[A/N: Thank you to the recent reviews! I always find myself coming back to this story, no matter how long it's been between chapters. Life gets busy, as you all know. And one of the difficulties I face as a writer, especially of fanfics, is worrying about whether I'm leaving plotholes, or if my writing style has dramatically changed since posting the earlier chapters, or if I'm being too repetitive with certain points because I don't realize I've emphasized them before. In fact, I wanted to get this up on September 1 but I was really struggling with the middle bit of the chapter, and I think it shows. I have so much inspiration for the later chapters, and was a bit stuck here. Now that I've gotten over the hump, I think the story can continue progressing nicely! I thank you for sticking with me so far, whether you've been reading since the beginning or you're just finding Melody now. Cheers!]

As the holidays drew nearer, the date of the Christmas Party approached as well; and Melody found herself facing a dilemma. She would either have to pluck up some courage like Lily had done so effortlessly, or she would have to attend Slughorn's event alone. Or, she supposed, she could always claim a nasty case of Dragonpox and insist on returning home early. That was certainly sounding like the more attractive option at the moment.

Her chance presented itself one morning a couple of weeks after the full moon. She was waiting in the common room for the boys to come down to breakfast, and it appeared that Sirius and James were dragging their feet after a night of exploring with the Marauder's Map. Remus descended the stairs alone, giving Melody a tired but warm smile.

"Remus," she began hurriedly as he came nearer.

"What is it?" His eyebrows raised in concern at the urgency of her tone. Melody smiled nervously and shook her head, trying to assure him that there was nothing to worry about.

"Well, I just... Professor Slughorn is having a Christmas Party this weekend, and I was—oh, you know that already. But, I've been putting off inviting someone. And... I was wondering if you would like to go. With me." Melody inwardly cringed. Although being alone with Remus always made her heart beat a bit faster, she had never tripped over her words with him quite so much as this.

Remus's lips parted slightly, and his eyebrows drew together. He seemed taken aback, but not disinterested. "Oh. That sounds rather nice, Melody. I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of formal wear..."

"You can wear my spare dress robes," James chimed in as he and Sirius jogged down the stairs from their room. "I ordered two sets the second Lily invited me, out of excitement."

Melody flushed, now that everyone was here to witness her meager attempt to ask Remus to be her date.

"Then I suppose I don't have any reason to say no." Remus smiled pleasantly. "I would be honored to accompany you."

"Sounds like I'll have to find some other way to occupy myself while everyone waltzes the night away," Sirius lamented. "No, no, don't worry about me. I'm sure I can find some sort of mischief to get into."

The boys laughed, and Melody felt a bit less embarrassed about the overall moment.

"We're going to miss breakfast if we don't get a move on," James pointed out. "Come along, Padfoot! Moony, Wingtail!"

They departed the Gryffindor common room and headed down to the Great Hall, Sirius linking arms with Melody as they walked. "You're going to make him very happy someday, little one," he said; just loud enough for her to hear. "If he ever accepts himself enough to let you in."

Melody stared up at her friend, who had a soft look in his eyes that she wasn't used to seeing. "What do you mean?"

Sirius was quiet for a few moments before responding. His gaze remained on Remus, walking ahead of them with James. "You can't fix what's broken in someone, and you know that. I know you do. Especially if they think they're too broken to be loved. But if that person can see the beauty in their broken pieces, then maybe they can become something stronger. Not in spite of being broken, but because of it. And I know you're not afraid of those broken pieces hurting you along the way, but he is. So you just have to show him that he doesn't have to be afraid."

Melody gazed at herself in the mirror, alone in her dormitory as Lily had gone ahead with James and their other roommates had left early for the holidays. Her gown had a simple silhouette; sapphire blue with off-the-shoulder cap sleeves and a neckline that might have made Professor McGonagall raise an eyebrow. And now, although it wasn't a date, Remus was about to be her date for the evening.

She steeled her nerves and headed downstairs to find Remus waiting for her. His head turned at the sound of her approach, and although he didn't smile, his expression softened slightly.

"Lily told me what color you'd be wearing," Remus admitted, drinking in her appearance. "She said your dress matched the color of your eyes. And James has a whole trunkful of ties in every shade of the rainbow to choose from, so I borrowed one. He said he never wears this one anyway, so I'd better take it off his hands."

"Never mind my eyes," Melody said bashfully. "Yours are..." Remus always looked put-together, even though much of his clothing was nearing the definition of threadbare and the scars and tiredness on his face were ever-present. But he was as beautiful as a painting tonight in those formal dress robes. Melody felt as though she could be swept away in that stormy grey sea within his eyes; a color brightened and brought out by his borrowed accessory. "This blue tie really suits you, Remus."

He lifted his shoulders slightly, in a half-shrug. "Shall we?" Remus extended a hand in front of Melody, so she could exit the common room in front of him, but his hands fell to his sides as they walked.

Melody felt keenly aware of the sounds that seemed to reverberate through the entire castle every time the heels of her shoe clacked against the floor, when the fabric of her dress swished with each step, and the seemingly unbearable volume of both her breaths and her heartbeats. And yet, for as awkward as she felt, the silence between them as they walked was simply as comfortable as always. Although, Melody did find herself wondering what was on Remus's mind, and also wondering if she would ever stop wondering what was on his mind.

"Melody, my dear! I see you've brought young Mister Lupin with you tonight," Professor Slughorn said jovially as they reached the entrance to the party. "Good! Smart company for a bright young witch. Two of the best students in a variety of subjects. It's simply too bad you're both in a rival House to mine, eh? Would have made excellent Slytherins!"

"Thank you for having us here this evening, Professor," Remus said politely. "And thank you for your kind words."

On the other end of the room, James was completely enamored with Lily, hanging on to her every word. Lily was wearing a strapless emerald green gown with a long slit along the side that offered a peek of her leg every time she took a step. She was coolly aware of the effect she had on James and a fair number of other admirers in the room, but nothing seemed to rattle her. Melody watched as Lily threw her head back; shining red locks catching the light as she laughed at some quip James had offered. Severus was sullenly watching them, by himself in a corner of the room, with a drink in one hand and his other clenched into a fist. But, it was clear he wouldn't dare approach them in the current environment.

The party progressed pleasantly, with plenty of petite dishes to choose from and an array of mild spirits that were allowed because of the professorial supervision. Some of the castle ghosts had also turned up for the festivities—Sir Nicholas was chatting in the corner with Professor Dumbledore, and Regulus Black seemed to be politely nodding along as Professor Binns monotonously articulated something; likely about the history of the Christmas holidays in relation to magical traditions.

Melody was enjoying herself, but found herself hyper-aware of Remus the entire time. Was he having a good time? Did he regret coming with her? Would he ever ask her to dance, or should she invite him to do so? It wasn't exactly a ball, after all. But the cheery, lilting tunes of the season were certainly inspiring many a pair to spin around the dance floor throughout the night. And every time it seemed to be the perfect moment to mention joining them, something always caused an interruption—whether it was someone striking up a conversation with Melody, or Remus, or another generous offering of hors d'ouvres.

"Moony!" James hissed, clapping Remus on the shoulder as the next song began. "Can you believe I got to dance with Evans? She let me put her hands on her and everything!"

"That's great, James," Remus said, smiling warmly. A few feet away, Melody was standing on the side of the dance floor, illuminated slightly by the twinkling fairy lights adorning the wall behind her. She was watching the dancing couples with a soft look in her eyes.

James's face was all aglow and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. "I'm knackered, though. I think we'll be heading back. Care to walk with us?"

"You two go on ahead." Remus's gaze was set on Melody, and James nodded knowingly.

"Go on, then, mate." With that, James Potter twirled away to sling his arm comfortably around Lily's shoulders and lead her back to Gryffindor Tower.

As Remus approached Melody, someone tapped him on the shoulder, startling him. Remus's shoulders fell slightly, but he turned to graciously speak with whoever it was this time.

Their walk back to the common room was much like their walk to the party—quiet and pleasant. There was something slightly different in the air this time, but Melody couldn't quite name it.

Like the gentleman he was, Remus waited for Melody to enter the portrait hole before going in himself. The painting rolled shut behind them, leaving them in the cozy atmosphere of the fireplace-lit common room.

"That was such a beautiful night," Melody said, trying not to let her voice carry through the empty space. "The food, the music, the dancing... Professor Slughorn really outdid himself."

"Yes, he did. It was quite the spectacle. But... I'm sorry we never quite made it to the dance floor ourselves," Remus apologized. "I suppose we missed our chance."

"Well, there's nothing stopping us from having a dance here in the common room," Melody said, half joking. Her chuckle faded when Remus opened his arms; his grey eyes slowly meeting hers. Melody hesitantly stepped into his arms, and they started swaying together. It felt like there was electricity coursing between their joined hands.

"Have you done much dancing?" Remus asked quietly. "Before coming to Hogwarts, I mean." The nearness of his voice sent shivers down Melody's spine.

"Y-yes, a bit. We had to study several styles at Ilvermorny."

"You're very good. And very graceful in general. But I've told you that before, haven't I."

"Yes. Thank you." Melody focused all her energy on not stepping on Remus's toes. This wasn't like the pleasant waltz she'd shared with Regulus at the Hallow's Eve Ball—this was something much more beautiful. Much more intimate. And much more nerve-wracking. His hand moved to the small of her back, and his touch felt like it was burning a mark through the fabric of her dress and into her skin. Sirius's comments from a few days ago drifted into the forefront of her mind. Was this Remus's way of telling her he wasn't afraid of what they could be together?

"I have to say, I was a bit surprised you asked me to come to Slughorn's event," Remus said, his gaze falling slightly. "I fear I wasn't the liveliest choice of a party guest. You might have been better off with someone else."

"I was so happy you said yes," Melody said earnestly, feeling almost ready to take the leap and admit everything that was on her heart. "You were the only person I wanted to go with."

"No, you would have had more fun with Sirius," Remus said matter-of-factly. "Everyone sees how you two are with each other. And Sirius has plenty of his own things he's going through, but... he would be a much better option than me. For this sort of thing, I mean."

"What sort of thing?" Melody asked, even though her heart was dropping into her stomach. Remus was rejecting her before she'd even had a chance to try and bring up her growing feelings for him.

"I suppose, what I mean to say is... the only type of partner I'll ever be suitable for, is a dancing partner." Remus slowly spun Melody in front of him, so that her back was against his chest. Without letting go, he lifted their hands over Melody's head and moved them in front of her waist, so that he was essentially embracing her from behind. "No matter how much I'd like to believe otherwise."

Melody turned her head, trying to look up at him behind her—but instead, her cheek brushed against his chest. She could feel his heart through the whole side of her face... even though he was so calm and composed, it was thumping so quickly she was caught by surprise. They swayed together, barely moving. but Melody felt like the whole room was spinning.

"And what if... What if I don't just want to dance with you?" Melody whispered. "What if I believe you can do anything you want, if you want it with your whole heart?"

She could almost hear him smile; gently, but sadly. "You've always believed in me quite a bit more than I'm capable of doing myself, Melody. I admire that about you. But, you know... a Hippogriff can't change its feathers." Remus gently twirled her out, releasing one hand but holding on to the other. "And werewolves are not destined for happiness." His grey eyes regarded her with an expression that she couldn't quite discern.

"Remus..."

"Happy Christmas, Melody. Thank you for inviting me tonight." He drew her hand up towards his mouth and kissed her fingers, sending warmth and sparks through her entire body. "Goodnight."

Before she had a chance to respond, Remus bowed his head slightly and released her hand, turning towards the stairs to the boys' dormitory. Melody watched him go until he was out of sight. Her hands were shaking slightly, but she steadied herself and turned to leave. As she moved, something compelled her to glance upwards, towards the ceiling. A sprig of mistletoe, adorned with ribbons, was suspended in the air right above where they'd been dancing.