On the way, one of the first year Gryffindors managed to catch up to them and was firing questions rapidly at the pair. She was one of Rose's friends, someone who she had known from a very young age, because their fathers worked in the same department in the ministry for a while. The girl was a head or two shorter than Rose, and only about second year, wearing a yellow dress that brought out the tan in her face from what was left of summer vacation, along with a very patriotic Gryffindor lion mask.

"The pair of you look really lovely!" The girl complimented, her own mask just barely too big, making her look even more sprite-like than she already was.

"Thank you Karin," Rose replied smoothly, even though she knew what this would mean. Her parents would soon find out about her relationship. Well, at least she could go for tonight without having to worry about a howler.

They arrived at the dance a few minutes behind Ellie and the other girls from their dorm.

The potions room was decorated aptly, the jars holding ingredients served as lighting around the shelves of the room, where loads of pickled things always sat in store. The lab benches students typically worked at were gone, replaced by only a few small tables and chairs, leaving room for a large dance floor made of marble, lit by a wrought iron chandelier of candles, suspended high above, much farther up than usual, due to the magically magnified ceiling height. Students of all years from the Slug Club had been invited, as well as all seventh years, and the room was dotted with all sorts of colors and styles of clothing. Typically, for balls, everyone wore dress robes, but for this masquerade, the dress code was brilliantly varied. Costumes ranged from the glamours that Rose and Ellie were wearing to one sixth year who had transfigured his face to look like a werewolf. It made Rose's stomach turn, as she watched the sixth year howl for show.

Meanwhile, Professor Slughorn absolutely gushing over her dress.

"My dear!" He gasped. "You simply must consider going into the design industry! I have had several students who-"

Then he seemed to notice who she was on the arm of.

"Good heavens! Mr. Black, I was not expecting to see you here!" He then proceeded to notice the way their masks and costumes matched, and couldn't find the words to say, simply ungracefully excusing himself. Rose laughed a bit to his back.

"Well, we certainly surprised him," Sirius laughed, bemused.

"Yes, but not Dumbledore. Look." He followed the nod of her head to where Slughorn was speaking with the headmaster, looking dejected, and surprised. They spoke for another minute, while Dumbledore looked smug, and the potions master handed him a small bag of galleons.

"He bet that we would come to the dance together, I'd reckon," she told Sirius.

"Well, then I suppose we should start to actually dance." Sirius replied, pulling Rose into the crowd, and beginning their first of what would become many slow dances of the night.

Xx

Holding her in his arms gave him an immortal strength. Somehow, he didn't even have to think of the dancing, the part that had always given him so much trouble as a child, taking lessons to somehow honor a family tradition. He'd been miserable and though he was a natural, he'd hated every moment of it, feeling very much like a princess or a ballerina. He blamed the whole thing on the fact that his mother had no daughters like his cousins who could be dressed up like china dolls and paraded around.

But tonight was different. Tonight was all Rose, her sweet perfume laced in his breath and her warm hand carefully in his. All he had was her, in his arms, the quiet, clever, mysterious smile that she held behind her mask.

The first dance had been a waltz, long and steady, and as they danced magnificently. Other couples made way for them, as they paraded around the floor, stopping to admire their costumes and masks, to guess at the handsome couple that was behind them.

But each of them was perfectly content with the other, her green and brown eyes contrasting his sharp grey ones starkly, as they never broke contact.

The music grew more dramatic, as the waltz drew near to its end, and Sirius spun Rose a few times to show off her dress. He ended with a dip that made her laugh out loud in delight, the audience that had stopped to watch them, including Professor McGonagall, applauding the dancers. There were several more similar songs, until the maestro of the orchestra elegantly began to transition into another type of music.

The next song was slow, a couple's dance that caused the floor to suddenly empty. Sirius took Rose's hand, and pulled her carefully to the center, where he put the his other hand on her waist, and she put hers around his, pulling them together closely enough together to raise Professor Sprout's eyebrows.

They whispered to each other quietly as they swayed to the soft rhythm, their hands entwined and raised, her head resting softly on his chest, talking about things that reminded them of each other.

She was now familiar with the feeling, his steady strength, his heartbeat in her ear, how she could just fall into him and he would hold her up perfectly.

She didn't want to stop their slow motion when the song ended suddenly, and the band struck up something popular and too loud and too fast.

But she did, and tore herself away from Sirius long enough to ask him to bring back some punch for the pair of them while she caught her breath and looked for Ellie, who was not, coincidentally the person who she found.

"I see you're having a lovely evening, Oliver," she lightly taunted. She had watched his date leave without him, only twenty minutes in.

"Oh, yes. It has been. Because I've made an important discovery," he claimed, nastily, angry at her for bringing up his failed date.

"Oh?" She inquired, mockingly, not caring what he was apparently so pleased about.

"You're up to something, Rose Bennett. With the Marauders. And I intend to find out what. Now are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to find out for myself?" His tone was intimidating, something that suited his sharp and clever features.

"Well," she pretended to hesitate. "I suppose I should tell you." She looked around at the people near them suspiciously, and leaned in towards him a bit.

"Can you keep a secret?" She asked, seriously.

He knew that he wouldn't be keeping this one, but could sense when a little bit of lying would be useful.

"Yes. Of course I can."

She leaned in even closer, just so that he would be able to hear her over the party.

"Well, so can I. Hope you enjoy the rest of the ball, Ollie-pop," she replied, annoying him not only by tricking him, but by calling him by the pet name that she somehow had learned only his grandmother called him by. He stormed out in a huff, leaving the party all together.

"Managed to start another fan club, I see," Sirius commented, coming back with two cups of punch.

"If you had as many friends as I do, you would know my struggle," she replied, finally finding Ellie, on the dance floor with James.

She let out a sigh of relief, and turned back towards Sirius.

"Sorry it took so long, I was busy spiking the punch with fire whiskey while McGonagall wasn't looking," he replied, taking a thoughtful sip.

"Are ours-"

"No. But don't get any more unless you feel like getting drunk," he teased with a smile.

"Wonderful. It seems that Professor Flitwick is helping himself to a glass now. What do you say we step out for some fresh air?"

"Perfect timing," he agreed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxx

Lots of important things coming in the next couple of chapters! I sometimes throw in references to other fandoms and stuff, so if you think its just a coincidence, its probably not one. Thanks for reading, and feel free to review or reach out to me if you have any ideas! Don't let the muggles get you down!

post edit: okay, so i have no idea what above reference was, and i know i put one in but i don't think that its still in there and i have no idea what it is, or if it is in fact still there. Can you tell that I'm kind of a mess? Thanks for reading and reviewing anyways!