AN: Hello, fanfiction and Harry Potter fans. I do not own Harry Potter, but feel free to enjoy this or hate it. If you enjoy it please leave a lovely comment, if you hate it, then leave some constructive criticism, thanks!
Can You Take the Jump?
Chapter 30
"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Alphard asked as he peered up from his marking.
Hogwarts was abuzz with Yuletide decorations hanging in the air and songs of holiday joy coming from every corner. It was Christmas, which also meant it was the night of the Yule Ball. For once, almost all of the upper-year students stayed in school for the holidays, making the bustle of the hall unusually loud and busy for this time of year.
To avoid all of the students who've grown more and more curious about Hermione, she ate her unappealing food in Alphard's room.
"From what I understand, most girls take hours to get ready."
Hermione pretended to listen while she sat in a seat across from him and read the headline for the morning paper.
"Three Muggleborns Killed Outside of Knockturn Alley"
The actual contents of the article offered no further information than what could be inferred from the headline. Simple Killing Curses; no sign of torture, burglary, or rape. Maybe it really was just a random crime, but Hermione knew that she was just being hopeful. This was Voldemort; the Morsmordre wasn't created yet and there was no additional harm, but she could feel it in her gut. It was Voldemort and his lackeys' doing.
"Have you read this?" She asked, scoffing at the bland article. "Why are they trying to protect the criminals by leaving their names out of the paper. Everyone knows who did it."
"The Ball starts only just a few hours. Shouldn't you be getting ready?" He repeated, gently tugging the paper out of her hands.
"How can something as trivial as a Ball be important when people are dying out there, Alphard?"
"People die every day, even without some blood fanatic running amok," Alphard told her. "And just because you think the Ball is frivolous, doesn't mean it's not important. It's a sign to the world and the students that Hogwarts refuses to take part in the prejudice. That Hogwarts is a school that teaches equality, tolerance, and harmony to the next generation of witches and wizards."
"What's the point if the kids are just indoctrinated towards blood prejudice the moment they go home?"
Alphard remained quiet, knowing that there was no answer. The cycle of hate was often easier to accept than tolerance and understanding, especially when pride was involved.
"Actually, while you're here, I want to talk to you about something." He set down his quill and started rummaging through his table, searching for something. "I'm trying to finalize my will."
"Oh." Suddenly her unappetizing meal became unbearable. She set her spoon full of gruel down with a soft clink.
"Bones's husband worked at Gringotts and now works in Wizengamot. He's helping me get this will notarized."
"That's good."
Alphard could see the tips of Hermione's fingers turn white as she gripped the edge of the seat tightly, but her face and her breathing remain unchanged and unbothered.
"Before sending it to him to make it official, I just wanted to make sure it's good. I gave Sirius my inheritance as well as my liquid cash, along with most of my estates. As you mentioned in the past, I think my sister is thinking of removing him from the family, especially after the rumor of his association with you."
He glanced up to the silent girl, whose eyes perused the room calmly. Her grip had now loosened, sitting in the seat most nonchalantly. Not an inkling about her was expressing any form of sadness, stress, or sorrow.
"I gave Eileen a small estate in the countryside. I've noticed her amazing work with plants when we were living together. The grounds are large enough for a small farm and even some farm animals if she so desires. I will give my St. Mungo's retirement funds to her and Severus, so if the farming doesn't work out, they'll still have some monthly income to keep their head above the water."
"Sounds like you've thought everything through." Even her voice was her normal neutral tone.
"Regulus will receive my family ring and other inheritable Black family possessions." Alphard paused, fiddling with the parchment in front of him. "I was thinking of putting something in you in my will as well."
There was a slight hitch in her breath as her eyes flicked to him quickly. Her beautiful eyes finally met his.
"Me?"
"Yes," He gestured her to come over. "Come see for yourself."
She didn't want to know. She didn't want to see the will at all, yet she found herself slowly standing up from her seat and shuffling her feet towards the messy desk with a sense of trepidation. Lying in the center of the mess amongst students' essays was the official document, listing out was everything Alphard read out to her. Her eyes started to blur with tears, but it was the very last item that made her stop breathing entirely.
"To my long-time patient, my true friend and family, Hermione Katlin Evans. At the time of my passing, Hermione will receive my most trusted and beloved House Elf, Pinky."
"Pinky?" The name left her throat as barely a whisper.
Alphard nodded with a smile, "He's already agreed and was delighted by the news."
"You really did think of everything."
The tears in her eyes threatened to fall.
"Alphard, I don't know if—"
Alphard stopped her with a shake of his head.
"There is a war coming. I know that you've been aware of it for some time, being a Seer. I would ask—no, beg—you to run away if I thought it would work, but I know you better than that. I also know that you're planning something, something big. I trust you know what you're doing, but it doesn't mean that I don't worry. I want to leave you something, to help you, or at least keep you company while I'm not around. I may not be your dad, but I love you."
Hermione bit the inside of her cheeks. Even though she knew he loved her, it was the first time Hermione heard those three words from his mouth.
"You've changed. You used to balk at those words."
Alphard shrugged, "I'm dying."
Hermione flinched at the blatant truth.
"So?" Alphard clapped his hands and rubbed them awkwardly. "Do you approve? You'll accept this one last gift that I prepared for you?"
"You've always given me more than I deserve and more than I could ever accept…but yes, I approve."
Alphard raised his brows, "I thought I'd have to fight you tooth and nail."
"Well, like you said," Hermione hugged the man who changed her life. "You're dying. I love your gift. And I love you too."
…
Hermione stepped out of the shower and started to blow dry her hair with her wand as she walked back into her bedroom. She pulled out her dress and appreciated its elegant design. The back was clearly the focal point for the dress, so Hermione decided she'd go with a simple, yet elegant French twist for her hairstyle. She stuck some pretty accessorizing hairpins to hold the twist together, then pulled out some pieces around her face and curled them to frame her face better.
She stepped back from the vanity and checked her hair from side to side, marveling at how simple and easy it was to manage hair was when it wasn't as outrageous as it used to be in her past life.
She hooked on some dangling golden earrings, and then applied a detailed glamour charm on herself. Her normal makeup look was more about canceling her sickly appearance, but today she's gone with a more obviously glamourized look. She added depth to her eyes with a darker shadow around the outer corner and through her crease. Some additional golden shimmery eyeshadow was in the center to highlight her hazel eyes, her lashes were voluminous and long with some black mascara, and a touch of eyeliner at the corners to elongate her eyes. She added a touch of bronzer to the perimeters of her face and some light blush, then a bold red lip that matched the cool tone of her skin but did not clash with her amber hair.
Carefully maneuvering her face around so that the makeup didn't wipe off on the black dress, she slipped the satin material over her body. She marveled at the soft and smooth feel of the fabric against her skin, so she looked down at the tag and raised her brows to see that a large percentage of the fabric was indeed made of silk and not just polyester.
"Lily doesn't have the money for this," She muttered out loud.
"Someone helped my mom buy that dress for you," Harry noted, agreeing with her line of thoughts. "Well, whoever bought it clearly has great taste. You look amazing; like really good."
Hermione nodded. "Lily's choices are usually something more conservative as well, so this whole open-back thing definitely wouldn't have been her idea."
Hermione spun in front of the mirror, getting a better look at the dress from every angle. The pale golden chains that hung across her back were cold against her bare skin as they zig-zagged down her back. The rest of the dress fit her like a glove, hugging her body as it pooled down to her feet. The dress was long-sleeved and covered her entire body except for the back. It was simple, yet elegant; classic, yet sultry. She felt like she could wear this in the future, and still be considered stylish.
She didn't know if this was the type of dress that 16-year-olds normally wore to a ball, but she had a feeling that it was a showstopper. She lifted her arms to make sure she'd be able to lift them for the dance. Other than a bit of tightness around the shoulders and a limitation to how long her strides could be, there was nothing uncomfortable about the dress. Once she was satisfied with the way she looked, she took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she knew would be a long night.
"Ready or not…" She muttered to herself as she grabbed the clutch bag with an undetectable extension charm. She dropped her wand into her bag, as well as some powder for her nose, her lipstick, and a matching little red handkerchief.
She slipped on a reasonably tall pair of high heels, grabbed her clutch, and took one last look at herself before exiting her room. She looked good and sophisticated, older than her physical age.
She walked down the corridor, making her way to the Gryffindor Common room where she promised to meet Sirius. On her way there, she saw several students, couples, and groups of friends, making their way down to the Great Hall. Many of them gawked at her, making her feel awkward. She looked down, making sure she didn't have a stain on her new and beautiful dress.
"Password?" The Fat Lady asked when she arrived at the doorstep of Gryffindor tower.
"No, I'll wait for my date here."
"You're the Slytherin girl, aren't you?" The portrait asked in her hoity-toity voice. "The one with a twin sister in my House? You have a date from my House?"
Hermione raised her brow at the painting's tone. It was incriminating as if she didn't want to believe a Slytherin could ever be a date for a Gryffindor. So much for improved relations for the two Houses. The infrastructure of the castle itself was against the very idea of the two opposing houses cooperating.
"Who is your date?" The Fat Lady asked, clearly displeased.
"That's none of your business. I haven't even asked you to open the door for me. I told you, I'm just going to wait—" she was cut off by the portrait door swinging open.
"Hermione! I thought I heard you!" Sirius's head poked out from behind the portrait. His smile dropped as his eyes started to take her in, slowly morphing into a slacked jaw. He paused at the entrance just taking her in.
She felt her cheekbones rising at Sirius's raw reaction.
"Holy shit." He finally muttered.
She couldn't suppress the embarrassed, yet thankful smile growing on her face.
"Holy shit, yourself." She replied.
Sirius's long hair was slicked back with some wax, moving it away from his handsome face. The new style allowed his incredible bone structure to show more prominently and clearly showed his grey eyes sparkling without his usual curtain of hair covering them. She was half expecting to see him in a similar outfit to Ron's horrid robes with ruffles in their 1994 Yule Ball but was glad to see him in a clean white shirt with no ruffles to be found anywhere. Instead of regular buttons, his shirt had black and gold-rimmed shirt studs, which were tucked into fitted slacks. She didn't miss how Sirius's buttons matched her dress, but she made no comment when he moved aside inviting her in.
"Come in, your sister and her friends are still getting ready, so the guys and I are waiting."
He stretched out his hand, to help her up the steep step through the portrait and into the common room. The innocent action brought a blush to Hermione's face. She wasn't sure why, but suddenly the night felt very real.
She was on a date to the Yule ball with The Sirius Black.
She placed her hand in his arm and allowed him to lift her up. He placed a hand on the small of her back to prevent her from tripping. Even after both her feet were firmly placed on the floor, Sirius didn't remove his warm hand from her lower back as they walked through the short tunnel of the Gryffindor common room entrance.
"Was he always this affectionate?" She wondered, thinking back to Sirius's previous girlfriends. But no matter how hard Hermione tried to remember, she couldn't remember a time when Sirius was this touchy with another witch in public.
"Were you arguing with the Fat Lady?" Sirius asked, amused.
"She was trying to insinuate that I couldn't possibly have a date with a Gryffindor because I'm a Slytherin." Hermione rolled her eyes. "You know, it's that type of discrimination that builds the wall of animosity between our Houses."
The two entered the common room where she realized it was full of boys, mostly from Gryffindor House, but several from different Houses waiting for their Gryffindor dates to come down. All eyes turned to the duo, making Hermione suddenly very aware of his hand on her back. She attempted to move away, but he held her close.
"They already know you're my date. What's the point of trying to hide it now?" His minty fresh breath tickled her ear, making a chill run up her spine.
Remus and Pettigrew were in the middle of playing Exploding Snaps when they sat down near the couches. The two of them looked up, only for Peter to look immediately down again when he realized it was her. Hermione couldn't deny the mental satisfaction she had in the fact that she still scared him after all these years.
"Hey," she spoke specifically to Remus, only for his eyes never to look up, but continuously stare at their jointness.
"Remus?"
He snapped his head up this time. His surprised expression faded, and softness returned in his eyes. "Hey. You look amazing."
"Thank you." She accepted the compliment, but cleared her throat, uncomfortable with his reaction. "I don't see Potter." She looked around the common room but couldn't see the iconic messy head of hair.
"He's picking Sofia up from her common room, then meeting us at the Great Hall," Remus explained.
"Remus, it's your turn!" Peter turned Remus's attention back to him, nervously glancing at Hermione then turning back to the game.
Remus gave her an apologetic look, "Sorry, this will only take a minute."
Hermione glanced at the game to see he wasn't exaggerating; he was only 3 moves away from winning. She left his to his game and turned back to Sirius only to see that he'd been watching her the entire time.
"Yes, Sirius?"
He blinked as if he hadn't been aware he'd even been staring.
"Uh, nothing." A blush crept up his face.
To save him from his embarrassment, Hermione glanced around to see a black coat jacket hanging over the back of the couch.
"Is that your jacket?"
Sirius nodded, "Want to see it on?"
When Hermione nodded, he jumped up from his seat, finally letting go of her hands, and threw the jacket on by dramatically swinging it over his shoulder. He posed for her, intending it to be comical, but he looked like a bloody model.
She'd expected him to wear wizarding formal robes but was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a mix of a classic muggle tuxedo with wizarding alterations. The body was a luxurious velvet with satin notched lapels, like her dress. The button on the tux matched Sirius's shirt studs with a black shiny resin material and golden circumference. The tux was tailored to Sirius perfectly, allowing a good amount of movement as well as making him look broad-shouldered and fit.
It screamed expensive.
"I ordered it after you got your dress." He pointed to the satin lapels, "We match."
They did, which only further confirmed her suspicion that Sirius was the one who bought the dress for her. She noted a bulkiness in his breast pocket and reached inside.
Sirius, taken aback by her sudden proximity and touch, hitched his breath and didn't exhale until her hands were out of his pocket.
"How come you aren't wearing your bowtie?" Hermione asked when she realized what the scrunched-up fabric was.
"None of us are," Sirius told her, pointing to his mates. "We don't know how to tie them."
"You know you guys are wizards, right?"
"We tried different knotting charms, but it only ended up making actual knots."
She shook her head but smiled. She shifted closer to him, "Then let me help you." She reached around his back and lifted the collar of his shirt.
The casualness of her actions caused Sirius to freeze, again, but this time he had enough control over his bodily actions to breathe. She smelled like roses covered in vanilla honey with notes of musk and amber. It smelled warm and spicy, and he loved it. Her scent reminded him of the evenings in the Potter family room. The musk from Mr. and Mrs. Potter's books, the roses that the House Elf and Mr. Potter picked every day, and the cup of honey tea given to him and James every night. It wasn't grand, but it was his favorite part of going to James's house. The family sitting together, enjoying each other's presence without the need of anything other than a good book. No one was obligated to be there, but everyone wanted to be there. Something that was impossible to see in his own household.
She smelled like home.
"There."
Sirius's eyes fluttered open only to see Hermione looking up at him expectantly.
"Well?" She asked, looking down at his neck. "What do you think?"
Sirius looked down, confused for a moment.
"Oh," The scrunched-up piece of fabric was now tied perfectly around his neck. He forgot the entire reason Hermione had been so close to him in the first place.
"Do you not like it?" She straightened out the bowtie, although it was already straight. "I tried to make it as even as possible."
Sirius placed his hands on top of hers. "It's perfect." He reassured.
Surprisingly, Hermione smiled at the contact and gripped his hands in return. He loved when she smiled, it softened her immensely, melting all that edge away.
The thoughts of the Ball disappeared from Sirius's mind. All he wanted to do was grab her hand and pull her up to his dorm, lock the door, and do everything she'd let him do. His mouth turned dry at the mere thought of peeling that beautiful dress off her body and doing unspeakable things. He wanted her to clutch him for dear life and scream his name in ecstasy.
"Evans."
Sirius jumped at the sudden intrusion, but Hermione calmly turned to the person tapping her shoulder.
"Diggory, good evening."
"Good evening to you too." Diggory nodded. "You look nice."
"What do you want?" Sirius sneered.
"The Ball is about to start in 25 minutes. As the Head Boy, I must be there earlier. When Lily comes down, will you let her know that I'll wait for her in the Great Hall instead?"
"You're not going to wait for her? I'm sure she'll be right down. She's not very keen on being late either. She's one of the finalists, she has to be present for the opening dance."
"I don't know…I—"
"Diggory, my words weren't meant to be a suggestion. You will wait for her." Hermione ordered, "You will wait, and when she comes down, you will shower her with the compliments she deserves and not ruin this night by being upset that you're not 20 minutes early to a dance that you barely lifted a finger to plan."
"I planned—"
"You expect me to believe the Head Girl, Narcissa Black, allowed you to take part in planning a societal party like this?" Hermione raised her brow at his bald-faced lie. "If you expect to kiss up to any strangers tonight, my sister will go down to the Ball with her arms around her gentlemanly boyfriend, or else you won't be talking to anyone tonight or the next night or the next."
Like a submissive animal, Diggory's body shriveled up and slowly walked away.
"That was hot," Sirius commented, not caring if Diggory was still within hearing distance.
Hermione turned to the staircase that led up to the 5th year Girls' Dormitory. "I should go up to check. I think the other dates are also getting agitated."
…
Hermione felt like she stepped into a makeover war zone. Clothes were everywhere, girls still were half-dressed, some of the girls still had rollers in their hair while the others were trying to match their eyeliner with the other eye, only to further ruin the makeup.
"Hermione!" Mary, who was the closest to the door quickly grabbed her with delight. "You look fabulous!" She awed at her outfit. "Thank goodness you're here. Lily only just got in the shower! She was finishing up her homework so that she could stay as long as she needed for Amos who wants to network with as many people as he can tonight."
"Merlin's beard."
"I know."
Like a fairy-tale fairy godmother, Hermione walked to each girl, solving their issues with a simple flick of her wand and within minutes all the girls were ready to head downstairs to meet their dates.
"You girls go ahead." Hermione shooed them away. "I'll help Lily get ready."
While the other Gryffindor girls scampered out of their dorm room down to the Common room, Hermione sat on Lily's bed, waiting for her sister to come out of the shower.
"I'm going to be so late!" Lily opened the bathroom door with a towel wrapped around her body, hair dripping wet. Her eyes glanced around the empty dorm until her eyes landed where Hermione was sitting.
"Your boyfriend is getting antsy waiting for you," Hermione told her, gesturing for her to sit in front of her vanity.
Without further prompt, Lily sat down, allowing Hermione to start drying her hair with a spell.
"Do you have any thoughts on how you want your hair?"
"I want it curled, like how you normally have it, but more elegant."
Hermione began wordlessly wrapping Lily's hair around her wand, curling it the way Lily wanted.
"You look very nice." Lily complimented, looking at her perfect sister through the mirror. "Sirius has great taste. In fashion and girls."
Hermione gave her a small smile, "Is this dress the reason you and the other Gryffindors got so drunk when you went dress shopping?"
"Nothing ever gets by you, does it?"
"I'm also guessing that whatever you spent on drinks that night was still nowhere near how much Sirius spent on this dress."
"Not even close."
Hermione let out a chuckle as if Sirius's spending habit endeared her.
"I think he likes you, a lot," Lily told her watching a perfect curl fall to her shoulder. "I'm not the biggest fan of Sirius when it comes to his womanizing ways, but with you he's different."
"Oh?"
"It's so clearly written in his eyes when he looks at you. He adores you. He has for a while."
Lily watched her sister's face through the mirror, but as always, Hermione remained unreactive. Lily knew Sirius liked Hermione from the moment she found him in their muggle home two years ago, but her sister never gave any indication that she might like him back. It was why Sirius held back, went on dates with other girls, fooled around. He reminded Lily of the character, Florentino, from Love in the Time of Cholera, physically being with multiple girls, but his soul and spirit belonged to another, just waiting for her to be ready, to chose him.
"Done." Hermione waved a stasis charm on the curls then patted her sister on the shoulder.
Lily blinked, shocked to see that her hair was already done. Beautiful soft curls fell down her shoulders and framed her face, reminding her of how Raquel Welch looked at the 1972 Oscar red carpet.
"Do you need help with your makeup too?"
"Yes please." Lily nodded. "Just the face, I'll do the eyes and lips. I want my freckles gone, like you."
"Your freckles are lovely, Lily."
"That's easy for you to say, you have none of them." When she saw Hermione's mouth to protest, Lily cut her off. "It's just for tonight. I want to look flawless."
Hermione looked minorly annoyed, "They aren't flaws, but fine. As you wish."
Her sister waved her wand expertly, placing a flawless glamour charm on her. Lily's freckled skin became a smooth and even-toned canvas. Without the freckles to set them apart, the twins looked even more similar.
"There." Hermione made the final touches, making Lily's skin glow beautifully.
As she started working on her eye makeup, Lily saw her sister pick up the dress she had gotten for herself, an ivory dress with silver details on the straps. The twins wisely wore simple colors with simple details to prevent the chance of their hair clashing with the dress. It was clear that the dresses they wore made the wearer the focus, rather than the dress itself being the focus.
"Funny," Hermione noted the opposites between their dresses. "Being twins and all."
"I didn't even realize until I saw you." Lily nodded. "It's even funnier if you heard the girls in the shop. Gladrags was asking what type of person you were, everyone said we were total opposites."
"Does that still bother you? I know it used to."
Lily was pensive as she picked up her eyeshadow compact. She started brushing a pale skin-toned shadow over her eyes while looking at her through the mirror. "How can two people be exactly the same?"
It was clever how it seemed like she was answering the question when she wasn't, which meant Lily was trying not to outright lie. Her sister was getting better and better at her bluff. It bothered her.
In a miraculous 8 minutes and 43 seconds, Lily was dressed and ready with Hermione's help. The sisters walked down the steps to see their awaiting dates.
Diggory looked relieved that Lily had come down in time, but with a quick nervous glance at Hermione, he smiled and complimented his girlfriend in the gushy tone that was appropriate at that moment.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, you're not upset, are you?"
"No Flower, when you look this gorgeous, anything is forgiven." Amos offered his arm and the couple quickly walked out the door.
Sirius turned to Hermione and whispered under his breath, "Is that the same guy who was whining to us that Lily was late a few minutes ago?"
…
The six students that had made it up to the semi-finals for the championship (and their dates) entered the Great Hall after being announced by Headmaster Dumbledore.
"Now, please welcome this year's Champion, Hermione Evans, with fellow finalist, Sirius Black."
Polite applause rang in the hall as the two entered. Hermione saw a flash out of the corner of her eyes, indicating that the paper was here to take photographs of the night, documenting it for the world to see. For Voldemort to see.
Hermione allowed her practice honed instincts to direct the movement of her dance while her eyes scanned the crowd.
"Any of your admirers that I should be on the lookout for?" Sirius asked, a teasing tone in his voice. Her eyes flickered back to the boy in front of her. He'd been giving her all his attention tonight, and she could even focus on his for a single dance.
"That's funny you should ask since I think your fan club is trying to kill me with their eyes," Hermione whispered into Sirius's ear.
"They're harmless," he reassured but smiled that he'd gotten her attention. "You still haven't answered my question. Are any of these guys going to pull out their wands and demand a wizarding duel?"
"Absolutely. Didn't you know? I'm the school slut, I've clearly been with every student in this Hall."
Sirius suddenly pulled her much closer and dipped her unexpectedly low. She felt her shoe slip on the magically frosted floor, but Sirius gripped her tightly by sliding his hands up her thigh.
"Have you kissed them as you've kissed me?" He asked, his breath tickling her ear. His noise trailed down her neck where he grazed his lips on her neck. "Have you held them as you've held me?"
Sirius didn't know what had emboldened him to break from the actual choreographed dance, but Hermione was so beautiful tonight, and judging by her playful responses, her mind was more present than normal. Tonight was going to be the night he'd truly wow her with his charm.
Hermione's eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, enraptured by him, and he her. Their eyes and their connection captured them in their little bubble, keeping her present and preventing her from dissociating back into her chaotic mind. In that short moment, no one else mattered, no one else existed. It was just the two of them, their bodies touching and their hearts thumping synchronously.
"I believe we are to switch partners, Black."
As if someone had splashed cold water on the duo, the two jumped at the sudden intrusion.
"Lucius?" Hermione let out a small gasp as the tall blonde man bowed, which made her realize she'd forgotten to curtsy.
"The Deputy Headmistress swapped me in for Mr. Mulciber. She was afraid he was…unfit for this part of the evening."
Hermione looked around to indeed notice that Mulciber stood on the sidelines with his date and Narcissa Black dancing with Cameron Tanner.
Malfoy took her hand and the two started to dance.
"You dance well." He noted. "You clean up nicely as well, for someone of your status."
"I excel in many things."
"Humility above all."
"I hadn't expected to see you tonight, but I suppose it makes sense, being a Governor and all."
"The Malfoys are a big patron for the school."
"It doesn't surprise me, though I think it's rather biased that all the money poured into the school only goes towards the Slytherins."
"The money goes towards the infrastructure of this school, the quality of education, the cabinets full of rare Potions ingredients that you and Belby used to get him into the Academy—"
"And the Slytherins."
He didn't dispute her this time, which made her smirk.
"I see that you're in the arms of Sirius Black." She didn't reply, so he kept talking. "He is known to be a womanizer, no?"
"Narcissa looks lovely this evening. That big fat engagement ring around her ring finger really pops. It was wise of her to make that the focal point of her outfit tonight, it's a beautiful piece of craftsmanship."
"Our family's ties were made before we were even born."
"I didn't say a word."
"No, but you were saying everything else."
"Then maybe you should take a hint."
This cat-and-mouse game they were playing needed to stop. There was a genuine moment when Hermione contemplated using his interest in her for her own benefit, but she was not a homewrecker. She owed Narcissa Black, for taking care of her back in her third year and back in the original timeline when she lied for Harry. The woman wasn't her favorite person, but she didn't deserve a fiancé who didn't have his shit together.
During her last turn, he whispered something in her ear that made her blood run cold.
…
James was speechless. He didn't believe in muggle religions, but if there were such things as angels, he knew he was staring at one right now. She looked like she should be standing at the top of the giant Christmas tree that decorated the Great Hall.
Her red hair fell like crimson tresses down her back, her white dress hugged her lean figure. Her ivory skin glowed in the enchanted lights that hung on the ceiling.
"Oh! We're entering!" Someone pulled his arm, pulling him out of his daze. He looked down at the arm that was pulling him.
Sofia. His girlfriend.
"Isn't this so exciting? Oh, the decorations are beautiful!" She gushed.
Unlike his girlfriends' mounting enthusiasm, James's heart dropped. Sofia was great. She was fun, beautiful, and the most understanding girlfriend he'd ever had, yet he knew in his heart of hearts that she was not the person that was supposed to be by his side.
He internally sighed as they danced. He truly thought Sof would be the one to make him forget, the one who would help him move on, but seeing Lily Evans tonight made him realize it would never happen. Lily Evans was the one he was meant to be with.
"I see that you still can't tame that nest you call hair, Potter." Lily teased as she turned to stand in front of him.
Right, they were friends. Before he could think of a quip to continue their banter, his mouth blabbed first. "You look beautiful tonight, Lily."
His sincerity caused Lily to miss a step, but James quickly stabilized her by holding her tighter. "Careful." He muttered, his voice deep and pupils wide.
Their air between them stilled, James could see the wheels turning inside Lily's head trying to determine if he was joking and how she would reply.
"But I miss your freckles, I love your freckles."
Lily could feel a raging blush rising from her chest, up to her ears. She had never been more thankful towards Hermione's full-body glamour charm until now. Lily had always been self-conscious about her freckles, feeling as if someone had splattered her with an orangey-brown paint and she hadn't taken the time to wash it off.
"Uh—" Lily stammered, unsure of what to say. "They're just glamoured. They're not gone."
"Good." James smiled and for a moment, Lily couldn't think. His smile lit up his entire face, warming Lily from her heart down to her toes.
The music stopped and everyone bowed or curtsied to their last partner and the crowd clapped, but Lily was entranced by James's smile.
"Lily,"
"Jamie!"
Sofia skipped back to James and loop her arms around his, while Amos slipped his arm around her waist. The dance partners blinked as reality came crashing down on them.
"S-Sofia!" Lily greeted, forcing a smile on her face. "You look wonderful, doesn't she Potter?"
Unlike Lily, James's warm smile slipped from his face, "Yes, very pretty." James nodded lifelessly.
"James?" Sofia turned James around with a look of concern. "What's wrong?" She asked, immediately catching his foul mood.
"Yeah Potter, you alright?" Diggory asked.
James's eyes flickered back and forth between everyone before landing on Lily's once more. She looked overwhelmed; she didn't want this. They were just friends.
"Nothing," James's easy-going smile returned. "Other than the fact that Evans stepped on my toes so much that I might not be able to dance for the rest of the night." He teased.
Lily couldn't bring herself to smile.
Amos looked worried, "Lily, did you not practice the dances? These are new shoes you know."
Sofia giggled, "Diggory, James is just joking." She turned to her boyfriend and lightly hit him on the chest. "You're such a tease!"
"Come on Amos." Lily grabbed her boyfriend's hand, feeling embarrassed that he couldn't pick up on a simple joke like that. "I think I saw the Head of the Department of Finance near the pumpkin juice."
James watched Lily walk off with her long-time boyfriend in tow. He thought he was being discrete, but Sofia followed his eyes, staring longingly at another girl. Her heart gripped uncomfortably, and anxiety began to rise.
"James?" Sofia felt desperate, her relationship suddenly feeling like water, just slipping away between her fingers. She pulled her boyfriend's arm into her chest as she pushed her breasts together, her cleavage on full display. He looked her way, his eyes catching the mounds of her chest, but it didn't seem to deter or distract him like they used to.
"Sof," his voice was gentle, yet final. "We need to—"
Panic rose to her throat, and she could feel the back of her eyes burning.
"Let's dance." She quickly interrupted. "Please?" She begged.
Something akin to pity flashed across James's eyes, but he nodded.
Lopez could take pity; she could use it. She would take whatever he gave her as long as he was hers.
…