughed quietly and broke the seal of the envelope. "You can all go back to your breakfasts now," she said as they all watched her attentively.

Her friends looked away and pretended to be interested in other things, but really they all wanted to know what was in the letter. Finally Lily finished it.

"So what does it say?" they all asked in unison.

"Nothing all that interesting," said Lily, purposefully stalling to annoy her friends.

"Lily, tell us!" said Marlene.

"Please!" begged Alice.

"Yeah, please," repeated Sirius.

"Mrs. Potter just wanted me to know that, just in case James 'forgot' to ask me, which he did, I am invited to her annual Christmas Eve ball," said Lily as she folded the letter back up and returned to eating her breakfast.

James let out a deep breath in relief. "Oh is that all? Thank Merlin."

Once the others had returned to their own business, Lily turned to James and asked him softly, "Do you not want me to go? Is that why you didn't ask me?"

"Of course not," said James sincerely. "It's just that I didn't think you'd want to go. I figured that you had enough of balls and parties at home and didn't need another to add to the list."

Lily looked up at him with her big green eyes and said, "I wouldn't mind it if I was there with you."

James looked at Lily for a long moment and then slowly he lowered his lips to hers. It was a short and sweet kiss, and left both wanting more. Unfortunately, it was time to go to class. Begrudgingly, the couple got up and headed out, but for the rest of the day they exchanged secret smiles with each other that left Sirius with the desire to vomit.

-----

As always, the weeks before Christmas were filled with exams, essays, the teachers cramming information into their students' heads at the last minute and of course shopping for presents. Yet, despite all of the activity, the days dragged by so slowly that everyone was convinced they would go mad. However, finally most of the students packed their things, boarded the Hogwarts Express and arrived in London.

"So I'll see you on Tuesday, around three?" said James as he and Lily were parting at Kings' Cross.

"Yes, after I meet your mother in London at ten because she insists on getting me a dress for the ball," said Lily.

"Please, please don't believe anything she says about me unless it's complimentary," said James, reiterating the statement for the hundredth time since he found out about the outing between his mother and girlfriend.

"Don't worry James," Lily reassured him, more so by the kiss afterwards than by her statement. "Now I have to go; my sister Daisy is waiting for me on the other side of the barrier. Do you want to come and meet her?"

"I actually already met her," said James as he ran a hand through his hair. "She yelled at me and told me never to go near you again."

"She told me that, and she wants to give you a second chance," said Lily as she grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the barrier.

"Daisy James, James Daisy," Lily introduced the pair after she had hugged her sister.

"Hello James," said Daisy as she gave him a quick hug.

"Ummm, hi," said James who was a bit unnerved by the unexpected hug.

"So tell me why I should cover for my sister over the next two weeks so she can spend time with you," said Daisy bluntly.

"Uhh… cause you're a good person?"

"Be nice Daisy," Lily reprimanded her sister.

"This is nice," protested Daisy. "Well nicer than I have ever been to any of your other boyfriends."

"Dates, not boyfriends," Lily reminded her quietly.

"Right, anyways, it's been lovely James, but I must drag my sister away because we have only a few hours before we are supposed to arrive home. Luckily Lily can apparate now, so we can do whatever we want until five seconds before we said we would be home," said Daisy with a smile.

"Okay, well I'll see you later," said James as he gave Lily a quick kiss before heading back to Platform 9 ¾ to meet up with his parents and Sirius.

"You really do like him, don't you," said Daisy to her older sister as the two of them headed into London for some shopping.

"Yes, I really do. I'm so glad that I decided to just ignore my better judgment and say yes to him," said Lily grinning.

"Well in that case, I guess I have no choice but to approve of him," said Daisy cheekily.

"Like you have the power to forbid me to go out with him," said Lily sarcastically. "But anyways, I'm glad that you like him; that means a lot to me."

"He's a lot better than that mean jerk Richard."

"Agreed," said Lily. "Now come on. Clarice sent me my allowance and I intend to spend it on you for your birthday last month."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" squealed the fourteen year old.

-----

"Mrs. Potter, it's so gorgeous! Thank you so much," gushed Lily as she spun around in front of the mirrors in an upscale dressmaking shop in Diagon Alley.

"It would be a crime if you didn't wear that dress," Mrs. Potter said in response. "Besides I'm happy to do this. I can't do enough to thank you for what you've done for my boys."

"They're all as good to me as I am to them," Lily assured Mrs. Potter.

"I'm glad that they've done at least something right; the box of letters that I have from Professor McGonagall tell me otherwise."

"They really are wonderful," said Lily. "I don't know what I would do without them, especially James."

Mrs. Potter grinned and Lily noticed that it was the same smile that James wore when he was truly happy.

"He really is a good boy, just I think that his dad works too much and always has. Don't tell him that I told you, but he's always taken it hard that his dad wasn't there much for his childhood especially since his dad was and has always been his idol. I think that's why he likes to prank people and get in trouble; he's just trying to get attention, first his father's and then yours. I'm sure if James were here he'd be mortified that I told you that. He likes to think that he's invulnerable," Marilyn told Lily.

"I know, but I've also seen the vulnerable side of him. It was the vulnerable side that got me in the end," said Lily.

"Yes I know exactly what you mean. I first realized that I was in love with James' father when he showed his softer side. It was a rather bittersweet moment because my father had just died, but he was very sweet when he was comforting me," said Mrs. Potter as she reminisced.

"Mr. Potter is a very good auror," said Lily. "He was very nice to me when he rescued me."

"He had very positive things to say about you when he finally got home as well."

"That's always lovely to hear," said Lily smiling.

"Well, why don't you change back into your regular clothes and we'll go hunt for some shoes to go with that dazzling dress while I tell you embarrassing stories about my son of course," said Mrs. Potter with a wink.

"Oh you don't have to take me shoes shopping," protested Lily. "The dress is more than enough and besides I have a lot of shoes at home."

"Nonsense! I have always wanted a daughter and now that my bone-headed son has finally gotten himself a real girlfriend that he'll let me meet, I intend to milk the situation for everything it's worth! Please Lily, letting me buy you shoes would really make me very happy," she said with a puppy pout similar to Sirius'.

"Fine," sighed Lily as Marilyn grinned. "But I draw the line at shoes; no jewelry or anything like that."

"Of course not, I was hoping you would borrow some of the Potter family jewels for the ball because I have just the necklace in mind for that dress and some earrings to match. I'm sure that we can dig up a suitable bracelet as well," said Mrs. Potter as she circled Lily again with a critical eye.

Lily smiled, "If you insist."

"And I do," said Mrs. Potter firmly. "Now go change."

Lily could tell that this was the start of a beautiful relationship.

-----

That evening was one of the first times Lily actually had fun while getting ready for a ball. Instead of a maid doing whatever Clarice instructed her, Mrs. Potter helped Lily do her make-up and hair however she wanted.

"My goodness Lily," said Marilyn as she dabbed the corners of her eyes after Lily told her of one of James' more embarrassing stunts to get her to date him. "I haven't laughed this hard since I saw Sirius, Peter, and Remus come off the Hogwarts Express bald."

"You should have seen them when it was time for James to charm their hair off. They were all on their knees begging him to reconsider. Sirius looked as if he was about to be executed. Remus was trying to reason with him and Peter was just pleading and kissing up. Nothing worked however, in the end James charmed it all off and the three of them pounced on him as soon as he was done. I just sat at a safe distance and laughed," Lily told her, laughing as she remembered the chaotic scene in the boys' dormitory.

"What did the rest of the school say once they saw them?" asked Mrs. Potter as she put the finishing touches on Lily's hair style, an elegant up-do of curls.

"I made sure that I got to breakfast before them the next morning so I could take in the full effect of their entrance. It was dead silence in the Great Hall as they entered. Then there was laughter, and a few tears as the girls mourned the loss of Sirius' hair," Lily recalled.

"He's always been a bit… passionate about his hair," Marilyn informed Lily. "And I'm told it is quite a hit with the ladies."

Lily laughed as Mrs. Potter grinned and rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, I don't know much about you my dear. If I had had a daughter, I'm sure that I would have all the information I could want. However, I've been burdened by four sons, none of whom are very forth-coming about anything that really matters. So, why don't you start by telling me about your home life? Christopher told me that you have three sisters, but that's all I know," Marilyn said as she applied her own make-up.

"Well, my sisters are named Violet, Daisy and Petunia. Violet was the oldest; she was eleven years older than me. She taught five-year olds, and when I was eleven she married her childhood best friend Benjy, who is also the older brother of one of my best friends named Jess. She died because of injuries from a car crash when I was twelve," stated Lily factually.

"Oh my," breathed Mrs. Potter. "That's terrible; I'm so sorry dear. I bet you miss her horribly."

"I do," admitted Lily. "She was a great older sister and she was really happy for me when I found out I was a witch. So was my younger sister Daisy; she was only eight when I got my letter. She thought it was the coolest thing. My other older sister Petunia was not so thrilled. She thinks it's freakish and I think that she's secretly jealous."

"Who wouldn't be?" interrupted Mrs. Potter with a soft smile.

"Anyways, Petunia is five years older than me and currently trying to find Mr. Right so she can move out of the house and get away from my critical step-mother."

At Mrs. Potter's questioning look Lily explained, "My mother was killed in the same car accident as my sister Violet. A few years ago my father remarried because he was concerned about his girls growing up without a mother. Personally, I think we were doing just fine, but he didn't seem to think so. I don't know how he figured out that we needed a mom because he was never home," at this point Lily was starting to get teary-eyed. "He was always at work. He never wanted to talk about my mom or Violet; he pretended that they had never existed. He deserted us when we most needed him, especially Daisy. She was still recovering from a rough fight with cancer at the time.

"Then when I came home from my third year at school, I had a new house, new mom and a new life waiting for me. He never even asked me what I wanted," said Lily as tears leaked out of her eyes. Quickly she brushed them away and tried to comport herself by standing up and walking over to the full length mirror to scrutinize her dress. She hated showing emotion because it caused her to lose control and that scared her.

Immediately Mrs. Potter abandoned her eyeliner and wrapped Lily in a tight motherly hug. Lily hadn't felt so comforted while being hugged since her mother had welcomed her home from school after her first year. Lily closed her eyes and melted into the hug.

"You are so strong Lily, so strong," whispered Mrs. Potter over and over again as she gently rubbed circles on Lily's back.

"Thank you Mrs. Potter," said Lily as she finally pulled away and wiped her eyes. "I really needed that."

"Oh my dear, I have no idea that you've been through so much. If I had known I wouldn't have been so nosy," said Marilyn apologetically.

"I should be the one apologizing; I can't believe that I just broke down like that. It isn't like me at all. And I probably smudged my make-up, ruined my hair, and got tears and snot all over your shoulder," rambled Lily.

Mrs. Potter couldn't help but try to reassure Lily by saying, "All fixable with a wave of a wand."

Mrs. Potter waved her wand and her dress became completely spotless and wrinkle-free again. With another incantation, Lily's splotchy face and slightly mussed hair returned to pristine condition.

"No harm done," Marilyn assured the young woman. "Now dear, if you ever need someone to talk to about anything, remember that I'm always dying to talk to another female."

Lily nodded.

"Now come on dear," said Marilyn as she checked the clock in the room she had officially designated as Lily's. "It's time that we meet the boys and get in line to greet the guests."

Marilyn gathered her skirts in her hands and gracefully swept out of the room. Lily took a deep breath and followed in the same fashion.

Lily met up with Marilyn at the top of the grand staircase that led to the foyer where she could see Remus, Sirius, Peter, Mr. Potter and James milling about, talking and laughing.

"Now Lily, you look absolutely stunning; so gorgeous in fact that you deserve one of those dramatic entrances in the romance novels where the young lady walks down a grand staircase and steals the breath away from the guy waiting at the bottom," said Mrs. Potter with a giddy smile. "Now I know that this staircase just so happens to be absolutely perfect for said entrance. Now make sure that you walk very slowly and trail your fingertips lightly on the banister. You don't know how long I have waited to share this with someone!"

Lily couldn't help but smile as she looked at Mrs. Potter ecstatic face.

"You are going to drive my son crazy!" Marilyn squealed. "Oh I'm so excited! If I had figured out a way to be inconspicuous about it, I would have brought a camera to take a picture of his face. Alright, I can't wait another moment! So I'm going to go down now and count to one hundred and then start your descent. See you at the bottom!"

Marilyn Potter, a woman who was nearing her sixties, certainly did not look old as she walked down that staircase. She had a youthfulness about her that her gray hair could not offset. She also happened to look splendid in her very elegant black velvet dress. She managed to look tasteful and beautiful because the dress hugged the curves that even after all the years, she still managed to possess, yet it didn't look tight. Her husband of thirty-two years couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

James grinned as he watched his dad fall silent once his mother came into view. He wondered if he would ever find someone that could leave him dumbstruck after thirty years. And then he saw her.

As Christopher kissed his wife's hand and she blushed and Sirius, Remus and Peter joked around about their bald heads, Lily approached the top of the staircase and started to walk down.

As she took slow, deliberate steps, she felt like a princess. For once she adored the dress she was in. It was a dark emerald satin dress with a halter top that showed just enough cleavage to be attractive and not distasteful. The top was fitted with a wide festive ribbon around her waist that accentuated her thin figure. The full skirt fell to the floor.

Around her neck Lily wore a delicate silver necklace with a pendant made up of several diamonds assembled in a vertical fashion. Her diamond earrings and bracelet matched the stunning necklace.

As his mother had predicted, James lost his breath at the sight of his beautiful girlfriend. The gown suited her much better than the baggy school uniforms she wore during the week, the not entirely attractive clothes she wore on the weekends and even the dress she wore at her birthday party. He have never even fathomed that she, or anyone else for that matter, could look this beautiful. He was absolutely smitten.

The other three quarters of the Marauders were quite impressed as well. Lily blushed as Remus whistled, Peter catcalled and Sirius wondered out loud, "Damn. Should I kill James now or after dinner yet before dancing?"

"You look gorgeous," James said as he took her hand at the bottom of the staircase.

"You look nice as well. Though you couldn't have brushed your hair?" she joked.

"Believe me, this is brushed," he said.

"I like it messy anyways," she admitted to him. "Makes it look like you just got off a broomstick."

James chuckled at both Lily's comment and the sly expression on her face.

"Marvelous," said Mrs. Potter as she approached the couple. "Even better that I had hoped. But I just noticed that you're missing something. Luckily Jilly fetched it for me."

In Mrs. Potter's hands was a delicate silver tiara. Its diamonds glittered in the light as Marilyn carefully secured it to Lily's hair before she could protest.

"Now you're perfect," she pronounced.

As she turned away from the pair and instructed her foster sons to enter the ballroom and help themselves to some snacks, James stooped and whispered in Lily's ear, "I thought you were perfect even before the tiara."

As they queued up next to Mr. and Mrs. Potter, James delighted in the fact that he could make Lily blush and smile so widely.

For the next hour James greeted the numerous guests his mother had invited and was pleased to introduce them to his brilliant girlfriend.

-----

"Ah James my boy!" greeted the outspoken German Minister as he shook James' hand. "So nice to see you again! And who is this lovely lady you've bribed to join you?" he asked as he kissed Lily's hand.

"Good evening Minister, I am pleased to introduce you to my girlfriend Lily Evans; Lily this is the German Minister Berend Hoffman," said James.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Lily for the hundredth time that night.

"The pleasure is entirely mine," said the bold man. "Hold onto this one Potter; she looks like a keeper to me."

Fortunately it was time for the Minister to move on.

-----

"Lily!" squealed Marlene. The McKinnon's had attended the Potter's Christmas Eve Ball since its inception in the Middle Ages. "As usual I look like an old hag next to you," she praised after the girls had lightly hugged.

"You look wonderful Marlene," laughed Lily. "As always."

"If you say so; I can always tell how good I look by how many old men hit in me. I'll tell you how I rank by the end of the night," grinned Marlene. "I'm so glad that you're here; now James will be much to preoccupied looking at you to turn my hair green, or tell Minister Hoffman that I would love to hear about Germany's economy.

"I am right here Marlene," James pointed out.

"Well spotted," said Marlene with a roll of her eyes. "I'll see you both later."

-----

"Good evening Potter," said Lucius Malfoy as he approached James and Lily with Narcissa Black on his arm.

"Malfoy, Black," said James warily as he inclined his head slightly at the pair. "This is my girlfriend…"

"We've met," said Lucius icily as he looked Lily directly in the eye while bringing her hand to his lips.

Lily was left speechless by the malice which Lucius looked at her.

"Cat got your tongue?" he asked snidely as Narcissa giggled subtly. "Last time our paths crossed you were much more… articulate."

"Have a nice evening," said James firmly as Lily still struggled to find a response.

"I'm sure I will," said the blonde vaguely as he walked into the ballroom.

"You okay?" asked James quickly before the next couple approached.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, a bit startled but nothing to be concerned about," Lily assured him.

"You're sure?"

"Positive," said Lily out of the corner of her mouth as the next couple approached.

-----

Much to Lily and James' relief, after all of the guests had arrived they finally got to sit down for dinner. Behind his parents, James led Lily into a room that she couldn't help but gasp at as soon as she entered. The walls were a deep red with swirls of gold that reflected the light from the four enormous gold chandeliers that hung from the ceiling which was decorated with pictures of cherubs and a feast of the gods. Everywhere hung gold ribbons, evergreen branches, and mistletoe. Also, a light enchanted snow was falling gently from the ceiling but disappearing just above the heads of the guests.

James grinned at the look of awe on Lily's face.

"Like it?" he whispered.

"It's amazing," Lily whispered back as James led her to her seat next to Mrs. Potter who was sitting directly to Mr. Potter's left at the head of the table.

As the heir, James sat at Mr. Potter's right. Somewhere around the middle of the table, the three Marauders sat.

As dinner progressed, James was relived to see that Lily acted as if she had always been a member of the elite wizarding society. She politely made conversation with anyone that spoke to her and had impeccable manners. She always used the right fork and didn't slurp her soup. It didn't even faze her when people surreptitiously stared at her, as if they were waiting for the only muggleborn in the room to mess up.

After a delicious seven course meal, the guests all returned to the ballroom.

"Lily," said James as they entered the ballroom, which was just as spectacular as the dining room. "I may have failed to mention that we have to open the dancing with my parents. You know how to waltz right?"

"Of course," said Lily. "I've taken dancing lessons for the past couple of years. Lead the way."

As they walked onto the center of the ballroom floor, James thanked Merlin that Lily was well-trained in such things as ballroom dancing and greeting guests.

The music started up and James took Lily's hand and waist as his father did the same thing to his mother. Both couples twirled expertly across the floor, and not even Narcissa Black could find some aspect of Lily's dancing to criticize.

"You are a wonderful dancer," James said to Lily she expertly changed steps once the song changed.

"I have hours upon hours of brutal torture to thank for it," she replied.

"It paid off," said James simply as he spun her out and then expertly pulled her back.

"You're not so bad yourself," she said as he continued to swirl and twirl her.

"You have my mother to thank for that. She made me start learning after my eleventh birthday, when I was first allowed to come to these balls. This however, is the first time I've ever had such a lovely partner," he complimented her.

Hours later found Lily chatting excitedly with Marlene, and James talking with the Marauders.

"Merlin, if I had realized that Lily was that hot, I would have gone after her years ago. Loyalty is the only thing holding me back from stealing her from you now," joked Sirius.

"Same here," said Remus. "She actually spoke to me civilly years ago. I could have had her in an instant. Damn loyalty; you would think I'm a Hufflepuff."

"Lucky me that I claimed her first," bragged James.

"And your mother seems to really like her too," said Peter. "That's helpful."

"It is indeed. Though I'm afraid that they've been conspiring against me all day," said James.

"Actually, they've been swapping embarrassing stories about the four of us," Sirius told his friends. "I just happened to be walking by 'Lily's room' and happened to overhear their conversation."

"What stories?" asked Peter curiously.

"Well there was one about you sleepwalking into the kitchen, something about that girl assaulting Remus at Lily's birthday party, nothing about me because, let's face it I'm perfect, and a bunch of stuff about James. How he nearly wet himself the first time he rode a broom, from excitement or terror it still hasn't been decided; that time he nearly poked his eye out with his own wand and my personal favorite, the story about James walking in on some guests of this very ball in a very compromising situation when he was four and the interesting questions he asked afterwards," said Sirius as he struggled to continue without laughing.

James groaned as his ears turned red from embarrassment. "I knew letting them alone together was a bad idea."

Sirius and the others were still laughing at James' expense a full minute later.

-----

Finally it was time for the guests to leave. Many planned to simply apparate, but it was discovered that there was a raging blizzard outside, so most decided to floo home instead because there was double the chance of splinching during a bad storm.

"Lily," said Mrs. Potter as the young woman came to the foyer in her cloak. "You can't possibly think of apparating home in such weather. It's hard enough to apparate after being on you feet and looking pretty all night. Is your house connected to the floo network?"

"No, my step-mother forbid it," said Lily.

"Then you'll just have to stay the night," announced Mrs. Potter. "I'll have one of the house elves bring you some pajamas and toiletries. I won't take no for an answer."

"Thank you very much," said Lily.

"It is no trouble at all my dear," Marilyn assured her. "I'm sure that the storm will be over by morning and you can apparate home then to spend Christmas with your family."

"Hey Lily," said James as he found her as she was walking back to her room. "Did you have a good time tonight?"

"I had a great time. It was one of the first balls that I've actually enjoyed."

"Would you look at that," said James as he looked upwards. "Mistletoe. It must have wandered up here from the ballroom. What ever will we do now?"

Lily laughed softly and smiled. "I have no idea; perhaps you should enlighten me."

"As the lady wishes," said James as he pressed Lily up against the nearest wall and captured her lips swiftly and skillfully.

Within moments the kiss became much more passionate as James' tongue gained entry into Lily's mouth. He shivered as she played with the hairs on the back of his neck. She groaned softly as his tongue explored her mouth.

This was how Christopher found his one and only son.

"Well at least you waited until you were out of the sight of the guests," he remarked as he loosened his bowtie.

James and Lily sprang apart instantly. They both started blushing and James started to try and mumble some excuse about mistletoe or other.

Christopher rolled his eyes and said, "Just remember the house rules James. Good night to you both and just so you know James, your mother is right behind me."

Mr. Potter chuckled as he continued down the hall to his own bedroom at the end.

"Did you see your face?" asked Lily jokingly. "It looked as if you had been caught stealing the last cookie from the cookie jar."

"You didn't look any less surprised or embarrassed," James shot back. "I've never been caught snogging by my dad before. Well, I've never brought a girl home before, so that's pretty logical."

"I've been caught by my parents loads of times," Lily told him. "Neither of them really care. So anyways, what kind of house rules are we dealing with here?" she asked impishly.

James ran his hand through his hair as he said, "My dad was painfully specific; it was really all very traumatizing. Mostly it involves staying in a vertical position and sleeping in separate bedrooms."

"I can work with that," said Lily as she walked into her bedroom and called over her shoulder. "Do you want to stay out there and get caught by your mother?"

James followed Lily into her room and closed the door, but they both obeyed the house rules, as much as their hormones told them not to.

Once James got back to his room after a thoroughly good snog with his girlfriend, he found his best mates all waiting for him.

"We were wondering if you were ever going to show up," remarked Peter as James entered.

"I take it that Lily's staying the night then?" asked Remus with a grin as he surveyed his friend's messier-than-usual hair, untucked shirt and undone bowtie and top buttons.

James grinned roguishly in response. The guys catcalled and cheered.

-----

Hours later James awoke thirsty and headed down to the kitchens for a drink of water. On his way back to his bedroom, he passed Lily's room and was disturbed to hear her sobbing. Abandoning his previous path, James quietly opened the door and walked into Lily's bedroom. He quickly walked over to Lily's side and shook her gently.

"Lily," he whispered. "Wake up; it's just a nightmare."

When Lily did wake up, she looked disoriented for a minute but then recognized her boyfriend. She sat up quickly and hugged him.

"It was awful," she whispered as tears continued to run down her face. "The worst nightmare I've ever had. I was back in Malfoy's house, but this time the aurors didn't show up."

After she said this, James' imagination ran away with him as he tried to comfort Lily. He didn't even want to know what she had dreamed that Malfoy had done to her.

"Please don't leave me," she said brokenly. She had stopped crying a long time ago and James made a move to leave. "I don't want the nightmare to come back."

"Okay," James said to her. "I'll stay until you fall asleep."

"Alright," she said as she fell back onto the pillows. "You being over there doesn't help me," Lily said when James continued sitting by her side. "It's not breaking the rules if we don't do anything. Please James, I need you."

Those three words completely crumbled James' willingness to actually follow rules. She sounded so vulnerable and scared; James couldn't help it but crawl into bed next to her and hug her tightly.

"Thank you James," Lily whispered.

"You're welcome Lily," said James sleepily as he tried not to let his thoughts wander as Lily's smooth legs rubbed against his or her hair tickled his bare chest.

Soon, the Head Boy and Girl were fast asleep with no knowledge of what the next day would hold.