Here's part two, hope you enjoy && REVIEW!

Also — I saw i was added to a community? Whaaaat? That's pretty cool! Thanks! haha

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The Great Hall reflected the Entrance Hall in decoration: icy blues and silvers glazed the walls and tapestries and clear blue candles floated above their heads. Giant ice sculptures of a lion, serpent, badger, and raven in an frosty fountain had been placed in the center of the room, all grandly clawing upward from the colored pool they stood in. The giant Christmas tree that normally stood in the corner of the hall had been repositioned as to replace the staff table.

Sirius and Maria almost immediately drifted away, as Maria wanted to go talk to some friends she had spotted on the other side of the room. Harry and Remus took a seat at one of the many round dinner tables, but soon after Georgina approached them. She also looked stunning, in a dark magenta dress with long glittering sleeves.

Harry rested his elbow on the table and balanced his head on his hand. He felt extremely out of place with the couple, who were awkwardly trying to have a light conversation about the decorations while not making eye contact. Harry had never been one for dances, but this particular one he knew even fewer people than he would have in his own time. Sirius had run off, Remus had his own girl, and his parents were in charge of everything and would likely be busy all night.

Harry sighed as Remus nervously drummed his fingers on the table and looked at the ceiling, searching for a topic to talk about. It was moments like this Harry desperately wished he could tell them who he was and how precious this time was. They had no idea what the future held in store.

"So, uhm, Harry," Georgina said with a shy smile. "How has your first semester been here?"

"Great, thanks." Harry answered, trying to give a sincere smile but knowing it likely looked forced. "It's hard to believe it's gone by so quickly."

"Yeah, it seems like just yesterday you came wandering into our dormitory." Remus said. Harry gave him a small smile.

"Oh, how is Peter doing?" Georgina asked.

"He's left again," Remus said sadly. "He left in the middle of the night two days ago. His grandmother has taken a turn for the worst and I don't think she's going to get better this time."

Harry froze. Peter had been avoiding Harry so often that he had started sleeping in kitchens or the hospital wing so he wouldn't have to share a room with him. Harry had assumed that Peter's absence was just him taking even more extreme measures not to see him. not that he had actually left.

"Did he say anything else?" Harry said, concern washing over him.

"No, I don't think he was even planning to tell us." Remus responded. "He woke me up with all the noise he was making packing things up, and left without telling me much. He looked very upset."

"I would be too," Georgina interjected. "I mean, it must be so hard on him to watch his grandmother die so slowly and painfully."

Harry jumped to his feet very quickly, almost knocking his chair over in the process.

"Where are you going?" Remus asked.

"I, uh, I don't really like dances," Harry said before turning sharply and walking away. Remus got up and followed him.

"If you don't want to hang out with just Georgina, we can ask Sirius to come back and sit with us." Remus called after him. He chased Harry out of the Great Hall and passed Lily and James who looked on with concern. The two walked all the way across the entrance hall, away from the buzz of students.

"Or we can even talk to Lily and James and see when they'll be done greeting people." Remus said, catching Harry by the arm.

"Sorry, Remus, I just, I remembered I had some homework I needed to finish."

"It's the end of semester, Harry, you don't have any homework to do."

There was a pause as they stared at each other.

"Harry… A few weeks ago, when you left your book in the common room, I opened it."

Harry's eyes widened. There was silence again.

"That was just —" Harry began.

"No, Harry. I know."

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"What do you think is wrong?" James asked as Harry walked quickly across the Entrance Hall, Remus following close behind.

"I'm not sure…" Lily said with concern.

"Should I go after them?"

"No," Lily said. "Remus is responsible, whatever is wrong I'm sure he can handle it. And if he can't, he'll come get us."

James nodded.

"I think we can go in now," Lily said. James smiled and offered her his arm, which she took with a blush. Together, they walked into the ball.

Music had begun to play as students sat down and began to eat a wonderful dinner of Christmas dishes. James and Lily found Sirius and Maria and sat with them.

"Have you shown her yet?" Sirius whispered.

"No, not yet, later." James said, swatting Sirius away. "Stop bringing it up she's going to catch on."

"So, Lily," Sirius said loudly. "Are you going to join us at Potter's this break?"

"Oh, uhm, I haven't been invited — " Lily started.

"Of course you're invited." James smiled. Lily looked away with a blush.

"Hey, guys?" The group turned around in their seats to see Georgina approaching them.

"Have you seen Remus at all?"

"No, I haven't seen him all night." Sirius frowned.

"We saw him leaving with Harry, have they not come back yet?" James asked, glancing at Lily.

"Yeah, Harry ran off suddenly and Remus said he'd be right back but I haven't seen either of them." Georgina said with concern.

"Do you think Harry got sick or something?" Lily said worriedly.

"I'll go look for them," Sirius said, tossing his napkin down on the table as he stood up.

"I'll come with you," James said standing.

"Er, is that a good idea?" Sirius said, giving James a knowing look.

James hesitated, before sitting down again.

"If you find them and something is really wrong come get us, ok?"

Sirius nodded, apologized to Maria, and then left the Great Hall.

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After dinner, the tables disappeared and the music got louder. James and Lily went to the center of the Great Hall and thanked everyone for coming and then invited everyone to come out and dance. Maria and Georgina, now both dateless, took it upon themselves to be the first ones out on the floor. Lily and James joined them, followed by everyone else.

James took Lily's hand and spun her around and then placed his left arm on her waist and continued to sway to the music. This went on for some time, though he could tell that she was distracted by the disappearance of their friends.

"It'll be alright, Lils, I'm sure everything's fine." James said with a smile. Lily nodded though she didn't look convinced.

"Here, come with me," James stopped swaying and took her hand.

"Where — ?"

"C'mon," James said as he led her across the Great Hall. They left the dance, and climbed the steps to the second level of the castle. Lily tried to ask again where they were going but James still did not answer. They eventually made their way to the astronomy tower. The door to the tower looked cold, frost lined the edges as though it had delicately been placed to create a frame.

"Go one," James grinned. "Open it."

Lily hesitated before reaching out and slowly pulling the cold handle.

She gasped.

The steps had been enchanted with ice similar to downstairs as well as the walls of the tower, but there was something else: hundreds of fragile frozen plants. Vines twisted around the columns that lined the banister and icy blue flowers hung down above their heads. Lily reached out and tapped a flower and it made a soft tinkling noise as it hit the surrounding plants.

"James, this is beautiful," Lily said, as she began to climb the steps. "Some of these plants I've never seen before."

"Lot's of them are from the arctic and northern Russia." James said nervously.

Lily ran her hands along the frozen banister. She looked closer and realized that even within the ice their were tiny flowers. When they reached the top of the tower, Lily was amazed. A sphere of water containing rare aquatic plants floated magically in the center of the room. It swirled in place, slowly pulling the plants in its rotation. The leaves, vines, and petals all twisted slowly and gracefully in the frigid wonderland.

James stepped forward and reached into the water, selecting a light lavender flower from in between the plants. As soon as the flower left the water and touched the air, it froze in his fingers, stiffening into an eternal bloom. Lily took the flower in wonder.

"Do you like it?" James asked trying his best to hide his nerves. Lily stared blankly at him.

James's heart sunk as he watched Lily's eyes shift from him, to the flower, and then back to him.

"It's ok, I didn't know what to do for you for Christmas, and I knew you like Herbology and everything so I thought this might be something you'd enjoy, but, really, it's fine that you don't like it, we can go back to the ball now, and I can go buy you a new —"

Lily threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. A few seconds past before she pulled away, made eye contact with him briefly, before James pulled her into a warm hug.

"This is the most amazing, most beautiful thing any one has ever done for me." Lily whispered. James held her closer.

"I love you, Lily."

The two jumped at the sound of the astronomy tower door being thrown open. The two sprang apart just as Sirius appeared at the top of the steps.

"Did you find Harry and Remus?" James asked. Sirius looked pale.

"James. It's your parents. There's been an attack."

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DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN. Review.